PTR for December 2012

[disney212]

We should be well rested from yesterday. I am sure it was a late night due to DHS EMH and seeing the light spectacular there. This morning we will be heading to Animal Kingdom. Hope to be there when they open so we can hit the safari first thing. Plan on going to lunch at Yack & Yeti since we have gift cards. We normally can hit all we want to see at AK in one day so once they close at 6 we are off to DTD for a quick bite at Bongo's quick service window (love their Cuban sandwiches) and then a little shopping. If it is early enough we will head over to HOB and have a few beverages of the adult variety. Back to the room to get rested up, we are hoping there may be a little DVC magic tomorrow!

 

[Kidanifan08]

We always rent a car if we fly down. We use Alamo or National at the Disney Car Care Center. For this trip the car was almost $800 for the week. I ended up making 2 reservations wiith the car place picking up the car on 12/15 and dropping it off on 12/19 we then pick up immediately on 12/19 and drop off on 12/23. Same 8 nights antd it is less than $300 for the same 8 nights with the same company.

I just priced out a rental at Alamo and a standard is only $272 for the same timeframe, without using any discounts and pricing for the entire time period. I don't know what kind of vehicle you are looking at, but you may want to keep checking the prices.

I think it's great that you are living for today. I am in my 40's and had a serious health issue 4 years ago. We still conservatively plan for the future, but when we think about our vacations, we are much more focused on doing what we really want to do, considering that we may not have that opportunity again.

Enjoy!!

 

[disney212]

I just priced out a rental at Alamo and a standard is only $272 for the same timeframe, without using any discounts and pricing for the entire time period. I don't know what kind of vehicle you are looking at, but you may want to keep checking the prices.

I think it's great that you are living for today. I am in my 40's and had a serious health issue 4 years ago. We still conservatively plan for the future, but when we think about our vacations, we are much more focused on doing what we really want to do, considering that we may not have that opportunity again.

Enjoy!!

Thanks for the tip. I did check today and the rates were way down from when I originally booked, we always book the cheapest car since it is just the two of us. DH and I are also in our 40's too. Hope your health is still good. We have a lot more living and many many more vacations to come.

 

[disney212]

Today will be our first day at our beloved EPCOT! We plan on taking it easy in the morning, maybe sleep in and lounge around the room a bit. A quick bite to eat in the room and then off we go. Now you may ask where that magic I mentioned in day 3 comes in...we are hoping that there will be Merry Mixer going on this day. It would be our first time at one and we are really hoping. DH loves meeting new people so it should be fun for us. We are planning quick trip around World Showcase, see the decorations in the various countries. Do a bit a shopping, grab lunch at the counter service in Morocco (our favorite CS) and enjoy the rides. Off to dinner at 7:30 for DH's favorite: Chefs de France. Hang around to watch the fireworks and then back to the room and sweet dreams or heartburn for DH from eating too much! I need to add Mylanta to my packing list!

 

[jedspad]

Congrats on beating the big C. I just finished chemo and radiation 4 weeks ago and will have a pet scan in about a month to see if I am clear. I know what you mean about it changing how you look at things and am so glad you are planning your trip. We will be there December 10th-14th for our 30th wedding anniversary. We were there in December for our 25 th wedding anniversary and it has been our favorite time of year to be there. I am enjoying reading your PTR, I might get some ideas for things to do. I have all of our ADR done but still could change.

 

[iluveeyore]

Loving your PTR and your outlook on life - we are the same age and our kids are 17, 21 and 23. We have been living for today for a while now after losing my mom when she was only 47 - swore I would never wait to do anything if we could afford it now, so we bought DVC 11 years ago and have never looked back. Now, with only one child left at home (and not for long) DH and I find ourselves travelling alone quite often.
Christmas is absolutely amazing - so glad you are seeing the Candlelight Processional. If there's a narrator you really want to see, just stroll by at one of the times and stand in the back - you can see and hear great without standing in line or paying for another dinner.
Also, DO NOT miss the Osborne lights at DHS, I could have walked through those every night!
Glad to see Whispering Canyon on your list, that's our favourite. And you get to see the huge tree in the lobby of the WL, amazing.
Make sure you go to the Grand Floridian (just take the monorail when you're at MK) you have to see the huge gingerbread house in the lobby!
And keep an eye out for rentals as it gets closer for your car - we got a full-size for a week for $86 with Alamo insiders code and coupons from mousesavers.com (think it was an American Airlines code or maybe Visa).
And if you have time for Jellyrolls, that's our new favorite 'activity' every trip.
Lastly, if you're at DTD and want a great place to eat, try Raglan Road - great atmosphere, good food, and we love watching the Irish dancers while we eat.
Happy planning! Can't wait to read your actual trip report when you get there!

