Marriage: The Trip Report - Update 2/28 - Final Thoughts & Link to Disneyland TR!

[brookelizabeth]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the Plaza! I love it too. Those french fries.

Glad you have found a home for your latest trip. I should know this as a DVC owner but what resort is the "cheapest" in terms of points? Is it OKW? Is SSR significantly more? Your idea of renting and staying at a value is good. I would imagine something will open up!

Those french fries are the BEST! The big thick cut. Yum, yum.

For the season I am going, May (I think it's the Dream Season?), OKW and AKV Studios are the same. SSR is 9 points more - so not a LOT, but enough to make me cringe a bit. It's 63 points in all, so I equate that to $630. And I have a hard time spending that much on just me!

Hmmmmm....the Plaza is so delightful!! I usually eat there at least once each trip as my meal before MSEP!!! SO YUMMY!! Your pictures were fantastic and might have made me drool LOL!!!

I agree! We really enjoyed The Plaza. It's just right, not too heavy, and it's nice and simple. I like your idea of before MSEP, then you can step out and see the parade!

That IS a big apple! Yummy - we're also fans of the Plaza although it's been one of the few places that wouldn't allow me to order from the kids menu so I try not to hold that against them! lol

I'm glad you secured a place to stay but I know you'll keep checking on your other possibilities too! I think it's awesome you're willing to try new places so I hope you get what you want/need in the end!

Heather

I was shocked at how much apple we got! That has got to be at least 2 apples cut up! We all munched and munched and I don't think we finished it!

How strange that they wouldn't let you order from the kids menu??? You'd think they would be more accommodating there, since some people don't want to eat a whole adult meal and some people physically cannot.

I have been checking into other places. I'm going to do a search to see if any Value or Mod rooms have opened up this morning with the AP discount (or TA discount) and go from there....we'll see if it works out! Otherwise, I know I'll enjoy staying at SSR. Last time we stayed in Congress Park, so I'll probably request a different building area this time to shake it up!

Looks like a real PB&J and not one of those uncrustables. That's great! I just showed Madeline and she is now excited to eat there.

Those trees are so beautiful!

It was! A real one! I expected an Uncrustable too.

The Plaza looks yummy!! And a real actual pb&j....I guess I am used to seeing those uncrustables everywhere in WDW! My kids wont eat pb&j, but that one looks so much better than the uncrustable.
Love that picture of you and Henry at the sword with the castle behind. Great idea

Henry inhaled the PB&J and he's a bit picky about the Uncrustables, so I'm thinking it tasted much, much better than those pre-packaged things! It was nice to see a REAL apple and REAL PB&J.

The new Winnie the Pooh queue looks like a ton of fun! They really did add a lot of cute touches! What a fun way to spend the time while you are waiting on the ride.

Mmmmm, all that food at the Plaza looks delicious! We really need to try it one day!

They did! It's done really well. Very creative and a lot of fun for everyone!

Fab update Brook!

Those pink trees are gorgeous! The petals look all fluffy like pink snow.

Aw, poor Henry was trying so hard to pull that sword! I love your tip too of standing with the castle to your back. Makes for a much nicer picture!

Don't you just LOVE the new queue at Winnie the Pooh? It's awesome, they really did an incredible job with it. The theming fits in so nicely and my girls tried every little thing! Henry looks like he enjoyed it too! And you're right about that rope pull thingy with the gopher. DH had to jump in and help our girls, it was hard! Those honey walls were really fun too. Though the germaphobe mama in me was like, girls wipe your hands with these wipes since you just ran your hands all over that screen!

So glad you enjoyed The Plaza (we ate there for the first time last trip and loved it). Aren't those little Mickey sandwichs darling? So cute. Holy cow, that sundae was mammoth! I'd have passed on the pineapple but the rest sounds scrumptious.

Aren't they beautiful? We have one outside our bathroom window too, it's just beginning to bloom. Soooooo pretty. I wonder if they are still in bloom down in FL right now? I'd love to see them again! They really make the entire park extra beautiful!

If we made it to the honey walls I so woulda whipped out the hand sani after! I so understand where you are coming from!

I think next time I do the Plaza I'd just go for a good 'ol hot fudge sundae. We let the boy pick and of course he picks the two sweetest things! LOL

 

[PopArtGal]

I really hope your friend can make it with you. I am dreaming of a trip with a girl friend, but none of my friends have the money, or the love of Disney to come with me.

The Winnie the Pooh area is so awesome!! I wanna go! And I have never been on the ride. Will I look silly? lol I'll borrow a child lol

 

[tiggrbaby]

The Plaza looks like a fab meal!

I don't blame you for trying to conserve your points as much as possible!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I haven't heard back yet from my friend (Sarah), so I am starting to make my plans as if she cannot come. I'll just switch 'em up if she can!

