With or without you...November 2016 - 09/06 FP+ and Early Morning Magic!

[grrrlennyl]

Dates: November 5 through November 11
Hotel: All-Star Music, Calypso Section
Ticket: 7-day pass (will upgrade to AP once I get there)
Dining plan: none
Rope Drop: every day unless otherwise noted because I am all about rides

Day one: Saturday, November 5
Landing around 10:30am. DME to resort. Either drop carry-on off or check it. Head to HS (arriving by 3pm seems a safe bet).
3pm Tower of Terror
4:30pm Voyage of the Little Mermaid
5:45pm TSMM
Maybe head to MK, which is open until midnight.

Day two: Saturday, November 6
AK day.
Ride Kilimanjaro Safaris standby and then with FP.
11am EE
12pm Tiffins
2pm DINOSAUR
Early-ish night so that I'm rested for the next two days.

Day three: Saturday, November 7
Ep.
UnDISCOVERed Future World tour. (ends around 1:30pm)
3:30pm Frozen Ever After
5pm The Seas with Nemo and Friends
7pm Spaceship Earth

Day four: Saturday, November 8
MK!
Early Morning Magic!!!
10:30am Little Mermaid
12pm Haunted Mansion
1pm Splash Mountain
Possibly back to the resort for a nap.
MVMCP!

Day five: Saturday, November 9
Ep.
10am Mission SPACE
3pm Frozen Ever After
4:30pm Spaceship Earth

Day six: Saturday, November 10
HS.
9am TSMM
10:30am Star Tours
12:30pm Tower of Terror
Maybe PH over to MK if I'm in the mood.

Day seven: Saturday, November 11
MK!
Extra Magic Hour
9am 7DMT
10am Space Mountain
11am Buzz Lightyear
Head to resort around 5:30pm. DME to MCO. Head home.

 

[grrrlennyl]

Original post...

Update 04/15/2016
Booked my trip! I will be in WDW November 5 through November 11...all by myself! I am super excited!

I'll be staying at All-Star Music in the Calypso section. I went ahead and sprung for a preferred room because why not?

Hoping for free dining, so we'll see how that goes. I'm toying with the idea of going to MVMCP because I've only been to it once, and that party got cut short by my travel companion because they weren't feeling well.

Original plan...
Background
I've been going to WDW off and on since 1990, so the next trip I'm planning would be trip #8. I love riding the rides, so I tend to have more of a commando approach in the mornings, but then take things as they come and adjust as needed. I am as laid-back as you can be in WDW, probably because I enjoy planning and just use my plan as a way to avoid having to make too many decisions once I'm there. Ha!

I'd hoped to be going back this in fall 2015, but I broke up with my main Disney travel companion, so I had to put it off for a year.

The Plan
Right now, a friend of mine is planning on coming with me for a 6- or 7-night trip. She's been a bit worried that she won't be able to save up, so my plan will change slightly if she isn't able to make it.

Transportation
The basic plan is to fly down and rely on Disney for everything. I hate driving, so no rental car. Yay for Magical Express! I take public transportation every day when I'm home, so the buses are no big deal for me. (I actually went with someone in 2014 who rented a car and it just seemed like the biggest hassle. Way more walking to get to the gates when arriving and then to get back to the car when we were done.)

Hotel
We'll probably stay at an All-Star (since it's just a place to sleep), but may pay the little extra to get a room closer to the main entrance. I've stayed at all the All-Stars, plus the Little Mermaid rooms at AoA, and they've all been great. (When I used to go with my family, we usually ended up at Port Orleans, but I definitely don't see the value for how I tour the parks. Maybe if I were traveling with more people, but I definitely don't want to do that. Ha!)

Tickets and Dining Plan
I'll grab a package through WDW's website. I'll most likely do another trip (or two) in 2017, so I'll upgrade to an AP once I get there. If my friend goes, it'll be up to her if she wants to do a park hopper.

I'm banking on free dining, since I've gotten it the last five times I've gone to WDW. If I go with my friend, we'll pay to upgrade our free counter service plan to the regular dining plan. If I'm on my own, counter service will be fine.

Parks, Parties, Etc.
It'll be interesting to see what's up at DHS by the time my trip rolls around, but I'm sure it won't be much, so that will most likely end up being just one day. AK will be a day, Epcot will be two (I like to take my time in World Showcase), and then two or three days at MK (my favorite park!).

If my friend goes with, we are going to do a whirlwind trip over to Universal. Just one day, but hit the Harry Potter stuff at both parks. I haven't been there since...oh, at least 1997, so I'm sure it'll be a challenge for this hardcore Disney person. If I end up taking the trip alone, I'll probably skip Universal.

Most likely no parties, unless I have extra cash randomly on my solo trip. No water parks. I may swing by Disney Springs to check it out, but it's not a must-do for me.

So, basically...
6 or 7 nights
All-Star something
DDP or QSDP

I know it's super early to post a thread like this, but I figured you'd all understand. I think I'm really excited to get back to planning after my other trip fell through. Even if my friend can't make it, I'm going to go. It'll probably be weird, but also awesome, to take a WDW trip on my own. I'll definitely be taking a look at the solo traveler forum for tips and ideas.

Thanks!

 

[grrrlennyl]

I've been thinking more about what I might want to do when I'm there next year. There are a few new things that I definitely need to check out...

