First December at Disney, first Jollywood, and a first time doing a trip report!

[Mikey15]

Hi, I’m Mike, and this is my first time doing a trip report! Despite the number of firsts here, my lovely wife and I are far from first-timers to Disney. Since our first wedding anniversary, we’ve come here nearly annually. What started as a trip for fun with the bridesmaids from our wedding has led to several “just the two of us” trips, and the one we’ve just begun is another one of those.

But! In all these years of coming we’ve been in late August / early September once, mid September once, late September / early October a couple of times, Halloween a couple of times, and even May once. The time we’ve come back the most is early November, which has been fun to either do Halloween and Christmas in one trip, or just enjoy the early Christmas decor and vibes that are available in November. So while coming in December this year was actually far from our first choice, I’m hoping it’s well-suited to what we enjoy most about this place, which on top of the nice weather is definitely some holiday magic.

Sorry if Post #1 for background is a bore! We just checked in today (Nov 30th) so I figured I’d get things started. Next up is the journey (1,300 mile drive) and then we’ll start some Florida fun,

 

[Tina1]

Can’t wait to hear more. Hope you have an amazing trip.

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Mikey15]

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I got torn between starting on the journey or Day 1, but as Day 1 is ongoing and I have some downtime, I may as well start with the journey!

So our story begins Thursday in Ontario, Canada, where we woke up to our first dusting of snow this year. It was only about half an inch, but enough to coat the yard and deck in white. Oddly enough we got our first snow on the day we left last year – Halloween – too. By the time we cut our work-from-home days short in the early afternoon, it had pretty much all melted, and we dealt with, at worst, a bit of instantly melty snow from the border down to about Binghamton, NY. Despite the border guard’s almost scolding tone that there’d be snow in Syracuse & traffic, it was quite smooth sailing. Everyone was with family, not on the road. From there on we were dry coming down the mountains from Scranton towards the Harrisburg area, our first night’s stop.

Being Thanksgiving, nothing much was open for dinner, but we met a friend in the area at the only thing open - Waffle House - for what was actually our first Waffle House experience. The waitress and especially the cook were hilarious and made it a really enjoyable experience.

After staying at a Holiday Inn Express that night, we hit the road again at 10am on a much busier Black Friday. After stopping at Sheetz for gas and to figure out what the big deal is about their gas station food, we resumed our journey over the mountains towards Charlotte:


Stitch came along for the view.

We had enough time to stop in Charlotte at a little… I’ll call it a “fancy food court” called Optimist Hall. There were some nice options and a little Ramen fit the bill for a chilly November evening.




Another 2-1/2? hours of driving after dinner led us to our night two stop: just north of Savannah, GA in South Carolina.

More to come…

 

[Mikey15]

So I left off at Saturday morning, Nov 30 in Hardeeville, SC, where we got decent sleep despite the long day driving on Friday and me watching a college football game on TV that didn’t end until 8OT and nearly midnight!

We got a leisurely start and headed to Savannah Georgia to see some sights:


This pretty wooded area was the view outside our hotel room. There were a lot of lovely tree-lined areas both on the way into and then in Savannah.


Drove past a cat cafe. I’ll have to go in one of those someday!


The horsedrawn carriage rides seemed fun, but we didn’t do any organized tours this time.


One of Savannah’s many squares, all decked out for Christmas. We had a nice breakfast here at a local bistro.

Then we had to go for a walk in Forsyth Park to see the fountain, which was pretty and tranquil. There was a wedding happening right there with the fountain as their backdrop, and I’d say that was an excellent choice.



We didn’t leave Savannah until about 1:30, which was later than our original plan. Between I-95 traffic and the busiest Buc’ees I’ve ever been to, we lost the sun as we merged on I-4 and didn’t make it to the timeshare until 7!



But we were excited to be all unloaded and in our “second home”



Next up: a very productive “Day 1” of Discovery Cove, Sea World, and Disney Springs!

