OFFICIAL NOVEMBER 2017 THREAD

[King Dominic]

There’s a BOG and CRT, both for 2 people @8 on 12/1

 

[Wood Nymph]

I’ve been looking for a lunch time ADR at Sci Fi for Thursday, Nov 30. DH decided that he wanted to eat here just a few days ago. I don’t think he realizes how hard it is to get a reservation here. We haven’t been to Sci Fi in twenty years.

 

[SaintsManiac]

FoP is absolutely amazing. They don’t have single rider open, but I went through the FP line alone and I got to skip a bunch of people

 

[King Dominic]

Pretty much all of the hard to get places have breakfast availability for 3 on 11/26. Many of them PPO. Akershus, 1900, BOG, CRT, GG, Tusker House, Chef Mickey’s

 

[dnllmz]

Today is Disney Day!!!

 

[mhaigalodon]

We're officially down to one more sleep until Disney!! Yay!!!!

 

[brewhome]

Apparently mainly stomach viruses....seeing it on the facebook boards. Now granted, people aren't going to post "hey I stayed healthy in Disney", so I was just curious how everyone who is there/was there recently was doing

We were there 11/8-11/13 and did not get sick there or when we got home. I usually end up with a cold, but I think it's because of the airplane and not the parks themselves.

 

[JennLTX]

We're finally in our room and the kiddos are taking a much needed nap. Something weird happened to me during check in. I tried to use my credit union World Master Card for incidentals and room charges. The desk said it was denied. I never keep a high balance on any of my cards and more often than not they are fully paid off. I just went to the bank yesterday to let them know I was traveling so I was surprised it didn't work.

I said oh well I'll call the bank and get this fixed then try again later. So we went to grab a bite for lunch and I started calling. The bank said that they have no record of disney even trying to access my card at all. I tried to use my dining plan to pay for lunch and the desk never had me set up a pin so I figured this would be a good opportunity to charge something to my card. No issues, worked like a charm.

I went back to the desk and I still can't use this card on the room account. I have a pretty significant amount of rewards points built up so I was planning on using this card to pay for dining gratuities etc and use the points I've earned.

The CM suggested that I go to the gift shop and buy a gift card for the amount that I'm planning on charging back to the room. That's went I started to get a little irked. I told him that I have gift cards I'm planning on using already and that I've spoken to my bank and they say the issue isn't on their end and the card is fine. It's not like this is a backwater fcu card, it's an international MC.

Long story short they opened up a case with their internal IT and a manager opened up my room account without a CC on file. But I feel like I had to go through too much to get to that point.

I also called my bank to see if the lunch charge is there....yup, posted with no issue.

Hopefully we'll get it sorted out before we check out.

This is really mostly unrelated, but I had a similar issue with AMEX at a restaurant recently where my purchasing card was supposed to cover a banquet. Same thing happened, AMEX said they had no record of the restaurant attempting to access my card. Put them on the phone with the finance person, still nothing. Then my manager ran his normal T&L AMEX, and it went right through.

I called when I got back to the office (this all took place out of town), and the AMEX rep said there are lots of new fraud verifications in place, and transactions are being held up when they shouldn't. It's a wonderful world...

 

[JennLTX]

Oh, and I've been filled with the jealousy for the past month as I've read everyone's wonderful trip reports, and am now SO happy to say, WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY NEXT WEEK!!!

Thanks, everyone, for helping me get through the final weeks before this trip. I've been stressing because I'm only going to get a holiday trip with the kiddo this one time, so of course the urge to DO ALL THE THINGS is overwhelming. Reading your posts, getting input from this thread and others, it's all making everything come into perspective and helping to calm me down.

Please note the below smilie, because it is the truth:

 

[JessHuis]

Today is the day!!!!! Leaving in the hours and I can't wait!!

 

[DisTXMom]

We head home today. Enjoyed our trip sooo much! We were at Disney parks 11/17-11/21 and Universal parks 11/22-11/24. My observations:

- MVMCP was great. Especially loved the parade and fireworks. The Christmas decorations and music throughout the resort were really great and added a lot to our trip.

- We has great success scoring some awesome 4th fast passes for our group of 4, including 7DMT, PP, Splash, BTMRR, Test Track. This was most unexpected. We used the refresh to get most of these. Had to split our party for some of them, but had ample overlap. Most of these were secured in the 2-4pm timeframe for rides in the 5-10pm timeframe.

- the parks thinned out a lot after 10pm- we ended up staying late at MK 2 nights and had a great time. We have always been rope droppers, but we couldn't keep the peace being up at 6:30 after a late night in the parks. I felt 10-12 at night was comparable to 8-10am in terms of crowds.

- loved Happily Ever After!!! Glad I bit the bullet and booked the Plaza Viewing dessert party. It was expensive and the dessert party part was mediocre,but the viewing area was perfect and allowed us to see the show stress-free.

