Santa Clause is coming...to Disney! Dec. at CBR! *8/4- pics of WWoHP!*

[nessz79]

(In case anyone is confused, this is the PTR formerly known as "Dare I? My first Pre-Trip report. I'm experimenting with a more exciting title.)

Hi everyone and welcome to my first Pre-Trip Report (and thereafter, my first trip report!).

I will do my best to make this as interesting as possible, but be patient!

The Cast:

Me: 31 year old wife, mom, English teacher. Disney addict, although mostly a closet addict. No one in my close circle really understands me.
DH: 42, husband, father, English teacher (at the same school even!). Says he's not that into Disney and often says "not for a long time" after each trip. Said DH is able to be convinced otherwise 90% of the time, with careful maneuvering on my part.
DS 7: We'll call him Simba. Sweet, smart, artsy, an introvert. He loves fast rides. Is at an age where characters are "obviously fake" which is kind of sad. However, he still loves to interact with them in his shy way.
DS 5 (nearly 6): We'll call him Tigger. Boisterous, generous, a definite extrovert. Although he's "all boy" fast rides kind of scare him. However, he loves "scary" rides and isn't afraid of the scarier themes. Loves animals.

How did I convince my Disney-reluctant DH to book yet another Disney trip? Will I be able to restrain my planning addiction this time? Will we tell the kids or leave it a surprise?

Find out in my next installment!

 

[irishsharon]

Have a wonderful time cant wait to hear more

 

[nessz79]

I grew up without much money. Amazing parents and a stable home life, but we just didn't have a lot to spend. So when my grandmother helped my mom take my sister and I to Disney when I was 9, it was A-MAZ-ING. Thus, my Disney addiction and obsession began. We continued to take Disney trips every 3-4 years during my childhood/adolescence. We lived and continue to live 3.5 hours away driving distance, which made this easier to do.

When DH and I met and married, we took a couple weekend trips before we had kids. It just wasn't the same for me, not being a kid myself anymore. It was still fun, but was missing some of the magic. Also, DH is not a Disney fanatic like me and it's hard to get the same Disney feeling when the person you're with isn't so into it.

However, a few years after having my first child, my mom and I had an idea. While DH went to a convention in Orlando, we could take the kids to Disney. I was ecstatic. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge (my first and only time staying Deluxe). Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disaster. We hadn't been in forever and so we didn't have much of a plan. My youngest, Tigger, was not yet 2 and was a hand full. Also, he managed to get the stomach flu on our last full day. We ended up leaving a day early and the rest of my family spent the next two weeks passing around the nastiest stomach flu we will have ever had. I do not exaggerate. Ahem.

Luckily, our trips picked up from there. I went on another short trip with my mom and the kids again and had a blast this time. I then went with DH and the kids some time later in an RV at Fort Wilderness. This vacation was remembered with all fondness. We had so much fun that I knew something great had begun. I think I hooked DH, though he would continue to grumble about prices, crowds, etc.

We had another family trip after this, staying at All Star Movies and celebrated my 30th birthday with my extended family and DH's parents. A magical time!!

After this trip, DH and I had to negotiate our return trip. I wanted to do something big again (which he considered anything more than 2 days!), he wanted to wait 3 years. High on Disney, I agreed....but I knew we'd be back soon.

We returned again on some trips with just DH and I. Hey- however I could get him to agree to come back to Disney, I had to run with. He seemed to prefer to be there without kids on occasion. Our most recent trip was in May for DH's birthday. I think we were both really missing the kids.

We kept saying, "The kids would love this." A seed was planted...

 

[nessz79]

DH and I always take a trip for just the two of us around Dec. 18th, our anniversary. We had been thinking about what we might do this year. Last year we did a cruise, which was enjoyable except the unusually cold and windy weather.

A few days ago, I was browsing the internet , not looking for anything particular when a small advertisement caught my attention...free dining was being extended into the fall, including our anniversary weekend dates. A slow grin spread across my face and I began to wring my hands in conniving. How could I possibly convince DH to do this when we were just there a few months ago? And I didn't want to go without the kids this time- how would I persuade him to bring the kids along?

For fun, I went to see what it would even cost. I started off with a Value Resort with Quick Service Dining Plan. In the upper corner, I saw Caribbean Beach Resort for just a little bit more...and it turns out you get the regular Dining Plan with a moderate. Hmmm.... I had to play with some of the plan to get it to a more reasonable price. And I wound up with this:

4 nights, 4 people
Caribbean Beach Resort
Free Dining Plan
2 day tickets (I know this isn't enough for the diehards but I had to concede something here)
$1500

So I plotted my sales pitch and waited for DH to get up from a nap. This was a delicate situation. DH stumbled out some minutes later and I pounced. I smiled demurely, batted my eyes a bit, and sugared up my voice. I gave him the pitch. Then, either because of his sleepy stupor or because he actually wanted to go (I believe it's the latter) he agreed it would be a good idea!! Afraid to break the spell, I walked on eggshells around the subject. I called Disney to see if there were any other breaks or discounts I could use to sweeten the deal. Predictably, you can't combine discounts with this offer. No matter, by the end of the day, DH was fixed on it and I was able to officially book it!

