November 2017: Dad's Dazzling 60th Birthday trip *here now! Updated with Instagram*

[paradesintherain]

Hello all! I haven't posted here in a while, but I have a trip back on the calendar and lots of planning to do so I decided to make a pre-trip report. So this trip came about because my dad is retiring in August, and what better place is there to celebrate than Disney World?

Here's the semi-final itinerary! Final Itinerary

Initially we were looking at dates over Halloween, and hoping to get free dining, but of course there isn't much in the way of free dining for fall. Dad's dream resort was Wilderness Lodge in the deluxe rooms, but the conversion of rooms to DVC seems to have taken them out of inventory.

So, Animal Kingdom Lodge became the next best option. At first we booked the 1-bedroom club level suite, which was quite the splurge. Dad eventually got sticker shock and decided to change the reservation. We looked at some dates in December at the Grand Floridian with dining plan, and that almost won out, but in the end we booked a 1 bedroom standard view villa in Jambo House.

Anyway, here's the "final" plan, at least for right now

When: Dad and I October 31- November 4, entire family November 4-12
Where: Port Orleans French Quarter, then Animal Kingdom Lodge, 1-bedroom villa Jambo House
Who: Me, my dad, my brother and his girlfriend, Shelby (this is her first Disney World trip), and potentially my friend, Allie, who has only been to Disney World once 9 years ago, but is an annual passholder at Disneyland.
Why: To celebrate my dad's retirement!

Day-by-day Schedule:

• 10/31 Tuesday - Arrival day! Dad and I leave at 5:05 pm on a nonstop flight and arrive at 8:45 pm. We'll be checking into Port Orleans French Quarter. Probably get a meal and then head to bed, I know I'll be tired since I will work until 7:15 am this day!
• 11/1 Wednesday - Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party. Planning on entering Magic Kingdom at 4 so the morning is wide open.
• 11/2 Thursday - Leaning toward an Epcot day since Food and Wine is going on and more time to sample food can't hurt! Beaches and Cream ADR @ 17:40
• 11/3 Friday - Relaxation day! Time to enjoy the resorts and Disney Springs. My friend, Allie, arrives this evening and has requested dinner at Raglan Road.
• 11/4 Saturday - Check out of POFQ and into our 1-bedroom villa at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House! Considering breakfast at Kona Cafe - would love to get some Tonga Toast again! My brother Aaron, and his girlfriend Shelby arrive at 10:45 am. Sanaa ADR @ 1:15 pm, then onward to Magic Kingdom! Will probably need to watch Happily Ever After on this day
• 11/5 Sunday - Animal Kingdom day. Hoping to book Tiffins for the Rivers of Light dining package
• 11/6 Monday - Well, as I was typing this I realize there's a conflict here. Originally wanted to do half day at Magic Kingdom, then end at Hollywood Studios and watch the Star Wars fireworks, but I wasn't able to get Be Our Guest ADR for lunch. So anyway, got that ADR on a different day and moved the Hoop Dee Doo ADR @ 8:30 to this night. That doesn't work very well with the fireworks.
• 11/7 Tuesday - Epcot day. Sample Food and Wine festival and those who want to (aka not me) can drink around the world.
• 11/8 Wednesday - Hollywood Studios. Mama Melrose Fantasmic package ADR @ 11:55. I'll book Fastpasses in the afternoon so that anyone who chose to drink around the world can sleep in until lunch if they need to.
• 11/9 Thursday - Animal Kingdom. Possibly Yak & Yeti for lunch, but no ADR booked at the moment. With later hours, a dinner at Yak & Yeti could be possible too.
• 11/10 Friday - Epcot. I might try and book an Illuminations cruise for this evening
• 11/11 Saturday - Magic Kingdom. Be Our Guest ADR @ 12:35. Magic Kingdom has evening Extra Magic Hours this night
• 11/12 Sunday - Departure day! Aaron and Shelby leave early in the morning. Dad and I have a 10:35 pm departure, and I think Allie is going to get a flight that leaves around 7 pm. Not sure what we'll do with our time on this day.

About Me:

• Favorite Disney Movie: The Lion King. Also very obsessed with Moana recently.
• Favorite ride: Splash Mountain and Tower of Terror. Splash will be closed for refurbishment during this trip
• Favorite Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge. Fun fact: I used to work there way back in 2006 as a CP. I worked at The Mara and in In-Room Dining. I'd say Port Orleans Riverside is my second favorite
• Favorite Park: I've been recently feeling like it might be Animal Kingdom. I used to really love Hollywood Studios, it has such a wonderful atmosphere, but I'm not sure how I'll feel with it as half a park. All bets are off once Star Wars land opens!
• Favorite Restaurant: Probably Ohana even though we decided not to go there this year. Favorite quick service is probably Sunshine Seasons

I started a to-do list on my phone for Disney World, so i thought I'd post it here and update as I add to the list!