-FoP was great. Sad to say FoP and most of Universal made half of our party queasy. I'm not prone to motion sickness,but still closed my eyes for parts.

- Harry Potter areas in Universal are great and we enjoyed them very much. Also enjoyed the hogwarts castle show and the Macy's parade. That being said, we would have gotten more out of the UO parks if our kids were older. Also, when we were headed to MK, we were always soooo excited. Headed to universal felt more like any theme park. I suppose there just isn't anything like Disney!

- Via Napoli was our best meal, followed by BoG dinner and LTT dinner. Food at Universal seemed way more expensive.

Thanks to the Disboards, we were well prepared and had a great trip. We saw lots of families that didn't understand fast pass or didn't book ADR's and their trips were negatively impacted. I definitely felt like our family had the best possible experience, in part because I was prepared and planned for the trip. So thanks Disboards!!!

 

[brooke789]

We checked out this morning after a one week stay with 6 park days. It was busier than our previous May/June trips but honestly everything was amazing. It was nearly a perfect trip!
Weather was great. Used the ponchos 30 minutes one time!
Bus service was amazing!
Cast Member experiences were great. Photopass had so many more photographers than our previous trips. We had some really really great, funny and interactive photographers!
Loved loved loved the Xmas decorations.
First time on Frozen, Pandora rides, Seasons Greetings, Jingle Bell Jingle Bam, HEA, Soarin' (new show) and Rivers of Light which were all amazing!
FOP made the adults in our party feel sick. Seemed blurry and made us all dizzy. Kids loved it. Both 7 year olds favorite ride of the trip! I was the lucky one to take them back with the rider switch immediately after first ride and I could barely walk straight afterwards!
We went to Hollywood and Vine and Crystal Palace for the first time and both were so good! I was expecting it to not be great but hoping for at least good. And both went beyond our expectations!

To tell you the truth our only complaint is the weak/slow wifi! It was so hard to get/see our photos on the app throughout the parks. Even in our hotel room the internet was too slow. I ordered our Xmas cards one night and had to walk to the main bldg at POR to download and then upload the pics I was using. I'm sure the heavy crowds we're the reason.

 

[Monykalyn]

So November is wrapping up! Hope those on their way or there now have fun! And if you see a tall custodial girl from U of Arkansas (Fayetteville) at POR say hi to her from her me! DD is deployed there this week.
On our second leg home -left yesterday due to long drive back to MO.
This was our first time over a holiday week (usually go spring or summer). Was neat to see the parks so decked out. Studios is really decorated for holidays in in the very nook and cranny.
Crowds were high all week but manageable we thought. Since we were there to spend time with DD we didn't do full days at the parks. We stayed offsite at Marriott Cypress Harbour and we loved this resort. Didn't mind the drive to the parks, especially after hearing about the bus wait times. There were fastpasses available in MK after our initial three every day we were there-including thanksgiving day-we were there for rope drop that day and got tons done before noon- could have stayed all day and just kept riding but we left to relax at resort.
Having APs this year really changed how we tour-and I really like it. Much more relaxing and flexible. We went to studios (after a resort day due to gorgeous weather) just for Jingle bell Jingle Bam, and to see the sunset blvd projections on ToT. No way would we have blown a park ticket day just for that previously. Show was cute. We only park hopped once due to hassle- so miss the express bus. I think we'd have stayed longer and hopped more (and spent more money) if we would have been able to use express bus. Instead we just left. Think this week long trip was the cheapest we've ever done lol!
Disney springs was nuts both days we went there. But my son scored a great deal on an under armor sweatshirt he loves (Black Friday deal plus AP discount!).

Very greatful got to spend this week with DD loved seeing the holiday decorations but I think I prefer our early June trips.

 

[Funfire240]

Back from a great trip at Pop! we had a great trip with a lot of new experiences. Loved the new rooms at Pop! Started at MK - finally got DS7 at BTMR and he loved it! Met up with a friend of mine that lives there with her daughter and had tons of fun. A 15 hour day about knocked us all down.
Woke of Monday morning for AK and breakfast at Akershus which once again did not disappoint. I was so excited for Pandora and FOP and was impressed! Did not get to try Nav'i River but that's ok. Rivers of Lights was ok but I feel one and done. Even DD9 said "that's it?" when it was finished. But I'm glad we did see it.
Tuesday was EPCOT and we rode Soarin for the first time ever (finally got DS7 on it even though he freaked out at first but then loved it). Enjoyed exploring around the world a little more than we had in the past. Finished the night off with Test Track.
Wednesday at HS was great as well. Signed the kids up for Jedi Training so they could try for the first time and it was amazing! We also ate at 50's Prime Time for the first time. We never told my parents what it was like so when Cousin Nicole walked by and tossed the napkins on the table and silverware and said to get the table set they looked shocked and we just laughed. It was so much fun. My dad was yelled at for using his walkie talkie thing at the table then when DD grabbed mine she was yelled at. DD took it a 2nd time and DH thought it would be funny to tell on her - but it backfired and he was called a tattle tale! The food was really good too!
Thanksgiving we had a late start due to personal problems and didn't get to MK until noon - found the crowds very manageable! Only stayed for DD's BBB appt and our BOG dinner which again did not disappoint and then I headed back to the room early.
Friday when to EPCOT and did everything we missed and also caught part of the candlelight processional. I have to admit I'm glad I cancelled our dinner since we were able to watch and listen from just a little more distance for free!
All in all a great trip and I can't wait to do it again!!!!

