WDW Trip 2016-Part 5: Nighttime In The Kingdom

Blogger's Note: Part 5 continues with the evening portion of our first day in The Magic Kingdom. 

A tired crew of 5 got back to our vacation home for our mid-afternoon break from the park on Sunday March 6. While the wives and granddaughter relaxed, James and I went to the nearby Super Target to do some follow-up grocery shopping. 

When it came time to get ready for her return to the Magic Kingdom Aria was in her Princess Anna dress. I took this picture when she was proudly giving her Papa an exclusive fashion show. 

We ate dinner at a Golden Corral restaurant on West Bronson Parkway and then did some shopping at the souvenir shop right next door.  

At about 7 o'clock or so we headed back to experience the Magic Kingdom at night.  

The 3 things on our radar were: the nighttime parade, the castle projection show, and the fireworks. 

We walked through the tunnel into town square about 15 minutes before the Main Street Electrical parade was about to start. 

One of the more valuable tips I had learned just a week or so earlier was that up until the last few minutes before it started there was a good chance of getting a decent spot in Town Square to watch this parade. 

The reason being that most people think it starts in Frontierland and travels through the Kingdom ending in Town Square, just like the daytime parade. The Main Street Electrical Parade begins from the backstage area just near the barber shop and runs the designated route in the other direction.  

The parade started at 8 PM, just like the tip suggested we got a good spot to watch in front of the stairs to the train station despite having arrived at 7:45. Although it's not a very good picture here's an idea of our point of view. 

Here's a shot of Aria with her souvenir toy waiting for the parade to start. 

The parade made going back to The Kingdom worth the efort. It was amazingly bright and colorful. Each float was better than the last.

Although I didn't take these pictures here are some shots that closely represents our perspective. 

Even though they'd gone away for a while as I stood there watching Aria and enjoying the parade my "sentimental feelings" made a roaring comeback. This day was getting more and more memorable as it went on. 

Once the parade was over, we made our way down Main Street USA to the castle for the fireworks and it felt like everyone else did too. 

As we passed the Town Hall on right I noticed on my Touring Plans app on my phone that the wait to meet Mickey Mouse was only about 10-15 minutes. We decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and go do the ultimate Meet & Greet while the crowd was funneling down Main Street heading to the hub thinned out a bit. 

Aria seemed excited about the idea of meeting Mickey as she stood in line with her autograph book and pen. 

But that would change once we got to Magician Mickey's dressing room.  

Now let me explain, what I think, was the reason for Aria's uneasiness with Mickey. It was that he moved his mouth, blinked his eyes and talked. A bit overwhelming for a four year old to process. It spooked her a bit.  

Despite Mickey's efforts, the cast member's assurances and, even after both Brandi and James went in for a hug...

...my granddaughter wanted nothing to do with the "Big Cheese." 

Finally we decided that the only way to get a picture of Aria with Mickey was for all of us to get a picture with Mickey. It turned out to be one of my favorite group pictures of the trip. 

Our decision to linger in the Town Square area proved to be effective as the area was a lot easier to navigate once we emerged from meeting Mickey. With just a few minutes before the start of the castle projection show we headed down Main Street toward the hub. 

We got about halfway there when James decided that he wanted to go into the Starbucks to get a coffee. 

As we were waiting for him the "Celebrate The Magic" castle projection show started. Aria found a place to get a great view. 

It took James about 30 minutes to get his coffee. He missed the entire projection show and some of the fireworks. But he saw most of them. 

It was the first time that I watched Wishes from Main Street USA. Although it was very crowded it wasn't anywhere near as suffocating as it had been around the castle courtyard or near the Partner's statue during the fireworks at the Christmas Party. 

It gives you a great perspective and lets you see the whole "stage" they use to put on the show. 

Once the fireworks were over, Main Street became a stream of bi-directional migration. Half the guests were leaving the castle and hub area heading for the exit. The other half was continuing deeper into the park to gather at the castle for the next projection show, to get in line for a last minute ride on an attraction, do some last minute shopping or get something to eat.  

