Getting in the Christmas Mood at Disney: A Dec 2013 Pre-Trip Report

[DisMomJill]

Hi from the UK!

I have just come across your pre-trip report and am loving it! We too are off this Christmas, our first 3 week holiday and I'm so excited. We fly on Dec 10th and leave Dec 31st. I have made ADR's so far, booked a sleigh ride at FW and carriage ride at Port Orleans for Christmas Eve following our ADR at Park Fayre but have now come to a bit of a standstill, however reading your report has really encouraged me to continue planning. My eldest two daughters are HUGE Sofia fans and I hadn't realised that they did a BBB Sofia makeover so thank you so much for that, your report will now make two little girls VERY happy - That's what I love about Dis!

Can I ask, the picture that you posted of your beautiful daughter (with a beautiful wardrobe to match!) sitting with Santa on the sleigh, was that during the Christmas Party or is he at the MK everyday? I am thinking it's probably during the Christmas party. was that taken in Town Square?

Can't wait to read more, now I'm off to try and make those BBB reservations!!!

I've been to the UK several times, and I really enjoyed my time over there. It is such a beautiful place!

The Santa picture was done during the Christmas party. Most of the pictures you get with him during the party will have a lighted castle in the background. We just missed out on that. I think we got in line right about the time the first parade started. So we saw the parade while we were in line, then we saw Santa when he returned from being in the parade. And yes, it was in Town Square.

 

[DisMomJill]

Just a quick post to show a picture of the Minnie dress I finished this weekend It is a little blurry because DD wasn't very cooperative about standing still. And, just for grins, I'll include the photo of DD in her Minnie dress two years ago for a side-by-side comparison.

 

[mckelvey72]

While I love planning WDW trips , I get a bit anxious when I have to map out my park days. We got park hoppers on our first trip, and we only used it once... and that was really just because we didn't want to completely waste them So I don't think we'll get park hoppers, which means park days needed to pretty much be mapped out when we made our ADRs. Our ADR date was June 3, and I was making changes right up until the last minute. But I think I finally have it all nailed down... that is, unless I decide to make more changes

So, here are the current plans:

Thu, Nov 28 - Sat, Nov 30 : drive, drive, drive Yes, we will be making the trip over three days. The first day will only be 3 or so hours. The second day will be 8 or 9 hours, leaving 5 or 6 hours for the third day.

Sat, Nov 30 : Arrival Day I am hoping that we will arrive early afternoon. If we have to drive 6 hours, we should be there by 3 even with a late start. We have a reservation to take a holiday sleigh ride at FW at 6:00.

Sun, Dec 1 : After church, we'll head to MK. We have a LTT ADR at 1:45. That is followed by BBB at 3:25, so I'm hoping we don't have to wait too long. Then we have an ADR for 1900 Park Fare at 6:45.

Mon, Dec 2 : Epcot. We have a 10:50 ADR at Akershus.

Tue, Dec 3 : We'll have the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 10:35. We'll go to MK at about 4 for the Christmas Party.

Wed, Dec 4 : I'm hoping to get a ressie for My Disney Girl's Perfectly Princess Tea Party. So far, you can only make a ressie through 11/23. I don't know why the later date haven't been opened up yet. When Disney announced the Sofia makeovers at DTD, I decided I just HAD to do that. DD and I will head to DTD after the tea part for a 2:30 BBB reservation. We are thinking about possibly doing Hollywood Studios during the afternoon/evening.

Thu, Dec 5 : Another day at MK. I just realized today (8/2) that this is a morning EMH day at MK. So I changed our CP ADR to 2:20. I don't want to be eating during that first hour at the park since rides will be open and crowds should be lower.

Fri, Dec 6 : Animal Kingdom. I decided to go with breakfast at Tusker House, so we'll be eating there at 10:20. I've heard so much about the juice that I wanted to try it! And with a late breakfast time, we might actually get in on some of the lunch options too

Sat, Dec 7 : Departure Day But before we leave, we have an 8:15 ADR at Chef Mickey's. I think that'll be a good note to end on

So that is the basic outline. More details to come ...

We are there the same time as you but no girly stuff for us....but we have the same ADR on 12/6 so maybe we will see you there!!!!

 

[DisMomJill]

Last night I had planned to start working on DD's Sleeping Beauty costume. She has decided to be SB for Halloween, so I wanted to get it finished soon. My original plan was to make a dress because she will only be wearing it for 2-3 hours for the Perfectly Princess Tea Party. But since she will be wearing it to preschool for Halloween, it will probably be a two-piece outfit so she doesn't have to mess with a full dress while using the bathroom. So that being said, I decided to finish the Cinderella costume to see if it would look right as a two-piece outfit. I am pretty pleased with the results. I will need to add a ruffle or band to the top in order to make it a little longer, but I think that is the only thing I need to do. So here is the poor quality cell phone picture. I really need to keep a camera upstairs so I don't have to use my phone when I get her to try on these outfits



In the second photo, she is attempting a curtsy (and you can see that the bottom is a skort)

 

[LB1122]

We share some days, I'll be at Epcot that Mon, MK Thurs, and AK Fri also.

