Our Christmas EXTRAVAGANZA! From Snow to Sun! *Updated 7/3

[WildernessExplorer04]

Our Christmas EXTRAVAGANZA! From Snow to Sun!

Hello DisBoards! If you have followed me over here from my previous TR, or if you just stumbled across this, I'm so excited you decided to join me in my first PTR ever!

Here is the cast of this lovely holiday trip we'll be taking:

Me:

My name is Alex, I'm 17 years old, and I often like to think I'm a princess. This trip will be my thirteenth trip to Disney World and I couldn't be more excited! I love Disney with all my heart and soul and I don't know what I would do with my life if this place didn't exist. I'm definitely planning on participating in the Disney College Program when I can, and I'm also sure that I want to end up with this company in my career.

Favorites:
Park: Magic Kingdom.
Attractions: Mickey's PhilharMagic, Splash Mountain, TTA, Soarin', Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion.
Movies: Tanlged, Peter Pan, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Up, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Princess and the Frog, and Saving Mr. Banks.
Characters: Eugene. He's perfect . Rapunzel, Russell from Up, Belle, Pocahontas, Minnie Mouse, Wendy, Alice, Peter, Drizella and Anastasia Tremaine, and the Mad Hatter.


Nick:

Nick is my brother and he loves Disney more than the average person, also, but he's just not as vocal about it as I am. He's 14 years old, and just usually goes with the flow--aka whatever plan my mother and I come up with for our trips! Just being in Disney is enough!

Favorites:
Park: Magic Kingdom.
Attractions: Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest, and Splash Mountain.
Movies: Frozen, Tangled, Pirates of the Caribbean, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Wreck-It Ralph.
Characters: Olaf, Sven, Elsa, and Vladimir (ceramic unicorn collector from Tangled).


Mom (pictured here with my brother):

When it comes to Disney, her strategy is to get as much done as possible with the time we have! She's the main planner in our family (with some help from me) and I'm so thankful that she takes all this time to make sure we have the best vacation possible!

Favorites:
Park: Tie between Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
Attractions: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Festival of the Lion King, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, and Soarin'.
Movies: Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, Brave, Frozen, and Tangled.
Characters: Seven Dwarves, Belle, Ariel, and Rapunzel.


Dad:

Out of the four of us, he's the least ecstatic about Disney, but he still loves it! His vacation pace is more relaxed than the rest of us, but that's actually really beneficial because he reminds us to take breaks so we don't get too exhausted before the day is over. He also is most definitely NOT a thrill ride guy. No Tower of Terror, no Expedition Everest, no Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and ESPECIALLY not the teacups! Splash Mountain, Kali River Rapids, and Test Track are the only somewhat intense rides he'll agree to go on.

Favorites:
Park: Magic Kingdom.
Attractions: Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Toy Story Mania, and Kali River Rapids.
Movies: Monsters University, Saving Mr. Banks, Wreck-It Ralph, Cars, and Cars 2.
Characters: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Sulley, Ralph, Vanellope, and Captain Jack Sparrow.


And that concludes the cast of this trip!

So, here are the details about our trip thus far:

We are planning on flying down there the day after Christmas, December 26th, and coming back on January 4th. This means that we won't be able to experience MVMCP, but we will be seeing the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights and EPCOT's Candlelight Processional!

We are getting 9-day park hopper passes, so we'll be able to go to the parks every day except for the day we leave. On that day we'll most likely end up going to one of the resorts for a nice breakfast before we depart.

We are staying at Coronado Springs the whole time and I'm so excited for that! We've stayed there once before, about 10 years ago, which was coincidentally for Christmas, too! So this will be our second time at Coronado and our second time going for Christmas!

I started a countdown the day we booked this trip; at that time, we had 325 days to go. Now we have 314! That's a long time away, so there will most likely be long periods of time between updates here, just a warning. I'd still love to have you all join along, though!

So, I guess that's it for now! I'd love to know if you're following along and I always appreciate your comments!
​

 

[khertz]

I'm so in for this, Alex!!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I'm so in for this, Alex!!

Thanks for coming along, Kristy! So glad you're here!

