***1st Week of December Thread ADR Plans, Park Hours, and dealing with Pop Warner***

[Lisa F]

Thank you so much for the lovey welcome! I have been reading so much on these forums and have gotten so much great advice- and encouragement!

Didn't mean to sound like Debbie Downer.. I think what got to me today was I was planning to get up really, really early tomorrow to make our first FP's for 3:30-6:30- for our MVMCP party night (11-29) and then realized I can't do it until Saturday. Now my (ha ha) funny husband keeps telling me he is going to wake me up every morning for the next 2 weeks- before 4 AM to make FP's. What a guy...
Then of course, as we all have, been waiting for the announcements for ROL, and of course no more SW fireworks, that I just KNEW DH would enjoy..... This whole process just feels like it has become a part time job! I am just going to do the best I can, and look forward to our trip! And, I plan to savor every single moment while there.

Last night, on a tip from someone else here, I went on to TeePublic, and found the 2 shirts I have been searching for, for ages! Sooooo excited! "Never too old for Disney", and, "Have courage and be kind". Can't wait to get them!!!!!

Again, thank you- all- for being my Disney buddies!

you don't sound like a Debbie Downer. I think lots of us are feeling it. So much time, so much effort, so much stalking, so much contingency planning because disney won't freaking release information in a timely manner. It burns you out. To me it's kind of like thanksgiving dinner, so much work and prep and then it's over in no time. At least there is xmas to look forward to though lol.

 

[Lisa F]

I initially wanted to try Flame Tree BBQ/ CHH/ Pinocchio's/ Katsura Grill when I considered DP... menu appeals to me and I can find something for my son. But... it still poses the same problem. I'd probably put this on my to try list for next time I am doing one QS on EPCOT day only, otherwise, I have TS for everything else. LOL!

flame tree looks great and I wish we could try it. At this point I'm hoping we can fit in a pulled pork cheese fries mid day between TH breakfast, Y&Y 3pm linner and then jibjab dessert party after. I think we are going to explode that day lol. Going to try to exercise restraint and go light at Tusker House but I won't lie, it is probably the best breakfast menu besides boma of anything we have booked. so that's gonna be rough. I guess there is always room to split a pulled pork cheese fries lol.

CHH is good. Pinocchios looks kind of good now too and kiddo would def have something to eat there. Katsura Grill is a favorite of mine and it does not seem to have the seating problem... there is always enough and it's always clean but I probably did NOT go during high meal times either. I love eating out by the Koi pond. But kiddo would not be so much into that menu. the boy does not eat rice. what kid does not eat rice? the teriyaki chicken he'd eat though. I also love the QS at morocco and oddly enough that would be a good fit for him... we'd probably share a platter there as he would eat the meats, the bread and the hummus. Also no seating problems there.

but I was scrambling to find acceptable CS after I planned on my favorites. that's when I made the switch to DxDDP lol

 

[Iowamomof4]

All this talk of how bad quick service places are for getting the food, getting a table, being able to hear yourself think... All of those are reasons I wanted to keep our dining upgrade! But having reservations has a downside, too, so I'll just keep thinking about that as we eat whenever we feel like it and wherever we happen to be at the moment. I'll try to enjoy the flexibility of quick service, even if the food and dining rooms are less than ideal.

I started my packing list this morning. I'm sorting things into 3 categories: Carry on, Checked, and either. I'm having a hard time thinking of things we'll need/want though beyond our clothes and toiletries!

We need:
Camping matresses (my kids don't share beds very well)
air pump for the matresses
large bottle of sunscreen
alarm clock
first aid kit
extra medicine for colds, headaches, and tummy aches
Laundry detergent and a few dryer sheets (just in case, I'm hoping to just hand wash a few things)
Applesauce pouches, EasyMac, Oatmeal cups, single-serve peanut butter (my kids will eat it with a spoon as a snack), shelf-stable coffee creamer, coffee pods
park bags
5's and 1's for tips
ponchos (hopefully if I bring them, we won't need them!)

I feel like that's about it for non-clothing/toiletry items! It just seems very incomplete.

 

[Lisa F]

All this talk of how bad quick service places are for getting the food, getting a table, being able to hear yourself think... All of those are reasons I wanted to keep our dining upgrade! But having reservations has a downside, too, so I'll just keep thinking about that as we eat whenever we feel like it and wherever we happen to be at the moment. I'll try to enjoy the flexibility of quick service, even if the food and dining rooms are less than ideal.

I started my packing list this morning. I'm sorting things into 3 categories: Carry on, Checked, and either. I'm having a hard time thinking of things we'll need/want though beyond our clothes and toiletries!

