A Different Kind of Introduction... IT IS TIME [Oct 2014 PTR]

[ChanFO]

Update on Kitty Dilemma 2014: Met with the pet sitter a few days ago. She was a pretty impressive cat whisperer, because Pumpkin did come out from hiding after about a half hour and, with a little coaxing, came on over and sniffed and her and rubbed against her leg!

I'm pretty relieved that Pumpkin liked her and that she was enough of a crazy cat lady that I knew she was a kindred spirit. I definitely trust she'll take good care of him. She'll be coming by three times during our trip to keep an eye on him.

So I feel pretty good about this decision.

I don't think DH is as keen on it - he doesn't like that we'll be letting anyone into our house while we're gone, but he "gets it" that I feel I need to do this for my mental health (how can I have fun if I'm worried about my fluff?), so there's not been any argument. He does care about Pumpkin too. I don't blame him and understand his reservations about hiring someone, and he is very slow to trust folks in general so his reaction is not unexpected. I told him we would take lots of pictures of the house before we leave so we'd know if anything moved.

 

[ChanFO]

I love AKL and looking forward to hearing about Kidani.

Do you have to put down a large sum of $ upfront for DVC ownership & then a monthly fee on top of that?

For DVC, there's two costs.

First is the cost to buy-in, which is a one-time cost of a certain amount per point. Right now to buy from Disney it's like $150 per point. Back when I bought, it was under $100 per point; the price on this literally goes up just about every year lately. That initial buy-in is what ends up as a deeded interest in the resort property. You own literally some tiny square of carpet somewhere for the next 40 years or so. Mine was somewhere in the neighborhood of $9500 all said and done, which is pretty tiny for DVC, but the same hundred-point contract from Disney now would be more like 15K. You can pay for this in a lump sum of cash, or (potentially unwisely depending on your circumstances) financed through a loan. If you go through Disney's financing, it's paid off monthly over ten years.

Second is maintenance fees. These are paid yearly for as long as you own DVC. This is the cost to upkeep the resort - you own it, so you pay for it! This varies per resort. AKL property is on the high end of the upkeep spectrum because we have animals to take care of on top of all the usual refurbing and housekeeping. I don't remember what it is exactly, a bit under $6 per point, which for me is around $600 a year for a hundred points. You can divide that up to pay monthly as well, which I do.

I was in a DINK situation when I bought it, and now I'm a single income breadwinner, so I won't pretend that it's not as appealing of an asset to be holding as it was! Still, considering I know I'll go down to Disney many many times before my contract runs out when I'm in my seventies, I have no doubt I'll get my money's worth out of it, and there's nothing like owning the resort I love most in the world.

Still I would definitely caution anyone who's looking at DVC to DO THE MATH and make sure you want it! It's no small thing! I fully admit that I don't tell my DH (who was not married to me when I bought it) how much it cost. Maybe I will tell him if I successfully infect him with Disney magic so that it will seem worthwhile instead of "OMG CHAN."

 

[ach222]

joining in - loving your report so far, I can already tell it's going to be a riot by the time the TR is done!

 

[ChanFO]

Part 7: Day 3, As the Three Heretics Fly Off to Universal​

I did Universal one time. I think it was my 2009 trip, early December, on the only trip where there was a rental car involved. My travel partner and I made the drive over on a clouded-over and frequently rainy morning and picked up one-day, two-park tickets, having very few expectations of what our day would consist of.

It wasn't a bad day, really. It was incredibly uncrowded due to both the time of year and the weather, and until the sun came out in the afternoon, we walked on to almost everything. We made it through most of US and about half of Islands of Adventure, and honestly, most of it was... unmemorable to me.

I remember the Twister effects simulator, I remember the 3-D Shrek pre-show, I remember singing really inappropriate lyrics along to the Jurassic Park theme (they are seriously unrepeatable on these boards ) that they had on loop and blasting throughout one wing of the park, and, in a thrilling display of immaturity, I couldn't resist my song, since there was literally not a soul around within earshot. I vaguely remember an extremely corny Poseidon show too, I think.

