Christmas 2016: A Deluxe, D-Luxe and All-Around Great Trip

[PlutoTheDog89]

It felt like yesterday that I was waking up at 3:45am to head to the airport for my family's 7th Christmas trip in 8 years. We grew up going to Disney—my parents, both in their 60s, my 32 year old sister and me, a 27 year old male.

Of course, as my sister and I get older, we're met with tons of questions.

"Isn't it for kids?"

"Don't you get sick of Disney?"

and my favorite: "what will you do when you have a girlfriend or your sister has a boyfriend... or wife/husband?"

No, it's not just for kids. Sure, we get a little sick of it... we go into every year saying "maybe this will be the last year for a little while." Then you know what? By our second-to-last day, we start planning our next trip. And as for boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and wives, well... they better be Disney lovers.

So how'd it all start? Well, my grandparents lived in Tampa, so my parents would always bring my sister and I down to see grandma and grandpa, then over to Disney. We went to Disney every 2-4 years and it was our special "big" trip. We've celebrated birthdays, graduations and anniversaries at Disney. For most of my life, we drove. We took the train down once and ever since, have been flying.

I'll never forget the call I received in 2009. My freshman year of college came to a turbulent end in 2008. I found out my dad had cancer. After countless chemo treatments and surgery, he was in remission. When we asked him how we could celebrate, he flashed a bright smile and said "you know, I've heard Disney is really cool during Christmas." Or so I'm told... I was in my junior year at college when I got the call that we'd be celebrating Christmas in Disney.

We made a lot of mistakes in 2009 and again in 2010. We skipped in 2011 after I graduated and by 2012, we were ready with a slew of new informations, tactics and strategies. And you know what? We still made mistakes. It wasn't until 2013 that we started to "get it" and by 2014, we considered ourselves experts.

I love Disney. As a copywriter (who obviously loves writing) I often blog about Disney and have written my own ebook about Christmas at Disney. Everyone worries about the crowds. Yes, it's very crowded during Christmas, as it's the most popular and in-demand time of the year... but I couldn't think of a better time to go, or better place to spend my Christmas. While my friends and family are going back to their everyday lives on December 26th, we're waking up and heading to the parks. Our holiday doesn't just last 1 day - it lasts 8!

So, come along as I recap my awesome Christmas trip and provide some tips, tricks and strategies to planning a perfect, seamless trip!

Contents

Index
Weather
Crowds​

Day-By-Day
Saturday, December 24th: And We're Off!​

 

[rdkeim]

In! Anxious to read about your trip and especially your tips!

 

[dlavender]

We are considering for the first time ever to spend 12/25-12/31 at the World.

Been a million times, never that time though. Always avoided it like the plague.

Our kids will be 3/5/9 this year, and we think instead of spending the money on gifts, we might just take everyone to the World that week.

Can't wait to hear your tips and see what your experience was.

 

[disneylove16]

Can't wait to read about your trip!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

We are considering for the first time ever to spend 12/25-12/31 at the World.

Been a million times, never that time though. Always avoided it like the plague.

Our kids will be 3/5/9 this year, and we think instead of spending the money on gifts, we might just take everyone to the World that week.

Can't wait to hear your tips and see what your experience was.

I can't recommend going enough. Your kids are the perfect age. I'm currently in the process of planning a trip for my cousin. Her daughters will be 2 and 4 at the time of going and she wants to go for Halloween. I've never been for Halloween, so yeah... my family is joining. She slipped in front of her now 3 year old and the kid hasn't stopped talking about it. Because we always go, the ongoing joke is that I'm good friends with Mickey. I'm visiting them this week and whenever I go, the 3yo follows me around asking questions about Mickey and keeps telling me she's gonna give Pluto a big kiss.

I hope my trip report helps sway you in either direction. It really isn't for everyone and hopefully it helps you realize whether your family is ready or not.

When we started going, we figured it'd be a once in a lifetime trip. My mom quickly realized how much she loved not worrying about where my sister and I were going New Year's Eve, not having to cook and not having to buy presents. We love it so much so that even when our home was pretty much totaled by Sandy in 2013, we still found a way to go (and enjoy sleeping in real beds for the first time in months.)

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Weather​

Going into the trip we were really hoping for some good weather. In 2009 it was 70 degrees our first day, before a cold front blew through and the temperatures plummeted into the low 50s during the day and 30s at night. The next year wasn't too different. We were starting to think we were cursed or that these extreme temperatures were the norm for Orlando. In 2012 we had fantastic weather, which was really appreciated after we suffered through Hurricane Sandy. 2013 provided the best weather: sunny most days and in the high 60s-mid 70s. 2014 was a littler warmer, while 2015 was too hot.

This year straddled between two extremes. It stayed in the 80s most days, but it was comfortable. Whereas 2015 was hot and humid, this year the sun was strong and the temperatures were higher than average, but the humidity was low. This made it feel a bit cooler, especially in the shade. The temperature was due to stick in the 80s for a majority of the trip, with a cold front sweeping in on December 30th.

We packed appropriately, with a lot of shorts, t-shirts, comfortable shoes and of course, our bathing suits. Oh - and plenty of sunscreen. I can't stress sunscreen enough, as the Florida sun is strong year-round - even in December.

I also brought a hoodie in case it got chilly in the evening (surrounded by lakes, a breeze could send a slight chill through you at night.) I didn't really need it, but it came in handy when I layered up on Friday, December 30th.

All in all, we were blessed with the weather. We'd prefer it in the 70s, ordinarily, but the lack of humidity kept it comfortable. Luckily the cold front only really lasted one day. Friday was definitely chilly and required a hoody or flannel in the day and a jacket at night. Saturday, December 31st it was perfect: sunny and in the 70s. Probably the most gorgeous weather of the trip.

