Christmas at Disney World- again About This Page:

[rhinohunter]

WOW I need to take lessons from on how to manage the rides and the FPs. You really do a great staying job on task without wearing everyone out.

[dutchdisneyfamily]

I am taking notes on your schedule. Great job managing the crowds and using your Fastpasses!

[KMB733]

Sounds like you a great plan for the day and were able to cope with the crowds. I agree with you about the Frozen sing a long. We had so much fun! I feel like the humor was definitely for the parents in the audience. And I will admit that I cried seeing how excited and happy my niece was during the show.

[pamcarey]

The Frozen sing-along sounds great! It probably won't be there anymore by the time I make it back to WDW.


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[B.M.]

Monday December 29/ Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom was set to open at 7am. We were pulling out of the resort by 6:15am having eaten breakfast in the room.
The GPS went crazy on me this morning. I knew something wasn’t right as our resort is less than five minutes from AK, but I followed the GPS anyhow and we drove in circles with my sister following me . We still managed to get to the AK by 6:30am.
We were quickly parked and headed toward the entrance when Winston realized he had left my itinerary in the van. He had been reading it on the way to the park. I had texted everyone the days plans, so I had it on my phone- but I really like having a copy in my pocket so I turned back for it.
Well, when we got to the park’s entrance I realized I didn’t have my magic band! I knew I had it on this morning, so I figured it fell off somewhere. But I didn’t know if it fell off at the resort or at the park parking lotL.
I got in line with guest services and Dillon walked back to the van to see if he could see it laying somewhere between the park and the van.
Guest Services quickly gave me a card with my ticket and fast passes on it. Dillon did not see my bandL. They told me if I didn’t find it upon return to my resort, to simply ask the front desk for a replacement.
We had now had three hiccups before even entering the park!
Believe it or not- we still got in line for park opening with the park not open yet. So, we still made rope drop.
We made a bee line for Dinosaur. I have mixed feelings about this ride. I do enjoy it, but it is very very jerky!
We now headed over to Prime Evil and Triceratops Spin. My sisters youngest isn’t tall enough for Prime Evil- so we took turns riding. The kids enjoyed Prime Evil, but I just find it way too jerky. I’m fine never riding this one again.
It was now ten till 8am and we walked over to the Boneyard. We had to wait ten minutes for it to open. My boys love it here. All the kids had a great time digging.
At 8:45am we made our way out of the Boneyard and toward the Safari ride. We only had a ten minute wait and it was a great ride!!

After exiting the Safari, we still had an hour till our first fast pass. I suggested my sister take her two kids over to Rafi Ki’s Planet Watch. She did.
We had been exploring over there on our previous AK day and we decided just to go find some shade and take a break. We found some shaded seats near Kali Rapids and just relaxed a bit.
At 10:30am we headed toward the Finding Nemo show which was our first fast pass for the day. We were to check in between 10:30am and 10:50am for the 11am show. We got in and got decent seats. My sister didn’t get back in time to claim her FP, but was still able to get into the show and squeeze down where we were sitting. We all enjoyed this show immensely.
Unfortunately, during the show my niece realized she had lost her magic band alsoL. She was crying. It took her a bit to realize it wasn’t the end of the world and we would get her a replacement…
It was now time for our Expedition Everest FP. Dillon didn’t want to ride, so he sat out with my sisters youngest while the rest of us rode. Since Dillon wasn’t riding, my niece used his magic band to ride (remember- she lost her magic band) It was a great ride!
We were now ready for lunch. My group ate at Yak & Yeti. There was a very rude man in line behind me complaining I was taking too long to order. He was being VERY rude! I was very frustrated on two levels – (1) that is just rude. Period. (2) I am very quick with ordering. I knew what everyone wanted ahead of time. I think he didn’t realize I was ordering for SIX people. Maybe it seemed like a long time because it was just me standing there. But I know I ordered quickly. And even if I didn’t- his comments were horrid! After I finished ordering- I just glared at him and said “have a magical day”. I probably shouldn’t have even acknowledged him- but he was truly horrid. I think he was embarrassed afterward.
We quickly got our food and enjoyed our lunch immensely.
My sister ate burgers and chicken in Dino Land.
After lunch- my group went to meet Blue and Louie.
We then all met back up for the 1:45pm Flights of Wonder show. I truly love this show!
We now headed over to Kali Rapids to use our third and final fast passes. *My sister had gotten her daughter a card replacement during their lunch break*
The kids enjoyed getting soaked! I enjoy the ride, but can’t stand to walk around wet. So, it was now time to leave the park for the day.
On our way out I noted a 45 minute wait for Tough to be a Bug!
I also stopped by guest services to see if mine or my niece’s magic bands had been turned in. Neither one hadL. They gave me a number to call back later.
My sister stayed in the park see the 4pm Lion King Show. They were wanting to see It’s Tough to be a Bug but the line was ridiculous. They got a fast pass for it, but it wasn’t good till 6pm and they were long ready to leave the park. So, after the Lion King Show (which they loved and said her kids got to participate in the parade) they headed out too.

