"Mother/Daughter X-mas Trip" (w/Pics) (Update: Day 4 now added!(Dec 27))

[jenkh]

So first off, this is my first trip report so hopefully it’s up to par. I’ll try to have as much pics as possible. But my digital camera is also my digital camcorder, so I took more film then pictures.

Dining Report has now been started. Link is below.

Pre-Trip Report

Food Overload - Our 8 Days on the Dining Plan

The Story/Crew

This is a mother daughter trip that is also a Christmas present. It was me (21) and my mom (45) . We live in Toronto, Canada so when it comes to traveling we always leave from Buffalo, New York as the price at it’s worse is ¼ the price of leaving from home.

November 30th - Buffalo Day
Dec 1 -8 - Coronado Springs - Dining Plan

November 30th - Buffalo Day

So we wake up after not much sleep and gather up all our stuff. At 1pm we head off to buffalo. The trip is very smooth which is a welcome change from our last trip. (Last time we went to buffalo for shopping there was major accidents and it took about 4 and a half hours when it’s usually only 2).

This time we stayed at the Millennium Hotel right beside the Galleria Mall and Olive Garden. Our two key stops on any buffalo trip.
It was a nice hotel for the price, and for me and my mom who usually are just dropped off, was very central to the things we needed without having the car.


December 1st – Departure Day – Mickey here we come!

The alarm was set for 4am, but both me and my mom were up at 3:00 just waiting. Although we were good girls and stayed in bed the full hour. So we got ready and watched the weather on the TV. It was miserably rainy in buffalo, but there was no snow!! So at 5:30am we headed to the front desk and waited for our shuttle. Apparently the Millennium Hotel is used by a lot of the airlines, including southwest. We would discover our crew was there waiting for a shuttle with us later. Because there was lot of airport personnel, the driver decided to give us our own private shuttle, so he took us first. We then checked out bags with curb side check in, and were walking up to security just before 6:00am. Security was smooth and about a 15min wait. A new experience this time is both me and my mom were put in that bomb sniffing machine that blasts air on you. VERY COLD when you’re wearing your Disney clothes.

So we headed off to our gate to wait for boarding. We had Carlos Garcia (the baseball player) and his family on our plane too. It looked like there were other players with him as well, but I don’t follow it enough to recognize him. We only knew Carlos because he had this official baseball tag thing with his name on it on his bag haha.

We had already gotten our “A’ Boarding passes the morning before so we were waiting for boarding. I really don’t get the whole lining up thing an hour before the flight. I semi-understand if you a C or maybe a B with a large group trying to sit together. But if you’re an A, even if your group is huge, you will get seats together. So we waited until almost all the A’s were boarded and casually went to the back of the line. 5 min later we were sitting in row 9 without having to stand in line for an hour.

Us On Plane....

The flight was smooth and the crew was really entertaining, which I always like because me and flying don’t mix well together.

We landed in MCO just after 10:00am and headed for the Magical Express check-in. After walking to the other side of the airport (long walk)

We checked in and were in a line by 10:10. Within a few minutes they put us on a bus. We waited a few more minutes before leaving so it was probably close to 10:20-10:25 when we headed off. This bus was making 3 stops, Pop Century, Coronado Springs and Animal Kingdom Lodge. Pop Century was first, and I was so happy to not be staying at a value this time a round. The lines at the bus stops were crazy.

We arrived at Coronado Springs about 11:20ish. It was absolutely stunning, and I think we instantly knew we had found a “home” resort at Coronado. The rest of the trip would only support this.

The line up for check in was a few people deep. It took maybe 10mins to get to us. Unfortunately our room was not ready, but they told us we would be in Casitas 5 on the second floor. We were given all our paper work (including our vouchers and luggage tags…. Note to Canadians, if you book a package direct through Disney they no longer mail then to you…. You get them at check in to avoid the vortex at the border) We were given our card to call back, and were told it wouldn’t be ready until at least 2:00pm.

So we wandered around the main building getting our bearings. And dropped off our carry-on luggage at luggage services. Did a bit of window shopping and headed to the Pepper Market for an early lunch. We were eating by 11:45am The Pepper Market is amazing, especially for those on the dining plan. (Check out my dining report - link on top of post)


We finished lunch about 12:30 and were getting ready to head to the Magic Kingdom. As we walked by registration we saw there was no line, so my mom said we should just check our room one more time. You never know right? Well guess what, our room was ready. Woohoo!! So we picked up our carry-on and headed to our room. Again this resort was just stunning. We were room 5212 facing the lake and main building, and later on in the trip we would discover we could see fireworks from our room.