Skipper Canteen
Trader Sam's
The Seven Dwarves' Mine Train (eek!)

I'm assuming the new Frozen ride in Epcot will be open by then, but I'm not sure what else. Anyone have any thoughts what I should be looking forward to?

 

[momabaarjo]

Joining along was I have plans for a trip about the same time! Always love to follow long and see what others are doing and planning!

 

[grrrlennyl]

Joining along was I have plans for a trip about the same time! Always love to follow long and see what others are doing and planning!

Yay! I'm excited to see so many folks planning trips around the same time.

 

[freckles04]

We are booked for October as well! Following.

As for new things to check out.. I'm excited about the new Rivers of Light show at AK! I'm assuming it will be up and running by Oct!

 

[grrrlennyl]

As for new things to check out.. I'm excited about the new Rivers of Light show at AK! I'm assuming it will be up and running by Oct!

Oh, I didn't even think of that! I'm hoping to take my time in AK, especially if HS is still a bit of a mess.

 

[grrrlennyl]

Well, I am definitely going on my own. Eek! I'm kinda excited. I'm assuming I'll get free dining (quick service, since I'll stay at a Value), so that will be good. I'm going to look up what will be open and closed during the trip. I'm leaning toward the first week of November right now.

 

[IowaTater]

We are going mid October but it's fun to see how other people are doing on their planning. I'm so looking forward to all the new things. I'm not really too bummed about all the construction at HS right now. There are a few things I'll miss but my favorites are still there (and hopefully will stay that way!)

 

[grrrlennyl]

We are going mid October but it's fun to see how other people are doing on their planning. I'm so looking forward to all the new things. I'm not really too bummed about all the construction at HS right now. There are a few things I'll miss but my favorites are still there (and hopefully will stay that way!)

For real. I just hope MuppetVision isn't messed with before my trip.

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

Joining in! We will be down 10/28-11/7 most likely. (Have to see what kind of vacation I can take when I switch jobs in coming months.) We are also tossing Pop versus All-star with the upgrade to DDP for the free CS plan!

 

[IowaTater]

For real. I just hope MuppetVision isn't messed with before my trip.

You are the second person post something like this. Do you all know something we don't??? Because I will cry if they get rid of it.

 

[P&L@WDW]

I am planning a group trip for October/November too! Can't wait!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I'm also planning to be there around that time frame, tentatively Oct. 29 - Nov. 9.

 

[grrrlennyl]

Joining in! We will be down 10/28-11/7 most likely. (Have to see what kind of vacation I can take when I switch jobs in coming months.) We are also tossing Pop versus All-star with the upgrade to DDP for the free CS plan!

That's usually what I end up doing. Since I'm traveling alone, I won't upgrade this time around. I wonder if it would make more sense to take the free food or a hotel discount. Hmm...I'll have to do the math on that.

You are the second person post something like this. Do you all know something we don't??? Because I will cry if they get rid of it.

Ha! I don't know anything, but I know that place is being torn apart right now. I can't see them removing it right now, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I am planning a group trip for October/November too! Can't wait!

I'm also planning to be there around that time frame, tentatively Oct. 29 - Nov. 9.

How fun!

 

[grrrlennyl]

I finally have something to update! I booked a preferred room at All-Star Music for November 5-11. Super exciting!

I think I'm going to splurge on MVMCP, so that's exciting. I'm also thinking of doing a tour (the behind the scenes one at Epcot), so we'll see if I end up doing that.

Is anyone else going to be around during that time? I've been to Disney at a lot of different times (Jan/Feb, June--blech, late October, early December), but never in early November, so I'm curious to see what crowds are like. Plus, it'll be interesting to see how the fourth FP+ works for me as a solo traveler.

 

[momabaarjo]

Congrats on booking! My dates overlap with yours...

Our plan is for MVMCP on November 8th. We figured the first one will be packed and let them have a night to work the kinks out before we arrive.

 

[grrrlennyl]

Our plan is for MVMCP on November 8th. We figured the first one will be packed and let them have a night to work the kinks out before we arrive.

That's my plan, too, I think. I'm crossing my fingers that Free Dining lines up with that, but we'll see.

 

[grrrlennyl]

Well...the only place I could get free dining for dates that worked for me was All-Star Sports...and it was $288 more expensive than my current reservation. I could pay for the (quick-service) dining plan and the cost would be about the same and (more importantly) I'd get to stick with my preferred travel dates.

That said, given the fact that I mostly don't eat meat or dairy, I can't imagine spending $44/day on food. Maybe I should cost it out, though?

 

[grrrlennyl]

A question for all of you: If I were to arrive at DHS by 3:30pm (very conservative estimate; I may arrive earlier) with a 7pm close, do you think I'd be able to do everything I want to do there?

I'd hopefully FP+ Toy Story, Tower of Terror, and StarTours. Other than that, I'd definitely want to do..

The Great Movie Ride (will probably be a wait)
MuppetVision 3D
One Man's Dream

I'm kinda whatever on The Voyage of the Little Mermaid, but would catch it if I had time.

Thoughts? I'd love to do Toy Story and StarTours twice, but that is definitely not realistic. I could maybe fold second visits to attractions into another MK or Ep day, though. I mainly want to figure out how much of this park I could knock out, since it will probably still mainly be a construction zone when I'm there.