When we got to the van, guess what was lying in the floor board? My magic band!! Yay!!

I’m still holding out hope they will find my nieces also!
I am going to call this number the park gave me before they close. If they find it, my sister is willing to drive back over there and get it. If not, she will go to the front desk and get her a replacement.

My group ate dinner in the food court. I had a burger. Madilyn, Austin & Winston had pizza. I think Wesley had a burger. As I type this- Dillon hasn’t eaten yet- he says he will go down later…
When my sister returned- about an hour or so after us everyone got ready to go swimming. We did laundry while swimming.
I plan for everyone to get in bed early tonight as we have a very early morning tomorrow. Magic Kingdom opens at 7am and we need to leave especially early since we plan to ride the bus there. I hope to be at the bus stop by 6am. My alarm is set for 5am.
Tomorrow: Magic Kingdom

[chezp]

It just goes to show how easy it is to lose those Magic Bands. At least you found yours in the end.

[princetoaprincess]

I was wandering what would happen if you lost your band. Sorry it had to happen to you.

I was afraid if I lost mine, someone could've gotten into my room or charged meals/merchandise to my band. But they'd have to know my pin # to charge. Also, how would they know even which resort the band was for? Then they'd have to go through 400-500 rooms to figure out which room the band worked for. So, it really couldn't happen. But that was the worrier in me that was thinking about that stuff.

[Hugmonster]

Wow what an early start! Sorry to hear about the magic band issues, we have done three trips with them and never had an issue with them coming off so strange.

[B.M.]

Originally Posted by chezp

It just goes to show how easy it is to lose those Magic Bands. At least you found yours in the end.

Originally Posted by princetoaprincess

I was wandering what would happen if you lost your band. Sorry it had to happen to you.

I was afraid if I lost mine, someone could've gotten into my room or charged meals/merchandise to my band. But they'd have to know my pin # to charge. Also, how would they know even which resort the band was for? Then they'd have to go through 400-500 rooms to figure out which room the band worked for. So, it really couldn't happen. But that was the worrier in me that was thinking about that stuff.

Originally Posted by Hugmonster

Wow what an early start! Sorry to hear about the magic band issues, we have done three trips with them and never had an issue with them coming off so strange.

The six of us have been here nearly two weeks now and that is the only time a magic band has fallen off. So, I really do think they hold up pretty well. My magic band was in the backseat floor board- So I think it fell off when I went back with Winston for my itinerary. I was glad to have found it!

I was also glad that they have a system in place to take care of that- I was worried they would say I needed to go back to my resort for a replacement before I could enter the park....

As for my niece's magic band- I didn't give a full disclosure.... Hers didn't fall off- she remembered taking if off when she went to wash her hands in the bathroom and left it there. It was never found. She ended up getting a replacement from the hotel front desk.

So, really it was just mine that fell off. I think I was probably reaching in for my itinerary and brushed against one of the seats or something causing it to unsnap and fall off...

I've really been very, very impressed with the magic bands!

[B.M.]

December 30th/Magic Kingdom
The alarm was set for 5am. The plan was for everyone to meet up at the bus stop at 6am. We ate breakfast in the room and were headed to the bus stop right at 6am.
We didn’t wait long before a bus pulled up. Unfortunately, right as the bus pulled up- Winston realized he had left his magic band in the room. Madilyn and Austin ran back for it. The bus driver was very nice and waited for them a bit, but eventually needed to leave. I told my sister and Wesley to go ahead to the parks. My sister has a stroller to situate plus I was carrying a bag into the park this day- so I figured they could go through bag check and I would just meet up with them.
Austin and Madilyn returned quickly with Winston’s magic band and less than ten minutes later another bus pulled up.
Wesley had everyone situated ready to enter the park upon rope drop. I texted that I didn’t mind Wesley and Dillon staying there- but I suggested my sister come back with us and get a good spot for the opening show. She joined us and we really enjoyed the opening show!

