December 2013: We just booked!

[CynBeth]

Just got an e-mail from our airline that our flights have changed for our Dec trip. We were supposed to leave at 5:15 am and with one plane change would have arrived in Orlando at 9 something am. Now we don't leave until 6:45 am and by the time we arrive at MCO it will be 11 something am. We were going to spend half a day at DHS and now we lose some of the time we were going to have. Luckily we did not make an ADR for lunch. Coming home is the same thing and slightly messes up our plans for picking up the dog at the kennel.
I hope no one minds this little vent. It's just an annoyance and I feel so lucky to be going on this trip.

 

[tazmanrmv]

35 days and counting...staying at POR Dec 1st-7th, and can't wait. Seems like I've been planning this trip forever, lol.


So far, we plan on hitting DTD after we check in on Sunday.
MK on Monday
Monorail Resort hop and MVMCP on Tuesday
HS and Boardwalk resort hop on Wednesday
Epcot and the other Boardwalk resort hop on Thursday
Breathe and enjoy our own resort on Friday, lol
Leave on Saturday.

I've never wanted time to fly by as fast as I want it now.

 

[pigletto]

Just got an e-mail from our airline that our flights have changed for our Dec trip. We were supposed to leave at 5:15 am and with one plane change would have arrived in Orlando at 9 something am. Now we don't leave until 6:45 am and by the time we arrive at MCO it will be 11 something am. We were going to spend half a day at DHS and now we lose some of the time we were going to have. Luckily we did not make an ADR for lunch. Coming home is the same thing and slightly messes up our plans for picking up the dog at the kennel.
I hope no one minds this little vent. It's just an annoyance and I feel so lucky to be going on this trip.

Totally understandable. You've planned for months and now have to rearrange things. I'd be frustrated too. I know in our case, my husband writes his last exam EVER the afternoon we leave, and then we leave at 6:00pm. Even pushing it back an hour would mess things up... so hopefully no changes.

35 days and counting...staying at POR Dec 1st-7th, and can't wait. Seems like I've been planning this trip forever, lol.


So far, we plan on hitting DTD after we check in on Sunday.
MK on Monday
Monorail Resort hop and MVMCP on Tuesday
HS and Boardwalk resort hop on Wednesday
Epcot and the other Boardwalk resort hop on Thursday
Breathe and enjoy our own resort on Friday, lol
Leave on Saturday.

I've never wanted time to fly by as fast as I want it now.

I know!! It feels like it's so close but still so long at the same time!
We're at 47 days to go. I booked our room in April!!
Our plans so far are

Friday arrive and stay the night at a DTD hotel

Saturday morning, hit Epcot for the morning, check into Wilderness Lodge on our afternoon break, go back to Epcot for the evening

Sunday- sleep in, have a late breakfast/early lunch at WCC, tour the resort Christmas decorations, head to MK for MVMCP at 4

Monday - Animal Kingdom

Tuesday- Hollywood Studios

Wednesday- Epcot

Thursday - Magic Kingdom, evening in DTD

Friday- Magic Kingdom

Saturday- Check out of WL, Check in to AoA, Epcot, Dinner at Trails End and a Carriage Ride

Sunday- Check out of AoA, head over to DHS. We'll use our fastpasses and hang out as long as we can stand it, but it's predicted to be a 10 so I don't know that we'll be able to handle it too long.
Head over to the Gaylord Palms and see ICE! and then head to the Airport Hyatt for the night

Monday morning fly home

It's going to be a whirlwind trip and then it's Christmas eve the day after we return so we'll have all the parties and visiting and Christmas stuff. I have a feeling once that is over we are going to want to stay in and lay around in our jammies for the last few days of Christmas vacation

 

[cadale]

We are at 32 days! So far our plans are:

Saturday - Check into AK Kidani, go to DTD, Wishes cruise at night

Sunday - AK in morning, MVMCP at night

Monday - Change resorts to BLT, resort hop for decorations, DTD for dinner

Tuesday - MK for the day; dinner at AK lodge

Wednesday - Sleep in/have brunch; photo shoot; dinner at EPCOT

Thursday - Epcot for most of day; HS for dinner and lights

Friday - Open for now with dinner at EPCOT

Saturday - HS for most of day; BOG for dinner

We will be there 11/30 - 12/8.

 

[CaptainEIEIO]

Just got an e-mail from our airline that our flights have changed for our Dec trip. We were supposed to leave at 5:15 am and with one plane change would have arrived in Orlando at 9 something am. Now we don't leave until 6:45 am and by the time we arrive at MCO it will be 11 something am. We were going to spend half a day at DHS and now we lose some of the time we were going to have. Luckily we did not make an ADR for lunch. Coming home is the same thing and slightly messes up our plans for picking up the dog at the kennel.
I hope no one minds this little vent. It's just an annoyance and I feel so lucky to be going on this trip.

