If we can keep this trip a secret, it will be a Disney miracle! *TR LINK ADDED 12/12!*

[hokieinpa]

That jousting rude looks so cute!

It was really fun! And Nate and Colin really felt like brave knights, I think!

Sorry Jake missed out on so much. Once you've taken little folks to wdw I think it spoils other places. From what I understand wdw has more stuff for the babes than most places.

It was a little hard for me to see him missing out on many of the rides. He had no idea what he was missing so that made it better. But your'e right - Disney is so family friendly and that spoiled us!

Sorry about the weather! Summer down here can be brutally hot. Combine that with all the moisture in the air and it's like living in a sauna.

I had no idea just how miserable the afternoons could be! I have a feeling this trip will be kind of an annual thing so I guess I better get use to the Florida summer!

Mini land looks so cute!! Can't wait to see the Star Wars part!

The detail was amazing! I loved mini land!

That joust ride looks so cute!

It was really fun - and it was shady all around the viewing area so big bonus!

I've seen pictures of Miniland before and love it! It's so nicely done!

I loved the attention to detail!

I'm sorry about Jake having to sit out a lot, but it doesn't sound like he was too bothered by it which is a good thing!

I was definitely more bothered by the whole situation! He was having a blast eating snacks and looking at all of the statues. I think I'm just spoiled by Disney. He can ride almost anything there or at least find something fun to do nearby!

Okay, MiniLand USA is super cool. Can't wait to see the SW version!

The detail in Mini Land was AMAZING! And we spent a solid hour looking at the Star Wars scenes and to let the boys pretend to "battle" the Lego Darth Vader!

 

[hokieinpa]

****************************************
45 Days until Disney!

Secret Status -
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Christmas at Disney To Do List

We're at 45 days - the point of no return!



The trip is paid off completely!

I'm going to do posts of my daily plans one month out from my trip - starting October 28 and going day by day. Hopefully I can iron out any wrinkles with your help!

I've picked up a few toiletry items for the trip - toothbrushes for the boys, Star Wars band aids, etc. I'm going to go through our collection of Disney shirts this weekend and see if we need to supplement anyone's wardrobe before the trip. I'm also keeping m eyes open for Disney Christmas shirts! I saw a few tacky sweater type shirts on the Disney Store site but they are a little too spendy for me right now - but super cute anyway!

Our May trip countdown is creeping close to 180 days! I'm planning on starting a PTR for that trip soon to start talking ADRs since we're going to be trying some new places!

So for this post, I thought I would make a list of all of the "Christmas-y" experiences that are a must do for this trip. Let me know if you have any experiences, ideas, or tips! Or if I missed anything!

1. Meet Santa at Downtown Disney/Disney Springs



On our first day, we're heading straight to DTD (DS? ) and our first stop will be to see Santa! I've read that Santa has a nice little pager system set up to make the visit run smoothly! I think this will be the perfect way to kick off our Christmas trip!

2. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights



So it appears that our first time seeing the Osborne lights will also be the last time we see them. Our plan is to get to the lights shortly before 6 and spend about an hour just taking it all in! Hopefully we can see the lights dance to the music and find a few of the hidden surprises! The cat? Hidden Mickeys? Anything else?

3. Minnie's Holiday Dine



I'm very excited for this new to me and new to Disney dinner! We're doing the non-Fantasmic package and our ADR is at 7:05 so we'll head here right after the Osborne Lights.

According to the description we'll meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Santa Goofy. And directly from the Disney site - "Get hugs and photos with your happy hosts, and wonder as you wander through the dazzling décor, heartwarming music and holiday-themed food and activities". I'm excited to read the reviews when it opens in a few weeks!

4. Monorail Resort Decorations








On the morning of MVMCP, we'll head to our breakfast at Ohana at 10:00 and then hop on the resort monorail for a tour of the Contemporary and Grand Floridian gingerbread displays and trees! I'm really excited to see the theme for the gingerbread house at the Contemporary this year. And I've heard the lobby just smells like Christmas!

Our tour will be fairly quick since we want to get back to Pop for a nap before the party. But I know we'll be able to admire the decor for as long as the boys' attention spans will allow and then move on! I'm excited to get a peak inside the monorail resorts since my chances of staying in one are fairly slim!

4. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

So this is really the big focus of our trip! We LOVED MNSSHP so I'm excited to see MK all decked out in wreaths and snow for Christmas!

We're looking forward to the short lines of course, but a few other things as well!

First up, the Dream Lights!



We're going to be sure to enjoy some cocoa and cookies too! I think the boys will flip when they realize there are basically unlimited Christmas cookies to enjoy!



Holiday Wishes is a must for us, of course!



And we're planning on catching the second parade, hopefully from our favorite spot in Liberty Square right in front of the Hall of Presidents!



I'm also hoping we can see the Totally Tomorrowland Christmas show. It seems really cute and stars some of our favorite characters! Since I know we'll be hitting Space and Buzz at some point, I think we should be able to see a showing!



We're also hoping to meet a few party-specific characters!

-Rapunzel and Flynn Rider
-Scrooge McDuck
-Jasmine/Genie



So, anything missing? Any tips? I'm hoping to have a better party plan this year so we can take advantage of the party-specific events!

That's all for now - daily plans, a May PTR, and more Legoland adventures coming soon!

 

[Dugette]

Just got caught up on a few updates.

First off, love the Halloween costumes!

Secondly, all those little Lego scenes look pretty cool.

Thirdly, your trip sounds awesome. You are doing a nice job of hitting up a variety of the holiday special events in a short time. I'm interested to hear how that Minnie meal is. Can't think of tips right now, but you are pretty on top of things - good luck with the Moms Panel, by the way!

 

[missangelalexis]

Your Christmas plans sound great! You really are going to get to experience so many lovely things! I really can't wait to hear about the H&V meal and hope it's something they do in future years!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[MissMaryQC]

You're so close!!

Plans look great. After doing MNSSHP I feel like I'm gonna have to plan a trip just for a MVMCP!

I love that you guys are doing so much non park stuff. There are millions of things to do at WDW without stepping foot inside a park, and it love that you're doing so many!

I am with you on the monorail resort stay; Poly is my dream resort. Maybe some day, at least for one night!

 

[missjackiemcg]

You will absolutely LOVE WDW at Christmastime!!! It is by far my favorite time to go. Meeting Santa at Disney Springs will be fun, but if you get the chance, stop to see Santa with Mrs. Claus at EPCOT, too. I'm convinced he's the real deal, myself!! I'm attending my very first MVMCP in 25 days, so I'll let you know if I come up with any great tips while I'm there!!

 

[vleeth]

I'm trying to get into Minnie's Christmas meal, but so far there's nothing. I'm watching for a cancellation.
I want to do it even more now that you've told me Santa Goofy will be there!

 

[KathyM2]

the scenes speak for themselves!

I could spend hours at Legoland looking at all the details in this stuff....so cool. I can't imagine building them...what a cool job those guys have lol

had a red circle on his arm for a few days after - I guess a burn?

Wow - scary...they should maybe think about making those out of something else...

Minnie's Holiday Dine

That looks like a really special experience...so excited for you!

 

[hokieinpa]

Just got caught up on a few updates.

First off, love the Halloween costumes!

Secondly, all those little Lego scenes look pretty cool.

Thirdly, your trip sounds awesome. You are doing a nice job of hitting up a variety of the holiday special events in a short time. I'm interested to hear how that Minnie meal is. Can't think of tips right now, but you are pretty on top of things - good luck with the Moms Panel, by the way!

We are way pumped for Halloween here! They are very excited to wear their costumes!

Mini Land was pretty awesome - Star Wars Mini Land is even better!

It's going to be like a super Christmas trip!

And I didn't mention it but I didn't make it to Round 2 on the Moms Panel. I was sad but I'm ok with it now - I'll try again next year!

Your Christmas plans sound great! You really are going to get to experience so many lovely things! I really can't wait to hear about the H&V meal and hope it's something they do in future years!

Our trip is getting so close now - I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! And I just read that there will be a seasonal/holiday dine with Minnie all year at H&V! Very cool!

