MVMCP - My Very Merry Chistmas Pre-Trip Report

[05MM08MM]

I've been planning as well, ever since Nov & Dec hours became available. Looking forward to reading about your plans.

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

05MM08MM, glad you could join. Be sure to check out the Disney in December 2010 thread, and the facebook page somebody set up. Looking at your signature, you have been spending alot of time at Disney the last few years.

 

[05MM08MM]

05MM08MM, glad you could join. Be sure to check out the Disney in December 2010 thread, and the facebook page somebody set up. Looking at your signature, you have been spending alot of time at Disney the last few years.

Yes, it's funny, I have been hearing a lot lately from family "why not try somewhere different this year?"

I'm already planning for 2011 for both DLR & WDW

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Yes, it's funny, I have been hearing a lot lately from family "why not try somewhere different this year?"

I'm already planning for 2011 for both DLR & WDW

Good for you.

It's funny the people who say why not try somewhere different this year, probably go to the same beach every year. I know I got a bit of "She won't remember the trip" the last time we went taking our 4 year old and 7 month old. I just told them, maybe not, but I will. A
nd as others have pointed out for arguements like this, I should ask them why do they take their kids to the park to play, they aren't going to remember it. Why take them to the beach, or anywhere for that matter. Either way, I don't worry about what others think. It's my life, I'm going to do what I want, if you don't approve, so be it. But that's just me.

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Good for you.

It's funny the people who say why not try somewhere different this year, probably go to the same beach every year. I know I got a bit of "She won't remember the trip" the last time we went taking our 4 year old and 7 month old. I just told them, maybe not, but I will. A
nd as others have pointed out for arguements like this, I should ask them why do they take their kids to the park to play, they aren't going to remember it. Why take them to the beach, or anywhere for that matter. Either way, I don't worry about what others think. It's my life, I'm going to do what I want, if you don't approve, so be it. But that's just me.

Hurrah! Well put.

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Thanks for the support. As I've gotten older, I don't bite my tongue on some comments anymore. One thing I've never tolerated is people telling me how to live my life. I don't tell people how to live their lives, so I don't let tell me what I should do. I can usually tell the difference between someone giving advice which is ok, and someone telling me what I should do.

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Mickey_Mom, I hope you don't mind, but I stole your idea of linking the official posts in my first post. Once I figured out which PTR I saw it on, I updated it to give you credit for the idea.

 

[serene56]

Good for you.

It's funny the people who say why not try somewhere different this year, probably go to the same beach every year. I know I got a bit of "She won't remember the trip" the last time we went taking our 4 year old and 7 month old. I just told them, maybe not, but I will.

I am guilty of this-- althought I dont say it outloud.
I read people who post they go 5-6 times a year-- I think I would get bored., But on the other hand-- cruising is my forte--- and after 15 times it was time to try something new because it all started to feel the same.

BUT with little kids-- you get to experince the magic each and every time you take them-- this time will be NOTHING like the last time.

I look forward to reading your "mistakes from last time" if you can help me avoid the same pitfalls-- please.

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Thanks for the support. As I've gotten older, I don't bite my tongue on some comments anymore. One thing I've never tolerated is people telling me how to live my life. I don't tell people how to live their lives, so I don't let tell me what I should do. I can usually tell the difference between someone giving advice which is ok, and someone telling me what I should do.

Absolutely!

Mickey_Mom, I hope you don't mind, but I stole your idea of linking the official posts in my first post. Once I figured out which PTR I saw it on, I updated it to give you credit for the idea.

While I didn't originate it, you're more then welcome to steal anything!

 

[serene56]

Good for you.

It's funny the people who say why not try somewhere different this year, probably go to the same beach every year. I know I got a bit of "She won't remember the trip" the last time we went taking our 4 year old and 7 month old. I just told them, maybe not, but I will.

I am guilty of this-- althought I dont say it outloud.
I read people who post they go 5-6 times a year-- I think I would get bored., But on the other hand-- cruising is my forte--- and after 15 times it was time to try something new because it all started to feel the same.

BUT with little kids-- you get to experince the magic each and every time you take them-- this time will be NOTHING like the last time.

I look forward to reading your "mistakes from last time" if you can help me avoid the same pitfalls-- please.

 

[nonni]

Yep, you're right. We will be there the week before you, the same time as TruBlu. By the way, you got some priceless photos!

 

[Woth2982]

Sounds like you have a great trip coming up! I am also a planner! I am going the first week of December/last day of November. I just got reservations for CRT, granted it is at 9:50 at night, but my two friends really want to do it and it was all I could get! Now if I can get those Chef Mickey reservations the trip will be complete!

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

I am guilty of this-- althought I dont say it outloud.
I read people who post they go 5-6 times a year-- I think I would get bored., But on the other hand-- cruising is my forte--- and after 15 times it was time to try something new because it all started to feel the same.

