Sorry for the post being so long, but we truly wanted to share our Christmas DVC memories with all of you from our trip in December.
Due to catching the flu upon return from WDW and the holiday work load, this report is a bit late. Many months back my wife and I decided to make a trip to Disney World our Christmas present to each other. All I can say about the week is, INCREDIBLE. We were there from the 6th through the 12th of December.
Flew in on Southwest and they were great, always on time and the crews were very friendly and accommodating. We used Tiffany Town cars for our Pickup and Return and they were great. They arrived early at both MCO and OKW, the cars were very clean and the drivers were very personal. We have used them in the past and will continue to use them in the future.
We arrived at Old Key West around 5:30pm. The only room request I had made was a Non-Smoking room close to the Hospitality House and/or near Bldg 18. Ill have to admit that we were given what we requested, albeit a First Floor HA room I just failed to ask that it not be an HA room. We just do not care for the shower much in the HA rooms and it was a bit of a disappointment not to have an upper floor balcony view. We asked if we could have a room change and the CM did his best to re-locate us. The best they could come up with was to take the assigned room for the first night and then they could change our room the next day. The thought of having to unpack, repack, and unpack again just seemed to take away from the idea of a relaxing vacation, so on the ride over to our room I remembered something I saw a few of you guys post here on this board No matter what room you get, your still in the best possible place to be, especially with family and friends and as soon as we unpacked I called the front desk and asked them to just leave us in the original room. That was one of the best moves we made, it just seem to set the attitude for our whole week in that nothing else matters, we are at Walts Place. Oh, and kudos to Danielle and Antonio at Bell Services, these two really know the meaning of Welcome Home. Same goes for the CMs at the Front Desk and Hank at Hanks Rentals.
The room was great, everything was where it was suppose to be and all was in good working order. The DVD player came in handy one night during our stay. The grounds were well maintained, as always. We did dine at Olivias, once for lunch and once for dinner, and the service and the food were exceptional. Bus Service was super, never met an unfriendly driver all week, we even had a couple of them singing Christmas Carols going back and forth to the parks. We did have one long wait to get to MVMCP of about 30 minutes, but all of the other times were way under 15 minutes in waiting.
After we unpacked and settle in for a bit we headed to Olivias for a quick bite and then off to the Magic Kingdom. Yes this was the day they filmed a majority of the Christmas Parade, and yes it was crowded, but we thought the park would thin out later in the night as it was open till Midnight, thought wrong on that one. Saw Wishes for the first time, Holy Cow that was just amazing. We just strolled around the park for about the first hour or two, just taking in the Magic Kingdom and all of its Christmas Spirit. If you cannot go to the Magic Kingdom during the Christmas holidays and get the Christmas Spirit then there is something just plain wrong with you. The place is magical, especially at night, but you have to let the magic in and to do that you have to relax and just absorb what it has to offer, you cant force it. You have to take in the sights, the sounds, the people, the cold night air, the shows and parades, the hot chocolate .well you just have to go to see for yourself if you have never been.
Second day was MGM and that night we did the Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose. At MM, German was our server and he was excellent, we will ask for him next time. This was our first time to eat there and it did seem a bit noisy, but we will definitely go back again. The food was great and getting into the Reserved Sitting area of Fantasmic without fighting the crowd is well worth the cost of having dinner at a great restaurant. The Fantasmic Show was great and we met some nice folks sitting behind us from Roswell, Georgia. I did notice that there was no Pre-Show this time. MGM was not crowded at all and the highlight of this trip was One Mans Dream and Behind the scenes of The Haunted Mansion. The One Mans Dream made us wish that Disney would somehow bring back the old Walt Disney World TV shows from the 60s and 70s, either have a theater at one of the parks just continuously running them or setting aside one of the Resort channels on TV for the On-Site Guests.
Third day was spent at Animal Kingdom. Again no crowds to speak of, most wait times less than 5 minutes. Still havent gotten the warm fuzzies about AK. Its usually just a half-day park for us. Everything seemed well maintained though and the CMs were great. We went from there to DTD and did some shopping and then back Home for dinner at Olivias and watch a little TV, we picked up Snow Dogs at Hanks on DVD and watch it, had to stay in the Disney mood with what we were going to view on tv, good movie though. Stayed up late and walked around Old Key West and just took in the surrounding atmosphere before turning in.
