Random thoughts from last week's Disney trip.

[amichaell]

We arrived Sunday, Dec. 12 and left Friday, Dec. 17. We visited the parks on the 13th-16th. It was my wife, three year old daughter, and myself.

-Crowds were much larger than I anticipated. We were there earlier in the year (late May/early June) and while MK wasn't as packed, it only seemed slightly less so much of the time.

-Weather was miserably cold the first few days; especially the wind.

-First time we've done the Dining Plan and I think we'll be sticking to it, especially if we plan to do character meals.

-Went to Crystal Palace for lunch. Completely overrated. I'm glad we did the Dining Plan, because the $100 bill we received for only three of us would have sent me over the edge otherwise. Likewise for Tokyo Dining.

-On the other hand, we all really enjoyed Ohana's for breakfast, though my daughter was a bit scared of Stitch.

-MVMCP wasn't worth it. The parade was OK, though the crowd was ridiculous. Won't be doing that again.

-We stayed at All Star Movies. The room and resort was fine enough, though the bus system was horrible, almost to the point that driving would have been better. I'm not sure I even want to blame this on the shared bus system, as most times our bus didn't even stop at the other resorts.

-All of our character encounters were terrific. None of them felt hurried and in fact some of the princesses spent so much time with our daughter that the Disney camera person had to discreetly remind them that others were waiting.

-Daughter had a few meltdowns. I think we tried too much. The last trip we were better able to break up the day by returning to the resort to let her swim, though with the cold weather we didn't have that option this trip.

For our next trip we'll likely shoot for September. Weather will still be warm enough to swim and reportedly crowd levels are much less.

 

[rjvose17]

This is really wierd, we were there those same dates, both this dec trip and last may(we were there at the end of may too not exact probably) and just got home today.

We feel EXACTLY the same things right down to planning our next trip for September. After reading this post I read it to my husband and he laughed and said my words exactly.

We were happy to try the dining plan because it allowed us to eat at places that we might not have otherwise. We also feel that we would NEVER pay the out of pocket prices. The princess dinner at Norway was so scandalous it's not even funny! The characters were great but the food quality was horrible. The best OVERALL meal we had ended up being at the Kona Cafe at the Poly. The meal was liked by the entire family from start to finish and our waiter was excellent. Our second favorite meal was at Momma Melrose's at Hollywood studios, again not a character dinner but excellent food. I had the steak and I could cut it with a fork! We did Cinderelllas royal table and I almost choked on my over cooked beef tenderloin when my husband told me the bill came to 230.00! That included a 12.00 anniversary dessert that I ordered for my husband and I. Thank goodness for the "free" dining plan that came with our package, now we have done these places and don't have to feel bad for not going again.

As for getting the dining plan again I dont think we will, we don't typically eat table service often and when we do its only once or twice a week. I dont think that constitutes the money we would have to spend buying the plan. If it's free again then we would take them up on that offer.

Anyways I just wanted to say good job cause those were our thoughts exactly! Have a great holiday season!

 

[LORI522]

I also just got back. I had a feeling that the crowds were going to be worse than predicted based on how hard it was to get an ADR. But the first hour or two in the mornings were great.

I was also very disappointed in Crystal Palace. We've eaten there a number of times, but this time the characters wouldn't stay long enough to get a picture with both kids. I should add that we had our autograph book open and the camera ready to go. My husband (who NEVER complains) actually did let someone know. They were very apologetic and had Pooh come take another picture with the kids. All the other character meals were great....especially Garden Grill.

Totally agree that MVMCP was too crowded and the bus situation was bad.

I have to say that I would rather brave the cold rather than the September heat again (we went in Sept '09). The heat + humidity makes me cranky!

Back to the post-trip laundry!

 

[OakvilleMom]

We were at WDW from Dec 9-15th.

Dec 10-11 weather was warm enough mid day to wear a tee and go swimming. By Sunday it was very cold for Florida standards. We are from Canada, so are used to the cold temps, but didn't enjoy the cold hours in the parks. It put a damper on our trip for sure. We usually go in the hot and humid summer.

All of 4 of us were sick during our trip (DH, DD 3, and DS 1, and myself). The staff at Grand Floridian was helpful and our room gorgeous!! Two balconies, extra space in our TPV was great.

