Disney Trip Planning For a Party of Ten

By: Jacqueline aka Jersey Diva

Disney World did not know what hit them the first week of December 2012.  Jersey parents (2), Jersey sister and her family (4) and Jersey Diva and my family (4) arrived in Disney on December 1. I was the primary trip planner. Trying to take everyone's interests and ages into consideration was a bit tough, but I think it all worked out well.

Day #1
We arrived at our hotel, Pop Century, got our rooms and had some lunch.  After lunch, we hopped a bus to Animal Kingdom.  None of us had ever been there and we knew it was a park we didn't really want to spend a whole day in, so it made for a perfect "day we arrive" park.  Unfortunately, Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris were both closed that day so we weren't really left with much to do.  We did have a reservation for the Tusker House, which we were all less than thrilled with, so after dinner we decided to head back to the hotel...it had been a very long day and we knew the rest of the week would be just as long.  

Day #2
Matching shirts day!!  I made all of our matching shirts because I wanted us to be "that family."  :)  We got many compliments on them, although I think most of the compliments were on my shirt because I had the Mickey head with the question mark on my belly. We left our hotel on a bus headed from Magic Kingdom.  We then walked over to the Contemporary Resort to have breakfast at Chef Mickey's and we were not disappointed one bit.  It was one of the best meals we had all week.

Can we just talk about the Breakfast Pizza real quick?  Oh my goodness!?!?!  How good is that stuff?  It's the only thing I ate the entire breakfast and I had to stop myself from eating more.  De-li-cious!

After a fun-filled breakfast with Goofy, Pluto (my favorite!), Mickey, Minnie and Donald, we headed to the Monorail for a little ride.  After a few monorail stops we were back at the Magic Kingdom.  We stayed and played at the Magic Kingdom for a few hours before heading back to the hotel for a nap for the little ones (and pregnant one) and swim for the older ones after a quick bite to eat.

After naps we headed to Epcot because we wanted to check out Illuminations.  What a show!?!?!  It's one of Jersey husband's favorites so it was a must on our list of things to do.  Unfortunately, the only child who saw it was youngest Jersey daughter(2).  The other three (6,4,1) were all sound asleep in their strollers.  Nonetheless, it was a great show and the adults enjoyed it.  Back to the hotel for sleepytime for all!

Seriously, how cute are these 4 in their matching shirts?

Day #3
We boarded a bus headed back to Epcot after breakfast at the hotel.  We weren't in any sort of rush because we didn't have dining reservations till 3 at Akershus in Norway.  We headed straight to Soarin' which only had a 30 min wait.  Myself, Jersey sister and the two younger ones sat this one out.  We did, however, do a Rider Swap so we could ride when the rest of the group came off. After Soarin' we headed over to ride Nemo.  That was all the kids were asking for that day, so how could we say no.  After Nemo, we thought it would be the perfect time to walk through the countries and get the kids to nap in their strollers.  Jersey husband, sister and brother-in-law decided to "drink around the world."  Since I couldn't partake, I thought I would "eat around the world." :)  Falafal anyone?  Not the best thing I have ever eaten, but I tried it and that's a lot for me. 

We finally arrived in Norway for our dining reservation at Akershus. The Jersey daughters were so excited to meet the princesses. 

The meal was really nothing to write home about, don't get me wrong, it was edible, just wasn't the best of the week.  It was all worth it just to see youngest daughter's face when she got to meet Cinderella...

Priceless!

Jersey nephew was not at all thrilled by this meal but I had something special planned for him for the next day.  Gotta make sure everyone was happy.  After lunch/dinner we walked back through the countries again and then headed back to the hotel.  It was another long day for Jersey family and tomorrow was going to be a late one.

Day #4

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping and just have a relaxing morning.  At night, we were headed to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party so we didn't want to over do it.  

Oldest Jersey daughter recieved some Disney gift cards for her birthday so she was excited to spend it and that's just what she did.  She bought these cool sunglasses.

We also got to take out picture with Santa, after barely any wait.  Youngest Jersey daughter was not so thrilled...she insisted on keeping her sunglasses on.