Awesome! I still have one park pass to purchase and am working on the payment plan, and looking forward to when I am in the paid group

It's a nice feeling when that side of the trip is all taken care of!

I hope that the boys will allow you some time to soak this in. I don't know that we should all write these off for sure, I would think that there are plans in the future that we are just not being told. Seems strange that Disney would want to just stop something that is so popular. I really enjoyed getting the roasted nuts and enjoying the songs and the lights and the bubble snow...

I hope that Disney does bring the Osborne lights back in some way in the future!

And I'm so excited for the Christmas atmosphere all around!

Super, this will be a fun loop tour. Don't forget to get pictures of the giant Christmas trees at each park!

Good idea about the pictures! I hope I can take better advantage of our Memory Maker this trip. I'm really going to try and stop at more PhotoPass spots.

OK, there is no way that you will not love this evening!

I agree - SO EXCITED! Christmas is my favorite holiday...so Disney at Christmas? Perfect!

I have only been to Disney at Christmas time, so these are the only lights that I know, and I have a bajillion pictures of them!

The dream lights look amazing in all of the pictures that I have seen. I'm so excited for the lighting ceremony and just staring at the castle!

Love it, wish I could teleport to be there too!

I have that wish many times! Periscope has helped some. I love to watch trip videos on YouTube too!

You're so close!!

Plans look great. After doing MNSSHP I feel like I'm gonna have to plan a trip just for a MVMCP!

I love that you guys are doing so much non park stuff. There are millions of things to do at WDW without stepping foot inside a park, and it love that you're doing so many!

I am with you on the monorail resort stay; Poly is my dream resort. Maybe some day, at least for one night!

I think the countdown is flying now! Feeling a little pressure to get all the plans finalized and start packing!

I agree - you really have to see both parties to compare, right?

I'm excited to explore some of the monorail resorts! We didn't spend much time in the Contemporary before our Chef Mickey's ADR last trip so I'm glad we get to see some more this time.

You will absolutely LOVE WDW at Christmastime!!! It is by far my favorite time to go. Meeting Santa at Disney Springs will be fun, but if you get the chance, stop to see Santa with Mrs. Claus at EPCOT, too. I'm convinced he's the real deal, myself!! I'm attending my very first MVMCP in 25 days, so I'll let you know if I come up with any great tips while I'm there!!

We JUST decided to add a morning at Epcot so I will have to see if Santa will be there! Excited to hear about your party experience! I'm 100% Disney at Christmas will be magical!

I'm trying to get into Minnie's Christmas meal, but so far there's nothing. I'm watching for a cancellation.
I want to do it even more now that you've told me Santa Goofy will be there!

Those reservations really went fast! Keep checking back - even while you are there!

Maybe you can visit Santa Goofy during the Osborne Lights or MVMCP?

I could spend hours at Legoland looking at all the details in this stuff....so cool. I can't imagine building them...what a cool job those guys have lol

The detail is amazing! I can't even imagine all of the hours of planning and work it takes!

Wow - scary...they should maybe think about making those out of something else...

Agreed - metal in the hot Florida sun is no good!

That looks like a really special experience...so excited for you!

I'm very excited for the holiday atmosphere - and Santa Goofy of course!

 

[misssullyinc]

Hi there! Starting to read your journey so I don't know if it's still a surprise, but I wanted to tell you I hope you can keep it that way!

My first time going to Disney, I was 6, my brother was 3.5. We had no clue we were going. Our parents woke us up super early with "Santa" calling us, telling us we were going somewhere special, but wouldn't tell us where. We go into the kitchen and there's our Disney plane out. We had no clue, still (it was early, we were little) and then it clicked. We were SO happy and excited. We spent Christmas in MK and it's one of my favorite memories, 14.5 years later.

I hope you guys have fun!

 

[hokieinpa]

Hi there! Starting to read your journey so I don't know if it's still a surprise, but I wanted to tell you I hope you can keep it that way!

My first time going to Disney, I was 6, my brother was 3.5. We had no clue we were going. Our parents woke us up super early with "Santa" calling us, telling us we were going somewhere special, but wouldn't tell us where. We go into the kitchen and there's our Disney plane out. We had no clue, still (it was early, we were little) and then it clicked. We were SO happy and excited. We spent Christmas in MK and it's one of my favorite memories, 14.5 years later.

