Two weeks at WDW and Thanksgiving at the "House of Mouse" (with photos!)

[TheTXTaylors5]

CAST OF TRAVELERS:

Me (Jennifer): I never went to WDW as a child. My Dad even calls Mickey Mouse a "rat". So, how did I become such a Disney fanatic? I am sure rebellion is in there somewhere. Also, marrying a "child at heart" helped.
Favorite Disney Character: Snow White (us brunette princesses have to stick together!)

DH (Bill): He never went to WDW or DLR as a child. He always wants better for his children than he had and Disney vacations are no exception. Once we walk through the park turnstile, he reverts to being a child.
Favorite Disney Character: Mickey Mouse

DS8: He has become more adventurous the more times we visit WDW. One year he won't ride POTC or HM, the next year he's riding Space Mountain and loving it!
Favorite Disney Character: Pluto (boy's best friend)

DD6: She's our girly girl. We went to the CRT breakfast for the first time this past September. She was beaming the whole meal. I love having a little girl to ooh and aah over the princesses and pink things. Don't get me wrong, she loves Space Mountain and BTMRR with the best of them too.
Favorite Disney Character: Ariel

DS3: He is like most third (youngest child), the attention getter. He rode KRR for the first time this past September and I think we have a new thrill-ride child on our hands. It will be fun when he is a little taller, we can ride some of the more adventurous rides "as a family". For now, the Rider Swap is our friend. One ride he DOES enjoy, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. He's been know to flash his blue eyes at the CMs and they let us re-ride without getting off.
Favorite Disney Character: Buzz Lightyear (Lightning McQueen close 2nd)

We're finally back home after two weeks of fun in the sun with Mickey and Friends. When planning the trip, two weeks seemed like a long time at WDW. Our longest trip yet without a cruise. Surprisingly, the weeks went by quickly with still so much to see and do at WDW.

We arrived at Port Orleans - Riverside on Sunday, November 23rd. Our 12th Wedding Anniversary. When booking this reservation, we really wanted French Quarter because of all the great reviews we read. However, we are a family of five and can't fit into a POFQ room. So, we reluctantly booked Riverside. We were pleasantly surprised with Riverside and after driving through French Quarter, we were very relieved with our resort. We loved this resort and wouldn't hesitate staying there again. Bill and the kids had a blast at the main pool and went down the slide over and over again. The food court was amazing. We usually stay at a DVC property or Deluxe resort and there aren't food courts, just a little take out section in a food store. If you don't want a sit down restaurant, the moderates have some of the greatest food options IMO.

While at PO we ate at Boatwright's. We were pretty underwhelmed with this restaurant. I got the fried chicken and waffles (I ended up giving the waffles to the kids. They didn't eat them. Both chicken and waffles VERY dry.) Bill got the grilled pork chop (It was also overcooked and had a burnt after taste.). One plus, the cornbread was pretty good.

For our anniversary, we canceled our V&A reservation and ended up making a Yachtman Steakhouse ADR. So, we could walk over to Epcot for IllumiNations after dinner. The kids were safely back at our resort with a sitter from Kid's Nite Out. Boy am I sorry we changed our ADR. The appetizer, Seared Maine Diver Scallops was yummy. Well then came the main course, both Bill and I got the NY Strip Steak with potato gratin with Diamond white cheddar. The steaks were terrible with an overpowering peppercorn sauce. We both scraped the sauce off the steaks and they still were terrible. The potato side dish was simply disgusting and not something you'd think to find in a supposed "fine-dining" restaurant. Bill had been to this restaurant last year with business and had a yummy meal (NY Strip Steak). We asked our server what happened to the old delicious food and she informed us they have a new chef with a new menu. Bring back the old chef! Next time, I'll book Shula's Steak House for great steaks near Epcot!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

We wish everyone "Happy Holidays!"

