Pre-Trip Planning: Danielle's 2008 WDW Christmas Adventure
- Thread starter joelp
- Start date
Another week - how time flies ...
(too slowly when WDW is still 9+ months away ...)
We booked a trip in May to see Jed, Mindi, and Nina ... I got Southwest for $168 round trip out of Philly to Tampa with perfect travel times ...
It's my first time flying SW, so hopefully all the good things I've heard about them will be true.
Mindi suggested the possibility of hitting WDW for a day or so - but the DW wasn't thrilled with the idea ... and Jed does A LOT of travelling with his job ... and I'm so focused on December 2008 that only a day at WDW could be torture ... and the thought of going to Sea World - and being THAT close to WDW and not going there ...
- so we're just going to stay in the Tampa area and hit Busch Gardens and the beach ...
So - back to December 2008 WDW planning ... to recap what we have so far:
Day 1 - Evening: Monorail Resort Tour
ADR Chef Mickey's 7:00 pm
alt - 1900 Park Fare
back-up: DTD with dinner at?
And then back to AKL for a possible "sleepover" for Danielle and Nina ... and some news here, too: Mindi and Jed are thinking of staying at the AKL for a night or 2 also ...
... which will make the "sleepover" all that easier ... as well as give da DB and DSil a little more incentive to get their butts out of bed early Sunday morning for the MK "welcoming ceremony"!!
The first part of Day 2 is covered in Post #40 ("Tradition"!!)
As I was saying, things did not go quite as planned last May ... although the two kids were going wacko all morning wanting to go to Cinderella's Castle ("Is it time to go now?!?") ...
Our last stop before lunch was a visit to Storytime with Belle, which is held in a small garden area alongside the castle. Very cute!! And at the end of the show, all the kids (big and small ...
...) get to go and meet Belle and have pictures taken, etc. However, this was Danielle's first up close and personal visit with a "REAL" princess, and as you can see from the following, Danielle wasn't enjoying this at all:
Not a good sign!!
And then when we got to see Cinderalla - Danielle totally freaked out and wouldn't even go near her ...
... she was COMPLETELY awestruck!! (and my stomach went back into spin cycle ...) 
So at the suggestion of the photographer, we went upstairs for lunch (not that I was hungry ...) and would come back down later and see if Danielle would be in a better mood ... (needless to say, Nina was right in there with Cinderella having a grand old time!!)
And then some of that WDW magic happened: the Fairy Godmother came by our table and I mentioned how shy Danielle had been with Cinderella ... and she proceeded to get down on one knee and talk and sing to my DW for about 5 minutes, telling her a story about how it's OK to be shy, and Cinderalla is really just a girl like her ...
and I just stood there with the videocamera running, in amazement the whole time ...
and then Jasmine stopped by:
and Danielle had a BIG smile on her face, and all was right with the world ...
BTW: check out page 10 of the AAA 2008 WDW brochure ... when I saw that ...
And then when Danielle and I were walking down the stairs after lunch, she spotted Cinderalla and started waving happily ("Hi Cinderella!! Hi Cinderella!!") -
Anyway - I (and my stomach!!) hope we won't have to go through the same thing this December!!
So - after lunch with Cindy (and some more news here also: it looks like Claire and Grace will be there!!) we'll hit a few more attractions and then watch the parade ...
... and then head back to the AKL ...
So Day 2 shapes up likes this:
8:15 arrive at MK gates, because at
9:00
take in the "Dreams Come True" show, then bop around Fantasyland, Mickey's Toon Town Fair, and Tomorrowland until
1:00 pm ADR for lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table
then bop around some more until the parade ... and then back to the AKL by 4:30 or so ...
Sound good???
Next up: Day 3 ... Epcot?
(too slowly when WDW is still 9+ months away ...)We booked a trip in May to see Jed, Mindi, and Nina ... I got Southwest for $168 round trip out of Philly to Tampa with perfect travel times ...
It's my first time flying SW, so hopefully all the good things I've heard about them will be true. Mindi suggested the possibility of hitting WDW for a day or so - but the DW wasn't thrilled with the idea ... and Jed does A LOT of travelling with his job ... and I'm so focused on December 2008 that only a day at WDW could be torture ... and the thought of going to Sea World - and being THAT close to WDW and not going there ...
- so we're just going to stay in the Tampa area and hit Busch Gardens and the beach ...So - back to December 2008 WDW planning ... to recap what we have so far:
Day 1 - Evening: Monorail Resort Tour
ADR Chef Mickey's 7:00 pm
alt - 1900 Park Fare
back-up: DTD with dinner at?
And then back to AKL for a possible "sleepover" for Danielle and Nina ... and some news here, too: Mindi and Jed are thinking of staying at the AKL for a night or 2 also ...
... which will make the "sleepover" all that easier ... as well as give da DB and DSil a little more incentive to get their butts out of bed early Sunday morning for the MK "welcoming ceremony"!! The first part of Day 2 is covered in Post #40 ("Tradition"!!)
As I was saying, things did not go quite as planned last May ... although the two kids were going wacko all morning wanting to go to Cinderella's Castle ("Is it time to go now?!?") ...
Our last stop before lunch was a visit to Storytime with Belle, which is held in a small garden area alongside the castle. Very cute!! And at the end of the show, all the kids (big and small ...
...) get to go and meet Belle and have pictures taken, etc. However, this was Danielle's first up close and personal visit with a "REAL" princess, and as you can see from the following, Danielle wasn't enjoying this at all:
Not a good sign!!
And then when we got to see Cinderalla - Danielle totally freaked out and wouldn't even go near her ...
... she was COMPLETELY awestruck!! (and my stomach went back into spin cycle ...) So at the suggestion of the photographer, we went upstairs for lunch (not that I was hungry ...) and would come back down later and see if Danielle would be in a better mood ... (needless to say, Nina was right in there with Cinderella having a grand old time!!)
And then some of that WDW magic happened: the Fairy Godmother came by our table and I mentioned how shy Danielle had been with Cinderella ... and she proceeded to get down on one knee and talk and sing to my DW for about 5 minutes, telling her a story about how it's OK to be shy, and Cinderalla is really just a girl like her ...
and I just stood there with the videocamera running, in amazement the whole time ...
and then Jasmine stopped by:
and Danielle had a BIG smile on her face, and all was right with the world ...