I went through the same planning buzz you did, making reservations, changing reservations, discount hunting, etc... now that it's all booked it's kind of anticlimactic to just wait and count days.

I am a first timer and booked Dec 1st - 7th thinking that would be a long time in a "theme park", now I wish I had more time for things like horse drawn carriages, exploring DTD, and extra time at the parks. I had no idea how massive WDW was and how much there was to do. Rookie mistake but a built in excuse to go again.

I love this excuse to go again!!!!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE all the fun dresses you have completed for the trip. What fun. My mom is about to make Halloween costumes which will double for us at Christmas.. so fun

 

[DisMomJill]

LOVE LOVE LOVE all the fun dresses you have completed for the trip. What fun. My mom is about to make Halloween costumes which will double for us at Christmas.. so fun[/FONT]

Thank you. I am having a lot of fun sewing each outfit. I just finished the Halloween costume/Princess Tea Party outfit. Will be posting a picture shortly

 

[DisMomJill]

Yesterday I was able to customize my Magic Bands DD and I are getting pink, and DH is getting blue. I would have loved to have purple, but that wasn't an option. I've had the crazy thought of getting a cover for it, or possibly trying to make a cover.

Since my last update, I have finished DD's Halloween costume/Princess Tea Party outfit. I used the same patterns that I used for the Cinderella outfit (CarlaC's Simply Sweet Top and Perfectly Preppy Skort), and I followed the tutorial to adjust the top for Sleeping Beauty. Instead of adding a skirt and peplum to the bottom of the bodice, I just added the peplum. I did extend the length of the top by about 2.5-3" because the Cinderella one was a little short. After the fact, I was afraid it would put the peplum too low, but once DD had it on, I thought it looked fine. I do need to go back and adjust the straps because they keep falling off of her shoulders.



I am currently working on DD's Princess Sofia dress. I spent Wednesday night and Thrusday morning working on getting stuff ready for a children's consignment sale. Last night, I was still tired from the lack of sleep on Wednesday night, so I've had two nights of getting absolutely nothing accomplished on the sewing list. But I'm hoping to finish the Sofia dress this weekend, so maybe I'll have a picture posted soon.

 

[DisMomJill]

This day will start with a late ADR at 1900PF. After breakfast, we will probably go back to WL and just hang out at the resort for a few hours. If the weather is nice, I'll probably take DD to the pool for a swim. And I'm hoping I can convince her to lay down and rest for a bit since it will be a late night.

We will plan to arrive at MK at about 4. If I can get FP+ for the 4-7 hours, I think I am going to schedule them for Peter Pan, Pooh, and Jungle Cruise. Once the party starts, DD, DH and I will enjoy hot chocolate and cookies together, then we'll probably split up and do our own thing for ahwile. DD and I will go ride rides and possibly meet some characters that don't have long lines. While I'd love to have a pic taken with all 7 dwarves, being in line for that long just won't work with a 4 year old. I'm not sure what DH will do during that time. We will probably meet back up to see Holiday Wishes, and I'm hoping to convince DH that we should see the second parade. Last year, we watched the first parade and then visited Santa, and DH now thinks that is the way to do it. But I'd much rather see the parade with the smaller crowds. After the parade, then it'll be more rides. I'm hoping to stay until the party closes. We'll see how DD does.

I know there isn't much detail here. I actually haven't spent a lot of time planning this yet. But I didn't want to map out my days out of order. Once I plan it more, I'll edit in a link to the new post with the latest plan.

 

[DisMomJill]

Since the previous night will be a late one, we'll get a late start to the day. We will sleep in until 9 or so. DD and I can both get ready very quickly, and the first ADR is for just the two of us. We will head over to the Grand Floridian so we can have tea with Aurora. And, of course, DD will wear her Sleeping Beauty outfit My only concern about the tea party comes with the naming of the doll. DD is not very good at picking out names for her babies. Her favorite doll is named "Tap Baby". She also has a doll named Hanky. So there is no telling what she will come up with!

After we are finished with the tea party, we will head over to DTD so DD can get the Princess Sofia makeover. I'm hoping we will have some time to shop before the appointment because I'd really like to get some Disney Potato Head pieces. Once the makeover is done, we'll go do the photos. Then we'll head to DHS.