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

One funny thing happened while on this trip ... we were taking the boat back from DTD to PO. DD6 and I sat behind a woman and her daughter. The girls started chatting up. So, then the woman and I started chatting. We were talking about tips and insider knowledge of WDW. Then, she mentioned she and her Mom were part of an online Disney community. Come to find out, she is a fellow DISer. Then, we were talking about coming back to WDW the following Thanksgiving. She said they were taking a cruise next year near Thanksgiving. I said, "So are we." We're on the same cruise next year. Of the thousands of people at WDW at that time, I sat near a fellow DISer and she is on our same cruise next year. What a small world! I need to find her on here. The girls hit it off and will definitely be in the Oceaneer's Club together next year. How fun!

Jennifer

 

[*DisMom*]

Sounds like y'all had a great trip. So, overall, how bad were the crowds the week of Thanksgiving??? We are going for Thanksgiving next year and we all are very excited!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Sounds like y'all had a great trip. So, overall, how bad were the crowds the week of Thanksgiving??? We are going for Thanksgiving next year and we all are very excited!

Thank you for reading our Trip Report.

This was our fourth year in a row being at WDW for Thanksgiving. Every year, we tell ourselves "We're not going to WDW again during the holidays." Somehow the crowds slip our memory when making plans for the following year.

This year, the crowds were manageable, "with a plan". Since MK only had EMH in the morning on Thanksgiving, we decided not to go to a park before or after dinner at my Dad's. In the past, they had EMH (PM) on Thanksgiving and we would head over there after dinner. That was a little disappointing. We noticed the crowds more on Wed - Sun. So, if you come for the Thanksgiving week, I'd try and arrive the Sat or Sun before to make the most of your trip JMHO. Even though I had read on the DISboards about all the people going to WDW the week after Thanksgiving and that it should be more crowded than years past, we found it pretty light compared to last year. Then again, everything depends on your Touring Plan. Someone else could come on here and say they had a horrible time and waited in long lines. On any day, if you got to the park at rope drop, you were ahead of the game and could ride anything you wanted with little or no wait (even the week of Thanksgiving). Also, we made the most of EMH (PM) at DAK (great for riding EE over and over again). We try and NOT be in a park on a Saturday night. That is why I made the 'Ohana ADR. Also, we waited until the following week to view the lights at DHS. If you can plan a vacation at WDW to arrive on Thanksgiving and stay through the following week, you will have a more enjoyable time JMHO. There were some rides we bypassed and said we'd ride them the following week due to the long lines (ex: Space Mountain & Test Track).

Have a magical trip!

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

I'm off to plan another WDW trip. To me, planning is half the fun. Look out June . . . here we come!

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Believe it or not, I've already started making plans for our November 2009 trip too! We are officially booked at Animal Kingdom Villas in a Two-Bedroom Savannah view in Kidani Village for November 2009. We can't wait! We bought into DVC in October 2007. We've waited what seems like forever for KV to be completed. It is a BIG relief to know it will be completed soon and we can start staying at our "Home" resort.

You know you have been home too long, when you get the dreaded email that your PhotoPass pictures online are about to expire.

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Okay, we didn't go to WDW for the food (thank goodness!), we went to have some fun! Bill played golf with my Dad on Monday at Osprey Ridge Golf Course. The kids and I went to MK with my Dad's Girlfriend. Once there, she went off with DD6 and I took the boys. Our first stop, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Even after riding Toy Story Mania in September, DS3 still loves this ride the best. So, we got FP for later and then went to ride it stand by (10 minutes). After riding, we did a few more rides and then popped into Cosmic Ray's for lunch. FYI - An adult CAN get a child's meal. I got the grilled chicken salad off the kids menu. It was yummy and hit the spot. I don't like to eat big heavy meals in the parks. After lunch, we headed back to ride Buzz with our FPs. After entering into the FP line, who should we see at the ride entrance handing out YOMD Mickey ears???? The Dream Team!!! We FINALLY won something during YOMD. At 36, I have my first set of Mickey ears. We proudly wore them the rest of the day. Of course when meeting back up with DD6, mine quickly became hers. During this trip, both DS8 and I got 999,999 on the Buzz ride.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

I had an itinerary all typed out with ADRs made for this trip. One thing about going on a holiday week, be flexible. On Tuesday, we were suppose to go to Epcot for rope drop. We waited and waited and waited for a semi-empty bus. The buses were so full, the driver wouldn't let anyone else on. So, we hopped in our car and drove over to DHS for rope drop.

