A Christmastime Trip Report

[Vent417]

Overview & Day 1

I will be posting photos on my trip specific FLickr album. You can find it at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/140578...57665492528616

Who: Myself, DW, DS1(5), DS2(2) his last ”free” trip
Where: 7-night 1 bedroom standard view at BLT room 7212
When: 12/4-12/11
Dining: We did the regular DDP
Reservations: 12/4 Dinner- Whispering Canyon
12/5 Dinner- 50’s Prime Time Diner
12/7 Dinner- ‘Ohana
12/8 Dinner- Trattoria al Forno
12/9 Dinner- Be Our Guest
12/10 Breakfast- Hollywood & Vine
12/10 Dinner- Biergarten
12/11 Breakfast- Chef Mickey’s
We also did the MVMCP on 12/6

This was the first time we had been in WDW when it has been totally decorated for Christmas and we were looking forward to seeing all of the decorations.

Day 1-MK

Up at 5:30 to put the last minute items in the car and get to the airport. Normally it’s a long process getting the kids up and ready, but as soon as I said “it’s time to go to Disney World” they were both awake and trying to get dressed within minutes. My father picked us up and we were off to the airport. Islip MacArthur airport is only 15 minutes from our house, so no worries about getting stuck in traffic. Even leaving the house at 6:30am for an 8am flight we had plenty of time. If my memory is correct it took about 10 minutes from getting out of the car to being through security.
After an uneventful Southwest flight landed in MCO, we proceeded to get the ME. We had about a 15 minute wait to get on the bus after we checked in, but once we were on the bus we left quickly.

It always seems to me that no matter where we stay, we are always the last stop and this trip was no different. We get dropped off and walk over to BLT to check-in. Our rooms were not ready so we check our carry on luggage and headed over to the MK for lunch and some rides. After a quick lunch at Casey’s(hmm...chili cheese dog) we head back to Fantasyland. We let the kids pick the rides the first day, so our first ride was the Speedway. This was the first time DS2 was able to drive and he absolutely loved it. I let him take the wheel while I controlled the speed. After getting off the speedway it was a quick ride on Dumbo (a must do for me) then on to the Barnstormer for DS2’s first ride on a roller coaster. He was all for it and was good on the ride but when we got off I asked him if he wanted to go again and his response was “no never!”

After the Barnstormer we were supposed to have a FP for Pooh but it was down and we ended up just walking around doing some shopping before the parade. We watched the parade right in front of the Barbershop, which is a great place to see it, because there aren't the massive crowds like on Main Street or around the Castle. After the parade ended we walked into the barbershop and got haircuts for the kids and then a nice walk back to BLT.

We got back to the room and called for our luggage and Garden Grocer delivery and just relaxed for a few hours before dinner. We took the boat over to WL for our 7pm reservation at Whispering Canyon. Dinner was nice, the food was good, and who doesn't like all you can drink milkshakes, but DS2 basically passed out at the table and we had to maneuver our stroller into the restaurant so he could sleep. DS1 loved the participating in the pony race. After dinner it was back to BLT and then to the TOWL to watch Holiday Wishes.

 

[Vent417]

Day 2- HS, FP-Star Tours, Frozen Sing-a-Long, TSM

Day 2 was a two part Hollywood Studios day. The boys were up around 7 so we gave them a quick breakfast and headed down to catch the bus for morning EMH. We ended up getting there right after rope drop and made our way back to TSM. We managed to get there while the standby time was still under 30. After that a quick stop at Starbucks for a coffee and then off to Star Tours.

Now here is where the fun begins. DS1 makes the height requirements for just about every ride and wants to go on everything DS2 does not. So what ended up happening was one of us would ride with DS1 and the other would wait with DS2 and then we would switch using the rider swap(which works great!). The only problem we had was that it ate up a lot of time just either waiting to go through the ride twice or having to plan and come back later. Ok back to the report. After Star Tours we went to sign DS1 for Jedi Training and at 11am the next available time was 5pm so we signed him up and then off to the Great Movie Ride and then to the Frozen Sing-Along, which had both kids singing. After Frozen it was Lunch at the ABC Commissary.

Now if you have kids that are picky eaters like us and you don’t want them to eat chicken fingers and fries every day, certain QS restaurants around the park have Power Pack lunches for the kids. I think they had apples, baby carrots, yogurt, goldfish and a snack bar with either milk or water. We got these whenever they were available and the kids loved them. After lunch off to TSM for our final FP then back to the hotel for a little down time before dinner.

