School's Closing Early? Let's Do Disney in December! 12-10

[mgsmom]

Oh, and I can't believe I forgot to tell you this -

At some point in the trip (totally don't remember) but we walked up to the American Exhibit in Epcot and Sandi Patti was doing a Christmas concert! It was amazing!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Yay for Pop!!! We've stayed in building 10 (my favorite), 6, and 1. If you are facing the main building, building 10 is to the left, right by the food court. Building 6 is across from 10, and 1 is next to the check-in side of the main building so all of those are super close for you to ask for!

Your Tues ADR..is it Whispering Canyon bc the first pic is of WCC but the 2nd is of Cape May???

 

[wishing4PA]

Okay! All caught up now, having read your January TR. I do have a knack for saying just the wrong thing sometimes -- seems you've been through the snowstorm on the way to the airport already! Which reminds me of the time my then-future DH mentioned he didn't like his first name, and I said, "It could be worse, it could be ****", and he said, "my middle name is ****".

But you apparently had gorgeous weather for the rest of that trip, so it all evens out, right?

Btw, your photos are incredible! I look forward to seeing this year's!

**** name withheld because it's really awful.

 

[westonkamom]

We stayed at Pop last December for 10 days and really LOVED it. I was very impressed at a "value" being that nice! I did not pay for a preferred room in order to save a little money and at first was super bummed b/c we were over in building 9 (computer pool). It ended up being one of the best places b/c it was probably one of the closest buildings to the buses and maybe a 1 minute walk extra to the food court. If you're looking at the map we were right above the "s" in 80's...corner room, 3rd floor. We had a view of the lake, computer pool, and if it was raining we could walk along the corridor around the building and exit by the top rubix cube at the 90's parking lot...literally a 3-4 minute walk to the buses. Plus, it was super quiet over there!! I would actually request that area again if we were staying there this time. Here's some pics! Our room was at on the 3rd floor under the "P" in Preppy in the pic from the pool Also, there is a little playground by building 10 and 9 too! You can click the photos to enlarge them

 

[Charleston Princess]

Thank goodness you called!!!

 

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

Oh wow! Good thing you called! I love calling Disney too! Always so nice and helpful!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay on staying at Pop for the first night!!! We loved it here! Oh my, it's a good job you rang to check about your room

We were in the 50s building which was pretty close to everything and I think would suit your friends family. As for you guys not sure if you were thinking of a preferred room as that is even closer to everything.

Great dining choices - the only one we dined at was 50s PTC and if you ask to be seated in the side room you don't get to be involved much in the antics. We actually didn't like being left out but if you don't want to play along it'll be a great choice of seating

 

[Queenofallthings]

Good morning my friend I have been absent all week from the Dis but am here now to catch up! Jas and I stayed at Pop and loved it both times! Now it's been a while but we were in the building with Lady in front of it both times...we quite enjoyed it there....close to the bowling pin pool (we were there in August so that was important for us) and the lobby!

 

[MeMom]

How exciting to fly out Christmas day! I agree that the rope drop routine would make the difference. The other factor, which is nice, is that you aren't there just for the rides and attractions. The magic is enough!

Definitely what I am there for. Some trips I end up going on very few rides, and that is fine with me. Well, I might so six times on the Carrousel with Bella while the others ride things, so I guess I do get to do rides.

From what I've read, I get to experience the parade without having to attend the party since we will be there after the last party date. Has that been your experience? Also, does the Christmas parade run instead of the 3:00 parade? Do they run it more than once a day?

I can't attest to the times, but you will get to see the Christmas parade - yes. Have you ever seen it? (Sorry, I forget who has/hasn't done what/stayed where, etc.) If not, I will have to pull up some pictures from past trips to show you. The gingerbread men and the wooden soldiers are fun!

So my friends who've stayed at Pop, which building do I request? Remember, we are arriving around 10 and leaving to hit HS for 8 am rope drop, after checking our bags for transport to BCV...So I think I need a building close to the lobby.

Nothing at Pop is more than a short walk. People want to say it takes 10-15 minutes to walk to Classic Hall from a certain area, but I haven't found that to be true, and I am surely not a fast walker. Look at a map and make an arc from Classic Hall out, using the the kiddie pool as your center point. You will see that that touches several different buildings - 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, and the edge of 9.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/pop.htm

Hope that helps you decide.

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Hey Deb!!

I'm here! Gosh, and you're already 4 pages in!

I'm so jealous that you're going for Christmas. My very first visit was over Christmas. It was back in the day - no ADRs - no planning, really. We stayed at CR for several days, including Christmas, and honestly I don't even think we so much as looked at a map. The FPs were a "new" thing and we could call dining every morning and make a reservation for that very evening. NO problem. Can you imagine? But it was soooooo magical. We just stumbled upon everything - parades, fireworks, characters - nothing planned but that one meal a day.