While waiting in line to get in, I called an made an ADR for The Brown Derby for lunch later in the day. Bill made the TSM dash for our FP for later while the kids and I "leisurely" walked towards ToT and RNR. When Bill met back up with us the line for RNR was well past the entrance to the queue. So, we went over to ToT. We didn't ride this ride in September, but had in the past. It was way better than we remembered. It's back on our "must ride" at DHS. After ToT, we went over to RNR. Bill rode stand-by and I got a Rider Swap. After my RNR ride the cars pulled into the station and The Dream Team was waiting at the platform. However, they weren't handing out a prize yet. No more than five minutes later, I see people exiting the RNR building wearing Dream FastPasses. So close! It didn't matter anyway. We really didn't need them that day (except for TSM). It was time to ride TSM. DS3 still has trouble with the shooting mechanism for this ride. So, he was getting frustrated. Maybe, next year he'll get the hang of it. I bought him a little toy like the TSM shooter. I didn't realize how competive I was until playing this game. It is fun! For lunch, we went to The Brown Derby. This is a really neat restaurant. I got the "infamous" Cobb Salad. Bill got a steak. My salad was "interesting". It is FINELY chopped. Now, I can say I've had it. I'll try something else next time. Bill said his steak was BETTER than the one he got at Yachtman's. Our server brought us a special dessert for our Anniversary celebration. She was great. We even got a phone call at our table from Mickey Mouse for our Anniversary. I highly recommend this restaurant and plan to eat there again.

We were exiting the park around 2:40 when we realized the Block Party Bash was getting ready to start. We found a seat on the curb near the entrance of the "party" (it's NOT a parade!). It was cute and the kids got to see their favorite Pixar characters. As soon as the floats went by, we made a quick exit. The kids weren't in the mood to dance and party. Which was fine with Bill and I. DHS is a really easy park to get in and out with a car (same with DAK).

We decided to relax at the resort for the afternoon/early evening. Then, we went to Epcot for dinner (fish 'n chips at Yorkshire County Fish Shop). Yum! Yum!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

We woke up on Wednesday and didn't feel like fighting the crowds in the parks. So, Bill and the kids had fun at the pool and I got caught up on laundry. Then, we took the boat from PO to DTD for some shopping and lunch. We ate at the new T-Rex restaurant. One weird thing about this restaurant is they currently don't take ADRs (they will in January) and they didn't let you put in your name and then be paged when a table was ready. You had to wait in line until a table was available. I assume they are working out the kinks. Believe it or not, this was the most expensive meal of the whole trip! The inside of the restaurant is really neat with some differently themed rooms (dinosaurs, under water and an ice cave). DS3 was a little skiddish going in. So, I was hoping we were seated in any room BUT the dinosaur room. Wouldn't you know, they seated us in the dinosaur room. I didn't want to make a big deal and we seated DS3 with his back to the dinosaurs. During one of the loud "shows", he hid under the table. Even with all that, he still didn't want to leave and would come out when it was over. It was actually pretty cute. We were seated near the ice cave room. That was really cool. I hope we get to eat in there next time (Yes, there will be a next time.). DS8 and DD6 thought the best part was drinking root beer out of real bottles. I hope the other parents around us knew it was root beer. I'm trying hard to remember what we ate, but I can't. After lunch, we spent some $$$$ at the Lego store and WOD. We got a 10% discount at both stores with our AP.