We headed back to HS around 5 to be ready for DS’s Jedi Training, which he loved. For those of you thinking about it, they have two photopass photographers taking pictures the whole time and they give each parent a photopass card. You have to sift through all of the other kids photos, but we had at least 5-10 really good shots. After Jedi Training it was off to 50’s Prime Time Diner for dinner, I had the sampler, always a good mix and DW had the Chicken Pot Pie which she loves, and of course a PB&J shake for dessert. After we finished with dinner we joined the masses walking back to see the Osbourne Lights. The lights were amazing and I am upset with myself for only seeing them once. Hopefully they will come back somewhere in the parks in the future. After seeing the lights it was a nice ride back to BLT then up to TOWL for Wishes again.

 

[Vent417]

Day 3 Photo Shoot and MVMCP

When we booked this trip my wife said that she wanted to get nice photos of the kids while we were there and she started looking into the Disney Fine Art Photography. We ended up booking a mini-session, which is a 20 minute session for $180. The location we choose was the Grand Floridian Hotel. We met the photographer in the lobby and went over the plan and started shooting right away. We took photos in the lobby and in the gardens by the quiet pool. After we were done we went back inside and went over the photos. We picked the ones we liked and he deleted some that he didn't like and we still ended up with over 60 photos. He gave us a flash drive right there with the photos on it.

After going back to the hotel and changing it was off to Disney Springs for lunch and some shopping. Wow, what a difference a year makes! We were there in September 2014 and couldn’t believe the difference, it really looks impressive. We walked from the bus stop all the way to the other side and were amazed with the progress. We did a little shopping and then headed to lunch at EOS (love the holiday sandwich)and then back to the room.

This was our first MVMCP, we had done the MNSSHP for the past four years and wanted to try something different. Our plan was hit the park at 4 use our 3FP back to back, have dinner then enjoy the party. We got there at four and went right to Dumbo again for FP #1 then on to the 7D. DS1 was not a big fan of roller coasters before this trip. Every time he saw a roller coaster bigger than a carnival size one, he would want no part of it. On our last trip in September 2014 he walked right up to the boarding area and bailed. This time however he went right in and loved it. I went first with him and as soon as we came out he went right back on with my wife. After two trips through the mine we decided to slow it down and hit IASW and the Carousel.

After doing the rides, we headed for dinner at Cosmic Rays and then to enjoy the party. The party was a lot of fun, we saw the characters dressed in their Christmas attire, took photos, went on Astro Orbitor, Speedway, Buzz, Barnstormer 2x(just walked on) then headed up front for the parade. We ended up getting a good spot right along Main Street in front of the Confectionary. The parade was good but I’m still partial to the Halloween parade. After the parade we headed for some cookies and cocoa, this is when I noticed that the wait time for 7D was down to 20 minutes, so I grabbed DS1 and headed back while DW did some shopping and got a good spot for the fireworks. The 20 minute wait was more like 10 and then we watched the fireworks from the bridge leading from Tomorrowland to the hub. It was foggy that night so you really couldn’t see any of the ones that were shot high so it was a little disappointing. After the fireworks we headed back to the room for bed.

Side Note: I really like the new hub design to get around. It makes it easier to get from the back of the park to the front while something’s going on either on Main Street or in Front of the Castle.

 

[Vent417]

Day 4 AK

Once again, the kids were up early so we gave them some breakfast and headed to AK. We ended up getting there right after rope drop, made a quick trip to Starbucks and headed right to the Safari. It was about 60 degrees and cloudy when we went on. We weren’t disappointed, there were animals everywhere, we even got a good shot of the lions. After the safari we went to meet Mickey and Minnie for our second FP then headed over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. The kids really enjoyed the petting zoo and I liked the nice relaxing train ride. By the time we were done the sun had come out it was time for our last FP Kali River Rapids. This time it was DW that went on first with DS1 and somehow she got soaked and he stayed dry. When they were done I went with him and the same thing happened, apparently he just repels water. I like the rapids but feel it could be a little longer. We started making our way over to Dinoland through Asia, DS1 looked up at EE and asked what that was, so I told him a big roller coaster that goes backwards and asked if he wanted to go on it. He thought about it for a second and said yes. At this point the standby line was only 25 minutes so I decided to give it a try. No way was the kid who we had to bribe with a lightsaber to go on Star Tours and had walked out on Splash Mountain last year was going on EE. So we walked through the line with me fully intending to get to the loading area and him saying he didn’t want to go. Boy was I wrong, we walked up, sat down in the car and away we went. He loved it, the kid who didn’t want to do Splash because the drop was too big went on EE. I still can’t believe it 3 months later. After EE, over to Flame tree BBQ for some ribs and then back to hotel.

