“What’s Going On In Your Brain?” “Right Now, Nothing.” - December 2025 Trip Report! (Updated 1/6 x2!!)

[VAtink]

My sister-in-law can never get a flight as early as we can. So, three of us take our early flight and enjoy some park time until she arrives at the resort about four hours later.

If it was me and I didn't have to work on Saturday, then I would be tempted to book one night at one of the cheaper Disney resorts and go a day early. I would also take the early flight. I hate hanging around the house when I know there is a trip waiting for me.

I found the flights cheaper to fly in the night before our trip in February. So, I booked one night at POP Century and did the dining plan. We then transfer over to BW the next day, have refillable mugs for the duration of our trip, booked Cape May for dinner, just have to figure out our counter service and snack.

I vote for early flight Saturday. Hopefully you get the afternoon but at a minimum you have a nice evening, solo dinner, and get yourself in the mindset for vacation. Are there any restaurants that your parents don't like that you love?

I would fly down earlier on Saturday but I would stay at a Value resort for the one night to get it at a cheaper price.

Alright ya'll, you convinced me! I booked my flight down and am taking the early one on Saturday! I'm shocked at the price, it was only $170 for first class!!!! Coach was $150, so obviously I splurged a whopping $20 to upgrade to first. The same flight on Sunday was almost $400, so this is much better.

Now to book a hotel, I'm torn on where to stay. I found a great rate at POFQ yesterday, but then today I got a surprise check from my pet insurance for almost all of my cats surgery, which is way more money than I expected to get back, so now I'm debating using that to stay at either WL or AKL since I can get good discounts at both. So many decisions, but at least they are fun decisions!

 

[VAtink]

Alright, I made a decision....I'll be at WL to start our April trip! It was more than I wanted to spend, but I had a few reasons to select WL. First, my dad is coming on this trip, and he isn't a huge MK fan so we probably won't do much if any time in the MK when he arrives. So I figured it might be nice to be a quick boat ride away from the MK that first day so I can spend some quality time there. Second, easy access to Geyser. I love Geyser Point and having it right there is a huge bonus, again especially since we likely wouldn't make it over there with my dad, so being able to eat there that first day would be awesome.

 

[buzzrelly]

I was surprised the CM wouldn’t let us pick up the prize for Olaf right away, usually they have no problem with this, but this time the CM wouldn’t let us. Oh well, guess we had to start hunting for Olaf!

So weird...we always do this ever since on one trip we really wanted a certain prize and by the time we completed our card the prize was gone...I was kicking myself for not just grabbing it when we buy the card! I wonder why he was being such a stickler!

I then headed upstairs to go rest out on the balcony and enjoy my salad and drink, and of course catch up on trip notes!

Ooooo...that looks so good. I'm also bummed and jealous of your Beach Club stay since we stayed at BLT in December but we usually stay at BCV. Next time I'm going to do a split like you did!

guys, what on earth is happening with the airport Hyatt...the cheapest room is $530 a night!!!! In the past when we've stayed there it's been under $300, what is going on???

That's crazy! We haven't stayed there in a few years but yes, I would have thought it was around $300!

So is it worth the extra $200 to come in on Saturday and then meet my parents at our hotel on Sunday?

Always, YES!

Alright, I made a decision....I'll be at WL to start our April trip! It was more than I wanted to spend, but I had a few reasons to select WL. First, my dad is coming on this trip, and he isn't a huge MK fan so we probably won't do much if any time in the MK when he arrives. So I figured it might be nice to be a quick boat ride away from the MK that first day so I can spend some quality time there. Second, easy access to Geyser. I love Geyser Point and having it right there is a huge bonus, again especially since we likely wouldn't make it over there with my dad, so being able to eat there that first day would be awesome.

Love that! It'll be nice to have a day alone just enjoying your favorite things!

 

[Araminta18]

Alright, I made a decision....I'll be at WL to start our April trip! It was more than I wanted to spend, but I had a few reasons to select WL. First, my dad is coming on this trip, and he isn't a huge MK fan so we probably won't do much if any time in the MK when he arrives. So I figured it might be nice to be a quick boat ride away from the MK that first day so I can spend some quality time there. Second, easy access to Geyser. I love Geyser Point and having it right there is a huge bonus, again especially since we likely wouldn't make it over there with my dad, so being able to eat there that first day would be awesome.

Niiiiiiiiiiice. WL is awesome - one of the last few that Trevor and I haven't stayed at that we want to. Enjoy the stay and Geyser Point!

 

[VAtink]

So weird...we always do this ever since on one trip we really wanted a certain prize and by the time we completed our card the prize was gone...I was kicking myself for not just grabbing it when we buy the card! I wonder why he was being such a stickler!

Exactly! We were so surprised they wouldn't let us get the prize right away!

Ooooo...that looks so good. I'm also bummed and jealous of your Beach Club stay since we stayed at BLT in December but we usually stay at BCV. Next time I'm going to do a split like you did!