My most striking memory, though, was this most obnoxious-looking shop, full of more Dr. Seuss merchandise I've ever seen, where the only few other people who were in the park that day were buying a lot of Thing 1 and Thing 2 (and 3, and 4...) shirts for their kids, who were running around the store exactly like the Things they were about to unwittingly cosplay.

The sight in that shop, in particular, might have been the event that finally caused my ovaries shrivel up and die entirely. Some days it's very clear that I'm not intended to be a parent.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it just didn't... speak to me. It's not that I didn't have fun at Universal that day, but I have no emotional attachment to the franchises on display. It honestly didn't feel all that different from going to the local Six Flags as a kid. Fun, definitely, but mostly unmemorable, and probably not worth the price of admission for me.

So I confess that when my mother told me they were going to take one day out to go to Universal, my gut reaction was to grab some holy water and try to excise the demons from her.

But the truth is that my visit was pre-Potter, and this is 2014, and everyone who is anyone going to Orlando just MUST visit the Wizarding World. Mom, Bob, and Sister are all Harry Potter fans, so I get why they want to go. So I told them fine, go buy your tickets, and explained how they'd need to arrange for Mears or a taxi to get them there.

"You're not going to go?" Mom asked in vague confusion when we sat down and made out the schedule.

"I'll pass." I said. "I've already seen a lot of it besides Potterland, and DH doesn't like coasters, so Universal would be kind of a bust."

So those three Disney vacation heretics (think musketeers, only on broomsticks) are flying off on Day 3 without me. Thankfully, they haven't asked me for any touring tips, because I wouldn't have the slightest idea what to tell them beyond, "Good Luck". Hopefully crowds and such will have died down before October so that they don't have a miserable time trying to ride the new HP stuff. They bought that Express Pass to expedite everything else.

While they are off doing that, DH and I are going to do our first of two Epcot days. Epcot is my favorite park, though AK is a close second, so I almost always try to arrange two days or more during a trip for it, no matter what. Plus, this is the one park that I already know that DH likes! We were there in 2011 for a single day and he is excited to go back.

On top of that, it's the only full day where DH and I will be by ourselves without the rest of the crew, so I know it's the one day that I can promise DH we'll have fun without any attitudes from Bob or Sister. I'm grateful to have one day at least that he's excited about since the rest of the trip he's kind of tepid about... (Truthfully, sometimes I wonder if it would just be easier to leave him at home... )

I have FP+ for the usual suspects for the mid-morning - Test Track, Mission Space, and Spaceship Earth. We're skipping Soarin', because DH's dislike of heights makes that one a no-fly zone. Maelstrom will be mid-conversion to Froz-strom by then, according to rumor, so with no more traditional rides to worry about, those three FP+ picks leave us with a mostly leisurely day of touring the rest of the park at a slow pace.

We have a late lunch reservation for Coral Reef. That was DH's pick; I know it's overpriced and unpredictable in terms of quality of food and service, but at least it'll be a good view. If it turns out to be lousy, oh well! The F&W festival will be on so I'm sure we can find something to eat.

Right now we're all slated to meet back up at the room for dinner, but I wouldn't bet on when that will happen. Universal doesn't close until 8PM, though I don't know if the Disney vacation heretics will be back before that or not. Epcot won't close until 9PM, though I imagine DH and I will probably not be closing the park down, especially not after a late night at MNSSHP the previous night for me. But the point is, at some hour of the evening, the party will be re-convened at the room and there will be cooking of food and sleeping, probably in that order.

Next time: Let's try to shove a whole park into a single afternoon...

​

 

[thumper*]

For DVC, there's two costs.

