December 2010 planners check in here

[Willow25]

Hey Guys

I am planning a trip to the states in December of 2010. I know there are some others and I was thinking it would be good to get a thread going so we can help each other out with planning. We are still deciding on our exact dates and instead of our usual trip to DW we are thinking of just doing DL this year.

[lindsey clare]

well hello!

we haven't decided on exact dates either but so far we're looking at the 16th November-18th December, or something like that.

This is our rough itinerary so far:
fly into LA then directly on to Nashville
Memphis
New Orleans
Pensacola (to see family)
Orlando
NYC
back to Orlando for Podcast Cruise 2.0
then home!

[shushh]

Funny, I was just about to start a similar thread!

We are planning to leave for the states in early December, hit WDW before heading to NYC for christmas, then Washington DC before heading back down to Florida for the Panama Canal cruise back to LA.

[AussiePJ]

I just love New Orleans.

It and Chicago for mine are by far the best US cities.

We are going in October. Lower crowds and the Halloween Horror nights at Universal are fantastic fun.

[platypus67]

We are planning a trip for about 4 -5 weeks leaving around about Nov 27. At this stage we are either going to do WDW and Orlando for a couple of weeks before going onto Canada or we might do a week in LA & DLR before flying onto Canada for Christmas.

[aussiegirls]

We want to go in Nov/Dec too. This time I think we will do the full 14 days at Disneyland, then a couple of weeks somewhere else, maybe Canada. As you have all mentioned, we don't have our dates set yet either. Getting excited already though :dance3:

xxx

[AussieTink]

Hi everyone!

Just found our Australia area! Im too much of a lurker, so thought I would actually post something!

We are also planning for December 2010! Looking at going to New York, Orlando then Vegas. Been researching all about New York and its going to be hard to decide where to stay and what to do while we are there, but should be good.

Seems like December is a popular time to go!
Looking forward to everyone's planning details as we get closer.

[shushh]

lindsey claire wil you be driving around the southern states, specifically Nashville/Memphis/New Orleans. We were considering driving around the area rather than going to NYC.

AussieTink, will you be spending Christmas at NYC?

[AussieTink]

shushh: We are planning to do NY at the start of our trip - so late November/early December,, so no we won't be there for Christmas, but hoping they have all the decorations up in the city.
I saw in your sig that you will be in NY, Washington & Orlando in December too! Are you visiting Washington from NY? We are trying to figure all that stuff out - like how to get to Washington for the day, or Niagra Falls. Sooooooo much to research!!

Hope everyone elses planning is going good :D

[Willow25]

Hey guys just wanted to update you with our plans. We thought we would just go to Disneyland for a week in early December then spend the rest of the time with my family in Portland, Oregon. However I priced things out and it looks like we will go to Disneyworld for two weeks with my family joining us for the second week. Can't wait!! I have been checking on airfares and wondering when they will release some sales on plane tickets??

We are also looking to rent some points for a stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge villas. We are thinking about finally buying into DVC and want to try out AKV to see if that would work for us for a home resort. Anyone stayed at the villas more specifically Kidani?? We have stayed at the lodge and wondered about how different it might be.

[lindsey clare]

I have been checking on airfares and wondering when they will release some sales on plane tickets??


i am wondering the same too! i know once i buy our flights, i will feel much more excited.

[SnowWhite09]

Thanks for starting this thread Willow25! We are going on an all girls' trip starting on November 20 through to December 12 visiting San Diego Zoo, Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm, Sea World and a number of days at Disneyland. It is then on to Las Vegas for 5 nights.

After that time DH is flying over and we are spending a second honeymmoon together!

It is all very exciting and although I know the time will fly by, it feels like it is forever away.

:dance3::yay::cool1::banana:

Happy planning everyone!

:thumbsup2

[Willow25]

We must be getting close I just saw that Bestflights has a deal flying Air Pacific to LA for $1149.00 including taxes and fees. This deal is through until November 2010.

[Willow25]

After that time DH is flying over and we are spending a second honeymmoon together!


What are you planning for the honeymoon portion of the trip?? Sounds like such a great trip with the girls then finishing with the romance. LOVE IT!!

[SnowWhite09]

What are you planning for the honeymoon portion of the trip?? Sounds like such a great trip with the girls then finishing with the romance. LOVE IT!!

Thanks Willow 25! We are going to Vegas for shows and nice restaurants etc and then back to DL to do the parks together - it is all very exciting!

[platypus67]

Looks like we have made the decision to visit WDW on our next trip. :) I did some costing and WDW is actually slightly cheaper than DLR.

Rough plans so far:

Depart Brissy on Nov 28th to fly to Orlando. Most likely will fly with Qantas, but will keep an eye on V as well. Will wait until later in the year to book in case some special fares are released.

Nov 28th to Dec 10th we will be at WDW staying on property. We are looking at ASMO and CBR at this stage. Will hold off booking for now to see what specials may come up.
I had originally planned on 8 days on property and then 4 days off as we will be visiting Universal and doing a few other things as well. Decided that it will be just as easy to stay in one place.

I've booked a car for Dec 2nd to 9th with National as this can always be changed. I was going to book for four days at the end of the trip, but it was actually the same price to book for a week. (Actually a few dollars cheaper) We can now break up our days in the parks if we choose and do the other things we want to do.

We will fly to Syracuse NY on Dec 10th where we will rent a car for the duration, travelling onto Canada where we will stay until Jan 3 when we will fly from Syracuse to LA and then back home.

I will start looking for FF seats from LA to Orlando asap. Seats should be released over the next few days. It will be Thanksgiving weekend when we are travelling so I want to get the US flights booked first.

I will probably book the car for Syracuse as well in the next few days. Last time we went the best rates were found very early.

[darren123]

We sre going from 1/12 to 15/12 more details later have to go on the January trip first.

[aussiegirls]

I just checked this morning and V Australia, Qantas and Air Pacific have released their flights through to the end of December. The prices are ok but not great.

Does anybody know if they release any specials for that time of the year when they would do it?

I am thinking we will go from either the 1st of Dec or if it works out better possibly the last week of November. Will probably go for 3 or 4 weeks. The plan at the moment is to fly into NY and spend a few days there. Then go to Niagara Falls and spend a few days there. After that come back to LA and spend at least 2 weeks at Anaheim and then maybe a few days in Hollywood before we come home.