These are the things I'm hoping to do at DHS in our limited time there:

• Meet Princess Sofia. This will be our number one priority when we get there. I don't know if we'll make it in time, but we will definitely try!
• Meet Jake. Once again, this might not be possible due to timing.
• Toy Story Midway Mania!: The plan is to have a FP+ for this. There is no way we will ride it if FP+ isn't active, so I'm really hoping it is. None of us have ridden it before.
• Tower of Terror: This is a maybe. It'll depend on DD. She is tall enough to ride it. I'm just not sure if it is something she'll want to do. I'm hoping to at least get her to try it.
• Beauty and the Beast: A FP+ option. They currently have a 5:30 show time, so that is what we'd have to do.
• Disney Jr Live on Stage: We can't do this if we do the Beauty and the Beast show, but I'm still listing it. I think this is the lower priority of the two shows, but DD may think differently There is a 5:00 show and a 5:50 show.
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid
• Osborne Lights: This is the main reason I added a day at DHS to our plan, and it will be a must for DH since he LOVES Christmas.
• Get a shake at 50's Prime Time Cafe
• Animation Academy: I just learned about this recently. I am horrible at drawing, but I still think it looks kind of fun.

As you can see, there are a lot of things listed for such a short time in the park. I'm hoping to arrive by 4, but I don't know if that is feasible since our BBB appointment is at 2:30 (unless we skip the photoshoot). I have to say I have been seriously reconsidering the Sofia BBB appointment! I would really love to have a little more time at DHS. So there is a possibility that this will change. I'll probably leave it up to DD. I'll have her choose on our Epcot day so I can cancel the appointment with the required 24 hours notice if that is what she decides.

 

[DisMomJill]

Yesterday I was able to do my FP+ selections. That means my days will now be planned with even more structure. So this is our revised schedule for our first day.

• Visit Mickey and Minnie
• Barnstormer (FP+ from 12-1)
• It's a Small World
• Jungle Cruise or It's A Small World
• Liberty Tree Tavern lunch (1:45)
• Country Bear Jamboree or It's A Small World
• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique/Photos (3:25)
• Meet Cinderella (FP+ 4-5)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (FP+ 5-6)
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• 1900 Park Fare dinner (6:45)

We will ride It's A Small World up to three times since this is the only day we'll be able to ride it. I will leave that decision to DD. And if DD doesn't like the Barnstormer, then I'll attempt to change my BTMRR FP to another attraction... or we'll just ride something else in that area.

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[DisMomJill]

Following along!

 

[DisMomJill]

Planning our Epcot day for FP+ was a challenge. I used touringplans to customize our day, and I'm really hoping it works out. So this is what I came up with:

1. Soarin' (without FP)
2. Test Track (without FP)
3. Princess Breakfast at Akershus at 10:50 (Norway)
4. Maelstrom (Norway)
5. Mulan Meet & Greet (China)
6. Monkey King Storyteller (China)
7. Gran Fiesta Tour (Mexico)
8. Donald Duck Meet & Greet (Mexico)
9. Tres Reyes Storyteller (Mexico)
10. Santa & Mrs Clause Meet & Greet (America)
11. Aurora and/or Belle Meet & Greet (France)
12. Pere Noel Storyteller (France)
13. Test Track (FP+ 3:00-4:00)
14. Spaceship Earth
15. The Seas with Nemo
16. The Seas Main Tank
17. Chase Character Meet & Greet
18. Epcot Character Spot (FP+ 4:00-5:00)
19. Journey into Imagination
20. Soarin (FP+ 5:00-6:00)

We may end up scrapping the Epcot Character Spot, depending on who is at the Chase Meet & Greet. The meet and greets I have planned for World Showcase are mostly there to fill the time while we wait for the storytellers. The only one that is a MUST is Santa and Mrs Clause. I've decided we'll take care of that at Epcot instead of standing in the long line at the Christmas party. And it would be neat to have Mrs. Clause there too Mulan is also highly desired since I don't think she is available at any of the other parks.

 

[mchelle77]

Subbing! (FB link )

 

[mchelle77]

We just booked the sleigh ride or December 10th an it was $68.

Is that per person, or per booking?!

 

[DisMomJill]

Subbing! (FB link )

Is that per person, or per booking?!

The price was per booking, so it wasn't bad at all. I think the carriage holds 4 adults, or 2 adults and 3 children.

 

[mchelle77]

The price was per booking, so it wasn't bad at all. I think the carriage holds 4 adults, or 2 adults and 3 children.

But when I go to see it on the WDW site, it says per person! This makes a HUGE difference, I think I'm going to try to book it now. Thanks!

 

[DisMomJill]

But when I go to see it on the WDW site, it says per person! This makes a HUGE difference, I think I'm going to try to book it now. Thanks!

I just went back and looked at my CC statement. I was charged $64 for it, so it appears that the price listed even included tax. Maybe they have changed their pricing since I booked it? I don't remember whether it said per person or not.

 

[budafam]

Following along.. we'll be arriving 12/3 so we may cross paths

 

[DisMomJill]

Following along.. we'll be arriving 12/3 so we may cross paths

Are you the one who was able to snag the Crystal Palace ADR I cancelled for 12/5?