The World in 2013, not 2014, but back in 2015!

[DisneyAndrew]

Hey all!

Welcome to my short pre-trip report!

In September 2013, my DW Jackie and I took our DD Kairi (4 at the time) to WDW for our first family trip. My parents also joined us. It was an amazing experience. All of the 327 days since I left the world have been dreaming about going back.

We originally had planned on returning December this year. But, some circumstances changed and forced us to postpone our trip indefinitely. At the end of July I tried very hard to convince Jackie that we should take an impromptu trip to Disney, but it just wasn't in the cards - despite some help from Kairi trying to convince her also.

Anyway, we have now decided on a return trip in December 2015!

In case you haven't noticed, I really want to go during the Christmas season. Our tentative dates are 11/29/2015 - 12/6/2015. We don't really know any other definite info yet because we have invited some members of her family if they want to go. So, our lodging, etc. will depend on the number of people.

I really started this because I want your input into your favorite things to see, do, and eat at WDW as well as any favorite Christmas activities or attractions at the world.

So, with that said, let the comments commence...

 

[Overexcited]

We did September 2013 too! And I just booked for October 2015
Can't wait to return! My boys have been several times but the last one was a complete surprise.
This time they are excited to be apart of a planning process!

 

[DisneyAndrew]

We did September 2013 too! And I just booked for October 2015
Can't wait to return! My boys have been several times but the last one was a complete surprise.
This time they are excited to be apart of a planning process!

We were there the week of September 8th and it was absolutely perfect. The weather was great (although a little hot ), the crowds were low, and it was just awesome.

We didn't surprise our daughter last time because we were worried that she wouldn't appreciate it that much at her age. So, we kind of built up the suspense by showing her pictures and videos and stuff. But, I think I would like to surprise her this time. I am a Disney World fanatic - unfortunately my wallet doesn't know that yet. So, I research it and talk about it almost non-stop. So, she has some idea that we want to go back, but I would like to keep it a secret as far as when we actually do.

Thanks for chiming in!

 

[QueenJen]

We loved our early Dec trip in 2013. We are also tentatively planning another for 2015. We had fun visiting many of the hotels and getting photos by the trees. Weather was great all but one day (a bit hot and humid that one day).

 

[DisneyAndrew]

We loved our early Dec trip in 2013. We are also tentatively planning another for 2015. We had fun visiting many of the hotels and getting photos by the trees. Weather was great all but one day (a bit hot and humid that one day).

I mean, Disney World and Christmas are two of my favorite things in the world. How could I not visit the best place at the best time? Right?

I am glad to hear that the weather was good. That is the biggest thing I am unsure of. I am ok with moderate to cooler temperatures. Of course, it has to be better than winter here in West Virginia. Now, I know we aren't Michigan, but we still have some pretty cold and rough winters.

What were the crowds like when you were there?

Thanks for chiming in!

 

[QueenJen]

Crowds are relative. I apparently do not do well with ppl who lolly gag/meander. I guess a theme park is not really where I should visit...but... I can tell when I am getting too frustrated and we just adjust.

According to my DH, the crowds were moderate. He thinks there was only one day he would describe as crowded. He was actually expecting it to be much more crowded. Some attractions were more crowded than others but nothing too bad.

We did a MVMCP and the crowds were significantly lower that particular night. It is an added cost and with a little one you may not want to be up that late. We happened to really enjoy it.

I highly recommend photopass or whatever they are calling it now. It was so nice getting pictures with us both in it in front of the lit up castle and other spots through the parks. Some of the topiaries in Epcot are really cute.

 

[DisneyAndrew]

Crowds are relative. I apparently do not do well with ppl who lolly gag/meander. I guess a theme park is not really where I should visit...but... I can tell when I am getting too frustrated and we just adjust.

According to my DH, the crowds were moderate. He thinks there was only one day he would describe as crowded. He was actually expecting it to be much more crowded. Some attractions were more crowded than others but nothing too bad.

We did a MVMCP and the crowds were significantly lower that particular night. It is an added cost and with a little one you may not want to be up that late. We happened to really enjoy it.

I highly recommend photopass or whatever they are calling it now. It was so nice getting pictures with us both in it in front of the lit up castle and other spots through the parks. Some of the topiaries in Epcot are really cute.

Thanks for the info! I think we really got spoiled when we went in September last year as the crowds were almost non-existent. Although, I think I would be more willing to tolerate a crowd with the more comfortable weather.

It looks like the crowds according to a trusted source of mine are high for Sunday and maybe some on Monday of that week, but slow the rest of the week days.

We have definitely looked into the MVMCP as a consideration. MNSSHP was going on during our last trip and we did not attend because of the cost. After reading so many TRs, I am definitely regretting that decision.

