“Would You Like an Adventure Now?" A July PTR *Updated 8/1

[suse66]

We should start our Disney day walking down Main Street U.S.A, taking pictures in front of the castle! (After all, I need some that don’t involve my daughter crying.)

Yes, you do! But DHS will be fun too.

I’m a worst case scenario kind of gal, so I’m assuming I won’t be able to grab an ILL for Rise, and we’ll have to go on it standby. My hope, plan, goal, is that since Fantasmic! Will be back, getting in line for Rise near park closing will be our best bet. Since this is something none of us have ever done, we’re willing to wait 60-90 minutes for it, but I don’t know if the kids will be tired and crabby by then.

From what I am hearing, evenings seem to be much better in DHS.

Evie loves Rey. She dressed up as her for Halloween:

Could she be any cuter????

Day 2. Ride Rise, eat Ronto Wraps, ride Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, get the kids a Jack Jack Num Num Cookie.

Yay! Sounds perfect.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Oh man, DHS off site is going to be tough for sure! I'm worried about doing it with on-site privileges, but getting locked out of ILL *and* rope drop for Rise is a heck of a double whammy. I guess you guys will just have to bring your patience this day.

 

[vamassey1]

Evie makes the perfect Rey. I she gets to see her.

DHS is really hard now. There is so much more to do there. Genie + is a good idea.

 

[Steppesister]

I was, very roundly, outnumbered.




So... Hollywood Studios it is!

Well, I guess get it out of the way or you'll have to hear about it until you get there. LOL.

And she wants to bring the costume with her and immerse herself in the Star Wars experience.

AS she SHOULD!!

You know, writing all this out, I’m thinking our best bet might be to knock out TOT and Mickey and Minnie’s first thing in the morning, as soon as we can, then shift our focus to Galaxy’s Edge. The kids are going to want lots of time to walk around and explore, and I’m not sure they’ll be happy waiting until the afternoon to go over there.

I am thinking actually, this will be your best bet. MMRR is a horrible line to stand in.... sooooo boring and will drag on forever if you have to be in it very long. I'd say ToT, MMRR, LL's for Toy Story stuff and then wander and explore SW:GE.

I'd recommend Woody's for yummy eats, and Baseline for a little break.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

To Alex, Hollywood Studios is going to be like a brand new park. None of us have ever been to the new Star Wars land, we haven’t ridden Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and we’ve only gone on Slinky Dog Dash once.

I do think in some ways it will feel like a new park, at least half of it!

Obviously, there’s only one park you should start with having endured such a long absence

I am with you on MK first! All the way.

Really, though, how do you plan this out in the best way?


I’m thinking we are going to need to have different “game plans” based on what attractions we can book.

This is the issue with Genie in general, you can't really plan too much! Which I guess is good and bad... We were just programmed to plan plan plan.

I’m a worst case scenario kind of gal, so I’m assuming I won’t be able to grab an ILL for Rise, and we’ll have to go on it standby. My hope, plan, goal, is that since Fantasmic! Will be back, getting in line for Rise near park closing will be our best bet. Since this is something none of us have ever done, we’re willing to wait 60-90 minutes for it, but I don’t know if the kids will be tired and crabby by then.

There was a rumor about Fantasmic coming back soon, and I keep waiting for the "big" announcement... Still wait.... Sigh...

Evie wants to build a droid, but we’ve told her that’s probably not going to happen this trip.

They are so big! When that part opened, I told the girls they couldn't do them just because there was no way we were gettin 2 of those things home.

You know, writing all this out, I’m thinking our best bet might be to knock out TOT and Mickey and Minnie’s first thing in the morning, as soon as we can, then shift our focus to Galaxy’s Edge. The kids are going to want lots of time to walk around and explore, and I’m not sure they’ll be happy waiting until the afternoon to go over there.

Def give yourselfs plenty of time in Galaxy's Edge. If you are like our family, you will just love exploring the land. It's not for everyone but sounds like you guys will! There is also the app with some things to discover as well.

