We are back! "Christmas with the mouse" trip report!!!**New 1/1/08**

princess-rn

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Ok...so I've been reading trip reports all day which are making my December trip seem sooo far away. I happened upon this pretrip report page and I'm in heaven!!! I know it's probably too early to post a pre trip report for December..but hey...I'm in withdrawals here and this is going to have to be my fix for a little over 4 months!! If anyone out there reads this and follows it feel free give me any suggestions you have. I tend to stick with things we've tried before and I know we like...but I'm up for trying different things too.....

Here's the cast:

DH: 32 yrs old. A WONDERFUL husband, WONDERFUL father,and A HUGE WDW fanatic. He went to WDW pretty much every year when he was little. I think they stopped going when he was around 12yrs old. He liked it back then..but nothing like he does now. I think it was our honeymoon trip that turned it around for him. It was his first WDW trip in probably 12 years..and his total first one as an adult. He saw how awesome it was..even as a grown up. He gives me free reign of the planning. **YIPPEE**

DS: 5 years old His first trip to WDW was when he was a little over 2 years old. We went for Halloween and he had THE BEST TIME! Everyone told us he was too young to enjoy it..but they were wrong! We took his stroller, he cruised around, rode the rides, LOVED the characters and tooks naps in his stroller for the most part. His 2nd trip was 7 months later. We decided to go to Star wars weekend for a "short vacation". WEll, the short vacation turned into a week long adventure. He remembers things that happened on these trips! It's amazing to me. He is SOoooo very excited about our up coming trip. He knows what he wants to ride at MK...#1 (by far) Buzz lightyear, #2 pirates of the Carribean.

Me: 31 years old. Complete Disney freak and undercover Princess! LOL I'm the super planner of the family and I LOVE it! I never got to go to WDW as a child so my first trip was my honeymoon. My DH made me close my eyes the entire bus ride to MK and keep my eyes closed until he had me postioned perfectly in front of Cindy's castle. (something I had dreamed of seeing since a little girl. Cinderella was my favorite movie as a little girl..and a big girl too! LOL) He pulled his hands away and I just stood there in awe with tears streaming down my face. It was amazing. I've DREAMED of staying at the GF and this year my dream comes true!!! *YIPPEE* :dance3:

CLICK LINKS BELOW FOR UPDATES!!

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=20004370&postcount=2THE PLAN
ADR UPDATE
ADR UDATE #2
TO DECORATE OR NOT TO DECORATE
MAMA NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES
FINAL (I HOPE) ADR UPDATE
FIRST DAY RESORT STAY UPDATE
I JUST BOOKED OUR WL SLEIGH RIDE
ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATE!
MORE DECORATING IDEAS
COUNTDOWN UPDATE
PACKING LIST(S) TIME!
THE WHAT I ALWAYS FORGET PACKING LIST
WHAT TO WEAR?!
1 MONTH
CHANGE OF TITLE
SUDDEN CHANGE
IT'S GOING TO BE OK!!
ALL IS RIGHT AGAIN!!
COUNTDOWN PICTURE!!
FINAL DOCS ARE HERE AND DAY BY DAY PLAN
IS THERE ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY?!!
LINKS TO MY OCTOBER 2004 TR
WE ARE BACK
TR begins! (finally!) Departure day
 
The Plan:

We have been to WDW in October and May. October being our FAVORITE time to go. When we were putting this trip together we knew that this would probably be the last time for a while that we could take a big trip "off season" due to DS starting "big school." We had been planning on going in October again when my DH, who KNOWS how much I LOVE Christmas, says "why don't we go in December before Christmas?" I swear I fell even more in love with him at that minute!!! It's PERFECT!!! (I combine my 2 fav things..Christmas and Disney at our house every year. Every Christmas decoration we have is Disney!!!)


We will be driving down from Birmingham, Alabama. We've decided to drive instead of fly for a couple of reasons. #1 flexibility. We can leave for the trip what ever time of day we want. We can leave WDW for home whatever time of day we want. #2 We don't have to worry about how many bags we've packed or how we going to get souviners home or having them shipped to our house. (evern though there still are a couple of things I'm sure we will have shipped) #3 no waiting in long lines at the airport!

