It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – an offsite, non-Disney, Christmas TR

[Monykalyn]

I had friends that visited the parks over Christmas too-Christmas day at Universal was brutal apparently. The ONLY way I would do that over Christmas is to stay onsite at a hotel that had express passes-and even then I'd probably skip the parks that day.

At least they got experience FJ-I liked it better than the Gringotts ride. Hopefully they will invest in Vistana and be able to visit at a slower time

And I am definitely in the minority in liking Poly's new lobby. I always thought the lobby smelled too damp (which translated in my mind to mildew) and thought it odd to have waterfall indoors. I do miss the feeling of lush greenery though.

 

[Vestmama4]

Thanks for sharing your Ohana breakfast expierence. We have done many character meals in previous trips, but not this one...yet! On this past Christmas trip we visited Cape May and although I do adore this place, going back and forth to the buffet with multiple kids while keeping an eye out for characters can be stressful. I think I would love the family style approach of Ohana and I'm looking forward to trying it out in the future. My 2 girls and I were at the Floridian one afternoon on this Christmas trip and walked over to the Poly for a Dole Whip (our first time trying one.) We ate them while sitting in the swings on the beach...it was awesome and one of my favorite memories of our week. It was also fun checking out the new lobby (the staff was so friendly and gave my girls lei's, which they loved.)

 

[ArwenMarie]

Sigh.....you don't even want to know about Universal .

I told them not to go. I know they don't handle crowds well, so I pleaded with them to take a pass on the parks over Christmas and come back at a slower time of year. Did they listen to me though? Noooooooooo. His fiancee's mom is a huge Harry Potter fan, and he was determined to show her "Harry Potter World".

Long story short, they paid a full day's admission and only stayed two hours (2-4 pm). Did only one ride (Forbidden Journey), MIL felt awful afterward, crowds were massive, so they left. I could have cried when I heard.

I said to him....if you're going to go, be sure to be there when the parks open. Buy the Express Passes. Get there when the parks open. Be sure to go in with a plan. GET THERE WHEN THE PARKS OPEN. But alas, he didn't listen.

They loved the detail of Hogsmeade & Diagon Alley, but the crowds really got to them.

Bummer! We walked out of Universal last Presidents Day weekend because of crowds who were also getting increasingly drunk even though it was only about 2 pm when we left. There was just no point in staying. We were offsite and we didn't buy the EP. Thank goodness it was on an AP. It's hard to give people advice like that...until you experience it you don't know how bad it will be. Ditto for the heat in the summer.

Great Ohana pics! That's our farewell breakfast before we head to MCO on departure day. It's a nice way to make the last day a happy one.

 

[nancipants]

Oh, the story of your brother at Universal makes me cringe. My husband's family is coming for Christmas this year, but thankfully they have been to Disney numerous times and understand that the crowds will be brutal during that week. They're mostly coming for the atmosphere, which is really all you can do around Christmas.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh, Gina! I'm so sorry to hear that! This was their first trip to Florida, right? Any chance they will try again sometime in the future?

I sure hope so. I had suggested a few things for them to do (I tried desperately to get them to visit SeaWorld....with our AP's, we could have got them half price tickets, discounted Quick Queue, discounted reserved show seating, and discounted meal plans....so crowds would have been much less of an issue) but they were too stubborn to listen. They're like a pair of kids, those two. Let's just say they might take the little sister's advice next time .

I would not be surprised if they wanted to tag along with us again in October. That will be just Steve and I, and they won't have MIL with them, so that would work out nicely anyway......two adult couples. Its too far off to know just yet, but I'm thinking it might be a real possibility.

I had friends that visited the parks over Christmas too-Christmas day at Universal was brutal apparently. The ONLY way I would do that over Christmas is to stay onsite at a hotel that had express passes-and even then I'd probably skip the parks that day.

At least they got experience FJ-I liked it better than the Gringotts ride. Hopefully they will invest in Vistana and be able to visit at a slower time

And I am definitely in the minority in liking Poly's new lobby. I always thought the lobby smelled too damp (which translated in my mind to mildew) and thought it odd to have waterfall indoors. I do miss the feeling of lush greenery though.