Do you watch All Ears on You Tube? They just did an expierment where one person got in line at the early entry time of on site guests, one person got in line at rope drop and one did it with ILLs, or Fancy Rides as they call them. It's good to just see the difference and prepare yourself.

You never know, maybe you will get lucky! I also listen to trip tales podcast, and they have been saying that some popular ride pop up 12-ish mintues after 7:00. Sounds like either people grab something and then change there mind and the system takes that long to throw them back into the system or Disney drops extras, people aren't sure. But keep that in mind for Genie+ items. I will let you know how it all works for us for sure!!!

 

[rdkeim]

It's fun following along on your plans! We just got back from a family trip a week ago. A group of 7. We had some fun moments but it was kind of a train wreck at times. Discovered our young grandsons weren't ready for the Disney experience Just wanted to second the opinion that if you don't get what you want at 7 am wait a few minutes and keep trying. It seems more spots get added a bit later. I did not like trying to plan our day at 7 am the day of. Not sure why they messed with the old Fast Pass system. Regardless of what you can snag, you'll have a great day in HS. So much to do there!

 

[Dugette]

Just caught up on a bunch of your planning and everything is sounding great so far. I am super out of the loop on planning these days, so don't have much input to provide there. However, I can say that staying at a house with a pool is the way to go. We were firmly in the on-site camp for many years, but feel totally different these days. Having that roomy private space and pool is pretty amazing after the craziness at the parks. I hope you love it! Also, I'm glad you are getting in some DHS time right away...there is so much fun stuff there now (LOVE M&MRR!!!) When we rode the new stuff for the first time two years ago, we had two DHS days and ended up skipping MK (was our last day, but pandemic ramped up and we left early), but it was worth it. Love new things! I don't have any Disney trips planned, so glad to hear you have a nice big house if I randomly jump in my car and drive towards the magic this summer...

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

Another July planner! Welcome!
I think this will be a great age to take the kids. They're still young enough be enthralled with the magic but old enough to be independent. I really can't wait. Are you all staying onsite? Have your park days picked out?

We are staying at Shades of Green this time. I'm excited that we will get to partake in the Evening Magic Hours... we're a family of night owls! I'm still trying to figure out our park days. We are planning to stay for 18 days and have 10-day park hopper tickets... DH really wants to have lots of "unscheduled down-time" this trip. The tricky part of planning is that the tickets expire 14 days after the first use - so we'll have to take a couple of non-park days at the beginning of the trip and a couple more at the end, with 4 off days scattered throughout our park days. I think I've just about nailed down a schedule that we like!

I agree that planning is so much harder now that we can't book fastpass+ 60-days out! I am NOT a fan of the idea that I'll need to be up before 7:00 each park day in hopes of getting the Genie+ reservations that my kids want. I have read that things go smoother if you take the time to set up your tip board for the day before Genie+ reservations open.

 

[amazingact21]

I am so with you on not knowing how to approach anything anymore! We are tentatively looking at a trip sometime in the next year. Trying to get holiday schedules and whatnot sorted and no doubt we will land smack bang in the summer months due to gcse exams/Erasmus trips and, fingers crossed, a winter graduation for CJ’s Masters in Education which I really can’t wait for seeing his honours degree graduation was a whole 15 seconds of his name being read out while we watched from home sitting on his bed.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get to turn your tentative trip into something concrete! But yes, working around school and graduations does leave little options. I'd like to say you only have a few more years of school to work around, but then the grandkids will start soon and if you want to travel with them it'll be the same old tune.
Oh, I do hope graduation is in-person now. That's such an achievement, it really does deserve the attention of an actual ceremony.

Yes, you do! But DHS will be fun too.

Still don't understand how I'm the only one in my family that wants to do MK first. Guess this is why solo trips are a popular choice.

From what I am hearing, evenings seem to be much better in DHS.

I'm worried with Fantasmic coming back, the parks won't empty like they are now with everyone going to see the other nighttime shows. But on the flip side, I'm hoping people will want to go watch Fantasmic and that'll eat up some of the crowds near closing.

I guess you guys will just have to bring your patience this day.

I think this is why Alex wants to do DHS first. Go when the kids are their freshest and most patient.