 

[dromio42]

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Mikey15]

Dec 1 brought us to one of our favourite places in Central FL, Discovery Cove! If you’ve never been, I do highly recommend it.

It was cold this week though, a bit colder than usual for early December for what people keep saying. While beautifully blue sky & sunny, I think the high was 67/68°. We went anyway instead of trying to move to a different day because the water at least was heated. The “tropical reef” snorkeling section I believe is heated/cooled to 72°F year round for the fish, which is a big shock to the system when it’s in the high 80s, but was pleasant this time with the water temp slightly above the air temp.




We had some great fun snorkeling for about an hour (even though with rule changes everyone had to wear life vests) and then got out to enjoy the included food. After lunch, we began the lazy river, which was unfortunately sporadically and barely heated. It was not pleasant to be in at all really. We’re Canadian and usually pretty hardy, so I can’t see most guests tolerating the river temp. Lifeguard staff had jackets/ layers on over their swim attire.

So shortly into the lazy river, we got out at another of our favourite parts – the aviary.




After hanging with a bunch of cool birds, we went over to see the otters being fed. The otter and marmoset area is in a different “pool” than the lazy river, and this one we could at least feel some heat in. After enjoying that, we grabbed two warm chocolate chip cookies and a beverage, and enjoyed those before heading towards the waterfall area.



We love this spot just to relax in the afternoon, but usually I’m swimming closer to the waterfall to stay out of the afternoon sun. On this day, I was seeking what little sun there was, as even at 2:30/3 it was already falling behind the trees there. Again, the water was just not comfortable. We started another lazy river “lap” to do the “swim through the aviary” part, but we got back out afterwards to see the marmoset encounter and be in some marginally warmer water.

But that was all we could do. We abbreviated our day and after warm showers we left Discovery Cove early, around 4. It was a stark contrast to us usually not wanting to leave, but it did position us well for a 5:45 Orca Encounter show at Sea World.

Day 1, to be continued!

 

[DisDreaming4116]

Enjoying your detailed report and nice pictures! Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Deb1993]

So I left off at Saturday morning, Nov 30 in Hardeeville, SC, where we got decent sleep despite the long day driving on Friday and me watching a college football game on TV that didn’t end until 8OT and nearly midnight!

We got a leisurely start and headed to Savannah Georgia to see some sights:

View attachment 917394
This pretty wooded area was the view outside our hotel room. There were a lot of lovely tree-lined areas both on the way into and then in Savannah.

View attachment 917395
Drove past a cat cafe. I’ll have to go in one of those someday!

View attachment 917396
The horsedrawn carriage rides seemed fun, but we didn’t do any organized tours this time.

View attachment 917397
One of Savannah’s many squares, all decked out for Christmas. We had a nice breakfast here at a local bistro.

Then we had to go for a walk in Forsyth Park to see the fountain, which was pretty and tranquil. There was a wedding happening right there with the fountain as their backdrop, and I’d say that was an excellent choice.

View attachment 917398

We didn’t leave Savannah until about 1:30, which was later than our original plan. Between I-95 traffic and the busiest Buc’ees I’ve ever been to, we lost the sun as we merged on I-4 and didn’t make it to the timeshare until 7!

View attachment 917399

But we were excited to be all unloaded and in our “second home”

View attachment 917402

Next up: a very productive “Day 1” of Discovery Cove, Sea World, and Disney Springs!

That was a crazy game for sure, 8OT!! Looking forward to reading more of your trip report!

 

[footballmouse]

 

[Mikey15]

Dec 1 continued!

We hopped over to Sea World to enjoy the park at night. Sea World started doing a holiday/Christmas event at night on the weekends last year rather than simply closing at 6 when it got dark like they had been doing. There was an ice skating show we saw last year. There’s a “story of Christmas” type show that we didn’t check out (we’re already booked for Candlelight at Epcot next week!). And then there’s pretty lights and various entertainers throughout the park.

When you buy Discovery Cove tickets, you can add unlimited 14 days at Sea World, and Aquatica, and Busch Gardens for a very reasonable premium. ~$180pp got us the day at DC, and the higher tier including Busch Gardens along with free standard parking at all the SW parks.

