10/20/18 - 10/23/18
Contemporary Resort, Rm 4315
Deluxe Dining Plan & 4-Day Hoppers + MNSSHP 10/21
Day 4: Magic Kingdom
We were packed and ready to go by 7:20am. Took our bags down to the airline baggage check-in, which was a wonderful convenience. We dropped our carry-ons with the bellman. Walked to MK, arriving just as the Let the Magic Begin welcome show was concluding and walked straight to Space Mountain. Mickey Pretzel w/cheese for “breakfast”. FP for Pirates of the Caribbean (which DS was surprised to see without all the MNSSHP enhancements), Big Thunder Mountain (which I rode alone, got stuck, and had to be evacuated from the tunnel by team of CMs and walked out through the backstage areas under the mountain!), and Seven Dwarfs (which I again rode alone, but is my absolute favorite roller coaster). DS had pepperoni flatbread & fries from Pinocchio Village Haus for lunch which he said was fine. My “lunch” was a pineapple upside down cake with Dole Whip from Aloha Isle (it was not pretty, but it was tasty) and followed up with one last popcorn.
Other attractions we did on this last day that DS & I loved: Frontierland Shootin’ (again), Haunted Mansion (again, snagged a FP), Swiss Family Treehouse, Enchanted Tiki Room (ADORE!!!), Hall of Presidents, Muppets History, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Carousel of Progress. We also saw PhilharMagic, but should have skipped this… did not enjoy.
We met three special Cast Members at the Magic Kingdom, and it really touched my heart that the Disney corporation would be so inclusive in their hiring. The lovely lady CM at Frontierland Shootin’ was deaf but read lips, we had a conversation about one of the toy guns. Also, a CM at the Space Mountain merchandise shop and another CM at a popcorn cart were high functioning ASD and both did an excellent job. Bravo, Disney!
Stopped in to the Confectionary to spend one last snack credit on a giant bag of gummy worms and a much needed Monster, picked up packages at Chamber of Commerce, walked back to CR to pick up bags from bellman and then on to Tragical Express. Boo hiss!! A great final day for me, poor DS was experiencing a Disney overdose which turned him into Grumpy dwarf. Magical Express was a nice relaxing trip to the airport, not too early / not too late.
8 hours today: 18,954 steps: 1 park: 13 attractions
After thoughts:
I wanted to report wait times, but between trying to snag / modify FP and planning our route to the next ride, I just didn’t have the time or attention to do it. I did report BTMRR when it went down.
The more tired I was, the harder it became to efficiently execute the TP. I re-optimized more than I thought I would. My customized TPs were an absolute necessity to get it all done!
I used the MDE app much more than anticipated. I had added show and parade times to my DME itinerary, and along with the FP and dining reservations it was very useful.
I relied heavily on the walking directions in the MDE app to get from ride to ride.
Next time, I’ve got to get more sleep in the week leading up to the trip. It’s hard to get to bed early when I am excited for the trip and wanting to read forums and make plans late into the night.
I successfully cancelled two dining reservations late the night before by rescheduling to a later date then canceling. But after the fact, I wished I had kept them and finished the last day as planned.
You CAN enjoy Table Service dining on a tight schedule without wasting a lot of time: tell your CM you are on a tight timetable; know what you want to order before you walk into the restaurant; order your drink, appetizer, entree, and dessert at once when you first encounter the CM; tell them not to pace the meal, that you won’t be mad if your entree arrives before you finish your appetizer; ask for the ticket immediately when you receive your first food; take dessert to go and eat it as you meander to your next FP; tip with cash so you don’t have to wait for the second Dining Plan receipt to sign for your tip charge. We had 30 to 45 minute Table Service meals by doing this, and never felt rushed while eating.
Loved the shows at HS more than anticipated. Would loved to have spent more time at HS.
Found Futureworld to be old and lackluster. Next time, would plan to spend less time at Epcot.
Wished I had skipped some attractions at AK and left more time to just wander the animal trails.
Park Hoppers are essential if you’re trying to do it all in a short trip.
Deluxe Dining Plan:
Cost $697.50 for two adults for three days
9 table service credits, 12 snacks
We just ate what we wanted and didn’t try to stuff ourselves or maximize our ROI
Grand Total: $809.17 in food & beverage purchases
Savings of $111.67
Breakdown here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1c5Uae4-TlMt5Y8gmmWkhOB6cF5qPoS4twiyKtDKhAzk/edit?usp=sharing
My absolute favorites: Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Pirates of the Caribbean, Enchanted Tiki Room, Frozen.
DS16 favorites: MuppetVision 3D, Toy Story Mania, Jack Diamond at HS, Frontierland Shootin’, Cadaver Dans, Hall of Presidents, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor.
Favorite meals: AKL Boma breakfast buffet, AK Yak & Yeti TS lunch, HS Brown Derby dinner.
4 days: 47 hours: 4 parks: 70 attractions: 105,369 steps = 49.89 MILES!