Fourth day, oh yeah, going to MVMCP, woo-hoo!!!. We were so pumped about MVMCP that we even decided to get tickets to a second one on Thursday night. We spent most of the day time hours at Future World. Did have to wait in line at Test Track for about 45 minutes, not due to crowds but some kind of mechanical failure did someone fail the Airbag test? Once again the crowds were minimal, the rides were good to go, and the CMs were great Did have one problem getting into Epcot with the Finger Scanner for the APs, thought I was going to give it the finger before it was all said and done. Tried this one particular turnstile/scanner about 5 times and it would not work, the CM seemed a bit peeved, I think she was having a bad day. This CM would not let us in without a photo ID and all we had were our DVC cards and APs with us. Anyway way, we walked down to the end of the row and tried another turnstile with the same outcome, the CM there said no problem and she reset the finger pattern on the cards, never had another problem. Headed back to OKW for a short break and then on to The Party. No problem getting a bus to MK from OKW. We had PS at Crystal Palace, our first time to eat there, all I can say is WOW. The chefs at CP can throw down some grub. The food was super and the desserts were out of this world. Our waiter did a great job and the characters were coming by our table about every 10 minutes. The wife, being a huge Tigger fan, was all beside herself on this evening. I on the other hand, being a huge dessert fan, was all beside myself as well, and I mean ALL beside myself, I had to loosen up the old belt a few notches after eating there. Good thing we had till midnight to walk it off. Knowing that we were going to do MVMCP twice we did not feel the need to rush around to get to see and do everything. It was great to just slow down and take in the atmosphere of the Magic Kingdom at Christmas, I just cannot express how wonderful that is. We were set for seeing Wishes again and then they add a little extra MVMCP flair to the fireworks, it just knocked our socks off, all we could do was just look at each other and laugh in amazement at what they have created with that show. Again the crowds were low, we even stayed on BTMRR three times without getting off. For the most part everyone was pleasant to be around, however, we did notice a few people, very few but still too many, who just had to smoke wherever they pleased. I think these must be the same people who drive slow in the fast lane, throw their beer cans out on the side of the road, play there car stereo loud enough to be heard inside your house two blocks away, the same people who try to leave a restaurant without paying the check, let there grocery buggy hit the side of your car in the parking lot .. whoooa, easy there big fellow, your are losing that Christmas Spirit you keep talking about .. sorry folks, I digress. Other than THOSE FOLKS you couldnt have asked for a better time at MK and MVMCP.
Fifth day we had the Candlelight Processional on schedule with the Dinner Package reserved at the San Angel Inn in Mexico. Had some concerns about the menu after reading some reviews on the internet, but I should never had doubted Disney because once again the food, service and atmosphere was great. We did run into one incident while waiting for our seating, there was one guy showing his *** to the manager, and I dont mean the Donkey from POC either. We tried not to listen in, but the guy was being a bit vocal to the manager stating that he could have gotten better service at McDonalds and that he should ask for his money back, which the manager did offer, but the guy said he was not complaining just to get his money back (must have been complaining to embarrass the woman that was with him, it was working). Maybe the guy was use to taking his dates to McDonalds for burritos. All I can say is our food and server were excellent, sure it was packed and if you are in a hurry this may not be the place to have dinner. After dinner we headed off to the Candlelight Processional with David Ogden Stiers as the host. We ran back into the folks from Roswell, Ga and sat with them and had a great time. The CP was fantastic and Stiers did an excellent job and he looked as if he was really enjoying the orchestra and choir.
Sixth and final full day, what better way to end it than to go to MVMCP and stay as late as you can at MK. Went back to Epcot and MGM during the daytime hours and caught our favorite rides. Went back to OKW for a break before heading out to MK. This was when we had to wait the longest for a bus to get over to MK, was not a big deal for us but there was a family waiting that had PS at LTT and they were going to be late. Again we can not say enough about being at Disney during Christmas and attending MVMCP. If you love Christmas and you enjoy WDW you have to go during the Holiday Season there is no better place to go to give you that Christmas Spirit. This night was even less crowded than the first MVMCP on Tuesday night and what we didnt get to see or do the first time we did this night. The very last Show of the night was in front of the Castle at 12:00 midnight, we were on the very front row too, and it lasted about 30 minutes. By this time of night the crowd was very, very thin. This allowed us to stroll, ever so slowly, down Mainstreet and take it all in as we worked our way out of the park. Shortly after we got out by the entrance/exit gates Mickey came out for the Goodnight Kiss, a perfect ending to a perfect vacation. When we got back home the wife even mentioned that it seemed like we were on a Honeymoon not just a vacation and folks we have been married for almost 20 years.
Yes the park is showing some age, who of us isnt, and no I dont agree with all of the politics going on at Disney, but WDW can be a very Magical place for if you will let the Magic in. You cannot just show up and expect to see the Magic, you have to let it in and absorb it. Being a DVC Member does help with catching the Magic. It's like one person told us "Some people get Disney and some people never get it". Oh and about the balcony thing and not having a view, you know we really were not in our room enough to have even worried about it.