I can't predict the weather next year. Heck, I'd be lucky to predict it a day out. The Orlando weather in December is constantly changing. It could be cold and in the 30s, humid and feel like it's in the high 90s or perfect. It really depends. For this reason, I always lay out my clothes then wait until the very last minute to pack. This year it was supposed to be warm then turn cold, so I filled my luggage with shorts, t-shirts, a few long-sleeves and I wore my hoodie and jacket down. In years past, I've always packed a basis of jeans and t-shirts, a few long-sleeve shirts, one or two pairs of shorts, then worse my heavier layers down (and back up.) You really need to prepare for everything, even if the weather has been consistent as of late.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Crowds
​

I feel like I need the Haunted Mansion organs to be playing while I talk about the crowds. Christmas is the most crowded time of the year. During the Christmas week, parks often hit phased closures, popular ride wait times can eclipse 3 hours and many parts of the parks can feel impossible to navigate.

I remember reading something like that a few years ago after we booked our first vacation. "Did we make a mistake?" I wondered. "Nah, we've been there in the summer—we can handle anything!"

"Imagine the summer crowds with all the travel groups x2." My heart stopped.

Our first year, we made plenty of mistakes when it came to the crowds. Over the years, we've learned how to tailor our day and plan to beat the crowds and build an efficient itinerary. Before I get into that, though, let's get into the crowds this year.

Believe it or not, it didn't feel quite as crowded as years past. Don't get me wrong - it was crowded, but not overwhelmingly so. In fact, the Beach Club lobby, at least, felt much more crowded when we checked out on January 1st than when we checked in on December 24th. On Christmas Day, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train had a 120-minute wait at 1:30pm, which I find very low for that ride. It looked worse. I've seen ti as high as 180-200 minutes in the past. The highest wait time I witnessed was 150 minutes at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster on December 30th.

How we Avoid the Crowds/Crowd Tips

1) We typically go to the parks early. On Christmas Day we went to Magic Kingdom at Rope Drop and were able to knock off 3 of the more popular rides before the park even opened. We usually leave in the afternoon and go back to the hotel to relax. By the time we left the park at 2pm, we had gone on Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise and 7DMT. We also enjoyed breakfast at Crystal Palace, saw the parade at noon, along with the Castle Show at 1pm and enjoyed some cold drinks at Starbucks. More on that when I cover Christmas Day, though.

2) We save our FP+ for later in the day. That's when you get the most value out of them. We use most mornings running ride-to-ride, depending on the wait time. For example, in past year's we'd book morning FP+ and be on a strict schedule. This year we were able to stop, check what had the lowest wait time, and go from there. It allowed us to stop and smell the roses a bit.

3) I normally recommend Christmas week to veteran Disney guests. No, not because "you need to know the park" or anything like that. I recommend it because there's far too much to do and it's far too crowded for a first timer. You're not gonna see and do everything. If you try, you'll stretch yourself too thin. Instead, we know the rides we like, we know what we can skip and we know what gets crowded when.

4) We save the kiddie/family friendly rides for the late-night EMHs. In past years, Magic Kingdom would stay open until 3am twice during our stay. Now they only stay open until 3am on December 30th. The best time to tackle rides like Peter Pan, Winnie and Small World is later in the evening, after the young families have gone home. Peter Pan will still have a 20+ minute wait, but that's far better than the 70-minute wait it had at noon. Save these rides for the late-night EMH (if possible) or after the final showing of Holiday Wishes. That's when most guests make their mass exodus. There's plenty of tourists, but most of the crowds come from locals living around Disney who head there for the weekend or day. These people arrive early on and do marathon days to avoid a phased closure and get their monies worth. As a result, by the time the final show takes place, they're ready to go. That's when you see the crowds dwindle.

5) We didn't have a problem finding a good spot for the fireworks when we lined up ~1 hour early. I wanted to snap some good shots of the fireworks, so we lined up around 8:45 for the 10pm show. Do know that once it hits 9:50, people pour into Main Street and will cut in front of you. Try and stand you ground and create enough separation between your group to hold you spot, but not enough to allow people to sneak in.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Believe it or not, I've been crunching numbers for our next few trips. We planned on going for Halloween and Christmas this year, which led me to crunch the numbers for buying Annual Passes. Somehow, we found ourselves checking flights for Easter, which were much cheaper than we expected. Long story short, we're now Annual Passholders and we're going for the first time during Easter this year. SO, yeah, I didn't have a ton of time to write over the past 5 days. Without further ado, let's get back to my trip report...

Saturday, December 24th ​

I think I got to bed around 12 or 1am on December 23rd. My sister and I played the annual game of “luggage Tetris” as we packed her SUV, then I spent the rest of the evening watching Home Alone after triple checking that I had every single charger and electronic in my carry-on. Unlike past years, I forced myself to fall asleep early. Our flight would be an hour earlier than years past and I knew I needed the sleep after a busy week.

It felt like I was asleep maybe ten minutes before my alarm started blaring at 3:45am. On a normal day, this would be met with a grunt, but today was December 24th which meant we were going to Walt Disney World!

Creatures were already stirring. My dad was up and pacing, my mom was checking for flight delays and my sister was just getting up. We left the house and were on the road by 4:45am.

After a quick and seamless check-in at Long Island MacArthur Airport, we breezed through TSA (thanks to my TSA pre-check) and were ready to take off. Our flight departed Long Island and the cold weather at 6:45am, landing in a sunny, 70-degree Orlando at roughly 9:45am. We boarded the Magical Express and were on our way to our first stay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, but not before stopping at Caribbean Beach and the Boardwalk, first.*

*Usually, this would be followed by a stop at Yacht Club, but we were the only ones left on the bus.

Immediately upon arriving at the Beach Club, a Cast Member with a tablet welcomed us by name. We were ushered inside where another Cast Member with a tablet checked us in. Last year we started sending packages down ahead of time, containing all of our toiletries, as a way to increase luggage space and alleviate some of the weight. With Yacht and Beach Club having a convention center, guests would normally have to go to the mail room to fetch the packages. We were very happy and surprised to see that the package was at the front desk waiting for us.