To-Do list

1. Buy a pickle ornament from the Germany pavilion. I collect Disney ornaments, and I have German background so I don't know why I haven't bought one of these yet!
2. Try the macaroon ice cream sandwich
3. Art of Animation animation class

 

[paradesintherain]

Dining: It's 3 days out from booking ADRs for us! At first it was kind of a bummer that we weren't able to get free dining, but I'm actually kind of excited about it now because that means our days will have a little more flexibility. Of course, I'll still be booking some ADRs! My friend Allie is a vegetarian so that's also something to consider when we choose meals, though I know Disney is very accommodating.

Tiffins: Dad thought this was too expensive, but then he decided it would be a good deal with the Rivers of Light package. I'm most excited to try Whole-Fried Sustainable Fish - such a neat presentation and something I've never experienced before. I showed Allie the Roasted Vegetable Curry and she thought it looked like a meal she would enjoy!

Be Our Guest: We've done this every trip since it opened, mostly for the ambiance (though the French Onion Soup is phenomenal and I really enjoyed the Master's Cupcake). Be Our Guest was Allie's one restaurant request, and we'll do a lunch ADR. Breakfast seems nice but overpriced and no one is very interested in the dinner menu.

Hoop Dee Doo Revue: We've been to the Hoop Dee Doo our last two trips and we'll continue to return for the fun show and endless beverages! The food doesn't really stick out in my mind, though it's perfectly decent. The vegetarian options don't look too bad either. I'm really excited to introduce Shelby and Allie to this show.

Ohana: Ohana is another family favorite, and the only restaurant my brother Aaron requested. I was a bit skeptical about taking a vegetarian there but after researching it seems like sometimes the vegetarian options are pretty great. Hopefully we get the good chef when we visit! I think my brother mainly requested Ohana for the bread pudding, but he's a big meat eater as well.

Mama Melrose: For the Fantasmic dining package. This is another repeat for us; we've always had wonderful meals here and I prefer the dining package to waiting forever for standby seating

There's some other restaurants we have in mind, like Sanaa (must try that Bread Service) and Boma since we're staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We've eaten at Jiko before but don't really see any need to return (at least while paying out of pocket). I'm also very interested in the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge so I can finally try that famous Cobb salad - seems like a good option since Hollywood Studios is pretty limited on counter service meals. And, of course, it's still Food and Wine Festival so we'll be sampling the booths and drinking around the world. Shelby is pretty excited about this. I nearly died the last time I attempted it....

 

[paradesintherain]

A thought popped into my head tonight that maybe it would be a good idea to head to Orlando early and stay at a value like Pop Century (or Port Orleans French Quarter isn't much more money, and I've always wanted to stay there...) because I really want to attend the Halloween party! I'm a nurse so my schedule is a little different, but basically I'll already be off 11/1-11/4 anyway so it's feasible. It might be cheaper if I can just add on days to the ticket we've already purchased for the existing trip, but I'm pretty sure tickets only go up to 10 days? Anyone know?

Though I guess that would work, I could do 10 days and spend my extra day at Magic Kingdom for the party and then enjoy the resorts and Disney Springs on 11/2 & 11/3. Hmm... tempting

 

[paradesintherain]

Back again! I thought I'd throw some pictures into this PTR.

This is me, Kara. I'm a 30-year old nurse who lives in Kansas City. My favorite movie is The Lion King, and I mean all-time favorite, not just Disney favorite. I'm also a huge fan of Star Wars and Marvel, particularly Captain America. A recent favorite is Moana. I have two cats, Princess Leia, and Princess Merida.

This is my brother, Aaron, and his girlfriend, Shelby. Aaron is obsessed with Star Wars, and I'm not really sure what Disney movies Shelby likes.
12039656_10100908756237581_8680812183753998701_n by paradeintherain, on Flickr


Last but not least is my dad. He's a huge Disney fan and the reason this trip is even happening!

 

[paradesintherain]

Whoops, I forgot my friend Allie!

This is Allie and I way back in 2008 on her first (and only) trip to Disney World. This was obviously after getting caught in the infamous Florida downpour. We've done lots of Disney together, but mostly Disneyland since she lives in California.

 

[paradesintherain]

Made some ADRs today!

11/8 - lunch Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package
11/11 - Be Our Guest lunch
11/11 - 6:15 Hoop Dee Doo Revue

I didn't plan Be Our Guest on the 11th, I'm actually looking for an opening on the 6th so hopefully I can find that in the next six months!

