How I Peer-Pressured My Family In To One Last Trip....

[disneyj914]

Hello and !

Ahhh...I'm so excited for the trip and it's still almost 6 months away, so I thought, what better to do than start a pre-trip report for it!!! This first post will serve as an intro to the trip with basically the who, what, why, where, and how!

First off....the who!!!! As you can probably tell from my title....the whole family is coming along this time!!! We haven't been to the World all together since March 2008, which had already been declared our last family vacation. During my planning for my solo trip, my mom and dad both started to get the bug and were "thinking" about planning a trip because they had always wanted to see Disney during the Christmas season. A few weeks before I left for my solo, I got a pin for 30% off mods and mentioned it to my mom. I also might have said something along the lines of...."I don't wanna pressure you, but there's only a certain amount of rooms available with these discounts, so we should probably book soon if you want to go. But really....no pressure."

During the first day of my solo trip (while at the Magic Kingdom), I got the best bit of Disney magic ever!!! My mom called me and told me we were booked for December!!! So not only did I have another vacation to look forward to, I was able to relax a little on the solo knowing I didn't have to rush and see "everything" because I'd be back in 6 short months!!!

So the final details of the trip are:
Who: me (Jess, 25), DB (Eric, 22), DM (Sue), and DD (Lew)
When: December 1 - December 7, 2010
Where: Coronado Springs Resort with a 6-day Magic Your Way Park Hopper and the regular Dining Plan

And on to the introductions!! Pictures will be scarce until I can get home to my parents' house and upload some more family pics onto my computer!

Here we are on our March 2008 trip!

This was a really special trip for our family!!! It was pretty much our first trip together in the post-teenage years for my brother and I - and we actually got along!!! haha It was also a celebration of my mom's 50th birthday!

And here's the breakdown. First off, me!!! the peer pressurer!! haha

I'm Jess, currently 25, and a Disney World addict!! I love the everything about Disney World....the parks, the hotels, the food.....to me it's the happiest place in the world!!!
Favorite park: Hollywood Studios with EPCOT a close second
Favorite hotel: Yacht Club....we've never stayed there but I think it is so elegant and I love that you can walk to my two favorite parks and the Board Walk! I will stay there someday!
Favorite rides: Tower of Terror, Soarin, Mickey's Philharmagic, and Expedition Everest!
Favorite characters: Ariel, Alice, and Peter Pan!

Next up, Eric aka the non-Disney guy!

Eric is a very typical 22-year old guy....loves sports, video games, and beer! haha He just graduated from college and is spending the summer travelling with friends and working as a coach at a basketball camp. He's not exactly opposed to Disney, but he is definitely not into the planning aspect like the rest of us! He likes Disney for the rides and the family-togetherness time, but if it were up to him, he would probably choose to just go hang out at the beach. He is also our picky eater, so any ADR's had to be made at places where he could find something to eat.
Favorite hotel: anywhere where there is a great pool and sports on tv
Favorite park: Magic Kingdom
Favorite rides: Splash Mountain, Soarin, and Test Track
Favorite characters: Pluto and the Lion King guys

Sue....my dearest mother and my Disney enabler!
I blame my mom for my Disney obsession! Hers might be a little worse, as it extends beyond Disney World itself, and encompasses anything possibly Disney related. Our whole house is decorated in Disney!!! Her biggest collections are snow globes and pins. She is a nurse and recently got a new job which she loves. She is also my co-conspirator when it comes to planning, and somehow every conversation we have somehow turns to Disney! She has been following my previous trip report here on the boards, so I'm trying to convince her to log-in and join me for this pre-trip report!! She's a pretty easy mark, so stay tuned for some Mom commentary in the near future!
Favorite hotel: she loves the Poly, another one we have not stayed at but it is definitely her dream
Favorite park: Magic Kingdom
Favorite rides: Splash Mountain, Soarin, Toy Story Mania, and whatever us kids want to ride
Favorite characters: She's a Mickey girl, through and through.

DD, Lew....he tries to be in Disney denial, but I think he's actually the one who convinced my Mom to book this trip. Once we get there, he definitely enjoys everything that the World offers. He's also my foodie buddy....he'll try anything once. He does tend to get overwhelmed by the crowds, but that's the only thing that will turn him in to Disney Grump! haha He is a really hard worker and will do anything to protect his family and keep them happy.
Favorite hotel: He's enjoyed all the hotels we've stayed at, but I think he would really enjoy Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge. He will be seeing both for the first time on this trip, and he's a really out-doorsy guy, so I think he'll love them both!
Favorite park: if I had to guess, I'd say EPCOT
Favorite rides: anything new for him, Splash Mountain, Muppets 4d, and Peter Pan
Favorite characters: not really so much into characters

So that's it for now....hope you enjoyed getting to know us!!