I do remember on Christmas morning, we decided to go to Epcot. On the monorail on the way over we passed the MK entrance and saw the mass of humanity trying to get in. We were SO glad we decided on Epcot!

We also packed terribly. All I took were short sleeves and shorts, and one pair of jeans. Guess what I ended up wearing EVERY DAY?! And the sweatshirt I bought the day we got there.

I am so excited to hear about your stay at Pop - it's totally on my radar if we get to do a vacation this year! I think DD would flip out over all the super-Disney stuff!

I can't wait to see how your girls enjoy all the magic. Your family is going to have the best Christmas trip EVER!!!

I am so excited for this Christmas trip! I imagine that thinking back to that trip is bittersweet. I can't imagine no ADR's or Fastpasses...or hours and hours (well days and days when it adds up) of planning fun!

I plan on packing a variety of clothes...Last Jan. was colder than I would have liked. My family's thermostat runs much warmer than mine, so I was cold when others weren't.

Oh, and I can't believe I forgot to tell you this -

At some point in the trip (totally don't remember) but we walked up to the American Exhibit in Epcot and Sandi Patti was doing a Christmas concert! It was amazing!

And again I had to google I love what I learn in Distown...That must have been awesome! She has quite a resume.

Yay for Pop!!! We've stayed in building 10 (my favorite), 6, and 1. If you are facing the main building, building 10 is to the left, right by the food court. Building 6 is across from 10, and 1 is next to the check-in side of the main building so all of those are super close for you to ask for!

Your Tues ADR..is it Whispering Canyon bc the first pic is of WCC but the 2nd is of Cape May???

I will have to note everyone's info and look at the map. I am glad someone is paying attention to pictures. I sure wasn't... I made the ressie at Cape May. I need to check what I upload!

Okay! All caught up now, having read your January TR. I do have a knack for saying just the wrong thing sometimes -- seems you've been through the snowstorm on the way to the airport already! Which reminds me of the time my then-future DH mentioned he didn't like his first name, and I said, "It could be worse, it could be ****", and he said, "my middle name is ****"

But you apparently had gorgeous weather for the rest of that trip, so it all evens out, right?

Btw, your photos are incredible! I look forward to seeing this year's!

**** name withheld because it's really awful.

You didn't say the wrong thing at all. I thought it was funny ...I wouldn't have on that day though!!! I guess that was a good test before you were married to se if it would really work!

Thanks for the compliment. I LOVE my camera because it makes taking pics easy. (I don't love its size, so the ones I will be uploading shortly aren't of the same quality...the iphone is so convenient!)

We stayed at Pop last December for 10 days and really LOVED it. I was very impressed at a "value" being that nice! I did not pay for a preferred room in order to save a little money and at first was super bummed b/c we were over in building 9 (computer pool). It ended up being one of the best places b/c it was probably one of the closest buildings to the buses and maybe a 1 minute walk extra to the food court. If you're looking at the map we were right above the "s" in 80's...corner room, 3rd floor. We had a view of the lake, computer pool, and if it was raining we could walk along the corridor around the building and exit by the top rubix cube at the 90's parking lot...literally a 3-4 minute walk to the buses. Plus, it was super quiet over there!! I would actually request that area again if we were staying there this time. Here's some pics! Our room was at on the 3rd floor under the "P" in Preppy in the pic from the pool Also, there is a little playground by building 10 and 9 too! You can click the photos to enlarge them

Thanks for the pictures and advice for Pop! I have to look at the map closely and give all of the info to my friend.

Your kiddos are adorable and I am jealous of your ticker...you have about half the wait that I do!

Thank goodness you called!!!

Really - can you imagine? It will be about 10:30 when we arrive at the resort!

Oh wow! Good thing you called! I love calling Disney too! Always so nice and helpful!

I am glad I called too! They are helpful, but I am really put off by the amount of time I waste with the "Now, what would you like to do...say reservations" voice...

Yay on staying at Pop for the first night!!! We loved it here! Oh my, it's a good job you rang to check about your room

We were in the 50s building which was pretty close to everything and I think would suit your friends family. As for you guys not sure if you were thinking of a preferred room as that is even closer to everything.

Great dining choices - the only one we dined at was 50s PTC and if you ask to be seated in the side room you don't get to be involved much in the antics. We actually didn't like being left out but if you don't want to play along it'll be a great choice of seating

Glad you liked the 50s location.

This is great to know about PTC! I will see what the family's temperment is like...

Good morning my friend I have been absent all week from the Dis but am here now to catch up! Jas and I stayed at Pop and loved it both times! Now it's been a while but we were in the building with Lady in front of it both times...we quite enjoyed it there....close to the bowling pin pool (we were there in August so that was important for us) and the lobby!

