A Very Festive Do-Over - December 2024 (updated 5/14)

[Disney102015]

Hi all! H here, kicking off another trip report, from early December 2024, when we set out to do all things festive at WDW!

A few months have passed since our trip and I considered not writing this one up at all. First of all, does anyone else need a little break from the Dis when they don’t have a Disney trip on the horizon?? I’ve checked in occasionally since December but only started logging back in regularly in the last few weeks as we finally started sketching out our next trip (although early 2026 still feels SO far away!!) Second, this trip was a bit different in that we spent a lot of time relaxing at the hotel and pool (despite the chilly weather!), so I wasn’t sure how interesting a report would be.

But, this trip was particularly special to me because it was a “re-do” for a trip we had to cancel last year, so I decided I wanted to get the memories down, even though a bit of time has passed. Plus, I’ve been documenting all our trips since 2021, so it just seemed right to include this one!

A little background: we had almost this exact trip planned for December 2023. It has always been my dream to stay at Wilderness Lodge during Christmas time, and do a holiday-focused trip (Jollywood, MVMCP, all the decorations, etc.) Unfortunately, I got really sick in the fall of 2023 and landed in the hospital with pneumonia shortly before our trip. It quickly became apparent that we weren’t going to be able to travel and I had to cancel everything. It turned out about as well as it could have – I was able to rent out the DVC reservation, get a credit for our canceled flights, get a credit for the hard-ticket events, etc. But it was still a huge bummer! So, around September 2024, we started talking about trying for a re-do.

It was slightly last minute, by DVC standards, so I ended up playing around with availability quite a bit. I probably canceled and rebooked about 20 different rooms as things popped up. I finally told my husband to stop asking where we were staying, because it was changing day to day – I said I’d let him know a few days before! Ultimately, we ended up with 1 night at Copper Creek (my dream!!!) and 4 nights at the Boardwalk. All were in 1 bedrooms, which was a bit of a bummer as we still fit in a studio and I hate to waste points – but all things considered, I was pretty happy with what we were able to string together!

So, who is “we”?? I’m H, the primary planner and Disney-addict. My husband, N, pretends that he’s just tolerating my Disney obsession, but we bought into DVC a few years ago so I know he’s secretly on board! We have 3 kiddos. My son C is 6 and usually my roller coaster buddy, but you never know what he’s going to be up for on a given trip! G and E are my princess-obsessed girls – G is 4, and E is 2. We are very lucky to get to Disney just about every year, occasionally twice a year, so they’re all park veterans at this point.

Honestly, after canceling the year before, I kind of felt like I would not believe this trip was actually happening until we got to Orlando! I just felt like anything could go wrong at any moment. So, I was very very excited when the day of our trip finally arrived – which is where I’ll begin in my next post!

Thanks for joining in!

 

[Disney102015]

Table of Contents ​

Day 0.5: Travel Day 1

Day 1, Part 1: Travel Day 2

Day 1, Part 2: Décor Tour and Fort Wilderness Sleigh Ride

Day 2, Part 1: More Exploring and a Chilly Swim

Day 2, Part 2: MVMCP

Day 3: Epcot and Candlelight Processional

Day 4: Jollywood Nights

Day 5, Part 1: Magic Kingdom

Day 5, Part 2: Relaxing Final Evening and the BEST Meal of the Trip

Day 6, Part 1: Animal Kingdom

Day 6, Part 2: Overnight at MCO

Day 7: Flying Home Solo with 3 Kids!

 

[Disney102015]

Day 0.5: Travel Day 1​

This trip got off to a very uncharacteristic start. I’m very type A and usually have everything super organized well in advance - no last minute packing for me. Wellllllll, it didn’t work out that way this trip! Thanksgiving was the weekend before, and we traveled to see family. As a result, I was still UNpacking from that trip at the time I normally would’ve been finishing packing for THIS trip. All…I didn’t even have the laundry done by the day of our departure! SO unlike me.