BTW: check out page 10 of the AAA 2008 WDW brochure ... when I saw that ...
And then when Danielle and I were walking down the stairs after lunch, she spotted Cinderalla and started waving happily ("Hi Cinderella!! Hi Cinderella!!") -
Anyway - I (and my stomach!!) hope we won't have to go through the same thing this December!!
So - after lunch with Cindy (and some more news here also: it looks like Claire and Grace will be there!!) we'll hit a few more attractions and then watch the parade ...
... and then head back to the AKL ...
So Day 2 shapes up likes this:
8:15 arrive at MK gates, because at
9:00
take in the "Dreams Come True" show, then bop around Fantasyland, Mickey's Toon Town Fair, and Tomorrowland until
1:00 pm ADR for lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table
then bop around some more until the parade ... and then back to the AKL by 4:30 or so ...
Sound good???
Next up: Day 3 ... Epcot?
bigbrian-nc.com
Mousin it Up!
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2005
Day 2- MK sounds like a great loose plan, not overly ambitious, early in early out to stay rested, very well thought out, you'll get a lot done those first few hours in the park.
Yea - I'm also trying to avoid the DD having a "meltdown" that first night at WDW ... that's what happened last May when we went back to the MK Sunday night (EMH ....)
She had her nap and was in fine form - it was just starting to get dark and we were walking to Cosmic Ray's for dinner ... and all the concession stands were pulling out their "light up - spinning - flashing toys" ... So we got her the one she wanted (a cool necklace-thing that flashes colored lights in different patterns - and a bargain at $5) ...
But 43 seconds later she saw something else she wanted ... and since we wouldn't get it for her: MELTDOWN!!
Basically, she was hungry and overstimulated ...
But when I told her the fireworks were about to start, she perked up (Danielle LOVES fireworks!!) ... So we headed back to Fantasyland and watched them from behind the castle, and then jumped onto Cinderella's Carousel (she loves riding Cindy's Horse, too!!)
And then we strolled over and did the Haunted Mansion (at night - and she was fine with that, too ... I'm not sure she knew what to make of the ghosts ...) ... and ended the night in the Country Bear Jamboree (which we thought would be a "fun" thing for her after the Haunted Mansion - but I think singing bears freaked her out more than singing ghosts!!!)
So this next trip we'll just head back to the AKL - relax a little - and then have dinner at Boma and hang out in the resort ... So - I need to add a 7:00 pm dinner ADR onto the schedule ...
Now - the rest of the week depends (in part) on when we go to MVMCP ... and I'm going to start another thread to get some info about that ...
She had her nap and was in fine form - it was just starting to get dark and we were walking to Cosmic Ray's for dinner ... and all the concession stands were pulling out their "light up - spinning - flashing toys" ... So we got her the one she wanted (a cool necklace-thing that flashes colored lights in different patterns - and a bargain at $5) ...
But 43 seconds later she saw something else she wanted ... and since we wouldn't get it for her: MELTDOWN!!
Basically, she was hungry and overstimulated ...
But when I told her the fireworks were about to start, she perked up (Danielle LOVES fireworks!!) ... So we headed back to Fantasyland and watched them from behind the castle, and then jumped onto Cinderella's Carousel (she loves riding Cindy's Horse, too!!)
And then we strolled over and did the Haunted Mansion (at night - and she was fine with that, too ... I'm not sure she knew what to make of the ghosts ...) ... and ended the night in the Country Bear Jamboree (which we thought would be a "fun" thing for her after the Haunted Mansion - but I think singing bears freaked her out more than singing ghosts!!!)
So this next trip we'll just head back to the AKL - relax a little - and then have dinner at Boma and hang out in the resort ... So - I need to add a 7:00 pm dinner ADR onto the schedule ...
Now - the rest of the week depends (in part) on when we go to MVMCP ... and I'm going to start another thread to get some info about that ...
The DW and DD are both sleeping - so I actually have some time to use the computer!!
I haven't recieved much feedback on which day is best for hitting MVMCP ... but it looks like Tuesday or Thursday would be best ...
I wasn't going to pick up the 2008 "Unofficial Guide" - because the 2009 edition will be out in October (and we're not going until December ...), but I quickly realized I couldn't get along without it, and I had a 30% off coupon at Borders ...
One of the benefits of getting the guide is that you can go on the web site and check out the "crowd calendar" months in advance - so that's what I did. I planned our May 2007 trip pretty much around the "best" parks to visit on those days, and it seemed to work pretty well. Soooo - for Dec 8-13, the following are listed as the "best" parks to visit:
Monday - Epcot and Disney Studios
Tuesday - MK and AK
Wednesday - MK and DS
Thursday - Epcot and AK
Friday - AK
Saturday - MK and Epcot (surprisingly - I guess because most people are traveling?)
So the going to MVMCP [I write and speak 'merican good!! ] on Tuesday would appear to work well with the "crowd calendar" ... and then filling out the rest of the days, the initial plan is as follows:
Monday - Epcot (Soarin' !!!
)
Tuesday - sleep-in and DTD (or hang out at AKL) in the morning and MK/MVMCP later
Wednesday - sleep-in (after a late MVMCP night) and hang out at AKL - then over to DS later in the day
Thursday - back to Epcot (start with an early breakfast at Akershus with the
)
Friday - AK (with dinner at Boma)
Saturday - ???
This could change once EMH are posted (I would like to have EMH for Tuesday at DS ...) - but the one thing I don't really like is that we'd be done with the MK early in the week ... So I think I'd try to drag the DW and DD back to the MK on our get-away ("getaway"? or "get away"? ...
) day for a few hours ... 
which would be a cool way to end the vacation ... 
How's that look for a "skeleton"?
OK - time to put
out one last time ...
Until next time ...
I haven't recieved much feedback on which day is best for hitting MVMCP ... but it looks like Tuesday or Thursday would be best ...
I wasn't going to pick up the 2008 "Unofficial Guide" - because the 2009 edition will be out in October (and we're not going until December ...), but I quickly realized I couldn't get along without it, and I had a 30% off coupon at Borders ...