Just waiting for an awesoooooooome flight price!!!

[platypus67]

I just checked this morning and V Australia, Qantas and Air Pacific have released their flights through to the end of December. The prices are ok but not great.

Does anybody know if they release any specials for that time of the year when they would do it?

I am thinking we will go from either the 1st of Dec or if it works out better possibly the last week of November. Will probably go for 3 or 4 weeks. The plan at the moment is to fly into NY and spend a few days there. Then go to Niagara Falls and spend a few days there. After that come back to LA and spend at least 2 weeks at Anaheim and then maybe a few days in Hollywood before we come home.

Just waiting for an awesoooooooome flight price!!!

Not sure if or when cheaper fares will be released. Usually I book our Christmas flights around about now to take advantage of the "sale prices" and then kick myself around about mid year as there always seems to be a better fare released. That being said there is always the risk the fares will increase. I've just finished our FF booking from LA to Orlando departing on the 30 Nov. I was originally looking at 28th or 29th of Nov but couldn't get seats so I grabbed the first available. I've decided to wait on booking the flights to LA for now and see what happens as I would like to have the internal US flights booked before I book the flights to the States.

[Willow25]

Just bumping to see if their are others traveling in December and if you have made any plans yet.

[Tracy72]

Hi All,

We booked our flights to L.A. through the week and sooooo excited ! It is for my hubby and 2 daughters (ages 10 and 7 years). Though two days after I booked the flight prices dropped by $ 300 for the 4 of us. We are flying back on the 22nd Dec to be back in Oz by Xmas day and I didn't want to leave it too long to book and then miss that flight. I really need to stop looking at the prices so I can stop kicking myself !

We are going to Orlando for just over 2 weeks. 10 days booked at the Caribbean Resort at WDW with 10 day park hopper and at this stage the dining deals with quick service. We are thinking of then moving to either Universal Studios for 6 nights or booking somewhere on International Drive.

We just sat down and watched the Disney DVD and now my girls are super excited.

Can't wait to hear what you all have planned or if you can give us any suggestions.

Cheers

Tracy

[shushh]

We're booked as well! Did it today.

Went to flight centre to get our tickets price-matched. If anyone is interested in the price, we ended up getting it for $1619.78 for SYD-LAX-MCO, MCO-LGA and LAX-SYD. That's better than the $2000+ price a few weeks ago.

So essentially we'll be at WDW and Orlando before heading up to NYC for a week. Then catching the train to Washington DC. And from there we'll fly back to Orlando to catch our Disney cruise back to LA.

Seems so real now that tickets are booked!

[Tracy72]

OMG Shushh, that is a brilliant price. Who are you flying with ?

I really think we've booked too early now, but not much I can do about that. We've paid around $ 1500 each and that is only to LAX and we still have to get to MCO.

You have done really well ! Congrats !

[shushh]

Thanks Tracy! We're flying with Delta. United is marginally cheaper but i found out that they don't have on demand entertainment so Delta it is. Who are you booked with? Don't forget you're also flying back during peak time! We're flying just either side of the high season.

I found it really hard to gauge how good the price was because its open jaw and I've never flown only one way all the way to NYC. Also it is still 8 months out. But when it dropped so much against VAustralia and Qantas, we decided to go for it.

[Tracy72]

We are flying VAustralia and it's direct out of Brisbane which is great. Previously we've had to fly Bne-Syd first. That is true that we're coming home in peak time. I've worked out that it will be another $ 300.00 each return to MCO.

Where do you stay in Orlando ? Last time we stayed on Int Drive (before kids), this time we're going to stay onsite. We've picked the Caribbean. Hoping for some discounts so we can possibly upgrade.

[shushh]

We'll be staying at the Port Orleans Riverside as we have 3 kids and they are the only ones with rooms that fit 5 which aren't villas or suites. Very excited as we've never stayed onsite on any DIsney property. And hoping that the free dining will be offered again this year!

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

We'll be staying at the Port Orleans Riverside as we have 3 kids and they are the only ones with rooms that fit 5 which aren't villas or suites. Very excited as we've never stayed onsite on any DIsney property. And hoping that the free dining will be offered again this year!

Shushh, I look forward to hearing about what you thought of POR. I am thinking of POFQ for December next year and I am particularly keen to hear about the transport. How the location of these resorts works for the parks and how long it takes to get everywhere. You'll have to update me when you get back.

We flew Delta to LAX last year and we were very impressed with them.

[aussiegirls]

I think I am going to buy my tickets by the end of next week :dance3: Just need to confirm that it will be ok for me to have the time off work and I will be off to Flight Centre with my V Australia print outs for them to match it (and give me $20 vouchers :lmao:)

Very exciting

xxx

[darren123]

We sre going from 1/12 to 15/12 more details later have to go on the January trip first.

Will not be going now our Son was called up to the Army so all that planning will be for when he gets some time off next year.

[DVCAustralia]

Keep in mind that just as we are all enjoying the Australian dollar being high so are United and Delta when receiving Australian dollars for their fares. As such I would be very surprised if either V or Qantas will be able to match their fares, particularly to East Coast USA where United and Delta are basically giving you are cross-country return flight for a couple of hundred dollars. Whilst it is a risk to book in the next month or so I would jump on any new low fares in particular as availability in the lowest fare classes will increasingly become a real issue over the next few months.
I agree that WDW is now better value than DL and accommodation, both on and off site, is a big part of that. Having experienced almost all the DVC resorts last December using my DVC points I would strongly recommend renting DVC points be considered as an option for staying onsite. Whilst the Disney moderate resorts are a good choice DVC villas can often be rented for a similar if not lower price. You can even get DVC rooms at the Grand Californian in Disneyland resort although as with other Anaheim hotels the prices are higher.

In relation to the Caribbean, their food court is great particularly using the counter service credits of the dining plans (smoothies as drinks!!!).

[shushh]

Shushh, I look forward to hearing about what you thought of POR. I am thinking of POFQ for December next year and I am particularly keen to hear about the transport. How the location of these resorts works for the parks and how long it takes to get everywhere. You'll have to update me when you get back.

