It’s been awhile since I have posted any trip planning updates for our 2023 trip. This article will serve to catch everyone up on where we are at, as well as list out our remaining “to-do”. We are glad to have you following along!
Where We Are At
Here is a quick summary of our current plans, as of the date of this article
- We plan on traveling to Central Florida on Sunday June 25th via car.
- We currently have ten park days planned: June 26th-30th, July 3rd-7th
- We will be returning home on Saturday July 8th, also by car.
- Originally, we had purchased a ten-day Park Hopper ticket, but we recently upgraded to the Sorcerer’s Pass (the Annual Pass available to eligible DVC members)
- We have our Park Reservations set. Fortunately, when we upgraded to the Annual Pass, the Cast Member allowed us to keep the reservations we made when we had the ten-day ticket. Normally Sorcerer’s Pass members are limited to five reservations
Here are some newer items that we have not discussed in previous articles.
- We adjusted one of our Park Reservations for the Four Park Character Meet Challenge! We want to start the challenge in Epcot, which means we had to switch out one of our reservations to make this happen. Fortunately, Park Reservations are still pretty wide open for our travel dates.
- While we will be staying at the Encore Magic Villa for most of our stay, we decided to book a couple of nights on-property with our DVC points. More on that in a moment.
- Since we are now within our 60 day dining booking window, we booked reservations at the following table service locations
- Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
- Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen
What We Still Have Left To Do
There are three big action items that I have left on my planning agenda.
Disability Access Service
First, we need to set up the Disability Access Service (DAS) for Little Banshee. However, since you can only pre-register online as soon as 30 days before your park visit, I haven’t been able to do it yet. Once I do, I will document the experience and share it with the community.
I know that some people have experienced long wait times registering online, but I have never had to wait more than 20-30 minutes. Perhaps I have been lucky. Who knows? However, even if the wait were longer, it definitely beats doing it at Guest Services in the Parks!
Epcot Dining and Fireworks Package
Second, we really would like to get a reservation for July 4th at one of the Epcot fireworks dining packages at either the Rose and Crown or Spice Road Table. The package includes a pre-fix dinner, as well as preferred views of Epcot’s nighttime spectacular. The reason we want to do it for July 4th is that it will not only include Epcot Forever, the normal show, but most likely a Fourth of July add-on. By getting a dining package, we wouldn’t have to worry about fighting the holiday crowds for a spot on the lagoon!
We did the Rose and Crown package last year for Harmonious, and it was amazing. We had a great three-course meal with unlimited drinks. Plus, we had a near perfect view of the show. It was so stress free! And honestly, it wasn’t that much more expensive than dining there a la carte.
However, given that we are looking for reservations for the Fourth of July, I would imagine that there is a good chance we are going to be shut out. Of course, that won’t stop me from stalking the Reservation Finder from now until the fireworks go off!
Our backup plan would be an early arrival to one of the wheelchair viewing areas. While you still have to stake out a spot early, it is a little more stress free.
Sea World!
Finally, we really want to go to Sea World on this trip. We’ve never been there before and are excited to check it out. I need to look into tickets, etc. Hopefully it isn’t as much planning as a WDW trip!
Staying On Property
While we will be staying at our Encore Magic Villa for most of our vacation, we did decide to use some DVC points to stay on property for two nights
- Night of July 3rd: Polynesian Resort Bungalow (!!!!!)
- Night of July 4th: Beach Club Villa Studio
Polynesian Resort Bungalow
For July 3rd, we knew that we wanted to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks, since they add a holiday overlay on that night (at least they did in the past). However, we also didn’t want to have to navigate the crowds in the park, as July 3rd is likely going to be a madhouse. Therefore, we figured that we’d stay at one of the monorail resorts, get a Theme Park view, and watch from the comfort of our room.
Fortunately, we had the opportunity to reserve one of the Poly Bungalows for a night! Those are the little cabin-like accommodations that sit on the water. While they are super expensive, we were able to use our Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points rather than pay cash. Because we have started staying at the Encore Magic Villa, we have a quite a few points that we have accumulated over the last few years. Yes we could rent those points out for cash, but we figured that we’d use them for a special experience for ourselves. You only live once, right?
[Note: I know that DVC might not be a familiar topic for many people. At some point, I’d like to do some introductory DVC articles to shed some light on what that is]
Beach Club Villa Studio
For July 4th, we are going to be in Epcot for their holiday fireworks. Again, we are expecting that park to be super crowded. Therefore, we thought it would be easier to stay at the Beach Club Villas. The Black Club is located a short walk from Epcot’s International Gateway entrance (the “back entrance”) near the Skyliner station. We figured that staying here would allow us to enter and leave the park without the hassle of making our way to the parking lot and navigating the holiday traffic.
This time, we will be staying in a Studio room, so it isn’t quite the luxurious splurge as a Poly Bungalow!
Staying here also gives us an advantage on July 5th of being able to get an Individual Lightning Lane for our favorite ride: Rise of the Resistance! Since we will be staying on property, we will be able to book them at 7am, instead of park opening for other guests, This is a huge advantage, as they are usually sold out by the time the park opens.
Those are our current plans for now. Feel free to keep reading this site to get more updates on our trip. We are glad to have you along for the ride!
AD: We hope you enjoyed this post. If you are coming to Central Florida and need a place to stay, please consider the Encore Magic Villa. It sleeps up to 12 and features a game room, theater room, themed bedrooms, and private pool… located within a short drive of the Magic!
