Surprising the Kids with a NYE Trip! Jan '16 PTR (Update 12/29 We're off! See ya in 10 days!)

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Hi there, I wanted to chime in bc we went NYE 2010. It was a great success; we rode everything on our list with no wait! I know things change, but I wanted to let you know that it is perfectly feasible.

That's awesome! What park did you go to for NYE? I know we want to do MK for 12/30 since they do Fantasy in the Sky both nights but we're still waffling between Epcot & DHS on 12/31.

 

[Writer325]

We only spent three days in Orlando and back then I didn't plan trips, so we were actually at MK, but the funny part about our trip is that we got there at park open, and by the time it was around 7 we couldn't fathom spending another 7 hours in the park...so we left! I know that is probably the last thing anybody else would do, but it was just the two of us and we were flat out tired.

However, I think Epcot gets pretty crazy since there is a lot of alcohol there, so I would probably pick HS for a more family friendly atmosphere. Enjoy your trip!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I can't believe you haven't heard back on your resort rental yet! Good grief. Here's hoping you hear back soon!

I love your height chart!

Is Ev just 36" tall (hence your 4 inches comment)? She looks closer to 39", but it's hard to tell with all those hair bows! I bet Ev will end up being tall enough for several of the fun rides - Splash, Soarin'... and Tower of Terror! (Would she go on Tower of Terror? My sister was not a fan on her first vacation, but I haven't been able to get her off that attraction since! )

Holy cow, Josh is tall! How fabulous that he'll be able to do EVERYTHING!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

I can't believe you haven't heard back on your resort rental yet! Good grief. Here's hoping you hear back soon!

I love your height chart!

Is Ev just 36" tall (hence your 4 inches comment)? She looks closer to 39", but it's hard to tell with all those hair bows! I bet Ev will end up being tall enough for several of the fun rides - Splash, Soarin'... and Tower of Terror! (Would she go on Tower of Terror? My sister was not a fan on her first vacation, but I haven't been able to get her off that attraction since! )

Holy cow, Josh is tall! How fabulous that he'll be able to do EVERYTHING!

I KNOW!! I keep emailing them asking for updates and they keep saying "soon!" They also promise that I'm not being a nuisance but I'm sure every time they see my name pop up in the inbox, they're like "here's that crazy lady again" lol!

Ev is actually exactly 40"! So she'll be able to ride Soarin', Splash, Test Track, ToT, etc. I was just hoping she'd hit that 44" and be able to go on Expedition Everest & Space Mountain. I know she'd LOVE those! I'm pretty sure she'll be fine with ToT... she doesn't scare easily! My son is so sensitive and sweet we joke that when Josh grows up he wants to join the Peace Corps... when Ev grows up she wants to be President OF THE WORLD! Haha! Truly, its pretty telling of each of their personalities.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

We only spent three days in Orlando and back then I didn't plan trips, so we were actually at MK, but the funny part about our trip is that we got there at park open, and by the time it was around 7 we couldn't fathom spending another 7 hours in the park...so we left! I know that is probably the last thing anybody else would do, but it was just the two of us and we were flat out tired.

However, I think Epcot gets pretty crazy since there is a lot of alcohol there, so I would probably pick HS for a more family friendly atmosphere. Enjoy your trip!

Oh too funny! I was wondering if the same thing might happen to us - getying too tired and calling it a early night. Our regular New Year's Eve nights are pretty tame so staying up past 10 is probably going to be a big deal!

Good tip on DHS being more family friendly! Never thought about that!

 

[skier_pete]

I would second avoiding Epcot on NYE. It's where people go to P-A-R-T-Y. They have multiple DJ booths and alcohol flows freely. MIght be fun as adults, but I don't think I'd bring my kids there.

I would still say tough it out with the DVC points - still availability all of December in Kidani - AKV. (I don't remember if you said what you're first choice was.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

I would second avoiding Epcot on NYE. It's where people go to P-A-R-T-Y. They have multiple DJ booths and alcohol flows freely. MIght be fun as adults, but I don't think I'd bring my kids there.

I would still say tough it out with the DVC points - still availability all of December in Kidani - AKV. (I don't remember if you said what you're first choice was.