The first and most important stop was what they used to call “Shamu stadium” for Orca Encounter, the current name of their killer whale show. It’s always so impressive seeing these animals in action.





After that, I rode my favourite coaster: Mako, we went through the underwater shark exhibit, and then I rode Mako again. The lines for most Sea World coasters can be impressively short, especially in dead times like this. I’ve been on trips before where they let you ride twice in a row without walking around!



After Mako, we headed towards Antarctica, where we found the only line at Sea World: the new Antarctica coaster. We were not inclined to wait 55 minutes for that, but we did go through their top-notch penguin exhibit.

We stopped at one of our favourite discoveries last year, which was the underwater dolphin viewing still being open after-dark. It’s so dead at night on that side of the park, and the pod of 7 dolphins kept swimming over to say hi to us strange people who came to see them. Just a magical experience. After spending some time with them, we enjoyed some of their holiday “beignet” offerings (the “bananas foster” one was really good) and bid farewell to Sea World for the night.



But despite already doing DC and SW, that wasn’t all for Day 1! We made another stop on the way home…

 

[Mikey15]

I do appreciate the likes guys. It is really encouraging!

So we finally get to the “Disney” part of this Disney trip report! We really didn’t stay long at Sea World since we knew what we were after and plan on heading back some point in the next week. Left there at 8:30, and despite it being a Sunday, we knew that Disney Springs was:
A) on the way home
&
B) open until 11

So by 9 we had parked in the Lime garage, made it through security, and over to World of Disney. Nothing too exciting to report here, but we did get a chance to see if there was anything interesting to us in terms of clothing or art or gifts. We got to try a few things on and preview the selections.



Originally we had the intention of trying out some food we’d wanted to try but hadn’t yet, like Raglan Road. Once it was 9:30 though we really didn’t want to eat anything too heavy, and chose instead to split a Holiday Turkey sandwich and soup from our good old friend, the Earl.

And that was finally it for Dec 1! We headed home to sleep in before a 6pm start at Jollywood!!!

 

[Sajchinook2015]

Enjoying the trip report. I wish i was young again so i could drive at nite. I haven’t been to Sea World in years but it sounds interesting. Might have to add it to our trip next September.

 

[Mikey15]

Enjoying the trip report. I wish i was young again so i could drive at nite. I haven’t been to Sea World in years but it sounds interesting. Might have to add it to our trip next September.

We’re straddling the 4-0 mark, and already starting to avoid long distance night driving when possible. Empty roads are nice, driving while tired or less alert isn’t – on top of the lower visibility. A few hours on Thanksgiving & Black Friday weren’t the end of the world at least because the sun’s setting so early this time of year.

Having that extra hour+ of light in November, or even better prior to the time change like our Nov 1 departure last year, does feel better. But at least even if it’s dark at 5:30 now we’re still fully alert.

We’ve definitely continued to enjoy Sea World parks for years! Aquatica is very nice too with a great winding river even if you don’t care for slides. And the Commersons dolphins. Busch Gardens has cool animals in its own right (we’re looking forward to paying to feed the giraffes again). The quietness is sometimes eerie in contrast to always-busy Disney, but it can also be really nice. <$200 per person for two weeks of unlimited visits seals the deal.

 

[olliesmom]

Enjoying your report!! We are also from Ontario and have never done the drive to Disney, but it looks like you made some great stops on the way. Discovery Cove looks lovely, if chilly!

We are considering an offsite condo rental for our upcoming fall 2025 trip - would love to know where you stayed and if you would recommend it!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

After lunch, we began the lazy river, which was unfortunately sporadically and barely heated. It was not pleasant to be in at all really. We’re Canadian and usually pretty hardy, so I can’t see most guests tolerating the river temp.

I'm sorry & surprised to hear that - they must be having an issue. Both lazy rivers have been bathwater warm when I've been there, in stark contrast to the "chilly" reef & dolphin lagoon.