We flew Delta to LAX last year and we were very impressed with them.
Will definitely update all! I've heard good things about Delta but to be honest, we're so excited about going I think the flights we'll cope with regardless of who we fly with. Oh and by the way we just bought ourselves a new DSLR! :cool1:

Will not be going now our Son was called up to the Army so all that planning will be for when he gets some time off next year.

So sorry to hear that. It must be disappointing.

Keep in mind that just as we are all enjoying the Australian dollar being high so are United and Delta when receiving Australian dollars for their fares. As such I would be very surprised if either V or Qantas will be able to match their fares, particularly to East Coast USA where United and Delta are basically giving you are cross-country return flight for a couple of hundred dollars. Whilst it is a risk to book in the next month or so I would jump on any new low fares in particular as availability in the lowest fare classes will increasingly become a real issue over the next few months.
I agree that WDW is now better value than DL and accommodation, both on and off site, is a big part of that. Having experienced almost all the DVC resorts last December using my DVC points I would strongly recommend renting DVC points be considered as an option for staying onsite. Whilst the Disney moderate resorts are a good choice DVC villas can often be rented for a similar if not lower price. You can even get DVC rooms at the Grand Californian in Disneyland resort although as with other Anaheim hotels the prices are higher.

In relation to the Caribbean, their food court is great particularly using the counter service credits of the dining plans (smoothies as drinks!!!).

Thanks for the info. The one thing I've had difficulty finding info about is how the whole DVC points rental thing works. If we rent DVC points, will we still be eligible for free dining? (assuming it is offered)

[DVCAustralia]

Originally Posted by shushh
Thanks for the info. The one thing I've had difficulty finding info about is how the whole DVC points rental thing works. If we rent DVC points, will we still be eligible for free dining? (assuming it is offered)

Basically renting DVC points lets you book with the reservation system of the DVC members using the points table and paying per point as opposed to the hotels division of Disney using the cash price. There are of course advantages and disadvantages to this but generally it is a much better deal. Since each person has different requirements it is hard to give a general example, but one is an Old Key West studio villa which is a 390 sq ft room with two queen beds and kitchenette for US$90 per night (9 points a night at US$10 per point Sunday to Thursday nights in January and from September to December 23) as opposed to US$295 per night on the website.
If you PM or e-mail me specific details I could give you more relevant examples.
Specifically in regard to dining, 'free' dining should be called 'included' dining. When Disney has a large volume of rooms left to fill it sometimes uses a free dining promotion to fill the rooms at the rack rate by including dining. This allows Disney to sell the room at the rack rate rather than at a substantial discount. As I am a DVC member I just used points for the room and paid for the dining plan through DVC, the same process you would use if you rent points (and indeed if there is no free dining promotion).

[platypus67]

Just got off the phone from booking our Dec trip. I've booked a room only at this stage with the hopes that there may be a better deal come up down the track.
We decided on ASMU for this trip. We will be there for 12 Nights from the 30th of Nov.
We have booked our flights from LAX to Orlando and flights back to LAX in early Jan. Hopefully a good fare to LAX will come up as well. Prices aren't bad at the moment, but I'm happy to wait just a little longer.
Now the planning can really start. :banana:

[aussiegirls]

Well today I am armed with the lowest air fare quotes I can find (V Aust website) and $20 FC voucher. During my lunch time I am off to FC to get them to price match and give me $20 off. Then give me 3 new $20 vouchers which I will use sometime down the track to buy 14 day park hoppers. :dance3:

Wish me luck :wizard:

xxx

[OzCath]

Love your work Aussiegirls!! Hope you get what you want. I'm going to wait a little longer and see how the airfares pan out. To be honest don't have the funds right now to be able to pay for airfares anyway, but still planning to go mid November, early December. Going back to work 2 days per week so that money will go straight into the Disney fund!!

[aussiegirls]

I bought my tickets, I bought my tickets, I bought my tickets :dance3::cheer2::cheer2::dance3::dance3::cheer2:

Got FC to price beat and used my $20 voucher - also scored 3 more $20 vouchers.

So we are officially going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soooooo excited

xxx

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Just got off the phone from booking our Dec trip. I've booked a room only at this stage with the hopes that there may be a better deal come up down the track.
We decided on ASMU for this trip. We will be there for 12 Nights from the 30th of Nov.
We have booked our flights from LAX to Orlando and flights back to LAX in early Jan. Hopefully a good fare to LAX will come up as well. Prices aren't bad at the moment, but I'm happy to wait just a little longer.
Now the planning can really start. :banana:

Platypus, did you see the post about the Pin codes, you need to go check it out.

And congrats on booking. I'm so jealous

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I bought my tickets, I bought my tickets, I bought my tickets :dance3::cheer2::cheer2::dance3::dance3::cheer2:

Got FC to price beat and used my $20 voucher - also scored 3 more $20 vouchers.

So we are officially going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soooooo excited

xxx

Yay Aussiegirls. That is amazing news. You must be so excited.

Where did you get the price for FC to match?

[aussiegirls]

Got the price from V Aust website.

I was going to wait but it got down to $1111 per adult and I thought that I should just go for it. I might be annoyed if it goes lower than that - it shouldn't go too much lower anyways. But I am not much of a gambler so I thought I would just get them.

I am happy with that price. :thumbsup2

xxx

[OzCath]

Well done Aussiegirls. Really excited for you. That's a good price. I wouldn't expect it to go much lower than that. Now the planning can begin!

[PrincessInOz]

Got the price from V Aust website.

I was going to wait but it got down to $1111 per adult and I thought that I should just go for it. I might be annoyed if it goes lower than that - it shouldn't go too much lower anyways. But I am not much of a gambler so I thought I would just get them.

I am happy with that price. :thumbsup2

xxx

Great price Aussiegirls. My brother booked in December for the May trip and paid $100 less than your price on V Australia; and that deal was offered when the travel scene was still flat'ish. If "no flights into Europe continues for an extended period", some people may be looking at travelling to Asia and the US as alternative holiday destinations. And then its likely that the prices will increase.

[platypus67]

Platypus, did you see the post about the Pin codes, you need to go check it out.

And congrats on booking. I'm so jealous

When I called I asked if there were any pin codes but unfortunately no. I booked room only at this stage as I can add the pin at a later date if released. I can also upgrade to a package at any time. The main thing was to get the room booked so I know I have something. Really it is a pretty good price anyway 1157.00 for 12 nights.