So here is what I have been day dreaming of if I'm solo...all this is pending to change should Sarah join me, or when I have more time to truly look at the days and re-configure!

May 28
I'm expecting to get to SSR around 9 pm or so. I don't have anything solid for tonight. I'll either drop the bags and rush over to MK for a DIS meet with racefan, or just lay-low and chill in the room.

May 29
Rope Drop MK
MK Ultimate Touring Plan. I'm GONNA DO IT! In case you don't know what this is, you ride every.single.thing. in the MK in 1 day. Crazy? TouringPlans.com has a plan that you should take in order to minimize wait times and cover the entire park. In order to be official I have to write down wait times and take a picture of myself on all the rides, then I will go into their Hall of Fame. I have to re-read what the rules are and make sure I have it all ready to go. I'm looking forward to this crazy adventure!! And even if I change up my days, the Ultimate Touring Plan will make it into this trip if I'm solo!!!

May 30
DHS
I don't expect that I will make RD this day.
I want to do the stand-by queue for TSM since I never have. Star Tours , RnRC, ToT, the animation class, B&TB, and maybe the VOTLM.

I expect I'll be done with this park fairly early since it doesn't include a 1.5 hour adventure in the HISTK playground. I'll probably boat it over Epcot. At Epcot I want to do TT, Soarin' (though, probably not this day due to the wait time), the Canada film, SSE, Livin' with the Land, the Nemo tanks, and Malestorm. If I stay long enough, I'll watch Illuminations. Otherwise DTD might be good this day too.

May 31
4 Parks 1 Day - must do at least 3 rides/attractions in each park.
AK RD - EE, Safari, ITTBAB, Pangani Forest Trail-must see Lilly the Baby Gorilla!!
DHS - Any 3 rides I didn't cover the day before or that I want to repeat.
EP - Any 3 rides I didn't cover the day before or that I want to repeat.
MK - Jungle Cruise at night (if the line isn't unreasonable) and any other 2 rides. MSEP & Wishes.
This night has PM EMH at Epcot. I cannot imagine being able to stand by this point in my trip, but I'm just going to throw it into my notes. Like the Ultimate Touring Plan, no matter what, I want to do 4 Parks 1 Day, so it will happen one of the days!

June 1
ME won't pick me up until around 4 pm, so I have the whole day in front of me! I will just do whatever I'm feeling. If I'm going to be at SSR, I think this day I'll head over to WPE for breakfast at DTD and do a bit of shopping too.

Whew. Just imagining it all makes me tired! And I LOVE it! Joe would never, ever do this sort of crazy touring, so it's perfect for a solo trip!

I need to take some time to look over the days a bit more, I'll keep you posted of any changes.

 

[PopArtGal]

I am so glad you loved the Plaza. It's a tradition of ours. Joe had what my mom and I always have. ALthough last time I did try the tuna salad sandwich and loved it. I agree with the service! It's awesome. Once, all I did was point to my coke and a new one appeared hehe

 

[SoonerGirl]

Perfect solo trip plans! I can't wait to hear how you fair with the Ultimate Touring Plan and the 4 Park, 1 Day. Both sound like fun to me!

I'll keep you updated as to our progress getting into town on the 1st, if you're still in DTD when we arrive I'll head over and we can try and meet up

 

[wdwgirl03]

I haven't heard back yet from my friend (Sarah), so I am starting to make my plans as if she cannot come. I'll just switch 'em up if she can!

Well...you know, if you need a new friend named Sarah I can fill in for her...

That first picture of Dumbo and that tree is so pretty. Love it! And now I'm hungry looking at all your food pictures. haha

 

[chloe770]

I haven't heard back yet from my friend (Sarah), so I am starting to make my plans as if she cannot come. I'll just switch 'em up if she can!

So here is what I have been day dreaming of if I'm solo...all this is pending to change should Sarah join me, or when I have more time to truly look at the days and re-configure!

May 28
I'm expecting to get to SSR around 9 pm or so. I don't have anything solid for tonight. I'll either drop the bags and rush over to MK for a DIS meet with racefan, or just lay-low and chill in the room.

May 29
Rope Drop MK
MK Ultimate Touring Plan. I'm GONNA DO IT! In case you don't know what this is, you ride every.single.thing. in the MK in 1 day. Crazy? TouringPlans.com has a plan that you should take in order to minimize wait times and cover the entire park. In order to be official I have to write down wait times and take a picture of myself on all the rides, then I will go into their Hall of Fame. I have to re-read what the rules are and make sure I have it all ready to go. I'm looking forward to this crazy adventure!! And even if I change up my days, the Ultimate Touring Plan will make it into this trip if I'm solo!!!

