What do you guys think?

[Cinderelley]

Tell me what you think is good and what could be better. All plans are subject to change.

Fri. 11/1 - Arrival Day
Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern - DS1's request
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Sat. 11/2 - Rest day
I want to keep it low key, so we can recuperate from our travel day/MNSSHP
Maybe try the Magical Masterpiece if they are having it on this day
Dinner at California Grill - we have never been here. Any suggestions?
Walk around the Boardwalk
We will probably spend some time at Jellyrolls

Sun. 11/3 - DHS
Breakfast at Olivia's - Can't wait for Banana Bread French Toast again
If we can get into it, this will be our Star Wars day. All other plans will be built around Star Wars

Mon. 11/4 - Epcot
DDIL1 wants to explore the Food & Wine Festival. She didn't get enough on the last trip. We'll eat at Garden Grill and see what they have replaced Illuminations with

Tues. 11/5 - Disney Springs Day
I'm going to finally face my fear of heights and get into the Characters in Flight hot air balloon.
We will do a round or two in The Void
We have been discussing the car boats that you can ride around in the lake. Not sure if we will do it or not. Has anyone done this?
Dinner at Paddlefish

Wed. 11/6 - MK
Breakfast at Crystal Palace
I will finally get to see the Maleficent dragon float. :)
I will probably get around to seeing Happily Ever After. It's so hard to say goodbye to Wishes

Thurs. 11/7 - AK
Dinner at Sanaa
I imagine we will wind up in Pandora in the evening, since everyone likes the ambiance there.

Fri. 11/8 - MVMCP (based on dates from previous years)
Dinner at Artist Point to see Snow White and crew. Hopefully the food is good also.

Sat 11/9 - Epcot/POR
More Food & Wine Festival time
Evening will be spent at Port Orleans Riverside. If we're hungry, we'll go to the build your own pasta station. Otherwise, we're here to see Yeeha Bob

Sun. 11/10 - AK
Dinner at Boma

Mon. 11/11 - DHS
More Star Wars in the morning?
A little Toy Storyland in the evening?
Star Wars dessert party. We will probably eat dessert and skip the Star Wars show. DS wasn't too impressed with it last trip.

Tues. 11/12 - Epcot/Departure
Finish off our trip with some more time at the Food & Wine Festival.

[minnie-mouse]

Looks like an exciting trip you have planned. You will love Happily Ever After show. It makes me tear up every time. Think it’s better than Wishes! Just s suggestion, if you are going to California Grill for dinner you should walk around Polynesian after instead of Boardwalk. It’s beautiful at night with the tiki torches, you can visit Trader Sams there for a drink on their awesome outdoor patio, you can see MK firework from the beach, and it’s only a monorail ride away from California Grill. It makes for a beautiful evening!

[ThanxForNoticin]

Just a couple thoughts - things you might already know!

First, remember that weekend of 11/1-3 are F&W race days. Not that the races will interfere with your plans, but crowds could be up a bit....

Second, if your plans are to get FP+ for Star Wars (if they even offer them this year), it might be tough to get any on just the third day of your visit - you might need to go deeper into your reservation to get some (although with the length of time you're there, you can definitely get some - again, if they have them for Star Wars at that time).

Third, based on dates from previous years, it is possible F&W will actually be over by 11/12. But since you might have already enjoyed it a few times by then, that might not be a big deal!!

I think your dining plans are awesome! We love the restaurants at AKL, especially. Sounds like a great trip! ENJOY!

[Cinderelley]

Looks like an exciting trip you have planned. You will love Happily Ever After show. It makes me tear up every time. Think it’s better than Wishes! Just s suggestion, if you are going to California Grill for dinner you should walk around Polynesian after instead of Boardwalk. It’s beautiful at night with the tiki torches, you can visit Trader Sams there for a drink on their awesome outdoor patio, you can see MK firework from the beach, and it’s only a monorail ride away from California Grill. It makes for a beautiful evening!

thank you for that suggestion. That sounds a bit more relaxing than the Boardwalk. I'll talk it over with everyone.

Do you think it would be better to watch the fireworks from California Grill or from the Poly beach?

[Cinderelley]

Just a couple thoughts - things you might already know!

First, remember that weekend of 11/1-3 are F&W race days. Not that the races will interfere with your plans, but crowds could be up a bit....

Second, if your plans are to get FP+ for Star Wars (if they even offer them this year), it might be tough to get any on just the third day of your visit - you might need to go deeper into your reservation to get some (although with the length of time you're there, you can definitely get some - again, if they have them for Star Wars at that time).

Third, based on dates from previous years, it is possible F&W will actually be over by 11/12. But since you might have already enjoyed it a few times by then, that might not be a big deal!!

I think your dining plans are awesome! We love the restaurants at AKL, especially. Sounds like a great trip! ENJOY!