[lovintheland]

:woohoo: Aussiegirls, that's a great price! what dates is that price for?

[aussiegirls]

princessinoz, that's exactly what I was thinking. It is what pushed me to go ahead and buy them now and not wait. With all that is going on with the volcano I was thinking that not only may more people want to go to somewhere other than Europe, but lots of airlines have lost lots of money now and they may just try and recoup those losses by increases in airfares.

lovintheland we are going from 25th of Nov (Thanksgiving day) until 18th of Dec - one of my girls refuses to be anywhere other than home on Christmas day :lmao:

xxx

[~ButterflyKisses~]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering why everyone has chosen to visit Disneyland/Disneyworld in December? What's the weather like then? Is it cold and raining?

We went to Disneyland in September and had gorgeous warm weather. We are thinking of going back either to Disneyland or Disneyworld in mid January for our honeymoon. Just not sure what the weather will be like then.

Any help you could give would be appreciated!

[aussiegirls]

Hey Butterflykisses, how are you? Have been wondering where you have been.

I am not sure about the others but the reason we are going in December is because we really want to see Disneyland at Christmas. We were there in Oct too and though it was lovely but having seen the Disney Chrissy photos just makes me need to be there.

Good to see you back.

Xxxx

[PrincessInOz]

We've been to Disneyland in December/January. Weather in LA at that time of year is no different to being in Melbourne. I remember wearing 3 layers in the mornings and at nights. Had to hire a locker during the days to throw the extra layer into.

Have a great honeymoon!

[queenie82]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering why everyone has chosen to visit Disneyland/Disneyworld in December? What's the weather like then? Is it cold and raining?

We went to Disneyland in September and had gorgeous warm weather. We are thinking of going back either to Disneyland or Disneyworld in mid January for our honeymoon. Just not sure what the weather will be like then.

Any help you could give would be appreciated!

We went to LA and DL in September 2000 and the weather was stinking hot and heavy with smog. Never again. My lungs weren't enjoying themselves. :headache:

The weather can be cool in December and Jan but we have always enjoyed it and found it to be lovely weather. I think it is the perfect time of year to visit :goodvibes
It helps that I adore Christmas :cloud9:
Disney is extra magical at Christmas :wizard: :love:

[~ButterflyKisses~]

Thanks for your replies so far.

We don't mind cold weather, but not sure if I'd like freezing weather. Also I'm a bit worried about rain. I'd hate to go all that way and be rained out and not be able to enjoy the parks.

Has anyone been in Januay before? How much rain did you get while you were there?

[PrincessInOz]

I forgot to add - that the Mission Inn Riverside does Festival of Lights at Christmas. I've been in the SoCal area 3 times in November/December with every intention of going - but I haven't made it, yet.

It usually starts in late November and goes through to early Jan.

If you're going, might be worth googling and checking when the lights are on and whether it's something you might want to go see.

[platypus67]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering why everyone has chosen to visit Disneyland/Disneyworld in December? What's the weather like then? Is it cold and raining?

We went to Disneyland in September and had gorgeous warm weather. We are thinking of going back either to Disneyland or Disneyworld in mid January for our honeymoon. Just not sure what the weather will be like then.

Any help you could give would be appreciated!

For our family a couple of things influence our decision to go in December.
The main one now is school holidays. If we go as a family, we go for 4-6 weeks. With DD in grade 10 we don't like to have her miss too much school.
I have family in Canada so we combine our Disney vacation with a visit "home". I love spending Christmas in North America and absolutely love Disney at Christmas. Christmas for me at Disney is even more magical than other times of year. I love the Christmas overlays at DLR and although they don't do them at WDW the decorations are fantastic.
The weather in CA can be lovely at that time of year, it can also be very cold, especially at night. I remember our first visit in 1998 was freezing. We had coats, gloves, hats, and shivered most nights.
We were in FLA in Dec 2007. The weather was lovely, but we found it cool. I found the Dec climate in Orlando that year very similar to our Brisbane winter.
I was watching temperatures in FLA last December and it was really cold.
The only time I've experienced rain at either was last October at DLR. We had rain one day, but really we didn't care. We put on some rain coats and had a great day.
I'm sure I've seen historical info on temperatures for both, but not sure where exactly. :)

[arje]

Hi Butterflykisses, we were in WDW last December/January. Xmas is a fantastic time to go with all the decorations and festivities, parades lights etc. Worth every minute and cent. Lots of people, but then we know that before going anyway.

Weather however is funny. The average for December in Florida is late teens in day and high single digits (all celcius) at night, quite nice for winter. Last winter was one of the coldest on record which climaxed with a snow day on January 9, yes SNOW in Orlando. This was highly unusual I believe and we just had no luck I think. I would say our first few days in Orlando were more indicative which was shorts, t-shirt and swimming pool weather. If you go in December, be prepared for both. Good luck and have fun!

[Willow25]

We have gone twice in early December to Orlando and have experienced both warm early 30's and cold teens. We always pack layers and prepare for anything.

[darren123]

Count me back in,
DW and DS and I are going Nov 26 to Dec 10.
saving plan back on track after a few rough months
Son will not be going into the Army early, he missed out this time and will have to wait until next year.

So... Disneyland here we come

[aussiegirls]

Well we are now officially booked too. Arrive on the 25th November and come back on the 18th of December. Staying at the Hojo whilst in Anaheim. We are just beyond excited :cheer2: :dance3: :cheer2: :dance3: :cheer2: :dance3:

xxx

[shushh]

Hurray Aussiegirls and darren123! That's great news!

Well, we're back safely from our DCL med cruise and had an fabulous time! Now very excited about our trip to WDW and the Panama Canal cruise.

[darren123]

Well we are now officially booked too. Arrive on the 25th November and come back on the 18th of December. Staying at the Hojo whilst in Anaheim. We are just beyond excited :cheer2: :dance3: :cheer2: :dance3: :cheer2: :dance3:

xxx

Staying at HoJo as well
Thanks shushh

I was asked what is my goal for 2010 I answered going to Disneyland twice in one year

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Okay you December peeps, it's time to start planning the nitty grittys I would say. I'm not going this December but am hoping to go next December so to keep myself "interested" :lmao: I am going to pretend like I am going this year and start looking into park hours, EMH, MVMCP, what park to do what day, ADR's etc.