We did Deluxe Dining Plan for the first time. We would do the dining plan again. We enjoy TS meals about twice/day. We used up meal credits with room service-came in handy when we were dealing with illness. We had a LOT of snack credits leftover.

We went to the MVMCP on Dec 14 and were disappointed. It was cold out that night. The kids were bundled in an undershirt, long sleeve shirts, sweater and winter coat, hats and mitts and blanket. I had on a long sleeve shirt, 3 sweaters, scarf, hat and mitts and was still cold. We stayed for the parade-lined up early and had a good view, but the crowds were huge. Watched the fireworks-it was very cold by then and we couldn't find the hot chocolate station. Some sweet fellow offered us some of his group's. By the time the fireworks were done we were so cold that we just wanted to get the monorail back to our resort to warm up. We didn't do any rides or other entertainment. Both kids fell asleep early and missed the whole party. DD and I both ended up with the flu the next day. (for our plane trip home ugh)

We did notice that the Grand Floridian main building was incredibly busy and noisy with the holiday decor and extra guests to the building for the decor. We normally really enjoy the main lounge-like to relax there with the kids and the afternoon music. This time we hardly spent any time in the lounge.

Meals we loved: Tusker House (great breakfast!!), Teppan Edo, 1900 Park Fare. Thank goodness for the Princesses at Akershus and CRT as they are worth the price to us. We do like the breakfast at Akershus much better than the food at CRT but the castle experience should be on everyone's list at least once. I agree that the character interaction at Crystal Palace was very poor.

Oh and the cappuchino on room service at the GF was not real cappuchino. There was no foam and it tasted awful. DH called to complain and found out it's from a syrup and not a real cappuchino machine. They ended up not charging for those drinks.

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

I was also very disappointed in Crystal Palace. We've eaten there a number of times, but this time the characters wouldn't stay long enough to get a picture with both kids. I should add that we had our autograph book open and the camera ready to go. My husband (who NEVER complains) actually did let someone know. They were very apologetic and had Pooh come take another picture with the kids.

We were there from the 6th to the 15th. We had the EXACT same experience at Crystal Palace. (This was our 3rd time there) I, too, went and talked to the manager and got Eeyore back over -- he was the one who rushed!! He even did a gesture for us to hurry when he was at our table. Hmmm, NO! We are paying a premium for your time. Also, Piglet tried to hurry then I whispered to her/him "please don't rush with my children. We are paying for this." He/she slowed down then. I should add that we also had our autograph material out and ready as well as our camera. We do not take tons of time (even reminding our kids to let the characters go visit other tables) but geez rushing off before signing is not okay with us! It was really ridiculous!

The manager was nice enough but said something along the lines of we have 90 tables and spending just 1 minute at each table would take 1.5 hours. I told him we had been there 2x before and didn't have this problem. Anyhow, they made it right after I complained.

 

[sls404]

We also were there Dec. 12-18th and I was kind of disapointed in this trip. We have been going every year for the past 4 years and the past three we have been doing this same week before Christmas.

I thought crowds were pretty good, we chose the parks based on Touring Guides where there were no EMH but I also think the cold got people out of the parks at the beginning of the week.

We stayed at Coronado Springs Resort for the first time, the hotel was beautiful and the room decor and beds are awesome. We are used to Pop Century so it was a nice upgrade, but I was so disspointed in the bus system at Coronado! We waited and waited and waited and finally just started taking our rental car to the parks and it was so much quicker and less stressful! The bus service at Pop far outdoes Coronado!

I also called to make a room request for a certain floor and section a few months before our arrival. I had to deal with the CM trying to get me to upgrade this and add that to my reservations when finally 30 mins later she added my request. But when I checked in, the CM checking us in did not even see the request on my reservation! I understand that requests are not always granted, but it really aggravated me that I went through all that trouble for nothing.

We were on the dining plan, which I loved. So nice not to worry about getting your cash out and paying for food. But I agree with rjvose on CRT and did notice the quality has gone down. Good thing we got free dining b/c I would never pay $100+ for food there! Even though the food at CRT wasn't all that good, the princesses were great. We do not have any children in our group, so we weren't expecting or really wanting much attention, just some good pictures. But the interactions were really great, didn't make us feel awkward at all!