She also insisted on having mommy and daddy in the picture.  Small price to pay to get a picture with Santa. Afterwards, we all headed to T-Rex to have lunch.  Jersey nephew LOVED this place.
 

This made up for the whole Princess lunch/dinner the day before. :)  Let me say, this was a fantastic meal!  You got so much food and it was all so yummy.  Definitely worth a visit!  After lunch we headed back to the hotel for some naps and swimming.  

Next, we took the bus to Magic Kingdom for (Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party) aka MVVCP.  What a wonderful experience.  The adults didn't get to see too much of the parade but the kids did (from atop our shoulders) and that's all that matters.  It wasn't even planned...we just happened upon it.  My favorite part of the whole party was Holiday Wishes!  What a fantastic, out of this world, wonderful, extraordinary (you get the idea) show.  We ended up setting up shop just off of Main Street and it was perfect!  We were in direct viewing of the castle and the "movies" they play on it.  Oldest Jersey daughter still talks about the "movies on the castle."  It was breathtaking!  We also had a 360 degree view of the fireworks.  Best show all week, hands down.

We left right after the show, since 2 of the 4 kids were already asleep.

Day #5

Time to visit Hollywood Studios.  Another of oldest Jersey daughter's favorites from the trip...Tower of Terror.  She would have gone on again and again had we had the time.  We spent the whole day in Hollywood Studios and did everything.  From the American Idol Experience to Disney Junior Live on Stage and everything in between.  Youngest daughter and I even took in Beauty and the Beast Live on stage.  She loved it!  After half a day of going strong we stopped for our dining reservation at Hollywood and Vine.  Another fantastic meal...seriously, we considered going back for dinner, it was THAT good.  The kids loved meeting Oso, Jake, Anne and Handy Manny.  Oldest daughter was dressed as Izzy and she was very happy when Jake pointed to her when someone asked where Izzy was....she still talks about it.

One requirement Jersey mother had for our trip was seeing the Osborne Family Lights.  That's it, that's all she wanted.  Well, she got her wish!  Another great show.  We have never seen SO many lights.  Another plus, all 4 of the kids were awake for it!  :)  We got there just in time for them to flip the switch and it was an experience I will never forget.  Jersey daughters' (and Jersey mother's) eyes lit up with the lights. Pictures cannot express just how beautiful of a site it truly was.

We stared at the lights for a bit and then headed back to the hotel for dinner and a movie for the older kids and bed for the younger kids (and the pregnant chick).  Another fun day for the books!

Day #6 - Last day :(

Sadly, it was our last day.  We decided the only place we would want to spend our last day is Magic Kingdom.  We had another wonderful day playing around in the Magic Kingdom and we stopped for lunch at Tony's Town Square Restaurant...another good choice!  Youngest Jersey daughter started to get crazy at the end of lunch (WAY past nap time so I took her outside for some air and to walk around a little bit.  I saw people starting to get in spot for the parade so I joined them and scored us the best "seats" on Main Street.  What a wonderful way to end our wonderful trip!

We got to say "Goodbye" to Mickey, face to face!  Can't beat that!  We hung around Magic Kingdom till around dinner time and then headed back to the hotel for dinner and bed...we had an early wake-up to head home.  

All in all, I think it's safe to say, I did well. :)  At least, my family thinks so.  Planning a trip for 10 people with 10 different ages, interests, etc. can seem like an impossible task.  It's not!! At least not at Disney World, the happiest place on earth!  We all had a wonderful time and wish we could do it again sooner rather than later.  Maybe once Jersey baby is old enough to appreciate it, we will do it all again...11 of us!

This article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Jersey Diva is a contributing writer.

A Solo Trip to Walt Disney World. YES, you CAN have fun!

A Solo Trip to Walt Disney World.  YES, you CAN have fun!
By: Kris Banas

I seriously have a great time with the planning stages of trips and a countdown.  Since I booked my trip a little later in advance than usual, the countdown seemed to go rather quickly.  I was able to make my Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR’s) right away….but taking that chance can sometimes mean you won’t get what you want.  Since I was traveling alone, and I would be at a table for 2, I didn’t have too much trouble.  As a matter of fact I got an ADR at Be Our Guest for my date of arrival, and pretty close to the time I wanted. 

