A few random thoughts:
I was expecting to love Avatar FJ and like Slinky Dog. I ended up being the opposite. Loved Slinky Dog and thought Avatar was overrated.
We picked up a rare second fastpass for FJ and ended up swapping it out for another Everest - still my family’s favourite ride in all of Disney.
A severe storm passed through Orlando on our MK day and it turned into a crowd level 1 day. I have literally never seen a park that empty. But when I say severe, I mean severe. We were all wearing both a raincoat and a poncho and we were soaked to the bone. Many outside rides had to be shut down and we ended up with all these anytime fastpasses to make up for the missed rides. But there is only so many times you can be shaken around on Space Mountain.
Despite months of chasing down that elusive 7DMT fastpass, we never got to use it.
After eating lunch (soaking wet and uncomfortable), we decided to throw in the towel and head back to the resort. Unfortunately all buses, boats and the monorail had drawn to a hault due to flooding and ferocious winds, so the wait to get home was a long one. The day still had its pluses, and we enjoyed the resort hopping we decided to do in the afternoon instead, but it shows that even the best laid plans are at the mercy of Mother Nature.
We enjoyed EMM at Toy Story Land and thought it was worth every cent on that crowd level 8 day. The Jingle Bam Dessert party was also fun, but I don’t think it was as good value as the morning admission.
Wilderness Lodge is beautiful. Of the resorts I saw, it was easily my favourite as far as Xmas decorations go. In fact, I think it was my favourite full stop.
Table Service restaurants this trip included: Whispering Canyon, Trails End, Brown Derby (lunch), Jungle Skipper Canteen, Antojitos, Pat OBriens, Toothsomes, and Mythos. They ranged from good to great, with the greatest of them all being Antojitos. Gosh that restaurant is delicious.
Diagon Alley at Universal was as awesome as I’d hoped it would be. I loved being able to embrace my inner wizard. I also loved that Hot Topic clothing store had a special on, and before coming home, I was able to get both a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff cardigan for just $10 each (Gryfdindor was sold out).