Our favorite meals were dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (it was sooo good and very unexpected!) and of course Le Cellier and Teppan Edo.

We did the MVMCP on 12/12 and it was not crowded at all it seemed, I'm assuming it was because of the cold and brutal wind! We did stay away from main street until after the fireworks though. I just love it because the rides are all walk-ons. I would say if you aren't really into riding, it's not worth the extra $.

I think there were several dissapointing factors for us this trip that will cause us to re-think our once a year trip and instead do Disney every two or three years. We still love Disney, but it's gotten so stressful with the planning that it would be nice to have a relaxing vacation in between. I think we will be aiming for Halloween/Food Wine Festival time for our next trip... maybe we can get away from all of the holiday craziness!

 

[RachaelA]

We also were there Dec. 12-18th and I was kind of disapointed in this trip. We have been going every year for the past 4 years and the past three we have been doing this same week before Christmas.

I thought crowds were pretty good, we chose the parks based on Touring Guides where there were no EMH but I also think the cold got people out of the parks at the beginning of the week.

We stayed at Coronado Springs Resort for the first time, the hotel was beautiful and the room decor and beds are awesome. We are used to Pop Century so it was a nice upgrade, but I was so disspointed in the bus system at Coronado! We waited and waited and waited and finally just started taking our rental car to the parks and it was so much quicker and less stressful! The bus service at Pop far outdoes Coronado!

I also called to make a room request for a certain floor and section a few months before our arrival. I had to deal with the CM trying to get me to upgrade this and add that to my reservations when finally 30 mins later she added my request. But when I checked in, the CM checking us in did not even see the request on my reservation! I understand that requests are not always granted, but it really aggravated me that I went through all that trouble for nothing.

We were on the dining plan, which I loved. So nice not to worry about getting your cash out and paying for food. But I agree with rjvose on CRT and did notice the quality has gone down. Good thing we got free dining b/c I would never pay $100+ for food there! Even though the food at CRT wasn't all that good, the princesses were great. We do not have any children in our group, so we weren't expecting or really wanting much attention, just some good pictures. But the interactions were really great, didn't make us feel awkward at all!

Our favorite meals were dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (it was sooo good and very unexpected!) and of course Le Cellier and Teppan Edo.

We did the MVMCP on 12/12 and it was not crowded at all it seemed, I'm assuming it was because of the cold and brutal wind! We did stay away from main street until after the fireworks though. I just love it because the rides are all walk-ons. I would say if you aren't really into riding, it's not worth the extra $.

I think there were several dissapointing factors for us this trip that will cause us to re-think our once a year trip and instead do Disney every two or three years. We still love Disney, but it's gotten so stressful with the planning that it would be nice to have a relaxing vacation in between. I think we will be aiming for Halloween/Food Wine Festival time for our next trip... maybe we can get away from all of the holiday craziness!

The night was empty! We were on main street for the fireworks and it was not crowded at all! We were in line for the Seven Dwarfs at 6:15 and we could have walked up and met them in 15 minutes at 9pm because it was so empty! We waited no more than 5 minutes for most character greets. I was shocked! It had to be because it was the first day of super cold!

 

[RMulieri]

enjoying all the reports..We went last year the 12-19th and though the crowds were low, I guess that week is also now victim to disney marketing.We also are going back in September( If i have my way-DH still wants to go back in September).Much easier to deal with the heat than the crowds..

 

[beatlesblonde]

Same here. We were there 12/11-12/18. It was a bit more crowded than what we're used to, but it was still more manageable than when we went in June. The cold was the worst part, especially Monday the 13th. We called it quits by 7pm and stayed in our room the rest of the night because it was so cold. Other than that we had a great time. We too were on the dining plan and loved it when we'd get a bill that was $70+ and then after using a TS credit it went to $0. The restaurants were really busy, but we were always seated close to our ADR time and we never felt rushed to eat and leave. I think maybe next year we might move back a week to the first week of December in hopes of slightly better weather.