I believe they call it Memory Maker now. We didn't do the Photopass+ last time and ended up spending a bunch of money to buy the pictures we wanted. So, we won't be doing that this time.

By the way, I just saw something the other day that they are starting to offer ride videos for ToT and possibly will be adding them for BTMRR and maybe even Haunted Mansion in the future. I guess they are only for guests who have a Magic Band and buy the Memory Maker. I saw a preview of one, and it's pretty cool.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[DisneyAndrew]

Hello again everybody!

Yesterday, I celebrated my 29th birthday, and today the app on my phone tells me that there are only 458 days until my WDW Trip.
Will the time ever get here?

Anyway, I don't have much more concrete information about the trip than I did when I first started, but I do want to share some of what we are looking at so far.

As far as my wife’s family goes, the only person who has expressed any interest is our niece, Lilly. She is 10 (will be 11 at the time of the trip) and has never been to Disney. Her and our daughter are pretty much best friends, even though they are 5 years apart. Basically, my daughter Kairi looks up to Lilly, and Lilly loves being able to just be a kid and play with Kairi.

We have told her and her mom about how much money the trip will cost, so she is starting to try and save/collect money. She gave us 4 quarters the other day as the first dollar for her trip. She’s got a long way to go, but I know she’ll make it.

As it stands, we are probably going to stay at POP. I have never been there, but a lot of people rave about it – at least as far as value resorts are concerned. We are also tossing around the idea of renting DVC points to get into a Deluxe resort, but we just aren’t sure. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

We are going to hopefully be flying out of our local airport, about 20 minutes from home. It has direct, non-stop flights to Orlando-Sanford. I am a little bummed about not flying into MCO and getting to ride the fake-o-rail and take the free Disney transportation, but the fact that our local airport is nice and small, close to home, and only about $200 per ticket, it’s hard to pass up. When I looked about flying out of Pittsburgh to MCO, it was about $400 per ticket. Plus it’s over 2 hours to that airport from here, and those were all 1 stop flights.

We don’t have any concrete touring plans as of now, but I have made a list of things that I didn’t do last time that I want to make sure we do. I definitely want to go to MVMCP.

What is everybody’s favorite holiday activity at Disney World? It doesn’t have to be a show. It can just be a particular resort to tour for decorations, or anything.

Thanks for tuning in, and I promise to update anytime there is a major milestone in the trip preparation. I also hope to be writing my first actual trip report after the trip is over. I thought I was going to on the last trip, but got so involved in what was going on that I had so few pictures and not enough notes. But, who knows? Maybe this time will be better.

 

[QueenJen]

Happy birthday (a day late). I was wondering how many days until our trip but was too lazy to look. Thanks for the update.

We are hoping our niece who will also be 11 at the time of the trip and has never been before will get to join us as well (along with her parents). So much fun to share vacation and memories.

The ride videos sound really cool. I had not heard about that but will definitely check out the info.

I think that wherever you stay, you'll enjoy yourselves. We rented points through a broker and had a really positive experience. We are hoping to do it again for our next trip. I am a super planner and able to commit. We have shared info about point rental vs. booking direct through Disney for POP with my in laws as they may need more flexibility to book later or cancel. I like to be locked in and locked in early.

 

[DisneyAndrew]

Thanks for the belated birthday wish! I keep track of pretty much everything by number of days. In fact, I quite like driving all of my coworkers and family crazy by telling them how many days.

How cool is that! It must be the year to take your 11 year old niece to Disney. Maybe we should promote that. Instead of the "Year of a Million Dreams" it's the "Year to Take your 11 Year Old Niece". Then again, maybe I put too much thought into that.

Do you mind sharing who it was that you booked through for DVC rental? I have looked at several different places, but if we go that route, I want to be certain I am taking all of the precautions. Planning and committing early is obviously not a problem for me. (Hello, I have a countdown of 457 Days!)

Thanks as always for sharing!

 

[QueenJen]

We used Davids (dvc request). I read through the DVC section often and others have had success with his service, another one (name escapes me) and even private parties. For me personally, I felt more comfortable with a middle man than trying to work directly with a private party. It is a very personal decision and there is risk and trust (on both sides).

Is it Dec 2015 yet????? Feels so far away...but I know it will sneak up quickly and slowly at the same time. We are going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland in early Oct. I think after that, I'll start a list of planning and when I can 'do' things like book the room, plane tickets, dining, fastpasses, etc. and make a countdown calendar for each. I think that will help me feel like we are actually moving toward a vacation.

Looking forward to your future planning updates.