We were at the Universal parks on the Tuesday morning (December 22nd), right after opening until about 10 am. When we left to return to the resort, the crowds pouring into Citywalk were MASSIVE. I cannot imagine how it felt *in* the parks by mid afternoon!!!

Thanks for sharing your Ohana breakfast expierence. We have done many character meals in previous trips, but not this one...yet! On this past Christmas trip we visited Cape May and although I do adore this place, going back and forth to the buffet with multiple kids while keeping an eye out for characters can be stressful. I think I would love the family style approach of Ohana and I'm looking forward to trying it out in the future. My 2 girls and I were at the Floridian one afternoon on this Christmas trip and walked over to the Poly for a Dole Whip (our first time trying one.) We ate them while sitting in the swings on the beach...it was awesome and one of my favorite memories of our week. It was also fun checking out the new lobby (the staff was so friendly and gave my girls lei's, which they loved.)

For families with kids in tow, I absolutely recommend Ohana's breakfast over the more standard buffet options!! Not only are the characters fun (I love the parade they do through the restaurant too), but its sooooo nice to be able to sit and relax at the table. You can bet your boots this will be our go-to character breakfast when the grandbabies arrive....so Nana and Poppa can just bounce 'em on our laps and enjoy our Mickey waffles while we wait for Pluto to come and visit .

Bummer! We walked out of Universal last Presidents Day weekend because of crowds who were also getting increasingly drunk even though it was only about 2 pm when we left. There was just no point in staying. We were offsite and we didn't buy the EP. Thank goodness it was on an AP. It's hard to give people advice like that...until you experience it you don't know how bad it will be. Ditto for the heat in the summer.

Great Ohana pics! That's our farewell breakfast before we head to MCO on departure day. It's a nice way to make the last day a happy one.

That's what kills me most, I think. The fact that they paid a full, non-discounted price at the gate for one day tickets (and then you can add 40% more for exchange and conversion for us Canadians) and only spent 2 hours. If they had have had Annual Passes, then no biggie....they can still get their value out of them. I'm a sucker for getting value from a purchase......and this was like a knife through the heart.

What a great idea to have a character meal on the day you go home!! Our April flight home is a morning one (first in a while.....we have been late afternoon or evening returns the last several trips) but I think I'll keep that in mind for the next time we have a few hours to burn before heading to the airport .

Oh, the story of your brother at Universal makes me cringe. My husband's family is coming for Christmas this year, but thankfully they have been to Disney numerous times and understand that the crowds will be brutal during that week. They're mostly coming for the atmosphere, which is really all you can do around Christmas.

We learned a lot from our Christmas 2012 vacation....which helped us immensely when planning this year's Christmas trip. I think you really have to experience it to understand it.....like ArwenMarie said, its the same with the August heat. You just can't fully imagine it until you live it!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The journey from the Poly to Disney Springs was, as was becoming customary this trip, quick and painless . No traffic snarls, no delays, and we easily found a prime spot on the top floor of the Orange Garage right next to the elevator entrance (there were multiple spaces open on the lower levels as well, but we just decided we’d go right to the top where there was the most availability). The bright blue sky had from earlier that morning had since given way to cloud cover, but there was no rain in the forecast and the cloudiness actually helped with the heat and humidity: at least we didn’t have the scorching sun to raise the already unseasonable temperatures even further.





After exiting the garage, the first things we noticed were all the lovely holiday decorations that adorned every nook and cranny of Disney Springs…..though surprisingly, virtually all of them seemed to be non-Disney themed. The Mickey Head topiaries (all topped with bright red Santa hats) and similar décor from our 2012 visit were nowhere to be found .





The revitalization of this area is certainly taking on its own individual “feel” as compared to the theme parks, water parks and mini golf courses. It seems less Disney-ish and …. probably the wrong word, but classier. More polished. More …. adult?





There was holiday music playing as we strolled about, and crowds were surprisingly manageable so the walk from the parking garage to the Marketplace was a nice way to counterbalance our dietary sins from breakfast.


