Just Got Home...Let the Planning Begin!

**kristenrice** · 04-11-2011, 03:11 PM

I've been home all of 3 days and I am ready to start planning my next trip. We just had a fabulous 5-night stay at Disney's HHI resort. Now, I am ready to plan my birthday trip

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I am going with my DSiL from October 13-18. My birthday is the 16th and DSiL has NEVER been to WDW so we will be doing a lot of "celebrating"...

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I booked us in a savanna-view studio at AKV-Kidani for our first two nights. I LOVE this resort! We stayed in a standard 2BR the last time so I am looking forward to the savanna view. I've requested "close to the lobby" since we won't have a car. I have a waitlist for either a LV studio or a MK studio at BLT. If either of them come through, we are definitely going to TOTWL. If not, I will be completely happy at AKV.

The next three nights, we will be in a 1BR standard at BWV. I've never stayed at BWV before. In fact, I haven't even been to the Boardwalk since 2001 when we first did the DVC tour. I am very excited to try it! I'm hoping to get some pixie dust and score one of the "special" 1BR's that I've read about. When the CM took my reservation, she noted that it is my birthday and my DSiL's first visit. I hope that the room assigners see that too

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We booked our flights already. We got round-trip, non-stop out of Grand Rapids for $200. That's pretty good considering the normal cost from GR runs about $300 or more. We leave at 12:30 and arrive at 3:30...roughly. Our return flight is at 2:45 and lands at 5:30. If I could have picked the perfect times, these would have been what I chose! Luckily, these were my only options for non-stop AND they were the cheapest. I fully expect AirTran to fiddle around with the schedule. I'm not terribly concerned with the outbound flight. I just don't want our return flight to be at 9am

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I booked our DME yesterday. When that arrives, I know that it is time to start packing

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So, I have started my planning. My 180-day ADR window opens on Friday. I want to book Akershus, Boma, Olivia's, LeCellier and Sanaa. We're also planning on doing the luau but I can't book that until 90 days.

This is my "pseudo-pre-trip-report...stay tuned for more updates!

**kristenrice** · 04-14-2011, 05:25 PM

I called today and added the DxDDP for our first two nights

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I have to make my ADR's on Saturday morning...what a great reason to get up early on a weekend

. Here's my plan so far...

Arrival night, we'll "waste" a meal credit on a quick CS meal either at DHS or, depending on when we arrive at the resort, the Mara. Then, we're going to DHS for the 8pm showing of Fantasmic.

Friday morning: Breakfast at Boma...7:45am before heading to AK which opens at 9am. After AK, we're going to have dinner at Olivia's at OKW. The main reason I want to eat here is because our "family reunion" trip in 2012 will be at OKW resort and I want to give my DSiL a "sneak peek".

Saturday morning: A late "breakfast", hopefully around 11am, at Akershus in Epcot. This will be DSiL's introduction to a character meal. At some point in the afternoon, we will leave Epcot and head over to BWV to check in to our standard 1BR. Then, we'll walk back through Epcot and take the monorail to the TTC and walk over to the Poly for the luau at 8pm. After the luau, I *think* we will still be able to take the monorail to the MK and catch the bus to BWV from there. The MK closes at 10pm that night and the luau should end around 10. We'll be the salmon swimming upstream, but that's OK.

So, that's the plan for our 6 credits. There are a few other options I'm considering since DSiL says she's not a big breakfast eater. One thing I am considering is just using a snack credit when we arrive (before Fantasmic) and then, if we get back to the AKV in time, maybe trying to snag a walk-up seating at Jiko around 9:30pm. If we did that, I'd cancel our Akershus breakfast. I've also considered doing in-room dining on our arrival night if we couldn't get in to Jiko.