That night, we went to EMH (PM) at DAK. It was more crowded than past EMH (PM) at DAK we had attended. EE was even down for a bit and Primeval Whirl was in refurbishment. Sometime during the evening they opened PW and then EE was back up and running. While we waited, we grabbed some food at the Flame Tree BBQ. Bill had the beef sandwich and I had the chicken (with beans and cornbread). Bill said his was "okay". My chicken had a very funny taste. The cornbread and beans were yummy. The best part of this meal was where we ate it. We followed the path out back and found the area that overlooked the water with EE in the background. We had the whole area to ourselves. It was very peaceful. After eating, I looked at the park schedule and realized there was one last show of FOTLK during EMH (PM). We rushed over there and made the show with two minutes to spare. This is a fantastic show. The kids were mesmerized. I highly recommend it. I wouldn't wait over an hour in line, go to it during EMH (PM). While Bill and I went back and forth to ride EE, the kids had fun playing in the Boneyard. It's their new favorite play area at WDW. I kid you not, they were in there for TWO HOURS and could have stayed longer.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

We didn't even attempt to visit a park on Thanksgiving. We relaxed in the morning and then headed to my Dad's winter home near Daytona Beach. Great turkey dinner and great company.

We knew the holiday crowds would be in full force on Friday too. So, Bill took DS8 to play putt-putt at Winter Summerland (They liked it so much, they played again the following week. That time they brought DD6 too.). Later we all played some games in the arcade. This was the night we ate dinner at Boatwright's. I did call earlier in the day to try and make an ADR at Boatwright's since I knew we were hanging around the resort. They told me they had no availability. However, when we walked by it looked half empty. We inquired at the podium and they gave us a pager to wait. We waited no more than ten minutes and were seated at a nice table near the fireplace. So, it pays to ask at the restaurant too. You never know. We got to bed early. We planned to be at MK for rope drop next next morning.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Saturday morning (rope drop) is the ideal time to visit MK in my book. Sounds strange, MK on a Saturday?!?!?!?! But, it was great! This was the first time we got to see the whole train arrival and character "show". It was really cute. We plan to do it again for future trips. Once inside, Bill and DD6 headed towards BTMRR and DS8, DS3 and I headed towards Buzz. We met up near Buzz and DS8 and Bill went on Space Mountain. This was DS8's first ride on SM. He loved it!!!! It's his new favorite ride. Then, we rode Astro Orbiter with NO wait for the elevator. Pretty cool. We could see the teacups had no wait and headed over there. Alice and the Madhatter were riding the teacups too. It was cute! The whole morning was "magical". After lunch at Cosmic Ray's (now a family favorite restaurant at MK), we headed towards Frontierland. Bill and the boys rode The Jungle Cruise, while I rode BTMRR with DD6. People ask us why we go to WDW so much or we get the "going again?" comment when people inquire about our vacation plans. This picture right here explains why we go to WDW so much ...

DD6 on BTMRR

We left MK around 2 PM. We did a lot that morning. It even amazed us how much we squeezed in that morning (BTMRR 3 x's, SM 2 x's, teacups 2 x's, Astro Orbiter 2 x's, Buzz 3 x's, Tiki Room, POTC, Flying Carpets and JC). When we exited the turnstiles we discussed what to do for the rest of the afternoon (We had an Ohana dinner reservation at 9:30 PM). We looked at the ferry/boat to WL and decided to take the boat to WL and rent a pontoon boat for the family. It was a great relaxing non-park activity. We plan to do it again on a future trip. It was so relaxing, DS3 took a little catnap.

I almost canceled our 'Ohana ADR because it was so late (9:30 PM). I figured the kids would be nodding off at dinner. Boy am I glad I didn't cancel it. This was the best meal the whole trip! Yummy! Yummy! We arrived at the Poly around 8:30 PM and went down to the beach to view Wishes (9 PM). It was so beautiful. A great place to view the fireworks. After Wishes, we made our way up to Ohana for dinner. This is all you care to eat. DD6 wasn't into the regular food (so we ordered her the kid's chicken meal) everyone else enjoyed the food. Our favorite appetizer was the potstickers. They were similiar to the ones we like at Nine Dragons (Epcot - China). Then, they brought around the main course. The meat was delicious. Our favorite was the pork. The meal ended with the most delicious thing I have ever eaten, 'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Banana Foster sauce. It was just as good as it sounds. Our server also brought us a BIG cupcake to celebrate our Anniversary. We ended up taking it to go. There was no way I was eating a cupcake with the bread pudding in front of me. Believe it or not, everyone stayed awake the whole meal.