We had a very very very early flight on Wednesday morning, so the plan was to head out Tuesday night and spend the night at a hotel right by the Providence airport to make the morning a bit easier. So, I had planned to wrap up work around noon that day and spend the afternoon packing and organizing, then we’d head to the airport after the kids were done at school and daycare. The best laid plans, right?? Work was crazy, I hit tons of traffic, and I didn’t get home til almost SIX O’CLOCK!!!

I basically ran around the house like a chicken with my head cut off throwing things in bags willy nilly. Luckily I keep all our “Disney stuff” (Magic bands, portable chargers, ears, travel size toiletries, etc.) in a big box so at least all that stuff was in one place. By some miracle we left the house around 8pm and made it to the Fairfield Warwick Airport by 8:50pm, after a quick stop at Wendy’s for the kids. I had booked this with Marriott points and it was well worth it. We told the front desk that we had a 5:45am flight and they advised us to be in the lobby in time for the 4:00am shuttle. Super early, but still much better than how early we would’ve had to get up if we slept at home that night.

It’s nice flying out of Providence rather than Boston because it’s usually much less crowded and security is quicker. Also, parking is SO much cheaper!! The week before the trip, I called the hotel to ask if we could leave our car there since we'd be taking the hotel shuttle to the airport. The agent said, very apologetically, "Well, you CAN..............................but we'll have to charge you to park." I said of course, that was no problem, and asked how much it was. She gave a big sigh. "Wellllllllllllllll.........it's $12 a day." SOLD!! The last time we parked at the airport in Boston, I think we paid $38/day, so this was a steal!

Once we got to the room, I laid out everyone’s clothes for the morning while the kids got settled. C fell asleep right away before even eating his Wendy’s! N grabbed us each a drink from the bar - I needed to decompress a little after the packing scramble! And then it was lights out for everyone by 10:00! We had a VERY early morning ahead!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more .

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Following

 

[Woth2982]

Joining in! I love flying out of Providence. I live about equal distance (driving time not milage lol) from both Boston and PVD and I will always choose PVD if I can! Especially with the kids! Looking forward to the report. I love Disney at Christmas and hearing all about it!

 

[noahdove]

Joining in

 

[Disney102015]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more .

Following

Joining in

Thanks for following, all!!

I love flying out of Providence. I live about equal distance (driving time not milage lol) from both Boston and PVD and I will always choose PVD if I can! Especially with the kids! Looking forward to the report. I love Disney at Christmas and hearing all about it!

Definitely!! We choose PVD whenever we can!

 

[Disney102015]

Day 1, Part 1: Travel Day 2​

The alarm went off at the somewhat painful hour of 3:15am. I allowed us one hit of the snooze button then hustled everyone out of bed by 3:25. Everyone was a bit of a zombie but I had laid out the clothes the night before and we had everyone waiting in the lobby for the shuttle less than 20 minutes later – record time!

I am a VERY early riser for work so 4am wasn’t too crazy for me - but that wasn’t the case for the kiddos. I always make little home videos of our trips that usually begin with me asking the kids, “where are we going??” And they shout, “Disney World!” Well…not so much at 4am! I asked where we were going and everyone just kind of blinked at me in response, haha. I think everyone was a little disorientated.


It was literally a 3-minute shuttle ride from the hotel to the terminal - we could’ve walked but it was COLD and we had a bunch of bags so the shuttle was great. The driver was really nice - he dropped the first couple off at the JetBlue door and we were about to get out as well, since PVD is a very small airport. He said “wait! I can get you closer to the Southwest terminal!” Then he pulled the van forward maybe 50 feet and stopped to let us out at the Southwest door It was nice of him - every step counts when traveling with 3 small children.


The airport was surprisingly busy for that hour but we got through TSA with pre-check very quickly and found our gate by 4:15 (less than an hour after waking up!) We let the kids go to the little store and pick out all kinds of junk for the flight (gummies, Pop Tart bites, etc.)


We were flying Southwest and rolled the dice in not paying for early boarding. It is just so expensive for 5 people! We did family boarding and were able to get 2 seats in one row and 3 seats in the row directly behind that, so it worked out great. Baby E fell asleep as soon as she was settled in her seat. We have a TSA-approved harness that she wears when we fly and it’s a lifesaver for her. She’s an absolute wiggle worm and I think the harness basically makes her feel like she’s in her regular car seat.


