June 1-8 2017 Pre Trip Report

Okay so I’ve never done a pre trip report but I figured I would give it a try this time because the anticipation is killing me. Comment what you think, all comments are welcome!

So we are leaving home, aka Knoxville, as early as possible. I, working night shifts occasionally, figured if I slept through the day on the 31st that I should be good to drive through the night. All that being said, I anticipate leaving around 3am EST. Hopefully that will put us arriving in Orlando by around 2:30-3:00pm given Atlanta and Florida summer traffic. I went ahead and requested an earlier check in at the All Star Movies Resort. It’s our anniversary so I told the Disney Agent to see if they could upgrade us to a preferred room at the Toy Story building. (Some advice: its always a great idea to call and request something like this if you’re celebrating something because they hand out rooms the day you check in so you never know!) The plan is to get there and unload the bags, go to the pool and then maybe go look at some other resorts to explore for future trips :slight_smile:. We’ve got Planet Hollywood dinner reservations at 6:00pm so I’m thinking getting to Disney Springs at like 5:30ish to explore some before going to eat! Then I’m thinking we’ll call it an early night because we head to MK on the 2nd bright and early for the EMH at 8:00am.

I’ll post the pre trip plan for the 2nd tomorrow, and so on and so on, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you guys think! Thanks in advance!!

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The plan for your first day sounds great! We also like to get settled in our room, go to Disney Springs, and go to bed early.

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Howdy from just up the road in Kodak!

Who is “We”?? How many in your travel party? Kids? What are their ages? Makes it a bit easier to make recommendations.

Your first day plans seem a little cozy - arrival 2:30 - 3-ish, that gives you 3 hours before your ADR to get checked in, get your stuff in the room, change, swim, return to room, change clothes, visit other resorts, get to DS, get from the garage to PH … that’s a LOT in 3 hours!

However, in actuality, the drive takes 9 - 10 hours, plus any stops. So, if you leave at 3 am, expect to arrive in the World around noon, maybe 1:00. Although that does put you in Atlanta right at morning rush hour. Maybe leave an hour or two earlier? Even if your room isn’t ready, you can leave your bags with Bell and go hang at the pool, explore other resorts or even go on to DS for dinner.

With a 6:00 ADR, give yourself a bit more than half an hour before if you want to explore DS. It can take all of that 30 minutes to get parked, figure out where PH is in relation to your location, and get there. Maybe do your exploring after dinner? If it’s just you and your spouse, DS has some pretty fun night life. Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar is a nice hang out. Thursday night won’t have the crowds of locals, so that’s a good time to be down there. Joffrey’s is a must stop for us (DH and me) for a couple of adult coffee or tea drinks. So is Ghirardelli Ice Cream shop, at least for a free chocolate sample, if not one of the most decadent desserts ever. Although, the desserts at PH look pretty insane too …

My trip to the World begins at the crack of OMG-thirty this Saturday! I’m old and cranky, so I am flying down. My DD and her family are driving from Chattanooga. Should be fun.

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Have you gone to Disney Springs since it has been completed? I love it! It is so beautiful!

Are you also doing a touring plans fax request? You can add the info about your celebration on the fax.

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Yes I have! I was lucky enough to go during Christmas-NYE last year and got to see the Trail of Trees and it was so beautiful!

I haven’t done the fax request yet, I requested a room from TP but didn’t do the fax. What exactly does it do?

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Thank you so much!! I feel like going to a park on the first day might be a little too much

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You have to complete the fax to request the room. Did you provide your confirmation number? You can check by going to your dashboard on the website.

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You’re driving on a Thursday, so other than the early rush hour drive through Atlanta, you really shouldn’t hit any significant traffic during your drive. Assuming you make two or three stops along the way (including a meal break), you should hit the resort easily by your estimated time.