BUT with little kids-- you get to experince the magic each and every time you take them-- this time will be NOTHING like the last time.

I look forward to reading your "mistakes from last time" if you can help me avoid the same pitfalls-- please.

See, I bet if someone said "You're going on another cruise!" you probably would slap them silly.

As far as the mistakes, well the Osbourne Lights one is pretty funny so you may enjoy that one. Otherwise my "Mistakes" may not be much help. Well maybe the Nemo show at AK. Right now I am at 3, and just trying to thing of little things I would do differently.

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Yep, you're right.

I never get tired of hearing those words. I only figured it out because I could see my ticker in a post, and your ticker in your post, and they weren't the same.

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Sounds like you have a great trip coming up! I am also a planner! I am going the first week of December/last day of November. I just got reservations for CRT, granted it is at 9:50 at night, but my two friends really want to do it and it was all I could get! Now if I can get those Chef Mickey reservations the trip will be complete!

I don't know your exact days, but I didn't see anything for Chef Mickey's until 9:20 P.M. on Saturday the 4th and 9:10 P.M. on Sunday the 5th. I guess you need to keep trying and hoping that somebody cancels. Good Luck.

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

To quote Queen “And bad mistakes.... I’ve made a few...”

Ok, maybe they weren’t bad mistakes, but I did have some lessons learned from my 2007 trip. Some people may not think of them as mistakes, but here are some things I would have changed about our last trip.

1. Driving.

a. Would I drive down again? Sure, not this time, but maybe in the future. The big mistake I made was driving straight through. Getting there wasn’t hard. Heck, if I was still in my early 20’s it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but at 36 your body doesn’t bounce back from an all-nighter like it used to. It was probably 3 days before I was finally feeling rested enough to enjoy the parks. The first few days, I was looking for any reason to leave the parks and to go back to the rooms. I still had fun, but it would have been better if I had gotten a good nights sleep on the way. Lesson learned. If I am driving I will stop for the night, probably in Georgia, or maybe Florida.​

2. Nemo show at the Animal Kingdom

a. OK, this one is just a personal opinion about the show, but the second mistake was trying to see the Nemo show at the Animal Kingdom. We waited in line for about a half an hour to get into the show. Apparently the theater is HUGE. The line was long but we were still able to get into the next show. Of course we were in the nose bleed section. Way way way at the top in the back where they run out of seats are metal bleachers. The seats are approximately 4.78 miles from the stage. I’m sure the show is a good show, but I was so far away I couldn’t enjoy it. Couple that with the fact I had to lean forward to avoid having the knees of the person behind me stuck in my back, and it makes for a less than enjoyable event. We stayed for about 15 minutes of the show and then walked out. I won’t be wasting my time with that show this time around.​

3. Go see the Osborne lights.

a. At Christmas time the Disney Hollywood Studios they put on a show called the Osbourne lights. I did do research before going down, but didn’t really put much thought into the Osbourne lights. We were at DHS only the one day, and I was still tired from the trip, and it was kind of hot. So we talked it over. Do we want to see the Osbourne lights? And why does Disney have a light show to Ozzy’s music anyway? Yea, that was the big mistake. I just assumed the Osbourne lights had something to do with Ozzy. My wife isn’t really into Ozzy, and my then 4 year old wasn’t either. Do I really want to subject them to this? It would be great for me. We made an early night of it and headed back to the resort so daddy could continue catching up on his sleep. We will be seeing the lights this time.​

4. Driving your own car vs. using Disney bus.

a. OK, this probably isn’t really a mistake, and depending on the time of the year and the crowd levels doing the opposite may make sense. I had my own car so I thought, hey I can just drive to the parks. Of course if you drive you have to park your car in the parking lot and walk to the park entrance. The resort has busses that will take you to the parks, it’s free, and they drop you off right at the entrance. Why drive? It’s wasting gas, and you have to deal with traffic. Riding the Disney buses is easy, no stress of dealing with other drivers… The only downside is waiting for a bus when leaving the park, but the first week of January the waits weren’t long, and I am hoping they won’t be in December.​

5. Use the park maps when planning what to see.

a. Study the park maps before going. Seems like and obvious thing right? I looked at the maps, and having been there before, way back in 1988, I had a good idea of what the Magic Kingdom and Epcot layouts were. I had never gone to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, and had no idea what the layout was really like. I got quite confused a couple of times in Hollywood Studios, which seems strange since it is smaller than the Magic Kingdom, but it happened anyway. I think the worst was when I wanted to go down Sunset Boulevard, and wound up down by the entrance. This happened a few times in the one day we were there. Why was I trying to go down Sunset Boulevard more than once during the day you ask? Well that leads me to my next mistake...​