First is the cost to buy-in, which is a one-time cost of a certain amount per point. Right now to buy from Disney it's like $150 per point. Back when I bought, it was under $100 per point; the price on this literally goes up just about every year lately. That initial buy-in is what ends up as a deeded interest in the resort property. You own literally some tiny square of carpet somewhere for the next 40 years or so. Mine was somewhere in the neighborhood of $9500 all said and done, which is pretty tiny for DVC, but the same hundred-point contract from Disney now would be more like 15K. You can pay for this in a lump sum of cash, or (potentially unwisely depending on your circumstances) financed through a loan. If you go through Disney's financing, it's paid off monthly over ten years.

Second is maintenance fees. These are paid yearly for as long as you own DVC. This is the cost to upkeep the resort - you own it, so you pay for it! This varies per resort. AKL property is on the high end of the upkeep spectrum because we have animals to take care of on top of all the usual refurbing and housekeeping. I don't remember what it is exactly, a bit under $6 per point, which for me is around $600 a year for a hundred points. You can divide that up to pay monthly as well, which I do.

I was in a DINK situation when I bought it, and now I'm a single income breadwinner, so I won't pretend that it's not as appealing of an asset to be holding as it was! Still, considering I know I'll go down to Disney many many times before my contract runs out when I'm in my seventies, I have no doubt I'll get my money's worth out of it, and there's nothing like owning the resort I love most in the world.

Still I would definitely caution anyone who's looking at DVC to DO THE MATH and make sure you want it! It's no small thing! I fully admit that I don't tell my DH (who was not married to me when I bought it) how much it cost. Maybe I will tell him if I successfully infect him with Disney magic so that it will seem worthwhile instead of "OMG CHAN."

While researching DVC it appeared to be aprox. $20k buy in. I was so shocked that I thought for sure I must be wrong. Well from what you say doesn't look like I'm interested it. Thanks for the info.

 

[ChanFO]

While researching DVC it appeared to be aprox. $20k buy in. I was so shocked that I thought for sure I must be wrong. Well from what you say doesn't look like I'm interested it. Thanks for the info.

$20k sounds about right. Disney tries to sell DVC in bundles of 160 points, and 160pts at $150+ per point easily clears $20k. But they have in the past (and probably still do, unadvertised) sell a smaller 100 point contract, which is what I have, which definitely helped in the affordability department. I'm not sure I'd have bought in at 160 points, especially at this price! There's a big difference between what I paid less than a decade ago and what families now are being asked to pay.

 

[ChanFO]

Day 4: DHS For the Highly Compressed and Difficult to Impress​

Of all the days of this trip, this is the one I'm the most unsure about.

Sister wanted to go to Hollywood Studios with me, but she was the only one. Mom was ambivalent, as was Bob. "We could save money by only going to a park two days instead of three," Mom shrugged.

I shook my head. "Look, Sister wants to go anyway, and - come on, Bob is a movie buff. Why wouldn't he want to see Hollywood Studios? And there's a Little Mermaid show..." Somewhere behind my back my fingers were crossed, knowing there really wasn't a whole heckuva lot of Hollywood or Studios left in that park, and it would probably pale in comparison to whatever they'd have just seen in Universal, but dangit, who flies all the way out to Orlando, stays on Disney property, and has never even seen all four gates? By this point I was seriously considering getting out the holy water again if the appeal about her favorite Disney movie didn't work.

"Well... okay, but we're going to golf that morning first," she relented.

So Mom, Bob, and Sister are all going golfing in the morning, during which time DH and I will sleep in. Considering making a reservation for breakfast somewhere just for fun, maybe back over at Boma... hold on, brb, going to go make that ressie now that I'm thinking about it.

Snagged me a brunch-ish ressie for breakfast at Boma for just me and DH while the others play golf. You know what's great about these pre-trip reports, is that they keep reminding me of plans that we should do instead of what we have planned, and then I fix it. This is great, because I'm pretty sure this lovely morning breakfast will be the only highlight of this day...

... I'm getting ahead of myself.

Whenever the golfers get back and grab lunch at the villa sometime in the early afternoon, all five of the party will be heading to DHS for a highly compressed, whirlwind afternoon/evening tour... of a park that hardly anyone in my party wanted to do in the first place.

