Our September 2011 Pre-Trip Adventure!! (Update 09/29/2011 - Link to TR!)

[TanzUnited99]

Well after reading lots of PTRs and TRs I have finally decided to start my first ever pre-trip report! I was 100% certain I was only going to write a TR but buckled and thought where better to write my trip plans then on this site...am looking forward to getting lots of advice and helpful hints.

So let me begin with introductions:

There is only 2 of us going on this trip (my brother was supposed to go as well but has now decided he would rather spend a week with the lads at another destination - he does not know what he will be missing out on!)

The first person involved in this holiday is me (aka Tanz) a 28 year old fun loving Manchester United fan who has also developed a second love for Disney!

Also coming will be my partner in crime Zaheer who is a bit younger then me (by 4 years)!! He is great (though I am biased) and brings out the best in me. He is not that into Disney and is only coming with me so he gets to choose our next destination - I am hoping this trip will make him change his mind but we will wait and see...

Here is a pic of the two of us:

Our travelling dates are September 13-27 and we are planning to stay at Pop I already have my plans and ADRs pretty much sussed and am just waiting on park hours - will get into these in a later post.

Coming up next - our travelling day and will we survive the 8 hour !!!

Chapter Links If you are reading this PTR after 03/31/2011 I highly recommend using the links! You are welcome to read the PTR from page to page but be warned - it will result in a confusing and random layout!!

Itinerary

Our plans in a snapshot!
Travel Day!
New information!
Our first AK experience!
Our first glimpse of the castle!
The park that gets the most visits on this trip!
TSMM dash and the rest of DHS!
Typhoon Lagoon!
A different kind of magic!
Our World tour!
A day full of surprises!
Our Fantasmic day!
Blizzard Beach - will we be brave!
Our second AK day!
Resort Hopping!
Our last MK day!

Other trip related posts

Some important introductions - part 1!
Important introductions - part 2!
Important introductions - part 3!
Ariel v Eeyore!
Other random planning!
Well, did I say I was hungry? I don't think so. Well then I'll say it: I'm hungry!! (Our possible ADRs!)
ADRs and changes!!!
Job search and !
Quick ADR/ update!
A stressful weekend!
Change of dates!
Our new and hopefully final ADRs list!
Pixie dust, and Thriller!
Our date at The Palace!
Some more pixie dust and shopping!
Weekend/Planning!
Planning folder/!
New pics/packing list!
Pop Century Resort list!
CS Choices!
Double Digits!!!!
Advice on !
Countdown Calendar!
New dresses!
Update!
Planning folder update!
2 months today!
Wishes Dessert Party update!
Trip paid off baby!
Final shopping!
Panic Mode!!
Random update!
One Month today!!!!
New arrival/27 days!!
24 days!!!
20 days!!!
Mickey Mail!!!!
DIS anniversary!!!!
2 weeks/fav MK ride!
Single digits!!!!!
Countdown/fav DHS ride!
Farewell/fav AK ride!

Movie of the week

Week 1 - Beauty and the Beast!
Week 2 - The Lion King!
Week 3 and 4 - Alice in Wonderland and Mary Poppins!
Week 5 - Tangled!
Week 6 - Pinocchio!
Week 7 - Lady and The Tramp!
Week 8 - The Jungle Book!
Week 9 - Arisotcats!
Week 10 - Bambi!
Week 11 - Up!
Week 12 - 101 Dalmations!
Week 13 - SW & The Seven Dwarfs!
Week 14 - The Little Mermaid!
Week 15 - Cars!
Week 16 - The Princess Diaries!
Week 17 - Peter Pan!

 

[TanzUnited99]

September park hours have been announced. I can finally review my park days.

I forgot to mention a couple of points in my last post:

- We will have MYW 10 day base tickets for our trip plus the Water Parks fun and more option.
- We booked the free QSDP package but have decided to upgrade to the regular dining plan.

Now on to the travelling – we have not booked our flights as of yet but will be flying with Delta. I will be taking books, magazines and my planning binder to keep me busy during our journey. That and the in flight entertainment will hopefully keep me entertained!!

The flight will be stopping at Atlanta which means we are able to clear customs etc at this point and not have to worry about this at Orlando airport. Now I have read on here how to get from the airport to the ME check in desk but knowing my sense of direction we will end up getting lost!!

Once we have checked in with ME I will probably be soooo excited as we will be arriving at the following place in next to no time!!!

I have requested a room in 50s building 3 but don’t think I would be too bothered if I did not get my request – after all I will still be at Disney World!!!

After checking out our room and freshening up, if we are not too tired, we will be heading to DTD. I would like to browse in the shops a bit but know I will be coming back at a later date, so will be more then happy to pass if Zaheer does not feel up to it.

If we do end up at DTD we will be eating at Planet Hollywood. I have read mixed reviews about the food here but would like to give it a try and see how I feel about the place, plus I also have my $15 voucher to use!

After our food we will return, watch some tv/unpack and then sleep so we are able to wake the next morning for our first park day!!!

