PTR: Our Dec Dis-Trip to see the decorations w/ the rest of the World(Updated 11/4)

[DPaddock66]

Ok, my first post.

I have been a lurker for a few years and now I am ready to make my first post.

This is my pre-trip report!!

First the members of my family:

ME, a 32 year old car salesman.
DW, a 30 year old office assistant, recent college grad, & great mom. Very happy we are going back to Disney this year!!
DS10, loves going to Disney and very outgoing kid.
DS8 , going to be 9 when we go, also loves Disney, but hates most rides!

Now a little history lesson:

My kids and I had never been to Disney until our first trip in 2007. My wife had been a few times before we got married 10 years ago.

Our first trip to Disney as a family was September 2007. We stayed at All-Star Sports and went during free dining. When I can post some pics on our first visit I will.

Our second trip was September 2008, also during free dining. We stayed at All-Star Movies. This trip was fun to plan. We did not tell the kids we were going to Disney until the morning of our flight. We told them we were going to Indianapolis. My DW and I packed and drove the 3 hours to Indianapolis and stayed at a hotel. When it became time to go to the airport, we gave the boys each a present. In the box was a t-shirt that said "We are going to Disney today!" DW found the iron-ons here on the Dis-boards!! We had told them the trip in 2007 would have to last because Disney cost soooooo much.

Now for this trip, I had told my DW that we would not go to Disney this year unless we got free dining in December. I told her I wanted to go during the Christmas season to see all the decorations. I was not expecting anything like this, so I figured we would take a trip someplace closer this year. Then the other day, my DW calls and said she got a pin for free dining in December. She sounded so happy, and I tried to sound disappointed. I am a closet Disney maniac. Also, just to make another thing clear, we will be celebrating my birthday while we are in Disney.

That is all for now. Up next I will tell you about my preliminary plans. These plans are bound to change when hours and events get released sometime in September.

 

[DPaddock66]

The plans:

Saturday December 12th I will be getting off work early. Hopefully, my wife will have most of the bags packed. My job will be to finish packing up my bags and then load up the car. I will be the one driving the 3 hours to Indianapolis. The "Stay, Fly, & Park" package is a great option for us. The way I look at it, pay $10 a day to park at the airport and have leave way too early Sunday morning to catch our 7 AM flight is nuts. We will arrive Saturday evening and stay at a hotel only 2 miles from the airport. They will drive us and our luggage to the airport, then pick us up when we arrive home Sunday December 20th. This costs $100 and is the best option for me. This allows us to arrive at MCO by 10 AM and catch the ME to our resort. Check in and get to our first park before 1 PM. By getting a full night sleep the night before, we can take advantage of Sunday and not waste a day.

We are staying at Coronado Springs Resort. After pricing out many options, it was pretty cheap to upgrade. We will not be park hopping or doing the WP&M options. This made an 8 day / 7 nights with 7 days of passes only $2200 for 4 people. After 2 years in a row of sharing a bed at an All-Star Resort with a kid, I am going to love 2 queen size beds. Also, I feel the Dig Site will be all the swimming the kids will need to do in December. From the sound of a few TR from last December the weather may not be the greatest. Also, with the reduced hours from what we are used to in September, hopping seemed to be a waste of money. Hopefully we can take our time enjoying some things we have never done in the World.

Up next, preliminary daily plans, as well as ADRs.

 

[DPaddock66]

These plans were made with 2008's hours in mind. If anything changes, these days are pretty easy to switch around. Hours will not be posted until September 1st and ADRs can't be finalized until then, but here goes nothing.

When we finalized the dates, I told my wife I would make the plans this year. She had done all the planning the last two years and I am a little tired of the same old foods. I wanted to try a few new places and experiences. You will see my preliminary plans for ADRs and counter services; as well as, the “which park what day” thing.

Sunday:
Lunch: out of pocket wherever
DHS by 1
Dinner: Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano for Fantasmic Dinner Package
Fantasmic

Monday:
MK
Lunch: Pinocchio Village Haus
Dinner: Counter Service (probably Cosmic Ray's, the kids love it)
Wishes

Tuesday:
Epcot
Lunch: counter service around World Showcase
Dinner: ESPNZone on the Boardwalk
Illuminations

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Boma @ Animal Kingdom Lodge (see decorations)
AK
Lunch: Tusker House for reserved seating to Nemo (never seen this before)
Dinner:
ME: Flametree BBQ
DW, DSx2: Restaurantosaurus (McDonald's)

Thursday:
Easy Day All around the World Showcase
Lunch: Le Cellier
Downtown Disney
Dinner: Planet Hollywood (one of our favorite places to eat)

Friday:
Downtown Disney
Lunch: T-Rex (out of pocket) got to try this place
Dinner: counter service at DHS
Osborne Lights

Saturday: (where else to spend your last day at Disney & your birthday)
Magic Kingdom
Lunch: counter service: Columbia Harbor House / Peco Bill's
Dinner: counter service: Cosmic Ray's

Sunday:
Pack and checkout
Breakfast: Chef Mickey's
Our flight is at 3 so we probably got top head straight to ME and MCO

With free dining, we will have 7 counter service meals and 7 nice meals. I feel I got a good mix of foods.

The problem is my boys. They are picky eaters. They will not try anything new. They also do not like Disney hamburgers. They are not alone, they are nothing special for me either, but they are edible.

Well....... there it is, you have my plans.

