To say I am excited is an understatement…A Disney Christmas Vacation PTR - Deciding on ADRs 11.16.15

[SJSloan]

Hello everyone, this is my first attempt at a pre-trip report, and hopefully (eventually) a full trip report. I have read so many here on the DisBoards and really want to get in on the action. So without further ado, let's get this Christmas party started.

Here is my husband and I.



Oh wait…that is Eeyore, Tigger and Pooh… Sorry about that…

This is my husband and I. Really. I promise.


I am Sam, a 30 year-old married, step-mom to 3 young kids. I am also a Disney fanatic and animal lover (particularly dogs).

As I said, like many of you, I am a Disney fanatic! FAN-A-TIC! I am actually so crazy about it that I just recently because a Disney Vacation Planner. Not for the money, but just so I can talk more Disney. Because the more Disney I have in my life the happier I am.

My love for Disney started when I was 11/12ish. When I was in 6th grade, I was a 6'0" tall basketball player; to say I stood out is an understatement. I was recruited to join an AAU/YBOA basketball team here in my home state of West Virginia. That day changed my life forever, and provided me with many opportunities at a young age. One of those opportunities was to visit Disney World each summer for 1 week while my team played at the YBOA or AAU National Championship. So each year from 6th - 11th grade we were at Disney for at least a week. Our coach would reserve a whole floor of rooms at the Contemporary facing Magic Kingdom for our entire basketball team and immediate families. We even played at Disney's Wide World of Sports. While there it wasn't just about Disney as we often had multiple games a day, but it was magical. And it started my Disney obsession.

I didn't return to Disney until I met my husband. And with 3 kids, Disney was a whole different experience.

Since being together 5 years, my husband and I have gone to Disney World 4 times. Only missing the year when we bought our house. The kids have gone to Disney with us 3 out of 4 times. Only missing our honeymoon trip; because kids don't go on honeymoons. However, I will say that if I could it all over again, I would have gotten married at Disney with their Memories Wedding Package and taken the kids along.

Anyways, enough about me. Jason…ask Grumpy, is my husband. We call him Grumpy because he just isn't a very happy-go-lucky guy. He didn't visit Disney until we met when he was 30 (the horror)! Thankfully, I have turned him into a Disney lover and he agrees that it's the only vacation we ever want to go on. He, however, does not get excited for a Disney trip until 2 month before hand. He says he just can't get excited about something that is so far away…

WHAT?! How?! I can hardly contain my excitement! Even if I am planning my trip 10 years from now. (This pre-trip report is NOT for a trip 10 years from now!)

Ok, so the kids…

You have McKenzie. She is a smart, sassy, fun, dance loving, 10 year old going on 16. She loves Disney, particularly Minnie Mouse and Tower of Terror. Here she is during our last trip this past June. We celebrated her 10th birthday at Chef Mickey's, where I surprised her and everyone else with a custom (aka EXPENSIVE) birthday cake.


Next you have Carter.


He is a soon to be 8 year old. He is funny, and independent. He loves Disney also, with Pluto and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train being favorites of his.

And last but not least…Braden


He is Carter's slightly younger twin brother. We/I call him the sour patch kid. You know those sour patch kid commercials where they sour patch kid does something really mean but then feels bad about it and hugs the person? THAT is Braden. He really can be sweet, but man does he like to push buttons. He isn't as much of a Disney fan as the rest of us. I don't know where I went wrong with him…

But, that is a the background of my crew. And man, that was a much longer post than I was anticipating. Sorry about that folks. Hopefully you haven't ran away by now.

Up next…When? Where? and with Who?

 

[SJSloan]

When? Where? and with Who? (and How)

Now that we got the boring personal stuff out of the way…let's get to the planning.

Let's start backwards with the How...

We originally were not supposed to go back to Disney until the summer of 2017. We just returned from a trip this past June and I told my husband that I wanted to get our credit cards paid off before we go back. So 2016 was to be a year of credit card pay-offs and we were just going to have to wait.