Thanks for the heads up, I didn't realize there was a race then. I'll make sure to buy our MNSSHP tickets early.

I like ending my trip at MK, so if F&W is over, I won't be too sad. DDIL1 might be though.

I'm hoping for the best for Star Wars. I can adjust the plans as needed to try to get in there for DS1.

[PopPhan]

Sounds like a great trip!!! That breakfast at Olivia's brings back memories...LOL

Where are you staying? Might make it easier (by a smidgen) to get into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge on an EMH morning, or later on an EMH evening.

[Cinderelley]

Sounds like a great trip!!! That breakfast at Olivia's brings back memories...LOL

Where are you staying? Might make it easier (by a smidgen) to get into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge on an EMH morning, or later on an EMH evening.

That is still up for debate. It is narrowed down to
AKL 1 bed villa (I have stayed at AKL, but they haven't)
OKW 1 bed villa (My first choice, but it only has 1 bathroom)
BWV 1 bed villa (this one is out if DDIL's mom comes)
SSR 1 bed villa (this one is out if DDIL's mom comes)
POR-FQ 2 rooms (I haven't stayed here yet)
All Stars Music or Movies 2 rooms (I haven't stayed at these either)

I will think of you when I eat the French toast. ;) I still blame DizneyFreak for my French toast addiction though. :P

[deedee73]

Wow...sounds like an excellent trip. As it was mentioned, based on the last few years, F&W will likely end on the Saturday/Sunday prior to Veterns Day.

We had a very enjoyable meal at Cali Grill last year followed by the fireworks on the viewing deck but it was so windy, it was almost distracting. The view was amazing but the wind was a bit much. Since we stayed at Poly, we saw fireworks several times from there as well. It is just a totally different view. One is closer but from the side and is further but straight on. One is crowded and the other is much more serene. We had a variety of entrees at our table but by far the favorite was the bison (wish I had ordered it) as it melted in your melt, it was that tender and not gamey at all. The beef tenderloin and pork dishes were also very good. The variety of flatbreads our table tried got mixed reviews and no one really enjoyed the fig flatbread that is currently off the menu.

This is the first trip/time we had seen HEA vs. Wishes and while we enjoyed HEA, it is not Wishes and I enjoyed the Once Upon a Time show more (follows HEA on most nights) as it reminded me more of Wishes. There are A LOT of projections making it necessary to view the show from the Hub to actually truly "see" the show in its entirety. I believe you will enjoy HEA, but not sure if it will rank up there with Wishes for you. IMHO, I love the "tugs at your heart" shows and Wishes did that for me.

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[Cinderelley]

Since I haven't seen Happily Ever After before, do you guys think I should see it up close in the park before we eat at California Grill (regardless of whether we watch it from the restaurant or the beach)?

[deedee73]

I do not believe it matters which you do first. I actually saw it from outside the park first. From outside you are obviously focusing on the music and the fireworks and inside the park the focus inevitably for us was the projections. As a matter of fact I am glad we did the outside first as I love fireworks so doing that I could concentrate on the fireworks. Then when I was inside the park I could focus on the projections. Had I done the park first, I believe I would have been torn bw the projections and the fireworks.

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[Cinderelley]

I do not believe it matters which you do first. I actually saw it from outside the park first. From outside you are obviously focusing on the music and the fireworks and inside the park the focus inevitably for us was the projections. As a matter of fact I am glad we did the outside first as I love fireworks so doing that I could concentrate on the fireworks. Then when I was inside the park I could focus on the projections. Had I done the park first, I believe I would have been torn bw the projections and the fireworks.

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Thank you

[faline]

For California Grill, I'd suggest you try the goat cheese ravioli appetizer - very yummy!!

For me, California Grill is not the best place to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Unless you have a window table overlooking the Magic Kingdom at fireworks time, you will likely need to go outside on one of the rooftop wings. As a shorter person, I find there are so many people there that getting a good view can be difficult (Remember - anyone who dined there that evening can return at fireworks time to see them). I'd probably opt for watching them from the Poly beach.

[Cinderelley]

For California Grill, I'd suggest you try the goat cheese ravioli appetizer - very yummy!!

For me, California Grill is not the best place to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Unless you have a window table overlooking the Magic Kingdom at fireworks time, you will likely need to go outside on one of the rooftop wings. As a shorter person, I find there are so many people there that getting a good view can be difficult (Remember - anyone who dined there that evening can return at fireworks time to see them). I'd probably opt for watching them from the Poly beach.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll pass it on to the foodies. I'm sure they will be so excited to try it.
And thanks for the heads up. We short people have to watch out for each other. :) I didn't know that anyone could return to see the fireworks.
A moonlit stroll on the Poly beach does sound very romantic. I'll have to go find something to do while DS & DDIL spend some time out there before the fireworks.