We had a King Room, and it was so nice and big. And surprise, surprise, when we walked in our luggage was there to great us. Not bad at all, so another positive review for Magical Express from me.

So we hung out in the room for a few hours and chilled, as well as un-packed. At 3:30 we headed to the magic kingdom. We had a bus stop just behind our building (Bus Stop #2) And it was almost always the first stop that was picked up from and dropped off. Another nice bonus. Compared to our last stay at ASM, this was a different bus experience. What do you mean there’s no line ups to stand in. You just sit on a bench and wait?? Really?? Yep, every few minutes a bus would come, and the very few people at the bus stop would get on. Go figure. So our bus arrived and we got up from our comfy bench and on the empty bus. We stopped at the other 3 stops and picked up another maybe 10 people. Oh this was going to be sweet.

Just before 4:00pm we arrived at the Magic Kingdom. We were officially at Disneyworld now!! We dove right it and headed on some rides. The line-ups were all super short and in just an hour and 45 minutes we managed to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, Snow White’s Scary Adventure, The Jungle Cruise, The Haunted Mansion, Philharmagic and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We enjoyed seeing Johnny Depp in the POTC, although at the same time it was a bit sad to see such a classic ride different. But I’m just one of those people that takes a while to adjust to change. The rest of the rides were good, our girl on Jungle Cruise was quite entertaining. The funniest moment by far was on Snow White…. The ride kept stopping and the lights kept turning on. It happened about 7 times. It kind of ruined the ride, but me and my mom were just laughing so hard it was still entertaining.

At this point we made our way to Main Street to see the 6:00pm Wishes. And me and my mom immediately began to cry. What is it about wishes that does that? It happened last time on our first trip too. And even just watching it on video makes you eyes well up.

When Wishes was done we made our way to the monorail to head to the Polynesian for our 8:00pm reservations at ‘Ohana. The monorail was quite empty, but I think we just lucked out and beat the crowds out of the Magic Kingdom. ‘Ohana was beautiful and the food was great (wait for full dining report coming soon) And our server let us stick around an extra 5 minutes to watch the Christmas Wishes fireworks which was a great end to our very busy first day. Heading back we took the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom and hopped on our empty bus back to the hotel.

When we got back to our room my mom had a surprise waiting for her. I ordered her one of those Disney fiber optic trees from Memories By Sarah. Our dream would have been to have one of those Disney Florist ones, but it was a bit out of our budget. She was super excited and surprised I managed to keep it a total secret from her.

And so ends day 1…… I think I’m doing these way too long.. But I just can’t help it.
I will probably start on my dining repot when I’m done the trip report, so I will link to it whenever it’s done. (December 13 - 9:30pm - Dining Report has been started - Link is at top of post)

 

[dopeyfanatic]

Your TR is not too long. You can never have too much detail! Can't wait to hear the rest of it!

 

[krismom]

How wonderful to take a mother-daughter trip! on our last visit my daughter and I escaped one night and spent it in the magic kingdom. I kept thinking how neat it was, just the 2 of us!
Keep writing!

 

[jenkh]

It was really great taking a mother/daughter trip. We've always been close, but a vacation alone always tests that.... We actually had an extremly smooth trip, no fights or ticks or anything. It was a completly different trip then last year with my dad. Me and my mom are the same personatlity, so we were always on the same page.

We actually enjoyed this trip so much we've already begun plannng another in the spring to go to San Diego together as my mom's always wanted to see Panda Bears. It's opened this new door to us for things I can't find friends to go with me, or things she can't get my dad to come to, we can do together.

Thanks to all who are reading. I should be posting day 2 later tonight, and hopefully I will get started on my dining report soon.

 

[hjd0411]

Lovely start, Jen. I look forward to hearing more, and also your dining report.
Keep up the good work!!
Heather

 

[jenkh]

I’m on a bit of a role, and I’m busy this weekend so thought I’d get a nice start on everything. So here’s Day 2. Also Day 1’s dining plan is up as well. I’m going to try and do it back and forth, so if all goes to plan before day 3 is posted here, day 2 of dining will be posted. The link for our Food Overload dining report is at the top of post 1.