One of the benefits of getting the guide is that you can go on the web site and check out the "crowd calendar" months in advance - so that's what I did. I planned our May 2007 trip pretty much around the "best" parks to visit on those days, and it seemed to work pretty well. Soooo - for Dec 8-13, the following are listed as the "best" parks to visit:
Monday - Epcot and Disney Studios
Tuesday - MK and AK
Wednesday - MK and DS
Thursday - Epcot and AK
Friday - AK
Saturday - MK and Epcot (surprisingly - I guess because most people are traveling?)
So the going to MVMCP [I write and speak 'merican good!!
] on Tuesday would appear to work well with the "crowd calendar" ... and then filling out the rest of the days, the initial plan is as follows:Monday - Epcot (Soarin' !!!
)Tuesday - sleep-in and DTD (or hang out at AKL) in the morning and MK/MVMCP later
Wednesday - sleep-in (after a late MVMCP night) and hang out at AKL - then over to DS later in the day
Thursday - back to Epcot (start with an early breakfast at Akershus with the
)Friday - AK (with dinner at Boma)
Saturday - ???
This could change once EMH are posted (I would like to have EMH for Tuesday at DS ...) - but the one thing I don't really like is that we'd be done with the MK early in the week ... So I think I'd try to drag the DW and DD back to the MK on our get-away ("getaway"? or "get away"? ...
) day for a few hours ... which would be a cool way to end the vacation ... How's that look for a "skeleton"?
OK - time to put
out one last time ...Until next time ...
tmfranlk
Love hanging at the World with my sweet girls.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2001
Looks pretty good. I would definitely suggest a weekday for MVMCP. The weekend dates bring in local crowds as well so they get busier. Though, I have heard that all of the parties are picking up in popularity so be prepared for that as well.
I just found out they may be filming the annual WDW Christmas Parade December 6-7 ... is that a or a 
...
Right now, we're planning to be at the MK on Dec 7 ...
Anyone have any experience with this? I know Main Street will be
How about the rest of the MK?
Is this an all day thing - or do they shoot in "real time" and get it over with ...?
or a ... Right now, we're planning to be at the MK on Dec 7 ...
Anyone have any experience with this? I know Main Street will be
How about the rest of the MK?
Is this an all day thing - or do they shoot in "real time" and get it over with ...?
tmfranlk
Love hanging at the World with my sweet girls.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2001
The rest of MK isn't too bad until just after they are done taping. While Main Street is crowded, the people mainly stay there and the rides are good. However after taping, those people (some with free passes to be there because of the parade) will flock to the rides. While it's not a "real time" thing, it also doesn't go all day. I'd guess mid-afternoon is when they're done with the parade, but then they may also do some concert performances after that. Do a search on the theme park board for parade info and maybe someone knows timing better than I do. The one time we were there on the parade taping day we left around noon and it was stil going.
I was going to post last night, but the DW was visiting the Philly Flower Show 
so I put Danielle to bed and ended up joining her in La-La Land at 8:30 ...
Right now they're watching George "Butt-Flap Boy" of the Jungle ...
So - with less than 3 months to go until "ADR Day"
I need to pick up the planning pace a little ...
I didn't get too much feedback about the WDW Christmas Day Parade filming, but I gather that (1) Main Street will be wall-to-wall people (2) they probably won't be running the Castle forecourt show (?) - because the area will be set up for the "celebrity" performances, and (3) the usual MK afternoon parade probably won't happen (?). I"m guessing at #2 and #3 - any one have any insight?
Those are the "negatives" ... On the positive side, since a lot of people will be trying to see the parade and "celebrities" - I guess the attraction lines would be shorter ... And - it may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the Christmas Parade "live" .... So - no changes to Sunday's plans (so far ...)
On to Day 3 - Monday December 9 - and Epcot!!
Last May we spent a day-and-a-half at Epcot - but I really didn't get to see a lot - so I want to make up for it on this trip!!
Danielle went with her grandparents to Akershus for breakfast with the Princesses, so Vicki and I had the first part of the day to ourselves - with a 12:30 ADR for lunch at Restaurant Marakesh at Morocco. [We'll be taking her to Akershus this trip - but that's for a later day ...]
Our first decision we had that morning was Soarin' or Mission:Space? - and wisely, we chose Soarin' - which is now my FAVORITE ride of all time!!!
So now that she's tall enough, I can't wait to take Danielle "flying" in December - and hear those immortal words: "Again!! Let's do it again!!"
So it will be early start in the morning - with breakfast at Mara - so we can be on the first Soarin' ride of the day ("Top Row - Center, please" - and "Shoes off!!") -- followed immediately by another "flight" ... and then a Fastpass for later ... (I did mention I LOVE Soarin', didn't I??!!??)
Then we'll ride Living With the Land ... but take a pass on the Circle of Life film (it's very good - but Danielle's a bit young to get much out of it ...) - and then try to find the Kidcot Station in The Land Pavillion - before riding Soarin' one last time (that day ...
) ...
We'll then move along to the Imagination Pavilion for Journey Into Imagination with Figment (we've never done it ...) and some fun at the Image Works lab ... and then (maybe) Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (did that in May ... so not a "must see" this trip - or should it be?)
By then the World Showcase will be open - so on to Canada - for the new film, Kidcot Station, Off Kilter, and just hanging out ... (Did I mention I went to grad school at the University of British Columbia? - that makes me part Canuk, eh?)
One of the things I definitely want to do are the Holidays Around the World storytellers, so we'll make sure to find them ...
Then over to the United Kingdom - where if I'm lucky, I'll bump into Mary Poppins!! again ...
In the UK: Kidcot Station (last year it was conveniently located in the Toy Shoppe - another favorite place of mine - and Danielle!! ), the storyteller, shopping, street performers, gardens, British Invasion ... in other words, spend some time in the UK (btw - did I mention Vicki and I went to jolly old England on our honeymoon??)
If we have time - which I don't think we will - we'll move onto France and maybe Morocco ...
Why won't we have time? - because I'm thinking of making a 1:00 pm ADR for lunch at The Coral Reef ... sound good?
(I did mention I'm a marine biologist, didn't I ...?)