So for all you lucky ducks going this year:-

1. What dates are you going?

2. What parks do you plan on visiting on what days?

3. Why did you choose that park for that day?

4. How many days at each park?

5. Are you going to take advantage of EMH am & pm?

6. Do you have to decide what park you will visit each day before making ADR's to minimise travel times between parks?

7. Are you going to plan a Water park day or is it just going to be too cold to go?

8. Are the show times for parades and shows out early enough so you can plan your ADR's 180 days out without there being a clash that makes you miss something?

9. Is anyone staying at WL? How are the buses

10. What are your thoughts on the Wishes Dessert Party?

11. What about MVMCP? Is it worth the money? I kind of felt the Halloween party at DL was fun but a little expensive, am wondering if this would be similar?

12. Am I being annoying asking all of these questions :rotfl2:?

[shushh]

I'm so excited! :cool1:

We made our ADRs over the weekend (well the travel agent did) and we got everything that we wanted except for Le Cellier's so I can't complain. We managed to get an alternative time but we worry that 645pm might be too late for the children (We're 540pm dinner people...sad I know!) Oh well, I'm just glad we have a reservation!

The trip feels so real now!

[Kalice]

We LOVED le Cellier, so much we went twice. The pretzel bread was divine. We asked our waiter if he could bring just pretzel bread for our second basket, he did this. However, we noticed that the new table next to us got NO pretzel bread, tragic.:rotfl: We found the later reservations were fine, if we took a break in the middle of the day.

It sometimes pays to keep checking on-line to adjust times, tables seem to pop up sometimes.

[queenie82]

Glad you got everything you wanted :yay:
Whereabouts are you going!

We hated Le Cellier. It is very hot and stuffy in the restaurant as it is small and they pack in as many tables as possible. If you do go try and get one away from the kitchen door if you can. And keep a short sleeve top as the bottom layer so you don't cook.
They were also incapable of making a well done steak without making the outside charcoal. And the inside was still red. Took them 3 attempts just for that.
The Wave and R+C made better steaks.
And even the 'trademark' dessert. It tasted the same as the mass produced chocolate cake at the QS places.
I wouldn't worry about not getting it. There are much better restaurants in Epcot.
We adored Tutto Italia and Chefs de france. Rose and Crown for Illuminations is great.

[yitbos96bb]

Glad you got everything you wanted :yay:
Whereabouts are you going!

We hated Le Cellier. It is very hot and stuffy in the restaurant as it is small and they pack in as many tables as possible. If you do go try and get one away from the kitchen door if you can. And keep a short sleeve top as the bottom layer so you don't cook.
They were also incapable of making a well done steak without making the outside charcoal. And the inside was still red. Took them 3 attempts just for that.
The Wave and R+C made better steaks.
And even the 'trademark' dessert. It tasted the same as the mass produced chocolate cake at the QS places.
I wouldn't worry about not getting it. There are much better restaurants in Epcot.
We adored Tutto Italia and Chefs de france. Rose and Crown for Illuminations is great.

Be careful. Some DISers will rip your nose off for speaking ill of Le Cellier ;-)

[queenie82]

Be careful. Some DISers will rip your nose off for speaking ill of Le Cellier ;-)

Who cares?
I'm honest...rather than glossing over the facts to continue this obsession with Le Cellier. :confused3
It's GREAT I now know it is crap...so I no longer any worry about getting a reservation. :cool1:

I personally found the food at The Land better.

[Willow25]

We actually love Le Cellier but we like our steaks medium. I agree with Queenie though about packing people in. We also really liked the cheese soup. If you are able to it is worth trying to see if you will like it.

[shushh]

Alrighty, here's what we got. Its all a bit subjective with food so we're keeping our minds open and not try to have too much expectation for anything. I've included the dates in case anyone else going around the same dates are going to the same place!

Dec 10: Crystal Palace Breakfast

Dec 10: Wolfgang Puck Café Dinner

Dec 11: Coral Reef Lunch

Dec 11: Bibbity Bobbity Boutique for the 3 little girls before dinner with the princesses!

Dec 11: Cinderella Royal Table Dinner Dinner

Dec 12: Akershus Princess Storybook Breakfast

Dec 13: Hollywood Brown Derby Lunch Fantasmic package

Dec 14: Donald¹s Safari Breakfast

Dec 14: Artist Point Dinner for Mums night out

Dec 15: California Grill Dinner for Dads night out

Dec 18: Chef Mickey¹s Breakfast

Dec 18: Le Cellier's Dinner

Still trying to get an alternative time for the Fantasmic lunch package. At the moment the earliest time slot we can get is 2pm!

[PrincessInOz]

Shushh - Looks like a great range of ADRs. It's a hard pick for me - mum's night at AP vs dad's night at CG!! I'd be tempted to switch it round.

[Kalice]

We didn't feel crowded at all whilst dining at le Cellier. During our first visit, we were able to locate our rather large pram next to our table (with sleeping toddler inside). Although I did notice, that despite the front of house staff turning away walk ins, there were many empty tables, probably about 1 in 2. this was the same for both visits, times were 6.30 and 5.00pm. I also like mysteak medium,(my husband had other dishes. We did sample the cheese soup, but were underwhelmed.:rolleyes1

[shushh]

PrincessInOz, there was such a big choice, I'm kinda glad that someone made the decision on my behalf! One day we'll be back and try the ones that we missed.

Kalice, I read about the cheese soup and did wonder about it...I'm planning to be brave and give it a go!

[Kalice]

The thought of 'cheese soup' did sound a bit blah to me, but it wasn't bad just boring. I did love the steak and risotto though! Also, this restaurant was great about the kids mixing and matching from the kids menu. We were told that we could only have one smoothie each as part of the dining plan. My husband ordered another (both times) and we were not charged.

[shushh]

Free dining extended to December 2010. Woohoo!!!!

[platypus67]

I booked the free dining for our trip Nov 30 - Dec 12. I opted for the DDP rather than QS as we already had enough ADR's booked that would more than cover the cost difference of $340.00. I was a bit concerned at first that we wouldn't be able to use all the TS credits as we will be off site for about 4 days doing other things and we really don't want the strict schedule of having a booking everyday. I did a bit of quick searching and looks like we may be able to swap some TS for CS credits if done at the front desk of the resort. If not we can always order pizza on one night when we get back from being off site.
I had already made 5 ADR's and managed to get another two yesterday. The choices weren't as good as 180 days out but I did manage to get something.