I hope you guys have fun!

Thanks for following along!

The surprise is still a surprise! I'm hoping to keep it that way until the morning that we leave.

That's a great story - what a special memory of your first trip!

I see that your going on a girls trip in October 2016 - I'll be taking my first solo trip then! I'm really excited for F&W!

 

[misssullyinc]

Thanks for following along!

The surprise is still a surprise! I'm hoping to keep it that way until the morning that we leave.

That's a great story - what a special memory of your first trip!

I see that your going on a girls trip in October 2016 - I'll be taking my first solo trip then! I'm really excited for F&W!

That's so awesome! I hope you enjoy your solo trip! We've never been to Food&Wine or Mickey's Not So Scary so we're excited. Looking forward to hearing how your kids react!

 

[hokieinpa]

That's so awesome! I hope you enjoy your solo trip! We've never been to Food&Wine or Mickey's Not So Scary so we're excited. Looking forward to hearing how your kids react!

We did F&W last October but I'm excited to try it solo so I can taste everything! I'm really excited to see how they react too!

 

[hokieinpa]

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37 Days until Disney!

Secret Status -
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Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

So this past week has brought a slight change to the itinerary...but I'll get to that in just a bit! A few housekeeping matters to handle...

First, we're coming up on a few important deadlines for our May trip. Southwest will be releasing flights on October 27th and our ADR date is November 3rd. I need to get moving on that PTR!

Second, as I'm sure you've heard, that were some pretty big changes made to the AP system. I have been planning all along to upgrade to an AP during this trip. Our 2 park days in November/December, 6 park days in May, and 6 park days next October make it a good bargain for me. Add in the TIW card and it's looking nice!

So the price for a new Platinum Pass is $749, an increase of about $100. A Tables in Wonderland card will now cost $150, an increase of $50.

This still works out for me, since PhotoPass downloads are now included!



I would have purchased Memory Maker for this trip plus May, so it really all works out in the end.

I wasn't planning on getting Memory Maker for my solo trip next fall so it's a nice bonus that I'll get those pictures included! I've read lots of complaints and it seems like lots of people are up in arms over the whole thing. I certainly understand that everyone is upset of any price increase because we all work within a budget, right?

But in all honesty, I'd been willing to pay just about anything Disney wanted.




So onto housekeeping item #3...which is also part of the change to our plans for this trip.

I know all of you are with me on my reaction to the news that Soarin' will be closed January 4, 2016 through summer of 2016.



Epcot was not in our original plans for this trip. With only 2 park days, Epcot and Animal Kingdom were the ones that didn't make the cut. I love, love, LOVE Epcot but the Christmas festivities there are just not appealing to 3 young boys. So I had resigned myself to wait until May to enjoy Epcot.

And then Disney threw a wrench into my carefully laid plans for our upcoming trips.



So back to the drawing board. Could I work a little Epcot time into our already squeezed tight trip?



Of course, I can!

So now our Hollywood Studios day will be an Epcot/Studios combo day. It will be my first time park hopping!

Now, you might be wondering why the big rush to upgrade to park hoppers at no small cost and completely rearrange a trip?

Nate has been talking about Soarin' NONSTOP for the last few weeks. We listened to an attractions loop on YouTube while he was doing homework and it must have sparked a memory. He said "Remember this part, Mommy? We flew over the golf course? And then our feet almost touched the trees?" So we have another Soarin' fan!



Now, this alone might now be such a big deal. Nate could understand the idea of a ride closure. But he has been talking to Colin about Soarin' too. Colin is now 42" tall - big enough to ride all the cool things he missed out on last trip. And now he has been talking about Soarin' and is excited for the "airplane ride". So I can only imagine having to explain why we can't ride it not only in December, but also in May.

Being the caring, considerate mother that I am, I made the executive decision to spare my children the heartbreak of missing out on one of their favorite rides.



It just also brings the added bonus of an unexpected visit to Epcot, a chance to sample some of our favorite yums, and a glimpse of a World Showcase Christmas!