One of the most special things about this coming trip is that I used to stay at Caribbean Beach Resort with my mom, grandma, and sister when we went as kids. I hadn't been there in 15 years or so. I have a lot of fond memories of staying there- it was so special at the time.

Also, my kids have never been to Disney at Christmas time. There are so many special things I can't wait for them to see!

Let the obsessive planning commence!

Coming soon: ADR's and basic plan

 

[nessz79]

Have a wonderful time cant wait to hear more

Hey, I have 1 person! Woohoo!!

In your honor, I will continue on!

The obsessive planning has begun...

Immediately after I had the official go-ahead from DH, I was doing this:


I realized that 180 ADRS for our dates had already started and I didn't have any ADR's. After doing some searching through park hours and touring plan crowd calendars, I decided on a basic schedule:

Friday, 17th: Drive up to Disney, check in, head over to DTD and spend the afternoon there. ADR at Raglan Road for 5:30.

Saturday, 18th (our anniversary): Magic Kingdom!! Park hours 9-10. ADR for Crystal Palace at 11:35.

Sunday, 19th: Epcot with a special emphasis on all the fun holiday things to do there. ADR for Coral Reef at 11:30.

Monday, 20th: Hang out at resort, swim if weather is good, maybe ride the monorail to some deluxe resorts to see their Christmas decorations. Later, ADR at Cape May Clam Bake at 5:20.

Tuesday, 21st: Breakfast and then probably head back home for the rest of our Christmas vacation.

I know this is a bit short by most people's standards, but I could never get my husband to agree to a long Disney trip. I have to take what I can get!

Here's a picture of hubby and I on our last Disney trip for his birthday (sans kids):

And here's one of our boys on our past cruise:

Simba is on the left and Tigger is on the right.

 

[onescgirl]

We're staying at the CBR in Sept. I can't wait to see how it is. Where did you go for a cruise? We want to take a family cruise sometime.

 

[nessz79]

We're staying at the CBR in Sept. I can't wait to see how it is. Where did you go for a cruise? We want to take a family cruise sometime.

I can't wait either! I keep youtubing videos of CBR.

We took a Carnival cruise, 4 days, to Key West and Cozumel. We had a fantastic time, despite a rainy day in Cozumel that prevented us from doing anything there. The kids loved Camp Carnival.

 

[nessz79]

While I realize I have very few followers, I thought I'd post some pictures from some of our previous trips...starting with our Fort Wilderness trip with our RV.

On a whim, DH decided owning and vacationing in an RV would be fun. I was doubtful and reminded him that there would be NO WAY that I would drive an RV. He reassured me could do it, so we perused CraigsList. Eventually we wound up buying this old, dear RV:

I think it was an 87 Fleetwood or something like that. Anyway, it served its main purpose which was to take us to Disney to do some camping at Fort Wilderness.

FW is absolutely LOVELY if you've never been there. I highly recommend a trip over there even if it's just for a little while. It is the most relaxing trip we've had to Disney. We spent time doing the night campfire, talking with friends from Orlando at our picnic table outside, watching Disney cable from our RV (that was novel to us), watching people canoe down the stream/canal they have, etc, etc.

At the campfire, we learned about how to tell Chip and Dale apart. Chip has the darker nose is all I remember!

We also did simple things like taking boat rides over to the Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary.

Here's Tigger on the ferry- I believe he was 3 at the time.

Tigger and I at the WL

A fuzzy picture, but DH and the boys at the Contemporary.

We just spent one day at the MK, though I can't find the pics right now. We did EMH morning and won Dream Fastpasses when they were still doing that. It was wonderful- we did almost all the rides we wanted by lunch. We took a break and came back after dinner in our RV and did a couple more rides before watching Spectro.

Truly a relaxing vacation and some of my favorite memories.

 

[Chelley00]

Following along.

How fun to spend your anniversary at Magic Kingdom!

 

[nessz79]

Following along.

How fun to spend your anniversary at Magic Kingdom!

We can't wait . It looks like you have a trip coming up!

 

[HeatherBelle614]

Hi!

Your plans look great! At Christmastime, you don't have to do a ton of park days to find things to enjoy! The resorts are all decorated beautifully; you definitely need to go over to DTD if you have some time, too. They have some special lights and everything. We just went last December and had a great trip!!

BTW, my family used to stay at CBR when I was growing up, too. I have such wonderful memories there! We were going to stay there in October but ended up getting a great deal through DVC rentals!

 

[nessz79]

Hi!

Your plans look great! At Christmastime, you don't have to do a ton of park days to find things to enjoy! The resorts are all decorated beautifully; you definitely need to go over to DTD if you have some time, too. They have some special lights and everything. We just went last December and had a great trip!!