Also, we decided to drop Ohana from the rotation this year. It's a wonderful meal, but it is time consuming, and I hate feeling so scheduled - I want to be able to do things spontaneously this trip! Who knows, though, we might end up searching for an ADR later. At the very least I'm hitting up the Tambu Lounge for some bread pudding!

 

[paradesintherain]

I think I've pretty much talked myself into flying solo to Disney World from 11/1-11/4. I had originally thought I'd just book a value resort, but maybe I should look into renting points? Might be nice to stay at a deluxe if I plan on spending more leisure time around the resort.

 

[paradesintherain]

I think I've pretty much talked myself into flying solo to Disney World from 11/1-11/4. I had originally thought I'd just book a value resort, but maybe I should look into renting points? Might be nice to stay at a deluxe if I plan on spending more leisure time around the resort.

Well, I went ahead and booked a room! For some reason Pop Century all of a sudden showed no availability so I booked All-Star Movies, and I was less than enthused so I kept refreshing the resort search throughout my shift (I work nights) and Pop finally showed back up so I switched my reservation! So glad that worked out!

I'm getting pretty excited about the prospect of spending a few days solo, doing whatever I want.

 

[MoBabee]

Hello!!! I'm following your PTR because we're going the month after you (9 Dec - 16 Dec)...so you can be my lead.

When things happen for you, I know I'm only a month behind!!! SuperExcited!!

 

[paradesintherain]

Hello!!! I'm following your PTR because we're going the month after you (9 Dec - 16 Dec)...so you can be my lead.

When things happen for you, I know I'm only a month behind!!! SuperExcited!!

That's so exciting! Do you have a PTR anywhere? Where will you be staying?

 

[MoBabee]

That's so exciting! Do you have a PTR anywhere? Where will you be staying?

Yes, I just started one last week. I think it's called "Family of 6 (or 7)....."

 

[Shrfleen]

Tuning in! We are checking in the day you are leaving!

 

[paradesintherain]

Yes, I just started one last week. I think it's called "Family of 6 (or 7)....."

I'll have to check it out!

 

[paradesintherain]

Tuning in! We are checking in the day you are leaving!

Where will you be staying? Disney planning is the best planning!

 

[paradesintherain]

Checking in with my latest planning news! I had booked some solo days at Pop, but was still checking for AoA Little Mermaid rooms and today they were finally available! It was $100 more overall, but I think it'll be worth it since I plan on spending more time at the resort and I vastly prefer the theme at AoA to Pop Century.

For the family part of the trip we're thinking about an Illuminations cruise. Might be out of luck since it's past the 180-day mark and I've yet to call, but fingers crossed it can work out. I was thinking this could the the "special" celebratory event for my Dad's retirement since he loves watching Illuminations

Also, one of my oldest friends, her family, and her will-be one-year old are visiting the world at the same time! This will be her baby's first trip, and it's just really fun that we'll be there at the same time!

 

[paradesintherain]

Changed my reservation again

Dad officially decided to fly down on Halloween with me, and after a little debate we decided to change our hotel to Port Orleans - French Quarter! We've both always wanted to stay here, but it's never worked out for a number of reasons. It'll be great to be able to take the boat to Disney Springs, or walk over and enjoy Riverside too. Very excited for this change of plans!

 

[paradesintherain]

Purchased our MNSSHP tickets tonight! Things are coming together really nicely.

 

[Shrfleen]

Purchased our MNSSHP tickets tonight! Things are coming together really nicely.

You will love MNSSHP!

 

[paradesintherain]

You will love MNSSHP!

I hope so! I've done the Christmas party and I'm not sure it was worth the price (doesn't help that I'm not a fan of Christmas music). The Halloween offerings seem to be much more to my liking!

 

[paradesintherain]

I updated the first post with a day-by-day schedule and in doing so discovered that my Monday schedule is messed up. Basically I was planning on a half day at Magic Kingdom, eating lunch at Be Our Guest and then heading to Hollywood Studios for the evening where we could watch the Star Wars fireworks. Well, I wasn't able to book an ADR for Be Our Guest that day and the day I was able to book an ADR for it was on the same day as Hoop Dee Doo. My dad isn't a big eater, so two meals like that in a day was too much for him, and I guess I just assumed I had scheduled all of 11/6 as a Magic Kingdom day so I booked us Hoop Dee Doo at 8:30.

Maybe we could race to Hollywood Studios on Sunday after seeing Rivers of Light? Could work if Animal Kingdom's hours don't extend later than 7pm. Could really work if we buy the Express bus pass...