So around 12:30 we'll head back into Future World and into The Living Seas Pavilion ...
After lunch we'll hang out and take in the exhibits, etc. ... and then head back to the AKL for an afternoon nap break ...
Now - there is a big reason I didn't get to see much of Epcot last time - which involves Turtle Talk with Crush ... but I'll leave that until my next post ... 
Basically - this is Day One of the "Unofficial Guide" Epcot Two-Day Early-Riser Touring Plan (page 826) - but I came up with it all by myself - really!!
After our afternoon break we'll come back to Epcot for dinner and more fun - but I'll save that for the next post, too ...
So how does the morning/afternoon of Day 3 look?
Do ya think I should add a fourth trip to the California skies?
And with that, I'll leave you with one last Epcot picture for May 2007 ...
so I put Danielle to bed and ended up joining her in La-La Land at 8:30 ... Right now they're watching George "Butt-Flap Boy" of the Jungle ...
So - with less than 3 months to go until "ADR Day"
I need to pick up the planning pace a little ...I didn't get too much feedback about the WDW Christmas Day Parade filming, but I gather that (1) Main Street will be wall-to-wall people
(2) they probably won't be running the Castle forecourt show (?) - because the area will be set up for the "celebrity" performances, and (3) the usual MK afternoon parade probably won't happen (?). I"m guessing at #2 and #3 - any one have any insight?Those are the "negatives" ... On the positive side, since a lot of people will be trying to see the parade and "celebrities" - I guess the attraction lines would be shorter ... And - it may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the Christmas Parade "live" .... So - no changes to Sunday's plans (so far ...)
On to Day 3 - Monday December 9 - and Epcot!!
Last May we spent a day-and-a-half at Epcot - but I really didn't get to see a lot - so I want to make up for it on this trip!!
Danielle went with her grandparents to Akershus for breakfast with the Princesses, so Vicki and I had the first part of the day to ourselves - with a 12:30 ADR for lunch at Restaurant Marakesh at Morocco. [We'll be taking her to Akershus this trip - but that's for a later day ...]
Our first decision we had that morning was Soarin' or Mission:Space? - and wisely, we chose Soarin' - which is now my FAVORITE ride of all time!!!
So now that she's tall enough, I can't wait to take Danielle "flying" in December - and hear those immortal words: "Again!! Let's do it again!!"
So it will be early start in the morning - with breakfast at Mara - so we can be on the first Soarin' ride of the day ("Top Row - Center, please" - and "Shoes off!!") -- followed immediately by another "flight" ... and then a Fastpass for later ... (I did mention I LOVE Soarin', didn't I??!!??)
Then we'll ride Living With the Land ... but take a pass on the Circle of Life film (it's very good - but Danielle's a bit young to get much out of it ...) - and then try to find the Kidcot Station in The Land Pavillion - before riding Soarin' one last time (that day ...
) ...We'll then move along to the Imagination Pavilion for Journey Into Imagination with Figment (we've never done it ...) and some fun at the Image Works lab ... and then (maybe) Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (did that in May ... so not a "must see" this trip - or should it be?)
By then the World Showcase will be open - so on to Canada - for the new film, Kidcot Station, Off Kilter, and just hanging out ... (Did I mention I went to grad school at the University of British Columbia? - that makes me part Canuk, eh?)
One of the things I definitely want to do are the Holidays Around the World storytellers, so we'll make sure to find them ...
Then over to the United Kingdom - where if I'm lucky, I'll bump into Mary Poppins!! again ...
In the UK: Kidcot Station (last year it was conveniently located in the Toy Shoppe - another favorite place of mine - and Danielle!!
), the storyteller, shopping, street performers, gardens, British Invasion ... in other words, spend some time in the UK (btw - did I mention Vicki and I went to jolly old England on our honeymoon??)If we have time - which I don't think we will - we'll move onto France and maybe Morocco ...
Why won't we have time? - because I'm thinking of making a 1:00 pm ADR for lunch at The Coral Reef ... sound good?
(I did mention I'm a marine biologist, didn't I ...?)
So around 12:30 we'll head back into Future World and into The Living Seas Pavilion ...
After lunch we'll hang out and take in the exhibits, etc. ... and then head back to the AKL for an afternoon nap break ...
Now - there is a big reason I didn't get to see much of Epcot last time -
which involves Turtle Talk with Crush ... but I'll leave that until my next post ... Basically - this is Day One of the "Unofficial Guide" Epcot Two-Day Early-Riser Touring Plan (page 826) - but I came up with it all by myself - really!!
After our afternoon break we'll come back to Epcot for dinner and more fun - but I'll save that for the next post, too ...
So how does the morning/afternoon of Day 3 look?
Do ya think I should add a fourth trip to the California skies?
And with that, I'll leave you with one last Epcot picture for May 2007 ...
It's been awhile since I last posted anything here - well 11 days - so let's get on with it ...
Where was I? (oh yeah - sitting here in front of the computer!!!)
Claire and Grace came up to NJ for a short visit this past weekend: Claire can barely contain herself with all the secrets about the trip (we're officially at "double secret" probation level ...
) Grace knows we're coming in December and told her Mom "I REALLY want to go to the Magic Kingdom!" -- so we're all expecting lots of "happy tears" when we surprise her with lunch at Cindy's Castle. 
And it looks like they'll be coming to WDW on Saturday night (Day 1) to join us for dinner at Chef Mickey's, etc ... And, it just so happens that Jim and Claire had taken Grace to Chef Mickey's on her 4th birthday (18 years ago ...) ... AND - Jim's birthday is December 9 (so we may move up to "triple secret" probation ... )
When I left off, we were headed back to the resort after lunch at The Coral Reef for our afternoon break - but we may stop by the special Disney Visa Character Meet 'n' Greet at Innoventions (which I just found out about) before nap time ...
So the general plan when we head back to Epcot that night (Day 3 - Part 2 ...) is to
(1) arrive in time for the tree lighting ceremony (anyone know when it is?)
(2) have dinner at a CS restaurant
(3) do the Holidays Around the World and Kidcot stuff in France, Morocco, and Japan ... and
(4) take in Illuminations ... and - maybe:
(5) check out Spaceship Earth/Innoventions and ... if we're lucky ...
