We'll call it a Christmas PTR: today is the day!

[JustCor]

Hi everyone! I'm back to planning another trip, and in typical reckless fashion, my planning is going to be all over the place and probably have things change a handful of times between now and trip time.

Let's start simple:

Me

Where I'm staying

When I'm going​

Previous trip reports are in my signature, for anyone curious. Groovy. Now, for some details.

This will be another small-ish trip, starting on Sunday, December 4th, and ending on Wednesday, December 7th. I really just want to see winter stuff. One of the great benefits of living in Florida is the very mild winters. I haven't seen snow in many years, and I'm not complaining about that one bit. However, the winter time seems slightly less... wintery... without it. I decided to let Disney fill in some of the old blanks this year.

Coronado Springs is a resort that I'm not sure about. In booking this trip, the choice came down to CSR or POR. I went with CSR this time just because it's something I haven't experienced. I read good things, which is promising, but there's a nagging voice in the back of my head telling me that maybe I should go with POR. I do love me some POR.

My plans so far: nothing. Crazy, I know. I don't know how to approach this trip, and it feels a little odd. My only real goal is to see Magic Kingdom done up in all the winter stuff. I had hoped to go to MVMCP, but it seems there aren't any dates listed during my stay. I don't know if that means it's all sold out or the December stuff hasn't been posted, but that's kind of a bummer. Oh well, there'll be plenty to see regardless.

This is just the beginning of a PTR with more updates to come. There are 63 days left until this trip is upon me. I've got a bit of planning to do.

 

[Trixie15]

Hey, so glad to see you have a trip in the works! I have to live vicariously through all my favorite frequent visitors, ha ha! Hope you can get tickets to the party.

 

[JustCor]

Hey, so glad to see you have a trip in the works! I have to live vicariously through all my favorite frequent visitors, ha ha! Hope you can get tickets to the party.

I hope I can make your vicarious living through my trips fun!

 

[JustCor]

Go ahead and take my money

Fun trip accomplishment number 1: it's all paid off! To be fair, this is a small trip that didn't cost too much money, but it's always nice to pay off a Disney trip, regardless of how long or how much it happens to be. So, it's one less thing to be concerned with.

I've done no planning. None. Well, sort of. I've done other planning, but it was in helping a friend taking his wife and kids to Disney for the first time to get kind of set and get them going. So, with their trip done, I suppose I need to get my own stuff planned out. I also put off planning for this trip to potentially plan out a larger trip in the future. I gave a little thought to just cancelling this getaway and using the money for the larger trip, but I think this will end up being my Christmas, so I'm keeping it. Speaking of Christmas, Very Merry Christmas Party is out, but I'm ok with that. From what it sounds like, I don't think I'm missing much. I think touring some of the resorts may be enough for me. I just want to browse decorations and see all the different Christmas stuff strewn through the parks. I'm not sure an extra event would add much more to that. Maybe next year, but not for now. Let's do some food plans!

Night 1: The Wave

It seems like a no-brainer at this point to have at least one meal at The Wave. The food has been consistently amazing, and the staff has been wonderful. The huge bonus is that it hasn't had the packed out feeling of other restaurants. In fact, the quiet atmosphere is sublime. I almost want to push this one back to later in the trip just to have that quiet secluded feel be an even bigger bonus after a day at the parks. For now, it's the first big meal, and it's a proper way to start a nice Disney vacation. I'm looking forward to seeing what the winter menu will be. It's almost Christmas-y in feel, not knowing what menu items will be offered. It's a pleasant surprise in the making. I think this may be the most anticipated meal of the trip.

That's the extent of my planning so far. There's 52 days remaining, so I have a little bit of time to go. Next update more foods, some rides, and maybe something else.

 

[Trixie15]

Do you have any 'first experience' goals you're going to try to meet this time? I've never seen the Country Bear Jamboree and I know it's silly but if I ever get back it's high on my priority list.

 

[JustCor]

Do you have any 'first experience' goals you're going to try to meet this time? I've never seen the Country Bear Jamboree and I know it's silly but if I ever get back it's high on my priority list.

I haven't thought it out yet. The Christmas stuff is a first, and it's a trip I tried to put together last year that didn't work out, so that's one thing. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the park is all decorated and going to the resorts to check out how nice they're done up. There's also the food thing and trying new restaurants on property. I've been looking through the each of the parks and resorts and writing down a list of possible places to try out. I seem to end up in Epcot a lot, so I'm trying to give other places a look. It's just so easy to go to Epcot though. For park stuff, I've never been on the Liberty Belle, but I keep wanting to check it out. I've watched it go by a number of times, but keep putting it off. I've avoided the Tiki Lounge, Country Bears, and Hall of Presidents because I get a weird vibe from them, but maybe it's time to check them out. I also feel like I've done all of three or four things at Animal Kingdom and then end up leaving. Maybe I'll try to do more stuff there. That's a little up in the air though. I think the Christmas stuff will take priority over everything else for this trip.

