The waiting is the hardest part

[PumpkinKingGB]

150 days, to be exact 150 days, 20 hours, 25 minutes, 25 seconds (According to my countdown app)

This will be my 3rd Disney trip, but my wife and our kids' first, and holy cr*p I can't wait! I last went to Disney in 2008, so this trip is waaaay overdue.

I'll be accompanied on this magnificent adventure by my wife and our 4 kids, aged 15-12-6-6, it's no mean feat handling two teenage girls and two pre teen boys, but this year we decided to book it, after a couple of years putting off due to the boys not being old enough, and well as I've never been at Christmas it seemed like the perfect time of year for our pilgrimage to the house of mouse.

We're staying offsite as not many onsite rooms cater for 6, and those that do were well over budget, the condo we've booked is 15 minutes from everywhere except the airport, it's 30 minutes from that.

Our first stop will be to hit the outlet mall as we're travelling hand luggage only on the way out, and I promised the boys they can wear Disney clothes every day!
We'll be in Orlando for 16 days over Christmas and New Year so there'll be plenty of time for parks, and boy do we have a lot on. I'll go in to more details as we get closer, don't want to give it all away up front now do I?

Our first stop will be MK (obviously) and we have a lunch time ADR with our good friends Winnie the Pooh at CP. The youngest of our twins (by 5 minutes but boy does his brother remind him of it) id Pooh mad, and was really excited when I told him, but then he got a massive look of worry on his face.
"What's wrong buddy?" I asked him, turns out, he was scared that Tigger might be bouncing around the restaurant and would knock everything over while he was trying to have his lunch
Thank the lord for Youtube though, and I showed him a video of the process, so now he's much happier, and still super excited.

Well that's it for now, there's much more to come, but for now as per the title, the waiting is the hardest part:

150 days, 20 hours, 09 minutes, 10 seconds...

 

[Tash87]

I agree...the waiting is the hardest part! BUT it's also all part of the fun, booking adr's, FP etc.

Your children are going to LOVE it! It's such a great experience when you have children with you.

I'm currently on countdown to book our FP.

116 days. 19 minutes and 54 seconds lol.

 

[UKDisneyJoe]

We booked our trip about 3 months ago now and have 496 days to go and are passing the time by watching disney vlogs on youtube almost every day

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

So, the rental car is booked. Decided on a full size SUV rather than a 15 seater, I'm used to driving out there but I think I would stress a lot driving something that big. So Chevy Tahoe (or similar) it is.

The next stop on our culinary tour is Rainforest Cafe at Disney Springs, now the last time I was there it was called Downtown Disney and there was no multi story car park. This one is all me though, as I've convinced myself I can eat the Volcano dessert solo (time, and a full TR will tell)
Thankfully I've got the day after that to relax (and digest) at Discovery Cove. We've booked a dolphin swim along with the entry, I'm not that into fish, but our DD(15) is and she really wanted to do this, so I guess I'll have to man up
And yes, I realise dolphin aren't fish, but they live in the same house as the fish, so they're fish. I also bet if they were totally legal to eat they would taste like fish.

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

I agree...the waiting is the hardest part! BUT it's also all part of the fun, booking adr's, FP etc.

Your children are going to LOVE it! It's such a great experience when you have children with you.

I'm currently on countdown to book our FP.

116 days. 19 minutes and 54 seconds lol.

Thanks, I'm super excited for the kids, I know they'll love it, just a little nervous about jetlag.

We booked our trip about 3 months ago now and have 496 days to go and are passing the time by watching disney vlogs on youtube almost every day

God Bless Youtube!

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

I've been Um'ing and Ah'ing as to whether we should do Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and when I checked the finances this week it was still questionable, but then I thought, what the hell! So I went and booked it anyways, my rationale was that we will probably not get another chance to do it for several years, and by then our eldest daughter probably won't be interested so let's make this trip as magical as possible!

I've booked for the last night on the 22nd of December, the plan for that day is to take it easy, maybe do HS until lunch time, then head back to the condo and rest up, let the kids have a nap, get an early buffet dinner off site, then head to the park for 5 for some FP+ action, before the festivities, and try keep 2 hyper 6 year olds awake until midnight.