I had 6 day Park Hopper tickets, 6 nights at the Art of Animation Resort, I got good airfare prices (as I am totally obsessed at getting great airfare-I even booked the flight before I booked the resort.) 
I arrived before noon on May 1, and got to the Magical Express in record time as I wanted to get in as much magic on the first day as possible.  But, alas……..my magic was in the rain.  I left Chicago and it was warm, bright and sunny with a high the day before I left of 80+ degrees.  I get to “sunny” Florida, and it was cloudy and rainy.  Just my luck!

I got to the resort and was able to check in around 1:30pm as my room was ready.  I stayed in the Little Mermaid section of the resort, which I did not realize seems to be about two football fields away from the lobby, dining, and buses.  This did not make me happy.  All the family suites are very close to everything, and if I had known it was that far away, I would not have stayed there.
I waited a bit for my luggage and it did not arrive when I wanted to leave for the day.  I didn’t have the shoes on that I wanted to wear to the park, but I took off anyway.  This would be a bad mistake as I got two blisters on my feet that would also put a damper on my trip, but would never stop me from having fun. 

I arrived at Magic Kingdom and as usual, that first sight of it brings tears to my eyes.  Magic Kingdom will always hold a special place in my heart.  My very first visit there in 1976 put the bug in me, this was my 15th trip.  I know there are many who have been there way more than me, but traveling from Chicago and spending a week or more on a regular basis, has just not always been in my budget.  The fact that I have now taken two trips in less than a year is not common place for me.  There was a stretch of eight years when I did not go at all.  There are things that get top priority when you are a divorced single Mom. 
Anyway, it felt great to be back “home.”  I have always felt that about Magic Kingdom.  Funny, how the minute I stepped onto Main Street, U.S.A., the marching band was headed my way, almost like a welcome!  

I went into the Town Square Theater right away to pick up my PhotoPass+ card.  I had purchased the package several months ago, and wanted to get it right away so I could begin getting my picture taken as many times as I could.  That is the big disadvantage of traveling alone.  There is no one with you to take your picture.  I stopped every PhotoPass person I saw.  As a matter of fact, when you show them you have the PhotoPass+ card, they are more than willing to take a lot of shots of you each time.  For those of you who are not familiar with the PhotoPass+ package, it not only includes all the photos taken of you around the parks, but it also includes the ride photos taken and character dining locations as well.  Those ride photo pictures can really get expensive.  So, my package paid for itself in the about the first 6 pictures that were taken.  If you buy it at least 14 days in advance of your trip, you can save some big money.

After this, I headed for my traditional first attraction.  Pirates of the Caribbean.  First off, it’s raining and when I get there, the attraction is down.  I have never had this happen to me before.  I think I stood there staring at the CM who was telling me to check back later.  I felt like an idiot, and disappointed idiot at that.  So, I went to the next best thing in Adventureland and got on Jungle Cruise in only about a 5 minute wait.  Fun as always, I had a good skipper, who had perfect timing with his “jokes.” 

After I left jungle Cruise I went out in the rain, and headed for a few other things.  Making my way over to New Fantasyland where my dinner reservation would be.  I loved Enchanted Tales with Belle, and I was chosen to play Philippe the horse.  I guess I do a great “whinny.”  I then went to Voyage of the Little Mermaid.  Loved it as well.  As a matter of fact, I got to go on right away again, as I asked the CM about flash photography.  I was not aware that you could use a flash in that attraction, and she said SURE!  So, she let me right back on again.  How nice!

After Little Mermaid, it was time for dinner.  What a lovely place Be Our Guest is.  I had dinner in the Ballroom.  I had the Sautéed Shrimp and Scallops with Seasonal Vegetables served in Puff Pastry with a Creamy Lobster Sauce.

It was very good.  I also had a glass of wine, and for dessert I had the Passion Fruit Cream Puff filled with Passion Fruit Mousse topped with Whipped Cream.  Delicious!! Speaking of delicious……… since I was celebrating my birthday on this trip….I got to try “the grey stuff”! 