I had packed in a bag today because rain was in the forecast. It was only a 50% chance of rain and it wasn’t to start till 2pm- but I wanted to be prepared. I packed in extra socks and ponchos.

I had originally planned to head straight for Big Thunder Mountain RR. But MK added EMH hours meaning we had an hour before that section of the park opened.
So, we headed to Fantasy land. We repeated some rides we had done earlier in the trip, but that my sister had not experienced yet. We easily walked right onto Peter Pan, Small World, and Winnie the Pooh.
By the time we were off Pooh, it was ten till 8 and we headed toward Frontier land. They still had the area roped off when we walked up, but the rope was dropped shortly thereafter.
Everyone at rope drop, and I do mean everyone- headed to Big Thunder. As we were waiting to get into the queue we watched the wait time change from 5 minutes to 15 minutes to 25 minutes. I felt it might keep changing and we weren’t even full in the line yet- so we left the line and went over to Splash Mountain which was a walk on.
We all enjoyed the ride. Madilyn and I wore ponchos to keep dry. But no one got to terribly wet.
By now the BTMRR line was manageable as the initial crowd had dissipated. We were able to ride it with under a 20 minute wait.
We now headed to Haunted Mansion which had a 20 minute wait. The park was really busy today!
Next, we walked over to see Hall of Presidents. We walked in just as a show was about to start. But my niece had to use the bathroom. I took my nephew in with us to see the show. He slept through the entire show. I really enjoy this show.
My sister and niece took a spin on the tea cups while waiting for us to exit the show.
We now met up for our late breakfast/early lunch reservations at Cinderella’s Royal Table. I was able to check us in quickly. This was much more efficient that when we ate here several years ago!
They were having technical difficulties with the Cinderella pictures. We had to fill out a form with our address for them to mail us the pictures. They were able to take them, but unable to print them I guess.
We all enjoyed our breakfast. I had the steak and eggs. Dillon had the stuffed French toast- I tried some it was very good. Most of the kids had the regular French toast. Wesley and Madilyn had the bounty platter. We enjoyed the pastries as well. The princesses were great as usual.
Even though we had a great time, I’m not in a rush to return. I’d like to try new places…
After lunch, we still had a bit of time before our first fast pass was available so we scooted into Tomorrow land and rode the People Mover. There was a line for this, but it moved quickly.
We now headed to Philharmagic which was our first fast pass of the day. I truly love this show!
We had a little time till our next fast pass and decided to check out the line for Buzz Light-year. It was a long line (didn’t make note of the wait time)- but we felt we had time to go for it and I know this line usually moves at a steady pace.
After Buzz it was time for our next fast pass. My sister had FP for Seven Dwarfs. We had a FP for Haunted Mansion. My kids complained that I should have gotten us all FP’s for 7D. But we had ridden it both of our other MK days and it was hard to guess two months ago what everyone would want to do… So, my sister went off to ride 7D. We actually let our HM FP go as some of the kids were asking to eat.
We usually eat lunch very early and have had no problems eating QS meals this trip. However, this was prime lunch time and we had to wait a long time for food. But the kids got to eat and it timed out well that my sister was done with her ride by the time we finished eating. *We ate Cosmic Rays.
At this point my sister had a FP for Space Mountain. We had a FP for Splash Mountain. Again, my kids complained- they would rather ride Space Mtn.
I haven’t mentioned it yet, but it started raining within an hour of us entering the park and it’s been misting off and on the whole time. We had about 30 minutes of true raining, but it’s mostly just been sprinkling.
The rain was finally dying off and we were just starting to dry out- so no one other than Wesley wanted to go on Splash Mtn again. Wesley went off on his own to ride Splash. The rest of us went to Carousel of Progress. I really love this ride/show! And it was one of the only things in the park that didn’t have a line!
Generally speaking I feel I did well planning our FP’s, but this day I didn’t make the best choices for FP. I think had my sister not been there- the kids would have just went along with the FP’s we had, but having her with different FP’s caused a bit of complaining… I explained that we had ridden these rides earlier in the trip (multiple times) and this was their first time ever to ride… In retrospect, I should have just made all of our FP’s the same. Oh well.
Winston had been asking to ride Astro Orbitor everytime we had went to the MK. It always has a long line and I know it’s not the best ride… but with our trip coming to a close, I hated to keep denying him…
I went to a FP kiosk to see if we could get a FP for it, turns out they don’t offer FP’s for Astro. The line had been varying from 30 min to over an hour every time I looked at it (on all of our MK days)- so when I seen the line was down to 30 minutes, we went for it…
To my surprise, none of the big kids complained- apparently they all wanted to ride itJ. I actually sat out the ride and took pictures of them on it.
When we were up top- I was able to see three cycles of rides… all three cycles… there were empty jets! I was really surprised to see this! With this long line, they need to fill every jet- every time!! Then the line would move a lot faster… Disney is usually really good about efficiency- but whoever was in charge of filling those jets, was not doing a good job at all…
It was now 5pm and I knew we needed to claim a spot for the parade. We took a seat in front of Liberty Tree Tavern. We took turns going in small groups to use the restroom and get a snack or a meal to eat while waiting….
About 5:30pm, they began to rope things off and all available spaces quickly filled in. I was glad we got a spot when we did!
Dillon got a burger from Peco Bill’s to enjoy pre-parade. Austin and Madilyn got fudge for a snack. My sister, niece and I had funnel cakes. I shared mine with Winston. My nephew had a mickey bar. And Wesley got a meal from Pinnochio’s. The time flew by and it was soon time for the parade to start.
The night time parade is just wonderful! We all truly enjoyed it!
Instead of fighting the masses to exit the park, we decided to go for a ride hoping the lines would be shorter with everyone finding a spot for the fireworks.
My sister took her two kids to ride the Speedway Cars. She said the line was very slow moving, but it timed out for them to see the firework finale as they rode the cars. So they all three really loved it!
My gang went for one final ride on Seven Dwarfs. The line was still long, but much shorter than it had been earlier in the day. I think it took us about 30 minutes of waiting. I had the very back row. I’m so glad we rode it! The other two times we rode, I found the ride to be a little jerky… I don’t know if it was the back row or what- but I felt it was a very smooth ride this time and truly enjoyed it! Especially with it being dark….
After the ride, we exited the park. We didn’t have to wait too long for a bus… I was surprised to see we beat my sister back to the hotel…. We all took turns showering and getting ready for bed.
Tomorrow: New Year’s Eve