 

[mzpoirot]

Following along! We stayed at CSR last time and loved it. It is a VERY big resort but we were able to have our room semi-close to one of the bus stops. We are going to stay at POFQ this time...I've never been there and am pretty excited about it!

 

[JustCor]

Following along! We stayed at CSR last time and loved it. It is a VERY big resort but we were able to have our room semi-close to one of the bus stops. We are going to stay at POFQ this time...I've never been there and am pretty excited about it!

Hi! That's very good to know! I've been slightly concerned about CSR and have come close to changing the reservation to POR because I stayed there before and really enjoyed it, but I want to try new resorts to see what else is out there. POFQ was my first choice, but it wasn't available. Next time maybe! Have fun at POFQ!

 

[JustCor]

The slow kind of planning

The first of my changes has taken place. I've moved The Wave from the Sunday that I arrive to the next day. A Monday dinner at the wave sounds like a pretty good plan. The reason for the move, though, was a Sunday brunch plan. My initial hope was to get a spot at California Grill for their brunch. I've read the reviews and it looks so good. Unfortunately, there are no times available. Darn. That's kind of a bummer really. I suppose that I could go ahead and change The Wave back to Sunday. Or not! Since I had the list of restaurants open already, I started looking at other options, with an idea to pick a restaurant that I haven't gone to before. Come to think of it, I haven't tried any Signature restaurants (that I'm aware of), so maybe something will stand out. Le Cellier has steak and poutine. Flying Fish has a bunch of seafood stuff that looks good. California Grill has a few things that looked great, plus that view that I would love to experience. Nothing really stood out, though. Everything looks fine, but not really calling out to me.

Almost nothing.

I passed by Narcoossee's a couple of times when I stayed at GF. It's in a nice location and seems like a classy type of place. I have no qualms about going to GF. It kind of fits in with my goal to see the Christmas decorations at the resorts, and GF was tops on my list to see. Now I have another reason to go: Sunday Brunch at Narcoossee's! Much like California Grill, the reviews tend towards excellent, and it scratches that brunch itch that's in my head. Awesome! After brunch, I can take in the sights at GF and wait out my room at CSR. I'm looking forward to it!

 

[JustCor]

One tiny, forgotten detail

I've been doing bits and pieces of planning here and there. Nothing big, unfortunately, which may lead to boring reading at the moment, but things like reading restaurant reviews and trip reports to get ideas. Between the planning and the work stuff, I've been a busy boy. A slightly important detail kind of slipped between the cracks: my annual pass expires tomorrow.

Whoops.

I had the reminder tucked away so that I wouldn't lose it, but it still managed to walk away to who-knows-where at some point. I did manage to remember, thankfully and get everything squared away. It might have been slightly embarrassing showing up for my Disney vacation and get rejected at the gate. Just a tiny detail, insignificant really.

Back to the bigger details. Where exactly was I in this little thing anyway? Ah yes, a brunch and a dinner and another night or two of planning. Awesome. I seem to be a little light on an Epcot or Boardwalk meal for this trip. I've been stuck on this one. Normally I get hungry for some kind of specific dish or a combination of flavors, and from that I'll scour menus to find the restaurant that seems to hit on that craving the best. Right now, though, I'm missing that craving. I'm finding it really difficult to pic a restaurant without being actually hungry. How frustrating.

I think I'm leaning towards Whispering Canyon Cafe. The food looks pretty good in the pictures that I've seen, and I can look at the Christmas Stuff in the Wilderness Lodge. I've never been in the Wilderness Lodge before, but all of the pictures and reviews seem to be great, so it has that extra appeal. I'm not big on antics though, and that seems to be a big draw for the restaurant. I like my meals peaceful and without schtick. It's the reason I've kind of stayed away from Whispering Canyon and 50's Prime Time Cafe. It just isn't my thing. I like using my meals to just get away from the madness of the parks. I'll have to mull this one over though. My backup plan, at the moment at least, is Big River Grille on the Boardwalk. Since they don't take ADRs, it gives me an easy fallback and also keeps things open on the calendar to fill if I can find something. Hopefully I get a hunger for a specific food so I can nail down a restaurant between now and then.

This is where I'm at for the moment:

Day 1: ADR - Yes - Narcoossee's, FP+ - No
Day 2: ADR - Yes - The Wave, FP+ - No
Day 3: ADR - No, FP+ - No
Departure day: Nada

So, I'm stuck until I get hungry, but the tickets are renewed. We're groovy.

 

[JustCor]

What, exactly, do I want to do?

Cruises are funny things. I've never actually been on one, but I've looked into them a handful of times. What I've learned is that they aren't as economical for a solo traveler as they would be for a group. I've been looking at Disney cruises lately. A Disney cruise seems like a safe bet for a first cruise. I like how Disney handles customer service, and it seems to take some of the unknown out of the whole deal. Unfortunately for me, they're on the pricey side. I'm just doing some "what if" kind of planning at the moment and feeling out what a trip like that would cost, and it's just a little more than I'm comfortable paying.

