PART TWO *December 2012 Roll Call* Holidays, FLE & MVMCP!! A very, merry thread!

[levenhopper]

As I was replying to all these responces (thanks for the quick feedback!), I realized we don't have as much time in HS as I thought. Our full day on Thursday has us leaving for four hours mid-day for a tour at Epcot. So we really have a 3/4 day on Saturday, and a 1/2-3/4 day on Thursday.

Post your abbreviated schedule again. That will help me in advice giving.

Fri, Dec 14. Plan on getting to hotel around 1PM, via DME. Check in, head to Epcot. Lunch at Rose & Crown at 2:10. Illuminations at night. Epcot has PM EMH.

Sat, Dec 15. Hollywood Studios. Lunch at 50s Primetime Cafe at 1:50PM. Heading to Downtown Disney for Cirque du Soleil's 6PM showing. Dinner at T-Rex at 8:30PM

Sun, Dec 16. EPCOT. Breakfast at Akershus at 8:20AM, dinner at Le Cellier at 7:35PM. Abby wants to drink around the world, so we'll be doing most of our rides Friday, and taking it casual in Epcot on Sunday. Illuminations at night.

Mon, Dec 17. Animal Kingdom (with EMH AM). Breakfast at Tusker House at 9:10AM. Dinner at California Grill at 5:05PM. Sunset is at 5:32PM, so we'll get a nice view. Then, monorail hop for a bit to see holiday decorations before heading back to California Grill for fireworks, or heading to the Polynesian beach (depending on the weather). After that, depending on how tired we are, head to the Boardwalk to check out Jellyrolls.

Tues, Dec 18. Magic Kingdom. Breakfast at Crystal Palace at 8:10AM. Dinner at 'Ohana at 4:45PM. MVMCP at night.

Wed, Dec 19. Magic Kingdom. Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table at 8:05AM. Dinner at Be Our Guest at 6:30PM. Parade and fireworks at night.

Thurs, Dec 20. Hollywood Studios. Seas Aqua Tour at EPCOT (meets at Epcot main gate at 12:00PM - tour doesn't require park admission). Fantasmic at night. Dinner at Sci-Fi Dine-In at 8:20PM.

Fri, Dec 21. Epcot in the AM. Lunch at Via Napoli at 11:30AM before heading to the resort to catch DME back to the airport.

I wouldn't say it was a two-day park at all but it is most definitely a full day park - I had to make sure I schedule this day to co-incide with EMH.

Ummmm, no offense, but I don't think your TA has been to Disney

Sometimes I wonder the same thing. Her agency only does Disney travel, but sometimes she's just way off base...like last week telling me I should swap my BOG and 'Ohana reservations, as if it'd be easy to do that.

The only PM EMH at HS is on 12/16, so I'd have to give up a pre-opening Akershus and a Le Cellier to swap the days :/

On the 1 or 2 day DHS debate it really depends on how many of the stage/stunt shows you want to take in and still enjoy the rides. With the Indy Stunt Show, LMA, Beauty and the Beast, and Fantasmic! you have a pretty full day if you can even make the scheduling work. Add on to that ToT, RnRC, TSM, Muppets, and more and you're easily beyond a day. If you want to see everything you're probably looking at a day and a half. If you can miss some stuff a day will do you.

I think Abby and I are more into the rides than the shows. We've talked about wanting to do wanting to do: RnRC, ToT, Star Tours, TSM, The Beauty and the Beast show, and Fantasmic!. Anything else would be awesome, but those are our top picks.

DHS is the least cohesive of the parks. It's a weird mix of things so it totally depends on what you're into. The trickiest part of planning DHS is scheduling the three shows (LMA, B&B, IJ) plus the parade. If you're seeing all those and riding the headliners - TSM, RNRC, ToT, Star Tours - now you're almost at a full day. If you're seeing characters (Buzz & Woody, Lightning, random characters in the Art of Animation Building) that adds more time. Fantasmic sucks up a couple hours; we usually do that on one of our Epcot days. And now we haven't even talked about the non-headliner rides. Plus there are a few things geared to little kids that you can't/won't do - Jedi Training and Disney Junior.