 

[disneyj914]

So first of all, let me say, I am loving the new Unofficial Guide Calendar!!! I am really following along to see how accurate it is, and I think it's a much better way of ranking the parks!!! I used the recommended/avoided park suggestions on my May trip and they worked so well!!! We will be hitting most parks on recommend days, with a few exceptions! When it comes to park strategy, we don't really follow any specific touring plans. We have been to the parks enough times to know what we want to see and when the best time of day to go there is. I also consider myself a fast-pass expert...so I'll be taking charge of the fast-passes for the upcoming trip. Here is our daily breakdown:

Day 1 - arrive at MCO around 9:30; if history proves correct, we should be checking in at Coronado Springs around 11am, and hitting the Magic Kingdom by about 12pm. We'll watch the castle lighting ceremony and then head over to Narcoosee's for a 7:05adr and watch Wishes!

Day 2 - Animal Kingdom with a possible breakfast reservation at Tusker House. We'll leave at park closing and head over to Downtown Disney for shopping, drinking, dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express, and possibly a hot air balloon ride.

Day 3 - EPCOT ALL DAY!! Hit EPCOT at rope drop and spend the morning in Future World. Head over to World Showcase around 1ish for drinking and eating around the world. Hopefully, we'll score a CP ADR at Les Chefs (or possibly Via Napoli if we hear good things) and then do the last showing of Candlelight Processional. I also really want to see all the Santas! There is PM EMH this night, so we'll finish up World Showcase and then head back over to Future World to finish up.

Day 4 - HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS DAY!!!! There is am EMH so we'll join the mad rush for TSM bc DD and DB have never ridden!! Spend the day doing rides (ToT at least 5 times lol) and shows and stay for Osbourne Lights. We have a lunch ADR at 50's Prime Time for this day. Afterwards, we'll head over to the Board Walk to do dinner at ESPN Club and possibly Jelly Rolls.

Day 5 - resort-hopping for the morning with probable stops at POP Century, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Yacht and Beach Clubs, and Port Orleans FQ. We want to see all the Christmas decorations and just soak in the overall ambience of the resorts. We have a potential breakfast ADR at Ohana and dinner reservations at Whispering Canyon Cafe, but we're not sure if we'll make the breakfast. This day could also turn in to a return visit to any park we want to spend more time in. Night time plans are MVMCP for me and Mom, while DD and DB watch football at ESPN Club or PM EMH at Hollywood Studios.

Day 6 - heading to that other park....Universal Studios! Although we are Disney freaks, we do love Universal as well! I'm also excited about Wide World of Harry Potter, hopefully the madness calms down a little before December or it might have to wait for a future trip! Dinner this night will be at Margaritaville...one of our faves!

Day 7 - our last day!! We'll be heading back to EPCOT to finish up whatever we missed on Friday. Also have a potential ADR at Le Cellier for lunch that I don't really wanna give up

There might be some small changes, but we are tied down with ADR's so we probably won't change much....all in all, I'm pretty happy with them. What do you think?

 

[disneyj914]

I mentioned our dining plans briefly in the previous post, but let's talk about some food!!! We'll be doing the dining plan, which means we each have 6 ts, cs, and snacks. I totally overdid it with the ADR'S (please don't flame me) and will end up cancelling some before the actual trip. For now, here's the plan.

Day 1 - breakfast at the airport
lunch - counter-service at MK, probably Columbia Harbour House or Pecos Bill's
dinner - we currently have two adr's -Narcoossee's during Wishes, and Ohana for lots later in case we end up staying at the MK for longer than we have planned.

Day 2 - breakfast - Tusker House (will probably cancel or pay OOP)
lunch - counter-service at Yak n' Yeti
dinner - Wolfgang Puck Express with some apps and margs from Paradiso 37 thrown in

Day 3 - breakfast - snacks
lunch - eating around the World Showcase with probable stops at Lotus
Blossum Cafe, the new Mexican place, Tangierine Cafe (my new fave) and Yorkshire Fish & Chips
dinner - Les Chefs de France, and hopefully I'll be able to get it with the Candlelight Processional package

Day 4 - breakfast - snacks from Starring Rolls Cafe
lunch - 50's Prime Time Cafe
dinner - either ESPN Club or Big River Grille, because they seem to be the only places open after 9pm to have dinner (this will be OOP)

Day 5 - breakfast at Ohana (this will be cancelled or paid OOP)
lunch - cs at whatever resort we're at
dinner - Whispering Canyon Cafe

Day 6 - breakfast - snacks in the room
lunch - probably counter-service in Universal
dinner - Margaritaville

Day 7 - breakfast - snacks
lunch - currently hold an ADR at Le Cellier, but might end up eating around the world

Any my probable snacks.....I can't speak for anyone else but I'm pretty sure I'll be getting:
-a pineapple Dole Whip
- cloudberry horn in Norway
- some huge cupcake from Starring Rolls
and whatever other great goodies I come across!

Any suggestions?

 

[annmarieda]

Looks good! I will be following along. Your days look well thought out already.

 

[disneyj914]

So, probably the main reason we decided to go to the World this year is to see all the Christmas stuff going on!!! It's just going to add so much to the magic!!! Right now, these are my Christmas must-do's!

