"We Ain't From Around Here!"-The South Does Disney! A Dec PTR Update 1/11-Prizes!

[RachelNinja]

There's no way that they'd let you in if you have reservations for the Wishes Dessert Party? I know that sometimes they close the parks and then still have some "space" available for those who stay on property. Then after that, it's closed entirely. I wonder if they allot "space" for those who booked the party.

LOVE those PJs! Walmart is great for those Disney finds!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

NICE CHANGES!!! I was always worried about Chefs too but after eating there in March, I'd take it over Le Cellier now! You won't be upset with your choice!

 

[Dug-says-HI-THERE!]

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that you decided dto go with a CP package. I think that no matter what restaurant you end up with (Chef's is ALSO a great choice BTW....it's one of my dad's favorites) you'll have a great time.

The whole arrival day is just a conundrum....while yes, you can expect it to be busy, the 26th falls on a Sunday this year, which means two things:

most peoply may be leaving the resort this day, since it's the day AFTER Christmas and you may actual see the crowds that day not TOO bad....it' s hard to predict. I wish you luck with that decision. I'd hate to see you guys exhausted on that first day and be too tired to enjoy the Dessert party and Wishes.

Cute PJ's too....I'll have to remember Walmart (cause I'm a TARGET gal) for some DISNEY apparel [/B ]

 

[Nermel9]

The changes sound great! I love Le Cellier, but I can understand wanting to be sure you get a CP package, and anyway, Chef's sounds great! I'm so excited to be finally going there in November, I'll let you know how it is, I know I'm going to love it!

And I think leaving Christmas evening is a good idea! More time in Disney!

You're pj's are adorable! I LOVE Eeyore too, I love that you can find random Disney stuff at Wal Mart!

 

[therussells08]

There's no way that they'd let you in if you have reservations for the Wishes Dessert Party? I know that sometimes they close the parks and then still have some "space" available for those who stay on property. Then after that, it's closed entirely. I wonder if they allot "space" for those who booked the party.

LOVE those PJs! Walmart is great for those Disney finds!

I read somewhere online that they have different "levels" of maximum capacity. If I'm not mistaken, once they get around 70,000 people only people staying on property can enter, once they reach 80,000 only people staying at the monorail resorts can enter, and after that I think on CMs can enter. But I could be wrong about that! But I read that they won't let you in even if you have an ADR once they reach capacity, so I'm guessing it's the same thing for special event ressies like the dessert party.

Thanks! I washed them as soon as I got home and I'm wearing them now and they are super comfy!

NICE CHANGES!!! I was always worried about Chefs too but after eating there in March, I'd take it over Le Cellier now! You won't be upset with your choice!

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to trying Chefs! I want to try LC eventually, but I'm okay with missing it this time!

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that you decided dto go with a CP package. I think that no matter what restaurant you end up with (Chef's is ALSO a great choice BTW....it's one of my dad's favorites) you'll have a great time.

The whole arrival day is just a conundrum....while yes, you can expect it to be busy, the 26th falls on a Sunday this year, which means two things:

most peoply may be leaving the resort this day, since it's the day AFTER Christmas and you may actual see the crowds that day not TOO bad....it' s hard to predict. I wish you luck with that decision. I'd hate to see you guys exhausted on that first day and be too tired to enjoy the Dessert party and Wishes.

Cute PJ's too....I'll have to remember Walmart (cause I'm a TARGET gal) for some DISNEY apparel [/B ]

I'm really excited about the CP package! I just hope I can book it! I am checking the thread ChildAtHeart82 posted constantly to see when it's available!

I'm hoping that you are right about MK not being completely packed. I'm just so scared to risk it! But you're right, DH and I might be really tired if we drive all night. I'm hoping that if we drive part of the way on Christmas and finish the drive the next morning that we won't be too tired and we will get to MK early enough.

I love Target too! But I always seem to find the coolest unexpected things at Wal Mart!

The changes sound great! I love Le Cellier, but I can understand wanting to be sure you get a CP package, and anyway, Chef's sounds great! I'm so excited to be finally going there in November, I'll let you know how it is, I know I'm going to love it!

And I think leaving Christmas evening is a good idea! More time in Disney!