 

[amazingact21]

Evie makes the perfect Rey. I she gets to see her.

DHS is really hard now. There is so much more to do there. Genie + is a good idea.

I'm hoping that we'll all be so excited to be back at Disney, that we'll take whatever we can get in DHS. Anything is better than what we've been doing the last three years.

AS she SHOULD!!

She's a pretty shy kid, still, but I'm hoping she embraces the atmosphere and looks at droids and studies the ships and does all the little things her heart desires.

MMRR is a horrible line to stand in.... sooooo boring and will drag on forever if you have to be in it very long. I'd say ToT, MMRR, LL's for Toy Story stuff and then wander and explore SW:GE.

Ooh, I didn't realize the queue for MMRR isn't great. So it's probably better to stand in the TOT line, right? Because that one's better themed and has more stuff to look at.

I am with you on MK first! All the way.

I seriously don't know what's up with my family. Not choosing MK....it's just wrong.

We were just programmed to plan plan plan.

True.
I think for a lot of us it helped build the excitement and made the trip feel longer. And now because I can't do as much, I'm barely motivated to do anything!

They are so big! When that part opened, I told the girls they couldn't do them just because there was no way we were gettin 2 of those things home.

Good to know! Yeah, the kids share one suitcase and there's no way we can get anything too big back home with us. Last summer, they conned their grandma into buying them so many stuffies that we had to pilfer her carryon suitcase to bring home. I swore I was never doing that again!

Do you watch All Ears on You Tube? They just did an expierment where one person got in line at the early entry time of on site guests, one person got in line at rope drop and one did it with ILLs, or Fancy Rides as they call them. It's good to just see the difference and prepare yourself.

I don't, but I just went and added them to my watchlist. That sounds like a great video to watch to get an idea of what to expect.

 

[amazingact21]

We just got back from a family trip a week ago. A group of 7. We had some fun moments but it was kind of a train wreck at times. Discovered our young grandsons weren't ready for the Disney experience

Oh no, sorry to hear the trip had some bad spots! That's never what you want when you're going somewhere that requires so much planning (and money) as Disney does. Hopefully there was enough to take away that made it worth your while.

if you don't get what you want at 7 am wait a few minutes and keep trying.

This is a great tip, thanks!

Not sure why they messed with the old Fast Pass system

I felt like I had just gotten a handle on Fastpass, and then they went and changed it. Goodness knows how long, if ever, it'll take me to figure out Genie!

 

[amazingact21]

However, I can say that staying at a house with a pool is the way to go. We were firmly in the on-site camp for many years, but feel totally different these days. Having that roomy private space and pool is pretty amazing after the craziness at the parks.

Good to hear you loved staying in a house offsite. I do think there's something to be said about being able to tuck everyone into their own rooms, grab food from a full kitchen, and be a few feet from a private pool.

When we rode the new stuff for the first time two years ago, we had two DHS days and ended up skipping MK

I can see that. I wouldn't be surprised if the kids ask to go back to DHS while we're visiting the other parks.

you have a nice big house if I randomly jump in my car and drive towards the magic this summer...

Come on down! You're always welcome. It'll be a Disneyland Paris reunion.

 

[amazingact21]

We are staying at Shades of Green this time.

Another fellow Shade of Green fan! You really can't beat Shades for onsite accommodations. Except when it comes to food, they could add in a better quick service place besides that cafe near the bus stop. Do your kids love that kiddie pool area as much as mine. My goodness, if I had a dollar for every time I had to listen to, "Hey, Mom, watch me go down the slide."

The tricky part of planning is that the tickets expire 14 days after the first use - so we'll have to take a couple of non-park days at the beginning of the trip and a couple more at the end, with 4 off days scattered throughout our park days.

Honestly, I like your plan. You've got a lot of down days spread around your park days. You probably won't burn out in the parks.

I am NOT a fan of the idea that I'll need to be up before 7:00 each park day in hopes of getting the Genie+ reservations

I don't even want to think about it right now. I can just see how grumpy I'm going to be after staying out late to watch Harmonious, trying to fight Disney's app while still half asleep, bound and determined to do it because I paid for it gosh darnit.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

nd now because I can't do as much, I'm barely motivated to do anything!