Yeah, I know. This was all much better in my head, and kind of my fault, since I talked them into it.

See, when I was planning this, I was thinking about how, historically, DHS wasn't hard to do as a half-day park if you showed up first thing in the morning and didn't care about stunt shows. Unfortunately, now I'm estimating an arrival time of about 2PM, and although I don't have many complaints about FP+ as a concept, tiering has obliterated any chance of doing this in an time-efficient fashion. I am expecting this to be a tough tour that will probably get me razzed a bit.

And honestly, if it weren't for the Tower of Terror, I might not not have recommended it at all, and honestly if I'd realized this Frozen stuff was still going to be happening in October back when we planned this trip in the spring, I would have just taken Sister and done the thrill rides at the end of the night as a duo. Full disclosure, I like Frozen, but DH is practically allergic to it. Being internet-dwellers as we are, the Frozen fandom has been pretty inescapable over the past year, and he could not be more annoyed by it. (We'd also both like some eye bleach for some of the fanart we've seen. Blech. Internets, why you so weird? ) And I am pretty certain none of the rest of the party even knows what Frozen is, so it's not really any added value for my travel party.

I was really hoping the craze would be over by now. It isn't. And the estimated park crowd has only risen since the day we first planned it. Did I mention it's the EMH day too, and we only have like five and a half hours to do as much as possible?

So DHS Day is pretty much going to be a disaster, I know this going in. I am not telling any of THEM that, because it's too late to turn back, the tickets were bought months ago. Alea iacta est. Even a disastrously busy five hours at DHS is probably better than a normal day at home, right?

The only hint I've given that things could be a mess is that I told Sister that we might not be able to hit both Toy Story and Rock'n'Roller Coaster. I placated her by telling her that she'll probably have ridden far better coasters all day the previous day at Uni. She seems to have accepted that as an okay trade-off.

Our FP+ selections are for Star Tours, Toy Story Midway Mania, and (the one I'm proud about) a return time for the Tower of Terror after dark. Considering the park closes at 8PM and sunset isn't until 7PM, this one was the one FP I knew I had to get, just in case the lines are horrid. ToT is fun during the day, but NOTHING beats the creepy evening ambiance partnered with a spooky thrill ride.

Also on the attempted park-in-an-afternoon schedule is The Great Movie Ride and the Backlot Tour for Bob, Voyage of the Little Mermaid for Mom, Muppet*Vision 3D for DH, an attempt at the single rider line of the RnR for Sister, Fantasmic at the end for me, and lots of avoiding the Frozen fans for everyone!

Though... honestly, after being at Universal the whole previous day and then getting up early for golf, I would not be surprised if some of the party decides to drop out and head back instead of wait around for the night show.

... I, at least, will stay for Fantasmic. By myself if need be. I am a stubborn Chan.

Tune in next time as the party plans to finally slow down for a day!

​

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm finally all caught up on your plans.

I'm with you on DHS - I'm worried that if Frozen stuff is still going on when I'm there, it'll be impossible, and FP+ tiering means you're guaranteed to have at least an hour wait for at least one ride. At least Fantasmic is always a nice way to end the day.

Also - you seem to imply that real golf isn't exactly the same as Mario Golf. I'm confused - I thought Mario Golf was an accurate representation of real golf. That's where I learned what a "birdie" is (I played it pre-color... although I may have played it once or twice on the color once I got one).

And ... I love your take on things. Especially the images - a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Looking forward to seeing what else you have planned!

 

[ChanFO]

Also - you seem to imply that real golf isn't exactly the same as Mario Golf. I'm confused - I thought Mario Golf was an accurate representation of real golf. That's where I learned what a "birdie" is (I played it pre-color... although I may have played it once or twice on the color once I got one).

Well, the terminology is mostly correct from what I understand. I just mean that pressing on a d-pad to curve the ball or correct for wind direction or selecting a driver with your maximum range stated there on the screen isn't really the same as playing golf for real, which really just seems like madness to me, hitting a tiny ball into a hole hundreds of yards away...

