Time to DOUBLE up!! 2 for 1 Pre-TR!!!!!!! TRIP REPORT HAS STARTED!!!!!!!

[scottny]

I found this. It is about last year. I highlighted some things. MK should be doen by the 10th but resorts and others not till Thanksgiving. Also Osborne Lights are not till after Thanksgiving. Maybe it will change for this year but who really knows. The Osborne Lights were the best and the highlight from our trip.

Christmas Decorations
Christmas decorations at the Walt Disney World Resort usually begin going up around the first of November. The decorations are gradually added at night and are substantially complete at Magic Kingdom by the time of the first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (in 2009, that's November 10), with the resorts and other parks completed by Thanksgiving. The decorations start coming down around January 1st.

The Disney resorts are all decorated for the holidays, as are the theme parks. Each theme park will have an enormous decorated Christmas tree and so will the Deluxe resort lobbies.

Deluxe Resort Edible Holiday Displays

Among the especially amazing decorations are the edible holiday displays whipped up by pastry chefs throughout Walt Disney World Resort. Gingerbread goodies are sold nearby. Most of the displays open on Thanksgiving weekend. Beach Club Resort usually has a fully detailed, life-sized gingerbread carousel in the lobby. The lobby of Yacht Club Resort offers a miniature New England-style train racing through a sugary rock mountain surrounded by a candy-coated model village. The lobby of BoardWalk Resort is home to Santa's Workshop as well as a customized BoardWalk train. A holiday toy shop made of sugar and chocolate, featuring Pinocchio himself, is the sweet spot for Disney's Contemporary Resort guests to purchase treats and toys on the 4th floor of the tower building.

The biggest edible production is a gingerbread house at Grand Floridian Resort that is large enough that it doubles as a real bake shop. Featuring gingerbread using a classic Austrian recipe, the bake shop offers freshly baked items such as cookies, ornaments and miniature gingerbread houses. Other homemade items for sale may include Stollen Bread, chocolate peppermint bark, lollipops and special Grand Floridian logo boxes filled with truffles. Demonstrations of how to decorate a gingerbread house take place in front of the bake shop six days a week.

American Adventure at Epcot

Santa's Gingerbread Bake Shop at Liberty Inn at American Adventure enchants guests of all ages. Guests peer inside the life-sized gingerbread house at goodies galore. The giant structure, made entirely of gingerbread, cookies and icing, features a bake shop selling Christmas cookies and hot and cold beverages, as well as souvenir gingerbread recipe cards. The bake shop usually opens in late November.

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights: THE BEST THING TO SEE THERE AT CHRISTMAS
For the 2008 holiday season, this display was offered November 28-January 4. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights is included in regular admission to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Epcot Holidays Around the World
For 2008, the special holiday fun took place daily from November 28 through December 30. Holidays Around the World is included with regular Epcot admission.

Candlelight Processional:
In 2009 it will be offered from November 27 through December 30. There are normally three performances each night, at 5:00, 6:45 and 8:00 pm. Each show runs about 40 minutes. You'll need to line up at LEAST 45 minutes prior to the show if you want to have any hope of getting in (or buy the Dining Package for guaranteed entry).

 

[SRUAlmn]

We went last year from the day before Thanksgiving through the Sunday after. Everything was up in all the parks and resorts, but I do remember that the Osborne Lights didn't start until the day after Thanksgiving. It's definitely something NOT TO MISS. They are absolutely incredible and pictures don't do them justice We also saw the Candelight Processional and it was really cool. I would say if you can swing it to go later in November, it would totally be worth it to get to also see these two events. They're spectacular!

 

[that's nice]

Well there was another productive day planning.... this time for our fall trip. The funny thing was that I wasn't involved with any of it. I was working all day. My wife was on the phone with her cousins wife trying to find out which dates would be better for us to come down. They decided on October 4th for the baptism so that means a few things. First, we won't be at WDW for my birthday. Second, we won't be there for the Christmas Party Third, we won't be getting a nice AP discount on a room

BUT NOW THE GOOD NEWS........ We will be there for FREE DINING. After my DW was done speaking with her CW she went online to check out flights... and ended booking our flights!!!!!! We are flying out on Saturday October 3rd at 8am arriving in Orlando by 10:30 and we are staying until Thursday night!!!!!! I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott.. thanks for finding that info for me. I guess I won't be needing it this time LOL

 

[scottny]

No problem.

I arrive the day after you leave.

 

[jenseib]

Yay for free dining!

 

[tinkgurl]

Well free dining is still awesome!

 

[that's nice]

No problem.

I arrive the day after you leave.

Did you figure out if you were going to drive or fly?

Yay for free dining!

Well free dining is still awesome!

I'm kinda disappointed that we won't be there for my birthday... but it's OK. The Food and Wine Festival will be going on while we are there too!! I was reading about it and I couldn't help but notice that there are free samples of beer and wine Can't go wrong with that!!!!!

Having FD might allow us to check out some other restaurants that we haven't tried yet!!!!

 

[tbelfonti]

I'm kinda disappointed that we won't be there for my birthday... but it's OK. The Food and Wine Festival will be going on while we are there too!! I was reading about it and I couldn't help but notice that there are free samples of beer and wine Can't go wrong with that!!!!!

Having FD might allow us to check out some other restaurants that we haven't tried yet!!!!

F&W Festival is GREAT. Was there last October on my solo trip (shh, don't tell the kids ) and I loved checking everything out.

Is there ANY character meals you HAVEN'T been to?

 

[that's nice]

F&W Festival is GREAT. Was there last October on my solo trip (shh, don't tell the kids ) and I loved checking everything out.