 

[disney212]

Congrats on beating the big C. I just finished chemo and radiation 4 weeks ago and will have a pet scan in about a month to see if I am clear. I know what you mean about it changing how you look at things and am so glad you are planning your trip. We will be there December 10th-14th for our 30th wedding anniversary. We were there in December for our 25 th wedding anniversary and it has been our favorite time of year to be there. I am enjoying reading your PTR, I might get some ideas for things to do. I have all of our ADR done but still could change.

Congrats on finishing your chemo. I was very lucky and they were able to get all of mine with surgery and I did not need chemo. I will be praying for a clear PET scan. I think I was more nervous for the follow up scan than the original one. I wish happy thoughts and much happiness for your and DH's next 30 years. DH and I spent our 10th at WDW and we will be spending our 14th there next October (love F & W). As far as ADR's I always end up changing mine. I actually made a change today to day 4, you will see it in my Day 4 post I am going to make. Keep a happy thought and be sure to let us know that it was all good news from your scan!

 

[disney212]

Loving your PTR and your outlook on life - we are the same age and our kids are 17, 21 and 23. We have been living for today for a while now after losing my mom when she was only 47 - swore I would never wait to do anything if we could afford it now, so we bought DVC 11 years ago and have never looked back. Now, with only one child left at home (and not for long) DH and I find ourselves travelling alone quite often.
Christmas is absolutely amazing - so glad you are seeing the Candlelight Processional. If there's a narrator you really want to see, just stroll by at one of the times and stand in the back - you can see and hear great without standing in line or paying for another dinner.
Also, DO NOT miss the Osborne lights at DHS, I could have walked through those every night!
Glad to see Whispering Canyon on your list, that's our favourite. And you get to see the huge tree in the lobby of the WL, amazing.
Make sure you go to the Grand Floridian (just take the monorail when you're at MK) you have to see the huge gingerbread house in the lobby!
And keep an eye out for rentals as it gets closer for your car - we got a full-size for a week for $86 with Alamo insiders code and coupons from mousesavers.com (think it was an American Airlines code or maybe Visa).
And if you have time for Jellyrolls, that's our new favorite 'activity' every trip.
Lastly, if you're at DTD and want a great place to eat, try Raglan Road - great atmosphere, good food, and we love watching the Irish dancers while we eat.
Happy planning! Can't wait to read your actual trip report when you get there!

Thanks for all the tips! We will be using several of those. We love Jellyrolls too! We also like the Atlantic Dance Hall but the last time we were there it was us and a bunch of college students. I miss the 80's club they used to have in DTD. Our youngest is moving out in September, she graduated college in May and got a full time teaching job (7th grade) and is moving closer to her school but only 15 minutes from home. That only leaves DS, he is 24 and in graduate school. He lives at home but works full time and goes to school full time. He will graduate in May with his Masters (so proud) and I don't think he will hang around much after that. He only lives at home so he can afford to travel to Europe each year (he is a history major) he says, but I also think it is for free food and someone to buy groceries, pay the electric, internet...but he is a good kid and has never had a GPA less than 3.9 in his 5 years in college. It is great to meet folks with "older" kids who are our age! Hopefully our paths will cross at WDW one day!

