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

[DenaRox]

Fellow Canadian following along ◡̈ We were at the same Jollywood ◡̈ I haven’t got that far in my trip report quite yet but I’m loving getting another perspective of the night. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Mikey15]

Fellow Canadian following along ◡̈ We were at the same Jollywood ◡̈ I haven’t got that far in my trip report quite yet but I’m loving getting another perspective of the night. Looking forward to reading more.

I’m definitely falling behind but, sneak preview, we definitely loved Jollywood and would do it again!

For us it was the walk-on rides for sure, but the shows we did see and the atmosphere were great too! Hope you also enjoyed it,

 

[erinch]

We were at the second Jollywood. Loved it!

 

[Mary Pops In]

Great report.

 

[DenaRox]

I’m definitely falling behind but, sneak preview, we definitely loved Jollywood and would do it again!

For us it was the walk-on rides for sure, but the shows we did see and the atmosphere were great too! Hope you also enjoyed it,

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I really enjoyed Jollywood. Had a big plan of what I wanted to do and see and then totally got immersed in the moment and just ran around happily like a little kid and forgot all about the plans. lol. Sometimes that’s the best way to do it.

 

[hardcorestitch]

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:

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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!

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

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

8 overtimes. Nothing special, just typical Georgia football.

 

[Mikey15]

I’m definitely falling behind but, sneak preview, we definitely loved Jollywood and would do it again!

For us it was the walk-on rides for sure, but the shows we did see and the atmosphere were great too! Hope you also enjoyed it,

View attachment 919368

Another thread reminded me… I really need to finish this report!

The above photo was taken by my lovely wife (who’s braver than I am when it comes to some things) while riding Slinky Dog. After leaving the Cantina and doing a quick walk-on of Alien Saucers, we waited in a short ~10-15 minute line for Slinky Dog, perfectly timed for Jingle Bell Jingle Bam to be happening at the Chinese Theater. We’ve ridden Slinky at sunset before, but never full night, timed for fireworks, and this is absolutely the best way to do this ride. Rope dropping in the sun, even in the early morning, it’s understandable to not even enjoy Slinky Dog. At night though, it just shines.



After Slinky, and Toy Story Mania, we stopped by to watch the ice skating show, which was fun if you like these sorts of shows. At this point we were already aware that Rock n Roller Coaster had gone down, but we still wanted to get our Tower of Terror in. This was again a perfect walk-on. The pre-show room doors were wide open to walk through, and we were followed in by riders who had just gotten off and were back for round two. I can’t emphasize enough how great Jollywood is for rides!

We finished the night by heading to the Beauty & the Beast theater for the Christmas show with Kermit and Miss Piggy. Very cute. Cool to see actual Muppets performing live like that, instead of just a show on a screen. The singers and dancers, as one would expect, were top notch. If I have one regret it’s that we had to choose between that and the Nightmare Before Christmas singalong show, but we knew what we were doing prioritizing the rides.



And so went our night at Jollywood! I do have some wrap-up thoughts for Day 2 coming up real soon,

 

[Mikey15]

Finally finding time to continue. Hoping this is still interesting, particularly if people are planning out December trips for this year!

Jollywood (our Day 2, Dec 2nd, a Monday) was a blast. We would do it again. We got the best of both worlds with:
-Short ride waits
-Quiet atmosphere at the back half of the park because the crowds were at the shows
-Still getting a chance to enjoy the shows

Waiting for the Santa Stitch photos was probably a waste of time for us. We waited there a while before Stitch arrived and the line started moving, and the wait was almost more annoying once it did, as at that point we were ready to move on to the other things at Jollywood. While we could have improved our use of that time by seeing the first Nightmare Before Christmas singalong instead though, I think the rest of the evening would’ve looked similar.

Quiet, short wait Rise was great. Getting to enjoy the Cantina was great. Slinky Dog during the fireworks was great! The stage shows were cute and well done. It’s the type of atmosphere that attracted us to the MK parties in the first place (they feel crazy busy these days in comparison). I have a feeling that we’ll be back.



Also, it was quite a change feeling cool breeze while walking through the park, and then the warmth in the attraction queues. It actually got too warm in the queues in comparison… started to feel sweaty. The rest of the year waiting in the indoor part of a queue can feel “too cold” because of the juxtaposition from outside temps to the cold A/C. I consciously underdressed with just a T shirt and no sweater, and while it meant a bit of a cold walk leaving the park (temps were down to 50°F or high 40s) you just have to find that right balance. It was only a 6-hour day for us after all!

Finally onto Day 3: taking it easy. Then Day 4: more Disney adventures.