Is there ANY character meals you HAVEN'T been to?

Ummmm.. we haven't been to Donald's Safari Breakfast and Cape May breakfast. These might be the only 2

I think it's time for a countdown counter!!!!!

 

[that's nice]

Well tonight we put a room at POP on hold through a TA. And we already received our confirmation from Disney!!! We'll see if we stay at POP standard room, change to a preferred room, or just upgrade to a mod! I want to say we won't upgrade but I loved CSR so much I'd like to go back!

DW and I started talking about where we wanted to eat. We have 2 places that are a definite - Kona breakfast and Crystal Palace dinner. We aren't going to eat at Disney on Saturday or Sunday, so we will have 4 days to use our TS & CS meals. I'd like to eat at Le Cellier again and maybe even try to see Fantasmic this time. Also MNSSHP will be going on Wednesday while we are there... so will will have to think about this too. I guess that's the update for today. We are already doing the Disney dance. I'm going to be checking out some dining reviews and try to come up with more ideas of where we want to eat.

We told Juliana that we are going back to Disney and she started jumping around! Then she wanted to know if we were leaving tomorrow!LOLOL

 

[KatMark]

Okay, Tim! How did I NOT know you had a pre-trip report going on? Where have I been? With my head under the sand (probably on the beach at the Cabanas).

 

[that's nice]

Okay, Tim! How did I NOT know you had a pre-trip report going on? Where have I been? With my head under the sand (probably on the beach at the Cabanas).

That's OK... now you can join in too!!! I wish I was relaxing on one of those hammocks Now if I can only make a small upgrade I'd be OK! LOL

 

[jenseib]

Juliana will love Pop.

She sounds like Claire. When I told her we were going ,she asked everyday if it was the day to leave. LOL!

 

[that's nice]

Juliana will love Pop.

She sounds like Claire. When I told her we were going ,she asked everyday if it was the day to leave. LOL!

I just saw all your Epcot pics! I haven't had a chance to read though all the posts though since Friday. Your TR is twice as long as mine. I'm trying to keep up but its tough when I miss 1 or 2 days!!! LOL

 

[jenseib]

I just saw all your Epcot pics! I haven't had a chance to read though all the posts though since Friday. Your TR is twice as long as mine. I'm trying to keep up but its tough when I miss 1 or 2 days!!! LOL

LOL! I posted alot today, but I'll slow down for you!

 

[that's nice]

I was going through my list of restaurants that I was researching for our last trip and I came across a few places that I was thinking eating at but didn't make our final list. Here is the list- Whispering Canyon, Cape May Cafe, Boma, Donald's Safari Breakfast AK, and Coral Reef. My DW was asking me about the Hoop-Dee-Doo.. she heard that it was good. It sounds like it would be fun except I don't know what Juliana would eat. I also don't know if Juliana would find anything she would like at Boma.

I also was thinking about eating at Beaches & Cream......

Geez... I'm 6 months way and I'm already getting nuts about this!

 

[KatMark]

I was going through my list of restaurants that I was researching for our last trip and I came across a few places that I was thinking eating at but didn't make our final list. Here is the list- Whispering Canyon, Cape May Cafe, Boma, Donald's Safari Breakfast AK, and Coral Reef. My DW was asking me about the Hoop-Dee-Doo.. she heard that it was good. It sounds like it would be fun except I don't know what Juliana would eat. I also don't know if Juliana would find anything she would like at Boma.

I also was thinking about eating at Beaches & Cream......

Geez... I'm 6 months way and I'm already getting nuts about this!

Tim, have to be honest with you--we didn't care for WCC at all. My DH got sick on the food and the service was awful. I understand Boma is better for breakfast than dinner if you are worried about too many different flavors/spices. We love Cape May Cafe--both for breakfast and we enjoyed dinner too!

 

[tinkgurl]

Okay, here's just my opinions: Whispering Canyon is such a fun restaurant. I think Juliana would get a kick out of it! Cape May Cafe does have good food. I think there's characters there for breakfast! Same with Donald's Safari Breakfast. I don't know if she'd like Boma, but I may be wrong. I also, I can't remember if there's a kids buffet there or not. The Coral Reef would be fun. She'd love sitting next to the tank and looking at the fish/scuba divers. The Hoop-Dee-Doo is a good show with good food. If Juliana likes entertainment, she'll have a great time. I think this one takes 2 TS's.

 

[lizet313]

All updated wow did I miss alot. Where did my time go ? LOL well anyways great time to go Food and Wine Festival can't go wrong with free samples I can't recommend any restaurants I have only tried Tony's, 50's prime time, Tuskers for lunch and Nine Tails which were all good .

 

[tbelfonti]

I was going through my list of restaurants that I was researching for our last trip and I came across a few places that I was thinking eating at but didn't make our final list. Here is the list- Whispering Canyon, Cape May Cafe, Boma, Donald's Safari Breakfast AK, and Coral Reef. My DW was asking me about the Hoop-Dee-Doo.. she heard that it was good. It sounds like it would be fun except I don't know what Juliana would eat. I also don't know if Juliana would find anything she would like at Boma.

I also was thinking about eating at Beaches & Cream......

Geez... I'm 6 months way and I'm already getting nuts about this!

Whispering Canyon is a MUST DO. You'll all LOVE IT!
Boma was amazing - awesome. They have kid fare there as well.
Coral Reef was good. My hubby isn't a fan of eating fish so I didn't enjoy myself as much as I would have otherwise (because I'm stressing he is not going to enjoy his meal).