[darren123]

Just booked and paid for 3 airfares to LA for Nov 26 to Dec 7 2010 with VAustralia for $1051 each and staying at HoJo for 11 days so Disneyland here we come everything is starting to work out good.

[aussiegirls]

Yay darren!!!!!!

We will be there at the same time as you
:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

xxx

[queenie82]

Some info for December planners.
I personally think that the package is a ripoff...and if you want to do it the best is Biergarten OOP...but if you want the best seats on a date close to Christmas day then booking will get you this.
We went earlier and snuck in as they were closing the rope because people had deserted a BIT because it started raining lightly and saw Andy Garcia.
Candelight Processional is a MUST do at least once.
______________________
Candlelight Dinner Packages at Epcot Available This Month

I know more than a few Disney Parks Blog readers who’ll be thrilled to learn that Candlelight Dinner Packages at Epcot now go on sale on August 26. Candlelight Dinner Packages include dinner, a guaranteed seating section for the Candlelight Processional, and pre-arranged fireworks viewing. You’ll be able to purchase tickets by calling 407-WDW-DINE on the 26th.
We’ll have more details on the event’s schedule in a future blog post but we can share an early look at some of the confirmed narrators for the 2010 Candlelight Processional:
Isabella Rossellini – 11/26 – 28
TBD – 11/29 – 12/1
TBD – 12/2 – 4
TBD – 12/5 – 6
Jodi Benson – 12/7 – 9
Whoopi Goldberg – 12/10 – 11
Steven Curtis Chapman – 12/12 – 15
Thomas Gibson – 12/16 – 18
Trace Adkins – 12/19 – 21
Brad Garrett – 12/22 – 23
TBD – 12/24 – 27
Marlee Matlin / Jack Jason – 12/28 – 30
And as you probably know by now, narrators are subject to change without notice. So, is this one of the special events you look forward to each year? Let us know in the comments.

Full Story (http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/08/candlelight-dinner-packages-at-epcot-available-this-month/)

[shushh]

Thanks Queenie for the heads up! We will ask our TA to book the candlelight processional come Aug 26.

PrincessInOz, I finally responded to your challenge. The PTR has begun!
The link for anyone else who is interested....
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2534781

[platypus67]

Woohoo :banana: Only 98 days until we leave. I guess I had better start doing some serious planning around our skeleton plan. So far I've booked all our ADRs. Had to make a few changes this week to days and times of ADRs but surprisingly had no trouble. I was sure with the free dining while we are there it would be difficult.:)

[syddis]

Hi,
We are going to travel on the 27th December, spend 1 night in LA then fly to Orlando. We are going to stay in a condo there and will check out the parks etc
On January 6th we will board the Disney Wonder's cruise back to LA via the Panama Canal..

[shushh]

Time to resurrect this thread!

I've been madly calling the States trying to organize a whole slew of things. All I can say is thank goodness for google! The free calls help!

We've booked our Christmas dinner. We're having Japanese here...It looks awesome!
http://www.ninjanewyork.com/

We've also bought tickets to see the Radio City Hall Christmas Spectacular. Again it looks awesome!
http://www.radiocitychristmas.com/

Got tickets to climb the crown of the Statue of Liberty, tickets for the ESB, tickets for DH and I to watch Wicked, organized a private bus tour for the 14 of us around NY and about to get tickets for TOTR.

There was a deal on Dreams Unlimited for tickets to Universal Studios/IOA with return transfers included so I got those too!

Excursions, dining and nursery for our cruise sorted.

56 days until we fly. So excited!!! :cool1: How's everyone's plans going?

[Kalice]

We loved Radio City Christmas Spectacular, even my 11 year old son seemed to enjoy it. My DD9 was on the edge of her seat for the whole show. She does calisthenics here, so appreciated the dancing. It was a wonderfuld way to spend a couple of hours.

We also did the crown climb, my friend that travelled with us, was terrified. The steps are spiral and very narrow in places, she ended up backing down at some point.

I'm glad we did, it was interesting to be inside the statue. My DH had to sit at the bottom with DD2.

I loved Xmas in NY, central park was just beautiful.

[aussiegirls]

Yaaaay for the resurrected thread :banana:

Well I have just about made all my dining ressies - I have also made a ressie for us and Minnie Sue to have our breaky Dis-meet.

I am now just waiting to make all our tour bookings and Fantasmic PS booking as I can only do them 30 days out. I haven't reserved my transportation but I do know who I am going to use so it is just a matter of booking it.

I have yet to buy our Seaworld and Legoland tickets but if I leave that till we get there and play it by ear a little then I don't mind. The plan is for this trip to be very relaxed. I have planned things to do to a degree but we will have a lot of time so I am happy for plans to change as we go along.

I just bought my tickets to Knotts Berry Farm and they were an absolute bargain. I paid AUD$52 in total for transport and 3 tickets for the 3 of us. That and the accommodation at Sheraton San Diego (AUD$340 for 5 nights) have to be the absolute bargains of our whole trip :cheer2:

I have booked "A day at American Girl Place" package for the girls and I think that is going to be a good day, they will love all the things that they will get in the package. It was definately $$$$ but I just couldn't resist.

Also as soon as the dates and tickets are officially released I am going to buy seating for the Hollywood Christmas Parade. It sounds like a lot of fun, and we will be in Hollywood at the time anyway. It will be interesting to see how the American's do a parade - I think they are very into them and it will be very different to the way we do parades here.

Only 41 more sleeps to go until we are flying away :drive:

ETA, I have just looked at the link you have posted shushhh to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and I want to go. They will be taking it to Anaheim whilst we are there, so I am seriously thinking about it. What do you all think?

xxx

[shushh]

Aussiegirls, you sound like you've been busy too!

As for the Christmas Spectacular, I don't think I'm qualified to give an unbiased and useful opinion as Ive never seen the show! But I think itd be really cool to see.