(6) ride Soarin' !!!
The big decision is where to have dinner - and since we'll be hanging out on the "right side" of Epcot that means (a) Sunshine Seasons, (b) Rose and Crown Pub or the Yorkshire County Fish 'n' Chip place at UK, (c) Tangierine Cafe at Morocco, or (d) the Yakitori House in Japan ...
Any recommendations or condemnations?
This can be a late night, because tomorrow (Tuesday - Day 4) we'll be going to the MVMCP - so we can sleep in Tuesday morning ... (which in our case probably will mean 7:00 am ...)
So, let's see if I have any pictures from our last trip to Epcot loaded and ready to go ...
OK - I forget to put in #7 - Mickey Bars!!!
Here's Danielle and her GM chowing down last May (this - after stuffing themselves at the Akershus breakfast!! My DD LOVES chocolate!!! ... just like me ...)
"Before:" [well - during ... ]
and "After:"
What a mess!! - but one of my favorite pictures of the DD - you can practically see her eyes spinning!!!
And I'll leave you with this one from the Flower and Garden Festival ...
(gotta have Tink, too!!)
Until next time ...
for tuning in ...
Where was I? (oh yeah - sitting here in front of the computer!!!)
Claire and Grace came up to NJ for a short visit this past weekend: Claire can barely contain herself with all the secrets about the trip (we're officially at "double secret" probation level ...
) Grace knows we're coming in December and told her Mom "I REALLY want to go to the Magic Kingdom!" -- so we're all expecting lots of "happy tears" when we surprise her with lunch at Cindy's Castle. And it looks like they'll be coming to WDW on Saturday night (Day 1) to join us for dinner at Chef Mickey's, etc ... And, it just so happens that Jim and Claire had taken Grace to Chef Mickey's on her 4th birthday (18 years ago ...) ... AND - Jim's birthday is December 9 (so we may move up to "triple secret" probation ... )When I left off, we were headed back to the resort after lunch at The Coral Reef for our afternoon break - but we may stop by the special Disney Visa Character Meet 'n' Greet at Innoventions (which I just found out about) before nap time ...
So the general plan when we head back to Epcot that night (Day 3 - Part 2 ...) is to
(1) arrive in time for the tree lighting ceremony (anyone know when it is?)
(2) have dinner at a CS restaurant
(3) do the Holidays Around the World and Kidcot stuff in France, Morocco, and Japan ... and
(4) take in Illuminations ... and - maybe:
(5) check out Spaceship Earth/Innoventions and ... if we're lucky ...
(6) ride Soarin' !!!
The big decision is where to have dinner - and since we'll be hanging out on the "right side" of Epcot that means (a) Sunshine Seasons, (b) Rose and Crown Pub or the Yorkshire County Fish 'n' Chip place at UK, (c) Tangierine Cafe at Morocco, or (d) the Yakitori House in Japan ...
Any recommendations or condemnations?
This can be a late night, because tomorrow (Tuesday - Day 4) we'll be going to the MVMCP - so we can sleep in Tuesday morning ... (which in our case probably will mean 7:00 am ...)
So, let's see if I have any pictures from our last trip to Epcot loaded and ready to go ...
OK - I forget to put in #7 - Mickey Bars!!!
Here's Danielle and her GM chowing down last May (this - after stuffing themselves at the Akershus breakfast!! My DD LOVES chocolate!!! ... just like me ...)
"Before:" [well - during ...
]
and "After:"
What a mess!! - but one of my favorite pictures of the DD - you can practically see her eyes spinning!!!
And I'll leave you with this one from the Flower and Garden Festival ...
(gotta have Tink, too!!)Until next time ...
for tuning in ...Before I get started, I'd like to introduce "UG": 
Despite a nom-de-guerre that brings back memories of running from sabre-tooth tigers (now - wouldn't that be a COOL addition to the AK!?!), he's (well - "it's" gender is an assumption ...) a wealth of information when it comes to WDW. So when speaks, it's time to listen .... ( )
I've gone over the first three days of Danielle's Adventure (Btw - she went to bed with a cold and fever last night and woke up still feeling yucky ...
but she just ate 2 bowls of macncheese and was dancing to Dan Zanes --- so I guess she's over whatever was "bugging" her ... 
- which is why I'm at home and posting at this time of day ... 
)
Anyway, I've found that when planning which park to visit on which day of the week, ask to find out which ones to "hit" and which ones to avoid like the plague ... And I pretty much listen to what he says ... an exception is going to MK on our first morning at WDW - which happens to be a Sunday and says to avoid the MK on Sundays. But too bad, because we have to start our WDW trips with the MK "Opening Ceremony" ... ("Tradition!!!" ... )
But for the rest of the week, when speaks - I shall listen. Which means this is where we're headed:
Sunday Dec 7 - MK (we've already gone over that ...)
Monday Dec 8 - Epcot (been there, done that too ...)
Now - here's where things could have gotten tricky, cause we need to take what says and coordinate it with the MVMCP dates to avoid as much as possible ... But it actually works out quite well with
Tuesday Dec 9 - MK with MVMCP
Wednesday - HS
Thursday Dec 11 - back to Epcot
Friday Dec 12 - AK
Saturday Dec 13 - MK? (although says that's not a good idea ... and fly home)
The downside of this - unless we hit MK for a final visit on Saturday - is that our MK adventures will be over early in the week
. The other option is to do the MVMCP on Thursday (or Friday - ) - but I suspect (hope!!) it will be much less crowded on Tuesday ... And if we do MVMCP on Thursday, just about every other day of the week we'd be at a park that says to avoid that day ...
So I guess I'll just have to convince the DW to drag our .... to the MK one last time Saturday morning ...
So Day 4 - Tuesday December 9 - we will hit the MVMCP (tix go on sale May 1!!!)
Since it will be a late night (the DD can handle it - she was up till 2:30 am New Years Eve!!) - I figure we'll spend the morning/early afternoon either at
AKL or at DTD, with lunch at Mara if we're at the AKL, and --
OK - where to eat at DTD? Last May we ate at the Wolfgang Puck Express (based on some reviews/recommendations ...) but I was suitably unimpressed ...