 

[Gary M]

We just returned from a Dec. 12-17 stay at the GF. We have stayed at a WDW resort every Dec. since 1992. Each trip was in early to middle Dec., except once over Christmas. It's funny how differently people see the crowds. We thought this was much more crowded than in past years. The GF lobby was a mob. The buses and monorail were standing room only, most of the time. We opened the parks each day and the crowds are smaller for the first couple of hours, as in the past. Even with what we thought were larger than expected crowds, some of the rides were walk-ons, while the popular attractions were very busy. DME was great. It does seem like the food quality has gone down with the free dining promotion.

Boy was it cold Mon., Tues. and Wed. with the wind blowing very hard.

 

[DanBoris]

We were at Disney on the 12th and 13th staying at Port Orleans Riverside. I agree with what others have said, Magic Kingdom was much more crowded on Monday then I expected it to be. Epcot was also busy on Sunday, but those crowds were about as I expected.

The biggest issue we had was that there were computer problems Sunday morning so it took us over an hour to get checked in and we even did Online check in. It was taking them anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to process each party.

We went over to Universal for the rest of the week and it was really quiet there on Tuesday and slowly picked up through the week.

 

[DisneyWisher]

Amichaell-Sept is a great choice, we always go either just before or just after Labor Day. If you are up to trying a different value, try All Star Music. They have pool activites during the day and a pool side movie every night. We really enjoy it. They are offering Free Dining for Sept but I think the offer ends soon. You will want to upgrade to the regular dining plan which will probably cost about $25 more a night but you will get your table service credits. The crowds are great because everyone is back to school. We've been going this time of the year for over 16 years, still my favorite time to go. Used to love going just after Thanksgiving but getting too crowded for me. September has spoiled me.

 

[Jeannie in NJ]

we were there at Grand floridian from sat 11th until sat the 18th. Dd and I went to MK about 5:00 Sat and it was so mobbed. We all went to Epcot on Sun and as I had left my jacket at home, we went to the big gift shop there and asked a CM for the warmest fleece lined jacket available. Well, I love the jacket she found for me, it is so warm and comfortable. We went to MK again on Mon which according to several locals that we met was the coldest day they could ever remember (I think it was 22 degrees). We were so cold even with lined sweatshirts, wool hats and thick wool mittens. When my kids turned pale and were beyond miserable, we called it quits and went back to our hotel room. The GF lobby was packed all week except the nights that we got back after 10 pm. that was the only time that we could enjoy the tree and gingerbread house.

On Tues rather than brave the cold again at a park, we visited the other resorts and looked at their Christmas decorations. Wed went to Animal Kingdom (another cold day) and Thurs went to Hollywood, neither park was crowded. We absolutely loved the Osborne lights and it was not cold. We went to eat at 50's Prime Time Cafe and had such a great time that when we finally left there were lots of CM's at the exit and they told us that we were the last people in the park and they called to get a bus for us back to our hotel. It was strange and cool being the only people in the park besides the cms.
We went to Epcot 4 out of our 8 days. We surprised a friend of ours (college kid) from same town in New Jersey as we are, that is a CM at Mission Space (he works there during summers and Christmas break). We did not tell him that we were going to be at Disney, his dad told us which attraction he was working at. We just got in line for Mission Space and the look on his face from across the room when he saw us was wonderful as he came running over to hug us.
Our favorite counter service place was the huge place in The Land in Epcot, we ate there 4 times mostly while waiting for Soarin, rode it 3 times. Favorite place for table service was by far, Citricos. My kids loved the Coral Reef as were were right next to the glass and they loved the sharks, we had great waiters at every place. The only table service which we greatly disliked was the San Angel Inn in Mexico, the food was pretty bad and we disliked Gasparilla's at our hotel.

Our flight was delayed coming back home so we did not get home until 2 am.
We mostly had a good time in spite of the cold weather but next time will go in Oct so we can use the pool (went in the hot tub our last night but were not brave enough to try the pool as our room was far from the pool.

Kevin Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers) and his wife were at the Grand Floridian for their first anniversary at the same time that we were. The day w left, Sat the 18th we missed our reservation at the GF Cafe and they would not let us in and we found out later that Kevin and his wife were in the Cafe eating at that time. My 15 year old dd will never let us forget how she missed getting to see him but she still thinks it is cool that he was at the same hotel as us.