For us, I've done the thrill rides and they weren't my favorites. Since the test of the family won't ride, they're skippable. We went last year and rode everything else, saw the shows and met the characters. Took a full day plus two partial to do everything including Fantasmic and Jedi. None of those really thrilled us enough to repeat except TSM (for DS) and Fantasmic. So we're only planning to see those plus the things that have changed since our last trip: Star Tours (closed last time), Muppets (refurb), Osborne (this is our first Christmas trip). So we'll hit a few things in the morning, then come back one evening. We'd just rather spend more time at the other parks.

I should also mention that people feel the same way about AK. Some people do it in a half day. But for us it's a day and a half at least. But that all depends on how much you want to stop and see every animal. If you're mainly focusing on traditional attractions you're done by 3pm.

I don't think Abby and I will be big character meet people - we would both rather do attractions and get the overall feel for the parks rather than wait in line for a character meet.

Oh sure, rub it in . I woke up to a cold house that is 65 degrees .

I feel your pain :/. It's cold here, with lots of wind.

 

[ksromack]

I looked into the christmas trees delivered by Disney Florist

And promptly went to Amazon. I ordered a mini tree, some window clings, multi lights and some ADorable mickey head ornaments. add the girls stockings with some command strips and we are good to go!

yeah!

Oh, but that tree from Disney Florist would be so much fun! If money were no object.........

What tree did you order from Amazon? Are you driving so you can bring it with you? I'm probably getting a 3' prelit from Walmart and having it delivered to our resort along with cases of water and snacks......I need to get my hiney in gear with the ornament making! I also plan on making a wreath that I will have to fit in my suitcase somewhere I think I asked before but I must have missed the answer........Do people leave door wreaths alone or is there risk of theft? I have a wreath hanger that will hopefully fit over the door. If I had too I could probably hot glue it to our wreath hanger but I'd rather now pack a hot glue gun with the TSA oogling my luggage

 

[1stvisit0909]

Oh, but that tree from Disney Florist would be so much fun! If money were no object.........

What tree did you order from Amazon? Are you driving so you can bring it with you? I'm probably getting a 3' prelit from Walmart and having it delivered to our resort along with cases of water and snacks......I need to get my hiney in gear with the ornament making! I also plan on making a wreath that I will have to fit in my suitcase somewhere I think I asked before but I must have missed the answer........Do people leave door wreaths alone or is there risk of theft? I have a wreath hanger that will hopefully fit over the door. If I had too I could probably hot glue it to our wreath hanger but I'd rather now pack a hot glue gun with the TSA oogling my luggage

I got an 18 inch one. We are flying, SW so we can check up to 8 for free. Should be fine.

 

[ksromack]

I'm a Nikon girl ... only cuz my Dad is a passionate photographer and has always used Nikon so I've grown up brand-loyal. For point & shoot I have a Nikon Coolpix which was about $100. It has a lot of features, takes a good picture and is easy to use. The best thing though is its really really small & light so no trouble to carry around. Oh, and I was able to get it in pink

I love the memories this thread evokes in my heart! I got my passion for photography from my dad too (he's been gone since 1997). Of course, we're talking the "olden" days where 35mm MANUAL camera were all there was......dad had a Yashica. Then he switched to Minolta when they came out. My first 35mm was a Minolta, then another Minolta. But I went Canon when digital came out. I'm sure I would have loved Nikon had I started with that but there's too much $$ invested now to ever switch. The only think I love more than taking pictures is taking pictures at WDW!

Its ok, I can talk baseball again - I'm almost healed

I feel your pain. We feel such passion for our teams! I was ready to throw in the towel last night. As a matter of fact, dh had a crumby day at work so when the score as 0-6 he begged me to turn the channel. Soooooo we watched an episode of Big Bang (to put us back in our happy place)......then I put the game back on. It was 2-6 then, I think........so we continued to watch. I actually fell asleep when dh started "yaahooing"........then I was up for the rest of the game. I should have known better than to ever count out my Cardinals. I've been so afraid to talk about it and I promise to not bring it up very often.

 

[1stvisit0909]

Okay, so now you're talking my language!!! I have a lot of catching up to do since last night.....my oh my, everyone has been so chatty (which is funny to me because my nickname has always been Chatty Kathy) I just bought this camera bag from eBags dot com. http://www.ebags.com/product/case-logic/medium-slr-camera-bag/133827?productid=1347180 It has side pockets to fit two extra lenses and the camera holder itself is genius because it allows your camera to be suspended, thus protecting it from any shock. My favorite part is the bottom, which is a flat plastic in case you want to put it down on the ground (don't leave it though)! I have the medium but there is a smaller and larger version. It isn't any bigger than my purse and the zippered pocket in the front could hold your phone/fast passes/KTTK. Case Logic is the brand and they have lots of bags to choose from to suit your needs. I plan to bring my 80-300 mm zoom lens and my 50 mm lens in addition to the kit lens that came with my camera. I don't have an external flash though...not sure where that would fit in this particular case. I think you can fit a fold up or mini tripod, though.....check it out!