What was until (1) I found a paper that McKenzie had written for school. It was a few paragraphs about herself. One of the paragraphs said something to the sort of "My favorite place is the beach and Disney World. I really love Disney! This will be my 4th time going. But I really want to go to Disney around Christmas and see all the decorations." (Me too, Kenzie, me too!). I told Jason about it and said "we have to make it happen!" (2) Not a week or 2 later, Jason's cousin's wife and my Disney soulmate, Lisa, texted and said we should plan a joint Christmas trip in December 2016. I said YES! The only problem was school…

We do not live in a state with all around school. (Although I am impatiently waiting for that to happen…anyway now WV.) Kenzie would be in middle school by then. I don't agree with taking the kids out of school for more than a couple days in Elementary School, and definitely not in Middle School. (That is just me. However, this is a judgment free zone, so if you do, that's cool with me.) So, the school calendar was going to be my problem. BUT, I realized that Christmas is on a Sunday next year. Our county usually schedules the week of Christmas and the week after Christmas off as Christmas break. I also knew that the kids couldn't be gone on Christmas Eve or Christmas since their mom would want to see them then. And although I LOVE Disney, I am not sure I want to deal with or pay for Disney the week after Christmas. So, I predicted that the kids would be out of school the entire week before Christmas, which means their break would started on a Monday and we would have an entire week before Christmas. I told Jason my predictions and although he had reservations about taking the kids on vacation (away from their mom) so close to Christmas, I convinced him that it wasn't a big deal. I mean, we will be back before Christmas Eve, AND their mom would be working that week anyways so she really shouldn't care that much. AND, what mom wouldn't like a week before Christmas without kids? I mean I remember my mom staying up until 2am wrapping Christmas presents so we wouldn't see them. Anyways, he was in. I texted Lisa and told her, "Let's Do It!" And the planning began.

Who…

As I mentioned, Lisa is my Disney soul-mate. She loves it as much as I do. She gets all the planning, obsessing, late nights, early mornings. She just gets it! She is married to my husband's cousin. They have 2 girls, R&R who are 9 and 2 currently and will be 10 and 3 on our trip. This will be the first trip for both of us where we are paying for more than 2 "adults". As I just decided to write this trip report tonight, I have not yet asked Lisa's permission to share her kid's names and pictures. So I won't go any further with their details. Hopefully soon though…


Where?…

This was the hard part. Lisa and her family are POP lovers. We on the other hand, as a family of 5, do not have the ability of staying at POP unless we get 2 rooms. And we won't be getting 2 rooms until either 1) Disney can guarantee we will get connecting rooms or 2) the kids are old enough to stay in a room by themselves. We have only stayed at POR as a family and loved it! We were willing to stay there again. However, CBR just recently refurbished their rooms and some can accommodate 5 with a murphy bed like POR Alligator Bayou. Lisa also said they would be willing to pay more and try out a moderate (I think she will be a value convert at the end). She loved the look of both resorts. Ultimately we decided on…


Not sure where that is…this picture is a little bit more clear.


Lisa and I decided to stay somewhere new to all of us. Have I said I HATE the beach?! Well, I HATE the beach! Ok, hate is a strong word, but I strongly dislike the beach! However, this beach is at Disney, so, I think I will be ok. Although I do have my reservations about this resort…buses, the size, the BEACH! I am excited to try somewhere new and I have been doing a ton of research to learn as much as I can about the resort. The more I read, the more excited I am. Even if it is beach themed. ::sigh:: And, remember that paper that Kenzie wrote where she said she loves Disney AND the beach?! Yeah, well that helped in the decision and my openness to it.

When?…

After much discussion, Lisa and I decided on Friday December 16th - Friday, December 23rd.

I know, I know. I said I didn't agree with taking kids out of school and we will be taking them out on a Friday. But really, what do kids do the last day before Christmas break?! Nothing. That's the answer! Absolutely Nothing!

Those days may change as our school calendar isn't approved until February for the next school year. However, I saw on FB the other day a "draft" 2016/2017 school calendar and my predictions were right!!! YAY! If the schedule stays the same, our dates are set in stone.

Oh yeah, we haven't asked the kids' mom about the vacation yet. Although I can't imagine her saying "no." The kids don't know yet either. But if I tell the kids before I (my husband) asks their mom, there is no way she will say no. Kenzie will never let her live it down. I know, I know, that would be a dirty trick! But…it's crossed my mind.