[chezp]

It sounds like another great day with a lot packed in, even if some of your Fastpass+ choices didn't go down so well with some of the group - I'm with you, I bet if you were touring on your own, they'd have been fine with them.

[pamcarey]

Sounds like a great day, even with the crowds!

[Cam22]

Another two great days!

[B.M.]

Wednesday December 31/ New Year’s Eve
Today was a relax day. We had no alarm set. The little boys started asking when we could go down for breakfast before 7am. I stayed in bed for a while still sleeping off and on. Finally, at 7:30am I got up and in the shower. I told everyone we would leave for breakfast at 8am.
I had French toast with sausage. Austin had grilled cheese. Winston had chocolate chip pancakes with bacon. Wesley had the bounty platter. Madilyn and Dillon elected to eat foods brought from home.
After breakfast we headed back to the room. Winston was begging to go swimming already, but it was very cold outside this morning. It was in the sixties, but very windy and much cooler than the weather we had been having.
I had planned to sit around the room for a few hours waiting for the outside temps to warm up. But around 9:30am- housekeeping came a knocking…
We were all dressed- so we just let them in and left to go explore the resort. Thus far, we had not ventured past the main pool and lobby. We walked around the entire resort taking lots of pictures. By the time we finished and got back to our room- housekeeping was long gone.
At about noon or a little after, we headed to the food court for lunch. Dillon and Madilyn had the chicken parmesan again. They really love it and have eaten it countless times. I had the taco salad- it was very good. Winston had chicken and fries. Austin had pizza. I believe Wesley had a burger. We all enjoyed our lunch.
After lunch, we retreated to the room. We sat around for a little bit before getting ready for the pool. The water was heated, but the outside temps were pretty cool to be swimming. Much to Winston’s dismay- everyone else was ready to leave in less than an hour. Winston was whining to stay and a life guard asked how old he was. Winston answered- eight. The life guard nicely, but clearly told him that he wasn’t old enough to stay alone. That ended the whining . Winston is not that type that would actually be willing to stay alone anyhow so his request to stay wasn’t sincere- but the lifeguard did help end it quicklyJ.
At this point in the trip- it is very obvious that Winston is exhausted. He started whining a bit last night at the night time parade. I thought it was just because he was out past his bedtime. That was actually the first night time event he has ever stayed awake for. But even today, I’ve noticed him just being a little too quick to complain or whine- I think it’s just sheer exhaustion!
After swimming- we got cleaned up and ready to continue on with the day.
I took Austin and Winston with me to start some laundry. Once it was started we headed to the arcade. They both had a coupon for 100 points each. That sounded like a lot until we started looking around. Some games cost 100 points. I encouraged them to play one or two fun games instead of several “lame” games. They were not convinced .
Austin played five games of skeet ball at 20 points per game. Okay, this wasn’t a bad choice. Winston found the game worth the least amount of points- a baby game worth five points and played it over and over until he ran out of points. I do appreciate that they wanted to get the most out of their money…
After the arcade, we went to change out the laundry. Then- Austin headed back to the room and Winston and I went to the food court. Winston had a pizza and I ate his dessert (Mickey bar).
I had a few gift cards. I went to the front desk to apply them to my room charges.
After that, Winston and I went to pick up our laundry and head back to the room.
We hung around the room for a while, doing a whole lot of nothing. I had originally intended this day to be a day to not only rest, but explore other resorts. I had especially hoped to explore Art of Animation. But in the end, rest was more appealing than exploring .
Wesley did go to Down Town Disney for a few hours. He wanted to eat Wolf Gang Puck Express (when we went the other day- he and Dillon ate inside Disney Quest). While he was there, he picked up a few more snacks from Goofy’s to take home to family as souvenirs- we had a mountain of snack credits left to use…