May 30
DHS
I don't expect that I will make RD this day.
I want to do the stand-by queue for TSM since I never have. Star Tours , RnRC, ToT, the animation class, B&TB, and maybe the VOTLM.

I expect I'll be done with this park fairly early since it doesn't include a 1.5 hour adventure in the HISTK playground. I'll probably boat it over Epcot. At Epcot I want to do TT, Soarin' (though, probably not this day due to the wait time), the Canada film, SSE, Livin' with the Land, the Nemo tanks, and Malestorm. If I stay long enough, I'll watch Illuminations. Otherwise DTD might be good this day too.

May 31
4 Parks 1 Day - must do at least 3 rides/attractions in each park.
AK RD - EE, Safari, ITTBAB, Pangani Forest Trail-must see Lilly the Baby Gorilla!!
DHS - Any 3 rides I didn't cover the day before or that I want to repeat.
EP - Any 3 rides I didn't cover the day before or that I want to repeat.
MK - Jungle Cruise at night (if the line isn't unreasonable) and any other 2 rides. MSEP & Wishes.
This night has PM EMH at Epcot. I cannot imagine being able to stand by this point in my trip, but I'm just going to throw it into my notes. Like the Ultimate Touring Plan, no matter what, I want to do 4 Parks 1 Day, so it will happen one of the days!

June 1
ME won't pick me up until around 4 pm, so I have the whole day in front of me! I will just do whatever I'm feeling. If I'm going to be at SSR, I think this day I'll head over to WPE for breakfast at DTD and do a bit of shopping too.

Whew. Just imagining it all makes me tired! And I LOVE it! Joe would never, ever do this sort of crazy touring, so it's perfect for a solo trip!

I need to take some time to look over the days a bit more, I'll keep you posted of any changes.

Whoo! That's exhausting ...but sounds TOTALLY FUN! What a great Solo plan1

 

[hcmommy]

Brooke-Your plans sound so fun! You will have fun if Sarah comes or not. I can't imagine being able to tour on my terms and do whatever I want whenever I want. That sounds so cool. I would probably run myself to death! Dh says I run on pure adrenaline in WDW. I always look exhausted in our pics but I'm having so much fun!

 

[tiggrbaby]

Wow!!! That plan sounds like soooo much fun!

 

[norybell]

The Plaza, yum...we really need a drooling smilie, don't we?

I think I might have to re-read some of your solo adventures for tips! I'm a little nervous...yet excited about it! The thought of coming back to a silent hotel room is VERY appealing to me.

So are you doing a side DL trip in May???

Don't be nervous -- you will love love love being solo!

You know, I honestly thought DL in May was out of the question, as it would require me to take an extra day off work. But your question got me thinking...I mean, I am going to be in LA, after all. And that's a long trip from NY, not one I'd like to make often...so what's one more night, really? This might be my only chance to see DL in any sort of convenient way!

In other words: I've decided to go a day early and spend one night in DL. And it's all your fault, Brook.

 

[norybell]

I haven't heard back yet from my friend (Sarah), so I am starting to make my plans as if she cannot come. I'll just switch 'em up if she can!

So here is what I have been day dreaming of if I'm solo...all this is pending to change should Sarah join me, or when I have more time to truly look at the days and re-configure!

May 28
I'm expecting to get to SSR around 9 pm or so. I don't have anything solid for tonight. I'll either drop the bags and rush over to MK for a DIS meet with racefan, or just lay-low and chill in the room.

May 29
Rope Drop MK
MK Ultimate Touring Plan. I'm GONNA DO IT! In case you don't know what this is, you ride every.single.thing. in the MK in 1 day. Crazy? TouringPlans.com has a plan that you should take in order to minimize wait times and cover the entire park. In order to be official I have to write down wait times and take a picture of myself on all the rides, then I will go into their Hall of Fame. I have to re-read what the rules are and make sure I have it all ready to go. I'm looking forward to this crazy adventure!! And even if I change up my days, the Ultimate Touring Plan will make it into this trip if I'm solo!!!

May 30
DHS
I don't expect that I will make RD this day.
I want to do the stand-by queue for TSM since I never have. Star Tours , RnRC, ToT, the animation class, B&TB, and maybe the VOTLM.

I expect I'll be done with this park fairly early since it doesn't include a 1.5 hour adventure in the HISTK playground. I'll probably boat it over Epcot. At Epcot I want to do TT, Soarin' (though, probably not this day due to the wait time), the Canada film, SSE, Livin' with the Land, the Nemo tanks, and Malestorm. If I stay long enough, I'll watch Illuminations. Otherwise DTD might be good this day too.