After dinner, I headed for Tomorrowland and the People Mover.   It too was down.  I was beginning to think there were saboteurs around trying to spoil my evening.  I did a few other things in Tomorrowland then and came out just in time for Wishes!  That was a great way to end my first night.  As it started raining quite a bit now, I called it a night and went back to the resort, and of course was faced with that dreaded long walk to my room.

 
The next morning I was back at Magic Kingdom. I headed over to get my FastPass for the Princesses at Town Square Theater.  I had to wait about 30 minutes for that, so I got in line to get my picture with Mickey Mouse. 

That was about a 15 minute wait, so just in time for Princesses, I made my way back around to the front entrance and as I did, there was Mary Poppins and Mr. Penguin, so of course I had to stop for a photo op with them. 

Not really raining early, but you could tell it was on the way.  By the end of the day I was a drowned rat, even after breaking down and buying a poncho.  I did get on Pirates of the Caribbean twice this day. Also, the People Mover was back up and running.  I went on Big Thunder Mountain and several of my other favorites. 

This evening I had reservations at 1900 Park Fare.  When I left the park it was raining buckets.  I called Disney dining when I got back to the room to tell them I was going to have to cancel. It was raining so hard, that I would have been drenched before I ever even got the bus stop at my resort.   The agent tried to reschedule me for another night that I had open, but to no avail.  It was not meant to be.  I was really disappointed, but she was able to wave the cancellation fee for me, so that was nice. The rain finally slowed down around 8:30, and I was starving so I went over to Landscape of Flavors to get something for dinner.   I called it an early night as I was heading to Animal Kingdom the next day.
I arrived at Animal Kingdom before rope drop, which I have never done before.  I headed right to Expedition Everest as I wanted to get a FastPass and ride right away.  Only 5 minutes to wait for my first ride.  Nothing like an adrenalin rush at 9:15am!  My FastPass was for only 45 minutes later, so I went and did a few other things and took pictures while I waited.

After my second go-round with the Yeti, I headed over to Africa.  Again, I had on my birthday button.  When I stopped to watch the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe, one of the singers noticed my button and pulled me up front and they sang Happy Birthday to me in Swahili.  How fun was that!  Unfortunately, another example of being alone, no pictures.  It’s only a memory in my mind, but one that will stick with me for a long time.
Kilimanjaro Safaris was my next stop, and then on to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.  When I returned I had a lunch reservation at Yak & Yeti.  I had never dined here before, and I enjoyed it.  I had duck with an orange sauce.  It was very good.

Dinosaur was next on my agenda.  I Love that attraction.  The last things I wanted to do today before departing was buy some merchandise for the 15th Anniversary.  I got the shirt I wanted and some pins.  After my purchases I went over to the character greeting area for Pooh and friends.

I got some great pictures via PhotoPass and then made my way to Festival of the Lion King.  I had some time to kill so I went over to the character greeting area in Camp Minnie-Mickey. 

I love Festival of the Lion King.  It’s such a great show.  I won’t be returning to WDW until 2015, so I will be anxious to see the show in it's new home as I am sure it will move by that time. This show is always a very moving experience.

I made my way back to the resort around 4pm as I had plans with some friends at EPCOT that evening.  We wer going to have a nice girls night, and we did, however the rain returned after not having a drop all day long.  It cut our evening short, but was for the best as I wanted to get to Hollywood Studios early the next day for “May the 4th Be With You.”

That was a blast. There were Extra Magic Hours for resort guests for Hollywood Studios this day, so I was up and ready to go early.  I really wanted to get a shirt and pins here for this event. First I ran over to Toy Story Midway Mania and got a FastPass, and already it was for the afternoon. Wow!  Those go so fast!  I got in line to buy my things for about 45 minutes, and the line grew very quickly after me, and was up to over 2 hours at one point.

I headed over to STAR TOURS to get a FastPass, and then went back to use it, and the attraction was down.  You have to be kidding me??????  On a huge day like this??  So, they said when it comes back up, your pass will be honored no matter what time you return.  Ok, not too bad.  I met up with my friends and we had pictures done with Goofy-Vader, and Storm Trooper Donald.  Great shots! 
Waiting for STAR TOURS to come back up we went to Muppet Vision 3-D as this is one of my favorite things. 