Since James missed the first projection show, they decided that they wanted to watch the next Celebrate The Magic show again, but closer to the castle. 

We walked with them to the end of Main Street and then took refuge at one of the tables outside the Plaza Restaurant. They went on to the castle where the watched the show and had this picture taken. 

We had all been together for most of the day so I was glad that the 3 of them could have a special family moment in front of the castle. 

Exhausted from such a busy day Paula and I were grateful for some time to sit and relax. My wife took advantage of the view of the castle and put her camera to work. 

She also took a plethora of pictures of the Celebrate The Magic show. Here's 5 of my favorite.  

Once we were reunited at the far end of Main Street we were caught up in yet another mass exodus. The park was officially closed and families were heading home. 

We decided to get out of the sea of humanity and browse the Emporium (a string of indoor shopping areas that encompasses the whole right side of Main Street until the crowd thinned out. 

As I was walking around I came across some dropped change on the floor in front of a pressed penny machine. It was enough to make a couple of pennies from the machine. 

I gave James the money and he pressed a couple more coins to add to Aria's pressed pennies book. He would make it his mission to collect as many of these transformed souvenirs for his daughter as he could during our time in The World. 

While walking around the shops, Paula & I decided that we were hungry. We made our way back thru the Emporium to Casey's Corner hot dog shop. 

We placed an order for a drink and a serving of mini-corn dogs. They were very good. Probably one of if not the best quick service food we had during our entire trip. 


By the time we were done with our food, the Conners had made their way to the front of the park. They texted to let us know that they were waiting for us and were ready to go. 

We made our way to the front of the park and said good night to the Magic Kingdom. After a few minutes of trying get to get both the Conners and the Havens onto the ramp to the same monorail route, we were on the platform waiting to take go back to the TTC. 

While waiting we looked out over the Seven Seas Lagoon and saw the Electrical Water Pageant float by. It was the first time we'd ever seen it. 

I thought the patriotic display was pretty cool. 

Once we were back at the TTC there was the long walk back to the car left in our day. 

As I slowly walked away from the "most magical place on earth" I mentally reviewed our first day. What wonderful memories. We were all very tired but it was the good kind of tired. 

I looked forward to getting back to the vacation home, taking off my shoes, putting up my feet and get a good night sleep. 

Our little princess totally agreed with me as shortly after we got back from the our night at the Magic Kingdom she took her own private visit to dreamland. 

Our plans for the next day didn't require such an early start but it promised to be just as exciting for my granddaughter. We would be heading for Disney's Hollywood Studios where she would meet and have lunch with even more of her favorite characters. 

Coming next in Part 6: Sophia, Sing-Along, Star Wars, and more

WDW Trip 2016-Part 4: A Magical Morning At The Kingdom

Welcome back to the WDW Trip 2016 post series. The first 3 installments were the introduction to our vacation now it's time to share the memories made at the Parks. It's one of the experiences on my life "to do " list: Seeing Walt Disney World through the eyes of my granddaughter. 

Our morning started out with a breakfast of sausage and eggs at the house. We each had on matching grey shirts with our individual names under Mickey or Minnie head on the front. Here's the kids wearing theirs. 

After a 20 minute drive to the ticket and transportation center we parked in the 3rd row of the lot. Our plan to be at the front gate of the Magic Kingdom to see the opening ceremony was running close but on time.

I was already running on adrenaline because I wanted this day to be a the memorable one. I had 4 other people counting on my plan to work. I had a moment of total panic when I thought I had forgotten to bring our park tickets back at the house. But I had simply forgotten exactly where I had put them in my backpack. 

Now, let me take a few words to try and explain something that started happening to me on the walk to the TTC and kept repeating at random times throughout the day while in the park. 

