Is it December Yet?? Cancelled with a Heavy Heart!

[DizNee Luver]

Nope, if you are only going to the party that night, then no you do not need a ticket.

While the party begins at 7pm, you can get in as early as 4 or 4:30

That is the perfect day to maybe ride the monorails and check out various resort decoration.

Make sure you check out Grand Floridian. They have a giant gingerbread house that is so neat .

You can also take a boat from MK to Wilderness Lodge. That place is equivalent to Grand California Hotel in DL, from what i hear. It is very rustic and homey and has a nice big tree for Christmas

That's what I thought on the tickets.....I think having a day in the middle to be less rushed & looking at some of the edible displays/decorations is the way to go. Then head to MK late afternoon to enjoy the Christmas party.

I wanted to tell you, you did a great job with your itinerary

I think just doing DTD and exploring POP and swimming on your first day is the best thing, so you can be rested for yoru first full day at the park

I am glad to see you are doing Osborne Lights at Hollywood Studios

Try to not head back to see those lights until at least half hour after they are turned on. It is quite crazy with wall to wall people standing around waiting for it.

If you give it like a half hr and then go back, much more enjoyable

Thanx!! Trying to be realistic on what all we can accomplish in a day....but I figure shows will be a good time to sit & relax & we'll need that through out the day(s).....so hoping we can see them all & still do the rides everyone's interested in.

How long do they keep the Osborne Lights on every evening? A few hours?? If so, then yes....we'll wait until the first rush is done....don't really want to be boxed in (I'm claustophobic) EEK!!

 

[sl_underwood]

I think your itinerary looks great.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I think your itinerary looks great.

Thanx!! I feel pretty good about it on paper......of course making the dining ressies we want will play into all of it.....lol

 

[Trentmom]

Laurie, depending on what time the park closers, the lights are normally on anywhere between 2 to 4 hours (Osborne Lights)

 

[DizNee Luver]

Laurie, depending on what time the park closers, the lights are normally on anywhere between 2 to 4 hours (Osborne Lights)

That's great.....we won't have to be there when they flip the switch then....we'll have time to get over there & enjoy them but hopefully miss the elbow to elbow crowds. Thanx Kelly!!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I have a new PTR for my cruise this summer:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43760385#post43760385

 

[newtexan]

I like the plans you have laid out. No rush, rush here and there.
Are your character breakfasts early? Like before rope drop? Just wondering if you are morning people or not.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I like the plans you have laid out. No rush, rush here and there.
Are your character breakfasts early? Like before rope drop? Just wondering if you are morning people or not.

When we're in Disneyland, we like to be there prior to opening, go play for a few hours & then do our character or reg. breakfast. We only do 2 meals a day, so a later breakfast & early dinner usually works out good for us. Since I'm not really sure about WDW, this could all be dependent on when we can get dining ressies for a family our size.

The meals that are not in the park we're visiting, will probably be set for early in the morning, the ones in the park a little later.

We have to have some flexibility in our schedules, because we just never know how things are going to go with the twins & we need to stay relaxed to help them stay relaxed.

 

[kaoden39]

I think that anytime you travel with a big group especially with kids you have to roll with the punches and be flexible.


Laurie you are two posts away from 6,200.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I think that anytime you travel with a big group especially with kids you have to roll with the punches and be flexible.


Laurie you are two posts away from 6,200.

Woo Hoo ~ 6200 Posts!!!!!

Thanx for pointing that out Michele, I would have totally missed that......I also joined in Feb 09.....so almost 3 yrs on the DIS!!!

I'm an uber-planner, but I always leave room for "life" to happen.......you have to be that way, no matter what size group you travel with. That's why I never plan rides or use one of the plans. I plan meals & entertainment but there's usually a back-up on the entertainment (or more choices) on other times to see it.

 

[kaoden39]

Woo Hoo ~ 6200 Posts!!!!!

Thanx for pointing that out Michele, I would have totally missed that......I also joined in Feb 09.....so almost 3 yrs on the DIS!!!

I'm an uber-planner, but I always leave room for "life" to happen.......you have to be that way, no matter what size group you travel with. That's why I never plan rides or use one of the plans. I plan meals & entertainment but there's usually a back-up on the entertainment (or more choices) on other times to see it.

6,200!!


I do have the wait time apps on my phone. I love looking at them when I am not at Disneyland.

 

[DizNee Luver]

6,200!!


I do have the wait time apps on my phone. I love looking at them when I am not at Disneyland.

I have a couple of those two & didn't even look at it when I was at DL last month......lol I forgot!!

 

[kaoden39]

I have a couple of those two & didn't even look at it when I was at DL last month......lol I forgot!!

I forget too. But I love to look at them at home. It makes me feel a little closer.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I forget too. But I love to look at them at home. It makes me feel a little closer.

I love being "connected"....it does fill that empty gap when you're between trips or having a bad day. That's why I love having the Disney CD's too....they cheer me up!! The boys all have Disney music on their iPods too.....love it!!

