Who's Going in December?

[pixleyyy]

Just an update that we've finally decided on a hotel! BWPPI for us (still Dec. 4-8) if you want to update the master list. Thanks.

 

[Escape2Disney]

Just an update that we've finally decided on a hotel! BWPPI for us (still Dec. 4-8) if you want to update the master list. Thanks.

Thanks - I'll update the front page

 

[minjo]

I am planning a trip for December 2013 My hubby and I will be celebrating 30 years of marriage. So we are going arrive on 12/26/2013 and leave on either 1/4/2013 or 1/5/2013. This will give us 8 or 9 days for the parks and relaxation by the pool. Our anniversary is on 12/29/2013. We will be going to Napa Rose for dinner and I am thinking of doing some in room gift baskets. My hubby and youngest daughter (who will be 20 then) are "pirate buddies" so I am thinking of getting a pirate them gift basket and seeing what the dream makers can do for our anniversary.

I know it is early but I need to start saving now so that I can pull it off later.

We have been at DL for Christmas before - we celebrated our 20th with all 3 of our kids and spent 10 days at DLR.

 

[Escape2Disney]

I am planning a trip for December 2013 My hubby and I will be celebrating 30 years of marriage. So we are going arrive on 12/26/2013 and leave on either 1/4/2013 or 1/5/2013. This will give us 8 or 9 days for the parks and relaxation by the pool. Our anniversary is on 12/29/2013. We will be going to Napa Rose for dinner and I am thinking of doing some in room gift baskets. My hubby and youngest daughter (who will be 20 then) are "pirate buddies" so I am thinking of getting a pirate them gift basket and seeing what the dream makers can do for our anniversary.

I know it is early but I need to start saving now so that I can pull it off later.

We have been at DL for Christmas before - we celebrated our 20th with all 3 of our kids and spent 10 days at DLR.

How wonderful! I'm sure it'll be a great trip.

We had to scrimp and save for 2 years, so I completely understand why you are planning so far in advance....we did the same thing! Be sure to check out the Christmas Superthread - lots of great pictures and information to get those planning juices flowing!

 

[minjo]

Thanks....I am getting excited. I get to plan and discover new tidbits up until we get there.

 

[Escape2Disney]

We just found out that the Disney Hotels offer a 30% discount to seniors. How did I not know this before? Since mom is going with us, we decided to combine into one room and stay at PPH!

 

[abby]

Our air has been booked, but we keep going back and forth on hotel, spend the extra on site or go off site, I have been waiting to see if on site gets cheaper, but today, with the encouragement of my husband who likes to say "it's only money" (as you can see I am the more money careful) I BOOKED PPH CONCIERGE.. THEME PARK VIEW!!!!!!!!!!
Still hoping it gets cheaper, but there is no turning back now...I am soooo excited........

 

[Escape2Disney]

Our air has been booked, but we keep going back and forth on hotel, spend the extra on site or go off site, I have been waiting to see if on site gets cheaper, but today, with the encouragement of my husband who likes to say "it's only money" (as you can see I am the more money careful) I BOOKED PPH CONCIERGE.. THEME PARK VIEW!!!!!!!!!!
Still hoping it gets cheaper, but there is no turning back now...I am soooo excited........

Yay! I never feel like the trip is "real" until the room is booked. Theme Park View sounds great (we went with the cheapest, standard room). Be sure to post pictures when you get back!

 

[Mexikolla]

We had a Theme Park View Concierge Room at the PPH last Christmas time, it was GREAT! Previous years we've stayed off site or in our RV but last year we splurged. The view into CA was gorgeous! The room was spacious, the beds were comfy, and staying on site made us feel like we really got MORE Disney because we really never left Having packages delivered to the hotel so we didn't have to carry them around the park was nice too.

Concierge was nice but if we were to do it again I would skip the concierge service. In the end it just didn't seem to have enough perks to be worth the extra cash. We only managed to be back at the hotel for one (out of four) nights for the evening service, and after a couple days the breakfast and other goodies they offered seemed like the same old thing. We saw the fireworks from the roof, (nothing to do with concierge) they have the fireworks music from the park playing up there so that was cool!

The CM at the hotel (&concierge service) were TOP NOTCH! Really made it a point to make sure we were well taken care of. They helped point us in the right direction to do a few activities that even as DLR veterans I had no idea about, so that was nice. The CMs at the front desk were awesome. Free balloons for the kids on one day and the day we left coloring pages and crayons, (again nothing to do with concierge).

The Santa in the lobby was GREAT. The Santa in the Grand Californian is classic (& my personal favorite) but the Santa in the PPH really took the time to make a connection with our kids for what (most likely) will be our last "I believe in Santa" year.

Have FUN! We are looking for our hotel now for our Christmas time trip

 

[marciemouse]

We are meeting my SIL and her family December 6th-9th. It's my SIL's first trip since the 90s and her daughter's first trip, celebrating her 5th birthday. It's our first trip with anyone other than our immediate family, so I'm hoping it goes well! We're staying at the Ramada Maingate, unless some fabulous deal comes up elsewhere before then! I love Christmastime at DL!

 

[Escape2Disney]

We are meeting my SIL and her family December 6th-9th. It's my SIL's first trip since the 90s and her daughter's first trip, celebrating her 5th birthday. It's our first trip with anyone other than our immediate family, so I'm hoping it goes well! We're staying at the Ramada Maingate, unless some fabulous deal comes up elsewhere before then! I love Christmastime at DL!