It was a physical manifestation of an overwhelming emotional appreciation of special surreal moments. I guess you could say I was "feeling the magic". Although I didn't, actually shed any "happy tears", the overflow of all those feelings sure did blur my eyesight quite often. 

 I just wanted to let you know what I was feeling most of the day. Whenever these special moments happened I did my best to hide them from everyone but my wife. She lovingly assured me that it was perfectly okay to be a "sentimental fool."

We rode the monorail to the front of the Magic Kingdom. It was about 20 minutes before the scheduled park opening. There was a very large crowd bottle necked at both the bag check and the entrance.  

As we were waiting to scan our tickets the opening show at the train station started 15 minutes early than expected. This was something I really wanted Aria to see. Luckily James and Brandi were able to make it through the gate ahead of us and get into the area in front of the train station to see it. 

James put Aria up on his shoulders so she could see the Disney characters arriving on the WDW Railroad train to say "good morning." Even though I was distracted by the process of authentication to get through the gate, I watched my granddaughter on my son's shoulders; sentimental moment. 

Paula & I were finally able to join our kids to watch the last few moments of the opening ceremony. I headed over to the Guest Relations window to get a "first visit" button for both Aria & Brandi. 

Then came one of my personal favorite moments of a day at the Magic Kingdom: the walk through the tunnel into Town Square. I've made that short trek only a few times but it is still one of life's most awesome vacation "reveals". 

After couple of quick stops in Town Square, which included purchasing an autograph book for Aria and posing for a group pic, we headed down Main Street USA and straight for Cinderella's castle, the gateway to Fantasyland. First stop, Princess Fairytale Hall. 

Although the Frozen princesses were at the top of the list Aria's first Magic Kingdom meet & greet was Cinderella and Rapunzel. 

As you might be able to tell from the expression on her face, Aria wasn't exactly thrilled by Rapunzel. But look at the smile with Cinderella.    

Our group had split up prior to getting to Fairytale Hall. So James and I didn't go in to see the first two princesses. Instead we waited in the seating area of The Friar's Nook restaurant just to the right of the queue line.  

But we all got in line to see the Frozen sisters. Getting there early in the day sure paid off. We only waited about 10-15 minutes. And it sure was worth it. She liked Anna...

But really had fun with Elsa.

After we had M&G with the princesses it was time to concentrate on our Fastpass Plus reservations. 

We had some time before our first FP+ window started and Aria wanted to ride Prince Charming's Carousel. Nana & Papa rode with her. It was another very sentimental moment for me. 

  
Soon it was time to head on over to "Enchanted Tales With Belle". We were a bit early for our FP+ time but the cast member didn't make us wait. 

Paula and I went thru this attraction back in December when we were at Mickey's Christmas party. We knew that it was an abbreviated reenactment of the Beauty & The Beast story using guests, mostly children, to act out the parts.  

Little did we know that on this, our second visit, 3 of members of our family would participate. Brandi and I were chosen to be a guards. 

Aria was chosen to play "Maurice", Belle's father he was imprisoned by the Beast. 

I'm not too sure she understood what exactly she was supposed to do for her part but she was a trooper. As a reward she got a souvenir bookmark and her picture taken with Belle. 

In the background of this picture is my favorite audioanimatronic in all the Magic Kingdom: Lumieier the Candlestick. 

Next on the Fast Pass plan was a stop in Ariel's Grotto so Aria could meet the Little Mermaid.

 My granddaughter must have been impressed because 6 weeks later the theme of her 4th birthday party was "Under The Sea". She also decided after our Disney visit that if the new baby was a girl she wanted to name her, Ariel. 

After our time in the grotto we went right next door to the Under The Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid attraction. It was the second time Paula and I had been on it but it was the first time for Aria, Brandi, & James. Our clam shells stopped a couple of times during the ride. Once in front of the gigantic Ursula audio animatronic. Something Aria didn't like very much.  

With all our FP+ attractions taken care of we were free to try and do some of the other "must do" things in our plan. 