United has changed our flight times 3 times now since we first booked them. It really sucks. The worst part for us is we originally were departing Orlando at 11:15 am which meant we could get a good nights sleep before traveling and catching the 8:00 am bus to the airport. Now they have screwed us and we leave at 7:45 am which means we cannot get our boarding passes at the resort, we cannot get our bags checked at the resort, we have to handle our bags and check in at the airport once we get there, and worst of all we have to catch a bus between 4 and 4:30 in the damn morning. We have now changed our plans for our final night there and we will now be getting a nap in the afternoon, then going to Downtown Disney until 2 am and then going back to the resort and staying up all night. No since getting a couple hours sleep and the try to wake up to go flying so were doing an all nighter. We called United about it and they said if we made any changes we would have to pay a fee even when they were the ones that changed our original plans and made us leave almost 4 hours earlier than originally planned. Sucks, but what can you do.....

 

[CaptainEIEIO]

We are at 32 days! So far our plans are:

Saturday - Check into AK Kidani, go to DTD, Wishes cruise at night

Sunday - AK in morning, MVMCP at night

Monday - Change resorts to BLT, resort hop for decorations, DTD for dinner

Tuesday - MK for the day; dinner at AK lodge

Wednesday - Sleep in/have brunch; photo shoot; dinner at EPCOT

Thursday - Epcot for most of day; HS for dinner and lights

Friday - Open for now with dinner at EPCOT

Saturday - HS for most of day; BOG for dinner

We will be there 11/30 - 12/8.

You arrive the same day we do. Just got our travel packet this morning. We leave on the 7th though instead of the 8th.

Saturday - Magic Kingdom
Sunday - Hollywood Studios
Monday - Animal Kingdom - Epcot for dinner
Tuesday - Universal Studios Orlando & Downtown Disney that night
Wednesday - Magic Kingdom in AM for a tour, then Epcot in the afternoon and PM
Thursday - Magic Kingdom all day with Mickey's Very Merry Xmas Party included
Friday - Anywhere we want to go and do and see or missed. Dinner at HS, then to Downtown Disney for the all nighter thanks to United Arilines.

Of course Downtown Disney or Resort nightlife will be included randomly wherever we can fit it in. Then we fly home Saturday and don't have to go back to work until Tuesday so I get to rest up for two days.

 

[tazmanrmv]

35 days and counting...staying at POR Dec 1st-7th, and can't wait. Seems like I've been planning this trip forever, lol. So far, we plan on hitting DTD after we check in on Sunday. MK on Monday Monorail Resort hop and MVMCP on Tuesday HS and Boardwalk resort hop on Wednesday Epcot and the other Boardwalk resort hop on Thursday Breathe and enjoy our own resort on Friday, lol Leave on Saturday. I've never wanted time to fly by as fast as I want it now.

34 days out and finally received Mickey Mail....very excited!

 

[cadale]

We are only doing magical express from WDW to MCO when we leave. Do we still get mail from them or just the flyer on our door the day before we leave? It's the first time we aren't using them both ways.


CaptainEIEIO - sorry to hear about your flight changes, that really does stink. You would think they would waive the change fee since they made such a drastic change in your flight times. That's one of the reasons I like JetBlue if they change the time by 30 minutes or more there is no change fee.

 

[RocketEAR99]

40 Days away!!! Hoping for a magical trip!

 

[Marshay]

30 days today until we leave for Florida!!! We do some days at Sea World first, then switch to Disney on 12/1. I know these last four weeks will just fly by!

 

[pigletto]

We're at 45 days today
It's feeling pretty close now! I still have to finish all of my Christmas shopping. I promised myself it would be done and wrapped by December 1st so that I would be relaxed and just focused on getting ready for our trip on the 13th. We'll see how that goes but I have a pretty good chunk of it done. There will be no chance to do anything when we get home because we fly in on the 23rd.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

We're at 45 days today
It's feeling pretty close now! I still have to finish all of my Christmas shopping. I promised myself it would be done and wrapped by December 1st so that I would be relaxed and just focused on getting ready for our trip on the 13th. We'll see how that goes but I have a pretty good chunk of it done. There will be no chance to do anything when we get home because we fly in on the 23rd.

We are at 48 days!! Thanks for the reminder about Christmas shopping. I refuse to leave for vacation with a list of things to do and gifts to buy. December 1st sounds like a great deadline. I also plan to shame myself into putting up the tree the week of thanksgiving so I can focus on disney countdown in December.

 

[vlproud]

We will be in WDW December 11th to December 18th. We are staying at SSR this time and it's my first time staying there. We are doing the Christmas Party on Sunday, December 15th.