I keep going back and forth abt taking my dslr. I love it, but I don't want to schlep it, with flying too. Maybe if we drove...idk. I think my canon point and shoot will be fine, and fits in my pocket.

 

[RooRach0906]

I was just showing DD pictures of Pete's Silly Sideshow and she kept calling Daisy, Donald no matter how many times I corrected her... ugh she knows her characters to but I have to admit myself she doesnt look a lot like Daisy... so besides the front of Epcot is there anywhere else we can see Daisy???

 

[RooRach0906]

ME!!

I have been on a few times to check it and see how it will work for me but I just look at it and I'm like INFORMATION OVERLOAD!!!

Don't get me wrong, I love the internet & technology .... I'm all techno'd up but if I'm real about it, I can do without half the stuff I bookmark.

I get the information overload thing I get that sometimes when I look up certain information on google and other places. I never thought about that but I could see how you would on pinterest too.

 

[ksromack]

My TA (yes, I booked with a TA...before I learned of the DIS) is trying to convince me into adding park hoppers onto our tickets. I'm not sure when we'd use it based on our schedule. I'm gonna ask her when she thinks we would use it. I'm torn about it. Thoughts?

I originally had park hoppers......then I removed them from my package......then I added them back on. For me it made sense. I love having the option of going to Epcot for a meal when we are spending time at DHS. Also, what if we decide we feel up to evening EMH at another park other than the one we are spending the day? We're doing Osbourne Lights on our very first half-day but I have a feeling dh will want to see it again later in the week.......It just allows more flexibility and I think it was only a little over $100 extra for us (8 day park tickets)..... But....if you look at your schedule and are pleased with your ADRs (I just can't seem to leave mine alone ) and your park schedule, then save your money!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

It's a blustery 80 degrees here. But windy and dry! Love the dry! We are going to a 3 year old's b'day party next weekend with the same theme. I am excited!

This is why I can't wait to move to Fl. When I left for work this morning, granted it was 5am, it was 32 degrees. Still only in the 40s now. Not happy about it at all.

 

[ksromack]

It's a blustery 80 degrees here. But windy and dry! Love the dry! We are going to a 3 year old's b'day party next weekend with the same theme. I am excited!

Believe it or not, it's supposed to be 83 degrees today, here in StL!

 

[Valgoof]

@levenhopper--like others have said, I dont think you need park hoppers(and that is coming from someone who LOVES to hop). If you decide you want to for any reason, it costs the same to add it today as it would on Dec 17th. Just wait so you dont waste $110. I think you have plenty of time at DHS. We are going one evening to see Osborne Lights and then 2 other half days to ride and see shows. TSMM and Star Tours are DH's favorite rides.

@ksromack---that was an amazing comeback! I didnt watch it, but saw highlights this morning.

@mnmrmustard--with the CP package, you know you get a seat. The stand by line has no guarantees.

 

[WedgieSock]

I love the memories this thread evokes in my heart! I got my passion for photography from my dad too (he's been gone since 1997). Of course, we're talking the "olden" days where 35mm MANUAL camera were all there was......dad had a Yashica. Then he switched to Minolta when they came out. My first 35mm was a Minolta, then another Minolta. But I went Canon when digital came out. I'm sure I would have loved Nikon had I started with that but there's too much $$ invested now to ever switch. The only think I love more than taking pictures is taking pictures at WDW!

Yep, same here. My Dads camera bag was sooooo heavy! Living in London in an apartment, we were lucky enough to have a second restroom .... but we never used it as it was my Dads darkroom. He used to develop black white photos for me and bought me a 'special' set of pens (like todays Sharpies) and I would colour them in.

I feel your pain. We feel such passion for our teams! I was ready to throw in the towel last night. As a matter of fact, dh had a crumby day at work so when the score as 0-6 he begged me to turn the channel. Soooooo we watched an episode of Big Bang (to put us back in our happy place)......then I put the game back on. It was 2-6 then, I think........so we continued to watch. I actually fell asleep when dh started "yaahooing"........then I was up for the rest of the game. I should have known better than to ever count out my Cardinals. I've been so afraid to talk about it and I promise to not bring it up very often.