Upon entering our room, we discovered that it had a Juliet balcony. This normally wouldn’t be a huge deal, but we requested a full balcony and had been looking forward to sitting out there a few nights during our trip. We asked the front desk if there was anything they could do and after a little searching, the Cast Member placed us one floor higher, with a better view and a full balcony. A nice little sprinkle of pixie dust to kick off our trip.

I’d also mention that because we were checking in on Christmas Eve, a Cast Member was on hand to provide cookies and fresh apple cider. Now, in past years, we always received Snickerdoodle cookies and a glass of lemonade. This year was different. We were able to choose from chocolate chip or snickerdoodle and received apple cider, rather than lemonade. We joked amongst ourselves that “we already noticed the step-up in Deluxe accommodations.”

With the weather being absolutely gorgeous (around 82 degrees and sunny) we decided to head to the pool for the afternoon. After “hawking” around the lazy river, I eventually found a float for myself and soon my sister. We spent a solid hour going around the lazy river and enjoying the weather.

By 4pm we went back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner. We had a 6:30pm reservation at Il Mulino in Disney’s Swan Resort. After dinner we toured the lobbies and checked out the Christmas decorations at the Swan, Dolphin and Boardwalk Resorts. We had dessert at Ample Hills, which was everything people claimed it to be.

We called it a night around 10pm and needed no help falling asleep. It’d be another early morning on Christmas Day, as we decided to get to Magic Kingdom for Rope Drop.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I'm loving your trip report. I've never been at Christmas time basically because of the crowds. I hope to get a few tips from you and maybe one day we'll book that trip.

 

[mbvisitor]

Looking forward to reading your report! We have a Dec 26 - Jan 1 trip plannned. Can't wait to learn from your trip!

 

[DVCKerry]

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Believe it or not, I've been crunching numbers for our next few trips. We planned on going for Halloween and Christmas this year, which led me to crunch the numbers for buying Annual Passes. Somehow, we found ourselves checking flights for Easter, which were much cheaper than we expected. Long story short, we're now Annual Passholders and we're going for the first time during Easter this year. SO, yeah, I didn't have a ton of time to write over the past 5 days. Without further ado, let's get back to my trip report...

Saturday, December 24th ​

I think I got to bed around 12 or 1am on December 23rd. My sister and I played the annual game of “luggage Tetris” as we packed her SUV, then I spent the rest of the evening watching Home Alone after triple checking that I had every single charger and electronic in my carry-on. Unlike past years, I forced myself to fall asleep early. Our flight would be an hour earlier than years past and I knew I needed the sleep after a busy week.

It felt like I was asleep maybe ten minutes before my alarm started blaring at 3:45am. On a normal day, this would be met with a grunt, but today was December 24th which meant we were going to Walt Disney World!

Creatures were already stirring. My dad was up and pacing, my mom was checking for flight delays and my sister was just getting up. We left the house and were on the road by 4:45am.

After a quick and seamless check-in at Long Island MacArthur Airport, we breezed through TSA (thanks to my TSA pre-check) and were ready to take off. Our flight departed Long Island and the cold weather at 6:45am, landing in a sunny, 70-degree Orlando at roughly 9:45am. We boarded the Magical Express and were on our way to our first stay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, but not before stopping at Caribbean Beach and the Boardwalk, first.*

*Usually, this would be followed by a stop at Yacht Club, but we were the only ones left on the bus.

Immediately upon arriving at the Beach Club, a Cast Member with a tablet welcomed us by name. We were ushered inside where another Cast Member with a tablet checked us in. Last year we started sending packages down ahead of time, containing all of our toiletries, as a way to increase luggage space and alleviate some of the weight. With Yacht and Beach Club having a convention center, guests would normally have to go to the mail room to fetch the packages. We were very happy and surprised to see that the package was at the front desk waiting for us.

Upon entering our room, we discovered that it had a Juliet balcony. This normally wouldn’t be a huge deal, but we requested a full balcony and had been looking forward to sitting out there a few nights during our trip. We asked the front desk if there was anything they could do and after a little searching, the Cast Member placed us one floor higher, with a better view and a full balcony. A nice little sprinkle of pixie dust to kick off our trip.

I’d also mention that because we were checking in on Christmas Eve, a Cast Member was on hand to provide cookies and fresh apple cider. Now, in past years, we always received Snickerdoodle cookies and a glass of lemonade. This year was different. We were able to choose from chocolate chip or snickerdoodle and received apple cider, rather than lemonade. We joked amongst ourselves that “we already noticed the step-up in Deluxe accommodations.”

With the weather being absolutely gorgeous (around 82 degrees and sunny) we decided to head to the pool for the afternoon. After “hawking” around the lazy river, I eventually found a float for myself and soon my sister. We spent a solid hour going around the lazy river and enjoying the weather.

By 4pm we went back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner. We had a 6:30pm reservation at Il Mulino in Disney’s Swan Resort. After dinner we toured the lobbies and checked out the Christmas decorations at the Swan, Dolphin and Boardwalk Resorts. We had dessert at Ample Hills, which was everything people claimed it to be.

We called it a night around 10pm and needed no help falling asleep. It’d be another early morning on Christmas Day, as we decided to get to Magic Kingdom for Rope Drop.

I just love how warm and welcoming the Cast Members are at all of the resorts! It is the little touches like welcoming guests by name that makes all the difference for me. Enjoying the trip report so far!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Christmas Eve Dinner at Il Mulino
​

We made a 6:30pm reservation on Christmas Eve for Il Mulino at the Swan Resort. We ate there with our family friends a few years ago and booked it again, as we always try and eat Italian food on Christmas Eve. Maybe it was the good times with family and friends, but I remember the meal in 2014 being much more enjoyable. Now, don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the meal. In fact, it was a good meal, however, nothing stood out.