Coming next: our first park day – where will we be heading???

 

[Tinkermom76]

I'm here, can't wait to hear about your plans!!!

 

[TanzUnited99]

I'm here, can't wait to hear about your plans!!!

your my first reader!! Thanks for coming over and can't wait to share the rest of my plans!

 

[Nermel9]

I'm in, can't wait to hear more plans! I'll be arriving in WDW the day you're leaving! (9/30)!

 

[TanzUnited99]

I'm in, can't wait to hear more plans! I'll be arriving in WDW the day you're leaving! (9/30)!

thanks for joining! So you'll be one of the people with a on your face whilst we'll be at it being our last day!

Read your Nov TR and love the F&W pics - we'll be trying a few of the samples on our last day!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

I'm in! We'll be at POP from 8/31 to 9/6! Have you stayed there before? We requested the 70's section, but the 50's are just as great and convenient to Classic Hall and the buses!

 

[TanzUnited99]

I'm in! We'll be at POP from 8/31 to 9/6! Have you stayed there before? We requested the 70's section, but the 50's are just as great and convenient to Classic Hall and the buses!

you'll be there before us - look forward to hearing about your reviews of Pop. We have not been before - it is our 1st trip to Disney World, hence all the excitement!!

Did you stay at Pop in December 2010 - had a quick look at your PTR - if so what did you think of the place? I was looking into the 70s section because of the Twister game (we played it all the time when I was younger!) but love Lady and the Tramp so it had to be the 50s! Don't think you can go wrong with either area

 

[TanzUnited99]

So on to our first park day!!

We are planning to eat at Everything Pop and then go to...

We are hoping to arrive at the park for 9.30ish – we are not morning people but think the time difference may work in our favour and we will be able to get up at a reasonable time!

The first thing we will be doing is getting into one of these babies!!

I have seen so many photos of the safari and can’t wait to experience it for myself! After this we will walk the Pangani trail and get the following before leaving Africa.

We will then head to Asia to ride one of the main attractions:

Now Zaheer is not into big rides (I know – I can’t believe it either) whereas I can ride them all day long! So the plan is for me to ride using the single riders line. If this is not possible then I will be getting a FP for later.

If I do ride EE using the single riders line then we will get FPs for Kali river rapids beforehand. Now I know a lot of people on here wear ponchos when riding the wet rides but I am thinking about not wearing a poncho and getting wet! Is this a bad idea? Will I end up getting soaked?

Next we will walk the Maharajah jungle trek - am hoping the animals will be awake. After this we want to watch the Flights of Wonder show – depending on times we may watch this before we do the trek. Zaheer really likes animals and learning facts about them so I want to incorporate as much of this into our day as possible.

After we are done in Asia we will head to Dinoland and ride Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl - will get FPs for one of the rides depending on the lines. Now I have looked into the Dinosaur ride and what I can gather is that it is loud, jerky and scary. Am I correct in this assumption? The reason I am asking is that I am hoping to persuade Zaheer to ride this with me. He does not mind scary rides but does not do rollercoasters so this one will be ok for him – right?!

If we are hungry by this point we will grab a bite to eat at Restaurantosaurus and head to Discovery Island to watch It’s Tough to be a Bug – we both love 3D shows so are looking forward to this. Depending on the time we may stroll the Discovery Island Trail before leaving the park.

We will then rest at Pop before heading to

for our meal. We are both looking forward to eating here and ending our day by watching wishes from the restaurant.

Like I said at the start I am hoping to get some advice from the experts so here comes the first set of questions:

I have allocated two days at AK. I know quite a lot of people cover AK in one or even half day. My plan is to ride the rides the first day and visit the characters and watch the parade the second day. Is this too much time to allocate to AK? Should I change the second of our AK days to MK as I have only allocated two days to this park as well. What do you think??

Coming next: Our first glimpse of the castle!

 

[gillenkl]

Since you really seem to be a planner - have you considered www.tourguidemike.com - I have used this on all my trips and wouldn't do a trip without it. But I'm a planner. He has a great "Least Crowded Parks" day chart as well as touring plans which can be very helpful. Just something to consider - I've enjoyed your pre-trip so far.

 

[gillenkl]

Kali River Rapids - you will most likely get wet, er, um, soaked perhaps - also consider that your shoes and socks may get soaked too. You might want to bring a plastic bag to put your backpack in - or your wallets because you don't want any valuables wet.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Since you really seem to be a planner - have you considered www.tourguidemike.com - I have used this on all my trips and wouldn't do a trip without it. But I'm a planner. He has a great "Least Crowded Parks" day chart as well as touring plans which can be very helpful. Just something to consider - I've enjoyed your pre-trip so far.

Thanks for joining in!! Have considered all three touring plan sites - Tour guide Mike, Ride Max and Touring Plans but wasn't sure which would be the best for me. Will definitely check out the Tour Guide Mike website again especially as I can apply the DIS discount. Am glad your enjoying my pre-trip so far!

