I've always DREAMED of going to Disney World in December!

[Jennifer84]

Hi, everyone! First off, I want to say that I am a BIG changer.... I change everything a million times. So, the way this PTR starts is not the way it will end Just giving you a heads up. Let's get the intros out of the way (the first 4 people are definitely going, no matter what.... the 5th person is a maybe right now).

I'm Jennifer. I am a HUGE lover of all things Disney! Here are a list of my faves:
Character- Goofy (he replaced Mickey as my fave on our April trip)
Princess- Belle
Park- Epcot
Ride- Too many!! Top 3 are probably Spaceship Earth, Splash Mountain, and the Jungle Cruise



Next up is my son, Joey. He is 10 now, but will be 11 on the trip. His faves are:
Character- Stitch
Princess- Snow White (all because of our April trip)
Park-Hollywood Studios
Ride- Not sure, I will have to ask him



Then we have my daughter, Lexi. She's 7 now, but will be 8 on the trip. Her faves are:
Character- Sully
Princess- Cinderella
Park- It's a tie between Magic Kingdom and Epcot
Ride- Spaceship Earth



And my youngest, Kaitlyn. She's 4 now, but will be 5 on the trip. She doesn't really have favorites, yet, but I know what she enjoyed the most in April:
Character- Mickey
Princess- Aurora
Park- Magic Kingdom
Ride- Dumbo



Finally, there's my mom. We begged her to come with us in April, but she had no interest in going to Disney World again. She and my dad took me when I was 5, but had a terrible experience. We went in August, so it was crazy hot and crowded. After hearing about how much fun the kids and I had this year, though, she has said she'd consider going with us. We have a year to work on her, so I think we can wear her down by then Her faves are:
Character- Goofy
Princess- Cinderella
Park- Not sure
Ride- Not sure

(Will add picture later)

NEXT: General trip info

 

[Jennifer84]

So now that you know the WHO, let's find out the WHEN, WHERE, and WHY!

When- December 2nd- 9th (Going and coming home midweek to save money on plane tickets!)

Where- Undecided. I keep going back and forth between Port Orleans Riverside and renting DVC, and staying in a 1BR at AKL. Obviously, POR is cheaper, but we might want that extra space. IF my mom ends up not going, we will definitely stay at Pop Century again!

Why- I was all set to plan another April trip in 2015, but I REALLY want to see the Christmas decorations! So, December it is. (Plus, my mom takes a few days of vacation time in May every year, so this will spread it out for her)

Also, the dates aren't set in stone, yet, since nothing has been booked (until I make up my flippin mind)! So, as you can see, this PTR will get a little crazy before all is said and done. I literally decided a few days ago to do this trip. I am also still deciding on whether or not to do the dining plan. My son doesn't eat a lot, and he definitely won't want the adult items on the menu, so we may just go OOP this time. I did really like being on the dining plan this year, though. I'd love some opinions on this. We will be eating one TS meal per day, either way.

 

[Jennifer84]

Ha! I already have decided to move our dates. After looking at Disney's 2013 and 2014 calendars, I think we are going to switch to coming the 2nd week of December, instead of the first. Reason being, that the past two years free dining has been offered during this time. Obviously, they could not offer free dining next year, and I understand that. But, I will take my chances

Anyway, so that being said, the new dates I am considering are December 10th- 18th. FD started on Thursday, the 11th in 2013 and on Friday, the 12th this year. Dec 10th 2015 is a Thursday, so if they start FD on that Friday, we will just do a room only on the 10th, and start our package on the 11th. I feel like I am rambling, but it makes sense in my head, I promise!

I've also decided to make it a surprise for my kids!! I *THINK* what I will end up doing is giving them their Christmas gifts "early" on the evening of the 9th. Annnnd...... we will be flying! My kids have never been on an airplane, and my mom and I are both scared to fly, BUT a 2 hour trip vs a 15 hour trip is really looking good. Anyway, that's how my planning is going so far. I've also made a list of POSSIBLE restaurants to eat at. This is by no means my final list, but just for the heck of it, here it is:

Breakfasts- Tusker House, Hollywood & Vine (this one is a definite because it was my kids' favorite from our April trip), and Akershus (another repeat from April, but we love the princesses)

Dinners- 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey's, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Hoop Dee Doo Revue

All will be new to us, except for H&V and Akershus. I didn't want to do any repeats, but we need a princess meal, and 1900 only has Cinderella. And, the kids really loved H&V so much, and there aren't many decent choices in HS. So, there ya go. Any thoughts on these? I have super picky eaters, so as much as I'd love to eat at some Epcot WS places, I know my kids would probably starve LOL

 

[Jennifer84]

I honestly don't know WHY I bother writing a PTR other than I just need to think "out loud" and hopefully get some opinions from other DISers. I think I have run every possible scenario possible, to get the budget figured out. Here's what I've come up with...

Checking flight prices for THIS December (which is here, so it's last minute flight prices), it looks like the week I want to go is pretty cheap no matter which day you fly (weekends are more, but Mon-Fri are all pretty close). So... here's the new plan

We will go Dec 11th- Dec 20th, and we will be staying at Pop Century. Mom is NOT going to go. My grandparents (her parents) are 87 and 94 years old, so she wants to save her time off "just in case". Since she's definitely not going, we can add a couple extra days, though!!

We will be paying OOP for food, unless they offer free dining again (fingers crossed). If free dining is offered, we will upgrade to the regular dining plan. That's what I REALLY hope happens because if we have to pay OOP for food, we will just stick to QS meals.

Anyway, I wanted to share some more pictures from our April trip, because I can.

My favorite family photo of the whole trip!



Goofy!! This is the only PP picture from this meet. I was so upset because this was my favorite character meet of the whole trip, and the PP Photog said he got some great shots, but they didn't show up



The moment my DS fell in love with Snow White She was complimenting his photography skills!



More magical moments My youngest daughter had several amazing interactions with Aurora. My 7 year old DD loves all the princesses, and I just loved this picture with Rapunzel. Then, while waiting to watch a street car show, one of the performers come over to talk to my DD, and a PP photographer who was nearby got some really nice pictures... this one's my fave!







Anyway, THIS is why we want to go back to our happy place!

 

[Jennifer84]

EEEEKKK!!!! I am SO excited! I got a pin code in the mail yesterday for a room discount through the end of May. So, of course, like any good DISer, I got right on the computer to price out a trip using the code. It was still too much for us to be able to do two trips in once year, so I was a little bummed. But then my mom offered to keep the older kids, but said I'd have to take my youngest. So, I re-priced it. And.....

I'M GOING TO DISNEY FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will start another PTR for that trip

 

[QueenJen]

Yay! 2 trips sounds awesome.

 

[Jennifer84]

Yay! 2 trips sounds awesome.

I hope I can make it work. Worst case, we just push the December trip to 2016, but hopefully I won't have to do that!!