Our 2nd Trip in 3 Years. This Time, She's In On It (Dec 2012) CP Narrator Update 9/13

[BDL]

Just got the quote from out AAA travel rep. I was pleasantly surprised. With what we are going to be doing over this trip I thought the cost was going to be at least a little bit higher. With 4 people in 2 rooms it was really quite reasonable. Her quote included:

12/7-12/13
-6 night/7days at POR (RGR)
-7 day park hopper
-DDP for 4
-Vacation insurance

Holding off the airfare until more than just Delta becomes available to book.

Once everything gets locked into place, I'll start making arrangements so that we will arrive in MCO 12/6. We'll spend the 1st night at the Courtyard Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre (which is what we did last time).

The trip is getting 1 step closer to becoming realty.

 

[BDL]

It's official... We are booked. We have 2 Royal Guest Rooms at the Port Orleans Riverside for 12/7-12/13. I can almost see that fiber optic light display dancing before me now...

In 38 short weeks, We will be taking in the Osbourne Lights, listening to the Candlelight Procession, partying at the MVMCP, taking in all the decorations, and all the while, trying to catch snow(p) on our tongues (then immediately making a yuck face cuz it's snow(p))

I can't wait...

 

[Sam33]

Yay! Congrats.

This makes me want to book now...I should go ahead and do that!

 

[BDLSGAL]

Yay! Congrats.

This makes me want to book now...I should go ahead and do that!

Did you book? I am so excited that it is real for us now. A long way off but it will totally be worth the wait!!

 

[oboedm]

Signing on! Hooray for booking your trip! I am excited to hear more!

 

[disney<333]

Joining in! Can't wait to hear more!! You're going to love Disney in December. Plus you already know how great POR is!!

 

[BDLSGAL]

Joining in! Can't wait to hear more!! You're going to love Disney in December. Plus you already know how great POR is!!

Welcome! The last time we went, we also went in December and loved it so much which is why we chose that time of year again this time around. That, and it works better with our work schedules to duck out of town that time of year. Is December your favorite time to go?

 

[disney<333]

Welcome! The last time we went, we also went in December and loved it so much which is why we chose that time of year again this time around. That, and it works better with our work schedules to duck out of town that time of year. Is December your favorite time to go?

2011 was my first December trip and I went Christmas week. I was freaking out about the crowds before the trip, but we only ran into them the day we were leaving. Otherwise, I have never seen lower crowds. There isn't anybody in most of my pics. That week is my new favorite week to go, but with school break and when our APs expire, we will have to go Thanksgiving for our Christmas trip this year, which is probably my second favorite time to go. It'll be my 5th Thanksgiving trip and counting.

 

[BDL]

I just posted this on the Dec 2012 Roll Call thread and thought I would post it here. Pass it on if you are planning to go during this time or know someone who is...

From 1st hand knowledge, I have received word, the Pop Warner Tournament is scheduled to run 12/1-12/9. This was received from a reliable source who deals with from WDW resorts on a regular basis and found this out. This means that many of the Values will be close to capacity. Though my source could neither confirm nor deny whether POR and POFQ are still the over flow resorts. These dates may change, but I doubt it.

In the past, I had arrived and checked in to the POR on the Friday before the last weekend of the tourney. There was not much evidence of the tournament, save 1 detail. The cheerleaders and their mothers. Makes for loud buses and CS meals. But it was only for that first day and a half. They are a non-factor in the parks themselves and TS meals.

 

[BDL]

It was a fairly eventful morning today. First, I swing by Stop n Shop to pick up some scratch tickets for Easter cards for BDLsgal family and mine. Of course the service desk isn't open yet, so I go to the vending machine (btw... Does anyone even monitor those to make sure kids don't use them?). Got the tickets and I had $4 left over. So, what the heck... I got 2 $2 scratch tickets. On 1 of them I hit for $25. YAY!!! So, when I got to work I added it to the pile of winners that I've been stock piling. That got me thinking, "I wonder how much I have up there..." Did a count and I have about $100 in winners. So I thought, "How much do we have saved for our trip?" So I started to do some Disney math:

PAID: Deposit and vacation insurance- $330
Lottery winnings - $100
Cash received (Xmas & birthday) - $500
Disney gift cards (Xmas & birthday) - $75

With only the deposit out of pocket, 1/3 of our trip is already paid for. If free dining is offered during our trip, than it becomes 1/2 of of vacation is paid for. Maybe to the point where the MVMCP tix would be included as well.