Day 2 - MGM & Magic Kingdom

So it was another early morning waking up at 6:45am. MGM had EMH, and we LOVE morning EMH. We are complete “afternoon break people” You will rarely see us in a park anytime after 1pm till about 5:00pm or later. So morning EMH get us in early, do more rides and get an extra hour of break time in the afternoon.

We first hit Tower of Terror which was hilarious. Since this year we had the camcorder/camera I was in charge of that, so that made my mom in charge of Pal Mickey. We were in the pre-load room where they tell you your rooms are not ready and then bam it goes dark and movie intro starts. Well as soon as it went BAM, my mom must have jolted and hit Mickey and what does he say “Gee… I feel a song coming on” And the whole room just burst out laughing. My mom was totally embarrassed, and Mickey of course had to finish his song haha.

Then we hit Rock N Rollercoaster with zero wait. We actually got the front of the coaster which was amazing. Although it equaled a bad hair day.

For breakfast we stopped for some Mickey Ice Creams (hey it’s vacation) And then hit Muppets 3D, Backlot Tour and The Great Movie Ride. We never did that one last trip, and we’re really disappointed after doing it that we missed it last time as I know my dad would have loved it. Oh well, there’s always the next trip.

By 11am we were done with MGM and headed back to Coronado for some Lunch and a nap.

About 5:30ish after a nice refreshing break we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for dinner and for the sole intention of seeing Wishes again and then Spectromagic. We just wandered around the Magic Kingdom taking in the sights. Being late afternoon the rides all had fairly long waits and we knew we’d be back so we just soaked in the atmosphere. Then we had dinner at the Crystal Palace so I can be with my all time favourite characters. One highlight was Tigger getting down on one knee and proposing. (See dining report for details)

While eating dinner we got to see the first Spectromagic parade from our table. After dinner we spotted out a potential spot for spectromagic and staked it out. We watched wishes and as soon as it was done we hit up our spot and parked it while the throngs of people who saw the first parade made their way out of the park. Spectromagic was amazing as always, and for us is the definitive “Disney” thing to do. When the parade was over we took our time getting to our bus stop (the first one at Magic Kingdon which is VERY nice) And to our shock there was no line, and no wait. Last time leaving after park closing from MK was like an hour long ordeal, with standing room only. We enjoyed the perks of our moderate resort.

Coming up Day 3….

 

[Seahunt]

Your reports and pictures are great! You are sooo lucky to have these memories with your mom, and will always be able to remember them in all the years to come.

 

[KatGarcia]

Great fun TR! Can't wait to hear more...it's helping me get thru the nex 2 weeks until we go!

 

[swankybeth]

I'm really enjoying your trip report so far. My mom and I did a short trip together before I did the WDWCP and it was great, we had such a nice time together.

 

[jenkh]

Day 3 – Epcot & Downtown Disney

Today was a bit of a slow day. We woke up about 7:00am and showered. We then headed to Epcot for the morning.

First destination was Soarin’. We bolted down there but even getting there for rope drop the wait was already at 30min… So we grabbed a fastpass which could be used in an hour and headed to the Living Seas. It was under refurb when we went last year so we never got to see it. That’s when we saw the new Nemo ride was open so we headed for it.

It was a really sweet ride, and the thing with them in the aquarium is just amazing. We lucked out in that the fish were really active when we rode it so you really got the full effect.

That’s when we went and checked out all the fish. It was really cool, and my goal of seeing the turtle was realized. (He can be really hard to find!)

We then lined up for Turtle Talk as the line was non existent. But then we were told it doesn’t actually open until 10, so there was still a 30min wait until it opened. So we left the line and headed to do Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

After that we headed to Soarin’ with our fastpass. The Stand-by line was now at 45 minutes, but fastpasses were still being handed out for only an hour later. Sometimes I think people don’t fully understand the fastpass system. Within 5 minutes we were on Soarin, in the center front row.. it was just breathtaking. It really is a totally different experience in the front. And later in the trip when we did it again in the second row you realize how much seeing people’s feet takes away from the experience.

We then started the walk over to Mission Space. On the way we stopped at Club Cool and tried all the different pops. I knew about Beverly but I still wanted to see what it was all about. Me and my mom tried it at the same time and my only regret was not filming it.. If her face was any relation to my face it was priceless.