Hotel-hopping for Christmas decorations!!! We'll be hitting some of the big ones for our dining reservations - Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, and the Boardwalk! and for once in my life....I'm planning a non-commando day of resort-hopping where we hope to check out the Yacht and Beach Clubs, Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Poly, the Contemporary, and POP Century!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - we plan to do this Sunday night after our resort-hopping with a pre-party dinner reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe. We've done MNSSHP, so we're pretty excited about this one as well! I can't wait to see it snow on Main Street, and the Christmas parade looks so cute! This might be a girls' night for me and DM, while the boys head to ESPN Club to watch football. I'm also really excited to see all the characters dressed up in the holiday clothes, especially Donald (and hopefully Scrooge) at the tree farm!

Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights - I've seen pictures on-line, but I can't even imagine how beautiful this will be in person!! This might make me cry!! haha

Candlelight Processional - I'm pretty sure we're going to be doing a dinner package for this one - I just hope we have a good narrator....anxiously awaiting the list to be released!!! Also really looking forward to all the Santas around the World and the decorations of the various countries....I read a blog a few months ago about all the different garland and decorations around the world (I think it was my Mike Bachand (sp) on allears.net) and there is sooooo much detail put into all of it!

I'm also looking forward to seeing the huge trees in all of the parks!!! I wish I was on the team that got to turn Disney into a Christmas wonderland overnight!!!

So that's it....let me know what you think!!!

 

[sbrinehimer]

I didn't need too much pressure to book this trip in December!!! Hi, I'm Sue the Disney obsessed mom!!! Really looking forward to seeing my favorite place on Earth all dressed up for christmas!! After being there for Halloween in 2009, I couldn't wait to return to see the Christmas decorations, I've talked to many people who say that it's a must see for anyone who loves Disney. Being a cancer survivor, I feel an urgency to do things I really want to do as soon as possible, so planning this trip was a no brainer. I'm just a little nervous about having the boys along (really enjoyed the girl trip we had last September). They like it but surely don't share our passion and enthusiasm! I guess we'll have to ditch them if they don't behave(ha!ha!)

 

[flamestarrdust]

Joining in! Your plans look great! Can't wait to read more!

 

[disneyj914]

Getting closer and closer....but still many months away!!! Luckily I have these boards to keep me excited!!!

A few updates to the trip.....

1. We decided to forgo Universal Studios for this trip.....mostly because there was too much to do at Disney! We've changed our Monday plans to Hollywood Studios in the morning and MK at night for pm emh!

2. I gave notice at my job and have just 43 days left! I have been really unhappy and I'm currently studying for my GRE's to go back and get my masters in Tourism and Hospitality Management (which will hopefully lead to a Disney job!) Funds may get a little tight but I'm still planning on getting an AP during the trip for possible return trips in February (Princess 1/2 marathon), May (had an awesome solo last year), and October (Food and Wine).

Also still anxiously awaiting the Candlelight Processional announcements.....the tentative schedule has been leaked for basically the whole season but our dates!!!! I'm really hoping that Jodi Benson's dates might get extended....or Andy Garcia might come back!!!

 

[disneyj914]

Well....it's been many long months since I've last written on here, but we're now just a week away!!! In the months planning the trip, lots of things have changed. I quit my job and I'm getting ready to go back to school in January....in Orlando!!!! So excited....I'll definitely be busy with school and a part-time job, but I'll be only 40 minutes away from the World! I expect my new annual pass will be getting lots of use!

Anyway...I thought I'd update our itinerary because I'm soooo excited about next week!

12/1 - arrive around 10am and check in at Coronado Springs! We requested Casitas buildings 4 or 5 to be near to a bus stop and the food court so hopefully that works out. Then, we're off to MK with dinner ressies at Narcoossee's to check out all the holiday decorations and watch the fireworks.

12/2 - AK for the day with a breakfast ressie at Tusker House (love the juice). Probably head to Downtown Disney for some shopping and drinks with dinner at WP Express

12/3 - loooong day at EPCOT, hopefully staying for all the PM EMH hours....Candlelight Processional dinner package at Les Chefs

12/4 - am EMH at HS for Toy Story Mania! DD and DB have never been on it so I'm really excited to see their reactions. Lunch at 50's Prime Time, more park time, and finally Osbourne Lights. They've added two Fantasmic! shows to this day so we'll see if that fits in to the schedule. Dinner will be at ESPN or Big River Grille and we'll prob hit up Jelly Rolls later on

12/5 - Resort-hopping in the am with DM, hoping to hit Pop, Poly, Contemporary, and maybe Port Orleans. Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner followed by MVMCP!

12/6 - Morning at EPCOT to finish up everything we didn't get around to on Friday; DM and I will be having afternoon tea at the GF, and then we're meeting back up with the guys to do PM EMH at Magic Kingdom.

12/7 - last day!!! Spending the morning at Hollywood Studios and then heading back to Philly

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Joining in to follow your report. Looks like you have a great trip planned. We're going around the same time -- the kids don't know yet -- we're surprising them this weekend with an early Christmas gift! I am doing everything I can to pass my Disney obsession onto my kids. Hope they can talk my Grumpy DH into another trip for my 50th birthday! That's almost 8 yrs away -- but every trip he claims is our last

Anyhow, have a great trip!