We started with a round of drinks. My sister and dad each ordered wine, while I ordered a Kentucky Mule which was not listed on the menu. I tried a Kentucky Mule, a Moscow Mule made with bourbon rather than vodka, while in Salt Lake City and really enjoyed it. I knew I’d be having a martini at Narcoossee’s and wasn’t in the mood for beer, so I tried to be “different.” The drinks were all well prepared and came in a timely manner. My Kentucky Mule was pretty strong, but as the ice melted it went down much easier.

Along with the drinks, came the complimentary bread, served with mashed eggplant and a small tasting of charcuterie. The bread was a mixture of Italian bread and a sundried-tomato-stuffed bread. Both were very good and very fresh.

For entrees, I went with the Seafood Risotto. My mom and sister each split their entrees. My mom ordered the Spaghetti al Frutti di Mare with Rigatoni instead of Spaghetti; my sister ordered the Rigatoni con Funghi. My dad went with the Veal Milanese. He initially wanted the Chicken Parmigiana but skipped it after I reminded him that the chicken was served bone-in. We also ordered a half dish of Pappardelle.

The Seafood Risotto was very good. Risotto is very easy to mess up. The rice has to be perfectly cooked, it must be served on a hot plate to maintain proper consistency and it must be served promptly. The risotto was rich, creamy and had a nice seafood taste to it. The rice was definitely cooked in a seafood broth. It could have had more seafood, though.

My sister and mom both enjoyed their dish and my dad seemed to like his. I think the Pappardelle is very good, especially the sauce, but it’s a bit overrated. It’s certainly fresh and the sauce is delicious, but at the end of the day as my dad claimed “it’s lasagna stips without the filling!”

All in all, would I recommend Il Mulino? Absolutely. But moving forward, we'd save our money and go to Trattoria Al Forno, which we dined at last year and outside of the service, was comparable.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Sunday, December 25th:
Christmas Day at Magic Kingdom​

My mom set a wake-up call before we all passed out on Christmas Eve. Interesting fact about the Beach Club: the rooms don’t have alarm clocks. This may be a new running theme at Disney Resorts, as when we asked, we were told that after surveying guests, they found the alarm clocks to be unnecessary. I guess that’s true in today’s day and age of phone alarms.

I didn’t even hear the wake-up call. My vibrating FitBit shook me out of sleep around 5:25am. I checked my app: a full 6 hours and 42 minutes of sleep! I’d be operating on just over 11 hours of sleep in the past 48 hours, but I was ready for Christmas morning at Magic Kingdom.

As the rest of my family got ready, I took advantage of an empty lobby to snap some photos. I’m still going through and editing those, so they’ll be posted once they’re ready. We got to the bus stop around 6am. It was much more crowded than we anticipated, but we made the first bus to Magic Kingdom.

When we arrived, the metal detectors were set up and they were sending everyone through, as opposed to randomly selecting guests. This was definitely reassuring, but took a little longer and we cut it close to the Rope Drop show.

I’m glad we got to finally see the Rope Drop show, as it has now been replaced by a new castle show on Main Street that’s evidently underwhelming. Fortunately, we were able to snag a spot dead center, as most of the crowds hovered around the entrances, instead.

The park opened to Resort guests for the morning Extra Magic Hour at 7am. Equipped with a plan, we were ready to tackle Magic Kingdom and get as much done as possible before the masses filed in. The first stop would be Tomorrowland. As much as we wanted to keep pace, we couldn’t help by stop and admire the castle. With the sun still rising, Disney actually had the castle illuminated with its white icicle lights. We’d never seen the castle lit up during the day and we normally don’t see it at night until a few days into our trip, so we couldn’t help but stop and stare.

We made it back to Tomorrowland by 7:10am. The first stop was Space Mountain, which had a posted standby wait time of 20 minutes. We were on and off the ride in just under 15. By 7:20am we were on Buzz Lightyear. The Disney Parks app listed the talking Mickey meet-and-greet as 5 minutes, but by the time we arrived it was up to 30. Instead, we grabbed some photos with Pluto in Town Square as it had a short wait. By now, the sun was creeping up, offering some beautiful photos of Cinderella Castle. We tracked down a Disney photographer and I managed to snap a few photos, myself.

Around 7:45am we went to Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates was practically walk on and when we finished, it was 8am and the park was open. Initially we wanted to fit in at least one Fantasyland Ride during the Extra Magic Hour but we took a slower approach, which allowed for a much less stressful morning. We decided to do Haunted Mansion next, as it had a low wait time and although it’d probably only hit ~40-60 minutes today, we wanted to get it out of the way. The wait time was only 10 minutes for Haunted Mansion and we finished up right around 8:30am.

We had a 9:15am reservation for Crystal Palace. We arrived around 8:45am and checked in early. We were seated around 9:05am. I couldn’t believe how many people were relying on walk-ups and being turned away. We enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at Crystal Palace—enough to hold us over until Narcoossee’s later that night.

At 11am we went to Thunder Mountain for our first FP+. Shortly after riding it, we lined up for the 12pm parade. We managed to find a spot to the side of Country Bear Jamboree. Funny story - my mom allowed a little girl standing behind her to go in front, giving her a better view. She was thanked by the girl’s mother, who after talking a while told my mom “we come every few weeks—she’s seen this parade a million times!” Oh well, it’s the thought that counts.

Right after the parade we went through the exterior corridor connecting Frontierland to Adventureland toward Jungle, err, Jingle Cruise for our next FP+ from 12pm-1pm. Jingle Cruise had about a 60 minute wait. We were on and off within 20 minutes.

Here’s where I messed up. I had my heart set on seeing the new Muppets show at the Hall of Presidents. I mixed up the times (the Muppets show was 1:00, the Castle Show was 1:15.) Instead, we stood in front of the castle at 1:00pm waiting for the show. We never got to see the Muppets show during out trip, unfortunately. At 1:30pm we went to our final FP+: 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. The wait time was at 120 minutes but the line looked longer.

Feeling accomplished, we made our way back to Main Street. The park was very crowded by 2pm. You know the park is crowded when the line for Small World makes its way to the outside of the ride. On top of this, the area outside of Fantasyland (by Peter Pan) was difficult to navigate. That’s usually our cue to leave.