We need:
Camping matresses (my kids don't share beds very well)
air pump for the matresses
large bottle of sunscreen
alarm clock
first aid kit
extra medicine for colds, headaches, and tummy aches
Laundry detergent and a few dryer sheets (just in case, I'm hoping to just hand wash a few things)
Applesauce pouches, EasyMac, Oatmeal cups, single-serve peanut butter (my kids will eat it with a spoon as a snack), shelf-stable coffee creamer, coffee pods
park bags
5's and 1's for tips
ponchos (hopefully if I bring them, we won't need them!)

I feel like that's about it for non-clothing/toiletry items! It just seems very incomplete.

Oh it will be fine. there are some great CS places. Where are you planning to hit? I think it is easier if your kids are older and can handle themselves a bit and are not like the tazmanian devil in enclosed spaces lol. The food of some QS is actually quite good, especially at Epcot (IMO) and MK is getting some great reviews now too. If you like tex mex, pecos bills has GREAT atmosphere. Honestly I never cared fo rthe burgers but I'd get one there just to be able to eat there. it is just so hard for me now. Even when I was married, one person would take the tray and the other would carry the drinks - that is impossible now without a casualty.

 

[SilSprBea]

I don't really like quick service either at crowded places. I think I told you all before how I lost my DS at the Maryland Renaissance Festivsl in a chaotic lunch crowd. It was the scariest few minutes of my life, so the possibility of this happening at Disney terrifies me (we haven't been in that type of crowded lunch situation since it happened last year). That said, we can't manage a table service for all meals due to cost and the time it can take with our kids to eat in a sit down restaurant.

Is seating at Columbia Harbor House hard? We were planning on eating there (I chose it over Cosmic Rays on our first day even though we want to do mostly Tomorrowland because the food looks better to me). We have three MK days but we are only doing quick service twice- once PPO for BOG (which is a bit more like table service as you don't have to deal with balancing food trays and finding tables) and this Columbia Harbour house. Otherwise we're eating at Crystal Palace, Cinderella's Royal Table and Be Our Guest dinner, or leaving the park to eat (Chef Mickey).

 

[Lisa F]

I don't really like quick service either at crowded places. I think I told you all before how I lost my DS at the Maryland Renaissance Festivsl in a chaotic lunch crowd. It was the scariest few minutes of my life, so the possibility of this happening at Disney terrifies me (we haven't been in that type of crowded lunch situation since it happened last year). That said, we can't manage a table service for all meals due to cost and the time it can take with our kids to eat in a sit down restaurant.

Is seating at Columbia Harbor House hard? We were planning on eating there (I chose it over Cosmic Rays on our first day even though we want to do mostly Tomorrowland because the food looks better to me). We have three MK days but we are only doing quick service twice- once PPO for BOG (which is a bit more like table service as you don't have to deal with blanching foods and finding tables) and this Columbia Harbour house. Otherwise we're eating at Crystal Palace, Cinderella's Royal Table and Be Our Guest dinner, or leaving the park to eat (Chef Mickey).

seating at CHH is not hard but if I remember correctly it is in many smaller rooms and some upstairs so you may have to wander a bit. once you're sitting it is fine, if that makes sense. and the menu there is quite good.

and it does seem like an indulgence to me but once I got over it I just paid for the DxDDP and here we are lol. Also I've said this a zillion times, going totally first class for 1 adult 1 child is way different than for larger families. I choke on some of the "what this will cost me" quotes as nothing I can think of to do is much over $100-150 which at this point can be easily accommodated. $300-500 or more

 

[Candycane83]

flame tree looks great and I wish we could try it. At this point I'm hoping we can fit in a pulled pork cheese fries mid day between TH breakfast, Y&Y 3pm linner and then jibjab dessert party after. I think we are going to explode that day lol. Going to try to exercise restraint and go light at Tusker House but I won't lie, it is probably the best breakfast menu besides boma of anything we have booked. so that's gonna be rough. I guess there is always room to split a pulled pork cheese fries lol.

CHH is good. Pinocchios looks kind of good now too and kiddo would def have something to eat there. Katsura Grill is a favorite of mine and it does not seem to have the seating problem... there is always enough and it's always clean but I probably did NOT go during high meal times either. I love eating out by the Koi pond. But kiddo would not be so much into that menu. the boy does not eat rice. what kid does not eat rice? the teriyaki chicken he'd eat though. I also love the QS at morocco and oddly enough that would be a good fit for him... we'd probably share a platter there as he would eat the meats, the bread and the hummus. Also no seating problems there.

but I was scrambling to find acceptable CS after I planned on my favorites. that's when I made the switch to DxDDP lol

yup, same here on the switch to DxDP! LOL! I'm just going to pay for Katsura (or maybe sunshine seasons) out of pocket. My son loves rice and will eat steamed rice all by itself. Complete opposite of your son!