That was the beginning of the morning. Then when I checked disboards, I found this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2904876

It's about the PhotoPass+ program. Which, for an additional fee, will include ride and character meal photos. So, now you gotta start asking... "How much did I pay for my pics from EE, RnR, Splash Mtn and Akershus Pincess breakfast? Is PhotoPass+ worth it? I'm gonna be asking the same thing.

 

[Sam33]

YAY FOR LOTTO TICKETS. I've never won anything on those
We even won a bunch of free ones at the avs game and we didn't even win a dollar!

 

[BDL]

Time keeps moving on. It's a funny thing, time. When you want something to get here, it takes for ever. If you are trying to get something organized before a certain time, it seems to fly by. Case in point... I ABSOLUTELY can't wait for December to get here and I can emerse myself in all things Christmas and Disney. However, I'm trying to get a read on what people will like to eat and when, for each park. I am still getting "I'm sure whatever you choose will be fine." Or worse yet, "Pick whatever you want. As long as I can have a salad, I'll be fine." Now... Anyone who has taken the reins of planning a trip, if you have heard these statements before, did you believe them?

Neither did I.

And with the announcement of Dec. park hours and the 180 day, ADR mark, right around the corner, I am gonna need some honest answers. To that end, I gave those in my group, a copy of the 2012 Unofficial Guide to Disney. I had the 2010 version for the covert planning of our trip that year, and it was a HUGE help. I figure they can sort through the book, look at the restaurants by type and location and HOPEFULLY I'll get honest answers. But, more than that, I hope they can go through it cover to cover. Find any kind of show, attraction or ride that I either forgot or didn't know about and we can add it to the wish list. To their credit, we have narrowed down on where we would like to eat for our Candlelight Procession/dinner combo. We've narrowed it down to either Garden Grill or Tutto Italia.

Wow... Just talking about this is getting me in the mood. WHY CAN'T THE CALENDAR MOVE QUICKER?!?!?!

 

[Sam33]

And then they all complain about the food choices!

"I'm sure whatever you choose will be fine except everything you chose!"

 

[BDL]

Here is the link that I sent to the group that is going down to WDW in Dec. I think it is really cool, and I wanted to help everyone get psyched for the trip (maybe motivate some decisions too ) It's from wdwInfo and it's the 2011 MVMCP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtzC4422jNE

 

[BDL]

I just found and subscribed to the "Lose Weight For Mickey" thread. It is not just a WW thread. There are other options, plans, organizations and personal ideas and testimonials. Hopefully, it will help me shed the lbs that I need to lose, and the lbs that I want to lose for our trip. If anyone is interested, here is the link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1673554&highlight=weight+watcher

 

[BDL]

Well, it's been a few weeks since my last update. And it's been a busy few weeks. My Bruins have been bounced from the playoffs. The bar that I bounce at had been sold. And Starbucks will be invading Disney World.

But all is not lost. Today, I made another payment for our vacation. Tomorrow night, I have an interview with the new owners of the bar to see if I can get my old job back. And I've seen the new artists renditions of the refurbed Test Track which will re-open just before our trip.

With a world in constant flux, for both good and ill, there is something comforting in consistency. I STILL haven't gotten concrete answers from LIL and SIL about ADR's. "What ever you choose will be fine. I'm sure I'll find something on the menu I can eat."

Speaking of eating... BDLsgal and I went out Saturday night. It was the first Saturday night off I'd had in a while, because I am usually working at the bar that night. So it was a combo Date night/Make BDL feel better night (and it worked, I felt better). We went to 1 of our usual haunts, John Brewer's in Waltham. We had a nice meal and some bev-ies. While we were sitting there, we couldn't help but over hear the group of girls in the booth next to ours. And sure enough, they were sitting there planning their Disney trip. We got to hear how many days at which parks they were doing and the highlight of their trip. They will be attempting to "Drink Around the World." Good luck ladies. And you may have inspired me...

