More to do (and eat) so we went a third time! Dec. 6-14 (complete)

[mickey916]

Man WDW is striking out with the cookies! Hopefully your food luck improves. The bread and cheese bowl did look yummy

We were very surprised. We're pretty easy to please but the cookies were just not good. It was almost like they got a big batch of cookie mix and made it into each of the cookies (except the chocolate one) and added a smidge of filling or topping. They were mostly dry and tasteless. Our food luck definitely improved and we found much better desserts elsewhere but for us the cookie stroll was a bust.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I agree with the yummy cheese bowl in Germany! I didn’t try the schnitzel since I was alone and I’m glad I didn’t!
I abandoned the cookie stroll after just one cookie, lol I had the Linzer and it was fine but nothing great!
Enjoying your report!

 

[mickey916]

I agree with the yummy cheese bowl in Germany! I didn’t try the schnitzel since I was alone and I’m glad I didn’t!
I abandoned the cookie stroll after just one cookie, lol I had the Linzer and it was fine but nothing great!
Enjoying your report!

You were wise to abandon the stroll when you did! Thank you for following. I always enjoy your trip reports!

 

[mickey916]

12/7/22 The Best Meal of the Day​

We were happy we had made an ADR for dinner, since so far the Festival booths weren't wowing us. We checked into Via Napoli and were seated promptly in the side room which we prefer since it's a lot less loud. I was excited to see that the arancini was back on the menu.
We thought these were very good! Nice and crispy with a lot of flavor. We've never had them elsewhere so we have no point of comparison but thought they were great!

We couldn't decide which pizza to order so we went with half and half. We ordered a large pizza, one half quatro formaggi and one half piccante with pepperoni added.


This pizza was excellent! We just love the pizza at Via Napoli. It reminds me of my grandmother's homemade pizza. From the picture it looks like it is missing topping but I don't remember thinking that at the time.

We didn't have room for dessert since we ate all but two slices of the pizza.

Up next Christmas shopping around the world.

 

[mickey916]

12/7/22 Christmas Shopping Around the World​

We then decided to do some Christmas shopping. Since our sons weren't able to join us on this trip, we decided to bring some of the trip home to them by buying a packaged snack in each country. We wrapped them all up in a big box and gave them to them at Christmas. We didn't buy anything in America, since that wouldn't be anything unique. Also we couldn't find anything in Morocco or Mexico that was prepackaged.


Over Christmas break, we sampled each thing and rated it individually on a scale of 1 to 5.

From Japan: (which doesn't allow an AP discount, btw)


I know you can get this at a grocery store but it looked best to us. We felt these were fine, nothing great. Rating: 3.5.

From France:


These were delicious and if you let them melt in your mouth, they fizzed like pop rocks. kinda cool. I was thinking don't eat these with coke or you'll die like Mikey from Life cereal (80s reference for the Gen Xers out there). Our rating: 4.5 (three of us gave them a 5 but my DS24 brought the score down with a 3).

From United Kingdom:


The Aero looked a lot like the Choco'Lite candy bar we remembered from our youth, so we had to get that but the Lion looked more unique. Aero: This was a mixed bag for us. Rating: 3.25
Lion: Kind of a mix between a KitKat and a Twix. Rating: 3.5.

From Canada:

Definitely could taste a hint of coffee, another KitKat type candy bar. Rating: 3.5.

From China:

I really didn't like the texture of these! I gave them a 1. Yuck! My DH26 though gave them a 3, DH & DS24 gave them a 2. Overall rating: 2.

From Italy:


These were really good! Rating: 4

From Norway:

These were awesome! Way, way better than anything on the cookie stroll. My DH said he now will need to get these every time we go, (but he only gave them a 4 while the rest of us gave them 5s). Rating: 4.75...the winner!

We also got Werther's popcorn from Germany but honestly we still haven't tried it...our boys haven't been home since Christmas so next time they're home we'll rank it.


This was a really fun way to explore the countries and our boys enjoyed experiencing a little bit of Epcot over Christmas break.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

What a fun idea with the snacks. I may steal that !

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Love the Christmas snack idea!

 

[mickey916]

What a fun idea with the snacks. I may steal that !

Steal away! It was really fun!

Love the Christmas snack idea!

Thank you!

 

[mickey916]

12/7/22 Closing out Epcot Day 1 with the Sights
​

After our shopping spree we decided to ride Living with the Land again, hoping to be able to see the holiday overlay now that it was dark out. We took in some beautiful sights along the way.




