eiblehs
Expedition Everest Enthusiast
- Joined
- May 31, 2017
Hey, howdy, hey! I thought I would do a pre-trip report to share my excitement with some fellow Disney fanatics! I did my first ever completed trip report for my trip last year, and I got some great feedback on it. (You can check out the trip report for my summer 2017 trip here.) So, I thought I would give writing a pre-trip report a shot! 
I have a knack for planning, especially when it involves Walt Disney World! I booked this trip 176 days in advance, and I had a three-page itinerary typed and completed two days later. Now that I have my FastPasses booked, I can say that my itinerary is finalized! I'm ready to share my plans with you.
Let's start with the basics, shall we? My name is Shelbie and I am what some would call Disney obsessed.
Ever since returning home from my summer 2017 trip, I continuously asked Bradley, my boyfriend, "When can we go back?" He got so tired of mebothering asking him, because he finally agreed in February that we could go back this summer. I legitimately cried tears of happiness when he finally said yes. 
Our upcoming trip is from July 29 through August 4, 2018! Due to my teaching career, trips in the summer make the most sense for us. I am limited to Christmas break, spring break, and summer if I want to attend WDW. I know the hot weather keeps a lot of people from visiting Florida in the summer, but I am from Arkansas... I am used to the humidity! Speaking of living in Arkansas, it would be a 15 hour drive from where we live to get to Orlando.
That's not happening! Airfare takes a chunk out of our trip budget, but I'm willing to pay that price if it keeps me from having to be confined to a car for several hours.
On July 29, our flight leaves at 6 a.m. and then we will have a connecting flight in Atlanta before we get to Orlando! We are expected to arrive at MCO by 11:30 a.m. The original flight I booked actually had us getting to MCO at 1 p.m., but my flight information changed. (I'm not complaining... That just means I'll get to see Mickey quicker!) We are staying on property at Pop Century, so we will be using Disney's Magical Express for all forms of transportation. We stayed at Pop last summer and fell in love. The renovated rooms truly are wonderful and modern. Due to our budget, we have to stay in a value resort. However, I think the renovated rooms at Pop Century are nice enough to be considered like moderate rooms. After we get freshened up in the room, we will head to Epcot. The week's plan is as follows: Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs/Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and then finish the trip at the Magic Kingdom before flying home the next day. We will stay 6 nights and spend each of those days in the parks!
I previously mentioned that I booked our trip 176 days in advance. I know what you're thinking: "You are past your dining reservation window!"
We actually rely on quick service dining, so making a lot of reservations isn't necessary anyways. When I booked our vacation, I snagged a free dining deal through Disney. Bradley and I will each get one free QS meal per night of our stay. (We had this same deal last summer and it saved us quite a bit of money!) We like to splurge once during our trip on a table service restaurant, so I booked an ADR for Garden Grill on our second to last day. I opted for breakfast because Bradley was not interested in the lunch/dinner menu. This will be my first character dining experience since 2001, and it will actually be Bradley's first ever! Although we don't have children, I think adults can still find the magic in getting a hug from Mickey. I am really looking forward to this meal! I also booked an ADR for lunch at Be Our Guest on our last day. Those two are the only ADRs we have because there are so many great quick service restaurants on property. And, of course, we get to eat at some of them for free! Free always tastes best. 
Day One "Arrival Day" Plans:
I am already dreading the Disney depression and I haven't even had my trip yet! It's real, folks!
I learned from last year's trip that sometimes things happen outside of your control and you have to stray away from the plan. I know my itinerary might not go as planned, but I hope to follow it as closely as possible. If you enjoyed this and/or my last completed trip report, I will write a completed trip report for this 2018 vacation. I will come back and comment with the link on this post once I have it finished. Until then, I have 54 days until I am back in WDW! I hope you enjoyed reading my pre-trip report. Feel free to leave a comment!
I have a knack for planning, especially when it involves Walt Disney World! I booked this trip 176 days in advance, and I had a three-page itinerary typed and completed two days later. Now that I have my FastPasses booked, I can say that my itinerary is finalized! I'm ready to share my plans with you.
Let's start with the basics, shall we? My name is Shelbie and I am what some would call Disney obsessed.
Ever since returning home from my summer 2017 trip, I continuously asked Bradley, my boyfriend, "When can we go back?" He got so tired of me
Our upcoming trip is from July 29 through August 4, 2018! Due to my teaching career, trips in the summer make the most sense for us. I am limited to Christmas break, spring break, and summer if I want to attend WDW. I know the hot weather keeps a lot of people from visiting Florida in the summer, but I am from Arkansas... I am used to the humidity! Speaking of living in Arkansas, it would be a 15 hour drive from where we live to get to Orlando.