 

[BDL]

Thanks to tofubeast for this update. It looks like the prices and dates for MVMCP has been released, but they are not for sale yet:

MVMCP Dates:
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party will be held on the following dates:

November 9, 12, 15, 16*, 25, 27, 29 and 30*
December 2, 4, 6, 7*, 9, 11, 13, 14*, 16, 18, 20* and 21**

*Advance Sale pricing is not available for these dates. Even when purchased in advance, "Day Of" pricing is in effect.

Advance Sales $58.95 Adult / $53.95 Ages 3-9 (plus tax)
Day of Event Sales $64.95/$59.95

** Premium Night Dec 21 $67.95/$62.95

Now, I'm gonna hold off on buying tickets for this. I want to wait until the narrator list for the Candlelight Processional is released. Then I can have a more definitive plan for our trip. But that got me thinking... I wonder what kind of tendencies the narrators have. So I did some research and went from last year to 2008 and got the narrator lists. If this can help you out, I'm glad I could help.


2011
•11/25 - 11/27: Mira Sorvino
•11/28 - 12/01: Michael W. Smith
•12/02 - 12/03: Geena Davis
•12/04 - 12/06: Edward James Olmos (6:45 and 8:15 shows only)
•12/07 - 12/09: Isabela Rossellini
•12/10 - 12/12: Neil Patrick Harris
•12/13- 12/15: Lorraine Bracco
•12/16 - 12/18: Chita Rivera
•12/19 - 12/21: Trace Adkins
•12/22 - 12/24: Susan Lucci
•12/25 - 12/27: Blair Underwood
•12/28 - 12/30: Marlee Matlin (interpreter: Jack Jason)


2010
■11/26–11/28 — Isabella Rossellini
■11/29–12/01 — John O'Hurley
■12/02–12/04 — Corbin Bernsen
■12/05–12/06 — Susan Lucci
■12/07–12/09 — Jodi Benson
■12/10–12/11 — Whoopi Goldberg
■12/12–12/15 — Steven Curtis Chapman
■12/16–12/18 — Thomas Gibson
■12/19–12/21 — Trace Adkins
■12/22–12/23 — Brad Garrett
■12/24–12/27 — Edward James Olmos
■12/28–12/30 — Marlee Matlin/Jack Jason


2009
Isabella Rossellini, Nov. 27-29
John O' Hurley, Nov. 30, Dec. 1-2
Steven Curtis Chapman, Dec. 3-5
To be announced, Dec. 6-8
Andy Garcia, Dec. 9-11
Vanessa Williams, Dec. 12-14
Abigail Breslin, Dec. 15-17
Whoopi Goldberg, Dec. 18-20
Brian Dennehy, Dec. 21-23
Edward James Olmos, Dec. 24-26
Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance, Dec. 27-30

2008
Nov 28-30 John O'Hurley
Dec 1-3 TBD
Dec 4-6 Brian Stokes Mitchell
Dec 7-9 Virginia Madsen
Dec 10-12 Monique Coleman
Dec 13-15 TBD
Dec 16-18 Chita Rivera
Dec 19-21 Abigail Breslin
Dec 22-24 Steven Curtis Chapman
Dec 25-27 Edward James Olmos
Dec 28-30 Marlee Matlin

 

[Sam33]

Drinking around the world is HARD. And we're coming from altitude to sea level so it's easier to drink in WDW. We didn't not get close. Haha

I hope your job deal works out! Keep us posted!

 

[tofubeast]

What date do you think you might do the party? I am going to hold off on CP until a future WDW Holiday trip when my DD is older.

 

[BDL]

What date do you think you might do the party? I am going to hold off on CP until a future WDW Holiday trip when my DD is older.

I'll probably be aiming for the 9th (#1) or the 11th (#2). We get in on the 7th, but if that works out best for our plans or if nothing else is available, we'll do the 7th (#3).

And if you don't want to do a whole CP, I hear tales of people who hang outside the pavillion and take in the carols and narrations at their leisure. So on your EPCOT day/night, you'd be able to catch the gospel group sing their carols, hear the CP carols, take in the story tellers from around the world, the tree lighting and, of course, Illuminations.