You're pj's are adorable! I LOVE Eeyore too, I love that you can find random Disney stuff at Wal Mart!

Thanks! Haha, now something else about our trips is the same! I can't wait to hear your review of Chefs!

You're right- more time in Disney is always a good thing! Plus, I'm thinking there won't be hardly anyone on the roads on Christmas day. As long as I get to do all of the important family traditions I think leaving Christmas will be nice!

Thank you! Eeyore is so cute, and I like these PJs because he actually looks happy on them! I know Eeyore is gloomy and everything, but every now and then I like to see him smile!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Don't take my word for it as I never worked the turnstiles, but I think they operate MK the same way they operate the water parks - when capacity hits maximum, they close, but when it goes back down, they reopen at one of the higher levels. You may want to find CheshireFigment and ask about it, since they're (I don't know if CF is a man or woman) a current CM in ticketing and turnstiles.

Also, yay for deciding on Chefs for your Candlelight package! I think my parents would like that, so I may have to look into that for our reunion, since that would give them a "night out" Let me know how you like it? I've heard good things about it, but I'm not religious and wouldn't want to pay to hear the Christ myth (which is what it is to me, no offense to anyone religious ) by a celebrity narrator, you know? And again, no offense to anyone religious or anything, I'm just not religious at all. I'm agnostic bordering on atheist

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hey Joni! I'm following you over from my PTR! It looks like I've got lots of catching up to do!

What an exciting time of year to be going to Disney! We were in the world January 3 - 10 this year and it was great to have the trip to look forward to after Christmas.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

I think Chefs de France sounds like a good option for the CP package. It's on our list of possibilities if we can't get Le Cellier.

The best explanation of park capacity I've seen was on the Disney Mom's Panel. Here it is:

I fortunately have never been in this situation, but I understand that it infrequently happens, and it is only during the absolute busiest times of the year (Christmas day, 4th of July, etc.). The most likely park to be affected in these cases would be the Magic Kingdom, and the least likely would be Epcot (which has the highest capacity for guests).

Also please keep in mind that the closure is temporary. Based on what I have heard and read, in the cases when the parks are closed due to capacity, they are only closed for a few hours mid-day (for example 1am until 3pm), and NOT for the rest of the day. So, even if you did take a break on such a day, you should usually be fine to come back later in the day.

In case you are curious, I have read that the park closure process has the following phases:


Phase One - Open to anyone with a park pass and resort guests. (i.e.: ticket sales halted at that location).

Phase Two - Open to anyone with a multi-day park pass and resort guests.

Phase Three - Open to resort guests only.

Phase Four - No further entry allowed. The park has reached capacity.

It sounds like you would probably be okay, but I definitely understand not wanting to risk missing out on the Dessert Party.

 

[therussells08]

Don't take my word for it as I never worked the turnstiles, but I think they operate MK the same way they operate the water parks - when capacity hits maximum, they close, but when it goes back down, they reopen at one of the higher levels. You may want to find CheshireFigment and ask about it, since they're (I don't know if CF is a man or woman) a current CM in ticketing and turnstiles.

Also, yay for deciding on Chefs for your Candlelight package! I think my parents would like that, so I may have to look into that for our reunion, since that would give them a "night out" Let me know how you like it? I've heard good things about it, but I'm not religious and wouldn't want to pay to hear the Christ myth (which is what it is to me, no offense to anyone religious ) by a celebrity narrator, you know? And again, no offense to anyone religious or anything, I'm just not religious at all. I'm agnostic bordering on atheist

Thank you so much for the advice! I sent a PM to CheshireFigment!

I will definitely let you know about the CP package!

Hey Joni! I'm following you over from my PTR! It looks like I've got lots of catching up to do!

What an exciting time of year to be going to Disney! We were in the world January 3 - 10 this year and it was great to have the trip to look forward to after Christmas.

Thank you for joining in!

I can't wait to see the Christmas decorations! It's like I'm getting to extend Christmas for a whole extra week!

I think Chefs de France sounds like a good option for the CP package. It's on our list of possibilities if we can't get Le Cellier.

The best explanation of park capacity I've seen was on the Disney Mom's Panel. Here it is:



It sounds like you would probably be okay, but I definitely understand not wanting to risk missing out on the Dessert Party.