 

[kaoden39]

I love being "connected"....it does fill that empty gap when you're between trips or having a bad day. That's why I love having the Disney CD's too....they cheer me up!! The boys all have Disney music on their iPods too.....love it!!

Kacy has Disney music on her mp3 player and I am sure Loren would put Tangled on his if Kacy helped him.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Hey Laurie! I am a bit late to the party but all caught up now! I think your plans look great. Nice and relaxed. Agree that you don't need hoppers. One park will be more than enough in a day!

If you are early morning people, making your breakfast reservation before the Park opens gets you in just ahead of the crowds. This especially works for us in AK at Donald's breakfast. We have often been on the first safari truck to leave for the day! We don't do breakfast every day but when we do, I try to get pre-opening times. We generally do two meals as well but for us an early lunch and later dinner. Told Andrew your dining plans and our only real negative is Cosmic Rays. We have just never enjoyed the food there but I know many others do. We give the rest of your choices !

My two cents on the Osborne Lights ... yes, it can be crowded but we found the moment they flipped the switch to be one of our most magical Disney moments. Truly awe inspiring. We got there early, parked ourselves on the curb and had a snack while waiting.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Kacy has Disney music on her mp3 player and I am sure Loren would put Tangled on his if Kacy helped him.

Hey Laurie! I am a bit late to the party but all caught up now! I think your plans look great. Nice and relaxed. Agree that you don't need hoppers. One park will be more than enough in a day!

If you are early morning people, making your breakfast reservation before the Park opens gets you in just ahead of the crowds. This especially works for us in AK at Donald's breakfast. We have often been on the first safari truck to leave for the day! We don't do breakfast every day but when we do, I try to get pre-opening times. We generally do two meals as well but for us an early lunch and later dinner. Told Andrew your dining plans and our only real negative is Cosmic Rays. We have just never enjoyed the food there but I know many others do. We give the rest of your choices !

My two cents on the Osborne Lights ... yes, it can be crowded but we found the moment they flipped the switch to be one of our most magical Disney moments. Truly awe inspiring. We got there early, parked ourselves on the curb and had a snack while waiting.

Hi Vicki!! I'm glad you found me!!

We will be up early anyways, so doing an early breakfast won't be out of the question for us. We love going into an empty park, so if I get that as an option, I'll be all over that!!!

Cosmic Rays is a QS, so this can easily be changed......glad to hear the others are all good!!

We'll consider being there during the lights switching on....but it will really depend on how the girls are coping. If the crowds are proving to be too much for them....we'll opt to come in after the initial rush.

 

[DizNee Luver]

So I think I mentioned early on that I'm an uber-planner.....Disney is an obsession, I admit it & that's the first step right?? Anywho.......I've started my travel binder & wanted to share the pics so far. I use the binder to put our itinerary, travel package info, flight info, rental car info, the dining plan, character meals we'll do, restaurants we'll dine at, info on special events (Christmas time), maps & then special things about each park. Since this is our first trip to WDW.....I'm not sure one notebook will be big enough!!!

So here's my start of the book (I get pics off Google Images & info from many, MANY sites)

The notebook~~or should I say, our WDW Bible:

Character Meals!! Our family (everyone....all ages), love doing these...we figure it's a great way to take care of eating & meeting characters all at once.....others see it as a waste of park time. I consider character dining as part of the park experience......so for us it works & we enjoy them a lot!!

Chef Mickey's breakfast:

1900 Park Fare~Cinderella's Gala Dinner:

Tusker House breakfast:

Akershus~Princess Storybook breakfast:

Garden Grill dinner:

Ohana breakfast:

Crystal Palace breakfast:

1900 Park Fare~Supercalifragilistic breakfast:

Introducing the Christmas time special events:

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party:

Candlelight Processional:

Osborne Family Lights:

Edible Displays at the different resorts:

Magic Kingdom:

Epcot:

Hollywood Studios:

Animal Kingdom:

This book helps in our planning, letting the family see all the different things we'll doing, keeping my important papers all organized and in one place. Let's just say I go through a lot of paper & ink by the time the trip actually gets here.....lol

I keep a small photo book (brag book) with all our important info in my bag I carry to the parks. It will include: phone numbers, dining ressies, receipts, keycards/tickets, etc. It's very handy & small enough to carry for quick reference & it will keep all the receipts in one place until we get back to our room.

 

[Sherry E]

Good job on the binder, Laurie! It's a really fun way to get organized for the trip as well as to build momentum and anticipation for yourself and your family.

I'm glad you posted something here! Unlike the DLR side of the board, it seems like the TR's and Pre-TR's on the WDW side of town sometimes move at lightning speed, and can disappear onto the next page (or beyond) within hours! I hadn't checked to see where your Pre-TR had gone lately, but I've seen other Pre-TR's and TR's vanish and get buried in the pages in the past.

 

[Trentmom]

WOW..That book is awesome. You decorated great. Love the title of it

I really love the Christmas Party page with the Tree and cute little gifts...that is adorable