[aussiegirls]

Well shushh, I went ahead and booked the tickets to the Christmas Spectacular. I was looking at the website for about 3 days and to-ing and fro-ing about whether or not I should buy the tickets. Then yesterday was my last day at my job and my amazing boss gave me a thankyou card with a wad of cash in it. He said it is for me to use to do something special for the girls while we are on holidays - well the first thing I thought of was to use it for those tickets.

So this morning I rang up Ticketmaster and I got a great guy on the line that really took his time looking for the best seats he could find for us. I got some really good seats actually (the front of the first level directly at the right of the stage).

I am really excited about it.

I still have some $$$$ to change and I think I will do it next week. I still also have to book my transport and hopefully I will remember to do that this week too.

It's getting closer :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

xxx

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Time to resurrect this thread!

I've been madly calling the States trying to organize a whole slew of things. All I can say is thank goodness for google! The free calls help!

We've booked our Christmas dinner. We're having Japanese here...It looks awesome!
http://www.ninjanewyork.com/

We've also bought tickets to see the Radio City Hall Christmas Spectacular. Again it looks awesome!
http://www.radiocitychristmas.com/

Got tickets to climb the crown of the Statue of Liberty, tickets for the ESB, tickets for DH and I to watch Wicked, organized a private bus tour for the 14 of us around NY and about to get tickets for TOTR.

There was a deal on Dreams Unlimited for tickets to Universal Studios/IOA with return transfers included so I got those too!

Excursions, dining and nursery for our cruise sorted.

56 days until we fly. So excited!!! :cool1: How's everyone's plans going?

I have a friend who lived in Seattle for 3 years and they spend one Christmas in NY and they went to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and they are still raving about it. They plan to go next year for Christmas and will definitely be seeing it again. I hope that helps. I wouldn't miss it if I was going to be in NY at that time of year.

[PrincessInOz]

I've been checking out the list of Candlelight Processional Narrators and wishing I could see some of them.

So....if you're travelling in Nov/Dec; and if you've booked for a CP, make me drool.....:sick:

Who are you going to see as your CP Narrator?

princess::upsidedow

[shushh]

Well shushh, I went ahead and booked the tickets to the Christmas Spectacular. I was looking at the website for about 3 days and to-ing and fro-ing about whether or not I should buy the tickets. Then yesterday was my last day at my job and my amazing boss gave me a thankyou card with a wad of cash in it. He said it is for me to use to do something special for the girls while we are on holidays - well the first thing I thought of was to use it for those tickets.

So this morning I rang up Ticketmaster and I got a great guy on the line that really took his time looking for the best seats he could find for us. I got some really good seats actually (the front of the first level directly at the right of the stage).

I am really excited about it.

I still have some $$$$ to change and I think I will do it next week. I still also have to book my transport and hopefully I will remember to do that this week too.

It's getting closer :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

xxx
Double woohoo!!! What a nice way to say thank you!

I've been checking out the list of Candlelight Processional Narrators and wishing I could see some of them.

So....if you're travelling in Nov/Dec; and if you've booked for a CP, make me drool.....:sick:

Who are you going to see as your CP Narrator?

princess::upsidedow
PrincessInOz, always willing to indulge you. :lmao:Let me start the drooling process. We're booked for a CP, we're seeing Steven Curtis Chapman

[aussiegirls]

D
PrincessInOz, always willing to indulge you. :lmao:Let me start the drooling process. We're booked for a CP, we're seeing Steven Curtis Chapman

Oh wow, now I am jealous!!!! I love Steven Curtis Chapman, and Cinderella has to be my DD2's favourite song. Amazing man with an amazing story.

Enjoy :flower3:

xxx

[PrincessInOz]

PrincessInOz, always willing to indulge you. :lmao:Let me start the drooling process. We're booked for a CP, we're seeing Steven Curtis Chapman

http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Drooling/drooling-5.gif

He's DREAMY!! Now you're going to have to bring back zoom pictures! If you haven't already got a fast shutter zoom lens, now's the time to tell DH that the Aussie Dis-ers DEMAND that you get one....:lmao:

[shushh]

We are very excited about seeing Steven Curtis Chapman. It appears that I'm excited about many things! He sings a lot of the songs that we sing at Church and so we're eager to see him live. I was planning to buy that fixed aperture zoom lens at NY...but we're at WDW before NY. Might have to give DH the compelling DIS requirement that I buy the lens before hand (just add it on to my growing list) to be delivered to the POR in time for my arrival. :rotfl:

[darren123]

Are you an Elvis Fan,

I was just looking at the Disneyland Park Hours,

Well Scot Bruce is performing at Disneyland on Nov 19/20 and Dec 3/4 first show is at 7pm

We saw him in 2008 and one of the best Elvis Shows I have seen.

[Willow25]

Oh my goodness we are leaving in 30 days for Orlando!!! Come on December planners what are your itineraries looking like?

[shushh]

Are you an Elvis Fan,

I was just looking at the Disneyland Park Hours,

Well Scot Bruce is performing at Disneyland on Nov 19/20 and Dec 3/4 first show is at 7pm

We saw him in 2008 and one of the best Elvis Shows I have seen.

Not particularly, although I don't mind singing along to some of his tunes and have been dreaming about Elvis vow renewals in Vegas...

Also, we're unfortunately not visiting Disneyland this time round.

[shushh]

Oh my goodness we are leaving in 30 days for Orlando!!! Come on December planners what are your itineraries looking like?

Wahoo!!!! :banana:

Although everyone seems to be leaving before we are...
I've noticed that there are a few leaving in December. When are you all leaving? Might bump into you at the airport or the parks!

We're leaving on the 1130am Delta flight on Dec 9 bound for Orlando. Our itinerary hasn't changed, it just becoming more and more jam-packed by the day!