 

[Mikey15]

Like I mentioned earlier, it was past midnight when we left Jollywood, so Day 3 (Dec 3, Tuesday) was always a planned day of rest. We love Boma for dinner buffet, but had always wanted to try their breakfast, so our plan was a later breakfast slot at Boma after sleeping in.

Apparently I have no breakfast food photos to share (sorry!) but we took in AKL after:


These animals were, of course, all made of gingerbread! Which is pretty cool:


And the tree & lobby at AKL are just as impressive as the one at WL. I would love to stay here during the holidays too:


Boma breakfast review: it wasn’t bad. But there wasn’t anything about it to bring me back either. I’m more of an “eggs and potatoes” breakfast person, and the egg option was really the bobotie (more like a meat and egg quiche, which I tried but isn’t really my thing) or more kid oriented omelette patties folded over some cheese. They didn’t have breakfast potato options outside of kids potato barrels. I tried some yogurt parfaits, but I found them both two sweet and not that interesting or diverse compared to Boma’s other offerings. There was some sort of oatmeal dish that I went for seconds of, but it was more for lack of anything else up my alley.

Still love Boma dinner though! (Normally.)


After that, I took the wifey for some “down day” shopping. Home Goods. TJ Maxx. Ross. That sort of thing. Took a picture of this ducky Jeep in the TJ Maxx parking lot to send to my sister (who also does the duck thing):


And then we headed over to Bahama Breeze after Ross for appy hour (aka our early dinner):


Bahama Breeze is a favourite of ours when we’re in central FL, and we enjoy the deals & selections from 3-5 or 9-close, being on vacation and all

 

[Mikey15]

Day 4 (Dec 4) was the first Disney “park day” of our trip, though we did have the Jollywood Party prior to that. Despite the length of our trip, we enjoy our “resort days” so our normal park tickets were only three days’ worth of Park Hoppers. The rest days make it great IMO, but our park days are not for the faint of heart. We park-hopped each of the three days, with this day being one of our favourite one-two punches: Animal Kingdom morning and MK / Happily Ever After at night!

Our first stop at AK was a couple laps of Expedition Everest, which we find is really easy in the early morning to do two rides in a row before lines get longer. Then we stopped to enjoy the ~11am bird show (whatever its name is these days… Feathered Friends in Flight?).



Unfortunately when we went over to our Lightning Lane window at Kilimanjaro Safari, however, the LL line was backed waaaayy out into Harambe village. We elected not to join the incredibly long Safari line (must have been some uncooperative animals in the path or some other technical difficulty).

So, lemons into lemonade, we decided to go ahead and get something to eat. We found the “a-MAIZE-ing” fries she had read about, which were tasty and gave us an opportunity to drink some water and cool off. While the temps weren’t warm (60s °F?) we were dressed warmly this time (well… light sweaters) so once the sun came out a little bit of sweat came with it.





That was over in Dinoland, where after the light snack we stopped by the soon-to-be-closed carnival games area. When we were down a year prior with friends and their daughter, my wife had won some stuffies there for the little girl for her first Disney trip. So she thought she’d go and win something again to bring home! Unfortunately, they had changed the number of people that needed to be playing at one time in order to win particular stuffies (allegedly stretching the remaining larger toys out until the carnival’s eventual closure). After a very long, increasingly toasty stretch waiting for 8 people to play the ski ball game at the same time, it finally happened and she won a ‘DINO Institute’ iguanodon to take home!

I won’t disclose how much we spent on game tickets in order to win that stuffy (it wasn’t cheap!) but still, we celebrated the “victory” at one of the best dining spots at WDW: Yak & Yeti.



We had made short work of the Korean fried chicken by the time this photo was taken. I still feel bad about the wonton nachos, as despite ordering it with chicken like we do every time instead of the seared ahi tuna, the first plate came out with the tuna. Thankfully not an allergy situation, but I noticed at the first bite and so a nearly full plate ended up getting sent back. I wish there was a way they could feed it to the monkeys or something


Day 4 to be continued with a trip to see the goats!

 

[Mikey15]

Day 4 Cont.:

Yes, while at one of our scarce days at a Walt Disney World theme park, we spent over an hour at a goat and pig petting zoo. My wife loves them, so how can I say no?

Day 4’s visit to Rafiki’s Planet Watch consisted of watching a territorial contest between young Hans, and father (??? name is escaping me… this is why I wanted to do the December writeup in December!)



While a cast member was stuck standing around warning toddler parents to NOT let their kids get between the two headbutting goats



After some goat snuggles, we hopped the train back to the rest of the park and took in the Tree of Life at dusk. Originally we were going to stay for the “Awakenings” on the tree, but she wanted to make sure we made it to MK in good time, as this was going to be our only HEA of the trip!



We did push it as long as we could near the front to see some of the Christmas themed projections but only long enough to get the vibe. Getting a good spot for HEA was more important!