But James & Brandi wanted to take some time to look around at some of the Fantasyland gift & souvenirs shops. So Paula and I went off on our own for a while. 

 I consulted the Touring Plans  Lines app on my phone to see what our wait would be for some of the attractions I wanted to visit. Although I had been looking at the app occasionally all morning it was at this point that it became a useful tool. I saw that "It's A Small World" had a less than 15 minute wait. 

Ever since we rode it for the first time back in December, "Small World" has been my favorite Magic Kingdom attraction. It was on my personal "Must Do" list this trip. 

During our ride Paula took a lot of pictures. This is my favorite. 

After our Small World ride we were hungry. The kids met us at Pinocchio's Village Haus for lunch. It was rather busy and crowded but we all go the chance to rest a bit and refuel.

After lunch it was time to head on over to the Storybook Circus area of New Fantasyland for some more character meet & greets. Paula, Brandi and Aria headed that way while I took James back toward the Beast's Castle area. I wanted him to see Gaston's tavern. I thought he might like the way it was decorated with an over the top antler's theme. 

I had ordered a bottle of water for James and a Lafou's Brew (the specialty drink that's Disney's answer to Universal's Harry Potter butter beer) for me. I got it in a souvenir plastic mug. It was about $10 but I had to try it. 

We had just sat down to enjoy the our beverages and our surroundings when James got a call from Brandi. He had Aria's autograph book in the backpack he was carrying. 

He left to join them. I stayed to try and at least sample this expensive drink purchase. But soon after he left I followed behind him. 

I eventually did get the chance to try the drink. It was a very very sweet apple juice type drink. I didn't like it at all. I ended up throwing half of the drink and the plastic cup away. Lesson learned. 

Once I got to Storybook Circus, I had a little difficulty finding them but eventually I caught up with my family inside Pete's Silly Sideshow tent. It's a circus meet and greet for 4 of the Fab 5 Disney characters. 

Ironically, by the time I got into the tent and met up with everyone, Aria had already met up with Goofy. Unlike her Papa, I don't think she was all that crazy about him. Just look at her body language. 

And if you think she was a bit apprehensive with my favorite guy, she was down right reluctant when she came to the next character. 

Now when watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV at home, Donald is one of Aria's favorites. But the setting that the duck was in at Pete's sideshow was rather scary for her.

He was cast as a snake charmer with some large snake props too close for her comfort. Brandi had to come along to assure her it was okay. She got her picture taken but didn't linger any longer than she had to. 

Our visit with fortune teller Daisy was a lot better. 

But the best meet & greet was saved for last. 

This was a week long vacation but the moment that would define what the whole trip was all about was going to happen on our first day in the park. 

We only stood in line waiting to see Minnie Mouse for about 5 minutes. When it came time for Aria to go meet her very favorite Disney character she beckoned her Nana go along with her.  

The reason for this was to show Minnie her Nana's fingernails. They were painted in a pattern especially for our WDW trip. 

Here's the video I shot of Aria's magical minutes with Minnie Mouse. 

Talk about emotional moments. This was the ultimate for me that day. I have never seen my granddaughter happier than she was standing beside her pal Minnie. This picture is the best. 

 Because every attraction in "The World" ends in a gift shop we left the sideshow area and entered Big Top Souvenirs. We looked around and both Paula and I found silly hats we liked. 

Of course we didn't buy them. 

With a very busy, productive, and enjoyable morning now turning into early afternoon there was one more attraction to visit before taking our planned midday break. 

Aria wanted to get on the Dumbo ride. The cast member at the entrance to the stand-by queue told us that it was a 20 minute wait. All of us except for James walked through the queue. Brandi was going to get on the ride with Aria, who wanted Paula to come with her through the queue. I went along just to see the interactive elements in the new covered waiting area. 

We were given a buzzer similar to what you get at a restaurant, so we could be notified when it was time for Aria to ride. 