 

[Iowamomof4]

Oh it will be fine. there are some great CS places. Where are you planning to hit? I think it is easier if your kids are older and can handle themselves a bit and are not like the tazmanian devil in enclosed spaces lol. The food of some QS is actually quite good, especially at Epcot (IMO) and MK is getting some great reviews now too. If you like tex mex, pecos bills has GREAT atmosphere. Honestly I never cared fo rthe burgers but I'd get one there just to be able to eat there. it is just so hard for me now. Even when I was married, one person would take the tray and the other would carry the drinks - that is impossible now without a casualty.

Pecos Bills for sure. We had been planning to hit Cosmic Ray's, but I think we'll only do that if it doesn't look very busy. We did CHH last time and a couple of our group were pretty unimpressed, so we'll see. Pinocchio Village Haus also looks pretty good. I think I could see a few of us trying the Chicken Parm sandwich.

At DHS I'm hoping PizzeRizzo ends up being decent, in fact I'm counting on it! Otherwise I'm not too sure where we'll land for our other meal(s) there.

Epcot - we'll probably do a lot of snacking. We might hit Germany for brats or American Adventure looks okay for my group. Dh and I did Tangerine Cafe and Les Halles last time so I feel like we can try something else this time around. Oh, Lotus Blossom looks like a possibility, too. I think I might be able to convince ds9 to try the Orange Chicken if he's in the right mood.

Animal Kingdom has a plethora of options that look good for us! I'm sad that I only have one full day planned there for now. It's the place we'll hop to later in the trip though if we get our fill of Epcot, so there's a chance we'll get to try more options. Flame Tree is probably #1 on my list, followed very closely by Harambe Market. Restaurantosaurus and/or Yak & Yeti would be after those two and Pizzafari would be pretty much last on my list. There are some snacks I want to try here, too, like samosas from Mr. Kamal's shop and possibly the pulled pork fries at Flame Tree. Okay, this is making me hungry! lol

 

[Candycane83]

All this talk of how bad quick service places are for getting the food, getting a table, being able to hear yourself think... All of those are reasons I wanted to keep our dining upgrade! But having reservations has a downside, too, so I'll just keep thinking about that as we eat whenever we feel like it and wherever we happen to be at the moment. I'll try to enjoy the flexibility of quick service, even if the food and dining rooms are less than ideal.

I started my packing list this morning. I'm sorting things into 3 categories: Carry on, Checked, and either. I'm having a hard time thinking of things we'll need/want though beyond our clothes and toiletries!

We need:
Camping matresses (my kids don't share beds very well)
air pump for the matresses
large bottle of sunscreen
alarm clock
first aid kit
extra medicine for colds, headaches, and tummy aches
Laundry detergent and a few dryer sheets (just in case, I'm hoping to just hand wash a few things)
Applesauce pouches, EasyMac, Oatmeal cups, single-serve peanut butter (my kids will eat it with a spoon as a snack), shelf-stable coffee creamer, coffee pods
park bags
5's and 1's for tips
ponchos (hopefully if I bring them, we won't need them!)

I feel like that's about it for non-clothing/toiletry items! It just seems very incomplete.

I'd say with teens, QS is the way to go. When they get older and become foodies, then maybe a few more TS would not hurt,

I have a looong list of things to bring... Your list is great though! Reminds me I probably need to buy some extra medicine... probably would take some benadryl too just in case DS develops allergies all of a sudden.

 

[Iowamomof4]

Speaking of PizzeRizzo, DPB announcement: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...pen-november-18-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/

 

[Mintycake]

I will say I have the same problem! I usually like QS when it first opens or early since everything is still clean and it's not hard to find a table. But that doesn't necessarily work. My problem with Disney QS in particular is that I cannot first save a seat while DH buys the food. I understand why they do it that way but I really don't want that to be another line my son waits in, especially when hungry!

What? I didn't know that so that means we all have to line up together? Is qs going to be mad, like ikea?

 

[Mintycake]

Speaking of PizzeRizzo, DPB announcement: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...pen-november-18-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/

OMG looks yum! Ts?

 

[Candycane83]

What? I didn't know that so that means we all have to line up together? Is qs going to be mad, like ikea?

