Dreams Come True, Our First Trip "Home" December PTR

[mousecrazy425]

Hi all! I'm fairly new to the DISboards and this is my first ever PTR, so please bear with me!

I'll start by introducing the cast:

Marissa (Me) - I'm completely obsessed with any and all things Disney! I actually just got a part-time job as a Cast Member at my local Disney Store in an attempt to alleviate my Disney withdrawal symptoms in between trips to the World. I was introduced to the magic of Disney at a very young age -- I was fortunate enough to have parents that would take me to WDW every year from the time I was born! As I grew older, I didn't lose my love for Disney, but rather became increasingly captivated by it's magic. When I'm not at Disney or obsessively planning for my next trip, I enjoy riding horses and competing in showjumping classes. I named my newest horse Fantasmic, but we call him Mickey for short I'm also definitely the planner of the family -- my parents are more "go with the flow" kind of people, but I definitely have a tendency to get into Disney commando mode, so I have been the one responsible for planning all of our trips since I was thirteen.

Me with Mickey at our favorite dinner spot, Chef Mickey's!


Nancy (Dmom) - My mom also loves Disney, but she isn't quite as obsessed as I am. Her favorite park is Epcot, particularly the World Showcase section. Her favorite characters are Chip and Dale as you might be able to tell from the picture! Usually she takes charge a bit more for other vacations, but at Disney she's mainly just along for the ride

Nancy with Chip and Dale in Epcot!


Ed (Ddad) - When my dad goes to Disney he has fun and enjoys the rides, but he mainly keeps coming back to humor my mom and me. He's more of a "relax by the beach" kind of guy as far as vacations go. This June was actually his first time back to the World in a few years, since he elected to stay home with all of our pets the past few trips. His favorite part of the parks is the thrill rides, and he's the only one who will ever go on the Tower of Terror with me! Last trip we rode it 3 times in a row in the middle of a crazy thunderstorm!

Ed with Pluto at Chef Mickey's!


And our last potential guest is Bryan (DBF) - Bryan grew up without the Disney Magic -- this June was his first ever trip! So he doesn't exactly get what all the fuss is about, but he knows how much I enjoy it so he's happy to go along. His favorite park is by far DHS. He LOVES Rock n' Rollercoaster, the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, and the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. He's also a big fan of Test Track at Epcot. He's majoring in Mechanical Engineering, so I keep telling him that he should be an Imagineer after he's done with school His other favorite thing to do in the World is eat Whether or not he will be on this trip is dependent upon whether he will be able to take a few days off from school/Army ROTC training.

Bryan with Minnie at Chef Mickey's!


And now I'll give a little background info on this trip/how it came to be: As I said, this June was my dad's first trip back to the World so my mom and I FINALLY got him on the DVC tour on one of our last days there. He HATES long lines, and the offer for three immediate Fastpasses per person was too much for him to pass up. On the way there he gave his speech about how "no way were we getting another time share and blah blah blah." Now my dad can play hardball with the best of them, but he IS a sucker for an extremely well-presented sales pitch. Our DVC representative, Marlene, was fantastic! And me being me, of course I had done my research beforehand. Together, we were able to make a pretty convincing argument and before I knew it we were walking out of Saratoga Springs not only with our Fastpasses, but with 270 DVC points with a "home resort" of Bay Lake Tower! When we got home I wasted no time in planning our first trip as owners. The only thing that rivals my love of Disney is my love of Christmas, so I thought that December would be the perfect time to go! Especially since we hadn't been to see the holiday decorations and festivities since I was five. So I got on the phone with member services only to hear that there was no availability for any of the resorts I wanted for the dates I needed. I was SO disappointed. But I put in a call to Marlene and she came through for us again! So now we're booked in a one-bedroom suite at Bay Lake Towers for December 6-11. The only plan I have as of now is to go to MVMCP on the 8th since I could get the DVC discount tickets for that night. Everything else is waiting on the park hours to be released. That's all for now...thanks for reading!

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Hi! Glad to see another early December trip planner here! Looking forward to more!

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Cool cool! I followed you over here from your post on my PTR! I'm excited to see the rest of your plans!!

 

[mousecrazy425]

Hi! Glad to see another early December trip planner here! Looking forward to more!

Cool cool! I followed you over here from your post on my PTR! I'm excited to see the rest of your plans!!

Thanks for reading! It looks like we'll be there on some of the same days...I could always use advice from fellow early-December planners!

 

[mousecrazy425]

My ADR window opens up September 7th, so I'm trying to come up with my tentative list of what I'm aiming for.

I'll start with listing where we've been before:
Chef Mickey's - We've only ever been here for dinner, but it is a must do on any of our trips. It's kind of a tradition to start our first night there with dinner here, Wishes, and then a walk around DTD. I was wondering about maybe trying the breakfast this time. Has anyone done both? Preferences?