So - does anyone have any DTD counter service recommendations?
For dinner (an early dinner for us - 5:00 pm), I've come up with three options, two of which will get us into the MK before the "official" MVMCP start time:
(1) Crystal Palace (did breakfast last year - and Danielle loves Piglet)
(2) Liberty Tree Tavern (we've never eaten there ...)
Or, for something a little different:
(3) 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian (again - never eaten there, but sounds like fun, especially if Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters show up ...)
Anyone have any preferences ... ??
And then right after dinner, it's off to the MVMCP!!
Which I'll go over on my next post ... cause I got some ????s about it, too.
And since we're now in the MK - and I don't have any MVMCP pictures (since we've never done it!!) ... I'll leave you with this one ...
Despite a nom-de-guerre that brings back memories of running from sabre-tooth tigers (now - wouldn't that be a COOL addition to the AK!?!), he's (well - "it's" gender is an assumption ...) a wealth of information when it comes to WDW. So when speaks, it's time to listen .... ( )I've gone over the first three days of Danielle's Adventure (Btw - she went to bed with a cold and fever last night and woke up still feeling yucky ...
but she just ate 2 bowls of macncheese and was dancing to Dan Zanes --- so I guess she's over whatever was "bugging" her ... - which is why I'm at home and posting at this time of day ... )Anyway, I've found that when planning which park to visit on which day of the week, ask
to find out which ones to "hit" and which ones to avoid like the plague ... And I pretty much listen to what he says ... an exception is going to MK on our first morning at WDW - which happens to be a Sunday and says to avoid the MK on Sundays. But too bad, because we have to start our WDW trips with the MK "Opening Ceremony" ... ("Tradition!!!" ... )But for the rest of the week, when
speaks - I shall listen. Which means this is where we're headed:Sunday Dec 7 - MK (we've already gone over that ...)
Monday Dec 8 - Epcot (been there, done that too ...)
Now - here's where things could have gotten tricky, cause we need to take what
says and coordinate it with the MVMCP dates to avoid as much as possible ... But it actually works out quite well withTuesday Dec 9 - MK with MVMCP
Wednesday - HS
Thursday Dec 11 - back to Epcot
Friday Dec 12 - AK
Saturday Dec 13 - MK? (although
says that's not a good idea ... and fly home)The downside of this - unless we hit MK for a final visit on Saturday - is that our MK adventures will be over early in the week
. The other option is to do the MVMCP on Thursday (or Friday - ) - but I suspect (hope!!) it will be much less crowded on Tuesday ... And if we do MVMCP on Thursday, just about every other day of the week we'd be at a park that says to avoid that day ... So I guess I'll just have to convince the DW to drag our .... to the MK one last time Saturday morning ...
So Day 4 - Tuesday December 9 - we will hit the MVMCP (tix go on sale May 1!!!
)Since it will be a late night (the DD can handle it - she was up till 2:30 am New Years Eve!!) - I figure we'll spend the morning/early afternoon either at
AKL or at DTD, with lunch at Mara if we're at the AKL, and --
OK - where to eat at DTD? Last May we ate at the Wolfgang Puck Express (based on some reviews/recommendations ...) but I was suitably unimpressed ...
So - does anyone have any DTD counter service recommendations?
For dinner (an early dinner for us - 5:00 pm), I've come up with three options, two of which will get us into the MK before the "official" MVMCP start time:
(1) Crystal Palace (did breakfast last year - and Danielle loves Piglet)
(2) Liberty Tree Tavern (we've never eaten there ...)
Or, for something a little different:
(3) 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian (again - never eaten there, but sounds like fun, especially if Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters show up ...)
Anyone have any preferences ... ??
And then right after dinner, it's off to the MVMCP!!
Which I'll go over on my next post ... cause I got some ????s about it, too.
And since we're now in the MK - and I don't have any MVMCP pictures (since we've never done it!!) ... I'll leave you with this one ...
tmfranlk
Love hanging at the World with my sweet girls.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2001
Your plans are really shaping up! Sounds like a lot of fun. Hope you can figure the MK thing out. For me, I'd probably just suck it up and do a couple of hours at the MK even if it is Saturday afternoon. Hit a few shows or parade or fireworks just to send you out with a bang.
The Epcot tree lighting is at 6pm if I remember right. Make sure to get there early so that you can get a good spot. I think we got there around 5:30, maybe 5:15 and were a few rows from the front. Very nice spot.
The Epcot tree lighting is at 6pm if I remember right. Make sure to get there early so that you can get a good spot. I think we got there around 5:30, maybe 5:15 and were a few rows from the front. Very nice spot.
Weeelll - actually, I'm going back to Day 1 for a spell ... 
cause I booked our flights last night!!
I was checking out another Disboards December thread - and people were all excited cause they had booked their flights ... so I went surfing ... ... and discovered that the airlines had FINALLY posted their December flight info ... ... and the rest is history ...
We'll be flying Spirit out of Atlantic City - and I got just about PERFECT flight times!! Which is amazing, because every other time I checked Spirit there were only a limited number of flights, most with a stop somewhere for a couple hours, and at godawful times ...
But they were PERFECT!! (just about ...) for this trip ...
We have a 1 pm flight to MCO, arriving at 3:10 ... which will give us plenty of time to make it to Chef Mickey's by 6:30 ...
And then we have an 8 pm flight back ... now, I originally wanted to leave about 5 pm (which is why the flight times are "just about PERFECT") ... but this just means we'll get to spend 3 mores hours at WDW!!!
So on our getaway day we'll ... well, I don't want to give that away yet. I'm still working on Day 4, so there's no point in spoiling the fun and start talking about Day 8 ...
And as you recall from Post #whatever ... (I'm sure you will ...) by flying out of AC, we'll avoid all the hassles and time to drive to Newark or Philadelphia ...
And the price was good, too - $94 each way (which was cheaper than flying out of NWK or PHL ...)
The DW was also excited and had a sparkle in her eye
cause:
WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!