The line was much longer this time for Living With the Land but it moved rather quickly. This time around it was much better with the holiday overlay. I think they should keep the lights on year-round. It was so beautiful.






After Living with the Land, we decided to head to the Swan to finally check in so we took the long walk back to the resort. Overall it was a great day. The cookie stroll and holiday food booths didn't live up to our expectations, but our dinner was great, crowds were manageable without Genie+, and we enjoyed the holiday decorations.

Up next, Magic Kingdom....

 

[mickey916]

12/8/22 Best Day Ever (Mostly) at Magic Kingdom
​

We got up early on Dec. 8 to purchase Genie+ and walked over to the Boardwalk to grab the bus and make early entry at 7:30 am. This was a scheduled party day so we wanted to make full use of the time we had in the park. We arrived at the gates by 7:00 and scheduled our first lightning lane for the Jingle Cruise. We took some photos and chatted with other guests as we waited in line at the tapstiles.



We were let through the tapstiles early and made our way to line up for Fantasyland. As soon as it turned 7:30 we were let in and went directly to ride Peter Pan with no wait. We then rode Small World with only two other people in our boat. After Small World, we walked over to wait for access to the Haunted Mansion. As soon as that part of the park opened we walked right on to the Haunted Mansion. It was then time to use our Lightning Lane for the Jingle Cruise, which was showing a small wait-time but we decided to just use the Lightning Lane anyhow. It was really fun seeing the holiday overlays.





We then headed over to ride Pirates, walking through a nearly empty Adventure Land. I wish I had taken a picture of the zero crowd level. We rode Pirates with no wait then continued on and rode Big Thunder Mt RR (just me) and Splash Mountain, all with no waits.

After checking in for Jingle Cruise we originally snagged a LL for Splash but since there was no wait there, we changed it to a LL for Pooh so we headed there next. After Pooh, it was only 9:30 and we had already ridden 8 attractions so we decided it was time for breakfast and headed to Gaston's. There was no line at Gaston's either!

We ordered the cinnamon roll with extra icing and the Pluto dome cake (and coffee).



We love this Cinnamon roll. It is sweet and soft with a nice maple glaze as well as the icing. A must do for us every time!





The Pluto dome cake is filled with a peanut butter mouse and chocolate ganache on a chocolate cake with a gelatinous covering. The filling part was very good. The outer covering was really weird. We probably should've peeled that part off. It was just such an odd texture.

With our stomachs satisfied we headed to ride Little Mermaid. We actually both really enjoy this ride. We headed then to Tomorrowland and rode the People Mover before using our third LL at Buzz Lightyear. We watched the Carousel of Progress and then I used our fourth LL for Space Mountain. It was then time for lunch so we placed a mobile order for Casey's Corner...a new place for us to try...for those keeping track we experienced 13 attractions before noon.

Up next...did Casey strike out?

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Wow, what a productive morning at MK!

 

[mickey916]

Wow, what a productive morning at MK!

It was awesome!

 

[disneyAndi14]

What a fun idea with the snacks around the world
My son loves the gummy treats from Japan.
I loved LWTL at night with the Christmas overlay.
Great use of your time on MK!
I still haven’t tried the caramel roll at Gaston’s tavern.

 

[mickey916]

What a fun idea with the snacks around the world
My son loves the gummy treats from Japan.
I loved LWTL at night with the Christmas overlay.
Great use of your time on MK!
I still haven’t tried the caramel roll at Gaston’s tavern.

Thank you! Definitely need to try Gaston's cinnamon roll!

 

[mickey916]

12/8/22 Lunch at Casey's Corner
​

We have never eaten at Casey's before but my DH was intrigued by their holiday dinner hot dog and I wanted to try the corn dog nuggets with cheese sauce. We placed our mobile order and picked up our food and then played find the empty table roulette. This was our first place encountering any crowds. We ended up at a table on a bridge in Adventureland near the Santa meet and greet. We could actually see the parade going by from our table.



The corn dog nuggets were hot and fresh and very delicious especially when dipped in cheese sauce. The fries were fine, standard Disney fries.



The holiday dinner hot dog looked really gross but was surprisingly very tasty! The quality of the hot dog was excellent and the toppings were unique but gave it a great flavor.



Overall we were extremely pleased with our first trip to Casey's. A home run! Definitely will go there again. After our lunch we headed over to hear the Dapper Dan's.



We took pictures of the main street decorations and the Christmas tree.



Check out that spectacularly blue sky! We had such perfect weather on this trip. Our skies were like this the entire time with the exception of our last night.



We decided it was time for dessert and headed to the Main St. Confectionery, another first for us. We settled on the peanut butter cookie pie.