It's about a 10-12 hr drive for us. We plan on leaving super early am and driving straight to WDW. Our first night (which is a "add on night" as we were planning on just driving to our resort) will be spent most likely at the DTD hilton. We want somewhere close to DTD so we can have dinner there and hang out for a bit. After a nice restful night we will head to our resort and officially start our vacation.

The first 5 days will be spent at POFQ. This is our "home" resort. It's the only WDW resort we have stayed at. (With the exception of ASmo for one night..and that will NEVER happen again!!) We LOVE it. We would be fine spending the entire 10 days here....but I talked DH into something very special. The last 5 days of our trip will be at GF in a MK view room!!! *YIPPEE* I'm so excited!!!

I do have some ADRs already planned...but they are at home in my itinary. Once I get home tonight (or maybe tomorrow) I will post them.:yay: :yay:
 
ADR UPDATE
OK..it seems I'm doing this post for myself and I'm ok with that! LOL Anyway..here's my ADR's so far. I'm thinking we will be changing some of them.

Chef Mickeys (1st night tradition)
Brown Derby. Fantasmic Package
Rain forest Cafe
Le Cellier
Cinderella's Royal lunch
Sci Fi
Liberty tree tavern (MVMCP night)
Whispering Canyon Cafe


We are on the DDP btw...

I still have two unplanned days. I'm trying to figure those out. I know one of them will be in DTD. I have looked at the Brown Derby menu online and really am not impressed with it. (see lots of things I would try..but DH isn't much of a "try new foods" kind of guy) May change to Mama Melrose.

I'm most excited about the dinner in the castle (of course!!) and LeCellier. I've heard such great things about it.

Anyway..I'm up to suggestions...IF anyone is out there! ;)
 
Hi :wave2: ! I'm here. How about Planet Hollywood?? I have a reservation for Spoodles, but I'm thinking about the seafood buffet at The Beach Club. Spoodles menu sounds too boring, only a couple of choices~

Your plans sound great! Can't wait for more!!
 


Someone IS out there!!LOL! Welcome! :yay:

We seem to have made a tradition of stopping at Planet Hollywood on our way home. We just started it last year and it was really a nice way to end the vacation. They have GREAT burgers! I thought about trying something different in DTD. Just not sure what yet. We've never eaten anywhere at the boardwalk or the beach club. I'm thinking we need to try that too! My husband and I are beefing up our workouts and TRYING to watch what we eat for the next 4 months to make up for what all we are going to eat in WDW!!! LOL

Suggestions are always welcome so keep them coming!!!
 
I'm here, too! I just joined & have been reading different posts; I'm slowly learning all the abbreviations!

I'm so jealous that you're going in December!! I don't think your crazy to be thinking about it now -- we're going next June & I'm already in heaven with my planning!

How about dining with the Blues Brothers at DTD? We enjoyed it on our last trip in 2005. It's not a fancy meal, but quite tasty...
 
Hi Suzimom! Welcome to my pretrip mania!! LOL AND Welcome to Dis! Let me tell you, this place is awesome and REALLY gets you in the planning mood! I love it. I come here just to get my Disney fix sometimes!

I'm very excited about our December trip. My son has started counting down days now! Me and my DH too!!

We have thought about dining at the House of Blues. That may be what we do that first night when we stay at DTD hilton. (I may be to tired to though. I drive the entire time. Crazy huh?)

We LOVE to eat..but it doesn't necessarily have to be "fancy". In fact the fancier the food gets the less likely my DH and DS will eat it! (I on the other hand will eat anything or at least try it once!!! :woohoo:
 


What about Ohana's?

We are going to leave the Magic Kingdom one night and tour all the decorations at the monorail resorts.

Then we are going to stop at the Polynesian for dinner. I am hoping I've timed it right to watch the water pageant and the MVMCP fireworks from the beach after we eat!
 
Ohana's...yes..that's a great idea!! We have never been there and I see I have it circled on my "wish" list! I really like your idea! We are also planning to tour the other resorts. Actually if we do an ADR at Ohana's we have the Monorail resorts covered. (We have an ADR for Chef Mickeys at CR and we will be staying at GF!!)

