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I guess I'll start by saying I really didn't plan on a pre-trip report. I've only done one before, and then intended to do a post trip report, and still haven't gotten to it. But, I'm welcome to feedback and suggestions and thought some of it might be too lengthy for a question thread.
So here goes; Yes, I realize I'm completely nuts. I can't even begin to fathom how many people are going to be at WDW during this time frame. BUT, we haven't been on a large vacation as a family since our Disney Cruise and WDW trip combination in almost a year and a half, and I need another vacation. I've always wanted to take advantage of having the time off over the holidays as well, and, it's cold in Michigan in the winter. Even my mother keeps hinting that she needs to go someplace warm, so I caved and booked one.
I would have loved to take advantage of the special that they were running for free dining up until 12/23, but I just can't be gone from home over the actually Christmas holiday. I'm having Christmas Eve at my house this year, with my extended family and grandparents, who are getting up there in age, and I really want to be home for it. Plus, I just love Christmas morning. So no discounts for me.
Decided instead to surprise the kids with a trip. I've tried the surprise thing before, and they weren't all that surprised, or screamingly excited, (not to say that they weren't grateful, the circumstances just weren't ideal), and since they'll be 14 & 16 this Christmas, I don't think I'm going to get a screaming crying reaction this year either, but I do think they'll think it's pretty cool to learn on Christmas Day that they better pack their bags because we're leaving the next morning for WDW. I'm still convinced I'm going to screw up and give away the surprise though. Brooklyn's pretty intuitive, so I might be had at some point.
I'll need to figure out some way to surprise them Christmas morning. I'm thinking just various little gifts, maybe wrap the magic bands, etc. Open to suggestions for sure!
Unfortunately we're driving. Have only driven once before and we seriously disliked it. But money talks and this trip is already pricey. Flights are crazy expensive at this time of the year too, so I can drive there and back for the cost of one flight. Plus I have to buy a new car within the next month (Brooklyn turns 16 and will be getting my current car), so driving a new car will help. I'm hoping to leave on the morning of 12/26, and drive as far as possible. It's about 19-20 hr drive, so I'm thinking about stopping in Macon GA (about 13 hours in) or a bit further south and then spending the night, so that the drive the next day is shorter. That would leave us about 6 hours to finish on the 27th, and I'd like to be there by about 1pm.
We're staying at POFQ. It's our first time there. I'm interested to try it out. We've stayed at Riverside back in 2009, so it's been a while since I've floated by it on a boat. . I would have loved to stay at Wilderness Lodge, it's by far our favorite, but I just can't stomach the extra $2k-ish that it would have cost. Hoping that since POFQ is smaller, maybe it will feel less crazy at that busy time of year too. Plus we will have the car as an option for personal transportation.
Guessing that this is long enough at this point. Would love and welcome any feedback or advice. I just booked the trip last week, so I rushed to look at park hours and try to nab a few dining ressies. I'll post the rough plans next time.
So for now I have a very rough idea of what we're going to do and what park we'll be at each day. I may still switch these up, not sure..... One thing that I do always want to do, is have a few sit down meals. We've honestly never park hopped, so I did not buy park hoppers. One reason I didn't was because I wasn't sure if I wanted to deal with transportation too much during this very busy season. I did look up the park hours, but it didn't seem that DHS had park hours updated on the website yet, though I haven't looked in a week or so (no EMH were listed for DHS either).
Dec 27th - Arrival Day. Hoping to arrive at around 12-1pm. I figure if the kids really want to, we could try to go to MK for the evening/night, but I'd rather we just explore the resort and hop on a boat to Downtown Disney (is it Disney Springs yet? ). So, I booked us a reservation at T-Rex for 3:30pm, thinking it will be an early dinner and we can wander around afterward, then head back to the hotel and hit the sheets early-ish (I do have teenagers, and I'm a night owl, so early is probably 11pm ). What are your thoughts on T-Rex? We've been there before right after it opened. The kids were younger so it was "cooler" to them then, but now I'm not sure if it will have the same appear. Some of the other restaurants look great (we've never eaten at anything other than T-Rex, Raglan Road, and Earl of Sandwich there). I'd love to try something different, but want to make sure the kids will like it too. They're pretty adventurous eaters (Brooklyn's favorite meal ever was last trip - pork belly from the California Grill ), but if there is too much seafood she'll be picky.
Dec 28th - Animal Kingdom. I think there may be EMH here this day, although I'd have to verify as I'm writing this, because it appears I didn't write it down. . I did make us a reservation at Tusker House for 1245pm, we've never eaten there so I'm excited to try it.
Dec 29th - Maybe EPCOT. Maybe Nothing. I'm not sure. I even considered driving to Busch Gardens. We've never been there so maybe we should stretch ourselves a bit. Any idea if Busch Gardens gets as crazy packed at the holidays as Disney does? I didn't make dining reservations for this day either. I figure if we decide we want more than food court food, maybe we can go to Riverside or head to Disney Springs again.
