Every Disney Trip Just Gets Better!

[PoppyJ]

Our last minute Christmas trip did not have the best start. This trip was booked about a month in advance, very last minute for me. After stalking the website, we finalized four nights in a Polynesian longhouse. I found an incredibly cheap direct flight, which will turn out to be a horrible mistake, leaving Christmas Eve late night after work on Spirit. Then flying home, also direct, on Southwest.

So we were scheduled to fly out on Spirit on Christmas Eve, landing in Orlando around midnight, going straight to the Polynesian, sleeping in Christmas morning, brunch at the Cake Bake Shop, then Epcot. Spirit left us stranded at the airport on Christmas Eve, canceling our flight about 3 hours before take off. They instructed us to chat online, where they left us hanging for a good 2 hours. Meanwhile DH booked us a new flight on Southwest leaving the next morning but getting us to Orlando around 11 am. Eventually Spirit offered to rebook our flight to December 30, which I declined.

Christmas Day, we woke up at our airport hotel at 3 am to catch our flight. Thankfully, there were no delays, and we were soon at MCO.



We caught an Uber to the Polynesian, dropped our bags, and headed to Epcot. Since I intended to enter through the back after our Cake Bake brunch, our first lightning lane was Remy. To save our feet for later, we caught a bus to Hollywood Studios, then took the Skyliner to Epcot.



This was our first time riding Remy 2D. It was disappointing, and I didn't like it, much prefer the 3D version. We got a couple pastries at the bakery, and ice cream next door. We headed to Guardians, waited for 20 minutes, then it went down. Got an anytime pass. Headed to Test Track for our lightning lane, but there was a huge back log. They told us to go to our dining reservation, then come back and explain what happened.

We headed to Via Napoli. But side tracked to see the Voices of Liberty sing Christmas carols. Wow, they were impressive.



Back to Via Napoli, this was our first time at this restaurant. The food was good. I got the chicken parmesan, DH got the filet. We both thought it meals were good, but after seeing everyone order the pizza, we kind of wish we had tried that. The chocolate tart for dessert was amazing!! We want to go back to get pizza and the tart.

After that, we got some photos, coffee, then got in line for the 6:45 Candlelight Processional. We had the package, but it was pretty funny that we overheard a cast member tell some other people they could get in the standby line and were guaranteed a seat because it was a "slow day." I have to say, it did not feel crowded at all at Epcot. I was really happily surprised at how normal the crowds felt.

This was our first time seeing the Candlelight Processional. We were blown away. We both said it was the best show we have ever seen anywhere at Disney World. Best experience of the trip.



After the show, we went back to Test Track to use our lightning lane, then our anytime pass at Guardians, then Living with the Land Glimmering Greenhouses, then Soarin. Monorail back to the Transporation and Ticket Center, and walked back to our room. A really great first day.

The next day, DH had to work from the room. I had plans, but I felt so tired from our early morning flight, I ended up sleeping and reading. Felt really relaxing. When DH finished working, we went to Disney Springs, ate at Earl of Sandwich, got ice cream at Salt and Straw, a cookie at Summerhouse, then took a bus to Fort Wilderness. We had a sleigh ride booked, another first. Very fun to see all the decorations at the camp ground.





Afterwards, we ate at Trail's End. Their smoked chicken is really good! Boat to Magic Kingdom and monorail back to the Polynesian.

Saturday, we had a late breakfast at Kona Cafe. Another first, first time having Tonga Toast. It was delicious! We took the boat to Magic Kingdom. It felt busier than Epcot, but with lightning lanes we managed to do: Jingle Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, Tiana’s, Peter Pan, Space Mountain, Tron, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We got a curb seat for the Christmas Parade, saw the fireworks, and ate at Be Our Guest for the first time! I had been avoiding it because of conflicting reviews, but we both enjoyed our meal. Had to get a Nutella waffle from Sleepy Hollow, then headed out.







Today, we picked up a rental car from the Car Care Center. Had brunch at Cafe Tutu Tango, then headed to Hollywood Studios. This park felt the busiest to us. We had lightning lanes for Slinky Dog, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania and Rise. I managed to get lightning lanes for Rock n Rollercoaster and Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway, but the times were too late and we had to leave around 5. We stopped to get dinner at Fresh Kitchen, then headed to the airport where I am now sitting. Our flight has been delayed, and there is pretty bad weather further north. We are crossing our fingers that both our flights on this trip don't get canceled.



DH and I have now been to Disney World more than ten times since we first visited in 2021. Every trip, we are amazed at how many firsts we still have, and how each trip feels even better than the last.

This was our first time going during the Festival of Holidays. Christmas is now my favorite time for Disney World! The decorations and festivities everywhere really made me feel warm and fuzzy. This trip actually checked a bucket list off for me, we attended every Epcot festival this year!

We stayed in the Tower in July of this year and the longhouse back in 2023. After staying in the longhouse again, I have to say I really prefer it. I like the size, I like that the mini fridge actually has a separate freezer section, I like the split bathroom, and I like the location close to the TTC. I have a duo studio booked for next year but now I'm going to see if I can modify to a longhouse studio.

 

[Apiary]

I'm happy you enjoyed yourself! Just in case you have a late flight in the future, the Hyatt at the airport is a nice option, and if your flight is delayed you only missed your night at the airport. You can also usually get it for a good value by transferring chase points to the Hyatt program.

 

[PoppyJ]

I'm happy you enjoyed yourself! Just in case you have a late flight in the future, the Hyatt at the airport is a nice option, and if your flight is delayed you only missed your night at the airport. You can also usually get it for a good value by transferring chase points to the Hyatt program.