We navigated behind the castle toward Adventureland, then toward Crystal Palace and into Casey’s. My family stopped to shop in the Emporium while I ran across to Starbucks to grab up some much-needed caffeine. We walked through the Emporium down to Town Square and left Magic Kingdom for the day.

After relaxing by the quiet pool (and falling asleep for ~15-20 minutes) we all grabbed showers and got ready for Christmas dinner at Narcoossee’s. We grabbed around a 6:45pm bus to Magic Kingdom en route to Narcoossee’s. Upon arriving at the Grand Floridian, we grabbed some photos in front of the tree and marveled at the decorations and gingerbread house.

We initially timed the 8:30pm reservation to be right after Wishes, as it was originally set to go off at 8:00pm. It was later changed to 9pm, Our server timed our dishes so that we’d be able to go outside and watch Wishes from the wraparound porch. As always, dinner was fantastic. Exhausted, we made our way back to the Beach Club. Tomorrow we’d finally sleep in.

Tips, Tricks & What We Learned

• We used to always arrive around 7:45am for the last 15 minutes of EMH. Waking up early is totally worth it and I definitely recommend it. We got so much done before the park got crowded: rode Spaceship Earth, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and got photos with Pluto and in front of the castle. By 10am we had also eaten breakfast.

• Check the times for shows. As much as you plan, there’s always room for mistakes.

• With that, make sure to carry a printed itinerary or snap a photo on your phone to keep track of times.

• Book FP+’s for later in the day. It gives you the most “value” and frees up your morning so you can hop between rides with the lowest wait time.

• Avoid Fantasyland unless you have a FP+, especially in the morning. Everyone has the same idea: “let’s run to 7DMT before everyone else!” Instead, head to Tomorrowland where most ride wait times will be below 20 minutes.

• Use the park layout to plan your rides/day. We purposely booked the first FP+ for Thunder Mountain at 11am. The parade starts at Frontierland, so we knew that we’d be able to exit Thunder Mountain and head right over to find a good spot for the parade. We happened to view the parade from right near the Country Bear Jamboree, which features a breezeway corridor that leads right to Adventureland, where our next FP+ was.

• When it’s crowded, use the park’s design to your advantage. If you’re looking to exit the park during shows or parades, ride the train from one of the lands to Main Street. The park exit is right there when you walk downstairs. We like to use the Emporium shop on Main Street when it’s too crowded. You can enter from Casey’s near Crystal Palace and walk all the way through to Town Square, where you can then exit the park.

• Leave around 1 or 2pm. By then, it’s crazy crowded on Christmas Day and not worth it unless you have a FP+.
  

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Great tips! I am thinking of planning our next big family trip the first week of December, so hopefully not quite as busy as your week. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[rdkeim]

Enjoying reading about your Christmas trip and your tips really make sense! I just booked Dec. 2-9 so it's fun to read December TR's

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

And we’re back. I’ve been pretty busy these past few days and I didn’t have as much time to sit down and write. I have been going through and editing photos from the trip, so those should be posted soon.

Let’s get back into things—because I hope to wrap up this TR before February rolls around!

Christmas Dinner at Narcoossee's​

Narccossee’s is our favorite restaurant. I’d say we became “Disney Foodies” around 2012. Before then, we relied on the travel agents to make recommendations. We didn’t know much about the Dining Plan or Signatures, etc. In 2011 we attended a wedding in Disney and a few couples did a nice dinner at Narcoossee’s and couldn’t stop raving about it: the view, the food, everything. We knew it’d make a great spot for Christmas dinner and it really opened our eyes to the other restaurants Disney has to offer.

Since then, we’ve been to Narcoossee’s every year except 2015, when we decided to “change things up” with a trip to Artist Point, which is also fantastic. But, it wasn’t Narcoossee’s, so we’d return in 2016.

We booked an ADR for 8:30pm. Wishes was initially set to go off at 8pm. We wanted a late dinner as we often go into our meals feeling too full from lunch and then it spoils our meal. As it turned out, Wishes was moved to 9pm (I should have known…) and rather than watching Wishes before being seated for our reservation, we were seated before. No problem, as they normally try and schedule your meal around the fireworks.

We were promptly seated around 8:30 at the table right behind the maitre d. There were a bunch of open tables throughout the restaurant, but we were seated right at the front. With the open kitchen and guests coming in for their reservations, we weren’t overly pleased with the noise and wanted a more quiet dinner. We requested a different table and our server seemed flustered. We saw her talking to the manager and we decided to wave her over and tell her “not to worry about it.” Worried it would kill the experience, we tried being extra nice and courteous to try and win her back over. Fortunately, she seemed to have a short memory.

She started us off with the amazing bread, served alongside a butter topped with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. The bread is reason enough to convert to a Deluxe Restaurant, as many offer butters topped with different seasoned salts. Little tip: the salts can be found at the Spice Shop in Disney Springs.

She came back over to take our drink orders and warned that Wishes will be starting soon. “I’ll take your drink orders now, but I recommend putting your dinner orders in after Wishes so that you may go outside and enjoy the show.”

My sister and I ordered an usual: Ketel One Martini, dirty, with Blue Cheese Olives. It was made really well—not too bitter, but you could still taste the vodka. The brininess of the olives paired well with the voda, while the blue cheese gave a creaminess and added to the saltiness a bit.

At 8:50 we went outside for a gorgeous view of the fireworks. You get the full view, with Space Mountain, The Contemporary and Cinderella Castle. Like California Grill and ‘Ohana, Narcoossee’s dims the lights and pumps in the Wishes music.

After Wishes, we came back in and our server delivered the drinks. Perfect timing. We each ordered our entrees. My mom went with the butter-poached lobster tail and my dad ordered the steak, as he doesn’t eat fish. I ordered the lobster tail and my sister went with the New York Strip. We told our server that we planned on splitting the dish. The chef was nice enough to prepare each of us with our own dish, with half the steak and half the lobster tail and whatever sides the steak comes with. The lobster tail sides were served to the side - a small pot of corn souffle and seasoned asparagus.