And we got a great spot around 7:10 for an 8pm (love how early it is in Dec) HEA!





After lots of photos, we leisurely made our way around post-fireworks MK, riding things like Pirates, Big Thunder, Astro Orbiter for the night views, and a couple of snacks in between like Pecos Bill’s nachos and Sleepy Hollow funnel cake. After a full day, we departed MK by boat a little before the 11pm close.



We were zonked! But excited for another “rest day” on Thursday/ Day 5.

 

[Mikey15]

Bonus photo from Big Thunder I wanted to include. We love this ride at night! (Same with Slinky Dog):

 

[Mikey15]

Well, it’s official! We’re heading back for another December trip (Nov 29 - Dec 13). Guess we really enjoyed Florida’s version of “sweater weather”

That’s all the more reason for me to revisit last year’s trip, because we really did have fun. Looking at a retread of the things we enjoyed most, like Jollywood, a couple days of park hopping, SeaWorld Christmas, Busch Gardens, and some time at Clearwater Beach!

Picking up back where I left off, Dec 5, 2024 was a Thursday and a dedicated rest day after the morning to night AK to MK hop. But rest days can still be fun!



This one wasn’t the wildest though. We read reviews for Sanaa breakfast and some other things in case we wanted to venture out in the morning. Instead we rested, took advantage of an in-resort arms-length Starbucks, and enjoyed some pool time.

We did venture out in the evening for our annual Boma dinner (well, usually once per trip anyway) and… we did not have as great an experience as we normally do. Some people would consider sensory issues to be “first world problems” but they can be really bothersome. This photo is from a previous trip, but Boma has these light fixtures over the table area that add a lantern-like ambiance:



The problem is the bulbs seem to have been replaced with “daylight” color temp LEDs that point straight down. At table one, my dear wife was seated almost directly under one and felt like she was under a spotlight . We respectfully asked for a different table if available but the second one was only a partial improvement. The food of course made it all alright in the end and we spent a little time taking in all the details of the AKL Christmas tree afterwards.



This tree and lobby combo is every bit as impressive as Wilderness Lodge, and well worth the drive over.

15 minutes later we were at Target to pick up some necessities, and then turned in early for another Park Hopping day on Day 6…

 

[hardcorestitch]

Well, it’s official! We’re heading back for another December trip (Nov 29 - Dec 13). Guess we really enjoyed Florida’s version of “sweater weather”

That’s all the more reason for me to revisit last year’s trip, because we really did have fun. Looking at a retread of the things we enjoyed most, like Jollywood, a couple days of park hopping, SeaWorld Christmas, Busch Gardens, and some time at Clearwater Beach!

Picking up back where I left off, Dec 5, 2024 was a Thursday and a dedicated rest day after the morning to night AK to MK hop. But rest days can still be fun!

View attachment 1016667

This one wasn’t the wildest though. We read reviews for Sanaa breakfast and some other things in case we wanted to venture out in the morning. Instead we rested, took advantage of an in-resort arms-length Starbucks, and enjoyed some pool time.

We did venture out in the evening for our annual Boma dinner (well, usually once per trip anyway) and… we did not have as great an experience as we normally do. Some people would consider sensory issues to be “first world problems” but they can be really bothersome. This photo is from a previous trip, but Boma has these light fixtures over the table area that add a lantern-like ambiance:

View attachment 1016689

The problem is the bulbs seem to have been replaced with “daylight” color temp LEDs that point straight down. At table one, my dear wife was seated almost directly under one and felt like she was under a spotlight . We respectfully asked for a different table if available but the second one was only a partial improvement. The food of course made it all alright in the end and we spent a little time taking in all the details of the AKL Christmas tree afterwards.

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This tree and lobby combo is every bit as impressive as Wilderness Lodge, and well worth the drive over.

15 minutes later we were at Target to pick up some necessities, and then turned in early for another Park Hopping day on Day 6…

You made the BEST decision to return to Disney this holiday! I’m still trying to do the same but only at Disneyland. Enjoy!

 

[Mikey15]

Friday the 6th was a big day for me, as I was awaiting the results of a major 3-day professional examination I had taken in September. Where better to get the news than Disney World, right?

We leisurely started our day at Animal Kingdom with my request that we see It’s Tough to Be a Bug. We had never been before, knew it was ending soon, and I both wanted to see inside the Tree of Life and see the show once before it went away. Plus it would eat up some time before my 10am exam release so I wouldn’t be refreshing my phone constantly, because the show would take us almost to 10.



I can see why the bug show wasn’t people’s favourite, but I still thought it was nicely done with good effects, and the theatre has potential. Hopefully the Zootopia show lives up to it!