Thank you SO MUCH! That is really helpful! And after reading that I think we might be able to leave on the 26th and still be okay! I'm still not sure what we will do, but at least now I know leaving on the 26th isn't a total lost cause...

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

DH and I might be really tired if we drive all night. I'm hoping that if we drive part of the way on Christmas and finish the drive the next morning that we won't be too tired and we will get to MK early enough.

From personal experience I can tell you that driving through the night will effect you for the first few days of your trip. I did it back in 2007 from PA, and only getting an hours sleep isn't enough.
Traffic should be great though. We drove down on New Years Eve, and there was hardly any traffic. For some reason I don't remember seeing any cars around Midnight. Does something important happen at that time?

 

[Disneylove1228]

Hi Joni!!!! I read your PTR a while back... and had to get caught up.

If you're worried about them closing the parks.... it happens. Unfortunately. My birthday is 12/28 and I ALWAYS wanna go for my bday buuuuuuut.... I've heard it was pretty packed around that time, so I always opted to wait it out or go before... or in my case, since I live so close, go both times haha!!!

Ok, but there is GOOD NEWS here....

#1.... To the person that said that they only close off the park for a few hours, is completely correct... I mean, so what if they stop letting people in for a few hours? I would totally go to Epcot, too... for the busiest part of your trip (Sat!)

#2... My clients went to the New Year's Eve thing at Disney last year, went to all 4 parks and had NO PROBLEMS... they said it was def the busiest they've ever seen the parks before but it was the most enjoyable, fun, and funniest trip they'd ever taken ever.. and plan on doing it again this year... they couldn't stop talking about it

Ok, that's my 2 cents!! lol!!

 

[therussells08]

From personal experience I can tell you that driving through the night will effect you for the first few days of your trip. I did it back in 2007 from PA, and only getting an hours sleep isn't enough.
Traffic should be great though. We drove down on New Years Eve, and there was hardly any traffic. For some reason I don't remember seeing any cars around Midnight. Does something important happen at that time?

Thank you for your input! You're right, if we drive all night we will definitely be pretty tired. And once we starting losing sleep it's going to be hard to find the time to get it back! I'm thinking that if we leave at 4am on the day after Christmas the roads will be pretty dead, too. Everyone will still be warm in bed digesting their Christmas ham!

Hi Joni!!!! I read your PTR a while back... and had to get caught up.

If you're worried about them closing the parks.... it happens. Unfortunately. My birthday is 12/28 and I ALWAYS wanna go for my bday buuuuuuut.... I've heard it was pretty packed around that time, so I always opted to wait it out or go before... or in my case, since I live so close, go both times haha!!!

Ok, but there is GOOD NEWS here....

#1.... To the person that said that they only close off the park for a few hours, is completely correct... I mean, so what if they stop letting people in for a few hours? I would totally go to Epcot, too... for the busiest part of your trip (Sat!)

#2... My clients went to the New Year's Eve thing at Disney last year, went to all 4 parks and had NO PROBLEMS... they said it was def the busiest they've ever seen the parks before but it was the most enjoyable, fun, and funniest trip they'd ever taken ever.. and plan on doing it again this year... they couldn't stop talking about it

Ok, that's my 2 cents!! lol!!

Thank you for your help! It makes me feel a lot better that they reopen them, because as long as we are in by 9pm for the dessert party nothing else really matters! And I'm glad to hear that your clients had a good time! All of this talk of crowds has me stressed out!

 

[therussells08]

Hi everybody! I hope everyone is having a happy Tuesday!

I am really struggling with the decision of when to leave for our trip in December. On the one hand, if we leave on Christmas night, we can get to Disney much earlier the next day and have pretty much a full day at MK. We will also have no trouble getting into the park before it reaches capacity (if it does). However, we will be giving up our sleep to drive all night, and we will be missing some special family time on Christmas.

On the other hand, if we leave on December 26 like I had originally planned, we will be getting into WDW around 3:00pm. This means we MIGHT have some trouble getting into MK if it reaches capacity. But everyone is telling me that is usually reopens later in the day, so that might not be a problem. However, if we leave on the 26th we are planning to leave around 4am. Knowing me, I won't be sleeping any that night anyway because I will be so excited, so I will be giving up sleep anyway.