Another factor to our dates, and to our choice of location is Free Dining. While we won't know if Free Dining will be offered during our trip until somewhere around April/May 2016, I did my research. (I love to research!) And based on Disney past Free Dining discounts, our dates would fall into this promotion. AND, POR is generally excluded from Free Dining so we went with CBR. If Free Dining isn't offered at CBR this year but at POR then we will switch. Our family has never had Free Dining, but as a family of 5 staying in 1 room, the savings of Free Dining is significantly greater than the savings of any room disney, even if you add Park Hopper.

So where is our When, Where, with Who, and How!

I'm sure you are asking, what can anyone plan when they are 400 days away from their vacation. I mean we aren't even close to our 180 day mark. And corwd calendars haven't been released yet... Trust me, Lisa and I have been planning. And I will share with you those plans. Stay tuned.

 

[SJSloan]

So what is a girl to do when she is 398 days away from a Disney vacation? We can't book ADRs or FP+. Park hours and crowd calendars aren't out yet… The struggle is real people!

But, Lisa and I CAN, however, come up with options of where to eat. We are a we adventurous family, Lisa and her family however prefer good 'ole American food. They didn't like 'Ohana because it was too exotic. They also have their favorites. Whispering Canyon being one of them. Our family ate at WCC 3 years ago an really enjoyed it. We didn't return this last year because we were trying all new places, but we are willing to try is again. AND I saw this picture…

That sealed the deal for both of us. So, Whispering Canyon Cafe was first on the list.

One down, 6 to go… (Seeing as we are on the regular dining plan).

Next, we discussed BOG. During Lisa's last visit she was only able to get a lunch ADR. My family on the other hand was able to get a BOG dinner reservation, and it was a favorite of all of ours. So, BOG is second on the list. 2 down. We are on a roll!

Then, a few days later, I saw a post on FB about about the new Minnie's Holiday Dine. This was when it was a new offering just for the Holidays, before it became the permanent Minnie's Seasonal Dine (or whatever it's called…). Both of Lisa' girls love Minnie, and I have a Minnie lover in my house, McKenzie. So, that was a definite! But at that time, we were only "wishing, and hoping and planning, and dreaming…" (I love that song) But a few weeks later, they announced that this will be a permanent addition to Hollywood Studios. Hooray!!! Lisa and I decided that this would be our replacement for Chef Mickey's. Chef Mickey's get a bad wrap, but it's a must do on our trips. Both for Lisa and I. But I am thankful there is another option where we can dine with Minnie and Mickey (other than Cape May…we are not seafood fans!).

So that is 3 that we have decided on. Whispering Canyon Cafe, Be Our Guest, and Minnie's Holiday Dine.

That's pretty good progress for 400+ days out.

 

[kayemgi]

Following along! My husband is the same way, but he refuses to get excited until our plane lands in Orlando! It drives me crazy. You are going to love Disney at Christmastime!

 

[Hawkeyegirls]

Following along! Christmas is a great time to visit. I'm already planning my trip for next year and the year after, now that is bad, lol.

 

[SJSloan]

Following along! My husband is the same way, but he refuses to get excited until our plane lands in Orlando! It drives me crazy. You are going to love Disney at Christmastime!

YAY!! I know it's still early, but I was worried I wasn't going to have any followers. So thanks for following along! It drives me crazy that my husband can't even think about the trip this early. Thankfully I have Lisa and the Disboards that understand my obsession and can talk Disney with me. I have only been to Disney during the summer months. I am so excited to go when it's not 100 million degrees, but even more excited for the Christmas decorations. I told Lisa she was going to see a new side of me because I'll probably be crying every single time I turn around.

Following along! Christmas is a great time to visit. I'm already planning my trip for next year and the year after, now that is bad, lol.

Thanks for joining! I don't think planning a trip for next year is that bad. Maybe for some. But one day I spent 4 hours pricing out trips for the next 10 years. Changing ages of the kids, pricing out what would happen if I have more kids. It was exciting and depressing at the same time! I know Christmas time will be magical. I love Christmas and I love Disney. I can only imagine putting them together!