I am often thinking about research, even when I'm planning our vacation. The evidence suggests that planning the vacation may be the best part. Fortunately for me, I love to plan. So: challenge accepted. I have bullet journal spreads from websites saved to my Pinterest board. We also worked with a Disney Vacation Planner, Dorothy Holland from Ears of Experience and she was great! Disney Vacation Planners are FREE, by the way, and will do as much or as little as you need. Dorothy outlined days at the park, made the resort and dinner reservations, and provided personalized ride tips for us.
We ultimately decided to stay at the Polynesian Resort, went for the Park Hopper tickets and Disney Dinner Plan (which allowed us to go to multiple parks in one day), and scheduled a number of Fast Passes, character meals, and restaurant reservations. We got an incredible deal because we went during an off-season. There were folks with us in lines who had booked their trips only 1-3 weeks earlier so that also is a way to Disney!
I started packing about a week in advance but had been gathering items for our trip for over a month.
The downside of planning so early is that A started getting frustrated even before Christmas, putting a moratorium on Disney talk and saying she didn't even want to go. However, when I pulled out the countdown, she started showing signs of some excitement.
By the time our travel date arrived, she was beside herself!
Day 1
We arrived on a Sunday and, because we were staying at a Disney Resort, were picked up by Mickey Express at the airport. The bus was so nice!
We checked into the Polynesian and felt immediately relaxed by the lovely atmosphere.
Dad had some issues with his arrival (he rode his motorcycle down to Orlando) so the three of us just hopped on the monorail and headed to Magic Kingdom. We missed our first FastPass but made it just in time for A to participate in Enchanted Tales with Belle, a "play" retelling the story of Beauty and the Beast. She was Philip, the horse. Hysterically adorable. She said she was nervous to meet Belle because she didn't know what to say. Sweet girl.
We also rode Small World (which both she and Chad loved!) and Prince Charming's Carousel. We waited in line for Peter Pan, which was great but such a very long line.
We also rode Seven Dwarves Mine, which was A's favorite experience of the day. When the ride stopped, she shouted "That was AWESOME." She couldn't wait to do it again.
We went back to the resort to met up with Dad for dinner at the Quick Service Restaurant, Captain Cook's, which was fairly mediocre (but yay free refills from the resort cup!).
Day 1, Total Purchases = Little Mermaid (light up/singing) Bubble Gun
Day 1, Steps = 14,438
Day 1 Realization = the pins and lanyards were unnecessary
Day 2
On Monday, we got to Animal Kingdom before they opened at 8AM (early magic hour!) to get in line for the ride Chad was most looking forward to, Avatar's Flight of Passage. However, we got there at the same time as everyone else in Orlando and at 8:02AM, the line was already 3 hours long! It stayed almost that long our entire trip so we never got to ride it. Animal Kingdom was lovely, though A was bored with parts that seemed like a zoo. She's our funny little anxious thrill seeker and wanted to be on rides the whole time. We rode Kali River Rapids twice because the line was super short. We then went over to Dinoland where we rode Triceratops (a ride much like Dumbo), which A liked. We then had a ridiculous lapse in judgment and rode Dinosaur which was terrifying and A might never forgive us for that experience (she was asking me about it tonight, even!). We had a quick service lunch at Yak & Yeti Local Cafe, an interesting restaurant with decent food (Chad and Dad got Asian rib tips and I got a honey chicken). We also got yummy mousse for dessert (chocolate for me and Alaina and a mangoish one for Chad).
After lunch, I took A to get her face painted and she (of course) chose to be a princess kitty.
We then lined up for our FastPass that allowed first entrance to Finding Nemo--The Musical. It was enjoyable, though the wooden benches were very uncomfortable!
We went back to the resort (on an overcrowded bus) for some rest and a chance to be off our feet for a minute. We were able to ride Pandora's Na'Vi River Journey (FastPass), which was lovely but very short. We also went on the night Kilmanjaro Safari which was amazing. We saw so many animals, including more giraffes than I've seen in my life and saw a lion and two lionesses, in what seemed to be a majestic roaring contest. We had dinner at Tusker House, an African inspired buffet. I knew that characters came for breakfast but didn't realize we would get to see them at dinner, which was quite a wonderful surprise!
