It's the Most Wonderful Time to Wear Ears! A December 2018 PTR *TR LINK 12/28

[BriLovesDisney]

Following along! We're going in December, too, for a college graduation trip! It's never too early to start planning! Loving all of the TB pics, too. I hope you guys can rent DVC, but AoA was a nice resort! We stayed there the year it opened and really liked it. A word of warning if you stay in the Little Mermaid Room: The walk to the bus stop is LOOOOONG. But if you stay in a suite it's not too bad Can't wait for more!

 

[evre13]

I went that week in 2017, and it was nuts crowded, but so so so fun to see the decorations. Hope that finals are earlier than you think.

 

[missangelalexis]

Omg how cute to see you and Kelsey as babies!!

I'm sorry you had to change some things around with the trip! That spreadsheet is no joke!!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

You were adorable!!

Well, thank you!

We didn't. But we also travelled the week after Christmas, so they knew they'd sell out everywhere I'm sure. Keep your eyes peeled!

I hope you can rent DVC! That sounds like a great option for you guys!

I'm honestly really okay with either option, especially since both would check another resort off of our list . Renting DVC would be much nicer to our budget, though!

Oh my gosh! Could you girls be any cuter!?

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

I went that week in 2017, and it was nuts crowded, but so so so fun to see the decorations. Hope that finals are earlier than you think.

That's what I'm afraid of. Really hoping that all of my finals are towards the beginning of the week, but we'll see!

Omg how cute to see you and Kelsey as babies!!

I'm sorry you had to change some things around with the trip! That spreadsheet is no joke!!

I'm still hopeful that things will work out okay--even if we have to go later, we'll still make it work! I have wayyyyyy too much fun making my spreadsheet, and they've gotten much more colorful as the years have gone on!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Joining in! No better time than now to start a PTR for a trip nearly a year away. And I was so shocked to hear that after 11 trips, this will be your FIRST at Christmastime! Oh you are going to LOVE it. Prepare yourself for crowds though, they are obnoxious to say the least. I also definitely think you should look into a split stay just to see more holiday decor because it's EVERYWHERE and it is GORJ (the Grand is my personal fave).

I love all those throwback pics your posting, so cute and so much nostalgia (rip Toontown).

Looking forward to hearing about all your plans!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Joining in! No better time than now to start a PTR for a trip nearly a year away. And I was so shocked to hear that after 11 trips, this will be your FIRST at Christmastime! Oh you are going to LOVE it. Prepare yourself for crowds though, they are obnoxious to say the least. I also definitely think you should look into a split stay just to see more holiday decor because it's EVERYWHERE and it is GORJ (the Grand is my personal fave).

I love all those throwback pics your posting, so cute and so much nostalgia (rip Toontown).

Looking forward to hearing about all your plans!

Most people are surprised when I say I've never been at Christmastime. My mom has been once, but it was before I was born, and with elementary/middle/high school calendars, it was never a real possibility before. We've been in mid-June and experienced some level 10 crowds before, but I'm still mentally bracing myself for it.

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Hotel Updates and BREAKING NEWS

Hi there! I’m sorry for my lack of posts here lately—it’s been a very weird start to the semester. But I’m back, and I have NEWS!

First things first: this Christmas trip. We have officially booked a hotel!!!! Thanks to the Mousesavers Newsletter, we were able to score an AH-MAZING deal at the B-Resort in Disney Springs.



I believe we are booked for December 13-20 (maybe 21?). This deal was almost too good to be true, especially with Disney giving EMH & 60 day FP+ privileges to the Disney Springs hotels for 2018. And because I will have an annual pass, we won’t have to worry about paying for parking if we decide to drive to the parks instead of relying on the Mears shuttles.

Now, why will I have an AP, you may ask? Well, that brings me to my big news…


I’M GOING TO DISNEY!


In May 2018 to be exact! Those of you who followed my TR for my graduation trip (link in signature) will remember my cousin Kelsey.


IMG_2337 by the2ndstar2theright, on Flickr

Well, she and I decided (quite literally just 2 days ago) that we needed a trip to Disney to celebrate the end of our freshman year of college. So, we will be in WDW for four days during the second week of May. You can follow along with that PTR HERE.

So, with that bit of news, I will be pressing the pause button on this PTR for a little bit in order to get ready for my May trip. Now of course, I will post an update if I have anything new to say, but I’m mostly focusing on our girls trip right now.

With that (and this lovely throwback picture, complete with Disney crocs), I bid you adieu for now!


DSCN1717(rev 0) by the2ndstar2theright, on Flickr​

 

[MeghanEmily]

Wow! Congrats on your upcoming spring trip and on the hotel for your family trip! This is a lot of great news!