Once inside the shaded air-conditioned waiting area both Brandi and I found a place to sit and relax. Aria went to play on the circus themed playground equipment while Paula watched over her. 

It only took about 10 minutes for our buzzer to go off. Paula and I left the waiting area while Brandi and Aria got into the line to get on Dumbo. 

We stood outside and watched them go around and round for about 90 seconds. 

When we were done with the flying elephant ride it was time to head to the Fantasyland train station to get on the Walt Disney World Railroad.  

Our wait to get aboard wasn't very long. It was fun to see Aria, who loves trains, ride for the first time. 

We exited the park, caught the monorail returning to the TTC and headed back to our vacation home in Kissimmee for an afternoon nap. 

Our first morning in the Magic Kingdom was over. But what a great time we had. We were all tired but looked forward to going back to experience the park at night. 


Coming Up Next in Part 5: An evening on Main Street USA

Zootopia Extra

Sometimes the subjects I write about are appropriate for either of my two blogs. That's when I have to decide to where to post it. Disney's latest animated success, Zootopia is one of those instances. You can read my 100 word review in the April 10, 2016 post of my RHFactors blog.  

However it is such a remarkable film that I find myself wanting to write more about it. I must warn you there could be some spoilers in the following observations. 

First of all, I read some very negative comments before I went to the theater; some of them by people who's opinions I respect. 

The majority of the negativity was about the films morality message and the "nudist colony" scene. Here are my takes on those concerns. 

The morality message is not anything radically different from other recent Disney films. This time bullying is in the mix but so is the expression of regret, forgiveness and dedicated friendship.  There is a bit more focus on racial prejudice in this one . But the moral of the story is really just another approach to the messages that have been part of the Disney philosophy Walt Disney, himself, was making movies back in the 50s and 60s.   

I believe the negative reaction over the "nudist colony" scene is a testimony to the director's and animators' ability to drawl the audience into the story. 

In Zootopia, animals have evolved to the point where wearing clothing is as much of a fundamental part of the culture as it is for humans in the real world. 

So when Hopps, being a morally good person, finds herself in a place where that cultural boundary is crossed it is a bit embarrassing for her. However, in our world; animals don't wear clothes (except for those who's owners force them to which is totally wrong. But that's a different post for a different blog). So the fact that the animals in this scene don't have any clothes on should not be seen as taboo by the audience; only in the context of Hopp's point of view. 

Another aspect is that this is not by far the first time that anthropomorphic animated animals have been drawn without clothes. How many times has it been pointed out that Porky Pig or even Disney's own Donald Duck don't wear pants?  Kids don't think anything about this because their pets and animals in the zoo don't wear clothes. It's not anything out of the ordinary. 

In addition the positions in which the animals are drawn, I don't believe, are purposely suggestive. They are common to the activity they are participating in at the time, yoga. 

The perception that the animals are deliberately drawn in suggestive positions says more about the minds of those who think it than it does the filmmakers. 

Besides the whole purpose of the scene is to push Hopps outside her comfort zone and to advance the story ironically through a stoner character wonderfully voiced by Tommy Chong. The scene is just a few minutes long; don't let it ruin the rest of what is a terrific film.   

The development of the friendship between Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as they track down a missing otter is the heart of Zootopia. Like other "buddy pictures" their adventure takes them to places they never expected to go. They make unexpected and unlikely allies while uncovering a secret conspiracy that threatens the future of Zootopia's society. 

I must admit I think the plot is a little predictable. At one point in act 2, the movie turns into an animated spy movie with overtones of a Marvel movie, rather than a Disney feature. In the third act the direction of the story gets a bit muddled. 

There are scary moments that could frighten little kids, say under the age of 7 or 8. But they had to be included to make the plot believable. 

While the Hopps/Wilde relationship is the most endearing and enduring thing about the movie the overall humor is what makes it enjoyable. 