 

[DisneyAndrew]

So, I got a text from a co-worker the other day. She know's I am obsessed with Disney because she has to hear about it and my countdown all the time. (445 days, by the way )

She wanted to let me know that the airport in Charleston, WV (about 2 hours south of here) is going to be offering flights to MCO starting October 16th.

So, I looked at around the same travel dates we are going for next year, and they have flights for about $75 each way. And their baggage fees are a big cheaper. The company is called People Express and is a small airline, similar to Allegiant that flies from our local airport. So, now I have some more consideration.

I would really love to fly into MCO and take the Magical Express (and get to ride the fake-o-rail).

Anyway, I just wanted to share that piece of info!

 

[QueenJen]

That is a really inexpensive flight amount. We are looking at about $500 - $600 each.

Any new updates? Countdown update?

I think it is fun to decide on a trip so far in advance......the down side is there is really only so much you can plan as far as details that far in advance. My BIL has indicated a couple times that they are in for the trip (I let them know they had until The end of Dec to decide for sure) but until the deadline hits, I will be in limbo.

Just thought I would share with you that we went to MNSSHP last night at Disneyland and had a great time. At least a little bit of a Disney fix.

 

[DisneyAndrew]

Wow! If our flights were going to be that much, I would have to drive again. Obviously that would be a much longer trip for you than me. It's about a 15 hour drive from here with stops.

As far as the countdown, there are 417 days.

However, there has been another little twist in airline choices. I have now looked into flying Southwest out of Pittsburgh. They are non-stop flights to MCO and they have no baggage fees. Last time I looked, I could get tickets for about $115 each way. But, since each person can check two bags and have a carry-on for free you can really save some $$$ there.

Because of that, our dates might change a bit. Right now, Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly, which would push our trip out 2 or 3 more days. But, I'm OK with that to save some moola.

It is fun. I definitely go in spurts where I am obsessed for a few weeks and then life catches up to me and I kind of let it rest. But, I always come back to my obsession and start planning again.

I am totally jealous. I definitely want to visit Disneyland sometime. And, I also want to visit a MNSSHP sometime.

So many dreams and so little money. Oh well.

Thanks for posting!

 

[disneyfreak25]

We go for Christmas often and it is amazing! Were going this year for Christmas too!!

 

[DisneyAndrew]

We go for Christmas often and it is amazing! Were going this year for Christmas too!!

Glad to hear! As I mentioned in the beginning, my two favorite things are Christmas and Disney. So, you really can't go wrong with that. I just realized that you are the writer of one of the TRs I subbed to. So, thanks for stopping over!

By the way, if you have any advice or particular things to check out when we are there for Christmas 2015, I'd love to hear them.

 

[annegirl]

We went in December of 2010 and we loved it. It was freezing cold that year but it was so much fun.
This year with our trip in November we were able to enjoy some of the Christmas decorations and music but we really did miss how immersive the Christmas spirit was in December so whenever we are able to make it back we will try to go in December again.

 

[ashw100]

Yay for a Christmas trip. My DH works in retail but it is my dream to go during this time. I just wanted to let you know we booked our flight with Southwest the day the flights were released. We got 4 tickets for 768 flying into Tampa (no fake-o-rail or ME but sooo cheap). I have never flown SW but for that price, it can't be beat. Can't wait to hear some more plans.

 

[DisneyAndrew]

Yay for a Christmas trip. My DH works in retail but it is my dream to go during this time. I just wanted to let you know we booked our flight with Southwest the day the flights were released. We got 4 tickets for 768 flying into Tampa (no fake-o-rail or ME but sooo cheap). I have never flown SW but for that price, it can't be beat. Can't wait to hear some more plans.

I think Christmas is going to prove to be the best time to visit, but I'll have to wait and see.

I am anxiously awaiting everyday when they release ticket prices from Southwest, which is usually like 6 months in advance. So, I still have another 6 months. However, I have been tracking the prices over the last several months, so I have a good idea about what is a good price when they do come out.

 

[DisneyAndrew]

If my plans stay as they are right now, today is exactly 1 year until we leave for Disney!

Based on the airline ticket prices I have been following, it looks like Wednesday may be the cheapest day for us to fly.

There is one thing I have been considering lately. I am thinking strongly about doing a split stay. When my family went last year, we stayed at POR, and we absolutely loved it. This year, I was originally looking at staying the week at POP - which I think looks pretty cool. However, I have heard a lot of things and seen a lot of pictures of the WL at Christmas time. It just looks amazing! So, I'm thinking about doing a split stay with the first 4 or 5 days at POP and the last 2 or 3 and WL.

Has anybody here done a split stay before? If so, please share your thoughts. I just know my niece that has never been to Disney will be blown away by whatever, but I also think she would think it was awesome to stay at WL.