6. Spend some time on your plans.

a. I am not saying people should go commando and plan everything down to the minute, but you should have a plan of what you want to see. I did do this, I plotted out my days at a high level, what parks we were going to and what we wanted to see in those parks. I had a day for HS and a day for AK, and multiple days for MK and EPCOT. Since I had been there, I had a good idea where the attractions were for MK and EPCOT, but when I was planning AK and HS I probably should have paid more attention to the maps. So I had my list of things to do in HS, and even put them in order of importance so we wouldn’t miss out on things we HAD to see. So the first thing we saw was Star Tours (This was totally for me only, the only me only thing I planned for this trip), then Voyage of the Little Mermaid, then Muppets 3D, then Beauty and the Beast on Stage... You get the idea, if I had looked at the Map, I could have come up with a much better plan for HS that wouldn’t have me back tracking a few times during the day. Even though I saw something that we wanted to see if we had time right next to a MUST see place, I didn’t go in that place. The time spent criss-crossing the park a couple of times could have been spent just seeing what was right there. It also would have saved our feet some abuse. I still think a day is sufficient for HS, especially if you plan your day.​

OK, so those are the blunders I could remember, if I think of any others I will probably add them in another post. Feel free to share your mistakes. Think of them as public service announcements.

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Loving the post!!!

I can't really think of my mistakes thru the years off the top of my head, but I agree, I can not do the driving this b/c I would be exhausted after that trip, plus once vacation is over, I just want to get home!

Also, Osbourne lights is amazing! Loved it! Can't wait to see it again!

What are your thoughts on Candlelight Processional? We did the CP dinner package in 2008 and will not be doing it this year, b/c I personally do NOT think it is worth the 2 TS credit it now requires. Plus Devon who was 6 at the time did not appreciate the show. So I am not sure if we will be even attending the show.

 

[serene56]

Ok- i know I study those maps like they were long lost kids- (LOL)

For us in DS- TSM, VoTLM, Animation Studio. (Limited time) Disney Playhouse. (while here-- the others will get FP for ToT and ride RnR.
Will meet at Beatuy and the Beast for that show- Ride Tot - Muppets-
Sci Fi for lunch-- then go find our places for the parade outside American Idol since that is where the Monsters stop and do their dance.

then we are outta there. (see how I studied the map and kept us all neat and in once place-- youwould be so proud of me)

 

[05MM08MM]

Wow I'm starting to feel bad after reading some of that long post

We usually fly, but with airline ticket prices being so high now (I check them pretty often) we decided to drive. It will just be me & DH, no kids. We are using my parents timeshare (free stay) so we are staying off site. We are going to attempt to drive straight through, but change out drivers so the other person can rest some. It will probably take us anywhere from 10-15 hours I would guess. We will leave late Saturday night and arrive sometime Sunday afternoon. I will most likely take a nap during the day Saturday as well. I don't plan to do much of anything the day we arrive. Go to bed early and be ready for the next day. There is a Starbucks right by our resort so that is helpful

Since we are staying off site we have no choice but to use our own car to get everywhere. I plan to print off maps of the area and study them well, as well as asking around online when time gets closer about the best routes to take incase of construction or anything else.

Right now I have a tentative schedule for each day and what parks we are going to do and what rides/attractions we are giving priority to. I also have alternatives since some things may change as we get closer. I have not made a final decision on what day for sure we are going to do MVMCP. Waiting to see also what day we can get CP package for.

I make a trip binder for every Disney vacation I have taken. I keep all my info (tickets, hotel ressie, dining ressie, maps, etc) in it organized with tabed dividers. I usually create a packing list and add items to it when I think of something else. I print it off and cross the item off once it has been packed.

So far we have had stress-free vacations this way. I just try to make sure I have as much info as possible and all my "ducks in a row"

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Loving the post!!!

I can't really think of my mistakes thru the years off the top of my head, but I agree, I can not do the driving this b/c I would be exhausted after that trip, plus once vacation is over, I just want to get home!

Also, Osbourne lights is amazing! Loved it! Can't wait to see it again!

What are your thoughts on Candlelight Processional? We did the CP dinner package in 2008 and will not be doing it this year, b/c I personally do NOT think it is worth the 2 TS credit it now requires. Plus Devon who was 6 at the time did not appreciate the show. So I am not sure if we will be even attending the show.

Thanks, I am glad you are enjoying the ride. The next edition will be going back to early planning again. Not four years ago though, just up to last year when something occurred that got me back into the Dinsey spirit again.

I saw them on a Disney special on the Travel Channel. Oh well. Lesson learned. It would be cool if they had some Ozzy playing though. Maybe they can do something similar at Halloween and play the Zombie Stomp or something.

As far as the CP goes, I haven't done it before. I only heard about it this year on these boards. After checking it out, it sounds interesting, but I'm not sure if it is something my kids would really enjoy. Plus I would have to stress about getting dinner reservations, so I decided we would skip it this trip. Maybe when the kids are older, or if it just the wife and I, we would do it. Maybe I am just setting up a future "Lessons Learned", but I don't think I will be missing much by not going.