Anyway, we left and I tried to stop and find my results, but my wife was on a mission to make it to Kilimanjaro Safari before the Lightning Lane line got too long, as it had two days prior when it was supposed to be our time window to go. My heart sunk walking from the Tree to Harambe as my name did not come up on the list of successful candidates. I spent the Safari line trying to get in to see my actual results but it just would not let me in, as everyone else was trying to see their results at the same time.





But we went on the safari and had our animal sightings before it was back to reality. We sat at a table in Harambe and my wife tried to log in for my results as well. This pattern sadly took over our Animal Kingdom day…



We still attempted to have fun, hanging with goats, etc., while unsuccessfully attempting to log in. I had bought this Expedition Everest zip-up hoodie the other day as a splurge, as it’s rare for me to find park merchandise I like, so I was wearing it that day. Sweater weather! At Disney!?

We were still trying to find the right wardrobe balance for layering, but this day worked out well. I believe it was in the 50s °F in the morning, meaning the sweater would need to come off at some point. Thankfully it didn’t end up getting past the low 70s that I can recall. This whole trip felt like a rare chance to experience Florida at a different temperature and it didn’t disappoint. I could very much get used to this time of year there.



But as we had already closed out AK the other day, this was a planned hopping day to Epcot, where we arrived a little before 4. We were still early for our Space 220 Lounge (!!) reservation, so we stopped into Connections to sit and grab a drink. I pulled my phone out again, still unable to let my exam results go, and finally after 6 agonizing hours, I was in!

While I hadn’t passed all three days, I had passed days 2 & 3; the “hard days.” I somehow hadn’t passed the “easy day.” My wife reminded me that I had been getting over a bad cold before the exam so it probably affected my performance on that day more than the others.
So it wasn’t all bad news. Day 1 could be rewritten separately! So I shared the partial good news with family and coworkers, then it was time for a dinner date in space!

(To be continued…)

 

[Mikey15]

Before my wife booked Space 220 Lounge, I had not really had any interest in the place. Neither she nor I are steak / lobster / expensive meat eaters, so while every prix fixe place has some sort of non-meat option, it’s almost always a bad deal as you’re paying the same price for a Wagyu carpaccio and a filet minon as you are for a salad and a tofu pad Thai. But while I’m over here on Disboards, she’s in a facebook group where she learned about the Space 220 Lounge, which unlike most lounges is a separate reservation rather than a walk-up wait. So she was able to get us a hard-to-get Lounge reservation where we could order a la carte off the appetizer, sides, drinks, and dessert menu, which was all we would want anyway!

In some ways I feel this is a Top 5 restaurant at Disney for the immersive experience alone. It’s not an elevator ride to the second floor where the restaurant is… it’s a ride in a space elevator to what they do a great job of convincing you is a space station! Like that photo I posted earlier looks like a promotional photo, except that was my iPhone and the actual view from our lounge table. Due to timing, we even got to see the transition from Day on Earth out the window, to Night by the time we left.



This is absolutely Disney-level attention to detail. Moreover the young waitress was so so nice, and we really liked the food we tried. We split a cocktail each so we could try more than one, and the espresso martini really hit the spot. What also hit the spot were a delicious butternut squash soup, beet salad, caramelized Brussels sprouts, chili garlic broccolini… basically everything we tried was good.

So in the end we celebrated my half-exam passing with an amazing experience, and then got to go right after to the best ride at Disney World.



Epcot over the past few years has transformed into my favourite Disney park. Best ride. Great food. Beautiful sights even (especially?) after the sun went down, which happens early in December so we got to enjoy a lot of lights.





We love Journey of Water, and yes, it too is best at night. We got to see that, the Seas aquarium, and Soarin’ on our way to World Showcase. We didn’t do Living with the Land that night due to a 50 minute line for the Christmas-lit ride. It was a Friday night at Epcot so that has to be when all the locals come out. I don’t blame them!

 

[iHEARTflorida]

Enjoying the TR!! How long were you in Orlando for? By the time you finish this TR you’ll be back again!!! lol!!

 

[teach22180]

Thanks for sharing! I will be there in December and I'm enjoying reading what it was like last year.

 

[Mikey15]

Enjoying the TR!! How long were you in Orlando for? By the time you finish this TR you’ll be back again!!! lol!!

The thought had crossed my mind! Nothing like a new trip countdown to get the TR thoughts turning.

Our total trip was leaving Thanksgiving (Thursday), arriving at timeshare Saturday the 30th for two Saturday to Saturday weeks. After checkout on the 14th we did two nights in North Redington Beach (gulf coast), one night in Myrtle Beach on the way back, and one night in Syracuse. Made it home on the 18th — just one week before Christmas.

This year is shorter due to flying in and out on Saturdays the 29th & 13th, and not having driving time. We’ll have to get our “beach time” in on day trips to Clearwater.