Hi there! I will have to see where Lady is...maybe that's how I should decide; pick the icon I like the most.

Definitely what I am there for. Some trips I end up going on very few rides, and that is fine with me. Well, I might so six times on the Carrousel with Bella while the others ride things, so I guess I do get to do rides.

I can't attest to the times, but you will get to see the Christmas parade - yes. Have you ever seen it? (Sorry, I forget who has/hasn't done what/stayed where, etc.) If not, I will have to pull up some pictures from past trips to show you. The gingerbread men and the wooden soldiers are fun!

Nothing at Pop is more than a short walk. People want to say it takes 10-15 minutes to walk to Classic Hall from a certain area, but I haven't found that to be true, and I am surely not a fast walker. Look at a map and make an arc from Classic Hall out, using the the kiddie pool as your center point. You will see that that touches several different buildings - 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, and the edge of 9.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/pop.htm

Hope that helps you decide.

Thanks for the map and info. I think people are exhausted from the parks and it makes rooms seem farther than they are...

We haven't been at Christmas. I am excited to see the parade--although it might be without my family. They aren't really parade watchers. It's funny; the last parade I stopped to watch, the girls joined me and dh went into the stores to shop. (He isn't much of a shopper unless we are in Disney...)

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Good evening!

I haven't been doing as much Disney planning but life always includes Disney, so join me!!!

Right now, my daughters are outside sledding. No, I kid you not...

One of my students was heading to Disney this morning. Yesterday, during my ISS (In School Suspension) duty period, I wrote a touring plan for her for each park. It is her family's first visit. They are staying at Wilderness Lodge and her mom made dining reservations. (I don't know where--I think she told me one or two...) It was so cute; this fifteen year old said she can't wait to meet Sleeping Beauty. She said she always dreamed of running up and hugging her legs. Now, she will run up and hug her.

So, I talked Disney for a bit too long in my one class (maybe 7 minutes...) I told them if they ever want to get me off track, they know what to talk about!

My usual routine is to have Disney Friday...play Disney music while my kids do their warm up. I haven't been consistent with this, and my period 1 keeps asking every Friday (after our warm up)...I have to remember this Friday.

My mom sent me a Mickey pumpkin Halloween card.

Update: 10/30 - posted a couple
I was going to post pictures but I can't locate them...I uploaded from my iphone to my picture account. Of course, this opened a whole pandora's box. I found that my albums weren't locked and went into panic mode about privacy...now I am starting to wonder about the whole idea of life being on the Dis...

I guess I need to sleep on this. Any thoughts from the rest of you about this? (I need someone to talk me off the ledge)

 

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

Good evening!

I haven't been doing as much Disney planning but life always includes Disney, so join me!!!

Right now, my daughters are outside sledding. No, I kid you not...

One of my students was heading to Disney this morning. Yesterday, during my ISS (In School Suspension) duty period, I wrote a touring plan for her for each park. It is her family's first visit. They are staying at Wilderness Lodge and her mom made dining reservations. (I don't know where--I think she told me one or two...) It was so cute; this fifteen year old said she can't wait to meet Sleeping Beauty. She said she always dreamed of running up and hugging her legs. Now, she will run up and hug her.

So, I talked Disney for a bit too long in my one class (maybe 7 minutes...) I told them if they ever want to get me off track, they know what to talk about!

My usual routine is to have Disney Friday...play Disney music while my kids do their warm up. I haven't been consistent with this, and my period 1 keeps asking every Friday (after our warm up)...I have to remember this Friday.

My mom sent me a Mickey pumpkin Halloween card.


I was going to post pictures but I can't locate them...I uploaded from my iphone to my picture account. Of course, this opened a whole pandora's box. I found that my albums weren't locked and went into panic mode about privacy...now I am starting to wonder about the whole idea of life being on the Dis...

I guess I need to sleep on this. Any thoughts from the rest of you about this? (I need someone to talk me off the ledge)

I panic about privacy all the time! I try not to post too much information (like it tells you not to everywhere) but I dont think you have to worry about the DIS. Just be conscience of what you're posting.....which is what I do!

But anyway...I WISH I had a teacher who played Disney music when I was in High School! You must be one of those teachers everyone loves! Oh how I miss those teachers....maybe I should visit them soon.

Did you get alot of snow? It has snowed all day long and only recently stopped!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I saw that you all were getting snow!! My friends in Pittsburgh posted pics on FB and I couldn't believe it! I'll take my 80s and sun in Orlando over that!!!

 

[MeMom]

I panic about privacy all the time! I try not to post too much information (like it tells you not to everywhere) but I dont think you have to worry about the DIS. Just be conscience of what you're posting.....which is what I do!