 

[lurkernj]

I was there from the 11th to the 15th. Crowds were terrible the 11th(MK-I figured this day would be bad) and 12th(Epcot), not too bad on the 13(DHS), 14(MK), 15(AK). We did the Christmas party on the 14th. It was disappointing, Halloween party is so much better. We went to MK at RD that day and got all the rides out of the way so we could focus on party stuff at night. We planned our shows around the schedule they provided, so we got in front of the Castle for the Celebrate the season show at 9:45 for the 10:05 show. At 10:05 on the dot, they announce that due to unforseen circumstances, the 10:05 show won't take place. The characters came out and sang a song, then we went to fight for a parade spot for the 10:30 parade. It was so bitterly cold we couldn't wait for the parade to end (not Disney's fault I know). So I felt that we paid $57 each to see the parade and fireworks (and a teeny bopper show in tomorrowland-we are two adults). It really wasn't very crowded, except for the parades and fireworks, but I felt like we were looking for things to do.

We had dinner at 1900 Park Fair, Ohana's, 50s Primetime, and Coral Reef, all of which were really good except Park fair which was just ok, I thought there would be more variety.

I did enjoy the Christmas decorations in the parks (except Epcot), but it was so rediculously cold(even with many layers on), I'll stick to my September trips.

 

[mom2rtk]

I also just got back. I had a feeling that the crowds were going to be worse than predicted based on how hard it was to get an ADR. But the first hour or two in the mornings were great.

I was also very disappointed in Crystal Palace. We've eaten there a number of times, but this time the characters wouldn't stay long enough to get a picture with both kids. I should add that we had our autograph book open and the camera ready to go. My husband (who NEVER complains) actually did let someone know. They were very apologetic and had Pooh come take another picture with the kids. All the other character meals were great....especially Garden Grill.

Totally agree that MVMCP was too crowded and the bus situation was bad.

I have to say that I would rather brave the cold rather than the September heat again (we went in Sept '09). The heat + humidity makes me cranky!

Back to the post-trip laundry!

I'm WAY with you on that one. We were there the end of Sept 09 for the record setting heat, and there for the record setting cold this past week. While I'd prefer sunny and 70..... I'll take the cold over the heat any day!

We were at WDW from Dec 9-15th.


We went to the MVMCP on Dec 14 and were disappointed. It was cold out that night. The kids were bundled in an undershirt, long sleeve shirts, sweater and winter coat, hats and mitts and blanket. I had on a long sleeve shirt, 3 sweaters, scarf, hat and mitts and was still cold. We stayed for the parade-lined up early and had a good view, but the crowds were huge. Watched the fireworks-it was very cold by then and we couldn't find the hot chocolate station. Some sweet fellow offered us some of his group's. By the time the fireworks were done we were so cold that we just wanted to get the monorail back to our resort to warm up. We didn't do any rides or other entertainment. Both kids fell asleep early and missed the whole party. DD and I both ended up with the flu the next day. (for our plane trip home ugh)

FWIW....... We were at MVMCP the 14th and the 16th. We sat on the hub near the castle for the fireworks and parade and there was TONS of space available even right at showtime. Others told me they had been allowed to swap out their 14th tickets for the 16th because of the cold. Now the 16th........... THAT was crowded!!!! It was a solid mass of humanity up near the castle. I almost preferred the cold of the 14th to the crowds of the 16th! Well....... almost......

 

[danzma]

We were there the 15th-19th. The parks were in no way empty but the crowds were certainly managable IMHO. We chose our park days based on Easywdw.com and made rope drop two out of the three days so we had no problem hitting all the "big" rides within the first hour or so of each day. Yes, it was cold in the morning but it warmed up as the day went on so we stashed our coats, hats and gloves in a locker and picked them back up when the sun went down and the thermometer started to drop.

I will say that this was our first December in WDW and in all honesty, I was expecting a lot more as far as Christmas decorations are concerned. Yes, the Osbourn lights are fabulous and each park has a Christmas trees and wreaths, etc. however, there were certain sections in each park where there's just nothing - if you sat on a bench and looked all around you, it could have been the middle of June, not December.

Anyway, we've had "Christmas at Disney" on our "to-do" list for a while so I'm happy we went and that I can check it off!