The more I think about it the more I like the idea of DHS on NYE! I'm totally with you... if it was just me & Eric maybe Epcot would be more appealing but I don't think I want to bring my kids there. I've been reading a ton, devouring blog posts, and trying to plan out the day.

Who knows, maybe its a good thing that we have to wait on the DVC points. David's charges a $2/point premium for booking with Home Resort Points so I'm hoping that if it ends up that we have to wait until the 7 month window opens up they'll drop the extra charge. Anyhow, I'd rather get it settled but as long as there's still availability, I'm happy!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

There's still not a lot to report on the planning front! STILL waiting on David's DVC. I don't fault them this, its a popular time of year and they have been very helpful and accommodating with all my requests for updates!

Today I started a notebook and just jotted down my initial ideas, thoughts and questions. Here's what I sort of have:

Day 1 - 12/30
Drive to WDW!
Lunch on the road - Chic-Fil-A? We don't have these in WA and I'm super curious. Is it as good as everyone says?
Grocery Store Stop
Check in at (hopefully!!) Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village
Evening at the Magic Kingdom
Wishes & Fantasy in the Sky

Day 2 12/31 NYE @ DHS!
Sleep in? Or Rope drop? - Do the E-Ticket attractions in the morning, leave before lunch
Hang out at AKL, enjoy the resort
Lunch @ the Mara
Pool/Naps/Snacks
Return to the park late. After 6:00 PM? - I've read an entire spectrum of blog posts regarding this strategy! Some say "You MUST stay all day!!" some say "A mid-day rest is MANDATORY!" Some say "The parks will close! You'll be shut out!!" others say "Don't worry, the parks won't close to onsite guests!"
Fantasmic! Dinner Package
Osborn Lights
NYE Fireworks!
Likely "home" around 2:00 am.

*The rest of the days are totally "floaters." I'm waiting until we get crowd calendars, ADRs, etc before finalizing anything in my mind.
Day 3 1/1 Epcot?
Sleep in
O'hana Brunch with Lilo & Stitch? My kids are crazy about Stitch right now so this breakfast is a must - Just need to figure out where to plug it into our plans.
Bear Family to join us later in the day!
Don't do Animal Kingdom this day since it closes early.

Day 4 1/2
Animal Kingdom?
Probably will start to see a dip in crowds at this point because 1. New Year's is over 2. Most people end their vacations & fly home on a Saturday 3. Most people will be returning to work after the holiday on Monday
Tusker House for dinner?

Day 5 1/3
Magic Kingdom?
BBB & CRT for the girls!

Day 6 1/4
DHS?
Josh requested 50's Prime Time! He loved the antics at Whispering Canyon and wants to try 50's PTC!

Day 7 1/5
Epcot 1/2 day?
Lunch or dinner @ Via Napoli. Pay OOP. Since Dec is my birthday month, we'll get a $50 Gift Certificate from the Patina Group by signing up for their mailing list! Saw this tip here on the Dis! Here's the link, if anyone's interested Patina News & Notes. Not sure if they will actually accept the GC at Via Napoli but supposedly they will if you put in an Orlando zip code and choose it as your "favorite restaurant" on the form.

Day 8 1/6
Magic Kingdom.
Supposedly the Magic Kingdom will see some of the lowest crowds of the season on this day
Had really, really wanted to do the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party but now that its changed into the Wishes Dessert Party and more than doubled the cost, I really doubt we'll be doing it. I can think of A LOT of stuff I'd rather spend $160 on!

Day 9 1/7
Magic Kingdom.
I loved spending our last morning/afternoon in the Magic Kingdom!
I want to do the kid's silhouettes done again and get their hair styled at Harmony Barber. That was so cool for the flight home!
PLAN on getting a cab to the airport
Hopefully we can get a late flight.

ADRs we're interested in:
Mama Melrose, Ohana Best Friends Breakfast, Tepan Edo (my kids would go nutty for this!), Tusker House (breakfast or dinner?), Cinderella's Royal Table, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Via Napoli, Whispering Canyon, Crystal Palace Breakfast, Boma Breakfast, Saana.

*I'm aware that we won't be able to do ALL of these, especially if we want to stick to the DDP.
*Maybe we'd want to upgrade to the DDxP?? Probably not but I want to crunch some numbers.
*Not really interested in BOG for dinner but Lunch... YES PLEASE! Thinking this will be easier to get for later in the trip along with FastPass+ for Elsa & Anna.