Dec 30th - Magic Kingdom. We have a breakfast scheduled a Crystal Palace at 1025am, because I couldn't get a dinner reservation except at Tony's, and last time we had awful food there. MK is open with EMH until 2am, and I have read they do the big NYE fireworks on this day too, so I think this would be great to see. I've struggled with whether or not we should do MK or EPCOT on NYE. If you have an opinion, I'd LOVE it!
Dec 31st - EPCOT. This is my favorite park, and my mother's, and the kids love it too. We love to wander the World Showcase, and I hear that the countries have their own celebrations? Plus I love beer. And I can drink beer here. :the wave:. Just being honest. I did book a dinner at 6pm at San Angel. We've never eaten there before. I considered trying to get R&C, I do think something was available late, but I wasn't sure if we'd get an outside table and I like but have never loved the meals there. There were also other options, but we've done La Hacienda before, Via Napoli, Le Cellier, Akershus, and the hibachi place that I can't seem to remember the name of, so I figured maybe it's time for a change. A lot of reservations actually seemed available, so I had a hard time deciding on this one.
Any idea on how early the parks may close to guests due to being at capacity? I'm sure that if we are at MK late on the 30th, we'll want to sleep in. But I don't want to not get into a park the next day....and we do want the nighttime celebration. I considered DHS as well, I hear from my TA that there are fireworks there as well.
Jan 1st - Hotel/relax day. We'll need to sleep in - a LOT - after the previous two days. We'll probably just hang out at the hotel, hoping it ends up being warm enough for the pool or at least the spa/hot tub.
Guess that's it for now, I'll post the final days tentative plans another time.
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Well, unfortunately I'm home sick today... The good news is that I'm not so sick that I can't play around on the pass porter boards and do a bit more investigation on various options for this trip!
The kids are off to school, and I'm just sitting here in my PJs and robe, sipping coffee trying not to cough while I watch HGTV! I think I could get used to this. So far I haven't screwed up and given away the secret. It really is a long road ahead though. Did you realize Christmas is only three months away now! So excited though, that means we're under 100 days and we'll be in Florida!
So I guess to finish our plans for the days;
Jan 2nd - EPCOT. Hoping it's not as busy and people may start heading home by then? I didn't make any dinner reservations or anything for this day yet.
Jan 3rd - DHS. I did book the Fantasmic Dinner Package for this day at the Brown Derby. I'm not sure I'll keep this though. I loved Fantasmic when we first saw it, but now it's not as exciting. We also didn't love the derby last time we ate there. The times before that were fantastic, so it may have just been a fluke. The seating for this was great last time, I just want to make sure that we really want to do this, the kids didn't seem as excited about Fantasmic last time since they are older.
Jan 4th - Magic Kingdom. We simply like to try to start and end our trips with MK. Now we don't always make it our first park, but we always try to make it our last. It just says Disney to us, despite the last day being a bit bittersweet. Since it's the Monday after New Years, I'm also excited because I know the crowds will be lower! I was able to book Be Our Guest for an early lunch at 1045am. We've been for dinner, but never lunch.
Jan 5th - Last day. Boo. I wish the drive wasn't so long or we'd leave on the 6th. I just don't want the kids to miss that much school. By leaving on the 5th they're already missing 3 days if we get back on the 6th. I will say....right or wrong...if I'm in Florida and I find out that we have snow days here on the 4th or 5th, I may see if we can extend our stay! But for now, nothing is planned on this day. If we decide to leave around lunch, we'll just take it easy and pack up in the morning. If we decide to leave later, maybe we'll hit a park or DTD for a few hours, then leave. For now I'll just wing it!
I'm trying to decide on whether or not we should do something else this trip. The 29th and 1st have nothing planned in stone. I'd like to try Busch Gardens possibly, but I also want to make sure we relax too. I'm wondering if we should try something simple like a manatee swim. My kids love manatees, we even adopted one a few years ago, so I think this would be a great surprise. While I'm home today I'll plan to start investigating the possibilities!
Good start with plans and best of luck with travels. We too are leaving the day after Christmas but won't arrive till 28. One driver and two dogs equals frequent needs to walk around. We have been advised to steer clear of the parks on NYE and NYD so we plan on trying to catch Typhoon Lagoon and DTD those days depending on the weather
I just saw this - haven't read anything yet but wanted to point out that we will be among the crazy mobs of people there that week! Can't wait to hear your plans
My group will also be there, driving from Chicago-area, leaving day after Christmas as well. It's only about a 16 hr drive for us so driving straight through, will arrive on the 27th around 1pm if we did our timing right. We are staying off property, condo in the four corners area. Our plan of action is lounge around day of arrival, grab some groceries and make a nice dinner. Monday we will have a sleep in day and then hang out at DTD (Disney Springs) for the evening with dinner reservations at Fultons Crab House (yum!), might head to a park for a bit, it's up to everyone on what they want to do. Tuesday we will be in Epcot with dinner reservations at Biergarten with the candlelight processional package attached. Wednesday is MGM or Hollywood Studios, whichever you prefer with lunch reservations at Sci-Fi cafe. Thursday is MK...we plan on leaving the condo around 630am to battle the oh so crazy traffic that everyone keeps telling me about and spending the day there. SUPER EXCITED!! Friday will be a hop around day, and we leave Saturday. Since we are a group of adults, hoping the early rising for NYE won't be so bad and having Friday be a low key day means we can sleep in.