Went back to STAR TOURS………still down.  It was down for about 5 hours all together.  So, when it was finally back up, one of my friends and I went on, and to our surprise, Jawas were on the ride with us!  What a blast that was!! They were so in character the entire ride, reacting to things that were said by C-3PO ! 

I said goodbye to my friends and headed over to the Great Movie Ride and then on for my FastPass at Toy Story!  I didn’t score as high as in the past, but still did pretty good.  After 1pm no rain!  Thank goodness!!

I had a dinner reservation at Hollywood & Vine at 4:30, so I shopped around for a bit.  After dinner and before departing, I went and found my friends daughter who works in one of the shops at HS.  I then headed back to my resort.  I would have loved to see the fireworks show for STAR WARS day, but my feet were killing me, and I was going to have a big day at EPCOT on Sunday.

May 5, brought a BEAUTIFUL day!  NO RAIN!  Yeah!!  The EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival was all I had hoped it would be.  I have never been before at this time of year since this started 20 years ago.  I took many pictures of the beautiful displays after my time in Future World.  Twice on SOARIN’, twice on Test Track, and once on Spaceship Earth.
 
I had plans with a friend after 3pm, so we met up in Mexico after I had been on the Grand Fiesta Tour attraction, and got my picture taken with the Three Caballeros. 

Since it was Cinco de Mayo, they had some special things going on there.  Later that evening I was told that Orlando Attractions Magazine was there filming for the event, and I am on the video during my photo session.  How cool is that?  I didn’t even know they were there filming and I'd wind up on YouTube!

I met up with my friend, and we walked around World Showcase for a couple of hours and went into  Tutto Gusto for a glass of wine and some time off my feet.

 When we came out after our little rest,  the Flower Power Concert Series with Tommy Roe was about to begin.  I was so looking forward to seeing him, but didn’t think I would catch him.  He was great!

After that, we headed back toward Norway and we had dinner reservations at Akershus at 7pm.  I love that place.  It was my very first time dining there. 

I said goodbye to my friend after dinner, and made my way back through World Showcase to find a spot for Illuminations, and then opted not to watch.  Instead, I went to the 9pm showing for The American Adventure.  It was me, and only 4 other people in the theater.  It was actually kind of cool! 
I made my way out as EPCOT was closed, but took my time as again….my feet were killing me and I had a long walk.  I stopped to take some night-shots of the topiaries.  They look so different at night.
Got back my resort and crashed.  I had an early day for Monday, my last full day.  Early breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table and a meet up with another local Disney pal.

I arrived at Magic Kingdom about 40 minutes before my breakfast time of 9am.  They let me in, and that was awesome.  I loved taking pictures with hardly anyone in the park.  I walked around and took quite a few pictures while I was killing time.

I went over about 15 minutes early, and sat down to wait for a bit to check in.  The CM’s working at the desk asked me if I had a reservation, and I said yes, for 9am.  They said, “Oh, we can take you now!” So, that was great.  In 15 minutes ahead of time.  After my photo session with Cinderella, I made my way up the stairway to the dining room.  I actually had chills thinking to myself, “I am really in Cinderella Castle”! I got seated and didn’t have to wait too long for Princess Visitors to arrive at my table.

I was pretty much done with that even before my food arrived.  That was nice.  I got lots of great pictures.  I sent my friend a message and told her I was almost done, so we met up shortly after. 
We went on some attractions together, and had lunch at Be Our Guest.  We waited about 40 minutes, which really was not bad.  The place is so big with all three dining areas available, that it can hold a lot of people. We were together until around 1:30, and she had to depart to pick up her daughter from school.  I was so happy I got to be with her 3 times during this trip.  Still not enough when you only get to see each other every couple of years. 

I stayed until around 5:30pm as I wanted to see the flag retreat.  It was a very moving experience, and I am so glad I stayed.

After that was over, I said good-bye to Magic Kingdom with tears in my eyes, and said I will see you again in a couple years, hopefully 2015. 