I think that's the general rule. I'm not sure how much they enforce it but I've read they especially enforce it when it's busy. I haven't been to a lot of QS at WDW so someone else needs to answer that. I'm pretty sure if you eat off hours it would be better.

 

[Candycane83]

OMG looks yum! Ts?

QS!

 

[Lisa F]

Pecos Bills for sure. We had been planning to hit Cosmic Ray's, but I think we'll only do that if it doesn't look very busy. We did CHH last time and a couple of our group were pretty unimpressed, so we'll see. Pinocchio Village Haus also looks pretty good. I think I could see a few of us trying the Chicken Parm sandwich.

At DHS I'm hoping PizzeRizzo ends up being decent, in fact I'm counting on it! Otherwise I'm not too sure where we'll land for our other meal(s) there.

Epcot - we'll probably do a lot of snacking. We might hit Germany for brats or American Adventure looks okay for my group. Dh and I did Tangerine Cafe and Les Halles last time so I feel like we can try something else this time around. Oh, Lotus Blossom looks like a possibility, too. I think I might be able to convince ds9 to try the Orange Chicken if he's in the right mood.

Animal Kingdom has a plethora of options that look good for us! I'm sad that I only have one full day planned there for now. It's the place we'll hop to later in the trip though if we get our fill of Epcot, so there's a chance we'll get to try more options. Flame Tree is probably #1 on my list, followed very closely by Harambe Market. Restaurantosaurus and/or Yak & Yeti would be after those two and Pizzafari would be pretty much last on my list. There are some snacks I want to try here, too, like samosas from Mr. Kamal's shop and possibly the pulled pork fries at Flame Tree. Okay, this is making me hungry! lol

people complain about liberty inn (american adventure) but the food looks decent enough. no it is not all it could be in representing the various regional cuisines of the US but if there are 2-3 things there I'd eat I'm ok with that!

 

[Mintycake]

flame tree looks great and I wish we could try it. At this point I'm hoping we can fit in a pulled pork cheese fries mid day between TH breakfast, Y&Y 3pm linner and then jibjab dessert party after. I think we are going to explode that day lol. Going to try to exercise restraint and go light at Tusker House but I won't lie, it is probably the best breakfast menu besides boma of anything we have booked. so that's gonna be rough. I guess there is always room to split a pulled pork cheese fries lol.

CHH is good. Pinocchios looks kind of good now too and kiddo would def have something to eat there. Katsura Grill is a favorite of mine and it does not seem to have the seating problem... there is always enough and it's always clean but I probably did NOT go during high meal times either. I love eating out by the Koi pond. But kiddo would not be so much into that menu. the boy does not eat rice. what kid does not eat rice? the teriyaki chicken he'd eat though. I also love the QS at morocco and oddly enough that would be a good fit for him... we'd probably share a platter there as he would eat the meats, the bread and the hummus. Also no seating problems there.

but I was scrambling to find acceptable CS after I planned on my favorites. that's when I made the switch to DxDDP lol

Ok feeling better. We plan to eat at chh, pinnochio, sunshine seasons, katsura grill, morroco qs and bog lunch for qs. For hs I'm not sure we have a bufeet breakfast at 8am and then 50s pt at 4pm so...not sure if we need a meal or just some snacks.

 

[Mintycake]

QS!

Just figured out lunch at hs. Lol!

 

[Candycane83]

Ok feeling better. We plan to eat at chh, pinnochio, sunshine seasons, katsura grill, morroco qs and bog lunch for qs. For hs I'm not sure we have a bufeet breakfast at 8am and then 50s pt at 4pm so...not sure if we need a meal or just some snacks.

LOL, you have my QS wishlist on your trip! I really hope you guys will make some sort of mini reviews after your trips!

 

[SilSprBea]

Speaking of PizzeRizzo, DPB announcement: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...pen-november-18-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/

I reworked my HS day to end at that area before Fantadmic after @Iowamomof4 mentioned the possibility of this. We will now do star tours with a FP at 4:30 (not doing Jedi training as kids don't really know Star Wars yet) and muppet vision before pizza. I know it won't be great pizza but my kids will think it's awesome! Then make our way to Fantasmic before heading bsck to our hotel.

 

[Lisa F]

Ok feeling better. We plan to eat at chh, pinnochio, sunshine seasons, katsura grill, morroco qs and bog lunch for qs. For hs I'm not sure we have a bufeet breakfast at 8am and then 50s pt at 4pm so...not sure if we need a meal or just some snacks.

HS QS is not fantastic and you will probably be fine with snacks. A full meal between those two big meals would be too much for me and would make it hard to enjoy 50's PT. there are some great snacks there. I can't remember if you are doing DDP or not.