How fun! This seems to be the year of family gatherings. This is our first time going to DLR with my mom. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[DisneytheKid]

Wow. Thats good to know for future visits

We just found out that the Disney Hotels offer a 30% discount to seniors. How did I not know this before? Since mom is going with us, we decided to combine into one room and stay at PPH!

 

[lurpee]

Our plan is to be there from December 15th - 25th with a little time away to do Universal Studios and maybe San Diego!
Kerri

 

[Escape2Disney]

Our plan is to be there from December 15th - 25th with a little time away to do Universal Studios and maybe San Diego!
Kerri

Sounds fun! We typically do San Diego for a few days before going to DL, but this time chose museums in LA. There's quite a bit to do in SD - Balboa park is our favorite! If you like museums and live shows (depending on the day), Balboa is great!

 

[kaci]

We'll be there! It's our (me, DH, DS 5 and DD 2) first time We'll be at HoJo's 12/10-15.

 

[Escape2Disney]

We'll be there! It's our (me, DH, DS 5 and DD 2) first time We'll be at HoJo's 12/10-15.

Woo hoo! I hope you enjoy your trip to the original Magic Kingdom!

 

[Sacha_L]

We are going 12/25-12/30
Right now we are booked at BW Raffles (needed a room for 8 people and an elevator) unless a better deal comes along. It is our first trip offsite, but hey we are at Disney for 5 days I was not expecting to go to Disney this year so I am last minute planning Yes for me 4 1/2 months is last minute planning. What strategies do you suggest for the busiest week of the year? We have ages 8-88 on this trip. So far I'm looking at dining at

Blue Bayou-lunch MIL's wish list
Goofy's Kitchen-diner loved it last visit
Storyteller Cafe-breakfast
Flo's V8 Cafe-lunch
Wine Country Trattoria-Dinner-loved it last visit

Where else do you think we should eat-we are on the dining plan (was purchased for us so we are using it )? I need 5 TS (might OOP additional)and 5 CS. If we choose to eat somewhere that is more expensive than the voucher value can we pay the difference?

 

[danimaroo]

We are going from November 29th - December 2nd... To celebrate my birthday and also my first visit ever to Disneyland! I am so so excited! We are WDW vets, but I can't even tell you how excited I am to visit Disneyland! Especially when it's decorated for the holidays! Beyond excited for IASW and HM overlay!

The only part I'm a little nervous on are the crowds on Saturday the 1st... I read that the Candlelight Processional will be that night, so I'm hoping things aren't too swamped. We don't plan on watching the Processional, so my hope is that so many people are watching and ride lines will die a bit, haha.

So far, we are planning on doing the Holiday Time Tour, dinner at Blue Bayou, and the World of Color dining package. We are also planning on picking up Premier Annual Passes, so I'm definitely going to enjoy the discounts from that on this trip.

 

[Escape2Disney]

We are going 12/25-12/30
Right now we are booked at BW Raffles (needed a room for 8 people and an elevator) unless a better deal comes along. It is our first trip offsite, but hey we are at Disney for 5 days I was not expecting to go to Disney this year so I am last minute planning Yes for me 4 1/2 months is last minute planning. What strategies do you suggest for the busiest week of the year? We have ages 8-88 on this trip. So far I'm looking at dining at

Blue Bayou-lunch MIL's wish list
Goofy's Kitchen-diner loved it last visit
Storyteller Cafe-breakfast
Flo's V8 Cafe-lunch
Wine Country Trattoria-Dinner-loved it last visit

Where else do you think we should eat-we are on the dining plan (was purchased for us so we are using it )? I need 5 TS (might OOP additional)and 5 CS. If we choose to eat somewhere that is more expensive than the voucher value can we pay the difference?

It sounds like you have a fantastic trip planned! You are right - with the dining vouchers, you'll have to pay the difference if your meal costs more than the value printed on the voucher. I'd suggest adding Carnation Cafe to your list of TS restaurants. The meals are reasonably priced, so you shouldn't go over. If you are looking for something fancier, you might want to try Carthay Theater.

For Counter service, it really depends on your taste. We like Pacific Wharf Cafe and are planning to try the mediterranian restaurant at the back of DCA (can't remember the name right now).

Have a great time!

We are going from November 29th - December 2nd... To celebrate my birthday and also my first visit ever to Disneyland! I am so so excited! We are WDW vets, but I can't even tell you how excited I am to visit Disneyland! Especially when it's decorated for the holidays! Beyond excited for IASW and HM overlay!

The only part I'm a little nervous on are the crowds on Saturday the 1st... I read that the Candlelight Processional will be that night, so I'm hoping things aren't too swamped. We don't plan on watching the Processional, so my hope is that so many people are watching and ride lines will die a bit, haha.

So far, we are planning on doing the Holiday Time Tour, dinner at Blue Bayou, and the World of Color dining package. We are also planning on picking up Premier Annual Passes, so I'm definitely going to enjoy the discounts from that on this trip.

I would guess that if you are there durring Candlelight Processional that the ride lines will be relatively short since most people will be packed into Main Street. If you need to leave the park during the ceremony, I'd suggest hiking over to Tomorrowland and jumping on the monorail.

Have a great time!

 

[Escape2Disney]

Anyone want to start planning meets? I have space for them on the front page.