And since I was up at 5:59 this morning (you think I could make it until at least 6 am on a Saturday? But Nooooo! - started licking my face to go out ...) ... and then me and went for a run .... and then I went to Home Depot ... and THEN spent 3 hours working on the front garden ... including digging out 5 HUMUNGOUS (sp?) decorative rocks and rebuilding a field stone retaining wall ... I'm ready for a nap ... 
More later tonight (maybe...) since it's the DW's turn to put DD to sleep ... Day 4 and MVMCP ...
cause I booked our flights last night!! I was checking out another Disboards December thread - and people were all excited cause they had booked their flights ... so I went surfing ...
... and discovered that the airlines had FINALLY posted their December flight info ... ... and the rest is history ... We'll be flying Spirit out of Atlantic City - and I got just about PERFECT flight times!! Which is amazing, because every other time I checked Spirit there were only a limited number of flights, most with a stop somewhere for a couple hours, and at godawful times ...
But they were PERFECT!! (just about ...) for this trip ...
We have a 1 pm flight to MCO, arriving at 3:10 ... which will give us plenty of time to make it to Chef Mickey's by 6:30 ...
And then we have an 8 pm flight back ... now, I originally wanted to leave about 5 pm (which is why the flight times are "just about PERFECT") ... but this just means we'll get to spend 3 mores hours at WDW!!!
So on our getaway day we'll ... well, I don't want to give that away yet. I'm still working on Day 4, so there's no point in spoiling the fun and start talking about Day 8 ...
And as you recall from Post #whatever ... (I'm sure you will ...) by flying out of AC, we'll avoid all the hassles and time to drive to Newark or Philadelphia ...
And the price was good, too - $94 each way (which was cheaper than flying out of NWK or PHL ...)
The DW was also excited and had a sparkle in her eye
cause:WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!
And since I was up at 5:59 this morning (you think I could make it until at least 6 am on a Saturday? But Nooooo! -
started licking my face to go out ...) ... and then me and went for a run .... and then I went to Home Depot ... and THEN spent 3 hours working on the front garden ... including digging out 5 HUMUNGOUS (sp?) decorative rocks and rebuilding a field stone retaining wall ... I'm ready for a nap ... More later tonight (maybe...) since it's the DW's turn to put DD to sleep ... Day 4 and MVMCP ...
Welcome Sach_L ... !! It's Friday night - have you booked the Poly yet??
The DW and DD are both asleep (which means I get the computer all to myself ... without having the DD 
on my lap or the DW looking over my shoulder ... ) ... and I'm reasonably awake ... so let's finish up Day 4 (Tuesday ...) of Danielle's 2008 Christmas Adventure ... and MVMCP!!
Unfortunately, doesn't have that much to say about MVMCP ...
However, the AllEars site more then makes up for 's unusual lack of verbiage when it comes to all things WDW ...
http://allearsnet.com/tp/hol_mk.htm
Most of the info is currently for 2007 - but I'm sure it will be updated as soon as the new info becomes available ...
The plan for Tuesday is to hit DTD or just hang out at AKL in the morning - and then head over to MK for an early 5:00 pm dinner at either Crystal Palace
or the Liberty Tree Tavern 
- with the 1900 Park Fare also a possibility ... so me and the DW will have to toss that one around a little (she'll actually have to do some planning!! )
Correct me if I'm wrong - but my understanding of the best way to with the MVMCP crowd is to take in as many of the "special" events as possible - and fit in attractions where and when you can/want ...
Since the plan is to spend most of the previous Sunday at MK in Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Mickey's Toon Town Fair (in theory at least ...), I'm thinkin' we'll spend most of of the MVMCP in the Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square side of the MK ... Plus, I heard its really cool to ride the Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder Mtn at night ...
However, that may not happen, because most of the MVMCP events look to be along Main Street and Tomorrowland ... so I guess we'll just deal with that when the time comes and go where the hot chocolate and cookies lead us ...
Here's what was going on in 2007 - and if any of you past MVMCP vets ("survivors" ??) can help me prioritize what we should see/do, it would be a big help ... :
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade (BTW - since this was "new" in 2007, will it be Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmastime Parade in 2008? )
MK Tree Lighting Ceremony (Main Street)
Mickey's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Galaxy Palace Theater)
Celebrate the Season (Castle Forecourt)
Holiday Wishes (hmmm - they need to add a fireworks smilie ... )
Belle's Enchanted Christmas Story
So - what's worth seeing - what's not ... particularly with a DD-5 ??
The intention is to stay the whole night and close down the MK - the DD can handle it (she was up until 2:30 on New Year's Eve - well, by then it was New Year's Day ... ) - the question will be whether the DW and I will be able to hang with our party-girl daughter (one of her favorite songs is "Girls Just Wanna have Fun!!" -- I am soooo doomed in 8-9 years ...
)
[Actually - if you ask the DW - the has me wrapped around her finger right now ... most of the time ... ]
We'll sleep in the next morning (well - hopefully - both DD and I have the same internal alarm clock that wakes us up at 6 am ...
...) - have breakfast at Mara and hang out at the AKL - maybe do some of the actvities, swim and/or take a mid-morning nap ... have lunch (followed by a post-lunch nap ...) and then in the early afternoon head over to ... to be continued ... 
The DW and DD are both asleep (which means I get the computer all to myself ...
without having the DD on my lap or the DW looking over my shoulder ... ) ... and I'm reasonably awake ... so let's finish up Day 4 (Tuesday ...) of Danielle's 2008 Christmas Adventure ... and MVMCP!! Unfortunately,
doesn't have that much to say about MVMCP ... However, the AllEars site more then makes up for
's unusual lack of verbiage when it comes to all things WDW ...http://allearsnet.com/tp/hol_mk.htm
Most of the info is currently for 2007 - but I'm sure it will be updated as soon as the new info becomes available ...
The plan for Tuesday is to hit DTD or just hang out at AKL in the morning - and then head over to MK for an early 5:00 pm dinner at either Crystal Palace
or the Liberty Tree Tavern - with the 1900 Park Fare also a possibility ... so me and the DW will have to toss that one around a little (she'll actually have to do some planning!! )Correct me if I'm wrong - but my understanding of the best way to
with the MVMCP crowd is to take in as many of the "special" events as possible - and fit in attractions where and when you can/want ...Since the plan is to spend most of the previous Sunday at MK in Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Mickey's Toon Town Fair (in theory at least ...), I'm thinkin' we'll spend most of of the MVMCP in the Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square side of the MK ... Plus, I heard its really cool to ride the Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder Mtn at night ...
