I'm Dreaming of a Disney Christmas, AKA the holiday that kept growing. PTR Dec 2010

[JustCallMeMommy]

It started out as a simple Thanksgiving trip: drive from Mississippi to Florida, stay at my husband’s sister’s house for a night on the way down, stay 5 nights at a WDW resort, and head home. This is us – Jennifer (me), William (DH), and Alison (8):

I’ve lost 40 pounds since that picture, so imagine my face less puffy, if you don’t mind.

This will be Alison’s first Disney excursion. William went with his family when he was 5 and then again while we were engaged in 1996. He stayed at the Contemporary as a child and was enchanted by the monorail. He stayed off-site during his 90’s trip and hated being off-site; he swore he would never stay off-site again and that he would never go during the hot Florida summer again. I went to Disney for the first time when I was 7 or 9. I would absolutely swear I was 7, but I remember going to Epcot, and it wasn’t opened until I was 9. I returned several times on various trips with friends during high school, but I haven’t been back since 1991.

Back to the Thanksgiving trip…William and Alison were mesmerized with the idea of a Disney decorated for Christmas. Even though it would already be decorated at Thanksgiving, our conversation that went something like this:

DH/DD: LET’S GO FOR CHRISTMAS!
Me: Wouldn’t it be cool to be there for New Years Eve? We could visit our folks for Christmas and leave immediately afterward for Florida.
DH: OR, we could skip family and stay for Christmas AND New Years.
Me: That is insane. Who spends that long at WDW?
DD: WE DO!

So, there you have it – we are going for Christmas and New Years. William was determined to stay in a hotel with a monorail. However, with a longer trip, the budget was straining a bit. It ultimately came down to a shorter, more expensive stay at the Polynesian or a longer, cheaper stay at Pop Century. I initially planned a 9 night trip, but airfare was much cheaper if I added a few days on the end, so we scheduled a 12 night trip. This also gave us a few days after the heavy Christmas crowds died down. I booked the trip and all was well. My original plans were December 24-January 5 staying at Pop Century with Disney Deluxe Dining Plus and Park Hopper.

*Queue Jaws music*

Along comes free dining. I was hoping for some kind of discount during my stay, but I really wasn’t counting on anything that I could take advantage of since I am staying during a peak time. With Free Dining starting on December 21, just 3 days before my arrival, I started number crunching. We could move the trip back 3 days, subtract 1 day from the end (thus adding 2 days total) and still save $400. WHOO-HOO! After a looooong phone call, I got everything changed to December 21-January 4 with Free QS Dining upgraded to Disney Deluxe Dining Plus.

Again, all was good…until I saw a picture of the rooms at Coronado Springs. Now, I have to admit that I have a thing for quatrefoils.

They make me smile. I think of my sorority, and I remember the great times I have had as a collegiate and alumnae member. Oh, my – there are quatrefoils all over the Coronado Springs rooms! It must be a sign! For fun, I priced the rooms, and we could do the exact trip at CS just by adding that $400 I saved with free dining just yesterday. Since the air conditioner repair guy didn’t break the bank when he visited our house this morning, I called Disney again!

So now, our “final” official plans are:
December 21-January 4
Coronado Springs
Disney Deluxe Dining Plus
Park Hopper


Next Installment: ADRs

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I am having a BLAST with my Disney planning. I have started a Word calendar with dinner reservations and ideas about what to do each day, including a day or two at Universal (I wouldn’t miss the Harry Potter exhibit for anything!). We don’t want to be tied to the calendar, but I would rather over-plan then back off then to realize that we can’t get in anywhere for dinner.

Here is what I have so far:
December 21 – Tony’s Town Square – 7:45 pm
December 24 - Cinderella's Royal Table - 8:30 pm
December 25 - Crystal Palace - 8:10 pm
December 25 - Shooting for Candlelight Procession/Coral Reef or Teppan Edo in the evening
December 27 - Hollywood & Vine - 4:00 Fantasmic package
December 28 - Chef Mickey's - 8:05 am
December 28 - Spirit of Aloha - 5:15 pm
December 31 - Akershus - 8:25 pm
January 1 - Tusker House - 1:00 pm
January 3 - Le Cellier - 7:00 pm

I am saving 2 table service credits for Candlelight Processional, and I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hoping to go the night of Christmas Day. Since I expanded the trip 2 days, I still have 1 ADR unreserved. Any recommendations? I eat low carb, but as long as there is a good meat or salad option on the menu, I will be good to go.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I saw your post on the Free Dining Q and A page and the PTR caught my eye! How fun to spend forever in WDW!! I'm sure you will be super happy you upgraded to CSR. I stayed there 2 years ago and was super thankful I had a car since the resort is huge! My only complaint was the food court. Other than that, the pool and room were awesome! I said I would not stay there again unless I had a car or knew I was in a building that was close to a bus stop!

I'm pretty sure I'll be going to WDW in Dec as well!! Not those dates, possibly a week or 2 before Xmas. We always do CLP!! Last year we ate at Nine Dragons and the year before that Teppan Edo! If you really want Xmas day, I'd have a top 3 choice of restaurants in mind and book it the day it's released. This year I think we are going to do either Chefs De France or Le Cellier (assuming we know what days of course).

I can't wait for more planning!!