This was very good. It was a nice thick peanut butter cookie. Definitely an improvement over the cookie stroll. Yum!

We then used a Lightning Lane for a second ride on Splash Mountain, knowing it would be our last ride forever. We got absolutely soaked, which was fine since it was 80 degrees out.

Since we had already accomplished so much we decided to explore Tom Sawyer's Island and sat on Aunt Polly's porch enjoying the view.



We then watched the Festival of Fantasy parade, another first for us (except for our view from lunch).





We rode the Liberty Belle and then used a LL to ride Mansion, Pirates, and Small World again. The crowds had definitely picked up so I was glad we had saved our LLs for the afternoon. Total attractions for the day: 19 plus the Dapper Dans and parade. An absolutely perfect day so far! I honestly can't ever imagine having a better one (other than having the "kids" with us).

Up next: A surprise as we waited for dinner and a surprising dinner as well at Liberty Tree Tavern.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

OK…WHAT is on that hot dog?!

 

[mickey916]

OK…WHAT is on that hot dog?!

Cranberry mustard, cheese curds and deep fried savory stuffing funnel cake. Weird, I know, but it was really good especially the funnel cake pieces.

 

[mickey916]

12/8/22 Closing out a Perfect Day
​

As I was planning our ADRs, I changed my mind a bunch of times. The park was closing at 6 for the Christmas party and we did not have tickets. We discussed hopping on the monorail for dinner or heading to Wilderness Lodge. Ultimately we determined we just couldn't pass up a chance to eat at one of favorites, Liberty Tree Tavern. I snagged a 6 pm ADR right at park close.

We checked in at 5:45 and waited outside to be called. We saw a few people staring up at the sky which was odd. Then a man said "Look a rocket launch!



It was incredible how clearly we could see the rocket and then we saw it separate from the booster and watched it descend. "


Really amazing!

And here is where our incredible day hit a snag. We were called for our table right at 6:00. We were seated at a really weird spot with two seats on the same side of the table, facing a doorway to a prep area. We overheard our server complain to a manager "it's 6:03, the park closed at 6:00, why are people seated in my section?" Right then and there we should have asked to be moved. What transpired over the next hour was the worst service we have ever experienced in a restaurant. Our server was rude and sarcastic the entire time. She took forever to bring any food which was mostly dried out and overly salted. If you want the gory details and pictures check out my review here:
Liberty Tree Tavern photos and review

By the end we had all we could do to get the heck out of there. A very disappointing ending to a perfect day. Luckily our day wasn't quite over yet and we got great pictures on our way out.





We headed out of the park and hopped the boat to Fort Wilderness for the Holiday Sleigh Ride.



We arrived early so we walked around the campsites admiring the massive holiday displays. We then got hopelessly lost and couldn't find our way back to the Triple D Ranch. Thankfully we hailed down a couple of women who were speeding past on a golf cart and they very nicely drove us back to the Ranch in time. We even got to look around the stables before our ride.





We had a lot of fun on our sleigh ride. The driver was very nice and answered all our questions about Disney horses. It was really impressive seeing all the decorating people do in their campsites.



I can't imagine what Disney's electric bill is like in December.

After our sleigh ride, we hopped the boat back to the Magic Kingdom and took a bus back to the Boardwalk and then went back to the Swan, admiring the chocolate display in the lobby.



All in all, it was a great day!

 

[mickey916]

12/9/22 Epcot Day 2 Morning & Lunch at the Fountain​

Once again we rope dropped Epcot by walking over from the Swan. This time we were let through security early but then held within the world showcase until park open. As soon as the park opened we headed to Frozen and walked right on. We decided our next priority was breakfast, not realizing that Kringla didn't open until 9:00. So we ended up wasting a bit of early entry time waiting outside Kringla but we got to see a cute "opening ceremony".



We were first in line once they opened and ordered a schoolbread to share. Just as delicious as last time!



We then decided to finish the cookie stroll, since we only had one cookie left to get. We picked up the snickersdoodle cookie.



This seemed to have the same dry base cookie as the rest but at least the topping was good. With the cookie stroll complete, we picked up the completer cookie and the Guardian's Holiday special pin (forgot to take a picture of that).



Surprisingly enough, the completer cookie (minus the fondant) was actually much better tasting than the cookie stroll cookies.