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I'm in!!! This is so exciting! I loved Coronado Springs (if you don't remember 10 years ago) you will love it


Can't wait for more updates!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I'm in!!! This is so exciting! I loved Coronado Springs (if you don't remember 10 years ago) you will love it Can't wait for more updates!

Hooray, thanks for joining!

I vaguely remember Coronado; actually, I really only remember the pool because I thought it was the coolest thing ever and kind of still do! We only have one picture from in the resort the last time we stayed there, and it's just of my brother and I at the bus stop, lol.
What section did you stay in when you were there? We're pretty sure we're going to request Casitas because of most of the positive reviews we've read online, but what's your opinion?

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

REALLY Early Planning Stages

As of today, there are now only 306 days until our vacation! WOOOOOO! Only 7 more days and we'll be in the 200's! Oh boy, this is going to be such a long wait.

We have officially picked out our Magic Band colors, also! At least for now...this is subject to change.
Dad chose orange, Nick chose green, mom chose red, and I chose pink!
This will be our first time using magic bands and I couldn't be more excited!
Although, I'm not too fond of the Fastpass+ system they've got going. Only three Fastpasses per day?!?!
Have any of you experienced this system? What are your thoughts on it?

Also, on Friday, we received this in the mail!

It was really exciting. They had personalized it with our name on it and everything! I love when Disney does things like this. It's normal for them, but it still makes me feel pretty special.

This booklet was filled with attraction and dining recommendations for us and we all had lots of fun looking through it.

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

That's about all the progress that's been made towards our trip, but I wanted to get this quick update in so you have something to read.

306 days!​

 

[khertz]

I remember being excited when we got our packet too! So cute how they personalize everything. It makes it all feel more real!

We customized our Magic Bands too... I wonder how soon before the trip they mail them out?

I'm not excited about FP+ at all. I think only 3 a day is a bit ridiculous!! But we ultimately decided to go ahead with staying onsite because the idea of setting up those 3 FP+ each day at a kiosk the day of instead of in advance sounded even more unappealing than just getting 3 a day! I hope they decided to increase the number sometime in the not so distant future. I guess I will have to report back on my experience after our May weekend trip! We get to book our FP's this weekend!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I remember being excited when we got our packet too! So cute how they personalize everything. It makes it all feel more real!

We customized our Magic Bands too... I wonder how soon before the trip they mail them out?

I'm not excited about FP+ at all. I think only 3 a day is a bit ridiculous!! But we ultimately decided to go ahead with staying onsite because the idea of setting up those 3 FP+ each day at a kiosk the day of instead of in advance sounded even more unappealing than just getting 3 a day! I hope they decided to increase the number sometime in the not so distant future. I guess I will have to report back on my experience after our May weekend trip! We get to book our FP's this weekend!

Hmmm...I wonder how soon they mail them out, too. Probably not too early!

Those poor people who have to stand in line just to get three Fastpasses! I can't imagine how irritating that would be. Getting them in advance and staying on property sounds like the best option, no doubt. And I really hope they increase the amount of Fastpasses you can get, or realize how ridiculous this is getting and just go back to the old system! I liked that much better!

That's so exciting! Yes, please report back on your FP+ experience, I'd love any advice you have on navigating around the parks with this system!

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Following along!

Awesome! Glad to have you here!

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I liked FP+! I like being able to kinda 'choose' your time! The only dilemma we had with the 'only 3 FP' part was at Epcot...SOARIN OR TEST TRACK?!?! We chose Soarin because it was more important to us! If you ever have a problem like that...I'd recommend getting to the park at rope drop and doing the attractions you don't have FP for!!!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I liked FP+! I like being able to kinda 'choose' your time! The only dilemma we had with the 'only 3 FP' part was at Epcot...SOARIN OR TEST TRACK?!?! We chose Soarin because it was more important to us! If you ever have a problem like that...I'd recommend getting to the park at rope drop and doing the attractions you don't have FP for!!!

I KNOW RIGHT. WHICH ONE DO YOU CHOOOOOSE?!?!?! It's just unfair to us. Shame on you Disney. We're probably going to get there at rope drop and go to the one we don't have a FP for, yeah. It's basically the only option we have now.