It's funny, we normally always stay at either this Hyatt or the one on International Drive for our first night. We are not morning people, so we prefer to take an evening flight, then have a slow start the next day to get to Disney. But for this trip, we splurged on points because I really wanted to wake up on Christmas morning at the Polynesian! Oh well, we'll have to try again.

 

[Counting Stars]

Sounds like your trip really picked up in a wonderful way once you got to DW! Lots of Christmas-y experiences Great trip report and really beautiful pictures. Thanks for taking the time to share.

 

[PoppyJ]

Back from our latest DVC stay. We spent 8 nights at the Fort Wilderness Cabins!



We drove with our dog, Poppy. She is a 5 year old rescue from Texas. I enjoy doing agility with her, and she has a few titles.



My parents flew in and met us there. This is probably the fifth time I have invited them and the first time they have accepted, only so they could spend time with Poppy. This worked out well for DH and I to spend time in the parks.

A couple things about the Cabins. I asked at check in if I needed to schedule room checks because I read that this was the procedure if you had a dog. I was told I did not need to and that housekeeping would just come when they normally did. I'm not exactly sure when housekeeping came, and I'm not sure if they came every day. I left the dog occupied hanger on the door all the time, so I assume they would not come in if we were gone and Poppy was in the room by herself. I was able to schedule our full cleaning on a day we were gone, and I did take the sign off that day.



I use a metal wire crate for Poppy at agility trials (competitions), so she is pretty accustomed to it. I brought that with us and a camera. If we left Poppy alone in the room, we crated her and left the camera on. She cried for about 2 minutes the first time we left her, then not a peep.

We rented a golf cart and loved it. Poppy sat at our feet between us, and we didn't have any issues.

We enjoyed the dog park and walks through the campground. Poppy was very interested in the horses but dogs are not allowed in the barn area.

We brought quick light coals for the grill and BBQed twice. Housekeeping comes around during the day to clean the grills!

We were in loop 2700, which was close to the entrance and the laundry. We used the laundry room a couple times. It was never crowded and there were always machines available. It is also one of the furthest loops from the fireworks. We could barely hear them, and Poppy wasn't bothered at all.

The additional costs to stay at the Cabins really add up! Golf cart rental for 8 nights was $600. Dog fee was $270. So an additional $870.

A rough breakdown of our schedule:

Sat - Picked up my parents from the airport, grocery shopping, BBQ. Did laundry.

Sun - Rope dropped Rock n Rollercoaster! It was the last day for the ride. We got in with about a 15 minute wait. We thought we could go for a second ride but by the time we got off the posted wait was 90 minutes! Rode Tower of Terror instead, got breakfast, shopped, headed back to the Cabin. We were going to go to the Lake Eola Farmers Market, which allows dogs, but then realized it was a 45 minute drive. Decided to just go to the grocery store again to get a couple things we forgot. Headed to Disney Springs for dinner. My parents really enjoyed Polite Pig, then Salt and Straw for ice cream.



Mon - DH and I took the boat to MK. We rode Peter Pan, then had breakfast at Crystal Palace, 100% just for the churro waffles! We also got on Tiana’s and Space Mountain. Back to the Cabins, then Archery with my parents. This was a fun activity! Afterwards, DH and I heard to Epcot. There was extended evening hours. We managed to do Frozen, Soarin, Test Track and Guardians x2!



Tue - DH and I drove to Hollywood Studios. Paid to upgrade to preferred parking, which was 100% worth it! We rode Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog, Toy Story Mania and Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway. We also got a caricature of Poppy! We then drove to Animal Kingdom and rode Safari, Everest, Navi River and Avatar. Back to the Cabins. Laundry again. We all had Trails End for dinner.

Wed - We really wanted to take Poppy to the beach, and my parents like history, so we took a day trip to St Augustine. This was also the day we scheduled our full room clean. It was a 2 hour drive to St Augustine. I booked a walking tour with St Augustine Experiences. They scheduled a private tour for us with Poppy. Highly recommend this tour! Afterwards, we took Poppy to Crescent Beach, which allows dogs. She loved it!! Back to the Cabin by 7 pm, and immediately started BBQing for dinner.



Thu - Everyone slept in (sort of). Then DH and I went to Animal Kingdom for Up Close With Rhinos. This was my favorite activity of the trip! We got to pet Logan and hear all about the rhinos. Then, we had lunch at Kusafiri (chicken and rice bowl) and a 15 minute wait for Nomad Lounge. We just had coffee and churros there. By far the best churros at DW. We saw Zootopia for the first time and had one last ride on Avatar then headed out. We picked up my parents and headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge for Boma. Based on the reviews, I guess my expectations were too high. It was OK. We all found the food to be very salty and there were a couple times we went up to the carving station and there was no meat! We then had the Starlight Safari at 7pm. This was great! We saw so many of the animals up close. It was a great alternative to the Safari ride at Animal Kingdom because my parents only wanted to go to one park.



Fri - Finally the day my parents agreed to go to a theme park! I picked Epcot so they could see the Flower and Garden Festival. They rode Soarin, Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, Remy and Guardians. We also did the Behind the Seeds tour, since my mom is an avid gardener. We finished the night at Geo-82. I got a reservation for 8:25 pm, so we could see the fireworks. I would say every seat in the restaurant has a pretty good view but if you are at the back of the restaurant, you will not be able to see the top of the fireworks.





Sat - We just relaxed at the Cabin, drove the golf cart around, took Poppy to the dog park, ate our leftover BBQ for lunch. Then took my parents to the airport.



Another amazing trip that has me wishing for a fixed week at the Cabins