 

[lilpapsgirl]

We were there the 14th-17th and although the wind and cold were pretty bad, I thought the crowds were great. We went to MK and Epcot on the 14th and 15th and had no trouble here. Mostly everything was a walk on. We got there at opening and were done with everything we wanted to ride by 12:00 or 1:00p.m. We hit Pirates, Haunted Mansion, BTMRR, Buzz Lightyear, TTA all in under an hour with Haunted Mansion being the longest wait at about 3-4 minutes, as they closed the doors for the prvious group right as we were walking up. Compared to a previous Christmas experience (2005), this was a breeze. I was scared of how bad the crowds were going to be, almost to the point of calling off the trip. I will definetly keep this time of year in mind for a short trip, as I like seeing the hoiday decorations. I will say Hollywood Studios was a bit more crowded, but nothing like I was expecting. We saw The Beauty and the Beast Live Stage show and almost half the auditiorium was empty. We went over to the Streets of America about 5:15 to claim a seat for the Osborne Family Dancing lights. This was the most crowded I had seen it since we got there. I expected this. I know I read a previous post concerning Hollywood Studios and it being so crowded that cast members had to rope that area off. I can say we had a great experience with this as it was crowded, but not overwhelming. Over all we had a great time.

 

[mousiemom]

we were prepared for the cold weather and we bundled up and all had handwarmers. we started out at park opening every day and never had to wait more than 10 mins. on a ride and did the fp a lot. we had a great trip, we've been in sept. and it is reallllly hot and humid. we all agreed we rather be cold than hot. this is our favorite time of the year to go. pop was awesome as always. we did the qs dining plan and we were so tired of eating. we had to make ourselves eat our snacks everyday. went to universal/ioa on tues. and harry potter was amazing. we only had to wait 5 mins. on FJ. cinderella needs to upgrade her castle! everything went perfect but you would think after the 25th trip, you would have it down.

 

[Littlestar2001]

We were there 12/12-12/19(stayed @ Pop & did the Quick Service Dining Plan)and I thought that it was very crowded most days!Every morning no matter what time we went to eat breakfast @ Pop it was so mobbed that sometimes we had to wait to be able to sit down!We figured out that in order to be able to eat without the crowds that you had to get there before 8am!The lines for the buses were insane going to and from the parks!I think on our whole trip we were able to get a seat on the bus maybe 4 times if that!We only went to see the Osbourne lights one night and we couldn't even move it was that crowded!I found that Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom were always the most crowded regardless of what time we went(we would go early morning,afternoon and evenings and it was always mobbed)..Sometimes we lucked out with short lines for rides but I noticed it was only when a parade or castle show was going on..I also was not a big fan of the cold and windy weather from sunday till wednesday,it really made it hard to enjoy being outside...I also was a bit dissapointed with the holiday decorations..I thought there would have been much more than there was..

 

[Vincent405]

We were there from the 12-19th and stayed at the GF. This was our first trip (I may do a trip report) and I really have little desire to go back. Mostly because it was ok, but nothing that great. My DD-4 enjoyed some things, character interactions were generally good. But, getting in line, waiting a while, then having them leave was not good - they should cut the line off with a rope like we saw them do for the Princess Frog pair and Jasmine (even though some woman pushed past us and went under the rope, but the CM told her that was not gonna work) The cold on Monday and Tuesday was bad, really it was the wind. Monday in Animal Kingdom, the crowds were ok, Tuesday in MK they were ok, the cold kept people away. Wed in Epcot was ok crowd wise, Thursday in DHS was crowded, and we were in TSM when the building had to be evacuated, Friday was very crowded in MK, but it was Friday and 75 degrees. Saturday it rained a lot, we were in MK and it was crowded in the afternoon.

All the QS places were pretty much as expected, fast food-esque and just something to stick in our stomachs, of those the Contempo Cafe was best. Dinner @ 1900 Sunday was so so, lunch at Norway was good, Dinner in the Castle was below average as was the service, lunch @ Hollywood and Vine was good, Chef Mickey's for breakfast was beyond bad, at least the Characters were good. Crystal Place and Tusker House were both good and we had good character interaction at both. Tigger was very good @ Crystal.

Monorail breakdowns were Plentiful and I agree with other in that we expected many more holiday decorations.