That's not happening! Airfare takes a chunk out of our trip budget, but I'm willing to pay that price if it keeps me from having to be confined to a car for several hours.On July 29, our flight leaves at 6 a.m. and then we will have a connecting flight in Atlanta before we get to Orlando! We are expected to arrive at MCO by 11:30 a.m. The original flight I booked actually had us getting to MCO at 1 p.m., but my flight information changed. (I'm not complaining... That just means I'll get to see Mickey quicker!) We are staying on property at Pop Century, so we will be using Disney's Magical Express for all forms of transportation. We stayed at Pop last summer and fell in love. The renovated rooms truly are wonderful and modern. Due to our budget, we have to stay in a value resort. However, I think the renovated rooms at Pop Century are nice enough to be considered like moderate rooms. After we get freshened up in the room, we will head to Epcot. The week's plan is as follows: Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs/Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and then finish the trip at the Magic Kingdom before flying home the next day. We will stay 6 nights and spend each of those days in the parks!
I previously mentioned that I booked our trip 176 days in advance. I know what you're thinking: "You are past your dining reservation window!"
We actually rely on quick service dining, so making a lot of reservations isn't necessary anyways. When I booked our vacation, I snagged a free dining deal through Disney. Bradley and I will each get one free QS meal per night of our stay. (We had this same deal last summer and it saved us quite a bit of money!) We like to splurge once during our trip on a table service restaurant, so I booked an ADR for Garden Grill on our second to last day. I opted for breakfast because Bradley was not interested in the lunch/dinner menu. This will be my first character dining experience since 2001, and it will actually be Bradley's first ever! Although we don't have children, I think adults can still find the magic in getting a hug from Mickey. I am really looking forward to this meal! I also booked an ADR for lunch at Be Our Guest on our last day. Those two are the only ADRs we have because there are so many great quick service restaurants on property. And, of course, we get to eat at some of them for free! Free always tastes best. Day One "Arrival Day" Plans:
- Epcot
- Tangierine Cafe for a late lunch (So, so, so good... and free!)
- FastPasses:
- Character Meet Spot
- Mission Space
- Test Track
- Refreshment Port for dinner (I've got to try the new poutine and I live for that croissant donut.)
- Animal Kingdom
- Early Magic Hours 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. (head straight to Dinosaur and then spend time in Dinoland USA)
- FastPasses:
- Expedition Everest
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Flight of Passage
- Satuli Canteen for lunch (I'm excited to try this place for the first time... and it's free!)
- Flame Tree Barbecue for dinner (Bradley has been talking about trying those barbecue pork cheese fries for months!)
- Hollywood Studios
- Early Magic Hours 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. (head straight to Toy Story Midway Mania)
- FastPasses:
- Rock N Roller Coaster
- Tower of Terror
- Slinky Dog Dash Coaster
- No set-in-stone lunch plans... I'm hoping Woody's Lunchbox isn't too crowded, but Backlot Express is our back-up plan in case the line is too long.
- ABC Commissary for dinner (We know that HS has no "good" QS restaurants, but this one has the most expensive menu items, so we're using it for our free meal.)
- Disney Springs for the morning/afternoon
- The Polite Pig for lunch (After seeing pictures of their food, I am stoked to try this place and enjoy a free meal!)
- Magic Kingdom for the evening/night (Extra Magic Hours 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.)
- FastPasses:
- Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Haunted Mansion
- Splash Mountain
- Casey’s Corner for dinner (Bradley's favorite!)
- Epcot
Early Magic Hours 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. (head to Soarin’) - Garden Grill breakfast reservation: 9:35 a.m.
- FastPasses:
- Frozen Ever After
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Drinking Around the World Showcase Challenge!
- La Cantina de San Angel for dinner (I plan on taking advantage of alcohol being included in the QS meal plan this year... We're getting $15 margaritas included with our meals for free!)
- Early Magic Hours 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. (head straight to Jungle Cruise)
- Be Our Guest lunch reservation: 12:35 p.m. (Hellllooooo, free Croque Monsieur!)
- FastPasses:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Peter Pan
- Columbia Harbor House (I'm hoping to try this place for dinner!)
I am already dreading the Disney depression and I haven't even had my trip yet! It's real, folks!I learned from last year's trip that sometimes things happen outside of your control and you have to stray away from the plan. I know my itinerary might not go as planned, but I hope to follow it as closely as possible. If you enjoyed this and/or my last completed trip report, I will write a completed trip report for this 2018 vacation. I will come back and comment with the link on this post once I have it finished. Until then, I have 54 days until I am back in WDW! I hope you enjoyed reading my pre-trip report. Feel free to leave a comment!