The rest of us had dinner in the food court. I had pasta with shrimp. I had it once earlier in the trip and remembered really liking it. It didn’t taste as good tonight. Even though Winston had pizza just a few hours ago, he elected to get chicken and fries and then barely eat it. Dillon got a steak dish with sides. He enjoyed the steak, but not the sides. Austin and Madilyn had pizza. I got a yogurt parfait for dessert. Dillon had a pastry. The other three kids are over eating dessert with every meal and the past few times we’ve eaten in the food court- they have gotten bagged snacks for desserts such as cotton candy and gummy worms that they can take home with them…
After dinner, we just relaxed around the room for the rest of the evening. Despite just relaxing all day- I still feel about ready for bed (It’s currently 8pm). So, I plan to get to bed at a decent hour.
My sister went to the Magic Kingdom today. They are not early birds, but have been getting up early every day to go to the parks with us. Since we weren’t up and moving early this morning- she elected to sleep in. It was after noon when they arrived at the MK. At 9:30am- the park closed to capacity, but resort guests were still being let in. I told her to expect outrageous crowds and be prepared to wait in line for everything…
When they arrived they went straight for Dumbo where they had an hour wait! After Dumbo, they used their fast pass for Under the Sea followed by their fast pass for the Frozen Ana and Elsa meet.
Then they ate lunch at Pinnochio Village Haus about 3pm. After lunch, they used their third FP for Pirates of the Caribbean. She said the ride broke down on them for nearly thirty minutes. They were given a “free” fast pass to use as a consolation. The “fast pass” had limitations- it had a list of what it could be used for. They elected to use theirs for the Jungle Cruise.
They then headed to go to Tom Sawyers Island, but it was dark and so it was closed… They then waited in a long line to ride Haunted Mansion.
I touched base with her via text about thirty minutes ago and they were hoping to watch the 8pm fireworks and then go try to ride the Speedway Cars. I’m not sure if they are going to try to stay for the midnight fireworks or not… I think they are playing it by ear…
I forgot to mention- while I was doing laundry I touched base with Dillon's ex-girlfriends family.... I haven't mentioned them much- but we have ran into them here and there.... Well, they are actually back home! They said they had a great time- but that they felt they had seen everything they wanted to see and decided to leave two days early.
I have this tinge of guilt about it- like I should have made sure they were having a great time and all was going well.... I know it wasn't my responsibility to make sure they were having a great time (and she says they DID have a great time), but I can't help feeling like it must not have been to great a time or they wouldn't have left early.... and I can't help but feel like I should have made more of an effort to hang out with them/make sure they were having fun/offer guidance in the parks.... I just feel kind of bad....
Tomorrow: Epcot (Our final park day)

[B.M.]

Originally Posted by chezp

It sounds like another great day with a lot packed in, even if some of your Fastpass+ choices didn't go down so well with some of the group - I'm with you, I bet if you were touring on your own, they'd have been fine with them.

I have no doubt the kids would have been fine with my FP selections- had we been on our own.

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Sounds like a great day, even with the crowds!

We have had a great time despite the crowds!