Kali River Rapids - you will most likely get wet, er, um, soaked perhaps - also consider that your shoes and socks may get soaked too. You might want to bring a plastic bag to put your backpack in - or your wallets because you don't want any valuables wet.

I thought that would be the case but am hoping the sun will be out and help dry me up!! Will definitely be following the advice of taking a plastic bag to put valuables in as well as an extra pair of socks

 

[disney_teen]

I am so excited to hear all about your trip!!!! Keep us posted. Sounds like lots of fun!

 

[TanzUnited99]

I am so excited to hear all about your trip!!!! Keep us posted. Sounds like lots of fun!

am looking forward to sharing!!! Thanks - am going to post a mini-update in a bit so stay tuned!!

 

[TanzUnited99]

As I do not have any previous Disney World photographs or experiences to share I thought I would break down this pre-trip report by introducing some others that maybe coming on this trip with us!!!!

Firstly the following may be making an appearance at AK!!

This one may be a little upset at coming to CG as it's waistband will have expanded as a result of a certain someone over indulging!!!

That's all for now - there will be more introductions later!

 

[TanzUnited99]

We can take it a bit easy today as we will be heading to the water park that was created as a result of the storm of all storms!! We are having a relaxing day at Typhoon Lagoon!!

The plan is to get a spot at Cascade Cove and do a lap (or two!) of the lazy river to get used to the water.

We will then be ready to hit the slides! Now this is weird but although I can ride most theme park attractions I am a big scaredy cat when it comes to water slides!! There is a story behind why I am like this…when we went on holiday a couple of years ago I went on a fast water slide and did not lie back enough. As I am of a short height I ended up toppling over and turning upside down so my head hit the water first It all happened so quick but was enough to put me off fast water slides! Zaheer on the other hand loves them and will probably try and persuade me to go on as many as possible.

Anyway the first slide that I will be attempting is Keelhaul falls whilst Zaheer will probably go on Mayday Falls. We will go on Crush n Gusher as it is a two people ride so I will have some protection – am not sure which one of the three we will decide to ride.

I am looking forward to going on gang plank falls!!

After this I will probably go and get a snack and rest so Zaheer can attempt Hamunga Kowabunga or any other thrill slides he wants to go on! We’ll hit the wave pool, do a few laps of the lazy pool and call it a day! If it’s not busy we may also hit the Shark Reef but this is not a must do for us.

The plan for the evening is to get a pizza at WPE and go to the following shop to make my own snacks! I have seen so many pictures of these and can’t wait to try one for myself!!

We will probably be tired out by then so will go back to Pop and rest. That pretty much rounds up day two!

Coming next – What do I want to get before the trip to use at TL and which park will we be heading to next??

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm here! I hadn't even seen your link to your TR!

POP is such a great resort, I've truly loved it the two times I've stayed. You've made a great choice there!

And your first time in WDW?! I'm so excited for you!

Love, love, love the top for your AK day!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

I'm subscribing to your PTR

I think California Grill would be a great choice. I thought of eating there for our trip, but decided Cinderella's Royal Table would be better.

I'm looking forward to reading more!

 

[TanzUnited99]

I'm here! I hadn't even seen your link to your TR!

POP is such a great resort, I've truly loved it the two times I've stayed. You've made a great choice there!

And your first time in WDW?! I'm so excited for you!

Love, love, love the top for your AK day!

thanks for joining!!

I'm definitely looking forward to staying at POP!! Loved your pics of the place and can't wait to see it for myself!

I know - I'm excited as well...everytime I see anything disney related it just reminds me that I am actually going! Still can't believe it!!

Thank you for the kind comment on my AK day top...it is one of my favourites!!

I'm subscribing to your PTR

I think California Grill would be a great choice. I thought of eating there for our trip, but decided Cinderella's Royal Table would be better.

I'm looking forward to reading more!

thanks for joining!!

We are definitely looking forward to eating at California Grill! CRT is a great choice - we were thinking about it but then chose Akershus as we get to meet the princesses on 1 TS credit! Would love to see the inside of the castle one day...look forward to reading your review of it.

Thanks - am hoping to post more soon!

 

[clearskies]

Hi Tanz,

I just realized you had a PTR from your link. I am joining in. We stayed at POP in 2009 and had a great time there you will love it. Let me know if you have any questions about it.

I did not see "Nemo" or the "Lion King" shows on your Animal Kingdom itinerary. I highly recommend these shows. You must have a second day in AK if you don't catch them your first day. I like that you are allocating time for the Pangani Trail and the Maharajah jungle trek. It is good to take time and enjoy the theming and the animals in the park. Zaheer will enjoy these trails if he likes animals. I also think he will enjoy Dinosaur if the reason he does not like roller coasters is from the drops and/or the high speed. Dinosaur is not at all like that. As you stated it does jerk you around a lot but it is much different than a rollercoaster. I see you did include Primeval Whirl though. That is a rollercoaster that also spins you around. Zaheer may not like that ride.