Countdown to Disney....park plans

Daily Park Plans! Probably my favorite part of the planning process is deciding which attractions are going on our Must-Do list for each day. We typically stay at one park all day. No park hoping for us. I just find it easier to plan this way. If we ever manage to go on an adult only trip, I may rethink that!

Day 1: Arrival

We will arrive pretty late in the day since our Van Gogh Experience tickets are for the afternoon in Atlanta. A late night arrival is another new thing for us. We usually leave bright and early and drive straight to the Happiest Place on Earth. So, we will likely go straight to the resort and get settled in. I also like to quickly run through plans for the next day each night and since this trip is a surprise, I know I will be answering lots of questions and lost of additions to our Must Do list for the whole week. :)

Day 2: Resort

This is kind of strange to plan for day 1, I guess, but it just kind of happened this way and I actually think it will work well for us. We have a long day the day before. We will be driving to Atlanta for an art exhibit, where will will spend a couple of hours and then we will drive the remainder of the way to Orlando. We had originally planned to stay in Georgia and finish the drive to Atlanta the next day. So, now we are arriving a day earlier. This will be the first time we have really had a true Resort Day during a DW trip and I am so excited. Exploring the resorts is always fun and now we have a whole day to do so! And, I can't wait to get hang out in the Big Blue Pool!

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

We will making our way over to to the iconic Magic Kingdom and we have a long list of MUST DOs for our first day in the parks! Space Mtn, the Peoplemover, 7 Dwarfs, Mad Tea Party, Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan are all on the list BEFORE lunch! We are really challenging ourselves to hit all of those before lunch but we have plenty of time after, if we don't get them all in. Then, it's Frontierland and Adventureland for the rest of the afternoon. I have to admit that I am crossing my fingers that we will be able to stay late and see a magical light show on the castle by the time we go! 

Day 4: Animal Kingdom

I love to get to Animal Kingdom early to do the safari when the animals are the most active. So, we want to try to arrive in the parks as they are opening. Something that we haven't gotten the chance to see yet is the Bird Show at the Tree of Life so we are excited about that addition. Kali River Rapids is one of my favorite rides of all times! I love that the whole family can be in the same boat and we get to face each other and see excited (and somewhat nervous) little expressions on litte faces. I would ride it 10 times if there was enough time. But alas, we have Pandora Flight of Passage and Nav'i River Journey, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and more! 

Day 5: Disney Springs

Disney Springs is practically a Must Do for us. Great restaurants, great shopping, even some fun activities and cute photo opportunities. If it isn't part of your Disney Plans, I suggest checking it out if you have the time but I wouldn't put it above a day in the parks!

Day 6: Epcot

AHHH, the Experimental Protype, Community of Tomorrow. Every single trip I leave saying I wish we had spent more time in Epcot. I could spend a whole week! I am STILL discovering that there are elements of Epcot that I had zero clue existed.  We keep adding to the very long list of things that we would like to do this time in Epcot. I honestly don't know how we are going to narrow this list down. Frozen Ever After, Soarin'and Spaceship Earth for sure. I love Turtle Talk with Crush so I am bummed that it is stil closed but I guess that gives us time to to something new to us like the Gran Fiesta Tour....how have we never done that!? But one of my favorite things is taking a tour around the world! I love walking through all of the countries and learning and shopping! Plus, I am pretty excited to take the Skyliner to the park!

Day 7: Hollywood Studios

HS is probably a favorite for the guys in the house. I guess it has a little something to do with Star Wars. Even I have to admit Rise of the Resistance looks A-Ma-Zing! Getting a boarding pass is probably the thing I am most nervous about making happen. Toy Story land will also be a first for us.  and we are pretty excited about Slinky Dog Dash! And, shockingly.....Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is on the list for the first time ever..... WHAT!?

Day 8: The Journey Home

On the last day, we will have a TBD breakfast and then do some souvenir shopping before we head out. Though the ride home can be a little sad in a way, I love it because we all talk about our favorite parts of the trip. We each pick something from each day that was our favorite. Except our Sweet P (10 yr old) that can pick a favorite because "she loves is all so much!" Then, we start planning the next trip and the things that we saw this time but didn't get to do so they have to go on our list. 

We can't wait to share all of the fun with you!

Up Next....keeping the surprise but still building excitement!

Countdown to Disney....resort

 We are less than a month away from our surprise trip. So, let's talk about resorts. We will be staying at A Finding Nemo Family Suite at Art of Animation. Finding the right accommadations can be fun if you don't let it stress you out. I always let it stress me out! 😂We like to stay somewhere different each time we go. We have stayed at Art of Animation in a Cars Suite on a previous trip so we know we can make that work. When it comes to staying at Disney for larger groups, there are limited options that won't leave you broke. I know that these Family Suites are actually a bit crowded but I am not concerned becuase I also know that we spend VERY little time in our room while at Disney World. Basically, the room is a place to shower and sleep so don't worry too much about it. I just like to make sure that transportation to the park is easy. Finding Nemo is pretty close to the bus stop and skyliner (YAY!) so I think it is a great option. Plus, they were recently remodeled! 

Previous trips have seen Old Key West, Port Orleans Riverside, Cars Suite and more. While we have loved them all, some of them weren't very spacious. Old Key West was a two bedroom and definitely my favorite but we honestly spend so little time in the room that I don't think I should worry about it as much as I do.Something that I always stress about even though after so many trips I know it doesn't really make a big difference. I think it is just my natural reaction because I am used to that being difficult to plan for us on most trips. Though it is getting easier. I think most places are starting to adapt to the fact that the traditional idea of a family being two parents and two kids is not realistic. In the grand scheme of things our family isn't huge but it does take some extra thought and planning. 

If you find yourself worrying too much about the resort options, don't. ALL of them make for a magical stay. All of them give you a shower and sleep. Just play around with resort options and worry less about space and more about fun! Just pick one that works best for your budget. Our resort motto is to Shower, Sleep and Have a Magical Day. 

In the end....Our room is booked and I have marked that stress off my list! 😉 I can't wait to show you around the Finding Nemo Family Suite. 

Next Stop....Dining reservations.

A Big Surprise to Come.....

 It has been a big year for us. The oldest child (she's still not an adult, I won't allow it) moved out. The 2nd one graduated high school and is about to start is IT career (IT Student of the year!) and we just had 9th and 10th Birthdays for the youngest. After the chaos that was 2020, we decided it was time for some fun to celebrate! For the girls' birthdays, we gave them a quick trip to Atlanta to see the Van Gogh Experience. They are super excited little art lovers!  What they don't know? When we leave Atlanta that day, we aren't headed home. We are going to Disney! We plan to keep it a secret until they figure it out on there own. We are currently placing bets on how long it will take and which kid will be the one to realize what is happening. 

Planning a surprise trip is quite the endeavor in normal times. Covid-times has made it even more interesting. I can't wait to be in Disney with smaller crowds though! 

Stayed tuned to learn more about  the planning process and of course, the big reveal!