The kicker here is we've not told the kids, we're going to tell them it's a down day and then after dinner we will simply drive to MK and spring it on them, hopefully I'll finally live up to the title on the mug I get every fathers day

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

133 days 20 hours 15 minutes 5 seconds

 

[UKDisneyJoe]

I've been Um'ing and Ah'ing as to whether we should do Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and when I checked the finances this week it was still questionable, but then I thought, what the hell! So I went and booked it anyways, my rationale was that we will probably not get another chance to do it for several years, and by then our eldest daughter probably won't be interested so let's make this trip as magical as possible!

Went to MVMCP in 2014 and it was the best part of our trip. Really enjoyed the evening and seeing a few characters that are not normally out. We are going to book it again when back next year but maybe do a few more rides then last time. Parade was good too.

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

Went to MVMCP in 2014 and it was the best part of our trip. Really enjoyed the evening and seeing a few characters that are not normally out. We are going to book it again when back next year but maybe do a few more rides then last time. Parade was good too.

I'm really excited about this, one of the many things we have planned to make this a trip of a lifetime.

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

So, we're now 70 days out (70 days, 16 hours, 27 minutes) and it's all becoming very real now. oh my!
A lot has happened in the 80 days since I started this thread/PTR, lots good, some not great, but nothing horrendous. So onwards I shall forge (if you need to go to the loo, go now, 'cos I'm not stopping half way through to wait for you).

I recently received an email from United with the subject "Changes to your scheduled flight to MCO", and my heart sunk, I mean *** could be in there? were we now diverting via MOntreal or some other 3rd world city (I kid, I kid), were they cancelling my flights? the anguish, the pain, why didn't I just open it? Well I did (the previous was for dramatic effect) and holy wotsits, good news

We had previously only had an hour and 15 minutes layover in Dulles, which meant a very real prospect of missing our connecting flight (4 kids I remind you, it's like herding cats), well, we now have a 1 hour and 52 minute layover, so I may allow the Mrs to check some luggage.
And well the hits they just keep coming. Along with the tickets to MVMCP, I also managed to snag (I make it sound like I stole them, but I assure you I payed for these) tickets for the SeaWorld Santa's fireside feast on Christmas Eve. So our culinary taste of Orlando continues, let me shed some light on our culinary plans to date:
First up on the 18th, as mentioned previously, Crystal Palace lunch with, as my son calls him, Winnieh The Pooh Bear!
Then we head to Rainforest Cafe on the 19th for dinner
We then have dinner at the diamond horseshoe on the 22nd before heading out to MVMCP
We break until the 24th when we will be hitting up Chef Mickey for a Christmas eve breakfast extravaganzaaaa (the extra a's are for arteries)
Followed by Christmas Eve dinner at SeaWorld, and a chance to meet Santa and Mrs Clause
Christmas dinner is provided by Minnie's seasonal dine at Holywood and Vine on the 25th
and then we will not eat again until New Years Eve where we will dine in style at T-Rex

To fill in the days when we haven't made reservations, we will be hitting up the usual haunts at DTD (or Disney Springs if you must) and any local joints which accept the Kids Eat Free card

We have yet to decide what we will be using our FP+'s on, but we have 40 days left to decide, as we're not on property (stop spitting on me), and no I will not take the kids to McDonalds, but we may go to Chik-Fil-a, and by "may" I mean definitely, because let's be honest, who doesn't love their milkshakes?

Well, that's a flight and culinary overview of what's to come, I will follow up further along with such amazing facts as:
What did we use our FP+'s for
What clothes we shall wear in December
Will it rain
Won't it rain

These and more exciting topics covered in our next scheduled program.

 

[nursejackie]

We will be there for some of the time you will be so we have almost the same countdown (64 days and counting for us from today). We are staying on site so our biggest stress this week has been fastpass selections as we can book for the whole trip (10-26th December) next Tuesday.

As for the weather we have had all kinds of weather during the last 6 Christmas times we have spent in Disney, 2010 we froze and last year we baked so who knows this year!? The one thing it hardly does is rain or we have just been lucky.

 

[Jon84]

Loving the PTR, very well written

 

[UKDisneyJoe]

As far as eating off property we really enjoy red lobster and on our last trip discovered sweet tomato's which is a greta change from the usual steak or fried foods and good value

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

We will be there for some of the time you will be so we have almost the same countdown (64 days and counting for us from today). We are staying on site so our biggest stress this week has been fastpass selections as we can book for the whole trip (10-26th December) next Tuesday.

As for the weather we have had all kinds of weather during the last 6 Christmas times we have spent in Disney, 2010 we froze and last year we baked so who knows this year!? The one thing it hardly does is rain or we have just been lucky.