Why I really responded, though, was because of what you are trying to accomplish between 3:00 and 6:00. Even with early check-in, you will still spend close to a half-hour checking and and getting settled. Spend an hour in the pool and then changing puts you close to 5:00 PM. You won’t have much time to look at the other All-Star resorts (I’m assuming those are the resorts you are referring to) and get to Disney Springs, park your car, and actually get inside the actual area by 5:30. And, a half-hour doesn’t give you much time to look around while walking to Planet Hollywood (especially at a time where everyone else is heading there, too). All this after completing an almost 12 hour trip? Skip the resort browsing, and only plan on “exploring” the Disney Springs area that is on your way as you are walking to the restaurant. (Don’t forget, you actually want to be 5 - 10 minutes early if you plan on eating right at 6:00.) Save the rushing around while you are in the parks, if you planned an out-of-parks day in your itinerary, fully explore Disney Springs and
any of the resorts on that day.

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That’s exactly how we feel when we drive (from IL).

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Well hello there!! Not too far away!!

I completely forgot to include those details lol. The “we” this time is just me and the Mrs. Decided to treat her to a trip to her favorite place, and mine too :wink:.

We planned on stopping outside of ATL for breakfast and switching drivers and hopefully we can get there earlier. If need be, we can cut out the resort exploring till another day. I love the idea of getting there and leaving the bags with the bell. If that’s the case, i think we’ll just go ahead and explore, then come back. Maybe night swimming?

It is just us two, but she’s not much of a drinker/party-er so maybe I’ll try some of the drinks and she can drive back :yum:. I like the idea of exploring after dinner too! I know we have to get our “special” MB from the D-Tech store so I think we could do that after dinner. The goal is to be back at ASM by 10 so we can go to bed remotely early.

You’re so much closer than I am!! Have fun!!!

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I did put the confirmation number too. It’s a good thing you told me that or else I wouldn’t have done it! Thanks!!

Thank you so much for the input!

We do have an empty day in our trip so I think we’ll hold off on resort exploring until then. The only thing I want to do around DS is go to the D-Tech store to get our special MB. What time would you suggest leaving ASM in order to do that?

I’ll add to the above a concern about Planet Hollywood. Prior to the renovation, it was considered the worst restaurant in DS. Since the renovation the reviews have been very mediocre - even with Guy Fieri’s menu. And there are now SO many really good dining options in DS. And 30 min will barely give you enoufg time to walk from one end to the other, let alone look in any of the shops…

Really?! I’m mainly going for the burgers/milkshakes, but what would you suggest as a better option? I’m on the DP so I’m really only looking at 1 credit meals. Thanks!!

My niece is at Tennessee University studing for her PHD. We visited the Smokey Mountains but also had dinner with her and then visited Chattanooga and Atlanta before finishing our drive to Disney. Good to take it easy the first day.

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Your trip will be so fun without kids. Now that my children are grown, my hubby and I will be taking our 2nd trip without kids. I can’t wait.

I like when I can get there and have an early night before starting full blown touring the next day. That is a smart option.

I cant wait!! We normally have a pretty easy day the day we get there just to prepare for the adventurous week at hand!

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I’ve never stopped in ATL on our way down. I’ve wanted to numerous times just to explore it, maybe we’ll stop on our way back up this time!

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Okay guys, first off I want to thank everyone who commented yesterday with advice! I’m definitely taking note of those and making some subtle changes to our first day plan!

Now, our 2nd day will be spent at the Magic Kingdom! I chose this park on this day because of the early magic hours offered from 8-9 (hence me wanting to get in bed early on the 1st). I know lots of places say AVOID magic hour parks, but everytime I go, I always have wild success using the Magic hours.

So at Magic Kingdom I decided to use some quick service credits so we could have 2 tableservices at Epcot. I chose breakfast at Sleepy Hollow (we intend to pay out of pocket for this), lunch at the Friar’s Nook and dinner at Casey’s Corner! I’ve got FP for Pooh (only because Syd forced me to) at 9:25, Jungle Cruise at 11:10, and Splash at 12:10.

So here’s my plan! Comment away, like always, anything helps!

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The plan is denying me access. Make sure you have published it.