The choose your time is pretty nice, I have to say, but I don't know how I'm going to make the "only 3" thing work. I guess we'll just have to take this vacation at a slower pace than our previous ones, which won't be a bad thing. It'll feel more relaxed, and since it's in the middle of the school year, that could actually turn out to be wonderful.

You didn't experience any other problems with the "only 3" rule at any other park, only EPCOT? What about MK?

Thank you so much for this advice!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

For the First Time in Forever

So, it's been over a month since I last updated this. That's a problem. I'm here to fix that. So, "for the first time in forever," here's an update!
Unfortunately, my life just kind of exploded with schoolwork and activities and responsibilities in March. SUCH A HECTIC MONTH.
But now everything has calmed down. And before I update y'all on our Disney progress, I'll fill you in with all this craziness.

So, besides dance classes three times a week, religious class, ACT prep classes, and school, I've also had musical rehearsal. That has been the dominating activity in my life since February, but in March it REALLY started to take over.

We did the musical "Sugar" based on the movie "Some Like it Hot" starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon.
OH MY GOD this was the most fun show EVER.
Like, seriously, it couldn't have been more perfect.
I doubled on parts as a girl band member (who went by the name of Janet) and a tap-dancing gangster. AHHHHH being a tap-dancing gangster was the BEST. I could not have loved it more. I even had the opportunity of choreographing one of our dances and it was so much fun!

The plot of this musical is as follows: two male musicians witness the St. Valentine's Massacre (which was performed by yours truly), and the gang leader, Spats Palazzo, is out to get them for seeing this event that they weren't supposed to. So the two musicians dress up as women and join an all-girls band in order escape without their identity being found out. Hilarity then ensues.

It was hysterically entertaining to see two of my best friends dressed up as women, dancing like women, and talking like women. OH THE LAUGHTER. This was definitely my favorite musical I've ever performed in.
For your viewing pleasure, here are a few pictures from our performances.

The "girls":

Tap-dancing gangsters:

Can you tell I enjoyed this role just a little too much?

The girl band:

On the train:

And here's a bonus one of the many selfies that were taken backstage throughout this whole experience (I'm on the left):

As you can see, or as I hope you can see, this was a heck of a lot of fun and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything!
So yeah. That has been my life for the past two months. But we had our performances last weekend and now I actually have free time!

NOW ON TO THE DISNEY STUFF!

Not a whole lot has happened, but we've started to organize our priorities in regards to restaurants, rides, and characters.
We all made lists of our top restaurant choices, so once they announce the Extra Magic Hours schedule for December/January and the 180 day mark hits, we'll have our eating schedule planned out (because that's VERY important). So far, the restaurants we'll absolutely be eating at include as follows: 1900 Park Fare, California Grill, Chef Mickey's, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Be Our Guest, Kona Café, and Hoop Dee Doo Review. We all agree on those, so those are definite. This time, we're looking to spend more time trying restaurants at the resorts (as you can see) instead of in the parks, even if that means less park time. I can't wait to try all of this food!!!

We also made lists of our top priority rides we would like Fastpasses for. Because of the new system, we need to know this ahead of time. So once the EMH schedule is released, we can plan what parks we'll be going to on which day, so we can reserve our Fastpasses for our high priority rides.

For now, it's mostly waiting, though.

266 DAYS!​

 

[Surfinpiratee]

Umm we had FP for Pirates, Peter Pan, and Buzz Lightyear. We got there at RD and did Jungle Cruise first, then haunted mansion, and I dont remember what else..but any ride that generally has a 30+ min wait we did right away! Everything we did at MK was pretty much walk on! Except under the sea and winnie the pooh..but we had time to kill before Wishes. Between getting rides out of the way in the morning, sorcerers of MK, and our FP selections we were zig zagging throughout the park! Haha..but it worked. We went in January, so splash was closed and they still had the paper FP so we got those for Thunder Mountain. But if we went now...I might replace pirates and buzz with SM and BTMR. However when you go you have SEVEN DWARFS MINE TRAIN! (Im excited.) So you just gotta choose wisely for your FP..then head straight for certain attractions at RD.