180 Days out - July 3!! Does the booking window start at 12:00 AM Eastern?? Therefore, I'd be able to start booking on July 2 @ 9:00 PM Pacific??
60 Days out - November 1!!

It still seems so far away but coming up fast! And Happy SPRING everyone!!

 

[NJlauren]

Following along! I need to catch up on the last few posts! But it looks like your planning is moving right along!

Chick Fil A - YUM! We just got one about 15 minutes from me and whenever I'm in a really bad mood my husband will say 'do you need Chick Fil A'

I didn't know Via Napoil was owned buy Patina Group! One of my fav restaurant is Patina Group!

I think 180 days out starts at 6am so I'm pretty sure that means 3am on July 3rd West Coast time

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It looks like you have some great things planned!

I'm a big fan of 50's PT, Via Napoli, and Crystal Palace breakfast, so hooray on all of those! I've only been to Tusker House for breakfast (which I love!), but I'm sure the dinner is good, too. I heard about the Wishes Dessert Party craziness - I suppose I understand upping the fees given the limited slots, but good grief.

I love that you're planning a visit to BBB, as well as another Harmony Barbershop visit! It will be fun to put your silhouettes next to each other to see how your kids have grown!

If you do manage to get in for AKL, make sure you make time for some resort time! It's such a FANTASTIC resort that you'll want to take advantage of it!

 

[skier_pete]

Overall, i try not to be too critical of others plans unless it's someone that's never been before, which is not the case for you, so I'll just make a few comments about specific things.

We LOVE Tusker House Lunch/Dinner Buffet, so that's my vote. However, it really depends on personal taste. The buffet menu is very Indian/African/Asian ethnic influenced, so if you are NOT adventurous eaters I would say you should probably stick with breakfast. Don't get me wrong, there's enough standard stuff for the kids, but most bad reviews I've read are mostly about how there wasn't things that people liked. As I said, we love it. (We also LOVED Sanaa - but same thing - VERY Indian.)

50's Prime Time is similar in the "antics" department. It's a lot of fun, and the foods good and not real expensive.

Interesting on the Via Napoli GC - I may have to give this a try...we are also going there on our trip. I'll let you know if it works.

With you on the Wishes Desert Party. We wouldn't have done it at the lower price, but at $50 a head, forget it. It's not like it's THAT hard to get a spot.

You talk about doing the Deluxe DDP - myself I say don't do it. To me, if you spend two meals a day in a sit-down restaurant, you are eating up too much of your day not enjoying the parks resorts. Plus it's just TOO much food. You can never get to ALL the restaurants you want to try any trip anyways. Pick one for each day, and then save the rest for the next trip. It's not like you're never going again, right?

And yes, 180 days out starts at 6 AM Eastern. Sorry for you...

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Following along! I need to catch up on the last few posts! But it looks like your planning is moving right along!

Chick Fil A - YUM! We just got one about 15 minutes from me and whenever I'm in a really bad mood my husband will say 'do you need Chick Fil A'

I didn't know Via Napoil was owned buy Patina Group! One of my fav restaurant is Patina Group!

I think 180 days out starts at 6am so I'm pretty sure that means 3am on July 3rd West Coast time

Yay! Lauren! So glad you're here! Lol! Your husband really knows how to turn your mood around! I think mine must be ice cream because whenever I tell my hubby I'm having a bad day, he brings me home a pint of Ben & Jerry's!

3:00 am???! Nuts! And here I thought I was going to be all cool and get in a day early.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

It looks like you have some great things planned!

I'm a big fan of 50's PT, Via Napoli, and Crystal Palace breakfast, so hooray on all of those! I've only been to Tusker House for breakfast (which I love!), but I'm sure the dinner is good, too. I heard about the Wishes Dessert Party craziness - I suppose I understand upping the fees given the limited slots, but good grief.

I love that you're planning a visit to BBB, as well as another Harmony Barbershop visit! It will be fun to put your silhouettes next to each other to see how your kids have grown!

If you do manage to get in for AKL, make sure you make time for some resort time! It's such a FANTASTIC resort that you'll want to take advantage of it!