Crystal Palace - I LOVE breakfast here! The french toast is so yummy! I would definitely like to try for another early breakfast ADR here one morning. Does anyone have any thoughts on the dinner buffet in case I'm not able to get a good breakfast time?

Tony's Town Square - This is another tradition for us. I love love love this restaurant and I cannot leave Disney World without having eaten here.

Cinderella's Royal Table - We just went in June for lunch and frankly were a bit disappointed. I felt like while the atmosphere was amazing, the food was just mediocre ESPECIALLY for the insane prices. I also felt that the character interaction was a bit rushed. I would probably not do lunch here again, especially since we just went earlier in the year. I might try to get a breakfast ADR if it works in to the schedule, but if I can't get one I won't stress about it -- I'd actually like to try the breakfast at Akershus instead.

Les Chefs de France - This is one of my mom's favorite restaurants since she loves all things French. The rest of my family has always enjoyed it too, but since we've been here so many times, I think we might look for a new dinner spot to try in the World Showcase this year.

Le Cellier - We went here for dinner and June and were a bit underwhelmed. I mean, the food and service were both good, but I don't really feel like it deserved all the hype that it gets. This would be a restaurant that we will probably revisit at some point, but I don't think we'll be back on this trip.

The Hollywood Brown Derby - We booked the Fantasmic! Dinner package here in past, and we LOVE this restaurant! The grapefruit cake is to die for. The only downside to this is, again, the cost. I'm really torn between trying to get the package here again or trying for Mama Melrose's, which we've never been to.

50's Primetime Cafe - The atmosphere here is just so fun and I love the comfort foods. Unfortunately, I doubt it will make the list for this trip because we'll likely only be spending one day at DHS and we usually book the Fantasmic! package as a late lunch/early dinner.

The Flying Fish Cafe - We went here for the first time in June and really enjoyed it. The little soup that they bring out before your meal is delicious! Unfortunately I don't know if we'll have time to make it to the Boardwalk any night on this trip.

1900 Park Fare - We frequently come here for the character breakfast and love the buffet -- the strawberry soup is so good. Surprisingly enough, I've never been to 'Ohana in all the years that I've been coming to Disney and I've NEVER had Tonga Toast! So I think that this trip we're going to try for an early ADR at the Stitch breakfast instead. I might try to get a reservation for Cinderella's dinner here though, maybe after spending the day at AK. Does anyone have thoughts on the buffet/characters?

Kona Cafe - We've been here for lunch and have always found it enjoyable. If we have time I might try to get a last minute ADR, especially so I can get another shot at those awesome desserts!

We're looking to try a couple new things this trip, so this is the sort of list that I have put together so far:
*Dinner (or breakfast?) at Chef Mickey's
*Breakfast (or dinner?) at the Crystal Palace
*Brown Derby or Mama Melrose's? for Fantasmic! Dinner Package
*Breakfast at Akershus (a first!)
*Donald Breakfast at Tusker House (another first!)
*Breakfast at 'Ohana (yet another first -- I'm particularly excited about this one!)
*CRT breakfast?
*1900 Park Fare Dinner?
*Late Lunch/Early Dinner at Tony's the night of MVMCP

And my real dilemma comes in when trying to figure out where to book the Candlelight Processional Package at Epcot. As I said, we're looking to try a new restaurant there, but there is so much to choose from! My mom LOVES Chip and Dale, so I thought that Garden Grill would be cool for her, but it almost seems criminal to go to Epcot and neglect all the dining possibilities that the World Showcase has to offer. On the other hand, we all love seafood, so the Coral Reef sounds pretty good. I guess my list as of right now would be trying to pick from Garden Grill, Coral Reef, Tutto Italia, or Rose and Crown -- but honestly I'm open to any suggestions??? Advice?

I also want to try some new CS places. We usually do Flame Tree BBQ and Peco's Bills, but I would like to look into Sunshine Seasons and maybe something in Tomorrowland. Anyone have suggestions for good CS? All advice is welcome. Please help! Thanks

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I wanted to write and say I'm in!!!!

I went to garden grill this past Feb and was sooo excited about it and was not thrilled with the food choice. If you can go to Chef Mickey's instead, I would do that and try a restaurant in WS or CR is wonderful too (pricey uniless you are on a ddp) Have you been to Teppan Edo? My family had never eaten there before I was a CM and now we've been there 3 or 4 times in the past year and my parents have chosen that as our Candlelight dinner location again for our xmas trip this year!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[SilverL]

I would probably go with Rose & Crown. It's yummy and closer to the Candlelight Processional than Garden Grill, although I liked that place too.