I think I'm going to call dining now....Thanks so much!!!
 
Nooooooooo...not Mama Melrose's!!!:eek:

Seriously, its not *that* bad. But, its not that good, either. Haven't been to Brown Derby or Hollywood & Vine, but I've heard not so good things about both of them, too. I just don't think I'd use the two TS credits for Brown Derby. My choice would be H&V for the Fantasmic! package. Don't take it from me, though, cause as I said I haven't been there. My son really enjoyed Mama Melrose's, but me, being Italian, thought the food was tasteless (compared to my cooking, anyway).
 
Thanks tat2ddisneymom! MM wasn't available anyway. (and hasn't been ever since 180 days out!!! We ate at H&V last time and I remember not liking it at all. DH and DS did enjoy it...so it looks like we will be doing that again. I decided against using 2 credits for Brown Derby after I thought about it for a while.
 
ADR UPDATE #2

Ok..I just did an ADR overhaul!! (This is what I get for trying to plan what/where to eat in December!!!) I'm sure this won't be the 1st. New ADRs are as follows....existing ADR ,Newly added ADR

Chef Mickeys
Sci-FI
Ohana
Le Cellier (Candlelight Processional pkg)
Cindy's Royal Lunch
H&V (Fantasmic Pkg)
Liberty Tree Tavern (MVMCP night)
Whispering Canyon Cafe

I ended up cancelling Brown Derby (just could not see spending 2 TS credits on food that I don't think DH or DS would truly enjoy) and Rain Forest Cafe (didn't fit with "the plan") I switched a late Le Cellier lunch for the Candlelight processional pkg. Ask and you shall receive *YIPPEE*. When I asked if the CP pkg were available yet the CM goes "oh yes, they have been for a while." I was afraid LeCellier would be booked! I know it goes fast! Now, I did book a 3:40 dinner time...but that's fine. We are early eaters! :thumbsup2

Now, I still have an empty day that I know we will be spending at DTD. (It's our last night at POFQ so we will take the boat over and shop and eat of course!!) I'm thinking about Cap'n Jacks, Wolf gang pucks or Ragland Road. We've never been to any of these so suggestions are appreciated!

I also have our last night at WDW open. I was thinking either Citricos or Narcoosee's...but I've got to explore their menus.

Anyway..that's the update. Stay tuned for more!! popcorn::
 
Hi!:wave: I'm out here too. We have done the H&V Fantasmic package - last year March 06 and have a 3:00 "dinner" reservation for this year too. It works out well because it is a buffet. You can get in & out quickly. We are staying off-site so we aren't doing the dining package - therefore we have chosen it because it is the cheapest one in the Fantasmic package. They also did a great job accomodating my son's gluten free diet. I wasn't sure how they would handle it at a buffet, but they showed us what he could eat, plus made him some "special" chicken nuggets. Everyone at Disney rocks!!:cheer2:

I've been posting my own pre-trip report (I'm a newbie & haven't figured out how to put the link in my signature yet) called October 2007 - WDW or Bust!

Glad to hear October is your favorite time to visit (so far). Sounds like you will love Christmas time too!! Happy planning!:)
 
Hi DisMomAmy! Glad to have you here! I really wanted to try Mama Melrose for the fantasmic package, and will probably try again closer to our vacation. Even though I've heard mixed reviews about it, it's still something I would like to try. It's awesome H&V was so accommodating with your sons diet. That's very important!!

You will LOVE going in October. We went for our Honeymoon during the first of October and then a few years later with our son for 10 days including Halloween night. It was awesome! The weather is PERFECT and so are the crowds!! I hope I enjoy going in December as much as October!!

A VERY nice diser showed me how to do the sig..so I'm going to PM the instructions to you. I want to read your pre trip report too!!!
 
Thanks for the PM - it was very helpful - I couldn't PM you back yet since this is my 9th post and I guess you need 10 before you are allowed to PM. Hopefully my signature is set up right - this is the first message since I change it.

We probably would have tried out Mama Melrose's because I like Italian, but I was there wouldn't have been anything there for my son - there is gluten free pasta, etc. but he doesn't like it - I wasn't sure if they would have other choices so we just skipped it. Probably worth a try??