 

[disney212]

As a clue into my persona I keep finding places we want to eat and need to juggle around ADR's. Today I was noticing that I booked 2 buffets for the same day later in the week. DH and I both like to eat but not that much. We sat down tonight went back over the agenda and decided we could move the lunch buffet to the day we do Chef's since we are eating a little later and I eat a bit lighter there. So......we added Biergarten to Day 4 so we can see the holiday show. I also decided that Day 2 would be perfect (no ADR's) for the Wishes Dessert Party as an early gift, I can't wait for the ADR's to open for that. I am going to have to run back KY instead of fly to burn off all these calories!

 

[taaren]

DH and I are both huge foodies. We spend way too much time figuring out what we plan to eat. Keep trying new things, hit old favorites, table service or quick service. Ooh the possibilities! (You should see us plan for F&W!) We settled on a mix of some favorites and some places we have wanted to try and couple based on convenience. WE are doing Garden Grill for the CP since we haven't tried it. Besides that here is our list of TS (we do have TIW card):

Whispering Canyon Cafe
Chefs de France
GF Cafe
Biergarten (lunch)
Sci-Fi
LTT (lunch)
The Plaza - before MVMMCP

We'll be there the weeks before you and have many of the same ADRs, so you must have excellent taste! (At least I hope so since this is our first time. ) We have WCC, Chefs, GF, and Sci-Fi as well. In fact I think other than Le Cellier, Cali Grill, and Kouzzina those were all of our non-kid choices.
I know what you mean about changing ADRs, too. I thought I had them settled at 180 days, then our flight came in the night before, so we had to add one which required moving another one, then we discovered the Tea Room, so we had to add one ... its a disease I tell you!
Congrats on completing chemo. DH is an oncology pharm tech, so he sees and tells me how difficult it is going through that.

 

[disney212]

We'll be there the weeks before you and have many of the same ADRs, so you must have excellent taste! (At least I hope so since this is our first time. ) We have WCC, Chefs, GF, and Sci-Fi as well. In fact I think other than Le Cellier, Cali Grill, and Kouzzina those were all of our non-kid choices.
I know what you mean about changing ADRs, too. I thought I had them settled at 180 days, then our flight came in the night before, so we had to add one which required moving another one, then we discovered the Tea Room, so we had to add one ... its a disease I tell you!
Congrats on completing chemo. DH is an oncology pharm tech, so he sees and tells me how difficult it is going through that.

I always say great minds eat alike! Sorry we will miss you guys. Please do a trip report so we know how great a trip you had. I see you did the Tea Room, we wanted to do that but just don't have time this trip. Maybe next time. That is the great thing about DVC, we know we will be back!

Thanks for the congrats but I was very lucky and got to skip the chemo. I only lost 1 lobe of my lung and as long as my scans come back negative then no chemo for me.

 

[disney212]

Plan on getting up early and taking a drive to the beach to watch the sunrise! We saw it is about a 1 1/2 hour drive so not too bad that time of year. We have a 4:40 dinner (EARLY) at the Garden Grill as we have the Candlelight Processional that night. Our narrator has not been announced yet but it worked best for our schedule. Hope we get someone good! Since we were up so early we hope to head back and watch the electrical parade from our hotel. We will make it an early night. By this point we will be pretty worn out so an early night should do us good. We are not as young a we used to be.....

 

[disney212]

I have mentioned booking the Wishes Dessert Party for DH & I as a surprise for him. I go from it being a "must do" to "meh, I wonder if it is worth it". This is our first time at Christmas so it thought it may be more magical somehow. We have not been to a dessert party before. Money is not an issue due to the fact we are using our Disney Visa rewards and we buy Disney Gift Cards each week at Kroger (love those fuel points) using our Disney Visa so we have a nice budget for eating out and extra's. I did think about doing the "behind the seeds" tour but think I may say that for our F&G trip in the spring. Does anyone have any advice? Is the party good, DH does love dessert and it is a "treat" we he gets it (gotta keep him healthy). Will it be a better experience at Christmas? We would not be sacrificing anything else to go to this. We always come back with leftover $ on our Gift Cards that we use for the next trip. HELP!