Steve was a tad horrified that they Disneyfied his beloved Star Wars, but we toured the dedicated retail store (the” Star Wars Galactic Outpost”) nonetheless. The boys were happy to get their geek on….I took pictures to keep myself amused while they shopped. Steve and Jake are big Star Wars fans, but me…not so much. I can never keep track which characters are from Star Wars and which ones are from Star Trek, nor have I ever cared to really find out .








I fell in love with this candle tree, and only wished I could have seen it (along with many of the other festive decorations) all lit up after dark. I bet it was gorgeous .





There were several displays of holiday décor that appear to have been created from repurposed metal. A bit of a different twist, but it fit in well and was carried out nicely in multiple locations throughout Disney Springs. Sadly, I don’t have an artistic bone in my body….but yet, I could appreciate the creativity that went into the concept.





It was busy when we arrived at the Marketplace, but not shoulder-to-shoulder crowded like we have seen it before at Christmas. I think being there early afternoon (when many folks were still battling the crowds at the parks) helped significantly…..I am sure the evening hours were way, way worse. Timing, as they say, is everything .





We were still absolutely stuffed from breakfast, but we couldn’t NOT make a stop at Ghirardelli for free chocolate samples…..it’s a family tradition for our stops at Disney Springs. Sadly, I think I gained 10 pounds on the aroma alone. They were passing out caramel filled bite sized pieces this time…yay! No chocolate mint like Christmas 2012…..which we all dislike…..I love mint, I love chocolate, but separately please….





After our teeny tiny chocolate snack, we made our way over to Santa’s Workshop for our much-anticipated family photo with the big guy himself (okay, I was anticipating it…..the guys were just humouring me because they are kind and wonderful people ). Unfortunately, we were greeted by this sign:





A two and a half hour wait to meet Santa?!?!?!? Um, I don’t think so. Disappointed as I was, there was NO WAY we were going to wait in that heat and humidity for 150 minutes for a two minute picture with Mr. Claus. I was disappointed, yes, but I’m not stupid. I’d rather be in the pool .


We purchased some much needed water bottles from one of the little kiosks (the humidity, in particular, was kicking our butts) and strolled around the Marketplace a bit longer, taking in the decorations and popping in to check out the various shops. A ton of things had changed since Jake was last there in August 2014.














We also dropped in to Goofy’s Candy Company, but we were still so full from Ohana’s that no one even wanted to share a sweet treat. Go figure!

















They had a great selection of Christmas-themed items, but prices were pretty steep. That Olaf candy apple at $10.99 would have been $11.70 with tax….or about $16.39 Canadian with the exchange factored in . Ouchy.


On our way back to the parking garage, Jake got his first glimpse of the new amphicars in action. When he caught sight of the pricing for that activity, I thought I may have to pick him up off the pavement . Fun and unique certainly comes at a (high) price!





We all had to admit, it does look like fun, though. One of those “if money wasn’t an object, that’s something I’d want to do just once!” kind of things.





We got to see more of the repurposed metal Christmas art on our way back to the Equinox:





The penguins, in particular, were SUPER cute :








We were hot, sweaty and bordering on uncomfortable by the time we piled back into the rental. By unanimous vote (and to the chorus of sighs of relief from both of my guys), we decided we wanted the balance of our afternoon to be spent cool, wet, and refreshed. Lead on to the Fountains pool, Macduff .

 

[nancipants]

If you'd gone to Disney Springs one day earlier we might have run into each other! We were seeing Star Wars that morning, of course.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

As always, love your trip reports Gina . I feel like I get to experience so much vicariously through you by reading your reports . Thank you for taking the time to always share so much with us.

 

[Vestmama4]

My family and I were also at Disney Springs Monday the 21st. Lol. We were in the same places/same time lots that week. Crowds were not too bad, it was easy to park, and I agree with the adjectives "classier" and "polished" to describe the revitalization of this area. We loved all the unique decorations and have many of the same pictures that you posted on here. Our activities included some of our family bowling at Splitsville, some checking out Disney Quest, a lunch to T- Rex, and checking out lots of shops. My girls loved Basin, where you could try all the different hand scrubs and Once Upon A Toy, where they could build a Mr. Potato Head. My older son also liked Star Wars Galactic Outpost. We had yummy treats throughout the day (including the free yummy Ghirardelli chocolate as you mentioned.) We also checked out one of the free shows they had (the one we saw had younger girls dancing and my girls liked that) and rode the carousel. We also left before dark/crowds may have increased. Super fun day!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Great updates Gina (notice I didn't mention the George word, oh wait I just did!! ).