(The late great Robin Williams had a very funny bit about this in his Live on Broadway that is, sadly, too inappropriate to link here, but google "Robin Williams Broadway Golf" and you'll find it. )

The point is, I probably won't be able to elaborate much on any golfing that the party does, so if they come back and say "Magnolia was great!" I'd probably nod and smile and not really be able to tell you why.

 

[frzndaqiri]

I love ToT - until I'm on it (every time). Then I start wondering what in the heck got me on the thing. Last time I went I started "yelling" (just loud enough for my companions to hear) 'Chicken exit! Where's the chicken exit?!'

My mom got MAD cause I practically dragged her on it to begin with, and I was making her freak out. For the record - no CM heard my pleas and we screamed our way through it happily. I love the random programming it has now!

 

[ChanFO]

I love the random programming it has now!

That is one of my favorite nerdy things about the ride!

 

[ChanFO]

Planned Day 5: Unofficially "Why Did Bob Pick This?" Day​

The party splits up yet again for the morning - Mom, Bob, and Sister are heading out for their third and final golf time; meanwhile, DH and I are heading to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours.

We'll try to do RD, but if not, it's not that important. As has been established before, DH does not do coasters or heights, so I figure the lines for more of the minor rides will be plenty available for under 15 minute waits. I do have a FP+ for Space Mountain just for my own amusement, though. He's sweet enough to hold my stuff for a few minutes so I can indulge my inner child.

The ride list is pretty long for a few hours visit, even without most coasters: Jungle Cruise, PotC, Stitch, Buzz Lightyear, Monster's Inc, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Philharmagic, it's a small world, and the Haunted Mansion, and whatever else that strikes our fancy.

I am thinking that we will try to sneak in our FP+ for BOG this morning, though we'll probably be eating light due to Bob's mysterious ADR choice (that I'll get to in a moment). I really just want to go inside and look around; I'm thinking I'll probably just get some dessert to justify the stop. (I'd love to have gotten a dinner reservation for BOG, but the only dinnertime I'm in MK this trip is on MNSSHP night, so... not likely to happen.)

After MK, we'll be taking a monorail ride to the Grand Floridian for the titular attraction of this entry, the Afternoon Tea at the Garden View Tea Room, otherwise known to me and DH as "Why the Bleep Did Bob Pick This?!"

As you might have guessed, this was Bob's ADR pick for the week, and I continue to be completely mystified by the choice. What in a tea sitting interests a 60-year-old man, I probably don't want to know, actually... I'm okay with the pick, though, because it's a new experience for me, plus I like to ride the monorail or water taxi at least once per trip. Having an excuse to do so just makes it better.

So, tea time. Okay. There's not a dress code for this, thankfully, but I will admit that I feel a little pressured to bring something a little less... park-wear for it. Go figure, I was never the type to do dress up and tea parties with my stuffed animals as a kid, but as an adult, NOW I want to be a pretty pretty princess at the Grand Floridian. Chan, you weirdo.

When tea time is done, the plans for the evening are pretty sparse. The schedule says "Go to Downtown Disney", which I can't be completely certain I'll have done yet during this trip, so we might do that. Then again, I might just decide to have a quiet evening at the pool instead...

I think I may just be personally poisoned against DTD because one trip, I misread the schedule and ended up late to La Nouba and got snubbed so hard by our Raglan Road waiter that I walked out, and on my other attempt at DTD, it rained so miserably that scurrying from one shop to the next under my poncho was the least fun ever. And now I hear the place is pretty torn up from construction, so all I can think is how un-magical it's going to look. So when I say Downtown Disney you can kind of imagine a barely-repressed sneer on my face because it is totally there.

Buuuuuuuuuuut if they really want to go, I might go with them.