We hope each and every one of you and yours have a great holiday and a happy new year.
Due to catching the flu upon return from WDW and the holiday work load, this report is a bit late. Many months back my wife and I decided to make a trip to Disney World our Christmas present to each other. All I can say about the week is, INCREDIBLE. We were there from the 6th through the 12th of December.
Flew in on Southwest and they were great, always on time and the crews were very friendly and accommodating. We used Tiffany Town cars for our Pickup and Return and they were great. They arrived early at both MCO and OKW, the cars were very clean and the drivers were very personal. We have used them in the past and will continue to use them in the future.
We arrived at Old Key West around 5:30pm. The only room request I had made was a Non-Smoking room close to the Hospitality House and/or near Bldg 18. Ill have to admit that we were given what we requested, albeit a First Floor HA room I just failed to ask that it not be an HA room. We just do not care for the shower much in the HA rooms and it was a bit of a disappointment not to have an upper floor balcony view. We asked if we could have a room change and the CM did his best to re-locate us. The best they could come up with was to take the assigned room for the first night and then they could change our room the next day. The thought of having to unpack, repack, and unpack again just seemed to take away from the idea of a relaxing vacation, so on the ride over to our room I remembered something I saw a few of you guys post here on this board No matter what room you get, your still in the best possible place to be, especially with family and friends and as soon as we unpacked I called the front desk and asked them to just leave us in the original room. That was one of the best moves we made, it just seem to set the attitude for our whole week in that nothing else matters, we are at Walts Place. Oh, and kudos to Danielle and Antonio at Bell Services, these two really know the meaning of Welcome Home. Same goes for the CMs at the Front Desk and Hank at Hanks Rentals.
The room was great, everything was where it was suppose to be and all was in good working order. The DVD player came in handy one night during our stay. The grounds were well maintained, as always. We did dine at Olivias, once for lunch and once for dinner, and the service and the food were exceptional. Bus Service was super, never met an unfriendly driver all week, we even had a couple of them singing Christmas Carols going back and forth to the parks. We did have one long wait to get to MVMCP of about 30 minutes, but all of the other times were way under 15 minutes in waiting.
After we unpacked and settle in for a bit we headed to Olivias for a quick bite and then off to the Magic Kingdom. Yes this was the day they filmed a majority of the Christmas Parade, and yes it was crowded, but we thought the park would thin out later in the night as it was open till Midnight, thought wrong on that one. Saw Wishes for the first time, Holy Cow that was just amazing. We just strolled around the park for about the first hour or two, just taking in the Magic Kingdom and all of its Christmas Spirit. If you cannot go to the Magic Kingdom during the Christmas holidays and get the Christmas Spirit then there is something just plain wrong with you. The place is magical, especially at night, but you have to let the magic in and to do that you have to relax and just absorb what it has to offer, you cant force it. You have to take in the sights, the sounds, the people, the cold night air, the shows and parades, the hot chocolate .well you just have to go to see for yourself if you have never been.
Second day was MGM and that night we did the Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose. At MM, German was our server and he was excellent, we will ask for him next time. This was our first time to eat there and it did seem a bit noisy, but we will definitely go back again. The food was great and getting into the Reserved Sitting area of Fantasmic without fighting the crowd is well worth the cost of having dinner at a great restaurant. The Fantasmic Show was great and we met some nice folks sitting behind us from Roswell, Georgia. I did notice that there was no Pre-Show this time. MGM was not crowded at all and the highlight of this trip was One Mans Dream and Behind the scenes of The Haunted Mansion. The One Mans Dream made us wish that Disney would somehow bring back the old Walt Disney World TV shows from the 60s and 70s, either have a theater at one of the parks just continuously running them or setting aside one of the Resort channels on TV for the On-Site Guests.
Third day was spent at Animal Kingdom. Again no crowds to speak of, most wait times less than 5 minutes. Still havent gotten the warm fuzzies about AK. Its usually just a half-day park for us. Everything seemed well maintained though and the CMs were great. We went from there to DTD and did some shopping and then back Home for dinner at Olivias and watch a little TV, we picked up Snow Dogs at Hanks on DVD and watch it, had to stay in the Disney mood with what we were going to view on tv, good movie though. Stayed up late and walked around Old Key West and just took in the surrounding atmosphere before turning in.