What an awesome game that was! No matter who you support, that was a great moment for any baseball fan!

 

[ksromack]

Soooo, I made one in Photoshop by combining the hi-res graphic that Disney gave out and information provided by talented and dedicated DISboarder Robo who has been keeping up on attraction locations on a sattelite map. Here is a board-friendly version:

And here is a link to the big version CLICK HERE

I love this! It's now safely saved to my WDW file! Thank you!

On the 1 or 2 day DHS debate it really depends on how many of the stage/stunt shows you want to take in and still enjoy the rides. With the Indy Stunt Show, LMA, Beauty and the Beast, and Fantasmic! you have a pretty full day if you can even make the scheduling work. Add on to that ToT, RnRC, TSM, Muppets, and more and you're easily beyond a day. If you want to see everything you're probably looking at a day and a half. If you can miss some stuff a day will do you.

And since we're on the subject of DHS, I've done some combing of the thread and haven't found an answer to a question so I'll put it here and see what y'all have to say on the matter:

Is it really possible to see the turn on of the Osborne Lights and enjoy it ...and catch Fantasmic!? Or is it possible to watch Fantasmic! and still have enough time to go over and really take in the lights?

On another subject, I've read several posts about the wait for Neil Patrick Harris's reading of the Story of Christmas/Candlelight Processional. He seems to be the one to see and he is doing his last night the day we fly in. I've heard his line can stretch down to Canada, even with the Processional Dining Package. Is it worth it to pay the premium for the dining package if the line is still going to be that long?

For us, DHS is 1.5 day park. Our first day is really only an evening with late EMH......I plan to do Osbourne Lights AND am praying for a late Fantasmic the same night as it's EMH. We plan on being there for the turn-on of the lights....is that at 5:30? I guess I better get that time in my head! As for CP package.....I knew I wanted it and we aren't even seeing NPH. I hate wasting precious park time in a line more than an hour long.....so the package is a necessity for us!

 

[levenhopper]

I keep going back and forth abt taking my dslr. I love it, but I don't want to schlep it, with flying too. Maybe if we drove...idk. I think my canon point and shoot will be fine, and fits in my pocket.

I'm debating the same thing. I think I'm just going to stick with my iPhone for this trip. We already have FP+, so I'll just need my camera for spur of the moment things, right?

 

[WedgieSock]

I'm debating the same thing. I think I'm just going to stick with my iPhone for this trip. We already have FP+, so I'll just need my camera for spur of the moment things, right?

Don't forget to make sure your photostream is 'ON' !!!! I learnt the hard way.

 

[dnsmills]

Not much to say, just wanted to say 'Good morning, all!'

 

[mom2travel]

I like having hoppers only because we end up hopping a lot. We usually start with one park in the morning, take a break and then end the night at another park. Even if you have plans to stay at one park all day, you never know when you may want to change the plan. For example DH and I were at HS one day and it was hot and miserable and really crowded. Even though we did not plan on leaving HS we decided to hop on a boat to Epcot. It was great to have that freedom.

We love park hoppers. It allows us to be flexible and spontaneous!

With that said, we didn't get them for this trip because the hours are shorter than when we're normally there, we're going to MVMCP and we are only there for 4 days. I can always add them if we change our mind

 

[mom2travel]

I think 2 days at DHS is a waste personally, I don't think we have ever spent 2 full days there.

Us either. A full day at most. For a 5+ day trip, we might do two half days - one am, one pm. Or just go in the morning and stay until we're done, then hop

 

[mom2travel]

Happy Saturday All! I've noticed that WDW hasn't put out a numbered map of the Fantasyland Expansion. They love their secrets!

Soooo, I made one in Photoshop by combining the hi-res graphic that Disney gave out and information provided by talented and dedicated DISboarder Robo who has been keeping up on attraction locations on a sattelite map. Here is a board-friendly version:

And here is a link to the big version CLICK HERE

Enjoy!

Thank you!

 

[WedgieSock]

Soooooo we watched an episode of Big Bang (to put us back in our happy place)......

Btw - this is our absolute fav show. When we're not watching TV we just have it on in the background (love TBS for that ) "Sheldonisms" are a part of our household