BTW, my family used to stay at CBR when I was growing up, too. I have such wonderful memories there! We were going to stay there in October but ended up getting a great deal through DVC rentals!

That's fantastic! You'll have to make your way to CBR eventually- I can't wait to relive some of those memories with my own family .

What sort of things do they have at DTD that time of year? DH and I have been to Epcot during the holidays a couple of times, but that's it.

 

[nessz79]

Our other official family trip was about a year and half ago in April 2009. I was turning 30 and the only thing I wanted was an extended family trip to Disney. (I know, "only", right?? haha). We wound up with quite an entourage for a 3 night trip to All Star Movies.

Here is who went:

From clockwise top left: my grandmother who we call GG, me, my cousin Skye, Dh (Rob, I've given up on giving the cute Disney names for people), Ben/Simba, and Sam/Tigger.

DH Rob (being silly) and my uncle Keith.

My mom. I'm very close with my mom .

MIL, Mickey, and FIL. Carolina and Hector. They are wonderful in-laws to have!

So anyway, we spent 3 nights there. Our itinerary went something like this:

Day 1- Magic Kingdom

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It was very crowded as we went at the beginning of Spring Break. Easter was about a week later.

Sam/Tigger and I on the train on our way to Frontierland.


Day 2- Epcot

We found the character meet spot by Spaceship Earth and the kids had a blast. Hint- go here when the park first opens and there will be a small line!

We ate at Biergarten and really enjoyed ourselves there. It was too early for the band to play but we had fun just being us! My mom was warming up the kids who were freezing for some reason. That's GG in the lower corner.

We did the walk around one side of World Showcase near Mexico, as you can see here. This is Ben/Simba trying on a sombrero.

We went back to the hotel around 3:30 as we were tired. We took a brief break and the in-laws (Carolina and Hector) watched the kids at the hotel while DH and I went back out to Epcot. We had so much fun- we drank beer at the UK, watched Off-Kilter, and ate at Tokyo Dining. It was nice just walking around and doing adult type Epcot stuff.

Day 3- Hollywood Studios

This day was packed and hot. Sam/Tigger was under the weather, recovering from a bad cold and ear infection. By this time, he was coughing like crazy so we rented a stroller this day. Here's one with me, the kids, and Carolina (MIL)

I realize it doesn't look packed here. It was, though, trust me. We must have taken this right when the park opened.

We ate at 50s Prime Time Cafe that evening and had a blast!

I can say that if you go as a large group, it's best to split up during the day and get together for a meal or two. It was very difficult to stick together with different wake-up times, etc. I wish we could have gone on a few rides as a large group, but it just didn't work out that way.

 

[pinkxray]

I'm joining in. I love reading all about how another Disney lover gets their DH to agree to go on another trip.
I love the waiting until after a nap plan. Maybe next time I'll wait until DH wakes up and when he agrees in his groggy state, I'll book the trip. When the trip finally rolls around I'll remind him and when he asks what I am talking about, I can say you agreed a few months ago so I booked it.

Can't wait to hear all the planning details.

 

[disneydreamer1970]

Your plans sound wonderful, and CBR is special to me as well. It is the first on-site place we stayed...and it was our oldest son's first trip. I keep trying to get back there, but for one reason or another it doesn't work out for us. For our upcoming trip there will be five of us, so POR it is.

Thanks for sharing some of your pictures from previous trips.

I can't wait to hear more!

Trish

 

[nessz79]

Your plans sound wonderful, and CBR is special to me as well. It is the first on-site place we stayed...and it was our oldest son's first trip. I keep trying to get back there, but for one reason or another it doesn't work out for us. For our upcoming trip there will be five of us, so POR it is.

Thanks for sharing some of your pictures from previous trips.

I can't wait to hear more!

Trish

Thanks for looking! I'm going to check out your PTR as I see you are also going during the holidays!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Hey there! I'm in!!! What a cute little family you have!!! You are going to love Disney at Christmas time!!! We will be there the 3rd to the 11th so we will just be missing you!!! So.... Do the biys know they are going yet???

 

[nessz79]

Hey there! I'm in!!! What a cute little family you have!!! You are going to love Disney at Christmas time!!! We will be there the 3rd to the 11th so we will just be missing you!!! So.... Do the biys know they are going yet???

Not yet! We're going to try to wait until Thanksgiving and then reveal it in some fun way.

Where will you be staying?

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Not yet! We're going to try to wait until Thanksgiving and then reveal it in some fun way.

Where will you be staying?

I'm planning on telling my son on Thanksgiving too!!!

We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge!!!

You can read all about it if you like in my PTR... The link is in my signature!

 

[nessz79]

I'm planning on telling my son on Thanksgiving too!!!

We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge!!!

You can read all about it if you like in my PTR... The link is in my signature!

I'm about to hop over there right now