The steak was cooked to perfection: medium rare. It cut like butter and paired perfectly with the butter-poached lobster tail. I loved to mix the potato, lobster, steak and sauce and have it in one bite. So many textures, consistencies and tastes going on that it led to one flavorful bite.

I loved the corn souffle. It had a cornbread taste to it. The asparagus had a bit of a strange taste, but it was still good. While I definitely miss the old surf and turf option on the Disney Dining Plan, ordering the lobster and steak, then asking to split with another person is a suitable alternative. You still got a solid portion.

Of course for dessert I went with the Almond Crusted Cheesecake. I’ve said it once and I still swear by it: this is the best dessert on property. The inside is soft and decadent. It’s super rich and creamy, with the outside offering a crushed candied almond that’s sweet, creamy and milky. It offers a real solid texture to the dessert. The cheesecake is sweet, but it’s complemented by the tartness of the cherry compote. It’s also served alongside a decorative white chocolate spiral and a whipped cream. It truly is the best dessert I’ve ever eaten.

All in all, despite its awkward beginnings, it was a great dinner. Our server was able to put the table request behind her and offer a well-timed, beautifully served meal. I highly recommend Narcoossee’s to anyone looking for a nice dinner.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Monday, December 26th: A Truly D-Luxe Day​

After two days straight of waking up earlier than we would on a normal workday, we slept in. We all woke up around 8:30 or 9am, which is late for Disney. I wanted to check out the fitness center and knew that if I didn’t do it today, I wouldn’t have much time (or motivation to) moving forward.

I grabbed a quick workout at the fitness center and finished up by walking the boardwalk. The boardwalk is so peaceful in the morning. While we made good use of the pool on Saturday, this was my first real chance to enjoy the setting and location. I stopped by Boardwalk Bakery to grab some breakfast pastries before heading back. We decided to eat in the Beach Club’s Solarium, which is a sun-soaked room looking out onto the courtyard between the Resort and Villas. This is a really nice, quiet spot to eat, or even do some reading.

I’ll do a separate post about the new snacks I ate during the trip rather than cover them in the post. The Boardwalk Bakery served as our go-to throughout the trip for a quick breakfast or bite to eat. While most pastries aren’t the best option on the meal plan, using a snack for breakfast proved to be a far better value than a Quick Service. You don't need to be staying at Beach Club or on the Boardwalk to take advantage. If you plan on heading to EPCOT, go toward the International Gateway and go to Boardwalk for a quick breakfast before tackling the park.

After hanging out a little longer, we left for Disney Springs. Going over the past few years, we’ve pretty much watched as Downtown Disney has been transformed into Disney Springs. I remember the old days of Downtown Disney. Now, it’s an outdoor shopping mall—there’s no two ways about it. But it’s absolutely gorgeous.

I do think Disney Springs is being marketed toward locals. It’s Disney without the parks and you can certainly spend a Saturday afternoon or date night there. The areas are each wonderfully themed—we loved the springs area the most! We spent part of the afternoon hopping in and out of stores. We did get a passing shower, but it didn’t last long.

We wrapped things up with D-Luxe Burger—which is just as good as advertised—before heading back to the Beach Club. The bus took a really long time, so we got back around 3:15pm. We grabbed a quick nap before changing and heading over to EPCOT around 4:45pm.

The weather started clearing up and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous. We had FP+s for the character meet-and-greet at 4:30pm. After, we made our way to meet Baymax who had a very short wait. I felt like a little kid and was really excited to see him. It brought back memories, as this was the movie we watched when we got home after our 2015 trip. Oh man, this trip was gonna start flying by!

After the character meet, we went to Frozen Ever After. The wait was around 2 hours, but we had FP+s. It was our first time riding it and honestly, we were unimpressed. My dad remarked that he prefers the show at Hollywood Studios and misses Maelstrom. My mom replied “yeah, that was nothing special.” Oh well - my cousins will love it when we bring them—that’s all that matters.

We cut it close with our 6:50pm Spaceship Earth FP+, especially after it got stuck for 5 minutes. We made it to our 7:30pm ADR at Rose and Crown in plenty of time, though.

We finished eating around 9pm. My sister and I remembered how great of a spot the seating area outside of Rose and Crown was when we camped out there during Food & Wine. This area is to the left of the check-in for Rose and Crown, right behind the beer cart. There’s some seats that I’d imagine are intended for those who grab a Quick Service and need a spot to eat. We sat my parents down next to the wall to secure a table for Illuminations. I had my camera with me, so I really wanted to get some good photos.

While my parents sat down, my sister and I went to fill up the popcorn and grab some coffees. It was starting to get a bit chilly. We returned by 10pm and Illuminations went off at 10:30pm. We happened to meet a fun family from Tampa. They were definitely a bit tipsy, but we shared some good laughs before going on our way.

I managed some awesome photos and was really proud—especially being that I spent the weeks leading up to Disney researching how to shoot the fireworks.

All in all, it was a good day, but I knew the days would start flying by now.

Things We Learned/Tips & Tricks
- For the best spots, reserve your spot for Illuminations around 1.5 hours before the show. If you're with your family or a group, leave a majority of the members at the spot and send runners to collect snacks and drinks.

- You need a FP+ for Frozen Ever After year-round. It's immensely popular and you'll spend 1-2 hours otherwise.

- During sunset, standing between the Japan and China Pavilion offers some gorgeous views of the World Showcase along with Swan and Dolphin at the back. The crazy part is - Disney went through all that trouble of blending Tower of Terror and you've got the resorts perfectly visible from this angle. Still, it's beautiful.

- We happened to be standing down-wind during Illuminations. COVER YOUR DRINKS AND FOOD. At one point I looked up and said "is it raining?" Our new friends (Disney diehards like us) go "nope, that's the ashes.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Lunch at D-Luxe Burger​

I was really excited about trying D-Luxe Burger. After all, how many great burger spots are there in disney? I'm a huge fan of the battered burger from Cookes of Dublin, but it's not your traditional burger.