 

[pigletto]

We will be in WDW December 11th to December 18th. We are staying at SSR this time and it's my first time staying there. We are doing the Christmas Party on Sunday, December 15th.

Hi!
We'll be at the same party. You are the first poster I have seen mention going to the party on the 15th too. Hopefully that means it won't be crazy busy.

APiratesLifeForMe2, I hear you. I find when trip time comes the week leading up to it is crazy enough. There's all the running around getting the house ready, picking up last minute items, tying up loose items at work, packing, getting the pets ready etc. If I add in picking up a bunch of gifts in there I will be miserable!
This year our tree has to go downstairs in the rec room because we baby gate the puppy up on the main level. It's usually in our front window but he would pull it apart. So this year I am going much lighter on the decorating and will just put up the tree downstairs and the lights outside.

To be honest, the bulk of the shopping I have already finished is because I can do it online. I love not having to set foot in a mall!!

 

[DisneyFan50]

Going 11/30-12/7. Thanksgiving followed by Christmas at Disney!!!

 

[Disneylover99]

Hi!
We'll be at the same party. You are the first poster I have seen mention going to the party on the 15th too. Hopefully that means it won't be crazy busy.
l!!

We are going to the party on the 15th too!!!! It's my daughter's 7th b'day that day and she has no idea she is going to Disney in December!

I am actually hiding in my bedroom closet right now because I'm at day 45 and making my final payment over the phone (didn't want the kids to see or hear me).

 

[lovegrumpy]

We're also going to the party on the 15th. Ds had no idea we are going. He has asked for yours to go.

 

[Kathymford]

I think I'm finally ready to pull the trigger on my party tickets. Dec 12th it is! Our last full day. Not a bad way to close out a trip! Funny, out of all the posts I've seen, hardly anyone is choosing that day...

 

[pigletto]

LOL.. Maybe I spoke too soon about it being a quiet party!


The more the merrier I say!
This trip planning experience has come with a lot of uncertainty and worry over details and glitches and IT issues and blah blah blah. I've promised myself that I will continue to embrace the positive. I think we'll need a break after this and for our next big vacation to be somewhere else on our bucket list. And that's not a bad thing.. there's a big world out there. So I've decided to embrace the positive for this one.
I can't believe we actually get to go during Christmas time!! My husband was just saying to me that when I planned our first family trip in 2008 I said "One day I WILL go for Christmas." 9 trips later and I am going!!!!
Dh writes his last exam the day we leave! 3.5 loooonnnngggg years of his program over! And my 40th birthday is 3 weeks after we get back. We have a lot to celebrate (and ironically every time I've talked to disney they've asked if we're celebrating anything special and I always say no because I forget).
We're trying to be really careful with the food budget but I think his graduation and my 40th birthday deserve a dinner at a signature don't you? Ds would love to go to the kids club and dd16 is happy to stay in the room and facebook with her friends for the evening.

I had been planning this earlier but never booked anything because it seemed like a waste of money. But it would be a waste not to have a date night with my sweetie to celebrate wouldn't it?

So December friends.. where should I go? We love Jiko but have been there twice. We're staying at WL. Maybe Artist Point? Citricos? Any suggestions?

 

[Kathymford]

LOL.. Maybe I spoke too soon about it being a quiet party!


The more the merrier I say!
This trip planning experience has come with a lot of uncertainty and worry over details and glitches and IT issues and blah blah blah. I've promised myself that I will continue to embrace the positive. I think we'll need a break after this and for our next big vacation to be somewhere else on our bucket list. And that's not a bad thing.. there's a big world out there. So I've decided to embrace the positive for this one.
I can't believe we actually get to go during Christmas time!! My husband was just saying to me that when I planned our first family trip in 2008 I said "One day I WILL go for Christmas." 9 trips later and I am going!!!!
Dh writes his last exam the day we leave! 3.5 loooonnnngggg years of his program over! And my 40th birthday is 3 weeks after we get back. We have a lot to celebrate (and ironically every time I've talked to disney they've asked if we're celebrating anything special and I always say no because I forget).
We're trying to be really careful with the food budget but I think his graduation and my 40th birthday deserve a dinner at a signature don't you? Ds would love to go to the kids club and dd16 is happy to stay in the room and facebook with her friends for the evening.

I had been planning this earlier but never booked anything because it seemed like a waste of money. But it would be a waste not to have a date night with my sweetie to celebrate wouldn't it?

So December friends.. where should I go? We love Jiko but have been there twice. We're staying at WL. Maybe Artist Point? Citricos? Any suggestions?

If you're staying at the lodge then you should definitely try Artist Point. I know our friends on the Lodge Lovers thread love it. We went last Sept and we definitely enjoyed it, just not as much as some others. What about California Grill? It might be a little hard to get a reservation at this point, but there are a few to be had. If you time it right you can watch fireworks from the balcony!