It was so yummy! We love doing split stays, especially between MK and Epcot resorts, it's so nice being able to be close to the area you want to focus on for each part of the trips. Btw, how did you like BLT? I've seen an occasional discounted room pop up there when I've been looking to add nights, but we've never tried it.

That's crazy! We haven't stayed there in a few years but yes, I would have thought it was around $300!

Right? I couldn't believe it when I saw the price, it's so ridiculous!

Always, YES!

Haha, I do have to agree!

Love that! It'll be nice to have a day alone just enjoying your favorite things!

Yeah, I'm so excited I decided to do this! While it's great my dad is joining us again, it does make our trips very different, so I'm happy I'll be able to do some of my favorite things before he arrives!

 

[VAtink]

Niiiiiiiiiiice. WL is awesome - one of the last few that Trevor and I haven't stayed at that we want to. Enjoy the stay and Geyser Point!

Thanks! Yeah, we love WL so I'm excited to stay there that first night. Plus you can't go wrong with Geyser Point!

 

[VAtink]

Day 1, Part 4: Flying Fish!​

We last left off taking a break back at the room.

A bit before 6 we started to get ready for our next adventure, and we headed out of the room to go to Flying Fish at 6:36 and arrived there at 6:45. Of course, just before we left the room it started to pour! Oh no! Good thing we brought umbrellas!

Once there, we quickly checked in and then took a seat to wait. As we were waiting there were eight groups of walk-ins who came in, six of which ended up being seated before us. This is the second time eating here that it seemed that walk-ins were given priority over those with reservations. And of those six walk-ins that were seated before us, five of them were also parties of two, so it wasn’t a thing with tables being available for different party sizes. We ended up not getting our table until about 15 minutes after our reservation time. So while we love the food here, we are starting to feel like the customer experience is starting to go downhill.

Anyways, once again we were put in the seats at the very back of the restaurant, which I enjoy since I like the booth seating on one side.

For dinner this evening we decided to try the roasted heirloom squash appetizer, then mom got her seafood trofie and I once again got the NY strip. My mom mentioned to the server when she ordered that the last time she got that dish they hardly had any of the sauce with it which was really disappointing, so our server made a note to make sure she had enough sauce this time! We also ordered a bottle of wine.

The squash appetizer came out quickly, and it was really good, although we were surprised that it was served cold.





When our entrees arrived we had to laugh since the server brought a whole side small bowl full of extra sauce just for my moms dish!





As usual, the food here was delicious! We really do love the food at Flying Fish!

We lucked out and the rain ended just as we were finishing up dinner, so afterwards we went to get some pictures of the tree in the village green!



On the way back into the Beach Club we decided to stop by the treat stand and pick up some hot chocolate for the room!

Mom got the one with peppermint schnapps, and I got the one with baileys. We got SO lucky and I ended up getting the very last of the hot chocolate, they had to spend extra time for mine to scrape it all out. There were a bunch of people in line behind us that also ordered hot chocolate who were out of luck.

We also bought a cookie, then brought everything upstairs to enjoy while watching the Big Ten championship game! We also enjoyed the macarons I had picked up earlier too with the hot chocolate.










Next up: Movin on Up!​

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I almost always sit at the bar so haven't experienced that re: seating but how frustrating. Glad your server made up for it with extra sauce!! Flying Fish remains one of my favorites. How lucky to get the last of the hot chocolate!!

 

[Araminta18]

Once there, we quickly checked in and then took a seat to wait. As we were waiting there were eight groups of walk-ins who came in, six of which ended up being seated before us. This is the second time eating here that it seemed that walk-ins were given priority over those with reservations. And of those six walk-ins that were seated before us, five of them were also parties of two, so it wasn’t a thing with tables being available for different party sizes. We ended up not getting our table until about 15 minutes after our reservation time. So while we love the food here, we are starting to feel like the customer experience is starting to go downhill.

ooooh how frustrating! We had an amazing time on our first visit but subsequent ones haven't quite captured the magic, and I thought it was just us. But may just be the whole thing, sadly.

We also bought a cookie, then brought everything upstairs to enjoy while watching the Big Ten championship game! We also enjoyed the macarons I had picked up earlier too with the hot chocolate.

Yum! We got that cookie too (with the carousel horse on it) and really enjoyed it. I'm sad we missed the macarons though!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We lucked out and the rain ended just as we were finishing up dinner, so afterwards we went to get some pictures of the tree in the village green!

The BWI tree is really pretty. We'll have to check it out next year.

On the way back into the Beach Club we decided to stop by the treat stand and pick up some hot chocolate for the room!

Your hot chocolate lots very dark and rich. The cookies look good, too.

 

[cheryllarsen]

I love going for the holiday! Looks like you had a great time.

 

[AlohaKeke]

Long time lurker, just wanted to say I love reading your TRs! I haven't been down to the parks in several years so I get to live vicariously through you and several other Trip Reporters on here I love all your pictures and detailed descriptions, along with the occasional tips thown in.