We took off about 15 minutes early, at 5:30am. I am a veryyyyy nervous flier and one reason I had booked a morning flight was that I hate flying at night. Well, the joke was on me because it was still pitch black for the first hour or so of the flight! Didn’t think of that, haha. Luckily it was very smooth. Southwest’s seats actually feel pretty spacious and comfortable to me, and I was going to say that I might be more inclined to fly with them once they get rid of the cattle call boarding process. But, with all the changes Southwest has announced in the last few weeks, I doubt that will be happening!


I had noticed G had been having some noise sensitivity lately so I had bought her some headphones for the trip. She was getting pretty anxious once we were up in the air with all the unfamiliar sounds and the headphones seemed to help a lot. I let her get a juice when the beverage cart came by because she was getting a little fussy. I usually have a few cocktails when I fly to calm my nerves but I couldn’t fathom a cocktail at 5:30am so I went without - but I was very nervous even though the flight was smooth. My palms were sweating!


At one point G said she had to go to the potty but when we got in there she totally panicked at all the noises and the close quarters. She wanted to leave immediately and it took me a second to get the door open. She was shouting, “are we stuck?!?” It was a stressful moment. I will say, the lack of entertainment on Southwest is a little difficult. We were having trouble getting G’s tablet to work without Wifi so she was bored. She entertained herself by reading through the safety pamphlet and asking me to explain all the situations to her. Just what a nervous flier needs - to talk through all the worst-case scenarios! There was one illustration of a pregnant woman sliding down the emergency slide into the water. G said, “Mumma, she doesn’t look very happy.” Well, would YOU be happy under those circumstances?!



C entertained himself with the tablet the whole flight, and Baby E woke up with about 45 minutes to go, but was pretty content in her seat.


Peek a Boo, Baby E!

The twenty-something woman next to G and I started doing her makeup using her cell phone camera as a mirror and G was absolutely mesmerized. She’s a girly-girl through and through and absolutely loves makeup, so she was in awe. I have to say, curling your eyelashes on an airplane at 8am is a serious commitment!!


We landed almost 40 minutes early and everyone applauded, which was so fun. We were at baggage claim by 8:30 and barely had any wait for our bags. The kids were getting a bit hangry so we knew we’d have to head straight for breakfast once we got to the hotel.



Other than that, it was such a smooth travel morning! I momentarily panicked when I went to text Away We Go to tell them we had arrived early, and realized they had sent me a confirmation text the day prior, to which I had never responded. Oops!! Luckily it wasn’t a problem and they were already there waiting for us. It was SO weird to feel a blast of brisk air as we walked out of the airport - so unlike the usual blast of humidity that we typically get when arriving in Orlando!


We had decided on private transport this morning because N had to put in a pretty full WFH day so we didn’t want to waste time getting to the hotel. We’ve used Away We Go before and they’ve always been great, and they had our 3 car seats all set up. We were pulling away from the airport by 8:45am and pulling into Wilderness Lodge around 9:20am!

Would the massive lobby tree live up to the hype?? Stay tuned…

 

[Disney102015]

Decor Tour and Fort Wilderness​

When we left off, we were just stepping into Wilderness Lodge, my bucket-list resort. All….Christmas at Wilderness Lodge 100% lives up to the hype. It was everything I had imagined and more. Of course, I burst into ugly tears as soon as we walked into the lobby and saw the absolutely massive tree.



The kids were even more excited about the smaller trees throughout the lobby, which all had different animals hiding in the branches. They loved looking at them and pointing out all the animals.



Baby E also made friends with the froggy totem pole by the check in desk. She kept trying to hug it and would make a beeline for it whenever we were passing through the lobby.



