Category Archives: Disney Travel Planning

Walt Disney World 2021 – A Completely Different Plan

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It’s been a rough 16 months since our last visit to Walt Disney World for the 2020 Dopey Challenge. It’s time for a much needed vacation. While the main components of our upcoming getaway are familiar, there are quite a few factors that have made planning this trip vastly different from our usual modus operandi.

Balloon Vendor on Main Street U.S.A.

First and most importantly, we are taking our granddaughter, Violet, for her first visit! She may only be two, but she already loves Disney. She’s a big fan of princesses in general and Buzz Lightyear in particular. I know I’m partial, but Violet happens to have an exceptionally sunny disposition which makes her an absolute joy to be around. I cannot wait to see her reaction to all the magic she’s about to experience.

Planning Differently

The combination of COVID measures and travelling with a toddler has given us an opportunity to plan more creatively. We’ll also be spending differently while we’re at Walt Disney World. Having done quite a bit of research, we know the parks, resorts, and restaurants on this trip will be very different than in the past. While COVID restrictions are starting to be reduced, those still in place will have an effect on our overall experience. We are committed to being as positive as possible and determined to have a great vacation. We are incredibly grateful to not have to wear masks outdoors!

Dining

In the past, we have faithfully made our dining reservations at the 180-day mark. Usually securing our priority restaurants for dinner first, then tend to go back and add a few lunches and breakfasts to round out our plans. Now we have a couple of things to work around: no Tables in Wonderland card and Violet’s naptime.

Right now many (or most) of our favorite restaurants have limited menus. Not a problem! I booked only three dinners (out of 7 nights): The Wave on arrival day, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ during our one and only planned visit to Disney Springs, and California Grill for Raymond’s birthday celebration. The rest of the time Violet can nap as long as she likes and we can figure out what we want to eat more-or-less on the spur of the moment. Several table service places are offering carry out right now and we think it might be fun to take advantage of that. We can always eat quick service at our resort or hit the Flower and Garden booths at Epcot for dinner.

The Hollywood Brown Derby / Disney's Hollywood Studios

I might be flexibly planning meals, but I’m still me – a borderline obsessive vacation planner. I’ve scored a lunch reservation in each park I think we’ll enjoy: Skipper Canteen, Biergarten, Yak & Yeti, and Hollywood Brown Derby. We won’t be getting that Tables in Wonderland discount, but I’m doing my best to keep the food budget the same. Normally, we may eat 10-15 table service meals in a week. It’s a miracle I’m not hyperventilating over having only 7.

Transportation

We haven’t rented a car on a Disney vacation since sometime around 2004. We usually take advantage of Magical Express or we hire a car to get us to our resort from the airport and back. I started thinking about the effect of COVID measures on Disney Transportation and how that might slow things down. For sure, Violet needs to experience the Skyliner and Monorail, but we’d like the option to get to and from the parks without waiting for busses. We’ll likely be spending a good bit more time at our resort than we ordinarily do with naptime and early-ish park closings, so having our own ride for grocery shopping and food pick-up would be extra convenient.

Renting a large SUV & car seat is taking a big chunk of our vacation budget. By not eating out for every meal and stocking our own supply of snacks and adult beverages in our resort, I’m hoping to offset some of the costs of car rental. Yes, that means Disney is getting a good bit less of our money than usual. It’ll be good practice for when Magical Express is gone for good in 2022.

Grandparenting

The last time we visited Walt Disney World with a toddler was in 1996. Yeesh, I feel absolutely ancient. A good cure for that feeling is spending time with Violet! Some of our friends are surprised we think two is the perfect age for a first trip to WDW because Violet likely won’t remember a bit of it. But we will. We’re healthy, fully vaccinated and enjoy all the rides and experiences Disney has to offer. What better time to share our favorite vacation spot with the next generation? Violet will get this one trip on her own before she becomes a big sister in a few months and we are all about it!

If you want to follow along with our adventures, we’ll be sharing tips, reviews, and our general excitement over on Facebook and Twitter. Hope to see you there!

Walt Disney World Table Service – Where are We Going Next?

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Walt Disney World Table Service – Where are We Going Next?

First, I was busy booking dining reservations, now I’m busy tweaking them.  I’ve noticed some definite trends in where we choose to eat. We like what we like and deviating from the tried and true is risky sometimes. Since this is a short trip, we’re not taking too many chances on not having great dining experiences.  Here are the restaurants we’ve got in our near future and why we picked them.  (I’ll point out the ones that fall in our favorites category.)

This Trip = Four Days and Nights

Via Napoli (Dinner) – We like the atmosphere and menu at this eatery in World Showcase’s Italy pavilion.  While it doesn’t make our list of top faves, it does offer sharable appetizers, pizzas and pasta dishes.  While we will be sampling some of the Food & Wine Festival booths on our way to Via Napoli, we know we’ll enjoy sitting down and relaxing with some decent fare and a glass of wine.

Tusker House (Breakfast) – WAY up on our list of favorites, it’s hard not to book a meal here.  Full disclosure – we’ve only ever eaten breakfast at Tusker House, but it’s so good in every way!  The buffet has something for everyone and the characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy) are absolutely adorable. I love this character dining experience above all others.

Narcoossee’s (Dinner) – Booked for its proximity to our resort (Bay Lake Tower), Narcoossee’s has never disappointed us.  As this is our pre-Wine & Dine half-marathon dinner, we wanted to be able to get to bed early yet still enjoy plenty of tasty entrée options.  We love this restaurant’s location on the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort.  They have a big deck on the water and will gladly keep your food warm if a fireworks show is going on in Magic Kingdom. 

Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen (Lunch) – This one’s a favorite as it should be for everyone!  I’ve spoken about my love for the Canteen before and why we need more in-park dining like it.  If the menu hasn’t changed, I’m ordering the exact same delicious dish I had last time I was there (Perkins Thai Noodles).  Bonus – I can have beer with my lunch in Magic Kingdom if I want to. 

Raglan Road (Dinner) – A family favorite for many years, one horrible visit has kept us away for quite some time.  We’re ready to give Raglan Road anther try, but I’ll be honest…if the food and service haven’t improved, I’ll be ready to write this place off for good. Probably. Maybe.     

Morimoto Asia (Dinner) – This one is currently way up on our favorites list (like near the very tippy-top).  In fact, this reservation was originally for Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, but I was doing that tweaking thing when a Morimoto reservation became available in our preferred time slot.  Don’t get me wrong – Homecomin’ is good, but Morimoto’s is better.  If I can find a way to squeeze a Homecomin’ lunch in, I’m doing it.

That wraps up the plans for this trip. Are any of your favorites on the list? The rest of our meals will be Food & Wine Festival food and quick service meals or snacks. We have a Tables in Wonderland discount card that doesn’t expire for a couple more months and we’ll be able to use it at each of the places I listed. I’m pretty excited about our choices! No pressure, Disney chefs, but I bring my lunch to work every single day so we can splurge at Disney World and I’m counting on you!!!

What are your favorite table service restaurants at Walt Disney World? Have any been a disappointment? Let me know and as always, thanks for stopping by…Lisa.

5 Reasons to Visit Walt Disney World in November

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The truth is, we have and would visit our favorite vacation destination any time of the year. Walt Disney World in November, though, has wonderful advantages and I’m here to share…

5 Reasons to Visit Walt Disney World in November

Magic Kingdom Entrance in October

The Weather – If you love feeling like you’re in a tropical paradise without those sweltering summer temperatures, November’s a good bet! It’s also a typically very low month for rain in Florida (average of 3 days of rain). With average highs are in the upper 70’s and average lows in the upper 50’s, packing a few layers will get you from rope-drop to park closure in comfort and being able to enjoy pool time at your resort is a strong possibility.

Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival – So much to love about these 87 days! Since the festival runs nearly to Thanksgiving, there’s lots of opportunity to take in those concerts, food booths, and extra special offerings in November. We love getting to Epcot early so we can enjoy a few attractions before eating our way around World Showcase for lunch. Sharing plates makes this technique last longer before all available intestinal real estate is used up and we start feeling nap-ish.

Magic Shot at MNSSHP

Parties – In November, it’s possible to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on the same trip! This year, the Halloween party’s last night is on November 1st and the Christmas party begins on November 8th. Plan ahead and you can hit both of these popular Magic Kingdom events in a single vacation. We’ve yet to experience Mickey’s Vary Merry Christmas Party, but it’s on our to-do list. Maybe next year.

Decorations – Just like the parties, November provides a small opportunity to see both fall and holiday decorations in the parks. After the last Halloween party, the fall decor comes down. By the first Christmas party (November 8th in 2019), Magic Kingdom is all decked out! If you love holiday decorations, wait until later in November and prepare to be amazed. Every park, resort, restaurant – the variety and volume of decorations is simply spectacular. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I think the combination of charming decorations and fun holiday music in Disney’s Hollywood Studios may be my favorite for overall experience.

runDisney opportunities – With the Food & Wine Festival comes the Wine & Dine runDisney events. Since this year will be our first to try them, I can’t tell you yet how they compare to the others we’ve done. I am welcoming the opportunity to burn off enough calories to feel completely guilt-free about all the food booths I’m going to visit.

Have you been to Walt Disney World in November? How did it compare to other times you’ve visited?

WDW Things I’m Most Looking Forward to…

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You, my Disney-loving friend, will recognize the feeling: It seems like forever since we last visited our favorite vacation destination. Our dining plans were made months ago, our FastPasses have been booked, our Magic Bands should arrive any time and the wait is nearly over! Now that I can finally say, “Next month I’m going to Walt Disney World!”, here are 30 completely random things I’m looking forward to…

Would any of these be on your list?

  • Dinner at Morimoto Asia
  • The scent of Bay Lake Tower’s lobby
  • Every detail in Animal Kingdom (like how the sounds in Pandora change throughout the day)
  • Pre-race people-watching in our runDisney corrals
  • Dawa Bar beer
  • Looking out over Animal Kingdom from the tea train on Expedition Everest
  • Yellow Monorail / Walt Disney World
  • Singing with the Dwarfs in the mine…Heigh-HO!
  • Crossing finish lines!
  • Monorail announcements!
  • Our 2019 Strategy - Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival
  • Crispy Pork Belly
  • 19.3 miles of one-on-one time with Joseph at Disney World
  • Yak & Yeti eggroll
  • Every second on the PeopleMover (gotta rest those feet!)
  • That first glimpse of Cinderella Castle
  • Balloon vendors on Main Street U.S.A.
  • Soaking up my favorite Spaceship Earth scenes (for a little while longer)
  • Watching for Raymond on the race courses (and trying not to run by him accidentally)
  • The Backside of WATER!
  • “There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow….”
  • Everything in Mitsukoshi
  • Random character meetings
  • A maintenance service elevator waiting just for me
  • The wildest ride in the wilderness!

That was only 30 things and there are about a million more! I can’t remember when I’ve been more excited about vacation…time to start packing! Are you headed to Walt Disney World this fall? What are you most excited about?