Or I might not. It sort of depends on DH - I have a feeling he may bail on the tea time and head back to the room, and if he does, he might bail on DTD too. I won't be mad if he does, it's totally understandable given that he is very introverted and this will be the sixth straight day of in-law family togetherness for him. That said, I will probably be a bit torn between spending time with DH or spending time with the rest of the family. DH is my best friend through and through. I know he won't be mad at me, either, if I decide to go suffer DTD with them.

Decisions, decisions. I suppose we might still get back in plenty of time for DH and I to go down to the pool and splash around, if it's warm enough.

That's all there is for this day! It's probably the most laid-back, plan-less day out there, with very little in the way of park touring and a lot more in the way of moseying. Which is probably for the best, because our last day is another Epcot day. Mom, Bob, and Sister's ONLY Epcot day, which means Operation Epcot-In-A-Day is a go.

I will probably send everyone to bed at like 10pm. They'll want the sleep.

Next time, I try to resist my inner drill sergeant on the final day...

​

 

[Goofy442]

We were at DTD four months ago and I couldn't take it. The space they left for you to walk in was so small it was crazy. There was way too many people for that walkway.

 

[ChanFO]

We were at DTD four months ago and I couldn't take it. The space they left for you to walk in was so small it was crazy. There was way too many people for that walkway.

Yuck! I'm sure that will just press all of my claustrophobia buttons. Thanks for the report.

 

[SarahDisney]

There really is a lot to do at Magic Kingdom even without roller coasters ... I hope you can get everything you want done in the limited time you have!
I also really just want to look around BOG - I'll probably end up just ordering drinks and looking around. And you still have a chance of getting a dinner reservation - just probably a very early one. Keep checking, you might find something!

Maybe Bob is secretly British and that's why he chose afternoon tea? (or maybe he confused "tea" with "tee" and thought it was another golf opportunity? - sorry, that may have been too mean)

I, personally, love DTD, but that's because I could spend hours just wandering around the stores. I don't think I've ever been to the non-marketplace parts of DTD. I get why bad experiences could ruin it, especially with the construction, but it might be worth a try if you feel like going with everyone (and it's not raining). The construction wasn't too bad where I went last time I was there, but that was a year ago, and we basically stayed within the vicinity of the big World of Disney store.

Staying in and relaxing is always a nice option, too.

 

[ChanFO]

There really is a lot to do at Magic Kingdom even without roller coasters ... I hope you can get everything you want done in the limited time you have!

We'll definitely give it our best shot, but if we don't, oh well. DH is (personality conflicts with my family aside) otherwise a pretty laid back guy and doesn't have any Must Do Attractions to worry about. And me, I'll have had the MNSSHP party day to commando tour. So if we miss a few things on Day 5 I don't think either of us will be too upset. (He keeps me grounded on stuff like this. )

Maybe Bob is secretly British and that's why he chose afternoon tea? (or maybe he confused "tea" with "tee" and thought it was another golf opportunity?

Best explanation I've heard yet.

 

[ChanFO]

Planned Day 6, The Hopefully Inebriated Finale​

The plan for the final day is probably going to be the day that tires out everyone the most and has everyone at each other's throats (or at least Sister's) by the end of twelve glorious hours together, but hey, we'll be going home the next morning, so I guess that's okay.

Our planning session for the full family Epcot day went as such:

Despite my advice during our original planning session that Epcot is a two-day park, Mom and Bob decided they could make do with only one so they didn't have to buy any more days of park tickets.

"I'll... see what I can do with that," I said, already mentally crossing off rides that would probably not make it into the itinerary.

Thankfully, almost everyone in the party has been to Epcot in the past few years, so many of the attractions missed will have been seen on a previous trip and won't be a big deal. Unfortunately and ironically, Sister is the only one that is not true for, and that is also the most likely to be vocal and annoyed about missing things. Hopefully she is not a Michael Jackson fan.

"And I want to do Marrakesh again," Mom tells me, having experienced it on her previous trip at my recommendation. DH nods in agreement, which is more input than he usually gives about food choices. So I write it down, smiling at the certainty that I'll have at least one thing that the majority of the party will be happy with for that day.