 

[missangelalexis]

That's awesome that you booked a hotel for December AND that you have a trip coming in May! I will be heading over to that PTR now

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Wow! Congrats on your upcoming spring trip and on the hotel for your family trip! This is a lot of great news!

Thank you! We are so excited!

That's awesome that you booked a hotel for December AND that you have a trip coming in May! I will be heading over to that PTR now

Thank you!!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

ADRS and Even More Changes

Hello there, friends!

In case you’ve forgotten in the very long time it has been since I’ve updated this PTR, my name is Lindsey!


IMG_3036 by the2ndstar2theright, on Flickr

So, the last time you heard from me (and yes, I did go back and reread my last posts to double check this), I was planning a girls’ trip for May, and we were staying at the B Resort for this Christmas adventure.

First, I’m back from my girls’ trip!


MK_MSUPTOWNJL_20180508_411422176368 by the2ndstar2theright, on Flickr


STUDIO_OTLUGGAGEROVER_20180509_411437057500 by the2ndstar2theright, on Flickr


EPCOT_FWROVER_20180511_411550608791 by the2ndstar2theright, on Flickr

Kelsey and I had an amazing time, and I’m already hoping we can have a repeat trip at some point. If you would like to follow along with that TR, you can do that HERE.

Second, this Christmas adventure has experienced a few changes. Since I last checked in, Disney released a free dining deal that included our trip dates. We’re still crunching numbers and trying to make a decision, but we DID book a room with free dining at Coronado Springs! I think we’re definitely leaning towards CSR, but I will be sure to update y’all when we make a final decision.

If we do end up staying at CSR, we will not add me to the reservation until we arrive. We cannot put me on the reservation ahead of time without buying me a ticket. Since I already have an AP, this obviously doesn’t make any sense. So we decided that we will pay the fee to add an extra adult when we arrive, and then just share the free dining credits among us.

And, last but not least, our ADR day was last weekend! Of course, this mean that my mom and I had to try to finalize our park days so that we could make our dining reservations. So, this is what our plans look like with our ADRS included…


Day 1: Rope drop MK; MVMCP

Day 2: Rope drop Epcot; go to bed early

Day 3: FOUR PARKS IN ONE DAY

Day 4: Sleep in; go to MK for late afternoon/evening

Day 5: Animal Kingdom

Day 6: Rope drop DHS; 50s Prime Time ADR 1:25pm

Day 7: Rope drop MK; Be Our Guest ADR 1:30pm; Disney Springs


That’s what we’re looking at right now! We may or may not keep the 50s Prime Time, but we wanted to go ahead and have it just in case. We decided not to do very many ADRs this trip, mostly because it is a lot more expensive to go in December just in general. It will also be a lot more crowded, so having fewer timed commitments and more flexibility is going to be really important for navigating the heavy crowds.

The only other thing we have talked about is potentially booking a dining package for the Candlelight Processional. Disney hasn’t released these dining packages yet, though, so we haven’t really made a decision on this yet.

That’s all I really have for now. Hopefully it won’t be as long before my next update. I hope you all have a magical day!​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Spoiler Alert!!!! I guess you guys found some rose gold ears! Love to picture.

Plans sound good so far.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Your girls' trip with Kelsey looked like it was a lot of fun! I'm heading over to your TR to start "watching" and catching up

Some great developments on your Christmas trip so far, too. I totally get your plan to try to limit ADRs and things that constrain your time in December! Good call!

 

[fallonkendra]

Joining in! I think our dates in December will overlap a bit!

I love the pictures from your first trips - so cute!

 

[missangelalexis]

That's great that free dining will be offered during your trip dates! Your updated plans sound great!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Spoiler Alert!!!! I guess you guys found some rose gold ears! Love to picture.

Haha oops! Yes, we did

Your girls' trip with Kelsey looked like it was a lot of fun! I'm heading over to your TR to start "watching" and catching up

It was so much fun!

Some great developments on your Christmas trip so far, too. I totally get your plan to try to limit ADRs and things that constrain your time in December! Good call!

We've never done Disney in December, so we're definitely trying to be as flexible as possible!

Joining in! I think our dates in December will overlap a bit!

Hi! Happy to have you!

I love the pictures from your first trips - so cute!

Thanks so much!

That's great that free dining will be offered during your trip dates! Your updated plans sound great!

We were pretty excited! We thought that we might be able to get it, but we obviously weren't 100% sure. Especially if my brother decides he is coming, it is DEFINITELY worth it for us!

 

[Newsies]

Your plans look amazing!!

 

[petals]

Joining in here also.

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Your plans look amazing!!

Thanks so much!

Joining in here also.