These are the ADR's I'm planning on making on Saturday. The only other thing I have to come up with is where to eat dinner on my birthday??? I was planning on Sunday (my birthday) and/or Monday to be our F&W day. As much as I want to eat at LeCellier, it is so hard to keep an empty stomach during F&W

. I'd like a more "grown up" meal, but probably not a signature meal. I also want to eat somewhere that is relatively accessible and NOT seafood! Right now, I am considering Sanaa, Artist's Point, Yachtsman Steakhouse, LeCellier and maybe one of the Italian TS meals in Epcot (Via Napoli, is it?). I have a few days to think about it still. Although we will not have the DxDDP that day, I will have the TiW card to help offset the expense.

That's all for this update....

**kristenrice** · 04-16-2011, 11:33 PM

Oh, the best laid plans....and the joys of Disney planning

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So here it is...the ADR's that I made online at 6am today...

Arrival night: Jiko 9:45pm (We'll sit near the back and bust out of Fantasmic ASAP! If we don't make it, we'll order in-room dining)

Friday: Boma at 7:45am, followed by a day at the AK; back to the AKV for a 5:20pm dinner at Sanaa. Then, it's off to the Boardwalk for a little night life...if we are still awake!

Saturday: Epcot in the morning, with a stop sometime at BWV to check in to our 1BR, and then monorail over to TTS and a walk to the Poly for the 8pm luau.

That concludes the DxDDP portion of our stay...

On Sunday (my birthday), I got us LeCellier for dinner at 5:50pm.

Monday: Lunch at Olivia's at 1pm...this will give DSiL a sneak peek at OKW which is where our family reunion trip will take place in 2012.

Tuesday: Breakfast at 10am at Kouzzina. Our return flight is at 2:30pm so I am planning on a DME pickup time around 11:30am. I think that 10am is the latest time that will still work.

That's it for now...I'm sure this will change at some time between now and the next 6 months

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**dwkay8** · 04-17-2011, 12:26 AM

Yay! Dining reservations are always a good milestone to hit. It always makes my trips seem real! I also have chronic change-dining-reservations-itis, so I know how that goes

**kristenrice** · 05-03-2011, 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by kristenrice

Oh, the best laid plans....and the joys of Disney planning

.

So here it is...the ADR's that I made online at 6am today...

Arrival night: Jiko 9:45pm (We'll sit near the back and bust out of Fantasmic ASAP! If we don't make it, we'll order in-room dining)

Friday: Boma at 7:45am, followed by a day at the AK; back to the AKV for a 5:20pm dinner at Sanaa. Then, it's off to the Boardwalk for a little night life...if we are still awake!

Saturday: Epcot in the morning, with a stop sometime at BWV to check in to our 1BR, and then monorail over to TTS and a walk to the Poly for the 8pm luau.

That concludes the DxDDP portion of our stay...

On Sunday (my birthday), I got us LeCellier for dinner at 5:50pm.

Monday: Lunch at Olivia's at 1pm...this will give DSiL a sneak peek at OKW which is where our family reunion trip will take place in 2012.

Tuesday: Breakfast at 10am at Kouzzina. Our return flight is at 2:30pm so I am planning on a DME pickup time around 11:30am. I think that 10am is the latest time that will still work.

That's it for now...I'm sure this will change at some time between now and the next 6 months

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Oh, here I go again....

Got an e-mail today...OUR BLT WAITLIST CAME THROUGH!

Now, our first two nights will be in a LV studio

. This means that my dining plans needed a little adjusting.

Here's my new plan...

When we arrive, we'll head to DHS. We'll grab a quick snack before Fantasmic. After the show, we'll head back to BLT and use a meal credit at the Contempo Cafe.

Friday morning: I cancelled Boma

and booked a 7:30am breakfast at Chef Mickey's instead. Then, we'll head to AK and spend the day there. I changed dinner from Sanaa to a 5:15pm at Boma. I LOVE Boma and I must eat at least one meal there each trip. At least this way, I get my zebra domes! After dinner, we'll head back to BLT and I'm planning on drinks and Wishes at the Top of the World Lounge at 9pm. THIS was THE reason I wanted to try out BLT. I wish that we'd get to see Hallowishes too, but that would mean missing out on Fantasmic.

Saturday morning: Since this is our Epcot day, I booked a 9:50am breakfast at Akershus. I kept the luau at 8pm in the plan.