To start, the restaurant is wonderfully themed. Take a moment to really explore the decor. Little details, such as the use of glass bottles in chandeliers, wrought iron, wooden ceilings and exposed brick really drove the theme home.

If we had one gripe with the restaurant, it was the seating. There were not enough tables and chairs, due in large part to it raining outside. The rain forced everyone inside and made finding a table nearly impossible. It also led to a few...pushy... guests hovering around waiting for you to finish your meal. It made for a really uncomfortable meal. I have no doubt, however, that it could be really nice to eat outside if the weather permits and we visited on a bad day.

The ordering process is quick and seamless. We were on the Disney Dining Plan, so we were each allowed a choice of burger, drink and either regular-sized fries or a dessert burger macaron.

My sister and I ordered the El Diablo burger, a mix of their signature beef and chorizo, then topped with Fried Banana Peppers, Pepper Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, and Chipotle Mayonnaise. My mom ordered the Barbecue Classic Burger, their Signature Blend topped with a Fried Onion Ring, Smoked Gouda, Bacon, Barbeque Sauce, and Lettuce. My dad went with the Classic Cheeseburger. We all went with the regular fries and soft drinks, and I couldn't help but try one of their boozy shakes: The Vanilla Porter shake.

After looking for about 5-10 minutes, we finally found a table and sat down. A server brought us our meal—I'm not sure if this traditionally happens or if we were too busy all searching for a table and missed our number being called. Regardless, all the food was accounted for and it was time to dig in.

Everyone really enjoyed their burger. My mom said hers wasn't exactly what she expected, but that wasn't exactly a bad thing. She really liked the huge fried onion ring and the gouda was a nice twist. The El Diablo Burger was delicious. It wasn't too spicy, but the chorizo blend certainly gave it a nice kick and a huge dimension of flavor. The fried banana peppers gave some nice acidity, while the cheese ad mayo cut down on the acidity while maintaining the burger's spice.

Everything was huge. The burgers were tremendously filling and the regular fries could have easily fed two people—something to keep in mind if you're going out of pocket or on the dining plan and want to split the fries and a macaron.

I really liked the dipping sauces for the fries. The Cast Member was nice enough to give us all the dips, allowing us to decide on our favorite. I personally enjoyed the curry ketchup, which had a subtle kick.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the shake and wondered if I should have played it safe and went with a non-alcoholic version. I really enjoyed it. It almost had a Guinness Float taste to it. The shake was rich and creamy, while the taste of the porter was prevalent but not overpowering. Believe it or not, the shake wasn't overly heavy and didn't leave me feeling overly full. I definitely think next time I'll try one of their regular shakes, but this was definitely a different combination that I really enjoyed.

I totally recommend D-Luxe Burger. It's a great value on the meal plan that offers some hefty-sized burgers and plenty of fries.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Well, I decided that this weekend I'd concentrate on editing my photos and making them look great. I was in the process of transferring them over and, I have no clue what happened, but a majority of them became corrupted. I lost almost all the photos from my vacation and I'm devastated. Sure, we'll be back—in about 3 months to be exact—but it hit me a bit knowing that this Christmas trip was so important to us and such a monumental one—saving so much to stay at Beach Club—and now some of those memories are gone. Anyway, the show must go on. I still have plenty of mental memories... and I joked with my parents that "now we have to go back to Beach Club!"

Tuesday, December 27th​

By Tuesday we were back to our normal ways of waking up early. We had a 9am reservation at Kona for breakfast, so we woke up around 7am. Buses were moving really slow this morning as there was a ton of traffic going to Magic Kingdom. I can't remember if there was a Phased Closure on this day. Moving forward, I don't think we'll book ADRs near Magic Kingdom so close to Rope Drop anymore, as we cut it pretty close.

After Kona we explored the Polynesian a bit. I bought a Hawaiian shirt for our dinner at 'Ohana (it has Mickey on it, so I had to get it) and we just enjoyed being in the resort. Poly is really one of our favorites and the next resort on our bucket list. One day—just not Christmastime when the cheapest room is the same amount as a the most expensive one at Beach Club. It was a gorgeous day, so we took the boat back toward Magic Kingdom rather than the monorail.

We hung at the resort for maybe an hour or so—I got my camera ready (sniffle) and we packed an extra layer in case it got a little chilly at night. Then we were off again.

We made it to Animal Kingdom a little earlier than we should have. We hit that exact window when we were too late to get into any of the shows and the next scheduled showtime was during our FP+'s. I warned my family we should have hung at the hotel a little longer...

We made the best of it, walking the park and looking at the animals. We finally got a photo with Russell. We still haven't been able to meet Dug yet. Animal Kingdom was pretty crowded, but not overwhelmingly so. We had a FP+ for Expedition Everest at 3:35pm, so when that eventually opened up, my sister and I went on. I still think Expedition Everest is the best thrill ride at Disney. It's a shame that people often overlook Animal Kingdom and miss out on such a great coaster.

Following Expedition Everest we made our way over to Yak & Yeti. We still had about 45 minutes until our reservation. I told the hostess that I knew we were very early, but wanted to get our names down. My sister and I grabbed a beer at the bar and literally the second we paid, we were called to be seated. Yak & Yeti was the best single Table Service we had this trip. What a pleasant surprise, but I'll cover that in the food review.

We finished at Yak & Yeti around 5-5:30pm. We had a 5:50pm FP+ for Kilimanjaro Safari. We tried to kill time so that we could see the Safari after dark. It was just starting to get dark. We didn't account for the time spent on the line - so the safari was a little darker than we expected. We missed out on a lot of the animals and honestly, it was a little eery. But getting to see the lions (lions are most active at night) made it all worth it. The guide paid special attention to the lions and was sure to step on the gas when they got a little frisky. I love lions so this really made my day.