We have never had breakfast at OHana, just dinner a couple of times but I'm not sure it's worth the $$$ anymore. We did enjoy a few hours at the Poly one rainy afternoon in July, just browsing, people watching and enjoying coffee and shaved ice. We had breakfast with the mad hatter at GF which my DD chose as she likes Alice and that was fun.

I'm surprised it was so humid as it is one thing we have never had at Christmas it's normally more dry heat like an English summer, no fun for the hairstyle

 

[pepperandchips]

I can never keep track which characters are from Star Wars and which ones are from Star Trek, nor have I ever cared to really find out .

Say it ain't so! I've never much cared to learn about Star Trek, but the original Star Wars trilogy?! Yes! What's not to love about a young and dreamy Harrison Ford in the best (not so) bad boy role of all time?

There were several displays of holiday décor that appear to have been created from repurposed metal. A bit of a different twist, but it fit in well

Maybe they're going with the new "Edison" type decor in keeping with the "back story" of the springs - with the old bottling plant, etc. I think it looks very nice! Wish we had made it to Disney Springs during our December visit but we had quite enough on the to-do list without it! R still wants to get back to Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar, which we really liked, but I'm trying to hold off until they (hopefully) start taking Tables in Wonderland. Those sugary drinks don't pack a heavy alcohol punch, but they do provide a swift kick to the wallet...

 

[RocketCityMama]

Love the updates! We loved the Ohana breakfast back in may 09, the kids had soo much fun with Lilo & Stitch and I thought the leis were a good touch. Sad to hear they are gone. I love that you're doing soo many local things and not just the parks. I don't know if I could get the family to do that or not LOL maybe when they are all much older, though I do want to the Eye when we return!

I have to ask, not on topic of the TR but what shoes do you wear for all this touring?? I wore tennis shoes last June and got a huge huge blister on my big toe, and eventually my toenail came out. EEK! I want to save that from happening again, so I need a good supportive type sandal, thinking maybe Clarks, as I have some flip flops I LOVE from them.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

If you'd gone to Disney Springs one day earlier we might have run into each other! We were seeing Star Wars that morning, of course.

I am always up for a Dismeet if you're going to be around in April or October .

As always, love your trip reports Gina . I feel like I get to experience so much vicariously through you by reading your reports . Thank you for taking the time to always share so much with us.

Thanks for reading! And for the kind comments, too. You guys always make me smile .

My family and I were also at Disney Springs Monday the 21st. Lol. We were in the same places/same time lots that week. Crowds were not too bad, it was easy to park, and I agree with the adjectives "classier" and "polished" to describe the revitalization of this area. We loved all the unique decorations and have many of the same pictures that you posted on here. Our activities included some of our family bowling at Splitsville, some checking out Disney Quest, a lunch to T- Rex, and checking out lots of shops. My girls loved Basin, where you could try all the different hand scrubs and Once Upon A Toy, where they could build a Mr. Potato Head. My older son also liked Star Wars Galactic Outpost. We had yummy treats throughout the day (including the free yummy Ghirardelli chocolate as you mentioned.) We also checked out one of the free shows they had (the one we saw had younger girls dancing and my girls liked that) and rode the carousel. We also left before dark/crowds may have increased. Super fun day!

Well you certainly accomplished more than we did at Disney Springs!! We were only there an hour or two, but some day I would love to check out Splitsville . Our fam loves to bowl, and we checked out the brand new Kings Bowl on this past trip (awesome!! ) so perhaps we'll try Splitsville in October .

Great updates Gina (notice I didn't mention the George word, oh wait I just did!! ).