So our day will start out at Epcot with a FP+ for Soarin' at 9:30. We'll hit Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, and maybe Figment? Then head over to the WS for lunch and exploring until we need to walk/boat over to Hollywood Studios around 3:00. I'm going to try to squeeze in the Disney Junior show and maybe Star Tours before we go over to the Osborne Lights and then our Minnie dinner. I'm planning to ride TSMM during EMH that night. Hopefully the wait won't be terribly long since we'll be riding during Fantasmic. We've never seen the standby queue so it might be interesting to see all of the big props!

I still need to call Disney and upgrade our tickets to park hoppers. I tried earlier this week and their system having issues. I know I can do it in person when I get to Pop or even when I'm upgrading to my AP. But I would rather not spend that extra park time when I can take care of it ahead of time.

On a final note, I've been checking AccuWeather's 45-day forecast. I know it's not exactly reliable this far out, but we all know that common sense and logic have no real place in Disney planning. Am I right?

So the forecast is perfect...for now. A few days ago it was predicting more rain. So I'm just going to choose to go with the current forecast and hope it stays true!



We'll be there 11/28 through 12/2.

That's all for trip news and changes for now. I know this update was GIF heavy, so I'm leaving you with a few pictures of the boys from the least few weeks!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[MissMaryQC]

Sorry about Soarin' I know so many people are bummed, but at least you guys were able to squeeze in a ride this next trip. And then when you guys go back (and it's reopened) it'll be like a brand new ride!! So yay!!

 

[Elevationist]

I've read lots of complaints and it seems like lots of people are up in arms over the whole thing.

That's because anything Disney changes ANYTHING, the negative nellies come out of the woodwork. Especially on these boards. Some people just LOVE to complain.

But in all honesty, I'd been willing to pay just about anything Disney wanted.

You and me both, girl.

I know all of you are with me on my reaction to the news that Soarin' will be closed January 4, 2016 through summer of 2016.

I'm actually pretty happy about it, since I have a trip scheduled before that window (Dec 2015) and the next one after it (Oct 2016). Sorry!

This gif.

I'm planning to ride TSMM during EMH that night. Hopefully the wait won't be terribly long since we'll be riding during Fantasmic.

I'm going to be attempting the same thing! Fingers crossed for both of us!

Not loving those t-storms on 12/4... That's our MVMCP night!

 

[Leshaface]

As I'm sure everyone has heard, this will be the last year of the Osborne Lights.

I told DH about this and he was like, let's plan a short trip! I thought he was joking, until he started looking at his work schedule Trying to not get too excited because it would be SUPER last minute and I don't even know if we could get DVC rooms. We shall see!

hearing more rumors about One Man's Dream closing at the end of September

Cause i'm so out of the loop, did it end up closing?!

That Ariel bow is absolutely adorable!

And here is each one on my Minnie ears. I still need to send them out to be transformed so hopefully I can do that this week!

Where do you have to send them to? Can you not hot glue them on or do they need to be sewed on?

I got everything that I wanted but did alter some plans since my last spreadsheet post.

Awesome that you got everything you wanted!

So my plans as of now (because we all know there will be some tweaking)

Adorable!!! We usually go with a Disney theme too, but this year we're straying...he's going to be Ace Ventura and i'm actually kind of excited about it!

These are so impressive!

The trip is paid off completely!

DTD (DS? )

What are people calling it now? Are people starting to say DS now?? Cause it took me a second to figure out you weren't talking about your Disney Son.

I've read that Santa has a nice little pager system set up to make the visit run smoothly!

That is very helpful. Like his own FP system essentially?

So it appears that our first time seeing the Osborne lights will also be the last time we see them. Our plan is to get to the lights shortly before 6 and spend about an hour just taking it all in! Hopefully we can see the lights dance to the music and find a few of the hidden surprises! The cat? Hidden Mickeys? Anything else?

What?! What Cat?!!?

This is literally my favorite scene! And how Sheldon doesn't break his stern face when the paper stays on him is beyond me!!

 

[NJlauren]

I also love the 45 day weather out look! Always checking it, like multiple times a day even if I know it doesn't change that often!

Bummer about Sorian, but the good news is you get to fit it in now!

Boys are too cute!