Tomorrow, we leave PO and head to SSR...

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

We liked PO - Riverside, but once we entered our one-bedroom villa at SSR, we remembered why we bought into DVC in the first place... space, space and an in-room washer and dryer. It was so great to have all that room. One bad thing about Sunday, it stormed most of the day. So, we stayed in unpacked/laundry and watched a dvd. Later that evening, DS3 started to run a fever. I brought Children's Motrin and flu medicine. However, he was still ill the next morning.

On Monday, we called around and finally found a doctor in Celebration that accepted our insurance. So, Bill took DS3 to the doctor while I waited for my Dad and his girlfriend to come over. We had made previous plans to meet up on Monday to visit Epcot. DS3 had a double ear infection. So, he was prescribed an antibiotic and Bill stayed in the room with him while I went to DTD with the others for shopping and lunch (We changed plans because it was close to noon before Bill came back with DS3). Later that night, Bill took DS8 and DD6 to Epcot. DD6 rode Mission:Space for the first time. She had a blast! It's now on her favorites list.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

DS3 was feeling better on Tuesday. So, we decided to retry visiting Epcot as a family. We had a great day and ate lunch at the newly remodeled Nine Dragons (China). The honey sesame chicken and potstickers are both still yummy! After lunch, we went on the ride in Mexico (Gran Fiesta Tour). It was cute. Then, we circled around World Showcase doing some Christmas shopping. DD6 picked out a beautiful necklace in Italy for Grandma for Christmas (I'm 1/2 Italian). Also, we did some damage on the wallet in the department store in Japan. By mid-afternoon, it was starting to get chilly. We didn't want to keep DS3 out in the cold after being sick. So, Bill took DS8 and DS3 back to the room while DD6 and I waited for the FPs to be valid for M:S and TT. We passed the time by trying the different Coke products at Club Cool and played a really neat firefighting game at Innoventions.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

What would visiting WDW during the holidays be without viewing the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at DHS? We relaxed Wednesday morning (Bill and the older kids played putt-putt). We headed to DHS around 5/5:30 PM. We arrived about ten minutes before the switch was turned on. We got our special AP viewing glasses. We ended up taking them off. We're not sure what they were suppose to enhance. But, the lights looked better without the special 3-D glasses. Now it felt like the holidays. Trans Siberian Orchestra playing and thousands of twinkling lights. We viewed the lights for a few songs and then we were off to DAK (EMH). It was definitely less crowded than the week before. Both EE and PW were working the entire evening. Yay!!!!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

On Thursday morning, we had breakfast at Chef Mickey. We have an annual tradition now, on the day we have MVMCP that evening, we have a late breakfast at Chef Mickey. When I say late breakfast, it was more of a brunch (11:10). We had GREAT character interaction. We were even presented with cupcakes for our Anniversary celebration and Mickey came over and shaked hands with Bill. It was a great/fun breakfast. Towards the end of the meal, Goofy started playing tricks and trapped Donald in near us. The kids helped Donald move the chairs. It was a lot of fun and probably wouldn't have happened earlier in the morning when they were busier.

That night we attended MVMCP. It was great as usual. This year, we viewed the fireworks from the middle of Main Street. It was magical with a full view of Cinderella Castle. What a way to end our vacation at WDW.

We're home now and getting into the Christmas spirit. The tree is up and house is illuminated for Santa to find his way.

We may be home in Texas, but have more Disney fun on the horizon ... We are booked at BCV for June 2009 (Update: Booked at Disneyland Hotel at DLR for June 2009. I can't wait to surprise DH for his 40th birthday!!! His FIRST DLR trip.), booked AKV (Kidani Village) for next Thanksgiving and have a DCL cruise booked for November/December 2009. We can't wait to get back "home" and create more magical memories.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

I hope y'all had fun reading the Trip Report. It was fun re-living the trip.

Jennifer