I think you are fairly safe here, too. Just blur out things you don't want people to see - license plate numbers, school names on t-shirts, etc. That's what we do, although I know we have slipped occasionally. So far, no issues.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I can't believe all the snow up North -- craziness!!!

Yay for getting to talk Disney -- that's always fun!

 

[TanzUnited99]

on having snow and the girls sledging!!!

That's nice of you to write a touring plan for one of your students - am sure they will have a great trip!

I would have loved to have had a teacher that talked about Disney non-stop. I also worry about privacy but then talk myself out of it. After all what's the worse that can happen? Please don't scare me by letting me know!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Snow in October...I thought that only happened to us

I, too, can be easily distracted from work if someone wants to talk Disney to me!

Hope you have a great week!

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

I panic about privacy all the time! I try not to post too much information (like it tells you not to everywhere) but I dont think you have to worry about the DIS. Just be conscience of what you're posting.....which is what I do!

But anyway...I WISH I had a teacher who played Disney music when I was in High School! You must be one of those teachers everyone loves! Oh how I miss those teachers....maybe I should visit them soon.

Did you get alot of snow? It has snowed all day long and only recently stopped!

I think it is a problem how my pictures are linked, and that is what I found to be the problem. I have to think about it and I might have a future solution. It isn't the Dis I am worried about; just that too much info is cross-contaminated...

Not a teacher everyone loves but certainly kids who also love Disney...my nerds tend to love me too. I have a school fb page and some of my graduates who are in college check in with me. It's nice to know that you've made an impression in a positive academic way. I love that they share their academic victories with me.

It snowed for a good twelve hours here. We ended with about 5-6 inches.

I saw that you all were getting snow!! My friends in Pittsburgh posted pics on FB and I couldn't believe it! I'll take my 80s and sun in Orlando over that!!!

It was a bit of a surprise!! I sure hope Lake Buena Vista is good to us in December!

I think you are fairly safe here, too. Just blur out things you don't want people to see - license plate numbers, school names on t-shirts, etc. That's what we do, although I know we have slipped occasionally. So far, no issues.

Thanks for the reminder of those clues. I try to pay attention but sometimes I really don't worry. Other times, I have freak out episodes (like last night.)

I can't believe all the snow up North -- craziness!!!

Yay for getting to talk Disney -- that's always fun!

A white Halloween is not normal for us!

on having snow and the girls sledging!!!

That's nice of you to write a touring plan for one of your students - am sure they will have a great trip!

I would have loved to have had a teacher that talked about Disney non-stop. I also worry about privacy but then talk myself out of it. After all what's the worse that can happen? Please don't scare me by letting me know!

I can't wait to hear about their trip! Some of my kids enjoy it. Unfortunately, some haven't been and I think they are jealous...but hey they are older and will be able to go on their own in three or four years if they want! I might propose that they go to Disney for Senior Week instead of the beach!

Snow in October...I thought that only happened to us

I, too, can be easily distracted from work if someone wants to talk Disney to me!

Hope you have a great week!

Okay, I really thought it only happened to you too! I seriously thought, "I don't live in Canada!"

 

[emmakatbaby]

I just read your entire PTR. We are also going for Christmas. We are arriving December 17th and leaving December 28th. I have a couple of ADR's that I haven't decided if we will keep or not so can you tell me more about the $10 fee? I do not remember reading anything about that and that is not like me at all! Also, do you know if the Christmas parade is only at 3pm in the Magic Kingdom the week before Christmas or do they have it at other times too? Thanks for all of your help!

I am soooooooooooo excited for this trip

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

I just read your entire PTR. We are also going for Christmas. We are arriving December 17th and leaving December 28th. I have a couple of ADR's that I haven't decided if we will keep or not so can you tell me more about the $10 fee? I do not remember reading anything about that and that is not like me at all! Also, do you know if the Christmas parade is only at 3pm in the Magic Kingdom the week before Christmas or do they have it at other times too? Thanks for all of your help!

I am soooooooooooo excited for this trip

Wow! You are actually going to be there for Christmas! I read most of your report. You have some great photos, which is why I stopped reading... I want to have the decorations surprise me. This is uncharacteristic of me, of course, since I have to research EVERYTHING!

I listen to more podcasts than I should admit. Everyone of them is reporting a $10 per person charge for not cancelling 24 hours in advance. I totally appreciate this since I've read where some people book five restaurants since they can't decide ahead. I plan our restaurants and sometimes change my mind, and cancel the others.

I do not know the time for the parade. I think it replaces the 3:00... The Cinderella's Wish Castle Show will be at 6:15, though.

Your boys are handsome and your daughter is adorable. It's great that they love Disney. My girls are being brainwashed to be excited. They love Disney too, but not yet as much as their mom.