 

[nascargirl]

I have to agree that the customer experience is going down hill. The same thing happened to last January. We were placed in the back room which is great except when they have larger parties. We were a party of 2 also and the server paid more attention to the larger parties that surrounded us.

 

[VAtink]

I almost always sit at the bar so haven't experienced that re: seating but how frustrating. Glad your server made up for it with extra sauce!! Flying Fish remains one of my favorites. How lucky to get the last of the hot chocolate!!

Yeah, we were getting pretty annoyed that all those walk-ins were seated first! We still absolutely love the food there though, so will keep coming back.

 

[VAtink]

ooooh how frustrating! We had an amazing time on our first visit but subsequent ones haven't quite captured the magic, and I thought it was just us. But may just be the whole thing, sadly.

Yeah, I agree. The food is so good though so we'll be back, hopefully they'll bring back the great customer service too!

Yum! We got that cookie too (with the carousel horse on it) and really enjoyed it. I'm sad we missed the macarons though!

That cookie was really good, it reminded me so much of cookies I used to get around the holidays as a kid! The macarons were good, but I actually thought the cookie was better.

 

[VAtink]

The BWI tree is really pretty. We'll have to check it out next year.

It's so pretty! We got lucky since it had just stopped raining we could get tons of pictures of it with no one around.

Your hot chocolate lots very dark and rich. The cookies look good, too.

This hot chocolate was some of the best I've ever had. We planned to get more later in the trip, but sadly never made it back there.

 

[VAtink]

I love going for the holiday! Looks like you had a great time.

Isn't it such a great time to go? Love how beautiful the parks and resorts are during the holidays! We had such a good time, this was one of my favorite trips!

 

[VAtink]

Long time lurker, just wanted to say I love reading your TRs! I haven't been down to the parks in several years so I get to live vicariously through you and several other Trip Reporters on here I love all your pictures and detailed descriptions, along with the occasional tips thown in.

Aw thank you!! And thank you for following along on the fun!

 

[VAtink]

I have to agree that the customer experience is going down hill. The same thing happened to last January. We were placed in the back room which is great except when they have larger parties. We were a party of 2 also and the server paid more attention to the larger parties that surrounded us.

It's really unfortunate since the food there is so good. Funny enough, we found the same thing with our server, there was a larger party just behind my mom, and he paid so much more attention to them! Like I get he'll spend a bit more time there since there are more orders, but stuff like getting water refills we had to ask for yet he kept refilling theirs without them asking.

 

[VAtink]

Day 2, Part 1: Movin’ on Up!​

We woke up at 6 this morning, not because we had a park to get to, oh no. We woke up early because we were soooooo excited to move to our next hotel of the stay, the Grand Floridian!

This was the next hotel in our goal to try every club level, and this was the one we were the most excited about. So of course we had to get up before the sun to pack up and move over!

We quickly got ready and I called for a Minnie Van to take us over at 6:30. I got one immediately and she was only 5 minutes away, so we headed downstairs with all our luggage to meet her.

While waiting in the lobby I got some more pictures of the gingerbread carousel since the lobby was empty.











We also chatted with a CM while waiting, and she informed us there are 25 hidden gold Mickey’s on the carousel, so we spent some time looking for those while waiting for our car to arrive.

Around 6:45 our car arrived, and we were on our way to the GF!

Now the day before our trip I got a second call from the Royal Palm Club to let me know the check-in procedures, and since we were arriving so early they told me we’d have to check in at the front desk since the CL CMs wouldn’t be in the lobby that early. Not a big deal, when we arrived at the GF the lobby was pretty empty and there was no line for the front desk.





We ended up checking in with Sarah and Haliyah and they were so amazing! Before the trip I had put in a room request here for two queen beds since I didn’t want to be assigned a king room and have to sleep on a pull out couch. Once we arrived at the front desk, Haliyah saw the request, but also saw that they had of course assigned us a room with a king bed.

She was great though and without us even saying a word, she went to work to fix it and put us in a two queen room. The new room wasn’t ready yet, but being only 7am, I didn’t expect it to be. In the meantime though we could go up and get breakfast in the lounge!

Haliyah brought us over to bell services first to store our bags, then took us to the elevator to make sure our magic bands worked to get us upstairs. Everything was in working order, and soon we were on the slowest elevator up to the fourth floor!

Being a bit after 7 I expected the lounge to be busier, but there was no one there! This ended up being the chillest club level lounge we’ve experienced so far. All the other lounges we’ve experienced were full right at 7 with people getting breakfast. I LOVED how people here were more laid back about the meal services. Probably helps how much space and tables they had here. I know in other clubs we’d try to get there right at the start of the services in order to get a table.

We took some pictures of the mini-gingerbread house in the lounge before going to check out what the breakfast options were.







Next up: A Grand Breakfast​