In brief,

Dec 9-21 Orlando,
Dec 21-28 New York
Dec 28-Jan 2 Washington DC
Jan 2-4 Orlando
Jan 4-6 Port Canaveral
Jan 6-21 Panama Canal cruise

[Snickals]

Here is mine...I have had to re-do it sooo many times. This is just where I will be on each day and the 'major' things on those days, not all the things I will actually be doing/seeing...the things with ? next to them are just ideas for quieter days. Any comments and or suggestions/help would be great :)

30Nov ARRIVE 9.43pm
Dec1 Look around…get over jet lag Disney downtown? Resort hop – sticky beak?
Dec2 Hollywood Studios 9am-8pm Block Party 3pm Fantasmic 6.30pm, 8.00pm Osbourne Dancing Lights
Dec3 Animal Kingdom 9am-5pm Mickeys Jungle Party Parade 3.45pm
Dec4 SEAWORLD 9am-11pm
Dec5 Orlando sightseeing/other Ripley’s and/or Wonderworks? Themed McDonalds? TNA Final Resolution PPV 7pm-11pm (may not get into)
Dec6 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS 9am-6pm TNA TV taping 5pm-?
Dec7 Animal Kingdom 9am-6pm Mickeys Jungle Party Parade 3.45pm - Africa Area
Dec8 Orlando sightseeing/other Downtown Disney? Gatorland? Hooping Class 6pm Dec9 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS 9am-6pm TNA TV taping 5pm-? (will be Christmas ep – want to see)
Dec10 Epcot 9am-12.30am IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth 9.30pm Holiday around the world (Whoopi Goldberg narrating) 5:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 8:15 p.m
Dec11 Hollywood studios 8am-8pm Block Party 3pm Fantasmic 6.30pm Osbourne Dancing Lights
Dec12 Magic Kingdom 9am-7pm Dreams Come True Parade 3pm - Town Square on Main Street U.S.A. & Frontierland Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party 7pm-12am
Dec13 Magic Kingdom 9am-11pm Dreams Come True Parade 3pm Main St Electrical Parade 7pm Wishes Nighttime Spectacular 8pm
Dec14 Something in the morning? LEAVE 7.04pm
Dec15 FLYING
Dec16 HOME 5.40pm

[aussiegirls]

Hey guys, how are you going?

Well, I can now officially say that we go this month. We have 24 more sleeps to go.

Funny story : my little brother is going to live in Thailand. He didn't know the date I was leaving and I didn't know when he was leaving. So we were both having a conversation with our Dad (because he offered to take us both to the airport) and we all realised that we are going on the same day. So Dad will only need to take 1 day off to take us all to the airport at the same time. :thumbsup2 Kind of funny, but kind of sad too. Instead of saying the old goodbye before he goes I will be with him at the airport blubbering my goodbyes (and the girls will be too) in front of the whole world.

Anyway, I am almost all done with all the planning etc. I have all tickets booked and paid for (except for Legoland as we will play that one by ear, if we make it we make it, if we don't we don't). Have tickets for Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Have tickets for front row seating for Hollywood Christmas Parade (can you tell we are Christmas lovers :lmao: ). Have dining all booked (including our Dis-meet with Minnie Sue) and a basic plan all drawn up. I still need to book 2 tours and Fantasmic PS, but will have to do them in a few days as I can only book 30 days out.

We leave on the 25th of November so we will arrive in time to have a fair dinkum Thanksgiving dinner (can the words fair dinkum even be used in relation to Thanksgiving :confused3 ).

I still need to book transport and change a few more $$$$$. Will probably do that tomorrow. I have a travel card, some cash and I think I will change the rest into travellers cheques and use them to pay for the hotels that I will pay for on checkout.

Anyway, I am sure I will have much more to share in the upcoming days.

xxx

[shushh]

aussiegirls, hurray for the planning! It is a little sad about your brother but it will be a lovely way to say goodbye. Are you leaving at around the same time?

[aussiegirls]

Shushh, he leaves about 1.5 hrs before we do. So we will just get to the airport super early and be the first to check in, grab some breaky, do some shopping etc :thumbsup2

xxx

[AussieTink]

Hi Everyone! We have 22 days left till we head out. Although we are going to Canada & NY before we hit Orlando in December, can't wait! The only thing we are deciding on, is if to go to Disneyland the day before Thanksgiving - as we have a day to spend in a hotel near the airport. Still umm-ing and ahh-ing!
I hope everyone that is flying out November/December has a magical and safe holiday :goodvibes

[shushh]

I just looked at our schedule and it seems that we'll be at different parks...Oh well.

Dec 10 MK
Dec 11 Epcot then MK
Dec 12 Epcot
Dec 13 DHS

We're doing MVMCP as well but not until Dec 17.

[platypus67]

Here is mine...I have had to re-do it sooo many times. This is just where I will be on each day and the 'major' things on those days, not all the things I will actually be doing/seeing...the things with ? next to them are just ideas for quieter days. Any comments and or suggestions/help would be great :)

30Nov ARRIVE 9.43pm
Dec1 Look around…get over jet lag Disney downtown? Resort hop – sticky beak?
Dec2 Hollywood Studios 9am-8pm Block Party 3pm Fantasmic 6.30pm, 8.00pm Osbourne Dancing Lights
Dec3 Animal Kingdom 9am-5pm Mickeys Jungle Party Parade 3.45pm
Dec4 SEAWORLD 9am-11pm
Dec5 Orlando sightseeing/other Ripley’s and/or Wonderworks? Themed McDonalds? TNA Final Resolution PPV 7pm-11pm (may not get into)
Dec6 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS 9am-6pm TNA TV taping 5pm-?
Dec7 Animal Kingdom 9am-6pm Mickeys Jungle Party Parade 3.45pm - Africa Area
Dec8 Orlando sightseeing/other Downtown Disney? Gatorland? Hooping Class 6pm Dec9 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS 9am-6pm TNA TV taping 5pm-? (will be Christmas ep – want to see)
Dec10 Epcot 9am-12.30am IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth 9.30pm Holiday around the world (Whoopi Goldberg narrating) 5:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 8:15 p.m
Dec11 Hollywood studios 8am-8pm Block Party 3pm Fantasmic 6.30pm Osbourne Dancing Lights
Dec12 Magic Kingdom 9am-7pm Dreams Come True Parade 3pm - Town Square on Main Street U.S.A. & Frontierland Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party 7pm-12am
Dec13 Magic Kingdom 9am-11pm Dreams Come True Parade 3pm Main St Electrical Parade 7pm Wishes Nighttime Spectacular 8pm
Dec14 Something in the morning? LEAVE 7.04pm
Dec15 FLYING
Dec16 HOME 5.40pm

Your plan looks a little like mine. Resting on day one sea world on the 4th. We leave WDW earlier though (on the 12th) and head north to spend Christmas with my family in Canada.