I was sure our room wouldn’t be ready yet but we went to check in with a Cast Member with an iPad anyway. She looked up our reservation and said, “Ok, I see you’ve got a 2-bedroom villa, but it isn’t ready yet.” I quickly corrected her and told her we had a 1-bedroom. She said “no…it says right here, 2-bedroom.” I frantically checked my DVC account to make sure I hadn’t accidentally booked a 2-bedroom – what a waste of points that would’ve been! But I confirmed we did in fact book a 1-bedroom, so it sounded like we were getting a surprise upgrade! We decided not to get too excited about it until we got our room assignment – it seemed too good to be true!


We also had her check our Magic Bands to see if they were all working correctly, and of course they were not. I am not sure how this always happens! It took 15 minutes or so to get them all squared away so N dropped our luggage to bell services and explored the lobby a bit with the kids while I waited.


Our next stop was Roaring Fork, because we had some seriously hangry kiddos. Our dining plan didn’t start til the next day, when our second reservation began, so we were paying out of pocket. I got the kids set up at a table while N went to get all our food, and we met an awesome Cast Member who was talking to the kids for a while. She was really nice and we ended up giving her a cast compliment. We all got our fill of Mickey waffles – and COFFEE – then we were on our way. We set up N in the lobby to work and said goodbye, heading out to explore. We brought our double stroller with us but had also rented a single stroller, which we had dropped off at bell services. But since we were just exploring around the resorts, I didn’t pick up the extra stroller just yet (I wouldn’t have been able to push two!) and had C walk.


Turns out, no one wanted to be in a stroller after our long travel morning – the kids were ready to stretch their legs! It was about 10:40 by this point and still pretty chilly outside, but the kids didn’t mind. They had a ball exploring Wilderness Lodge, checking out all the different bridges and climbing rocks. Then…we found the true highlight of the trip. We saw our first geyser eruption at 10:55 and C was OBSESSED. He immediately asked if we could come back and see it again at 11:55. I couldn’t promise we’d make it back for the next one, but did promise we’d come back at some point that day.



We headed over to the boat dock and our timing was perfect – we were on a boat at 11:20. Is there any more relaxing form of transportation?? It was such a lovely ride over to Magic Kingdom. Our goal was to get to the Grand Floridian to check out the Christmas displays, so we were aiming for the monorail. I forgot we’d have to go through security before boarding the monorail, which seemed a little ambitious with 3 kids, a double stroller, and 1 grownup, but I got us all organized and we made it work! We were on the monorail by 11:45 but had a looooong hold between stops – we didn’t get to GF until 12:15!


We could smell the gingerbread almost as soon as we got off the monorail. The lobby tree was absolutely beautiful and the gingerbread structures were amazing!! The kids weren’t up for waiting in line (and I didn’t really want them getting too close, anyway!) so we just walked around to see what we could see.



Then we headed outside to walk around the grounds and blow off a bit more steam. Our last stop before getting back on the monorail was the glass slipper photo opp. Looking back on these photos, my girls look EXHAUSTED, but it was still a fun stop! We were back on the monorail around 1:20, and onto the boat by 1:30.


G fell asleep almost immediately when we got on the boat, and in a true ninja mom move, I transferred her to the stroller without waking her up!!! This was a serious accomplishment in my book. We were getting off the boat around 1:45 and you know what that means…we were just in time for the 1:55 geyser!! We headed straight there and C anxiously awaited the eruption. It was just as exciting as the first time!



Mama was ready for a beverage so it was time for our first visit to Geyer Point. I got a Huckleberry Punch and spent a few minutes talking with the bartender about DCL, as I was wearing my Disney Wish spirit jersey. We stopped by the lobby next to visit N, who was working away. G was miraculously still asleep, which I wanted to encourage, so I let C have some quiet time with his Nintendo Switch while I followed E around the lobby, visiting all her totem pole animal friends. G started stirring around 2:45, and we just hung out spending some quiet time looking at the beautiful tree and listening to holiday music – it was glorious, and exactly why I had wanted to stay at WL!



We got our room-ready text at 3:30 so N packed up his work and we headed upstairs. Lo and behold, we had been upgraded to a 2-bedroom!! It was pretty incredible.



We had 3 beds and 2 balconies and 2 bathrooms. Little did Disney know, my kids are barnacles and usually all wind up in our one king bed at home, so the extra beds were mostly lost on us, haha. Nevertheless, it was a really cool upgrade! My one regret is I didn’t have time to soak in the big tub.