We had a 7pm reservation at ‘Ohana but we wanted to walk around a little bit so we hopped on the Monorail and headed over to the GF. We walked through the lobby took some photos in front of the Gingerbread house and headed over to the Poly. We arrived right at our reservation time and were seated about 10 minutes later. Now my wife has a Pineapple allergy so we waited for the chef to come out and explain everything that she could and couldn’t eat and let us know what substitutions he would be bringing, they really are accommodating and made it really easy for us. The kids did the coconut races, I had a Lapu Lapu, and we had a really nice dinner. Now the best part for me was the fact that with kids that are picky eaters and a wife allergic to pineapple I got the entire 4 person portion of bread pudding to myself (it didn’t stand a chance). We finished dinner and just went back to the Contemporary walked around for a little while and then off to bed.
__________________

 

[Vent417]

Day 5 Epcot

Kids up at 8 so another quick breakfast in the room and off to Epcot. Walked right to Soarin for DS1’s first ride with DW while me and DS2 went on Living with the Land twice. Then we switched (love the rider swap) and I did Soarin while DW did Nemo. After we finished, we went to go meet the characters in the Character Spot, and as we finished with them we spotted Pluto and Chip & Dale in the exit hallway, we got a few photos with them and headed over to SE. After riding SE, we headed back to the World Showcase for lunch at La Cantina de San Angel. After some margaritas,nachos, and tacos we took a nice stroll around the World. After our journey around the world we were headed back to the monorail, when we saw the standby time for TT was only 15 minutes so we decided to try that with DS1. He loved that as well, so we used rider swap so he could go again, and then finally headed back to the hotel for a little downtime before heading to the Boardwalk for dinner.

We walked over to the MK and hopped on the bus to BW and explored a little bit before our reservation at Trattoria al Forno. DS2 had fallen asleep on the bus so we had to wait a few extra minutes to get a table with room for a stroller but we were still seated within 15 minutes of our reservation. Now for the food, first DS1 ate 2 of the kid’s meal pizza’s, so i’m going to give that a big thumbs up. As for us this was a restaurant we really wanted to like and we both really did. We split the Calamari for an app, and then for dinner DW had the carbonara and I had the bolognese. Both were very good. It really was a very good dinner and we plan on going back to eat there next trip. After dinner a nice stroll around the Boardwalk and then back to BLT and up to TOWL for Wishes.

 

[Vent417]

Day 6 MK & Pixie Dust

Reoccurring theme here, kids up early and a nice walk over to the MK. Right to Starbucks for coffee then back to Gaston’s for a cinnamon roll to complete our breakfast then onto the rides. First FP was PP which already had a 45 minute wait at 10am. Then onto Splash, where DS1 walked all the way through the line and bailed at the loading area. So, we decided to just walk around for a little bit. We did the Magic Carpets and HM then off to Columbia Harbor House for some fried shrimp. After lunch we did Buzz again, rode the TTA, Teacups, Pooh and then headed up front to watch the parade. We then headed back to the room for our mid afternoon break.

We had a 7pm reservation at Be Our Guest, we showed up at 6:55 and were seated by 7:10 once again with DS2 out cold in the stroller. He only seemed to fall asleep during the walk from BLT to MK. Dinner was very good DS1 had the mac and cheese, and DW and I split the french onion soup, then I had the steak which was surprisingly cooked medium which i asked for and very tasty and DW had the braised pork and of course The Grey Stuff for dessert.

After dinner we were heading to the walkway back to BLT when we were approached by a family asking if we were staying a few more days at WDW. When we said yes they asked if we would like their extra FP’s. We said sure, they handed us some papers and we thanked them and went back to the room. When we got to the room we looked at what they had given us. It was 8 coupons from guest relations good for up to 8 people on any ride or attraction. Rider swaps for Splash, Big Thunder, and 7D, and two more FP’s good for either Splash, Big Thunder and a few more “thrill rides” in the MK. We were floored. We didn’t know what to do. If I would have known what they were giving us I would have not believed them. So needless to say we went to bed very happy that night.