May 31
4 Parks 1 Day - must do at least 3 rides/attractions in each park.
AK RD - EE, Safari, ITTBAB, Pangani Forest Trail-must see Lilly the Baby Gorilla!!
DHS - Any 3 rides I didn't cover the day before or that I want to repeat.
EP - Any 3 rides I didn't cover the day before or that I want to repeat.
MK - Jungle Cruise at night (if the line isn't unreasonable) and any other 2 rides. MSEP & Wishes.
This night has PM EMH at Epcot. I cannot imagine being able to stand by this point in my trip, but I'm just going to throw it into my notes. Like the Ultimate Touring Plan, no matter what, I want to do 4 Parks 1 Day, so it will happen one of the days!

June 1
ME won't pick me up until around 4 pm, so I have the whole day in front of me! I will just do whatever I'm feeling. If I'm going to be at SSR, I think this day I'll head over to WPE for breakfast at DTD and do a bit of shopping too.

Whew. Just imagining it all makes me tired! And I LOVE it! Joe would never, ever do this sort of crazy touring, so it's perfect for a solo trip!

I need to take some time to look over the days a bit more, I'll keep you posted of any changes.

Somehow I missed this when I just posted...OMG it sounds like so much fun!

 

[tiggrbaby]

The Plaza, yum...we really need a drooling smilie, don't we?



Don't be nervous -- you will love love love being solo!

You know, I honestly thought DL in May was out of the question, as it would require me to take an extra day off work. But your question got me thinking...I mean, I am going to be in LA, after all. And that's a long trip from NY, not one I'd like to make often...so what's one more night, really? This might be my only chance to see DL in any sort of convenient way!

In other words: I've decided to go a day early and spend one night in DL. And it's all your fault, Brook.

Good for you! When we went on the EB Panama cruise, I took my one son out three days early to have what may end up being my only trip out there. The rest of the gang came out one day early and we were able to take them to all the highlights. It is a much easier park to do in a short period of time, and you won't regret your decision!

 

[Mindy5767]

I love the Plaza. That food looks so yum. I had no idea the cut the pb&j to look like Mickey. Good thing I don't work there. I'd probably go through 5 sandwiches before I got it right!

No you wouldn't..... its a special cutter. I have one. Its like a big cookie cutter with a handle. You can buy them at the Mickey Kitchen & Bath store which adjoins the Earl of Sandwich.

 

[Poolrat]

Love the plans- You will love going solo.


You will drop your stuff and head out the first night - I know you will

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Holy cow Brook, you are going to be one busy solo traveler! I love all of your plans though, so something I would do if I could ever swing a solo trip. Though I do see a teeny, tiny flaw...you keep mentioning some random chick named Sarah. You're quite mistaken as you want to take Molly with you, M-O-L-L-Y. Not Sarah. I don't know how you could've made such an obvious mistake.

Are you planning to do your live reports of your solo adventure?? It sounds like a dream! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you on your Ultimate MK day!

 

[Mindy5767]

I forgot to mention, did you know that the Sword in the Stone ACTUALLY comes out! I didn't. I don't remember where I read about it, on the allears yahoo group or here on the DIS but the lady said her 4 year old son pulled on the sword and it actually came out. A princess came out of nowhere and announced really loudly so everyone could hear that he was King of the Kingdom, and put a crown on him. A photopass photographer may have appeared too. She said her daughter was very impressed that her brother was now the King of the Magic Kingdom. She said it totally MADE their vacation, as you can imagine. The princess and CM's made a huge deal out of it!!

Next time I was there I actually looked down into the stone and saw a little red light. It must be timed or something, but I've been visiting Disney World since the early 70's and several times a year in recent years (since we've been DVC) and I had never seen that happen. Still hadn't but I read about her experience.

 

[micandminforever]

I love your plans, and can't wait to read the trip report. I have visited 3 parks in one day but never 4. I love the idea of the MK Ultimate Touring Plan, sure to take alot of pictures.

 

[tinacaplan]

Great updates! I also have to say that I love your pictures. They're all beautiful. I wonder if Max will be into the WP queue when we go this summer? We were in MK so early that day, we raced through the queue and just jumped on the ride.

We loved our meal at the Plaza. I had the most delicious tuna sandwhich in the history of tuna. Not sure why I thought it was so amazing, but it was. Maybe Kathy's right...we had lunch there towards the very end of our trip and I think it might be that the food is relatively "light" compared with everything else you eat all week.

I absolutely could not keep up with your touring plans. No way. But it sounds like so much fun and a great way to pack in everything you'd want to see while you're there.

 

[TheDreamsComeTrue]

The Plaza looks really good. Well..that dessert does. Glad to hear you liked it there!
Great solo trip plans! My family has done all 4 parks in one day and we thought it wasn't that tiring!