There is def a BUNCH of time that you no longer have much to do!

Good to know! Yeah, the kids share one suitcase and there's no way we can get anything too big back home with us. Last summer, they conned their grandma into buying them so many stuffies that we had to pilfer her carryon suitcase to bring home. I swore I was never doing that again!

It is def carryon worthy. At least plushes can be squished a bit.

I don't, but I just went and added them to my watchlist. That sounds like a great video to watch to get an idea of what to expect.

They have a few genie + videos, where one person has a day with no genie + and one with it. And they see how long it takes each to do a handful of rides.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I'd like to say you only have a few more years of school to work around, but then the grandkids will start soon and if you want to travel with them it'll be the same old tune.

This is true!

Oh, I do hope graduation is in-person now. That's such an achievement, it really does deserve the attention of an actual ceremony.

I am really hoping he gets to do the whole “walk across the stage and collect your scroll “ thing. Feel so bad for this age group as they’ve really missed those early adult years where you socialise with your peers and graduate university. Thankfully life is returning to normal though ironically, after avoiding it for 2 years, the poor lad has tested positive for covid and is currently quarantining in his room. We now FaceTime each other from within the same house

Still don't understand how I'm the only one in my family that wants to do MK first. Guess this is why solo trips are a popular choice.

I have been known to take myself to MK and abandon the lot of them at the hotel pool
A solo trip sounds devine!

 

[amazingact21]

They have a few genie + videos, where one person has a day with no genie + and one with it. And they see how long it takes each to do a handful of rides.

The kids and I will probably watch some of them over their break. They like watching vlogs over lunch.

after avoiding it for 2 years, the poor lad has tested positive for covid and is currently quarantining in his room.

Your poor family. I feel like it's slowly taking you guys out one at a time. Your husband, your grandson...

I have been known to take myself to MK and abandon the lot of them at the hotel pool
A solo trip sounds devine!

As long as they have fun at the pool, everybody wins that way.

 

[amazingact21]

Hi there, friends! Today is last day before the kids' Spring Break, where they'll have off for 9 days. Honestly, they need the break. Landon's had a rigorous school year. He's doing homework for at least an hour almost every night, and once he returns after the break things get even more intense, because third grade is when they start taking standardized tests. Poor guy needs some time to relax and burn off energy with friends at parks.

We're also taking the kids on a surprise early birthday outing in London tomorrow. I cannot wait to see what Landon thinks of his bday excursion. I also can't wait to share some pictures with you guys on here. It's HP themed!

Hope you all are doing well and the weather is cooperating for you. Spring is such a seesaw of temperatures and allergens!



Day 3 Plans:

Surely, SURELY, after skipping the Magic Kingdom on our first day, we’ll be headed that way on our second park day.


I mean, skip the iconic park once, that’s forgivable, right? But twice??? No way.

*sigh*

Guess who’s breaking every Disney rule in the book?




These fools….



That’s right, Dumbo and Doom Buggies and Dapper Dans will still be in our imagination at this point.

For our second day, my family is headed to:





Epcot?!?!??? Epcot, you say.

I know.

I KNOW!

How in the world did Epcot win out over the Magic Kingdom?



There’s a simple explanation.


Epcot has a later opening.


If I had to guess, the four of us are going to be wiped out after a long day in DHS. So, we wanted an easygoing morning. Epcot is my least favorite park, and I want to save strolling around the World Showcase for when the kids aren’t with us.

Alex and I will get up around 7 and make our Genie + reservation, probably for Test Track, and then relax at the AirBnB this morning. The goal is to head to Epcot around lunchtime, or maybe even a little later if the kids are having fun in the pool or with whatever trinket they purchased in Galaxy’s Edge.



By this point, the new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction will be opened. If we can snag an ILL for it, we’ll do it. But if not, the kids don’t know Guardians, therefore Alex and I will probably wait and do the coaster without them.


We have been fortunate enough to experience Remy in Disneyland Paris multiple times, so that is also not an attraction we want to go on.