My last day at Walt Disney World took me to airline check in at the resort, and then on to Downtown Disney as I had not been able to make it there the rest of the week. I did some shopping at World of Disney and Basin and then headed over to the west side. I had a coupon I had purchased for Characters in Flight, and I wanted to use it as I paid the great price of $10.00 for it.  I have a fear of falling, and this was a challenge I gave myself to do this.  As I had challenged myself of the Wild Africa Trek back in the fall, I can proudly say that I have now done both and I did well. 

I had a pretzel at Wetzel’s Pretzels before leaving.  I then made my way to the resort bus area to get me back to my resort in time to catch the Magical Express for that dreaded ride back to the airport. 
I made it back about 45 minutes ahead of time, and took pictures around the resort in the Family Suite area that I was not able to get to due to rain and having to be other places.  The bus arrived, and I got on it, not really wanting to………

So, in closing……I hope you can see that you CAN have a fun time even traveling on your own to Walt Disney World. 

Check out Kris' blog at  http://disneynut1958.blogspot.com/

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

My wife, friends Kandi and John, and I had a late lunch at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion of Epcot on our last trip to Walt Disney World.

Our meal started with a photo with Belle.

The meal includes a complimentary imaging package including 4 prints size 4" x 6" and one 6" x 8" print in a Disney Princesses themed folder. Additional photos may be purchased. One image package per group of four paying guests, 2 packages for groups of 5-8 guests and 3 packages for groups of 9-12 guests. The package was delivered during our lunch.

The Royal Feast begins with "A Taste of Norway" which includes sliced deli meats, seafood, and a grand selection of prepared salads and cheeses.

I could have just had the food offered on this buffet and been happy. There was plenty to choose from. The fish dishes were excellent.

Adult Entrees:
Traditional Kjottkake -Norwegian meatballs served with Mashed Potatoes, seasonal Vegetables, and Lingonberry Sauce
Oven-roasted Chicken Breast - with fennel hash, tomato jam and chive oil
Open-faced Beef Sandwich - thinly sliced beef sirloin, wild mushroom-onion ragout, Jarlsberg cheese served with your choice of soup
Open-faced Chicken Sandwich - on Sourdough Bread with Tomatoes, Arugula, Bacon, Mushroom Vinaigrette, Jarlsberg cheese, and Lingonberry Mayonnaise, served with your choice of soup
Seared Salmon Cakes - with pickled root vegetable, remoulade and your choice of soup
Mushroom Stuffed Pasta - with Swiss chard, over-roasted shiitakes and parmesan cream

Barbie and I had the traditional Kjottkake, John the Beef. I cannot recall what Kandi had, but we all enjoyed our meals.

Kids Meals:
Meatballs-with Mashed Potatoes and Corn
Hot Dog- with corn
Pizza - with mozzarella
Grilled Chicken Breast - served with vegetables and roasted potatoes
Cheese Ravioli - served with tomato sauce
Salmon - served with vegetables and roasted potatoes
Dessert, and Choice of 1% milk, small Bottled Water or Juice
Soft Drinks Available Upon Request
Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Diet Coke, Sprite, Minute Maid light pomegranate lemonade, Barq's root beer
Glowing Character Punch - Minute Maid Light Lemonade Punch served in a souvenir cup with a glowing Disney character Light $6.49

Dessert plate was delicious and included:
Sweet and Savory Chocolate Mousse
Traditional Rice Cream - topped with Strawberry Sauce
Apple Cake with cardamom whipped cream

While not as elegant perhaps as a meal at Cinderella Castle, this is less expensive, the food is very good, and you meet several Princesses. The Princesses on our visit (besides Belle), were Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).You may get different Princesses at different times, including Jasmine, Mulan and Mary Poppins (who I was unaware is a Princess!)

The price of this meal varies based on the time of year, peak seasons vs regular season, and even on the day of the week weekday vs weekend. The general price ranges for this meal are $41.53-$50.05 for adults and $25.55-$28.75 for children ages 3-9. Tax is included, but a gratuity is not a standard, non-alcoholic beverage and desserts are included.