Restaurant Marrakesh is my guilty pleasure restaurant. I know it's overpriced, I know that it's not nearly as adventurous as it could be, but dang it, I like it. I like the decor, I like the service I've gotten there, and I like the relative lack of small children for a little while, as most folks with tiny tots tend to pass the place up for something with more chicken nuggets.

Sister isn't happy with this, either. She's tried to get us to cancel the reservation to eat off the F&W festival stations instead, but I wasn't too keen on that. Not that I don't think we'll eat off the stations, but there's a lot of time between a late lunch reservation and a 9pm park closing to stuff herself silly with F&W offerings. Mom isn't exactly iron-willed about very much, but on Marrakesh, Mom flat-out told Sister to deal with it.

Pictured: my internal happy dance about this, though I shall keep such feelings to myself.

So Sister won't be happy about having to skip things due to only having a single day to see all of Epcot, and she won't be happy about having to sit down for a meal that she doesn't want over seeing attractions she might otherwise miss, despite the wishes of the other four of us. Considering Sister is a bit of a spoiled prissypants for a 25-year-old woman, I'm leery of how attitudes will be by that afternoon.

But, this being Epcot, we do have a secret weapon: alcohol. You see, one thing that Sister does like to do is drink. I have talked up the possibilities of drinking around the world, a possibility that is only enhanced during the F&W festival. She is intrigued by the potential. I estimate the potential of her getting sloshed and therefore neutralized as trouble by 6PM at about 65%. Pretty good odds if you ask me. Probably going to send her a few links about drinking around the world once I get done with this post.

Yeah, I use my powers for evil sometimes.

Heck, I might want a few drinks too after having played tour guide all week. And all year for that matter.

As for what we definitely can get done in a single day, the list is still pretty long. Our FP+ are for Spaceship Earth, The Seas, and Soarin. Test Track is our rope-drop destination, followed by Mission: Space. (I keep waffling on whether to FP Test Track or Soarin; I have touring plans customized for either option.) And of course, we'll see all of the World Showcase pavilions to some degree.

The Seas FP is probably a throwaway FP, but I don't know what else to use it for. I'm not sure who in the party is going to go for Green and who will go for Orange on Mission: Space, so we'll just stand in lines.

What we probably won't get done: Journey Into Imagination is probably a no, Captain EO and Circle of Life are definitely no. Both wings of Innventions are probably a bust overall. Ellen is a maybe; I like Ellen and I might insist. Impressions de France can take a hike just because it's boring, though you do get to sit down during it, so... eh. And Maelstrom will supposedly be closed (though reports are that FP availability is creeping into October, so this may change).

At the end of the day, I'll be staying to see IllumiNations. This is a must-do for me on the last night of every trip. Some people like their "kiss goodnight" from MK, but IllumiNations is more my style. I always get all emotional 'n such. Mom/Bob/Sister have an earlier flight out the next morning than DH and I, so if they decide to bail on us to head back to the resort, that's okay. I will wait in the ginormous bus line afterward and I will like it.

And... that's about it for the day-by-day plans. The next morning will bring goodbyes and another trip on MDE back to the airport.

Next time: With less than a month to go, concerns and plan-changes...

​

 

[SarahDisney]

We do Epcot in one day (less than one day, actually), and it's doable ... but does involve skipping things. I think your list of things to get done is good, and the stuff you're skipping is okay to skip.

And after planning all this, you definitely deserve a few drinks!

 

[ChanFO]

And after planning all this, you definitely deserve a few drinks!

I agree. I'm actually trying not to throttle the family a little bit; trying to plan for them is like pulling teeth because even when presented with an explained list of choices, they have a hard time making any decisions. Right now I am glad that this trip is (at least in theory) well-planned to be a Great Family Experience because I doubt I will ever spend this much time trying to plan anything for them again! They are not the most appreciative bunch.

 

[Goofy442]

Going soon for the F&W, are there any drinks you could recommend. We are going with friends who want to drink around the world.