Day 2, Total Purchases = face paint; stuffed princess Minnie
Day 2, Steps = 24,150
Day 2 Realization = Disney buses are the worst transportation option
Day 3
On Tuesday, we spent the morning at Magic Kingdom because we had reservations at Be Our Guest. Because there was a monorail issue, we were running ~10 minutes late but they were extremely accommodating. Be Our Guest was completely worth the hype. It was efficiently organized (we ordered our meal on the My Disney Experience app the day before) and there is no better theming. I read to sit in the Rose Gallery room and was glad that we did. It was less crowded and quieter than the Ballroom but brighter and less gloomy than the West Wing. Chad and Dad ordered the Gaston Breakfast (traditional--eggs, sausage, potatoes), Alaina got the French toast, and I tried the Croissant Doughnut (which was amazing). We also got a plate of pastries to split/share.
Our first mistake of the day was to go back to Seven Dwarves Mine. We went early and there was supposed to be a 70 minute wait. However, we ended up in line for over 2 hours and basically had to leave right after. I know people recommend the Park Hopper but it really was not worth it for our family/this trip.
Immediately following the ride we hopped on a monorail to the Ticket and Transportation stop to hop on the Epcot monorail to make it in time to Storybook Dining at Akershus Banquet Hall. We honestly thought that this would mostly just be a chance for A to see some princesses but it turns out it was one of our favorite meals! Chad got the Salmon Duo, Dad got the Swedish meatballs, I got the roasted chicken, and Alaina got a cheese pizza. They also brought a sampling of desserts for the three of us to split (a rice pudding, chocolate mousse, and an apple cake).
We had a little time before our FastPass to Frozen Ever After and I saw there was only a 15 minute wait to meet Anna and Elsa so we opted to pop in there and it was just lovely.
Frozen Ever After was a really fun little ride. It lasted a few minutes and had some unexpected thrills. It was very well done. We had quite a long break before our next FastPass and A wanted a slushy lemonade or drink so we went on a hunt. This was our next mistake. The lines were very short for our next rides but we didn't make it to them because the day started unraveling. We saw Pluto and got some fun pictures, found a great Japanese shaved ice stand, and then A basically reminded us that 5 is still 5 and we quickly exited the park before a full meltdown ensued.
We went back to the resort and realized we had no real plans for dinner and A all but refused to go out. We once again ate at Capt Cook's and had an early bedtime. This day caused me to question why people go to Walt Disney World.
Day 3, Total Purchases = stuffed Belle
Day 3, Steps = 16,081
Day 3 Realization = rest time is not optional; character meetings are much easier at Epcot!
Day 4
We had early FastPasses at Hollywood Studios. We quickly rode Toy Story Mania, which was fun.
We had heard great things about Frozen Sing Along and it absolutely did not disappoint. We noticed more parents singing than anyone but kids were just delighted by it. It was so well done.
We had time before our Star Tours FastPass so we decided to meet Minnie and Mickey.
We ate lunch at Backlot Express and headed back to the room for an hour of imposed rest time before going back to Magic Kingdom. Since we had wrapped up our FastPasses early, we snagged another one for Under the Sea at Magic Kingdom and walked straight on that ride, followed by Dumbo, and Thunder Mountain. We also peeked into the bathroom at Rapunzel's tower, which was totally worth seeing! Because A had brought her Elena dress, I checked in on the Elena/Cinderella meet and greet and was mentioning to Chad that we did not want to wait an hour in line for that while also looking for the fastest way to the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups. A PhotoPass photographer stopped us and asked if she could help and she magically transported us to the FastPass line to meet Princess Elena. I am still blown away by this gesture.
We then rode the teacups and went back to our resort for dinner at Kona Cafe, which was delightful.
Day 4, Total Purchases = stuffed Baby Lady in a carrier
Day 4, Steps = 17,263
Day 4 Realization = Children seem to get special treatment if they are in costume or wearing face paint.
Day 5
Our last Disney related thing before leaving was the O'hana breakfast. Sadly, the restaurant was way overbooked because they had a party of 86 (!!!!). We ended up being seated more than 45 minutes after our reservation, making me worry somewhat that we could miss the bus back to the airport! However, the service is incredibly efficient and the food was quite good. I was surprised how excited A was to meet Lilo and Stitch so this ended up being a very good time, even though we were all very frustrated with the experience.
And then we came home.
Day 5, Total Purchases = none
Day 5, Steps = 8,129
Day 5 Realization = Disney is all about managing expectations and balancing plans with flexibility. It also brings out the best most magical things about people and the worst most frustrating things in relationships. There is a lot of mental and emotional labor that goes into these trips and that burden is typically carried by moms. It seems somewhat akin to childbirth in that as time passes, the more distressing moments are forgotten. Research would support this is a key to a good vacation. Disney 2020, anyone?