There are different levels of jokes, ironic references, and sight gags throughout. Most of them are either cleverly funny or make you laugh out loud. 

At the end of Zootopia, Judy Hopps' voice over summarizes the takeaway from the film. 

Idealistic dreams and doing the impossible can be difficult to achieve in the "real world" but they are not impossible. And doing the impossible has always been the idea behind the Wonderful World of Disney. 

A couple of final thoughts about my overall theater experience last Saturday night. There were several trailers including two for movies I'd previously had my doubts about.  

The newest trailer for "The Secret Life of Pets" shows more of what the real plot is going to be. It made me laugh and has gotten me interested in seeing it. 

The trailer for Disney's soon-to-be released remake of "The Jungle Book" included enough action from the film that I am now looking forward to buying my ticket and seeing it this coming weekend. I will let you know what I think of it when I do. 

WDW Trip 2016-Part 3: Road Trip

The details of our road trip to our All-Star Vacation Home in Kissimmee, are nothing out of the ordinary which is a very good thing.  

We met James & Brandi at a gas station on Scottsville Road just off I-65's exit 22. Aria was awake and excited about our trip. Before leaving their driveway at home Brandi shot this short video of my grand daughter ripping apart the "countdown chain" that her mommy had made for her. 

We had breakfast at a Waffle House somewhere in Tennessee at an exit on I-24. That's where I took, my official first picture of the trip. 

Also while there I gave Aria some Disney stickers to help her enjoy the trip. She put one on right away. 

Throughout the day as the miles passed we stopped for food and bathroom breaks. These breaks not only kept us a "fresh" as possible during the long trip but it also gave us time to interact with Aria. 

When we stopped at a Chik-Fil-A in Georgia she was wearing a special shirt that told others why she was so excited. 

I also got to keep an eye on her as she burned off some of her energy by playing on the indoor playground. Here she's peaking out of the wheel of an elevated crawl-through car.  

Driving with and keeping up with another vehicle on a long road trip was something that I had not done since the caravan of cars going to Gatlinburg for James & Brandi's wedding in October 2009.

Overall, it was uneventful except for the adventurous trip through the congested traffic of Atlanta with Brandi driving behind me. She did a great job keeping up. 

After about 11 hours, around 7PM on Saturday, we pulled up to the front of the gated community where we were going to be staying. 

Our vacation home was on the corner of the same street where Paula & I had stayed back in December. The best benefit of this location was that we had plenty of parking for both our vehicles. 

We gave James & Brandi the bedroom one the second floor and we settled in the one just inside the front door. The first exciting moment after our arrival was showing Aria the bedroom where she would be sleeping. She was excited to say the least. 

But the real surprise of the trip was revealed to Paula and me by Aria a few minutes after we had unloaded our cars.  

I had just parked my car in one the extra parking space and was walking back to the house when Aria met me on the front side walk wearing another special shirt. She then very innocently told me something that was a real "game changer". Not just for our time in Florida but life in general.  

The details of what she told me can be found in this post of my RH Factors blog: Aria's Got A Secret. 

The news was given to us as a "just so you know" message because of the anticipated ill effects being pregnant would have on Brandi. It was, of course, wonderful news, and also gave us a perspective about this vacation, right from the start. It wasn't the most important thing any more. But still we were excited about our week again. 

It was during our shopping trip to a nearby Super Target to stock up on food and other necessary supplies that all of us "hit the wall" in regard to our energy. It was about 8 or 9 'clock and we had had a very long day. 

We drove back to the vacation home, put the groceries away and then called it a night. The next day was our first day in the Parks. We would start off big. The next morning we were headed to Disney's Magic Kingdom.   

Coming in Part 5: Our day in the Kingdom. Plus, You'll never guess who's crying at Disney?

New Name With More Posts

Need to take a break from my WDW Trip report series to make a special announcement. I am changing the name of this blog to "Goofy Guy 909 Blog". There are a couple of reasons for this. 