However, that may not happen, because most of the MVMCP events look to be along Main Street and Tomorrowland ... so I guess we'll just deal with that when the time comes and go where the hot chocolate and cookies lead us ...
Here's what was going on in 2007 - and if any of you past MVMCP vets ("survivors" ??
) can help me prioritize what we should see/do, it would be a big help ... :Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade (BTW - since this was "new" in 2007, will it be Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmastime Parade in 2008?
)MK Tree Lighting Ceremony (Main Street)
Mickey's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Galaxy Palace Theater)
Celebrate the Season (Castle Forecourt)
Holiday Wishes (hmmm - they need to add a fireworks smilie ... )
Belle's Enchanted Christmas Story
So - what's worth seeing - what's not ... particularly with a DD-5
??The intention is to stay the whole night and close down the MK - the DD can handle it (she was up until 2:30 on New Year's Eve - well, by then it was New Year's Day ... ) - the question will be whether the DW and I will be able to hang with our party-girl daughter (one of her favorite songs is "Girls Just Wanna have Fun!!" -- I am soooo doomed in 8-9 years ...
)[Actually - if you ask the DW - the
has me wrapped around her finger right now ... most of the time ... ]We'll sleep in the next morning (well - hopefully - both DD and I have the same internal alarm clock that wakes us up at 6 am ...
...) - have breakfast at Mara and hang out at the AKL - maybe do some of the actvities, swim and/or take a mid-morning nap ... have lunch (followed by a post-lunch nap ...) and then in the early afternoon head over to ... to be continued ... 
Well - any questions I had about the DD being able to "hang" late for MVMCP were put to rest last night ...
The DW and I went to a Tower of Power Concert
and we dropped the DD of at her Aunt's/Uncle's/Niece's (DN-25) ... when we picked her up around midnight:
DU was already in bed asleep ...
DN looked like she was about to fall asleep ...
DA was almost asleep on the couch ...
and to quote the DD: "I'm a ball of Energy!!!"
Of course, within 10 minutes of putting her in the car ...
But she was up this morning at 7:00 am and she and the DW are now at swim class at the Y ... and we have a birthday party to go to this afternoon (so much for my nap plans .... )
At this point in the planning - we're halfway finished ...
However, that realization is not quite as bad as the "reality" of the situation when you're at WDW and your vacation is REALLY half over ...
So at this point - and before I move on to Day 5 - I thought I'd just summarize Daze 1-4 and see if anyone has any final recommendations, comments, or random thoughts ...
Day 1 (Dec 6): Arrive at MCO ~3:15
6:30 ADR (for 9 of us ) at Chef Mickey's
Tour Monorail Resorts and maybe check out the Electrical Boat Parade at the Poly
Day 2 (Dec 7): MK - Opening Ceremony
1:00 ADR at CRT (again for 9 of us!!)
7:00 ADR at Boma (just and )
Day 3 (Dec 8): Epcot - startin' with Soarin' !!
1:00 ADR at the Coral Reef
Dinner - a CS somewhere in the WS ...
Day 4 (Dec 9): sleep in - DTD in the morning - CS lunch somewhere
5:00 pm ADR at Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree Tavern (or maybe - 1900 Park Fare)
MVMCP !! until we drop ...
and Day 5 starts with: sleeping in!! (I can only hope ... )
And I'll sign off for now with one last MK parade photo:
The DW and I went to a Tower of Power Concert
and we dropped the DD of at her Aunt's/Uncle's/Niece's (DN-25) ... when we picked her up around midnight:DU was already in bed asleep ...
DN looked like she was about to fall asleep ...
DA was almost asleep on the couch ...
and to quote the DD: "I'm a ball of Energy!!!"
Of course, within 10 minutes of putting her in the car ...
But she was up this morning at 7:00 am
and she and the DW are now at swim class at the Y ... and we have a birthday party to go to this afternoon (so much for my nap plans .... )At this point in the planning - we're halfway finished ...
However, that realization is not quite as bad as the "reality" of the situation when you're at WDW and your vacation is REALLY half over ... So at this point - and before I move on to Day 5 - I thought I'd just summarize Daze 1-4 and see if anyone has any final recommendations, comments, or random thoughts ...
Day 1 (Dec 6): Arrive at MCO ~3:15
6:30 ADR (for 9 of us
) at Chef Mickey'sTour Monorail Resorts and maybe check out the Electrical Boat Parade at the Poly
Day 2 (Dec 7): MK - Opening Ceremony
1:00 ADR at CRT (again for 9 of us!!)
7:00 ADR at Boma (just
and )Day 3 (Dec 8): Epcot - startin' with Soarin' !!
1:00 ADR at the Coral Reef
Dinner - a CS somewhere in the WS ...
Day 4 (Dec 9): sleep in - DTD in the morning - CS lunch somewhere
5:00 pm ADR at Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree Tavern (or maybe - 1900 Park Fare)
MVMCP !!
until we drop ... and Day 5 starts with: sleeping in!! (I can only hope ...
)And I'll sign off for now with one last MK parade photo:
Note to self: run "insanity check" on plan after it is finished ...
("But if it's a crazy plan - that must mean you're crazy - so how will you know if the plan is insane?")
["Shut up, nutball!"]
("Who are YOU to call ME a nutball?!?")
{"Will you two knock it off - I'm trying watch FOX News ...}
([ "Nutball!!])
["FOX" and "News" - that's an oxymoron!]
{"I am not a moron!"}
["How woould you know?"]
("That's what I said!")
... go to the top ... and repeat ad infinitum ...
("But if it's a crazy plan - that must mean you're crazy - so how will you know if the plan is insane?")
["Shut up, nutball!"]
("Who are YOU to call ME a nutball?!?")
{"Will you two knock it off - I'm trying watch FOX News ...}
([ "Nutball!!])
["FOX" and "News" - that's an oxymoron!]
{"I am not a moron!"}
["How woould you know?"]
("That's what I said!")
... go to the top ... and repeat ad infinitum ...
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