Planning and Preparation for Trip #11 to Walt Disney World

With a handful of weeks left before our next, and 11^th, trip to Walt Disney World, planning has shifted into a different gear.

To catch you up, we originally didn’t think we would be returning to Walt Disney World a mere seven months from our last visit, but we were wrong.  Due to some quick planning in January we were booked and had all our ADR’s made.  February made for some great airline prices (the same tickets we paid $220 each for round-trip are now $554 per person!), and by March we were paid in full.  Whew!  In April, Disney released the Monstrous Summer Special and we took advantage but it meant changing resorts from Port Orleans French Quarter to Coronado Springs.  We were very happy with the change and the discount.  We used a portion of the refund to pre-purchase Photopass +.

In the next few days the paperwork should arrive with our Photopass + information, baggage tags, Disney’s Magical Express information, and vouchers for various discounts, including 10% off a $75 or more purchase at World of Disney.

We are already checked in on-line at our Disney Resort, which guests can now do 60 days ahead of their check-in day if paid in full.  My Disney Experience, either on-line or through the app, keeps guests’ information in one place including dining reservations or any other special plans.

As far as nighttime spectaculars go, we have reserved Wishes viewing at the Magic Kingdom through AAA , a Fantasmic dining package for reserved seating for Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and a 7:45 ADR at Rose & Crown for dinner and Illuminations watching at EPCOT.

On the list to take care of in the coming days is our Garden Grocer order.  We have used Garden Grocer.com previously to order groceries to be delivered to our resort.  While snacks, cereal, and other breakfast items go with us in suitcases, items such as Mountain Dew (the husband’s soda flavor of choice that cannot be found on Disney property), fresh fruit, juice, etc. get ordered via Garden Grocer.com and the groceries will be waiting for us when we arrive at our resort.  Bell Services will hold the delivery and even refrigerates items until we arrive to pick-up the order.  Garden Grocer has a $40 minimum order and does charge a delivery fee.  There are also a limited number of delivery spots per day to the Disney Resorts, so placing an order a few weeks ahead is recommended.

This will also be our first trip without a Disney Dining Plan.  Yikes!  Now that the boy is 10, it is an adult charge for him for the Dining Plan.  This makes purchasing the Dining Plan even more expensive.  So, we have decided to conduct an experiment.  We will take the same amount of money it would have cost us to add the dining plan to our reservation and add it to a gift card.  The gift card will be used for dining purchases.  We will then see if we have money left over, use all of it, or not have enough to find out whether the Dining Plan makes economic sense for us now or not.  We know it did when the boy was considered a “child.”

As far as packing goes, we are on a good trajectory.  I snagged some Tide Stain Erasers at the store yesterday with a coupon.  Items still needed are moleskin and a Tide stick.  Disney trading pins are being shipped as I write this.  And, I still have yet to recover (find) the water spray/misting bottle.

The countdown to Disney continues!