Having the two biggest headliners not be essential really takes the stress off this day. Of course, Evelyn is now tall enough for Soarin’ and wants to give it a try. And all four of us appreciate the slow rides in this park. Living with the Land, Journey into Imagination, and Spaceship Earth.



I imagine we’ll hang out in Future World for most of the afternoon. Wait, it’s not called Future World anymore, is it?? They’ve broken the areas into different names. But what are those names???

Out of the loop, I say!



If the kids are doing all right, Alex and I want to stay and watch Harminous, which is another reason why we want the kids to sleep in and decompress in the morning.

The biggest question I haven’t decided on for this day is whether or not I book a certain amazing, delectable, fantastic pizza restaurant for dinner.





Via Napoli is my favorite eatery at Walt Disney World, but Alex isn’t in love with it like I am. And I don’t think either of the kids will want to split my pizza with me. It seems kind of like a waste to book a dinner that only I really want. But…it’s pizza!

Good thing I have over a month left to think on it.


So, to wrap up…

Goals for Day 3:
-Ride Test Track
-Ride Soarin’
-Ride Spaceship Earth
-Watch Harmonious.

 

[suse66]

We're also taking the kids on a surprise early birthday outing in London tomorrow. I cannot wait to see what Landon thinks of his bday excursion. I also can't wait to share some pictures with you guys on here. It's HP themed!

So exciting!

I mean, skip the iconic park once, that’s forgivable, right? But twice??? No way.

You are breaking all the rules this trip!

Having the two biggest headliners not be essential really takes the stress off this day. Of course, Evelyn is now tall enough for Soarin’ and wants to give it a try. And all four of us appreciate the slow rides in this park. Living with the Land, Journey into Imagination, and Spaceship Earth.

Same here! Soaring', SE and LwTL are the Epcot trifecta for me. I really could care less about anything else.

Via Napoli is my favorite eatery at Walt Disney World, but Alex isn’t in love with it like I am. And I don’t think either of the kids will want to split my pizza with me. It seems kind of like a waste to book a dinner that only I really want. But…it’s pizza!

It's delicious pizza in a super fun atmosphere. I vote yes!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Anyone else have a must do first on a Disney trip? First park? First snack? First mode of transportation

Hi, I’m enjoying your plans for the summer trip. We usually always went straight to MK, immersed ourselves into the castle and park. We always stopped at Casey’s for corn dog nuggets and Aloha Isle for a dole whip. We now have changed some. A couple trips we have stayed at the resort and had a nice dinner instead. I have heard it is best to tackle Rise later in the day if you are not a resort guest. The line builds very quickly in the morning with resort guests. I think your plans of doing MMRR and ToT first!

Do you think it possible to only be at Disney Springs for 3-4 hours when you need the ticket center, dinner, and a merchandise purchase?

I definitely do because we are always only there that long, lol We eat, shop, and drink all in 3-4 hours easily.
Epcot has been our choice for 2nd day lately and last day because of the later start time. I really like it!
Enjoy the kids spring break and have fun in London. I fell in love with London in my 20’s and have been all over the world since that time and it is still my favorite city of so many!! I love it. I hope to see it again someday.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We're also taking the kids on a surprise early birthday outing in London tomorrow. I cannot wait to see what Landon thinks of his bday excursion. I also can't wait to share some pictures with you guys on here. It's HP themed!

Fun!!!! Can't wait to see some pictures.

If I had to guess, the four of us are going to be wiped out after a long day in DHS. So, we wanted an easygoing morning. Epcot is my least favorite park, and I want to save strolling around the World Showcase for when the kids aren’t with us

It does make sense. And I am planning the same, a late start in EPCOT.

I imagine we’ll hang out in Future World for most of the afternoon. Wait, it’s not called Future World anymore, is it?? They’ve broken the areas into different names. But what are those names???

Out of the loop, I say!

Does anyone call the area by the new names?

Via Napoli is my favorite eatery at Walt Disney World, but Alex isn’t in love with it like I am.

It is the same for us!!! I love it but Andy is Meh on it.