Fourth day, oh yeah, going to MVMCP, woo-hoo!!!. We were so pumped about MVMCP that we even decided to get tickets to a second one on Thursday night. We spent most of the day time hours at Future World. Did have to wait in line at Test Track for about 45 minutes, not due to crowds but some kind of mechanical failure did someone fail the Airbag test? Once again the crowds were minimal, the rides were good to go, and the CMs were great Did have one problem getting into Epcot with the Finger Scanner for the APs, thought I was going to give it the finger before it was all said and done. Tried this one particular turnstile/scanner about 5 times and it would not work, the CM seemed a bit peeved, I think she was having a bad day. This CM would not let us in without a photo ID and all we had were our DVC cards and APs with us. Anyway way, we walked down to the end of the row and tried another turnstile with the same outcome, the CM there said no problem and she reset the finger pattern on the cards, never had another problem. Headed back to OKW for a short break and then on to The Party. No problem getting a bus to MK from OKW. We had PS at Crystal Palace, our first time to eat there, all I can say is WOW. The chefs at CP can throw down some grub. The food was super and the desserts were out of this world. Our waiter did a great job and the characters were coming by our table about every 10 minutes. The wife, being a huge Tigger fan, was all beside herself on this evening. I on the other hand, being a huge dessert fan, was all beside myself as well, and I mean ALL beside myself, I had to loosen up the old belt a few notches after eating there. Good thing we had till midnight to walk it off. Knowing that we were going to do MVMCP twice we did not feel the need to rush around to get to see and do everything. It was great to just slow down and take in the atmosphere of the Magic Kingdom at Christmas, I just cannot express how wonderful that is. We were set for seeing Wishes again and then they add a little extra MVMCP flair to the fireworks, it just knocked our socks off, all we could do was just look at each other and laugh in amazement at what they have created with that show. Again the crowds were low, we even stayed on BTMRR three times without getting off. For the most part everyone was pleasant to be around, however, we did notice a few people, very few but still too many, who just had to smoke wherever they pleased. I think these must be the same people who drive slow in the fast lane, throw their beer cans out on the side of the road, play there car stereo loud enough to be heard inside your house two blocks away, the same people who try to leave a restaurant without paying the check, let there grocery buggy hit the side of your car in the parking lot .. whoooa, easy there big fellow, your are losing that Christmas Spirit you keep talking about .. sorry folks, I digress. Other than THOSE FOLKS you couldnt have asked for a better time at MK and MVMCP.
Fifth day we had the Candlelight Processional on schedule with the Dinner Package reserved at the San Angel Inn in Mexico. Had some concerns about the menu after reading some reviews on the internet, but I should never had doubted Disney because once again the food, service and atmosphere was great. We did run into one incident while waiting for our seating, there was one guy showing his *** to the manager, and I dont mean the Donkey from POC either. We tried not to listen in, but the guy was being a bit vocal to the manager stating that he could have gotten better service at McDonalds and that he should ask for his money back, which the manager did offer, but the guy said he was not complaining just to get his money back (must have been complaining to embarrass the woman that was with him, it was working). Maybe the guy was use to taking his dates to McDonalds for burritos. All I can say is our food and server were excellent, sure it was packed and if you are in a hurry this may not be the place to have dinner. After dinner we headed off to the Candlelight Processional with David Ogden Stiers as the host. We ran back into the folks from Roswell, Ga and sat with them and had a great time. The CP was fantastic and Stiers did an excellent job and he looked as if he was really enjoying the orchestra and choir.
Sixth and final full day, what better way to end it than to go to MVMCP and stay as late as you can at MK. Went back to Epcot and MGM during the daytime hours and caught our favorite rides. Went back to OKW for a break before heading out to MK. This was when we had to wait the longest for a bus to get over to MK, was not a big deal for us but there was a family waiting that had PS at LTT and they were going to be late. Again we can not say enough about being at Disney during Christmas and attending MVMCP. If you love Christmas and you enjoy WDW you have to go during the Holiday Season there is no better place to go to give you that Christmas Spirit. This night was even less crowded than the first MVMCP on Tuesday night and what we didnt get to see or do the first time we did this night. The very last Show of the night was in front of the Castle at 12:00 midnight, we were on the very front row too, and it lasted about 30 minutes. By this time of night the crowd was very, very thin. This allowed us to stroll, ever so slowly, down Mainstreet and take it all in as we worked our way out of the park. Shortly after we got out by the entrance/exit gates Mickey came out for the Goodnight Kiss, a perfect ending to a perfect vacation. When we got back home the wife even mentioned that it seemed like we were on a Honeymoon not just a vacation and folks we have been married for almost 20 years.
Yes the park is showing some age, who of us isnt, and no I dont agree with all of the politics going on at Disney, but WDW can be a very Magical place for if you will let the Magic in. You cannot just show up and expect to see the Magic, you have to let it in and absorb it. Being a DVC Member does help with catching the Magic. It's like one person told us "Some people get Disney and some people never get it". Oh and about the balcony thing and not having a view, you know we really were not in our room enough to have even worried about it.
We hope each and every one of you and yours have a great holiday and a happy new year.