Yes, yes, yes! You are so right, if we're going "all out" and staying at AKL we really do need to make time to enjoy the resort. With 7 full days and two half days we really should be able to slow it down a bit! I absolutely loved your idea of eating breakfast at Boma on your departure day - that looked absolutely lovely! I'm feeling kinda guilty that (so far) our plans don't include any of the AKL restaurants! I mean, we're staying at the resort with some of the best restaurants on Disney property and we aren't going to partake? I may have to rework that...

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Overall, i try not to be too critical of others plans unless it's someone that's never been before, which is not the case for you, so I'll just make a few comments about specific things.

We LOVE Tusker House Lunch/Dinner Buffet, so that's my vote. However, it really depends on personal taste. The buffet menu is very Indian/African/Asian ethnic influenced, so if you are NOT adventurous eaters I would say you should probably stick with breakfast. Don't get me wrong, there's enough standard stuff for the kids, but most bad reviews I've read are mostly about how there wasn't things that people liked. As I said, we love it. (We also LOVED Sanaa - but same thing - VERY Indian.)

50's Prime Time is similar in the "antics" department. It's a lot of fun, and the foods good and not real expensive.

Interesting on the Via Napoli GC - I may have to give this a try...we are also going there on our trip. I'll let you know if it works.

With you on the Wishes Desert Party. We wouldn't have done it at the lower price, but at $50 a head, forget it. It's not like it's THAT hard to get a spot.

You talk about doing the Deluxe DDP - myself I say don't do it. To me, if you spend two meals a day in a sit-down restaurant, you are eating up too much of your day not enjoying the parks resorts. Plus it's just TOO much food. You can never get to ALL the restaurants you want to try any trip anyways. Pick one for each day, and then save the rest for the next trip. It's not like you're never going again, right?

And yes, 180 days out starts at 6 AM Eastern. Sorry for you...

For goodness sakes, critique away, pete! Because everything we're doing is so different from our last two trips, I almost feel like a "newbie" again!

I'd say we're pretty adventurous eaters - at least for Disney standards. I do a lot of asian cooking and Indian is my most favorite cuisine! In fact, I'm making chicken tikka masala for dinner tonight! YUM! African will be new to us, though! I've eaten at one Ethiopian restaurant before and that was fantastic but it will be completely new to Eric. The kids... eat like kids. My daughter is more brave about trying new things than my son is but as long as they have the regular "kid" food, he'll be happy. At home we try to get him to expand his horizons but while we're on vacation we pretty much let him eat what he wants (which ends up being a whole lot of chicken nuggets and mac & cheese). Its no fun for him OR us to squabble about food at Disney! He's just not that interested in food! I have this theory that there are two kinds of people: those who live to eat and those that eat to live. He's definitely a "eat to live-er" so that's one reason why if there's a restaurant he is actually requesting I'm totally booking it!

YES! Please let me know how that Via Napoli GC works for you!! This restaurant looks fabulous but hard to justify spending a table credit on. With a $50 GC, we could get away with a $30 bill including drinks & desserts!

Good advice about the Deluxe DDP. I think you're right about it being much, much to much food for us. Most of the time we probably wouldn't order appetizers, so those would go to waste and Eric is definitely a burger & fries kind of guy so he's looking forward to getting his fill while on vacation! Its so hard to remember that I don't have to pack it ALL into one week - this definitely isn't our last trip! So, thanks for the reality check!

 

[skier_pete]

For goodness sakes, critique away, pete! Because everything we're doing is so different from our last two trips, I almost feel like a "newbie" again!

Well, I said I wouldn't critique, but I mostly did anyways. Your day plans seem wise enough where they are solid. I think the best thing you can do is plan on not getting much done the first few days. If you assume that, you can handle the massive crowds, and then start enjoying more when they go away.

I'd say we're pretty adventurous eaters - at least for Disney standards. I do a lot of asian cooking and Indian is my most favorite cuisine! In fact, I'm making chicken tikka masala for dinner tonight! YUM! African will be new to us, though! I've eaten at one Ethiopian restaurant before and that was fantastic but it will be completely new to Eric. The kids... eat like kids. My daughter is more brave about trying new things than my son is but as long as they have the regular "kid" food, he'll be happy. At home we try to get him to expand his horizons but while we're on vacation we pretty much let him eat what he wants (which ends up being a whole lot of chicken nuggets and mac & cheese). Its no fun for him OR us to squabble about food at Disney! He's just not that interested in food! I have this theory that there are two kinds of people: those who live to eat and those that eat to live. He's definitely a "eat to live-er" so that's one reason why if there's a restaurant he is actually requesting I'm totally booking it!