 

[thumper*]

We went to studios (after a resort day due to gorgeous weather) just for Jingle bell Jingle Bam, and to see the sunset blvd projections on ToT.

We will be attending this Friday nt. any recommendations on where to stand and how early to get there? TIA

 

[SaintsManiac]

Got back home on Friday. We had a great trip. I learned not to stress about ADRs ever again. There was so much available the night before every day we were there.

Garden Grill for Thanksgiving was the perfect choice!

My plans worked out so well. I owe many thanks to the DIS, TP and KtP. We seemed to wind up zigging while others zagged and did everything we wanted to do. We did most everything more than once.

I don't think we would do Thanksgiving again, though. It got pretty wild at times. It was really nice to see the gradual addition of Christmas decorations going up.

 

[brewhome]

We will be attending this Friday nt. any recommendations on where to stand and how early to get there? TIA

We were there on 11/11. For Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!, try to get somewhere towards the middle in front of the Chinese Theater for the best view. I personally think hanging a little ways back gives a better view of the whole thing. Sunset Season's Greetings is a continuously looping show about every 12-15 minutes. We watched the ToT projections once from a table in the eating area on Sunset Boulevard, and watched the billboards and the projections once from a sidewalk on Sunset Boulevard. Again, you don't need to be up close to it and it's better from a bit of a distance. We were maybe 20 feet past Anaheim Produce and had a great view. Enjoy!

 

[Rach73]

Just back on Sat from an awesome 7 day trip. Stayed at Pop in a refurbished room the 90's section, we loved it. Tried a few restaurants for the first time, Whipering Canyon, Crystal Palace and Skippers Canteen. enjoyed them all especially Crystal Palace.
Typically this is how we tour, first FP around 10:30 next one at 11:30 then lunch and another FP. At this point when crowds are the heaviest we head back to the resort for a break. Then back out around dinner time getting more FPs and staying out late. We never rope drop and but we do stay out late as the crowds tend to thin out then. Touring this way on this trip really made it more enjoyable because mid day was pretty crazy. We really did all we wanted to and more. Not sure if we will do Thanksgiving again but for me seeing the parks in all their holiday glory was worth it. The decorations and trees were amazing.
We did the Caring for Giants tour on Friday as a special treat since it was DH birthday. Really enjoyed it, got a glimpse behind the scenes, some elephant viewing for a great spot and some time with a care taker. Honestly I could have watched that adorable baby Stella all day. We had dinner at Boma that night it's a tradition to go there if one of us is celebrating a birthday, it was delicious as usual.
It was another special and magical Disney adventure for us. I usually feel a little blue after we get home and back in our regular routine. This time though we are already booked for February. The count down continues 74 days! Hooray! Hope everyone's trip was as special as ours!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We were there on 11/11. For Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!, try to get somewhere towards the middle in front of the Chinese Theater for the best view. I personally think hanging a little ways back gives a better view of the whole thing. Sunset Season's Greetings is a continuously looping show about every 12-15 minutes. We watched the ToT projections once from a table in the eating area on Sunset Boulevard, and watched the billboards and the projections once from a sidewalk on Sunset Boulevard. Again, you don't need to be up close to it and it's better from a bit of a distance. We were maybe 20 feet past Anaheim Produce and had a great view. Enjoy!

Thanks for the tips. We will be there Wednesday or Thursday night.

We arrived on Saturday and have been enjoying our stay at the GF. We have been to the Magic Kingdom these three days and are moving to the Beach Club for the final three days of the trip. It is our first split stay so we’ll see how the transfer to the second resort goes. We didn’t get our room text until 4:48pm on Saturday, which was the only negative of the day.

 

[JennLTX]

We were there on 11/11. For Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!, try to get somewhere towards the middle in front of the Chinese Theater for the best view. I personally think hanging a little ways back gives a better view of the whole thing. Sunset Season's Greetings is a continuously looping show about every 12-15 minutes. We watched the ToT projections once from a table in the eating area on Sunset Boulevard, and watched the billboards and the projections once from a sidewalk on Sunset Boulevard. Again, you don't need to be up close to it and it's better from a bit of a distance. We were maybe 20 feet past Anaheim Produce and had a great view. Enjoy!

We'll be there tomorrow night, and this is just the information I needed!! Thank you!!!