First and foremost I want it to be unique but at the same time memorable. I will be writing and publishing posts more often and I want the blog to be easy to find online. The name change shortens the characters in the web address by half . 

Also, even though the subject of this blog has to do with all things Disney, I have been advised by some other bloggers to take the word "Disney" out of the title. I won't go into the specific reasons why. Let me just say I think it's a good idea for the blog going forward. It gives me a little more freedom in expressing my opinions. 

Speaking of "going forward" soon this will be one of a trio of blogs devoted to specific subjects that, up until now, I have only been writing about on my "RH Factors" blog. 

As far as the RH Factors is concerned, watch Facebook and Twitter for an announcement about a post that gives the details of the direction it will be taking. Or you can just keep checking back to the blog page. 

The final piece of my personal "blogosphere" will be a brand new blog that complements the other two. Keep watching for it's debut soon as well. 

Thank you for checking out this special announcement. Goofy Guy 909 blog will be the go to place from now on when I've got something to say about the Wonderful World of Disney. See you again, next time. Have a magical day.  

UP NEXT: WDW Trip 2016-Part 3: A Day @ The Magic Kingdom

WDW Trip 2016-Part 2: Planning Our Disney Experience

Now that it was decided that the Havens and the Conners were going to Walt Disney World together in less than 3 weeks there was a lot to do. 

I had the experience of already planning 3 WDW trips, so
I took the lead in making our plans. My trip planning skills and in-park experience were some other reasons Brandi & James wanted us to go along with them. 

The day after we found out that we were able to go we spent an evening at our house to do our initial planning. 

My first task was to convince them not to stay in the small hotel room on Disney property and get a much roomier vacation home only a few more minutes away. We could split the cost, while getting more room and better amenities. It wasn't very difficult to do that when I showed them the comparison. 

The couple of "extra magic" hours offered during our stay (which with our trip so close, was the only real advantage of an "on property") did not compare to the comfort and convenience of a vacation home.   

We decided to stay in a 3 bedroom unit in Kissimmee just down the street from where Paula and I stayed last December. It had it's own private pool and a bedroom for Aria decorated with a Mickey Mouse theme.

Our next important decision was what type of park tickets we were going to purchase. Again, my knowledge of trip planning came into play. Instead of buying our 4 day park passes directly from Disney, I used a very popular discount ticket broker: Undercover Tourist.

We got a great deal. Paid for a 4-day park ticket and got a 5th day free. It was about $20 less each than buying from Disney as well. This made a big difference in our vacation. It meant we could visit all 4 WDW parks for a day and then go to Magic Kingdom a second time. 

The next step was the logistics of our travel. We decided that we would leave very early on Saturday morning (4AM on March 5) so we could get there in time get enough sleep to be able to get up early and to go to the Magic Kingdom on Sunday. 

Our "what we want to do" list included meeting all the characters that Aria liked, go to a character breakfast, see the fireworks and night time shows. There was more including a lunch at the "Be Our Guest" restaurant in the MK and taking a day to go to Cocoa Beach and enjoy the ocean. 

When our evening of planning was over I had a list of the things I needed to make sure was did while we were in "The World".  

The one major factor that made this trip to Walt Disney World different was the way a guest now has to make plans with Disney itself. It's done through a section of the Disney World website and on a smartphone using an app. Both are called "My Disney Experience."

Through "MDE" I was able to register our park tickets which allowed me to do a lot of planning. I made Fast Pass Plus and dinning reservations for each of our days in the park.

 All of these plans were gathered together in my MDE online itinerary.  Although the plans were on my account, once the others created their accounts I linked them so they could see them too.  

Among other resources I used to set up our trip plans were online websites, All Ears.net, Touring Plans.com, Accuweather.com, wdwinfo.com, Trip Advisor.com/Cocoa Beach and about half a dozen WDW trip planning podcasts. 

I also used digital copies of books on my Kindle, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and a "how to" guide that helped me learn the best way to use Fast Pass. 

