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Old 06-06-2015, 10:18 AM   #1
Tara O'Hara
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Me, Muffin and WDW for Xmas stuff!! PTR

Well, I can't believe I am doing this but it is time to make our ADR's for our December trip already!! Now I have two trips on the horizon and more stuff to share with you guys!!

Where: You'll find out soon!!

Who: Me! (Tara O'Hara) and Muffin (Muffin O'Hara )

When: Well! This part of our adventure was originally supposed to be from December 1st through December 5th. Then we were going to stay at the airport for the night and go on the Freedom of the Seas from December 6th through December 13th!! Since I simply had to make just a few changes, I'll explain what happened subsequently .

Why: We bought an annual pass this year and we WDW at Christmas time!! And!! We got a free cruise with RCCL and would also love to see the ship all decked out for Christmas.

Hopefully, this trip will be a lot more boring to plan than my upcoming one in July. We are simply trying to take advantage of our annual passes and since we are sailing out of Port Canaveral for our cruise, we couldn't resist tacking on some time at WDW beforehand!!

AKL is and always has been my absolute favorite resort!! From the moment I first pulled up to that magical place, it has put a spell on me that has, so far, lasted for 13 years!! I hope it is never broken. I have been fortunate enough to stay a great many unique places throughout my lifetime and AKL is still number one on my list. I have never stayed anywhere else where you can sit on your balcony and watch a giraffe walk by!! It is still inconceivable to me how it is possible to do so! This is truly the epitome of Disney Magic at it's finest.

Muffin, who is more of a Wilderness Lodge kind of guy, truly lives to make me happy (well, there may be a few more reasons, but I can't think of any) and knowing how I feel about AKL, suggested that I choose where to stay this time. I am more than sure that he figured I would immediately say AKL. But in truth, they are both beautiful resorts and he is definitely the giver in our marriage. So, since we have already seen AKL in all of its Christmas finery, I swallowed hard, put on a happy face, and said that I would love to stay at the WL this time.

After some discussion, we decided to branch out and stay at a different resort all together! But where????

We have been lucky enough to stay at most of the deluxe resorts over the years and we thought going back to the Poly might be nice. Then we saw the prices and the only things left were way out of our range. There was a MK view room for the low, low price of 652 dollars a night!! We also considered the Grand Floridian again as we have visited it at Christmas time and it is absolutely gorgeous!! Sadly, again it was more then we wanted to spend, so we went back to the drawing board once again.

So! We started to look at Epcot resorts. As you all know, we were going to stay at the Yacht Club for our trip this time. We started thinking about it and realized that when we stayed there 12 years ago for our 20th anniversary, we absolutely loved it!! We looked online at the Christmas decorations and were very impressed.

We also Epcot at Christmas time and figured since we were sans the little dude, we would spend a little more time there. We also like the fact that you can hop a boat launch to HS and the Osbourne Lights!! We love the back entrance to Epcot and we love the walk over to the Boardwalk!! The more we thought about it, the more excited we got and we decided that this was going to be our holiday adventure for this year!!

So I said that we were originally planning on staying for just four nights and five days this time. We again decided that this would not be enough time to see everything we wanted to, so we decided to add a day on the front end of our trip and also to ditch the airport hotel on December 5th and instead stay at the Yacht Club until the morning of December 6th!!

Our cruise leaves on the 6th so we will get up early and take the sad bus to the airport and then get a shuttle to Port Canaveral to board the Freedom of the Seas!! We have friends joining us for this part of the trip and we will meet them onboard.

So, the only event that I have planned is MVMCP on December 3rd. We won't be doing a dining package this time either. We will eat a nice dinner every night, but the other meals can be super casual or even a snack. We are hoping to see the Christmas Illuminations and spend time at Epcot for the Christmas festivities there. We will most definitely go to see the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights!!

So, we will be at the Yacht Club from November 30th through December 6th. I am thinking we will spend 2 days at MK, 2 days at Epcot, 1 day at AK and 1 day at HS. We are still working on how to divide our days up.