My dad is pretty excited to "drink around the world", and I'm hoping to expand my mom's horizons with rides, she isn't a big fan of heights or crazy motions...but we managed to get her on BTMRR two years ago and she loved it!
If you have any feedback or learn of any tips let me know! Countdown is at 89 days!
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Okay I've gotten caught up and I have some answers to your somewhat questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by DilBrooksmom
So, I booked us a reservation at T-Rex for 3:30pm, thinking it will be an early dinner and we can wander around afterward, then head back to the hotel and hit the sheets early-ish (I do have teenagers, and I'm a night owl, so early is probably 11pm ). What are your thoughts on T-Rex?
I've done T-Rex as a teenager/adult and still think it's cool, but I'd probably pick Portabello, it's a little more low key and relaxing I think after a long day of travel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DilBrooksmom
Dec 28th - Animal Kingdom. I think there may be EMH here this day, although I'd have to verify as I'm writing this, because it appears I didn't write it down. . I did make us a reservation at Tusker House for 1245pm, we've never eaten there so I'm excited to try it.
Last time we went this time of year, we found that a lot of park hours changed to open at 8am... so I wouldn't worry about EMH too much and just plan on early days. Also we LOVE Tusker House!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DilBrooksmom
Dec 30th - I have read they do the big NYE fireworks on this day too, so I think this would be great to see. I've struggled with whether or not we should do MK or EPCOT on NYE. If you have an opinion, I'd LOVE it!
When we went they did both Holiday Wishes and the NYE Fireworks this night. The park was MOBBED but very worth it to see the "test run". We didn't do any parks on NYE last year instead watched from the Poly beach, but we are going to try Epcot this year for the 31st so wave if you see us
Quote:
Originally Posted by DilBrooksmom
Dec 31st -
Any idea on how early the parks may close to guests due to being at capacity? I'm sure that if we are at MK late on the 30th, we'll want to sleep in. But I don't want to not get into a park the next day....and we do want the nighttime celebration. I considered DHS as well, I hear from my TA that there are fireworks there as well.
MK starts closing before noon, but I don't recall Epcot closing at all. I'm banking on it we made an ADR in the park too though so with that you make it through the first 2-3 phases of closing anyway
Hope this helps! It looks like our plans might cross a bit
I just saw this - haven't read anything yet but wanted to point out that we will be among the crazy mobs of people there that week! Can't wait to hear your plans
keep an eye out we arrive on the 28th and are staying until well into Jan 2016 recon for Dec 2016 when I turn officially old
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Have only driven once before and we seriously disliked it. But money talks and this trip is already pricey. Flights are crazy expensive at this time of the year too, so I can drive there and back for the cost of one flight. Plus I have to buy a new car within the next month (Brooklyn turns 16 and will be getting my current car), so driving a new car will help. I'm hoping to leave on the morning of 12/26, and drive as far as possible. It's about 19-20 hr drive, so I'm thinking about stopping in Macon GA (about 13 hours in) or a bit further south and then spending the night, so that the drive the next day is shorter. That would leave us about 6 hours to finish on the 27th, and I'd like to be there by about 1pm. 
. I would have loved to stay at Wilderness Lodge, it's by far our favorite, but I just can't stomach the extra $2k-ish that it would have cost. Hoping that since POFQ is smaller, maybe it will feel less crazy at that busy time of year too. Plus we will have the car as an option for personal transportation. 
DIlBrooksmom
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. One thing that I do always want to do, is have a few sit down meals. We've honestly never park hopped, so I did not buy park hoppers. One reason I didn't was because I wasn't sure if I wanted to deal with transportation too much during this very busy season. I did look up the park hours, but it didn't seem that DHS had park hours updated on the website yet, though I haven't looked in a week or so (no EMH were listed for DHS either). 
). What are your thoughts on T-Rex? We've been there before right after it opened. The kids were younger so it was "cooler" 
to them then, but now I'm not sure if it will have the same appear. Some of the other restaurants look great (we've never eaten at anything other than T-Rex, Raglan Road, and Earl of Sandwich there). I'd love to try something different, but want to make sure the kids will like it too. They're pretty adventurous eaters (Brooklyn's favorite meal ever was last trip - pork belly from the California Grill 
), but if there is too much seafood she'll be picky. 
. I did make us a reservation at Tusker House for 1245pm, we've never eaten there so I'm excited to try it. 
I did book a dinner at 6pm at San Angel. We've never eaten there before. I considered trying to get R&C, I do think something was available late, but I wasn't sure if we'd get an outside table and I like but have never loved the meals there. There were also other options, but we've done La Hacienda before, Via Napoli, Le Cellier, Akershus, and the hibachi place that I can't seem to remember the name of
The good news is that I'm not so sick that I can't play around on the pass porter boards and do a bit more investigation on various options for this trip! 
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