I joined the walk-up list for Geyser Point. It initially said it’d be 50 minutes and I didn’t think we were going to have time to eat before heading out for the night, but when I checked a moment later, the wait time had dropped to 10 minutes. Score! It was a gorgeous night to be sitting outside, and we were all perfectly comfortable in jeans and sweatshirts. N and I had the famous bison burger and the kids demolished a few orders of chicken tenders. There were lots of ducks roaming around it was just a really relaxing dinner!


We were done around 4:40 and hopped in the long line for the boat. I think it was probably a popular time to be heading over to Fort Wilderness for Hoop de Doo and other evening events. Despite the wait, we got to Fort Wilderness by 5:15. WHAT a fun vibe this place has!! I know I’ve been here before, decades ago, for Hoop de Doo, but don’t really remember it. It looks like an absolute blast for kids, with all the open spaces and playgrounds and golf carts. We had some time to kill so we let the kids hang out at the playground for a bit.


We were at the Tri-Circle D Ranch by 5:40 for our 6:15 sleigh ride, and they were able to take us early, which was perfect as the sun was just setting.



I was glad I had brought the kids’ winter coats – they needed them!! This is a really unique thing to do, and was one of the most fun things we did the entire trip. The driver was so nice and told us all kinds of fun facts about the different horses while we rode around the campground. So many sites had absolutely amazing displays of lights and inflatables, and there was holiday music playing on the carriage.



It was super fun, and the kids loved it. At the very end, I noticed E was resting against my arm – she had been rocked to sleep by the motion!


We were off by 6:05. I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to tip but I had brought cash – it definitely did not seem like the driver was expecting a tip but she was very appreciative. By 6:15, we were on the boat back to Wilderness Lodge, which made a stop at the Contemporary first. Here was something I’ve never really experienced at Disney – tons and tons and tons of BUGS!!! They were like little gnats or flies, all over the front of the boat. I was keeping my lips clamped shut so they wouldn’t get in my mouth, there were THAT many!


Those are all bugs!!

It seemed so odd, especially for that time of year. E was NOT having it and was freaking out. Luckily it wasn’t a long ride and we were back at Wilderness Lodge by about 6:50.


Which meant we were just in time for…..the 6:55 eruption!! As soon as we got off the boat, C asked what time it was, GASPED, then hustled us off to the geyser. He was SO excited to show N the geyser. After it was done, we said goodbye to the geyser and headed up to our room. Everyone was very tired from our long day (which had begun around 3:30am!), and we were all in bed by about 7:45pm. We did end up making use of the 2-bedroom after all – I took the master with the girls, while N and C took the room with 2 beds. E was asleep within minutes and I was starting to drift off when….


What’s that I hear??? The opening notes of “Happily Ever After”??? G and I leaped out of bed and headed for the balcony – we could see some of the fireworks over the building, and the music was BLARING in the pool area. It was such a magical way to end the night with G! I held her and we sang along and it was just perfect. I did pop into the other bedroom to let N and C know we could see the fireworks, but they were definitely not interested in getting back up, haha.


When the fireworks were over, we hopped back in bed and I think we were both asleep within minutes. It was a really lovely first day at Disney. I was just so happy to be there and have some quality down time with the kids and N after a busy fall. It was a little unconventional for us – we are usually go-go-go when we are at Disney and spend most of our time at the parks – but this was exactly the type of trip we needed, and Wilderness Lodge was a perfect choice of resort to spend time exploring and just soaking up the atmosphere.


Next up…another relaxing day, and MVMCP!

 

[HappyGal]

What a terrific way to start your trip!

 

[AleaDaisy]

Following along! It sounds so lovely.

 

[Disney102015]

An Exploring Morning and A Chilly Swim​

It was our first full day at Disney!! Is there any better feeling?? The kids celebrated by getting up at 6:45am after our early bedtime the night before. N was working again today so he just set the kids up with TV while he logged on, and let me sleep until 8:30. It was GLORIOUS!