We have never had breakfast at OHana, just dinner a couple of times but I'm not sure it's worth the $$$ anymore. We did enjoy a few hours at the Poly one rainy afternoon in July, just browsing, people watching and enjoying coffee and shaved ice. We had breakfast with the mad hatter at GF which my DD chose as she likes Alice and that was fun.

I'm surprised it was so humid as it is one thing we have never had at Christmas it's normally more dry heat like an English summer, no fun for the hairstyle

We were totally taken off guard with the humidity during the winter months, too. Something we certainly weren't expecting at Christmas time!! My hair was pretty fuzzy as a result.....I had more than my share of Monica Gellar moments on this trip . And of course, I didn't bring my flat iron along....I didn't think I'd need it....so there was little I could do to combat the frizz.

Yes, the "George" thing drives me nuts, except where my big brother is concerend. As a Georgina officially, everyone but the doctor and dentist has shortened my name to Gina ever since I was an infant....everyone except Dean, and he never calls me anything but that.

Say it ain't so! I've never much cared to learn about Star Trek, but the original Star Wars trilogy?! Yes! What's not to love about a young and dreamy Harrison Ford in the best (not so) bad boy role of all time?

Maybe they're going with the new "Edison" type decor in keeping with the "back story" of the springs - with the old bottling plant, etc. I think it looks very nice! Wish we had made it to Disney Springs during our December visit but we had quite enough on the to-do list without it! R still wants to get back to Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar, which we really liked, but I'm trying to hold off until they (hopefully) start taking Tables in Wonderland. Those sugary drinks don't pack a heavy alcohol punch, but they do provide a swift kick to the wallet...

Ahhhh....Harrison Ford . He is definitely a selling point for that movie....even as an old guy.

You are probably bang on where the decor at Disney Springs. Obviously I need to do more research on that back story you refer to......I'm afraid I'm not too "up" on my Disney knowledge sometimes!!

Love the updates! We loved the Ohana breakfast back in may 09, the kids had soo much fun with Lilo & Stitch and I thought the leis were a good touch. Sad to hear they are gone. I love that you're doing soo many local things and not just the parks. I don't know if I could get the family to do that or not LOL maybe when they are all much older, though I do want to the Eye when we return!

I have to ask, not on topic of the TR but what shoes do you wear for all this touring?? I wore tennis shoes last June and got a huge huge blister on my big toe, and eventually my toenail came out. EEK! I want to save that from happening again, so I need a good supportive type sandal, thinking maybe Clarks, as I have some flip flops I LOVE from them.

My shoes were a $15 pair of sandals from Walmart. No kidding . Well broken in, and comfy as an old pair of pajamas. I tend to favour sandals versus closed toe shoes as it allows my feet to breathe. I usually do take a couple of different pairs, though, so I can swap out every few days. So far, it seems to be working pretty decently .

 

[dixonsontour]

Glad you enjoyed Ohana. We have been a few times for breakfast and dinner (when on free ddp) My DH used to love the potatoes but they have definitely changed and no leis??

Bet your brother listens to you next time

 

[pigletto]

Oh Gina what a nightmare for your brothers first Universal visit. Not much you can do though, you warned them. Sometimes you just have to see it for yourself I guess. Such an expensive and disappointing lesson though.
And on the other hand, it seems you managed to avoid the crowds really well so far! The Disney Springs decorations are beautiful, but like you mentioned, not really the classic Disney I've come to expect. Oh well, I guess change is a good thing!

 

[ArwenMarie]

150 minutes for Santa? Nope, unless it's the real Santa.

Neat pictures! That Three Kings display is really pretty.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Glad you enjoyed Ohana. We have been a few times for breakfast and dinner (when on free ddp) My DH used to love the potatoes but they have definitely changed and no leis??

Bet your brother listens to you next time

Ha! I bet you he won't....stubborn brute that he is. One of the perils of being the youngest is that no one EVER seems to want to listen to my advice. Sigh!!

Oh Gina what a nightmare for your brothers first Universal visit. Not much you can do though, you warned them. Sometimes you just have to see it for yourself I guess. Such an expensive and disappointing lesson though.
And on the other hand, it seems you managed to avoid the crowds really well so far! The Disney Springs decorations are beautiful, but like you mentioned, not really the classic Disney I've come to expect. Oh well, I guess change is a good thing!