 

[taaren]

I have mentioned booking the Wishes Dessert Party for DH & I as a surprise for him. I go from it being a "must do" to "meh, I wonder if it is worth it". This is our first time at Christmas so it thought it may be more magical somehow. We have not been to a dessert party before. Money is not an issue due to the fact we are using our Disney Visa rewards and we buy Disney Gift Cards each week at Kroger (love those fuel points) using our Disney Visa so we have a nice budget for eating out and extra's. I did think about doing the "behind the seeds" tour but think I may say that for our F&G trip in the spring. Does anyone have any advice? Is the party good, DH does love dessert and it is a "treat" we he gets it (gotta keep him healthy). Will it be a better experience at Christmas? We would not be sacrificing anything else to go to this. We always come back with leftover $ on our Gift Cards that we use for the next trip. HELP!

I haven't done it, since I haven't been yet, but I've heard nothing but fabulous things about it (if you're the type that loves dessert and hates fighting crowds to watch stuff).
I really wanted to book it but in our budget we could do either the Wishes Dessert Party or an IllumiNations cruise, and the IllumiNations cruise won.

 

[disney212]

I haven't done it, since I haven't been yet, but I've heard nothing but fabulous things about it (if you're the type that loves dessert and hates fighting crowds to watch stuff).
I really wanted to book it but in our budget we could do either the Wishes Dessert Party or an IllumiNations cruise, and the IllumiNations cruise won.

I did think of the IllumiNations Cruise too but decided to wait until next October to do it with our adult kids. I was also concerned about the temp in December, we have been in late November and early February and would have frozen out on the water. We wore sweatshirts and jackets once the sun went down. When are you doing the cruise, I would love to hear about it.

 

[taaren]

When are you doing the cruise, I would love to hear about it.

We booked for Dec 5th, our last night in the 2 bedroom before our party splits and we go down to a 1 bedroom. That was partly why we wanted to do it sooner, since my party sans children is already a pontoon half full. We filled the other half with DISsers on the find a cruise to share thread over on the Strategies>Community board.

 

[disney212]

We booked for Dec 5th, our last night in the 2 bedroom before our party splits and we go down to a 1 bedroom. That was partly why we wanted to do it sooner, since my party sans children is already a pontoon half full. We filled the other half with DISsers on the find a cruise to share thread over on the Strategies>Community board.

I completely understand wanting to get that in. I never thought about sharing with other DISers! What a fabulous idea, I will keep that in mind for next October. I am sooooo glad you posted that! You guys going back in October 2013

 

[disney212]

We return our rental car this morning. After much discussion we decided (at least today ) that we will cancel the rest of the car reservations. After reading the threads here on holiday crowds and traffic and taking into account we will not be visiting AKV or DHS anymore on this trip we figured we would try it. If push comes to shove that is what taxi's are for. We plan on taking it easy this morning, eating a late breakfast in the room, maybe hitting the hot tub...ahhhh. We need to be at MK by 5:30 for our dinner reservation at the Plaza. Then on to our first MVMCP and we can't wait. We did MNSSHP last year and fell in love with that so much we are going back next year and taking the "kids"! We plan on shutting the place down. Maybe head back to the TOWL after for a nightcap then more sweet dreams as we have a big and busy day tomorrow. Thanks for reading along!

 

[disney212]

No update on the trip today since we are busy celebrating only 99 days to go. I only think I love more than the double digit dance is the single digit dance!

 

[disney212]

Sorry it has been a few days since my last PTR detailed day report. Today is another EPCOT day! Always a favorite for us. I ended up moving a few of our ADR's around AGAIN! We had planned on eating at O'hana this day but with it being the Friday before Christmas I was worried about the crowds if we left the parks to eat at a hotel and then wanted to return. We moved our O'hana dinner to Tuesday and our ADR for lunch at Via Napoli to Tuesday too, didn't want 2 buffets in 1 day. So this day we have a lunch at Biergarten (our first time) and enjoy the Holidays Around the World Santa's. We plan on a light day with lots of stops, a little shopping, a little holiday beverage cheer and dinner ADR's at hubby's request of places to eat, Chefs deFrance. He loves their food. We have read awesome reviews and horrible reviews but we have always had a very good meal, great service and a nice atmosphere for our meals. If past trips are any indication we will roll ourselves back to our room anhe spend the rest of the evening digesting!

Only 2 days left in the trip..