Tell me what you guys think. I am open for suggestions. I have never planned before and I do not agree with all the people that say they want to be here at this time and there at that. I like to have an idea in mind, but be open to anything. Just go with the flow. We have never waited more than 15-20 minutes for anything so I am hoping for the best this time. I am getting a little nervous after reading a few TRs from last Christmas.

 

[DPaddock66]

bump

 

[dogodisney]

Your trips have been similar to ours.
Our very first trip was in 2006.
We went last Sept. with FD. While there my DH told me that maybe in a couple of years we would go back during Christmas. I wasn't planning a trip this year but received an email about the great deals Disney was offering the military. So I told DH about it and I made our ressies for Dec. Then last Friday DH got a pin for FD so I changed to that deal. We will be there for Christmas!

Happy planning!

 

[that's nice]

All your dining choices look good.... T-rex is just like Rain Forest Cafe but with a dinosaur theme. I love Flame Tree BBQ. The pulled pork is the best! Plus it tastes better with an ice cold beer!

I'll be following and looking forward to more plans!

 

[DPaddock66]

We have never eaten at Rain Forest Cafe either.

It's not on the dining plan and never been in our plans. The only reason we are going to eat at T-Rex is because of the boys. We figure they will fully enjoy eating in that atmosphere.

We have never eaten at Le Cellier, Mama Melrose's, Boma or Tusker House.

I thought it would be nice to try a few new places based on others TR and experiences. Hopefully when we get back, I will be able to share my personal thoughts and feelings with others as to whether these restaurants fit with picky kids. Stay Tuned!!

I personally like the atmosphere at ESPNZone and Planet Hollywood and they will always be on our agenda.

Can you guys let me know about your experiences at these places??

 

[raider97]

Le Cellier is a favorite here. You might try to change around your Epcot day to get the Candlelight Processional dinner pkg at Le Cellier. I haven't been to the Candlelight Processional myself, but I have heard it is beautiful and we are trying to go this year.

Happy Planning!

Stephanie

 

[DPaddock66]

Hadn't heard about it. Thanks for the advice. We are always looking for more to do Epcot. We always ride the rides in Futureworld then run around the World real quick. We are looking forward to spending most of the day around the World. I saw some waterfalls and bridges in some TRs recently and thought the boys would really like them.

Anymore advice??

Thanks in advance.....

 

[that's nice]

We have never eaten at Le Cellier, Mama Melrose's, Boma or Tusker House.
Can you guys let me know about your experiences at these places??

Out of those, I have only eaten at Le Cellier. I had the filet and DW had the experience w/ the prime rib. My filet was sooooo good. DW said her PR was just OK. We had the moose and the s'mores for dessert. I have a mini review in my TR here---> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2115466&page=9

We had a ressie at Tusker House for breakfast in March but I had to change it because we changed our park days around.. then I couldn't get it. We were also thinking about Mama Melrose... but we decided not to eat dinner in DHS.

 

[DPaddock66]

bump

 

[bamagymmom]

I'll be there celebrating my 40th birthday on the 19th We are a part of a Grand Gathering, so I was able to book the Safari Dinner and breakfast at Tony's a couple of weeks ago. Now I am waiting for the the 90 day window to book a dinner for the Candlelight Processional and breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. This will be the first Christmas trip for all of us and we are excited about seeing all the decorations. We had the 40% room only code, but I switched it to the Visa Free Dining on Friday and saved each of us around $200. Hope you have a wonderful birthday trip.

 

[DPaddock66]

I'll be there celebrating my 40th birthday on the 19th FONT]

we share birthdays!!

hope you have a great birthday in the World!!

 

[DPaddock66]

I guess maybe now free dining has been opened up to the public I can change the name of my PTR to: Our December Vacation to see the Christmas Decorations with the rest of the World!!

I will have to get up very early the first day I can reserve ADR's in September.

Good luck to everyone else. I guess it will be very busy after all.

 

[DPaddock66]

bump

 

[that's nice]

I guess maybe now free dining has been opened up to the public I can change the name of my PTR to: Our December Vacation to see the Christmas Decorations with the rest of the World!!

I will have to get up very early the first day I can reserve ADR's in September.

Good luck to everyone else. I guess it will be very busy after all.

I don't know if FD will make that much of an impact. Disney usually run FD for 1 1/2 months. Now it will be going on for 5 months. Even if that does draw ppl to book they will be spread out over so much time that I don't think it will impact the crowds too much. It probably will impact your ADR bookings though.

 

[DPaddock66]

The only thing that scares me is that it is 2 weeks before christmas. I mean, if I had a trip scheduled for October or November, I would reschedule it to this week to enjoy the Christmas decorations.

 

[that's nice]

The only thing that scares me is that it is 2 weeks before christmas. I mean, if I had a trip scheduled for October or November, I would reschedule it to this week to enjoy the Christmas decorations.

Most kids will still be in school at this time... that might be your saving grace!!!! LOLOL

 

[DPaddock66]

I am taking my kids out of school for the last week of the semester. It works out good this way...... They don't ever pretend to be sick because they use 5 of their days for a Disney trip. School board allows 10 days a semester, and my mom works at the school. I know now that my oldest is in 5th grade, this is the last year we can do this. We will have to resort to going Spring Break or Summer Break; ie the busy times.

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Another Dec planner! Your dining looks good. Mama's is really good! We do that one pretty much every trip! I'll be here waiting to hear more about your plans in between doing my own PTR!!