I've just come back from a week in Atlanta for work and it was absolutely baking (82-79 all week), so here's hoping the weather holds out down in Florida for a while.

Loving the PTR, very well written

Thank you, no pressure for the next one 'eh.

As far as eating off property we really enjoy red lobster and on our last trip discovered sweet tomato's which is a greta change from the usual steak or fried foods and good value

I enjoy Cheesecake Factory, which we will hit up at the Mall one day out there, I think we'll mostly play it by ear for the days we don't have reservations. Thanks for the recommendations, we will definitely have a look.

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

4 weeks to go, that's right folks, you heard the man (or read it), we are now 4 weeks away from waking up at 4am....***!!!!
In my infinite wisdom, I have decided that instead of taking a taxi to the airport, we will drive our own motorised transportation and park at the airport for 16 days.
Now hold on before you pass judgement, hear me out!!
The first sentence in this story was the deciding factor really, well that and the incredibly high taxi fare for a family of 6. We need to be at the airport between 4:30 and 5, a return taxi booking was £85 each way, so b*gger that thought I, and away I went to peruse the internet, and whilst browsing I noticed it would be roughly the same cost to drive and park at the airport short stay, and there we are...only time will tell whether my intuition was correct and this was a good idea (I'll let you know).
Cool story right?

Not much else has happened in the way of plans for now, the window for our fast passes opened today so I went ahead and booked, Buzz/Splash/Haunted Mansion for our first day at MK. There was so much choice and to be honest I was a little (well a lot) overwhelmed by it all, so I booked what I thought was a safe bet for the kids, and the wife, and we can do the things we miss out on during MVMCP.
Speaking of the kids, I am so over YouTube videos of Disney world! I get it, they're awesome, but when you come home in the evening to see 4 kids plonked in front of the telly watching some grainy footage (which looks like it was filmed on a potato) every night for 2 weeks, you kind of think, what a waste of a good TV.
That said, they sure are excited, we have our daily countdown, and we have amended the dates they are allowed to start opening their advent calendars, 'cos you know, the birth of Christ can't compete with a trip to Disney (I kid, I kid), so their last chocolate coincides with the night before we go.
Truth be told I am also more than a little excited, but shhh don't tell them that.

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

I'm telling you, these Fastpass bookings, combined with planning each night is going to kill me, no fooling kill me. I am so ready for this vacation, but in the same breath I'm not.
Everything is booked and payed for, which up until now has always been the most difficult part of taking a vacation for me, but now I got to plan...and I guess it's my fault, let's see the park at Christmas I said, it'll be fun I said...

So with that in mind we are now 2 days into our FP+ bookings, I don't have anything to book today as we will be in Discovery Cove so I have a day off FP+ planning, but tomorrow kicks off again with our MVMCP planning. I've made a couple tweaks, we are now eating at 3:20 so we can get in line for Nick and Judy so we can see them before 7 when the party starts.
I know it's going to be packed, I know I'm going to be panicking about keeping track of 2 very overstimulated, and oversugarred 6 year olds , but I know it will all be worth it.

I am also not looking forward to, but definitely going to try, eggnog...
Does anyone know if eggnog is safe for pregnant women to consume? One of the ingredients is raw egg, but I'm not sure if the commercial stuff has some magic process which will make it safe for my wife.

Oh yes, that, it looks like we will be taking one extra little bundle with us this trip, yep, that's right, we're soon going to be a 7 member household

 

[Jon84]

Congratulations!!

 

[PumpkinKingGB]

Listen up folks, this is your 2 week warning!
That's right, 2 weeks!!!! And then the 6.5 of us are heading out. MY wife is trying to convince me to upgrade us to business class as she's worried she'll be uncomfortable with the bump I'll try call United again, but the last time I checked it was an extra £1700 for the upgrade

With that said we are firmly in Disney mode, all the FP+s are booked, all ADRs are made, and I am test driving my christmas jumper for MVMCP today (the reception at the office has been one of amazement and awe, or argh, I'm not sure)
I'm pretty confident I know what to expect, but not having been to Orlando for 10 years I'm expecting some changes, I just hope Cracker Barrel down there does as good a job down there as they do in Georgia. Got to get me a pancake breakfast y'know.

So all that's left now is to pack our bags, pack our tickets, unpack our bags, unpack our tickets, check we've got everything, repack it all, and start again.
So until then, you crazy kids take it easy, and remember, don't eat yellow snow.