Countdown to Disney....Dining

 Disney Dining Plans! One of my favorite things about planning a Disney World vacation is the Disney Dining Plan. I have never planned a trip without one. I love that I can prepay for everything, I don't have to worry about keeping up with purchases in the park. I don't have to manage a budget for each meal. I don't have to worry about a kid ordering the most expensive item on the menu, like I have one that has a tendency to do. I don't even have to think about any of that. It is the best! 

But wait... 'rona. No Disney Dining Plans.😭😭 I keep hoping that they will bring them back before our trip. I literally wake up every single day and search for Disney Dining Plans news. As we get closer to our check-in date, I am losing faith that we will be adding Disney Dining to our vacation plan. So...on to planning our dining budget. 

We arrive on Monday and will probably eat something quick on the way from Atlanta. I am budgeting $60 for this one. Here we come Chick-Fil-A! We have ordered lots of snacks, small foods and breakfast items from Amazon to save some money and really only plan one big meal per day. We have a sit down reservation each day of our trip. 

Tuesday is Olivia's Cafe . This is actually a free day for us to hang out at the resort and rest up from the drive and the first part of our vacation in Atlanta. So, we took a peak at opening at different resort restaurants. We have stayed at Old Key West on a previous trip but have not actually eaten at Olivia's. I looked over the menu and built out a meal based on what I think everyone will order. I added drinks, desserts and a 20% tip. Based on that, I will budget $200 for this meal. I rounded everything up and added desserts which we will not be getting at every meal. However, I felt that I would rather OVER budget for the meals and be able to let the kids get whatever they want rather than have to be strict about sticking to lower cost and not geting special treats. 

Wednesday is Magic Kingdom Day. We were able to get reservations at The Crystal Palace.  Again, based on the menu, I have budgeted $300 for this meal. 

Thursday is Animal Kingdom and we have Tusker House reservations. Tusker House has been closed and as of this moment, is still closed but will be reopening before our trip. It is one of our favorite character dining experiences.  Character Dining so this is a big one at $400. 

Friday is our Disney Springs day with reservations at Splitsville. I landed on a $250 budget for this meal. 

Saturday, we are headed to lunch at Coral Reef in Epcot. I have decided to budget $250 for this meal as well. 

Sunday is Holywood Studios with lunch at Mama Melrose's. I budgeted $300 for this meal. 

We will be leaving on Monday and I am planning a breakfast meal for the way out but have decided against making a reservation. We will wait to see if we can snag something last minute. If not, we will just eat a quick breakfast in the room and grab lunch on the way home. We are going to budget $200 for this, just in case. 

I have also set a $60 per day budget for an evening snack in the parks. 

This is definitely a big food budget. It doesn't have to cost this much to eat in Disney.  We will pay with our Disney Visa to get the cash back! Then we will use that to go towards paying the card. 

To be honest, I am not overly happy with this budget. I feel like given more time and planning I could get this down a bit. However, we are on a timecrunch at this point so I am going with this plan. All the while, I will continue to cross my fingers for Dining Plans to return! If time and my patience allow, I will revisit Dining planning and budgeting after I nail down all of our other plans. 

Up Next: Park Plans

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!