We wandered the countries a little more and headed to the front to ride Spaceship Earth. Soarin' was already over an hour wait so we skipped it yet again. We had a few more gifts to pick up for our Tour Around the World gifts for the boys so we grabbed those. Being a Friday, the crowds were already getting big. It was another beautiful and hot day so we decided it would be wise to bring the chocolates back to the hotel and grab some lunch there to avoid the crowds. We ended up heading over to the Fountain at the Dolphin, another first for us. We decided to share an order of onion rings and the low n slow brisket sandwich.



The onion rings were very good, crispy and not overly greasy. I liked the dipping sauce but my DH prefered them plain. Our server brought our sandwich out on two separate plates which we greatly appreciated. (My plate pictured).

This sandwich was excellent and the fries were very good as well. Our server was absolutely phenomenal. What a difference from our LTT server the night before! She went above and beyond to make sure we were happy with our meal. She refilled our drinks constantly and even gave us to-go cups without our even requesting them. This was by far the best service we received all week! Two thumbs up all around for the meal and service at the Fountain!

After lunch we headed back to Epcot to grab dessert at Sommerfest in Germany, the pretzel bread pudding.

This was just as excellent as last April! So delicious!

We rode the Gran Fiesta tour and Imagination with Figment again. We then went to check in for our Behind the Seeds tour. The tour was just okay. It was cool to be able to walk through the gardens and see everything up close. However, our tour guide wasn't as informative as we were expecting. We had expected to come away with more knowledge about the techniques used but instead it was mostly walking through with the tourguide reading the signs to us about what things were. Of note, the tour group with us consisted of mostly middle school kids and their parents/chaperones who were on a school field trip. The kids were well behaved and seemingly paying attention for the most part but I'm guessing they would've preferred to be off riding rides. So, it was a little tricky for the tourguide to keep everyone engaged and sometimes there were weird awkward silences. Perhaps if we had a different tour group and/or a different tourguide it might have been a better experience.

Up next, a delicious dinner and our first time at the Candlelight Processional.

 

[mickey916]

12/9/22 Dinner and A Show
​

After our tour, I finally decided to join the wait for Soarin' while my DH explored the area and snagged a picture of the progress on the Moana attraction.



Definitely a different perspective than the pictures Disney releases!

After riding Soarin' and touching base with the "kids" back home, we checked in for our dinner at Garden Grill. We requested a booth on the lower level. It was a little weird because they gave us a table next to a family within the same booth walls. They just took down a leaf that connected the two tables. It felt odd sitting so close to another family, like we were crashing their dinner. But they were almost done and ignored us.

Our server explained the menu to us and brought out the salad.



I love this salad! It is so fresh with a nice light vinaigrette and the olives lend a salty bite. Really good!

Next we received our Harvest platter which consisted of barbecue chicken (a new item for us since last time it was turkey), beef with chimichurri sauce, mashed potatoes, southern style spoon bread, succotash and green beans.



We also received a side of mac n cheese.



For dessert we received the Berry shortcake.



All of the food was delicious! The barbecue chicken was a great new addition. The chicken was moist with a sweet barbecue sauce. The beef was perfectly cooked and tender with a flavorful sauce. The mashed potatoes were creamy and hot, way better than the dried out ones from LTT. The southern style spoon bread was a nice addition as well, kinda like a moist corn bread. The green beans were cooked and seasoned well too. The succotash was also very good. The mac n cheese was creamy and cheesy, another item that was lightyears better than LTT. The dessert was a moist poundcake with fresh berries and whipped cream. So very good even for people who prefer chocolate usually!

This meal did not disappoint! Our server was extremely attentive and very friendly as well (another difference from LTT). I don't think we'll ever have a trip that doesn't include a stop at the Garden Grill.

After dinner we decided to squeeze in one more ride through Living with the Land to see the beautiful holiday overlay. The line was extremely long and there were endless people going through the Lighning Lane. I was getting nervous that we might be late for the Candlelight Processional but the line went very quickly, less than 15 minutes with a posted 30 minute wait.

After our ride, we headed to line up for the 8:30 show, about a half hour before. The "dinner package" line was enormous! It just went on forever, snaking back and forth. It was hard to even find the end of the line. However once we were allowed in, it moved quickly and we found a great seat.



We absolutely loved the performance. Daymond John was the narrator. He was so filled with energy. You could tell he loved being there.


We thought the music was excellent and weaved in so well with the story of Jesus' birth. The Candlelight Processional was one of the main reasons I wanted to come in December and it did not disappoint!




As soon as it ended, we found a great nearby spot to view Harmonious. My DH had only seen a side-view when we went in May so it was great for him to be able to see all of the projections. We left as soon it finished up and walked back to the Swan. We really love being able to walk to/from Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Definitely beats the battling lines for transportation at the end of the night.