Well, based on what you say here - I would suggest you try the lunch/dinner. There's nothing more "out there" than Chicken tikka. Since you are planning to be on the DDP - it's a better value (i.e. more expensive) to eat lunch or dinner. There's enough kids options to satisfy the kids. Actually elsewhere you mention Boma. The two are fairly similar (we like TUSKER better) so if I were you would try one or the other. Sanaa is wonderful, and it's the only restaurant to see the animals out the windows.

YES! Please let me know how that Via Napoli GC works for you!! This restaurant looks fabulous but hard to justify spending a table credit on. With a $50 GC, we could get away with a $30 bill including drinks & desserts!

I just need to get around to signing up. (You are right not a good DDP choice.)

Good advice about the Deluxe DDP. I think you're right about it being much, much to much food for us. Most of the time we probably wouldn't order appetizers, so those would go to waste and Eric is definitely a burger & fries kind of guy so he's looking forward to getting his fill while on vacation! Its so hard to remember that I don't have to pack it ALL into one week - this definitely isn't our last trip! So, thanks for the reality check!

I am told B&C is a good choice for burgers. One thing I discover is the more we go, the less we sweat doing everything we want to on a trip. It's pretty much "oh - we'll just fit that in next time!"

 

[skier_pete]

Oh, one other thing to remember in your planning, while I don't think AKL busses overall are bad, it is a LONG ride to Magic Kingdom, so you should plan your days there accordingly...it's not great to take a mid-day break back at the hotel.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Oh, one other thing to remember in your planning, while I don't think AKL busses overall are bad, it is a LONG ride to Magic Kingdom, so you should plan your days there accordingly...it's not great to take a mid-day break back at the hotel.

Good point. I'm thinking that since I've got so many MK days planned that we might just stay through the day and leave in the late afternoon/early evening to spend some time back at AKL.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Uuummmm... is this real life?!?!! X FILES IS COMING BACK!!

Its only for 6 episodes but OHMIGOSH IM SO EXCITED!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Yay!!! I just confirmed our reservation and booked our room! We will officially be in Disney World on December 30 through January 7 and will be staying at......

.... drum roll please....
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(Not my image. Found on Google uncredited)


Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village!!!!!
​

For those of you following along, this should come as no surprise since I've been going cray-cray waiting to book this. I'm super excited because we'll have a Savannah View Studio. I seriously CAN'T WAIT! We've never stayed at a Deluxe resort before and, in all honesty, I never thought we actually would stay at one. I want nothing more than to sit on that balcony in the morning, coffee in hand, watching giraffes stroll by my room. FREAKING GIRAFFES! (Hopefully... I took skier_pete's advice and put in my room request for the Sunset Savannah so I'll be crossing all my fingers and toes for the next 9 months.)

This actually wasn't our first choice, however. This was....

(again, not my image.)
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We knew it was a long shot. I mean, New Year's Eve?? Walking distance to Epcot & DHS??? Yah, this beauty books up FAST and I knew it was uber popular with DVC members. But we thought "what the hey" and put it in as our first choice anyway. AKL was our second choice and as soon as I confirmed our request I started second guessing myself. I mean, Boardwalk's location is prime, for sure but then I started dreaming about giraffes... and I started watching YouTube videos of room walk-throughs and I completely fell in love with the theming at AKL! Boardwalk, in comparison started to feel a little... old fashioned. (Not that its not still on my bucket list though!) I went to bed actually hoping we would get AKL. When I was notified that there was availability at our 2nd choice, I was SO excited! It really felt like I got my first choice!

The obvious down side is that AKL and especially Kidani, is far away. From EVERYTHING. No ferry. No Monorail. Just Disney busses. But you know, I'm okay with that. Because giraffes.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

YAY!!!



I'm so glad that you confirmed your resort - and I'm excited it's at Animal Kingdom Lodge! As you know, I LOVED our stay at Jambo House! I think you'll love the resort!

(And honestly, I never thought the bus rides were that bad. As a plus, the buses stop at Kidani Village first, so you'll always have a seat on your way to a park! )