 

[Vent417]

Day 7 HS & Epcot

We had a breakfast reservation at Hollywood & Vine where the food was good and our kids just love the Disney Jr. Characters, then our original plan was just to go on a few rides in HS that didn’t have long wait times and head back to the hotel to relax before our afternoon FP’s at Epcot. But, armed now with our new FP’s we decided to spend a little more time in HS. After eating we hit TSM, Disney Jr., Star Tours, and I did single rider on RnR before heading back to BLT to get ready to go to Epcot where we were meeting some friends for dinner.

We had FP+ for Soarin, which DS got to do twice again, Nemo, and Turtle Talk before heading back to Biergarten for dinner. Good friends that live near us just happened to be down at WDW the same time as us so we had all planned to go to dinner. Now, when we got to the restaurant not only was DS2 out cold again but their youngest was also knocked out in his stroller. So it was a little bit of a wait while the staff found room for us. It wasn’t bad and we totally understood having to wait. When we got inside we ordered our drinks and headed up to the buffet. Wow what a line, I think that the line for food at Biergarten might have been the longest line we waited on all week. Seriously it was like a 15 minute food line that didn’t diminish the entire time we were there. The food was good, the beer was cold and we had a good time. After dinner it was into the Karamell-Kuche for a Rice Krispie Treat and then over to Morocco to watch Illuminations, which is always good, but with the added Christmas Fireworks, it was even better. Then it was off for another ride on TT, courtesy of our pixie dusted fastpasses and then home to BLT to pack and go to sleep.

 

[Vent417]

Day 8 MK & Home

We had finished most of the packing the night before so we were able to relax a little before heading over to Chef Mickey’s for breakfast which has become a last day tradition for us over the past few years. It allows the kids one last picture with the big 5 before we head home. After eating we headed back to the room to finish the packing and call bell services to come get our bags and help us to airline check-in. Now it’s the little things in life that make me and my wife happy, like the fact that this was the first time we didn’t have to open a suitcase at check-in because it was too heavy.

So after checking our bags, we headed over to the MK for a few final rides and some shopping. We used our gifted FP’s for another 2 rides on the 7D train, did the Jingle Cruise and was heading back to do POC before heading out when DS1 suddenly says, “I want to go on Splash Mountain”. We were dumbfounded, so we asked him if he was sure and he said yes so I started to take him on while DW took DS2 to do some shopping. Now i never expected him to go through with it after already walking out of the loading area earlier in the trip, but to his credit he got right in the log and he ended up loving it. As soon as he we got out I asked did he want to go on Big Thunder, another ride he was telling us the entire trip he didn’t want to do. His response was, “I don’t like thunder if you call it Big Mountain RR I’ll go on it.” So I called it Big Mountain and away we went, and once again he loved it. At this point we were out of time so we walked to go meet DW and DS2 on Main Street. After giving the remaining FP’s that we didn’t use to another family we took one final walk back to the Contemporary.

Then after an uneventful ME ride to the airport and a good flight we were back home.

A few final thoughts/points

--Even though I didn’t mention it, there were meltdowns at some point during the trip by everyone, but it didn’t sour anything.
--The rider swaps are great if you have kids at different ride heights and all the adults want to ride.
--Coming back to the room mid-afternoon for a break really helps. It allowed everyone to relax for a few hours before dinner.

 

[bearybubba]

Thanks so much for your report! My family and I are heading to WDW during this same time frame this year so it was helpful to know that you got to ride things multiple times. It looks like you all had a most memorable vacation...

 

[Vent417]

Thanks so much for your report! My family and I are heading to WDW during this same time frame this year so it was helpful to know that you got to ride things multiple times. It looks like you all had a most memorable vacation...

Thanks, we had a great time. If you have any questions please ask and I will try to answer them.

 

[bearybubba]

Thanks, I appreciate that too!
So it looks like you had 3 FP under your MVMCP ticket? Did you have any trouble making those selections? May I ask what times (if you remember) that you had for the FP's? 3:30-6:30pm? I am most concerned that the system doesn't use our 'regular' ticket for those FP's.
Thanks, again!

 

[Vent417]

Thanks, I appreciate that too!
So it looks like you had 3 FP under your MVMCP ticket? Did you have any trouble making those selections? May I ask what times (if you remember) that you had for the FP's? 3:30-6:30pm? I am most concerned that the system doesn't use our 'regular' ticket for those FP's.
Thanks, again!

Yes, we had 3 FP under the MVMCP ticket, we started with the first one around 3:30 and made sure we got into the MK at exactly 4. We've also never had a problem with the system taking a day away from our regular ticket, and we've done this for the MNSSHP as well.