Somehow, some way, we managed to avoid any type of crowds until the afternoon of the day we returned home (then it was PACKED literally everywhere we went ). It was well worth the effort to plan smartly . I cannot WAIT to show you some of the "crowd pics" I took at SeaWorld on Christmas morning.....you will be blown away!

150 minutes for Santa? Nope, unless it's the real Santa.

Neat pictures! That Three Kings display is really pretty.

Poor Jake looked at me with panic when he saw the Santa wait time. He knew how much I wanted a family Santa photo, and I'm sure he thought that I'd say "Well look at that! Only 150 minutes to wait! That's not bad at all!".

I sure hope it was a GREAT Santa experience once families finally got a chance to see him. How tough for moms and dads to wait that long with little ones, though. I know there's stuff to do for kids at Disney Springs, but 2.5 hours is a big chunk of time!!

 

[Vestmama4]

We really liked Splitsville. Since we were there so early in the day we got to take advantage of an early bird special (which I didn't know about until we got there.) If my memory serves me correctly it was $5 per child and $10 per adult for a session of bowling (which I think was an hour.) This price included shoes and I believe it is offered M-F 10:30 to 12:30 (with some blackout dates.) We had 2 kids and 1 adult in our party, so this was a great deal for us.

 

[greenclan67]

I am always up for a Dismeet if you're going to be around in April or October .



Thanks for reading! And for the kind comments, too. You guys always make me smile .



Well you certainly accomplished more than we did at Disney Springs!! We were only there an hour or two, but some day I would love to check out Splitsville . Our fam loves to bowl, and we checked out the brand new Kings Bowl on this past trip (awesome!! ) so perhaps we'll try Splitsville in October .



We were totally taken off guard with the humidity during the winter months, too. Something we certainly weren't expecting at Christmas time!! My hair was pretty fuzzy as a result.....I had more than my share of Monica Gellar moments on this trip . And of course, I didn't bring my flat iron along....I didn't think I'd need it....so there was little I could do to combat the frizz.

Yes, the "George" thing drives me nuts, except where my big brother is concerend. As a Georgina officially, everyone but the doctor and dentist has shortened my name to Gina ever since I was an infant....everyone except Dean, and he never calls me anything but that.



Ahhhh....Harrison Ford . He is definitely a selling point for that movie....even as an old guy.

You are probably bang on where the decor at Disney Springs. Obviously I need to do more research on that back story you refer to......I'm afraid I'm not too "up" on my Disney knowledge sometimes!!



My shoes were a $15 pair of sandals from Walmart. No kidding . Well broken in, and comfy as an old pair of pajamas. I tend to favour sandals versus closed toe shoes as it allows my feet to breathe. I usually do take a couple of different pairs, though, so I can swap out every few days. So far, it seems to be working pretty decently .

I missed the Georgina, lol my Mom is Mary Georgina, and always goes by Georgie or Georgina, she hates if we call her Mary, like nails on chalkboard hates it.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We really liked Splitsville. Since we were there so early in the day we got to take advantage of an early bird special (which I didn't know about until we got there.) If my memory serves me correctly it was $5 per child and $10 per adult for a session of bowling (which I think was an hour.) This price included shoes and I believe it is offered M-F 10:30 to 12:30 (with some blackout dates.) We had 2 kids and 1 adult in our party, so this was a great deal for us.

Oooohhh, that's a great promotion, especially when it includes shoe rental!! I will have to keep that in mind for April, assuming I can get those kiddos up and moving before noon .

I missed the Georgina, lol my Mom is Mary Georgina, and always goes by Georgie or Georgina, she hates if we call her Mary, like nails on chalkboard hates it.

Our names are very close!! (just reversed in order and short one letter)

I'm a Georgina May. I hated it as a kid (in a room filled with trendy Jennifers and Nicoles and Tammys), but appreciate the meaning behind it now. I was named after my mom's father, who passed away the May before I was born, while my mom was still pregnant with me.