Alsoo..disney announced they mightdo more than the 3 FP! So hopefully that will be completed by December!

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I KNOW RIGHT. WHICH ONE DO YOU CHOOOOOSE?!?!?! It's just unfair to us. Shame on you Disney. We're probably going to get there at rope drop and go to the one we don't have a FP for, yeah. It's basically the only option we have now.

The choose your time is pretty nice, I have to say, but I don't know how I'm going to make the "only 3" thing work. I guess we'll just have to take this vacation at a slower pace than our previous ones, which won't be a bad thing. It'll feel more relaxed, and since it's in the middle of the school year, that could actually turn out to be wonderful.

You didn't experience any other problems with the "only 3" rule at any other park, only EPCOT? What about MK?

Thank you so much for this advice!

Oh! I thought of another piece of advice! I wouldn't make FP selections for anything before like.. noon-1pm...because if you get there at RD you dont need to have a FP anyway haha

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Umm we had FP for Pirates, Peter Pan, and Buzz Lightyear. We got there at RD and did Jungle Cruise first, then haunted mansion, and I dont remember what else..but any ride that generally has a 30+ min wait we did right away! Everything we did at MK was pretty much walk on! Except under the sea and winnie the pooh..but we had time to kill before Wishes. Between getting rides out of the way in the morning, sorcerers of MK, and our FP selections we were zig zagging throughout the park! Haha..but it worked. We went in January, so splash was closed and they still had the paper FP so we got those for Thunder Mountain. But if we went now...I might replace pirates and buzz with SM and BTMR. However when you go you have SEVEN DWARFS MINE TRAIN! (Im excited.) So you just gotta choose wisely for your FP..then head straight for certain attractions at RD.

Alsoo..disney announced they mightdo more than the 3 FP! So hopefully that will be completed by December!

Oh! I thought of another piece of advice! I wouldn't make FP selections for anything before like.. noon-1pm...because if you get there at RD you dont need to have a FP anyway haha

That sounds like you got a lot done! I'm worried about the crowds because we're going during the Christmas season, but I guess we'll probably just get up really early and ride our top priorities then. And later in the day, we could just go back to the resort and swim or visit other resorts or go to Downtown Disney. OR we could make our FP+ reservations for then. Haha, that's probably what we'd most likely end up doing. And later at night, I'm hoping there won't be as many people, either. We'll just have to see, I guess!

I really hope they do that rolling FP thing they're speculating about. It would definitely make life a WHOLE lot easier. I think that's where you have three initial FPs and then as you use them throughout the day, you can use they My Disney Experience app on your phone to get more FPs. That would be so nice!

 

[Surfinpiratee]

That sounds like you got a lot done! I'm worried about the crowds because we're going during the Christmas season, but I guess we'll probably just get up really early and ride our top priorities then. And later in the day, we could just go back to the resort and swim or visit other resorts or go to Downtown Disney. OR we could make our FP+ reservations for then. Haha, that's probably what we'd most likely end up doing. And later at night, I'm hoping there won't be as many people, either. We'll just have to see, I guess!

I really hope they do that rolling FP thing they're speculating about. It would definitely make life a WHOLE lot easier. I think that's where you have three initial FPs and then as you use them throughout the day, you can use they My Disney Experience app on your phone to get more FPs. That would be so nice!

I know!!! Im sure they will...thats a while a way I feel...lol.

Arent you going to be there for a while though too? Are you spending more than one day at MK?

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I know!!! Im sure they will...thats a while a way I feel...lol.

Arent you going to be there for a while though too? Are you spending more than one day at MK?

Yep, we'll be there for a total of ten days, so we'll definitely be at MK for more than one day. We're also getting park hoppers, so we can just head on over there whenever we feel like it, too.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

Yep, we'll be there for a total of ten days, so we'll definitely be at MK for more than one day. We're also getting park hoppers, so we can just head on over there whenever we feel like it, too.

You should be totally fine!!! I don't think you need to worry about anything

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

You should be totally fine!!! I don't think you need to worry about anything

I hope so! Thanks again!