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Ok...we have done a lot of those restaurants. Chef Mickey's is good for dinner and breakfast...we are actually going to do both. Crystal Palace is great for lunch or dinner. We are doing breakfast for the first time this trip! We prefer Mama Melrose's over Brown Derby (just us). We did not like 1900 for dinner at all! But, we are trying the breakfast this trip. Also, we love Garden Grill and were not overly impressed with Coral Reef. We actually really like the Biergarten meal. So, we are going to try to use that one as our CP meal if we do it at all. Hope that helps? It really is all up to personal taste, but for the most part, we don't really have picky eaters.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Chef Mickey's - I've also only been there for dinner. I agree that it is a great way to start out a vacation because all the characters are right there on your first day to get you in the mood!

Crystal Palace - I have only been to breakfast here. We actually saw Joey Fatone from NSYNC there! It was SOOO good and I want to go back. I'm sure dinner would be good but I think it is so pretty at breakfast time with the sun shining through the windows!

Tony's Town Square - I want to eat here but my mom said she doesn't like that it is Lady and the Tramp theme. I don't know if it is that obvious while you are eating there, but it looks like fun!

Cinderella's Royal Table - I didn't like dinner here either!! Akershus was good when I went for lunch last summer. You will like it!

Les Chefs de France - My mom loved this too but also said she wants to try something new. Although have you been there since they added Remy from Ratatoullie (or however you spell it)? It's pretty cute.

Le Cellier - Uh oh! It's been awhile since I've eaten here so I was thinking about it for our trip. I did like it when we went in 04 but I'm sure things have changed.

The Hollywood Brown Derby - Wait, are you doing free dining!? It would just be 2 credits! Mama Melrose is actually pretty tasty!

50's Primetime Cafe - Never been here but I think I still would like Brown Derby better...good choice!

The Flying Fish Cafe - Yay! I'm glad to hear you like this place. I've never been.

1900 Park Fare - Ohana doesn't have Tonga Toast...Kona does. BUT we did breakfast at Kona and dinner at Ohana and loved both! The dessert at Ohana is to die for! The 1900 PF dinner is so much fun but the food isn't that great. It's fun to interact with the stepsisters and Lady Tremaine, though!

Kona Cafe - Those desserts sound yummy!

I'm choosing between Tutto and Rose & Crown! We are going on Dec 12 to see Vanessa Williams do the narrating. I have never eaten at Rose&Crown but Tutto was very good. The food is expensive there, though. If you are on the dining plan it's a really good value. I'm not sure what's included as part of your meal with the CP package.

Sunshine Seasons is sooo good! Have you ever been to Columbia Harbor House in MK? Delicious!

Your dining options look good! I think you will have a good time no matter what you choose out of those options!

 

[mousecrazy425]

I wanted to write and say I'm in!!!!


Can't wait to read more!

Glad to have another reader

 

[mousecrazy425]

Thanks to all who offered their input!!! It was very helpful

Ok...so without knowing park hours, (hopefully they will be out on time next week!) this is the list that I have finalized with my family:

Sunday - Dinner at Chef Mickey's
Monday - Fantasmic! Dinner Package at Mama Melrose's (pending schedule)
Tuesday - Crystal Palace breakfast
Late lunch at Tony's
Wednesday - Akershus Breakfast
CP Package at Les Chefs de France or Coral Reef
Thursday - Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House
1900 Park Fare Cinderella Dinner
Friday - 'Ohana Breakfast

Counter Service Spots: Flame Tree BBQ, Sunshine Season, Columbia Harbor House, Pecos Bills, Starring Rolls Bakery

Hopefully my plans work out with the park schedules. I'm hoping to avoid MEMH at all costs.


On another note, I had my first shift at the Disney Store Monday night. It is the best job ever!!!! It's so much fun; I couldn't imagine a better place to work right now Yay for me finally becoming a Cast Member!

A word to any other December travelers out there -- I haven't been in December in a long time. What kind of clothing will I need to pack? I was thinking just bring everything for any kind of weather, but I definitely don't want to over-pack because I try to do carry-on only. Any advice would, as always, be appreciated

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

You do have to bring a bit of everything as the weather at that time in Florida seems very unpredictable and can change quite a bit in the same day. You may have to check a bag???

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I agree...

I lived there last year for the winter months and it can be very chilly in the AM and very chilly in the PM.

When my fam came last Dec for a visit, we found ourselves wearing pants and hoodies at night but shorts and tshirts and maybe a hoodie or jacket in the morning. It just depends. A good site for you to use besides weather.com is www.cfnews13.com. It's a local new station 24 hrs a day and they are very true to what the weather will be!! I would for sure bring hoodies. I wore for 2 nights those sweat suits from Old Navy with the matching pants and zipper jacket.

Hope that helps!!!

 

[twinsluvdis2]

Hello MouseCrazy425! We will be in WDW about the same time as your family. We have a trip planned from December 2 - 9 and we also have tickets for MVMCP for Dec. 8. That is my twin boys 8th birthday! I look forward to reading your trip report. I am new to the site and have not written a PRT or TR yet, but LOVE this site!

twinsluvdis2
Frances