Thanks again for helping me with my signature! :) Amy
 
Hey Amy! You are very welcome for the PM. I tried to get to your report but an error message comes up. *YIKES*

I think MM is worth a try..then again..I will try anything once!!
 
To Decorate or NOT to decorate

So, I've posted this somewhere else..but decided to post it here as well. As you all now know...I LOVE Christmas and I LOVE Disney! I'm one of these people who start putting up their Christmas tree as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over. This year decorating is going to be hard. We will be leaving for my inlaws in Louisiana the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We will be coming back the Sunday after Thanksgiving and I work the next 5 days...then we leave for WDW!! I think my husband is assuming we won't put up the tree until we get back...ummm no way! I'm thinking it will be up before Thanksgiving this year!!! (Go ahead...DH makes fun of me too!!!)

Anyway..that has nothing to do with this post.....I need some festive decorations for our room at the resort(s). I called Disney florist and got a quote on their BEAUTIFUL Christmas tree. (4 ft..fully decorated) Yeah, it's $375. Now, I'm NOT cheap by any means...but $375 is a little steep for me. So, we are not going that route. Then I had the idea (thanks to some wonderful disers) that I would get a little table top tree and bring a string of lights and my mini disney ornaments and decorate it once I get there. My issue..How is that going to travel from one resort to the other when we change? My husband thinks I'm nuts for wanting to decorate. Maybe I am...:santa:
 
Hello there!

I look forward to following your trip report. We are also visiting WDW in December. We are going the 14th-20th. It is a suprise trip for our daughters. We thought that as much as we spend on Christmas gifts (also as much as they already have :eek: ) that this is something we could do for all of us and will be worth SO much more than tons of gifts. We plan on telling them about a week before we leave. It is driving me crazy keeping it from them. They keep saying "wish we could go back to Disney World" and I say well maybe in the next year or two:rotfl2: . I swear, I have to turn my head!

You seem so organized with your ADR's and all. I need to get on the ball! I start my second year of nursing school on August 13th and my mind will be :scared1: , so I need to get everything planned by then. I have ideas and bunches of unorganized notes, but have not had the time (summer school).
I am out for now and my girls go BTS tomorrow, so I plan to work while they are there.

I also want to mention that we love Mama Melrose. I know different people like different things, but we eat there every trip.

Sorry for such a long post!

Miranda
 
Hi Miranda!! :welcome: I hope my pretrip babbling doesn't bore you too much. My DH is SO done with talking about WDW for right now. He loves it..but he said he can't talk about it until November 1st! LOL This is my "out loud" planning board for now.

I think it is AWESOME that you are suprising your girls!! AND that you can keep it secret! I stink at keeping secrets!! They are going to be super excited!!!

Thank you for your kind words. Vacations are about the only things I'm organized at. (You should see my office *YIKES*) Half the fun of going to WDW for me is the planning. I don't plan out every min...or every ride...but I do know what parks we are going to and on what days. Now, every now and then once we are there the plan does change...and that is OK!

Having been a nursing school student myself, I must agree with you that you need to get alot planned before your 2nd year starts. I admire you for doing it with a family! I don't think I could do it now if I had too. DH and I are both nurses. (We met and fell in love in nursing school!:love: ) I LOVE what I do...but it was absolute "H" "E" "double hocky sticks" getting that RN behind my name! It really is a WONDERFUL profession though. Best of luck to you!

We like resturants at WDW that alot of people don't like also. (For instance we LOVE Sci Fi. I bet I can count on one hand how many people I've heard say that) I'm still going to try to get the ADR for MM.

Ok..this has been a novel post! Thanks for following my pretrip! I hope you continue to hang around! :wave2:
 
Hello! :wave2:

I'm here, too, because:

1. I noticed that you're an RN and we nurses have to stick together. :grouphug:
2. I have the same twin passions, Christmas and WDW. :santa: ::MickeyMo
3. I had the good fortune to visit WDW in December back in '05, :woohoo: and
4. Oh well, I guess I can squeeze in just one more PTR! :rolleyes:

Kathy
 

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