I put my "proven" trip planning tool into action, an Excel workbook with several spreadsheets. One with a overview of our trip day by day and 5 others, each dedicated to a day of the trip. All of them had lists of what we wanted to do each day in the order we needed to do them. 

They weren't set-in-stone minute-by-minute marching orders but rather guidelines to help us do what we wanted to do. We could take our time and enjoy our day but my guide would keep us on track.

The guide sheets were works in progress right up until the night before we left. Although I printed them out so everyone could have a copy; I kept a digital copy on my phone so I  could make changes as needed throughout the week.

By 9 o'clock on Friday night, March 4, all the planning and packing had been done. After a few hours of sleep we would pull out of our driveway, meet up with James & Brandi in Bowling Green and then head south.   

WDW Trip 2016-Part 1: The Decision To Go

Blogger's Note: Thank you for visiting my blog focusing on my fandom of all things Disney. I am reviving it after nearly 2 years for a couple of reasons. I have memories from trips to Walt Disney World I want to share with you. I also want to discuss the almost constant stream of news and events in the world of Disney and share my opninons. Again, welcome back. I hope these new posts help me make a connection with you, my readers, and together we can share our common interest in the "Wonderful World Of Disney".  

Ron Havens-aka "Goofy Guy"

In December 2015, my wife and I made our 3rd visit in the last 11 years to Walt Disney World. Each of those visits were different and unique in their own way. The first in 2004 was a family vacation with our two sons. In 2010, it was just the two of us celebrating my 50th birthday. And last December, an evening at the "Very Merry Christmas Party" in the Magic Kingdom was a part of an anniversary trip that included our first trip to shores of the Gulf Of Mexico at Clearwater Beach. 

Once we got back from that last trip, our plan was to return to Florida, in December 2017, with our adult children and granddaughter to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. But sometimes things happen a lot sooner than you expect. In this case, a lot sooner.

One Friday afternoon in the middle of February, I was taking a short afternoon break from my job when I got a phone call. The ringtone told me that it was my son, James.  

He called to tell me that he and his wife, Brandi, decided that they were going to take our granddaughter, to Walt Disney World the week of March 6th. He invited us to go with them. 

This really took me back. As a Disney fan with above an average knowledge about the theme parks I had a couple of concerns. My first thoughts centered around the fact that they were going during "Spring Break" season. Attendance at the WDW parks during that time is among the highest of the year. 

My second thought was that it had only been 3 months since my wife and I took our last trip to Florida. Getting time off of work again so soon, and covering the cost of the trip were uncertain issues. It was frustrating but I couldn't see any way we could go. 

After telling them that we couldn't go, Paula and I started talking. Our initial decision was so unsettling. 

I did some research with my online Disney trip planning resources and discovered that, although for that week the expected crowds, although expected to be above average, with a little planning were manageable. 

Our consternation over the decision we had made was centered around this reality. With or without us, our granddaughter was going to Disney World. How could we miss something that was so important? 

Aria is our only granddaughter. Ever since she was an infant she has been a fan of Disney characters; especially Minnie, Mickey. Over the last couple of years she has grown to love Disney movies as well ("Frozen" and "The Aristocats" are her favorites). 

The anticipation of being with her as she looks down Main Street USA and sees the castle for the first time, feeling the joy as we watch her meet her Disney friends in person, and witnessing the reflection of the Magic Kingdom fireworks in her eyes were irresistibly compelling. There was only one thing for us to do. By the end of that weekend we had changed our minds. 

By Tuesday of the next week, the path was clear of concerns. It was going to happen. We were going with our granddaughter to Walt Disney World!!! 

But the decision to go was just the first step in our journey to Orlando. Getting the most out of a Walt Disney World vacation these days requires more than just buying park tickets and making hotel reservations. There was a lot of planning to do. 

Coming in Part 2: Planning Our Disney Experience