As we were walking out we ran into…. Man I’m forgetting what they called themselves. But it was 3 guys who play drums on garbage cans and stuff. We caught them just as they were starting and they were really great. It’s too bad more people didn’t catch their little show.

So we were finally at Mission Space and ready to take on Orange. (We did it last year before there were 2 rides) The cast members seem so happy when you tell them you want to do the original ride.

The line up was non existent for both teams and soon we were getting our briefing from Gary Sinise. And that’s when we had a brown out… in that tiny little room filled with people. It took about 10minutes before castmembers re-opened the doors. Apparently the brown out caused them to have to reset the system. After about a 10minute wait they asked us to leave but they handed us all fastpasses valid for the whole month of December.

Since Mission Space was our last ride of our morning we then headed to leave a legacy to take a new pic. Then we went on the hunt for the one we did last year.

Success!!

This is when we headed back to our hotel. As we were on the bus we found out that apparently all the rides in Epcot were down. So I’m not sure how that one turned out.

We had lunch at the Pepper Market (Noticing a pattern here?) And then had a break

Later that evening (about 5:30) We headed to downtown Disney for some window shopping. It wasted a few hours but this trip nothing really caught our eyes like last year. Not sure if it was because last year was our first trip.. or if this time they just didn’t have as many cool things.

From Downtown Disney we headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma. (Dining report linked from post 1)

Which got us back home and in bed for 11:00pm to get ready to start our fourth day.

Coming Up Next Time: Day 4 - Animal Kingdom, MGM + Osborne Lights

 

[jenkh]

Day 4 – Animal Kingdom + MGM

This morning was another early start day. EHM were happening at Animal Kingom. So we woke up just after 6:00am and were at AK at 7:45 in time to see the opening ceremonies.

This is of course when we bolted for Expedition Everest. By time we got there the wait was already 30minutes, but we didn’t care, we HAD to do it first. Ended up the sign was completely exaggerated. The sign should have said 5min, because the only wait we had was the hike through all the lines to get there. I almost wish there were some lines so I could appreciate the amazing themeing job they had done. But when there’s no line, there’s no stopping  Everest was amazing, and I really enjoyed it. They did a great job, but I personally was expecting it to be a bit more rollercoastery.

Then we hit up the safari which wasn’t nearly as good as when we did it last year. It must have been way too early for the animals as almost none of them were out. We went through the whole savannah without seeing a single animal. I also have to agree with some posters who say get rid of the dumb storyline. It really is quite cheesy, and the times when there were animals to look at, no one was listening to the story anyway.

Then we did Tough to be a bug, which was great as always. Although I almost found it more scary this time as they really “fogged” us more then I remembered. We also hit Dinosaur and then we decided to do Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Can I just say BLAH??? It felt like a total waste of time. We had to wait forever for a train, and then we get there, and this was it??? They were doing an x-ray on some animal, which would have been cool, but the way they have it set up is that it’s standing room only. And it’s in a fairly small hallway as well. Maybe if they had set up some bench seating or something. But when you’re standing and standing you just can’t be bothered.

After going through the building we headed to the Petting Zoo. Okay maybe I’m spoiled; I go to the Royal Winter Fair here in Toronto every year. For a period of time I was in school to be a Vet Tech and I worked on a farm/clinic everyday. So when you say petting zoo, I assume that means there will be more then ONE animal…. Not so, they had goats… lot’s of goats, but only goats.

So after only a nano-second in the zoo we headed back to the train. Everyone has their own opinions, so take no offense if for some reason you love this place. It just wasn’t our cup of tea, and now we know to not waste our time, and that seemed to be the general feeling on the train ride back.

And that ended our morning in Animal Kingdom. We were back and eating lunch at the Pepper Market by 12:30. (see dining report, link on post 1) Before we took a quick nap I called Mears to arrange our Pick-up to Universal the next day.

At 5:30 we headed to MGM for dinner at the Sci Fi Café. (Again full report- link on post 1) When dinner was done I was feeling a bit under the weather (not due to food though.. I think my body was just rebelling all these early morning/late night combos)

But we HAD to do the Osborne Lights. They were just amazing. We stayed there for a good hour just taking in the sights. If there’s only one reason to visit when Disney is in the Christmas spirit this is it.

At 9 we called it an early night to go and get some sleep


Coming Up – Disney Saves the Day