So, here's where you come in, my wonderful DIS friends! I posted a poll on my PTR. If you could please please vote for the option that you think is the best I would appreciate it so much!

I will be back hopefully tonight or tomorrow to post another update. I think I have found the mascot for our trip! Who could it be...

See ya real soon!

 

[Dug-says-HI-THERE!]

So, I know I said before that you should be fine, I would hate to see this be the ONE time that someone listened to my advise, and then I was wrong (that almost NEVER happens ), so I reserved my right as FEMALE to change my mind and I voted for a December 25th departure...

 

[Nermel9]

I went with leaving Christmas night too. You never know with Disney, you don't want to risk not being able to get into the park at all! It's just too bad you will have to miss family time on Christmas. I don't know how you guys do things in your family, but maybe you could start the Christmas festivities earlier that day so you have more time with them? Or maybe do something Christmas Eve also? What does your DH think about all of this? Or is he leaving the decisions all up to you, like my DH does?

 

[Nermel9]

Btw, did you notice your ticker? It now says 4 months!!! (I love when tickers change months! It just makes the trip seem so much closer!)

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

I was on the fence about this, but I was swayed by the thought that you wouldn't get much sleep if you waited until the 26th to leave anyway. So, I voted for the 25th. I think you might need to plan some recovery time (at least a nap) into the 27th, though.

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Honestly, I'd leave on the 25th. I think that you have enough time to work with your family to try and figure out some sort of get-together for Christmas Eve and could leave sometime in the afternoon or early evening on Christmas Day.

Then again, with my schedule, I'm used to rearranging schedules. Last year, I worked Christmas Eve and Day, which sucked.

 

[therussells08]

So, I know I said before that you should be fine, I would hate to see this be the ONE time that someone listened to my advise, and then I was wrong (that almost NEVER happens ), so I reserved my right as FEMALE to change my mind and I voted for a December 25th departure...

Thank you for your input! And you're right, we do have that right as females!

I went with leaving Christmas night too. You never know with Disney, you don't want to risk not being able to get into the park at all! It's just too bad you will have to miss family time on Christmas. I don't know how you guys do things in your family, but maybe you could start the Christmas festivities earlier that day so you have more time with them? Or maybe do something Christmas Eve also? What does your DH think about all of this? Or is he leaving the decisions all up to you, like my DH does?

Than you for your input! Honestly, our Christmas celebration is usually over right after Christmas dinner! On Christmas Eve we always go to dinner at a family friend's house, we do presents on Christmas morning, DH and I go to his parents' house for presents, we come back to my house, eat, and that's pretty much it! And when I say "family time" I don't mean any extended family. All of my extended family lives in PA and OH, so it's just my immediate family. You pretty much hit the nail on the head about my DH...he leaves everything up to me!

Btw, did you notice your ticker? It now says 4 months!!! (I love when tickers change months! It just makes the trip seem so much closer!)

I KNOW! I'm so excited!! And here's something else- the new little name tag thing I added says 151 Days. When I booked the trip we had exactly 251 days, so that means we've made it 100 days!! We are almost halfway there!

I was on the fence about this, but I was swayed by the thought that you wouldn't get much sleep if you waited until the 26th to leave anyway. So, I voted for the 25th. I think you might need to plan some recovery time (at least a nap) into the 27th, though.

Thank you for voting! I know that if we wait until the 26th I am going to lay in bed worrying about getting into MK and being too excited to sleep all night.

Honestly, I'd leave on the 25th. I think that you have enough time to work with your family to try and figure out some sort of get-together for Christmas Eve and could leave sometime in the afternoon or early evening on Christmas Day.

Then again, with my schedule, I'm used to rearranging schedules. Last year, I worked Christmas Eve and Day, which sucked.

Thank you for voting! If we leave on Christmas Day we would probably leave around 7 or 8 I think. I can't miss Christmas dinner, but we usually eat that pretty early (around 5-ish) so I should actually be able to do everything I want to do on Christmas without having to change much and leave that day if I decide to!

 

[HeatherBelle614]

I voted for the 25th, but to stop and take a break that night!!