Obsessive Trip Planners Anonymous- For those planning a Dec 2008

[letthewookiewin]

I thought I would start this for those of us "over planners" that are already hard at work planning a Christmas time trip for December 2008. Planning a normal Disney trip, and making it magical, is hard enough. I am sure making a Christmas time trip as magical as possible will be even harder. This way we can help each other think of things that the other might not have thought of. Just put a little info about your trip and group makeup, and we can all help each other .

 

[letthewookiewin]

ok, so I will start.
I have a family of 4. Myself - Kim, DH - David, DS10 - Joey, DS8 - John Michael. Our trip is going to be Dec. 21 - 28(or29th), 2008. We are staying at the WL and want a woodsview room with bunk beds. Also, we are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan. We have most of the restaurants picked and just have to finalize a decision on what time of the day to eat at each one. I know when the 180 day out mark it so I can call the second they are open b/c I am planning on eating at CRT Christmas day. I am going to have a tree and Disney stockings delivered to the room. I am in the midst of making a new planning book for the trip. I told my DH that it is only going on a CD that I lightscribed, but I'll just let him keep thinking that.

Happy Planning

 

[mello]

We're planning a KOTS (Keepers of the Secret) trip for next December - probably the 1st-8th or thereabouts, I'm working that out now. DH is an even worse Disney nut than I am; but I'm the compulsive planner so he leaves that to me. But because we're trying to keep this a secret from our kids, we're having lots of fun with it - we keep sneaking out to talk about it.

Our group will consist of DH, me, and the kids, ages 15, 12 and 5. They know how we are, so I don't think they'll think anything of the constant planning, even though they think we aren't going back for a couple years after our May family reunion. But we're looking forward to some time with just our family. DH will often say, "I wish we could hop on a plane to Floriday today", or "Let's go to Disney World", and the kids take it with a grain of salt. So our plan is that the night before the trip, we're going to watch one of the WDW Holiday shows we've got DVR'd, and dh will say, "I know, let's go to Disney World tomorrow!" We know they won't take him seriously, til we wake them up at 3am the next morning

Anyway, at this point we're thinking we'll stay at SSR for 7 or 8 nights, we're planning to do MVMCP, the Candlelight Processional, and go around to see all the resorts' decorations. We're planning to take a little mini tree, and we're looking for light-weight, unbreakable Disney ornaments now to decorate it with. We might participate in the DVC tree-swap. I saw the pictures of the mickey santa hats, and love those! Got to get us some.

This thread should be fun - looking forward to more of it!

 

[letthewookiewin]

I really envy anyone that can keep a trip to WDW a secret. I just can't do it. The closest that I have been able to do, is when I kept it secret that we were going to MNSSHP on our last trip.

We would like to do MVMCP, but I don't know if it will be going on while we are there. We want to do the Candlight Processional Christmas Eve. I have all our ADR's pick out. The only problem being that Disney does not know if Yak & Yeti and Teppan Edo will be on the 2008 Dining Plan. They also could not tell me when they would know. I went ahead and planned with them being on the plan. I will wait after the first of the year to change it. I have until late June to make my ADR's anyway. I need to call the WDW dining number and see what hours they are open, so I can call as soon as they get open. Some of my ADR's are so that I need to.

Sunday-Dec.21, 2008
Arrive hopefully before noon (We're hoping to take the 6:30-ish am flight we normally take when we go)
Lunch - Whispering Canyon Creek
Dinner - 50's Prime Time Cafe
Park - Disney Hollywood Studios

Monday-Dec.22,2008
Breakfast - 1900 Park Fair
Lunch - Beirgarten
Dinner - Coral Reef
Park - EPCOT

Tuesday-Dec.23, 2008
Breakfast - Donald's Breakfastosaurus
Lunch - Yak & Yeti ?
Dinner - Boma
Park - Animal Kingdom

Wednesday-Dec. 24, 2008
Breakfast - Kona
Lunch - Rose and Crown Dining Room
Dinner - Le Cellier w/ CP package
Park - EPCOT

Thursday-Dec.25, 2008
Breakfast - Cinderella's Royal Table
Lunch - Liberty Tree Tavern
Dinner - Cinderella's Royal Table
Park - Magic Kingdom

Friday-Dec.26, 2008
Breakfast - 'Ohana Character Breakfast
Lunch - Biergarten
Dinner - Marrakesh Restaurant
Park - EPCOT

Saturday-Dec. 27, 2008
Breakfast - Chef Mickey's
Lunch - Liberty Tree Tavern
Dinner - Teppan Edo ?
Park - Magic Kingdom

Sunday-Dec. 28, 2008
Breakfast - Whispering Canyon Café
Lunch - Tusker House
Dinner - Sprirt of Aloha Poly Luau(8pm)
Park - Animal Kingdom

Monday-Dec. 29, 2008
We will just pay OP for CS where ever we end up this day.

Our trip was originally going to end on Sunday, but I decided to add a day to the trip. I thought that the airport would be a little less busy on Monday than on Sunday.

 

[abouley]

We're going Nov 30-Dec 13th. Staying off-site the first week and then Beach Club the 2nd week. My Children will be almost 5 and 2 at the time of our trip! I am trying to work on my spreadsheet but can't quite figure out how to estimate park hours....especially to figure out which parks will open early or be open late. Does anyone have a spreadsheet where they have guessed at hours that they'd be willing to share? We won't get the magic hours the first week with staying off-site so I won't to avoid those parks on those days the first week but take advantage of them the 2nd week! Once I get approx hours then I can't figure out which park which day so I can work on dining reservations. I like to plan This is only our 2nd trip to WDW so a little new at it....

Alison