When you buy Discovery Cove tickets, you can add unlimited 14 days at Sea World, and Aquatica, and Busch Gardens for a very reasonable premium. ~$180pp got us the day at DC, and the higher tier including Busch Gardens along with free standard parking at all the SW parks.

This is the best deal in Orlando, when you use the other park admission!

 

[Mikey15]

Enjoying your report!! We are also from Ontario and have never done the drive to Disney, but it looks like you made some great stops on the way. Discovery Cove looks lovely, if chilly!

We are considering an offsite condo rental for our upcoming fall 2025 trip - would love to know where you stayed and if you would recommend it!

We used to fly, but have driven 4 times now. Rental car costs exploded after Covid, so even though flight pricing from New York is pretty good, we’ve found it more economical to just make the drive and see family either going or coming.

We have access to a family timeshare at Summer Bay Orlando. They do rent directly to the general public (for a premium over what we pay in annual fees – $1,500 US for a week in a two bedroom – public rate might be more like $3,000) but if you have access to RCI through another timeshare you can get weeks “last call” for extremely cheap. Like $500 a week cheap. It’s way off to the west; actually just into Lake County, but we do love how quiet it is. The 25 minute drives (incl traffic) to Disney or 30 minute to Sea World are something we’re used to.

It’s a lovely quiet resort, but I know there’s a lot of options in the area (closer, livelier, fancier, whatever you want),

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Following

 

[Pollies]

Followed also ! Love your trip report ! You and your wife have had quite the journey with Disney trips! If you're planning on traveling further and need tickets, I recommend trying SeatGeek reviews, it's a solid platform for securing tickets to live events, especially with its user-friendly interface and useful features like the Deal Score, which helps ensure you're getting the best ticket value.

 

[Mikey15]

Thanks everyone!

So I suppose I should finally get to Dec 2nd. After our very productive first day on the 1st, our second day was a planned sleep-in / relax day until Jollywood entry at 6pm. We enjoyed the pool above, which was nicely heated and very enjoyable in the sun, and then got ready to head to Hollywood.



While we knew it would be chilly, especially later on, we elected to not bring layers with us. It’s a bit of a tough call with this sort of weather, 60s at first but dipping into the 40s by the end of the night. In a way it was just the inverse of the warmer times of year we’ve come – instead of sweating outside and then dealing with freezing cold A/C in a building or ride queue, we were cool between rides but comfortable once indoors or in a wind-sheltered area.



We hit up MMRR first while day guests were still in the park, before Jollywood formally got started. In that line (about 25 minutes) it got warm enough that I was grateful to not be wearing a sweater or anything. We finished there shortly before 7 and scouted out where “Santa Stitch” was going to be. We don’t normally do character meetings, but that was one my wife felt like doing. The line was in a wind-sheltered area which stayed a comfortable temperature, but we waited until the 7:30 start of Jollywood for the line to even move, and then about 30 minutes past that. Character lines can really eat up park time!

We headed over to do Rise of the Resistance and go clockwise around DHS. The line was under 10 minutes to the pre show, and so sparse in terms of guests that we could even linger a bit in the storm trooper room and really take in the sights we might otherwise be rushed through. This ride is still top-notch.



Another place we had wanted to try but never had was Oga’s Cantina, which during Jollywood was all walk-up instead of reservations. We were seated quickly and got to enjoy a Bespin Fizz and a nonalcoholic drink that I forget the name of, along with a cheese bread shareable. It was interesting in that it was basically a quartered pretzel loaf but with chile con queso poured in it. Those are two things one might not think to combine, but I thought it worked quite well! Overall we enjoyed that experience, even if it might be “one and done” because we aren’t big drinkers.



I almost forgot to mention, there was an amazing photo pass spot in front of the Millennium Falcon where they let you hold legit, hefty lightsabers for the photos. Not only was it well worth the stop, PhotoPass is included with Jollywood admission! So we gratefully accepted some fun photos of us ready to take down the Galactic Empire!



Jollywood part 2 still to come…