Everyone was ready for breakfast by the time I got up so I quickly placed a mobile order and headed down to Roaring Fork. I got a bunch of Mickey waffles and a couple other things to split – plus, our dining plan started today, so I got N and I sealed wines with breakfast to sock away in our pool bag for later! The food was ready about 10 minutes after I clicked “I’m Here,” and I brought it all back upstairs. I will say – we usually stick to DVC studios, but it was VERY nice to have a kitchen table and actual dishes in the 1-bedroom. Kids eating Mickey waffles with syrup on a hotel bed never ends well.



We had to be out of the room by 11:00, and were sending our luggage to our next hotel. Bell services had made a point of emphasizing that they needed our luggage “by 11, not at 11” so I was paranoid about getting everything in order in time. Unfortunately, we had unpacked more than I meant to for just one night – a result of the haphazard packing job I had done, and needing to dig through every bag to find what we needed – plus N wound up stuck on a work call, and couldn’t help me pack up or get the kids ready. So, it was a bit of a scramble but I called bell services by 10:50 and they said we were just in time to send our luggage. We shut the hotel room door behind us at 10:59 on the dot.



Even though we could only snag 1 night at Copper Creek, it was 100% worth it for us. Spending time in the lobby looking at the tree and listening to holiday music is one of my favorite memories of the trip. Plus, the days we were there were very resort-heavy so I really felt like we got to spend a good amount of time fully enjoying the resort. My only regret is I didn’t use that soaking tub!!


We set everyone up in the lobby because N had to work most of the day, and I also had to log on to take care of a few things for work. Once that was done, the kids and I walked over to Boulder Ridge to explore a bit more.



Before I knew it, they were asking for food again! I was surprised they were all hungry so soon after our big breakfast (it was only 12:00!), but back to Roaring Fork we went. While we ate, the kids started working on me for a trip to the pool. I was really hoping to distract them with the geyser and other resort activities as it was only 72 degrees!! But they were determined, so off we went.


The pool water was actually very comfortable – it was the air that was cold!! I was a little nervous taking all 3 kids in the pool by myself but I got everyone in life jackets and it went just fine. C absolutely loves slides so he spent his time going up and down the slide repeatedly, while the girls just enjoyed floating around. After a while, they asked to go to the splash pad, and that was quite cold (both the water, and the air while standing around!) We didn’t last too long there.



We hopped out by 1:55, just in time to catch one last geyser eruption for C. Then we dried off and headed into the lobby to get our stuff and change. You know how swim diapers don’t really hold liquid? Welllllllll…...while I was gathering our dry clothes, Baby E’s swim diaper basically exploded, all over the lobby floor. As luck would have it, a janitorial Cast Member just happened to be walking by, so I flagged him down and he was able to help us out pretty quickly. Whew! It was time to crack one of those wines I had stashed away from breakfast!


We were headed to MVMCP that night and I was quickly realizing I hadn’t fully thought through how we were going to haul all our stuff. We had sent our luggage to our next hotel via bell services, but we had all our wet clothing from the pool, plus N and I both had our laptops and chargers. It seemed like it was going to be a hassle to bring all this to the park with us, so we decided I’d take a quick Uber over to the Boardwalk to drop what we didn’t need at bell services. This was actually super easy – I was in an Uber by 2:40, dropped the stuff, and was back at Wilderness Lodge by 3:10. Easy peasy! Meanwhile, N took the kids to the arcade and they had a ball.


When I got back, there was a Photo Pass photographer in front of the giant tree, so I hustled everyone into the line, in our matching shirts for MVMCP. We also still hadn’t picked up the single stroller we rented, so we did that before we headed out for the night, since we were going to need it at the park. N and I grabbed one last drink at Geyser Point, and it was time to say goodbye to Wilderness Lodge!


We were at the boat dock by 3:35, but didn’t get on a boat until 4:15 – the line was looooong. C said of the wait: “I give this boat one star.” On the plus side, there was no wait to enter when we got to Magic Kingdom – I think the initial crowds had cleared out already.


Next up...it was time for the kids’ very first MVMCP!!