We will then board the beautiful Freedom of the Seas for a week in the Western Caribbean. Our cruise stops are Labadee (Royal Caribbean's private island), Jamaica, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I will post this part of the trip in Globetrotting.

I am so excited to have, not one but, two Disney trips to look forward to this year!! We've already made our ADR's and our resort reservation!!

Next: Where to dine, where to dine??
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Old 06-06-2015, 11:14 AM   #2
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Oh wow, what wonderful plans you've got, but how many more changes are coming up, I wonder?
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Old 06-06-2015, 03:40 PM   #3
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Oh wow, what wonderful plans you've got, but how many more changes are coming up, I wonder?

Well, I won't make any promises, but we aren't planning any changes this time! . Thanks, Cheryl!!
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Old 06-06-2015, 03:52 PM   #4
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So jealous!! Disney AND a cruise!?!?!?! and some of my favorite islands too!!!
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My Previous TripsCSR April 2016; BCV August 2015; SSR April 2015; AKL & AoA June/July 2014; POP September 2013; POP August 2013; AKL & BLT June/July 2013; POR December 2012; SSR October 2012; SSR July 2011; BWV May 2011; SSR July/Aug 2010; WL & SSR July 2009; SSR July 2008; OKW August 2007; OKW May 2007; SSR October 2006; SSR June 2006; OKW December 2005; CS September 2005; OKW July 2005; SSR October 2004; POP June 2004; ASMV April 2004; BWV October 2003
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Old 06-06-2015, 03:55 PM   #5
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How exciting!! I'm hoping there won't be any changes with the hotel.
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Old 06-06-2015, 04:50 PM   #6
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So jealous!! Disney AND a cruise!?!?!?! and some of my favorite islands too!!!
You are most welcome to join me, Lisa!!

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How exciting!! I'm hoping there won't be any changes with the hotel.
Me too, Mayra!
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Old 06-06-2015, 05:12 PM   #7
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That trip sounds great! And I was right, we leave November 28th, so I'm just missing you! I can't wait to hear about it, especially since we are going so close together!
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Old 06-06-2015, 05:14 PM   #8
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A nice start to the planning and looks like a winner! Looking forward to see your ADRs!
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Old 06-06-2015, 08:52 PM   #9
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I'm loving all your plans so far as well as you excitement. I think the Yacht Club is going to be a great resort choice, too. Can't wait to hear where you are eating.
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Old 06-07-2015, 03:02 AM   #10
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Well, I won't make any promises, but we aren't planning any changes this time! . Thanks, Cheryl!!
I have to say Tara, I have heard you say that before...
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My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
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Old 06-07-2015, 08:14 AM   #11
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That trip sounds great! And I was right, we leave November 28th, so I'm just missing you! I can't wait to hear about it, especially since we are going so close together!
That's a bummer that we will just miss each other!. I think we are neck and neck excited!!!

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A nice start to the planning and looks like a winner! Looking forward to see your ADRs!
Thanks, Dave!!

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I'm loving all your plans so far as well as you excitement. I think the Yacht Club is going to be a great resort choice, too. Can't wait to hear where you are eating.
Thanks, Cam!

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I have to say Tara, I have heard you say that before...
I know, I know.....
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Old 06-07-2015, 09:02 AM   #12
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Lmao @ Muffin O'Hara!

Your trip sounds great so far! Can't wait to hear about your dining picks!
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Old 06-07-2015, 03:53 PM   #13
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Lmao @ Muffin O'Hara!

Your trip sounds great so far! Can't wait to hear about your dining picks!
Glad I could make you smile!! Thanks!!
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Old 06-07-2015, 07:01 PM   #14
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Yay! Another Tara pre-trip! Aaaand, we will just miss you again. We will be back in December, but a couple of weeks after you. I look forward to hearing about your stay at the Yacht Club. We don't get much info. on that one. I also look forward to reading about your cruise. Maybe I'll write a little something about our Christmas stay at the WL, so Muffin can share in that one.
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Old 06-07-2015, 09:37 PM   #15
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Great plans!
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