We finished up at Animal Kingdom around 7. We hung by the Tree of Life for a little, which is really beautiful at night. We got back to the Beach Club around 8pm. EPCOT had late-night EMH tonight, so my sister and I decided to go. My parents were wiped, so they called it a night.

I let my sister nap from 8-9 while I went for a walk around the Boardwalk. I really loved staying in that area. We went to EPCOT in time for Illuminations and walked country-to-country during the show, watching it from different vantage points. Future World is often overlooked and while it's a bit obstructed, there are some cool views. I fortunately have photos from my iPhone I'll upload later.

During EMH we figured we'd try and get on Soarin'. It had a 30-minute wait, but after not moving for 20 minutes, they announced that there was technical difficulties. So no, we didn't get to see the new Soarin'.

All in all, a good day. We moved at a relaxing pace and still got to enjoy both Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.

Things we learned
- During Christmas week, at least, don't book breakfast ADRs near Magic Kingdom so close to park opening. Traffic can make it difficult getting there on time. Instead, go early (especially if there's morning EMH), then go get breakfast; or book closer to 10am.

- The best way to tackle Animal Kingdom is to space things out. We have a bad habit of booking all our FP+s together and not spending enough time in that park. Book a morning, afternoon and evening FP+, then do shows and enjoy the awesome food inbetween then.

- FutureWorld has a few solid spots for Illuminations. They're slightly obstructed during the water parts, but they offer a clear view of the fireworks without the crowds.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Dinner at Yak & Yeti​

We mis-planned our day at Animal Kingdom and wound up with about an hour window between our FP+ at Expedition Everest and dinner at Yak & Yeti. We arrived at Yak & Yeti around 45 minutes early. I apologized to the hostess and said we were very early, but would hang by the bar. No problem - she took our name and by the time we finished ordering a drink, they sat us. This was becoming an unexpected and pleasant recurring theme: we had shown up to many of our ADRs early and been seated. A lot of our ADRs were before the usual dinner time, however, so this could have been the reason.

First things first, Yak & Yeti is wonderfully themed. It's easy to be awed by Be Our Guest, but Yak & Yet has a certain grittiness you'd expect from a hostel or small hotel in Asia. It wasn't until I went to the bathroom that I really noticed the theming and signage. Take some time to explore and take in the decor.

While the decor made us feel miles away from home, our server transported us back. She was from Long Beach, NY, which is about 20 minutes from our hometown! I actually lived in Long Beach for a summer. Our server was delightful and really knowledgeable about the menu and the restaurant's offerings. She kept warning us to save room for dessert, as she boasted that "it's what we're best known for!"

My sister and I each had a beer, but we ordered regular drinks along with my parents. Rather than go with a normal Coke Zero, I opted for their cucumber sparkling water which was outstanding. It was insanely fresh! My mom and sister each went with one of their flavored lemonades. There's no refills for the specialty drinks on the DDP, but I had the beer and switched to water once I finished.

We had to start with the tuna nachos. It's meant to feed two but we easily split it amongst three people. My dad not liking fish went with the wonton soup. Honestly - you can come to Yak & Yeti and share the tuna nachos, a dessert and (maybe) another appetizer and leave full. The portions are huge! The tuna in the nachos was very fresh and everything just worked. The chips even tasted fresh. They were similar to the wrapping on eggrolls or the thick fried strips you sometimes get with soup at the Chinese store. However, they weren't greasy and heavy, rather, light and airy with a perfect crunch.

​

I wasn't sure what I wanted for dinner. I had my heart set on the steak with the coconut shrimp, but I had steak the last two nights and would be having it a few days later at Yachtsman. I contemplated the seafood curry, then realized I'd be sweating in the hot sun the next few days and did my fellow Disney guests a favor and passed. Then it happened - the server read the specials: there was a seafood mac and cheese which my sister opted for, chicken and waffles and a fish dish. I immediately folded up my menu upon hearing "chicken and waffles." I LOVE chicken and waffles and will almost always try it when available.

After she left I started wondering if I made the right decision. I've ordered chicken and waffles in the past and been unhappy with the chicken, or the plating or the serving. I started wondering if the chicken would be run-of-the-mill chicken nuggets over a small waffle. Would it be like Capt. Cooks where it's small waffles with a small chicken puff on top? Would the chicken be grilled with Asian spices?

My worried were quashed when the dish arrived: a large board with a hefty Belgian waffle topped with 3 or 4 long breaded chicken tenders and a bowl of syrup. "Whoa" my sister exclaimed. I just stared at it for a moment and contemplated a way to tackle this eloquently.

I finally decided to just pour the syrup over the chicken and waffle and dive in. I saved some syrup just in case I got to the bottom and there was dry waffle. The syrup wasn't a traditional syrup, it had a bit of an Asian twist to it. The chicken was a home run. It was crunch on the outside and had a bit of a kick to it, which went really well with the sweet syrup. The waffle was fluffy and light and soaked up the syrup like a sponge. I tried to pace myself to enjoy every last bite but I couldn't help but attack it like the T-Rex on the DINOSAUR ride. The chicken and waffles were served alongside a slaw that added a nice fresh element and acted as a palate cleanser.

​

For dessert, my sister agreed to order the cream cheese wontons and I went with the mango pie, that way we could split. Maybe because I had a very full belly, but the cream cheese wontons didn't do it for me. They were a bit too greasy and felt too fast-foody. The mango pie, on the other hand, was delicious. It had a very fresh element and was a refreshing finish to a hearty meal. My mom used to always make pudding pies with Jello. She'd buy Cool Whip, mix it with instant Jello (cherry or orange or something), then fill a store-bought pie crust and top it with leftover Cool-Whip. It reminded me a lot of that, in a good way.

​

I recommend Yak & Yeti but with the caveat that I whole heartedly enjoyed a special that's not always on the menu. My parents went with lo mein and really liked it, but I'm not sure i would have. Now, if Yak & Yeti puts the chicken & waffles on their everyday menu, well then, I'll be there every day.