Luckily, I have an actual vacation in the works. Back to those plans...

For some reason, I'm not very good at doing the fast pass stuff. I like to just walk around and kind of do things as the moment strikes. Some of the attractions just don't lend themselves to my kind of theme parking. Still, I've started making a few selections. I've left the arrival Sunday blank for now. MVMCP is happening, so MK will be a no-go after 7pm. The other parks seem to close semi-early as well. It looks like Hollywood Studios will have the Extra Magic Hours, so I may end up heading in that direction at some point. I have yet to see a fireworks show at any park that isn't Magic Kingdom. Maybe I'll remedy that this time. For that Monday, I've set up a few Magic Kingdom FP+ selections that are spread throughout the day, with an early-ish stop at Big Thunder Mountain, a midday go at Space Mountain, and a night time shot on 7DMT. In addition to that, I'll be doing my favorites: Haunted Mansion, People Mover, Buzz Lightyear, and perhaps a stop to see Tinkerbell. The highlight of the day, for me at least, is dinner at The Wave. I've had very good experiences at the Wave for breakfast and dinner. It's become the one restaurant that I truly look forward to going to over and over.

There's still some planning to be done. I think I skipped Animal Kingdom on my last trip, if not my last two trips. I'd like to spend some time there for at least half a day. The last time I remember planning anything for AK, I think I spent a few hours there and ended up planning in some DHS time for that same day. The two complement each other rather well, since they're both just about half day parks for me. It's looking like the way to go for this trip.

I think that's where I'm at for the moment. There's a little bit of planning still to be done, but we're getting there slowly but surely. Is it December yet?

 

[JustCor]

You're a weird one, Mr. Website

There are plenty of MVMCP tickets available, but I didn't realize that until recently. The Disney website does a funny thing that I didn't catch before: it separates regular tickets and annual passholder tickets. I thought they just tossed them all into a big pot and when you went to pay, you would get a discount if applicable. So, when checking for MVMCP tickets, I would see this:

One day available, and it's a few days short of my arrival date, so MVMCP seems to be a no-go. How unfortunate. It would have been nice to go. I started to get concerned about what this could possibly mean. Is the entire month really already sold out? Does that mean that this entire month is going to be mobbed with people? Maybe everybody got into the Christmas spirit and decided to be at Disney. I thought I managed to plan out my trip in a fairly slow time in December. This isn't good. It kinda sucks, really.

I had read that others had still been planning on going in December. They couldn't have avoided the website in their Disney planning, could they? So, what does the other option show me?

Well, that just changes things, doesn't it? It also potentially fills in some plans on open days. I've just accepted that MVMCP was not going to happen this year, but now it's back on the table. I've got a little bit of thinking to do now: Sunday or Tuesday? I'm leaning towards Tuesday with the hope that it'll be a little less crowd heavy (fingers crossed). If I just go by the cost of the ticket, it's probably a fair bet, right? So, there's things to do and tickets to buy!

I need a Santa hat...

 

[MrsIncredibleNY]

One tiny, forgotten detail

I think I'm leaning towards Whispering Canyon Cafe. The food looks pretty good in the pictures that I've seen, and I can look at the Christmas Stuff in the Wilderness Lodge. I've never been in the Wilderness Lodge before, but all of the pictures and reviews seem to be great, so it has that extra appeal. I'm not big on antics though, and that seems to be a big draw for the restaurant. I like my meals peaceful and without schtick. It's the reason I've kind of stayed away from Whispering Canyon and 50's Prime Time Cafe. It just isn't my thing. I like using my meals to just get away from the madness of the parks. I'll have to mull this one over though. My backup plan, at the moment at least, is Big River Grille on the Boardwalk. Since they don't take ADRs, it gives me an easy fallback and also keeps things open on the calendar to fill if I can find something. Hopefully I get a hunger for a specific food so I can nail down a restaurant between now and then.

Following! I booked Whispering Canyon Cafe for pretty much the same reasons you listed for our Christmas trip. I hope you like it if that's what you decide. I'll be following along.

 

[Trixie15]

I think I'm leaning towards Whispering Canyon Cafe. The food looks pretty good in the pictures that I've seen, and I can look at the Christmas Stuff in the Wilderness Lodge. I've never been in the Wilderness Lodge before, but all of the pictures and reviews seem to be great, so it has that extra appeal. I'm not big on antics though, and that seems to be a big draw for the restaurant. I like my meals peaceful and without schtick. It's the reason I've kind of stayed away from Whispering Canyon and 50's Prime Time Cafe. It just isn't my thing. I like using my meals to just get away from the madness of the parks. I'll have to mull this one over though. My backup plan, at the moment at least, is Big River Grille on the Boardwalk. Since they don't take ADRs, it gives me an easy fallback and also keeps things open on the calendar to fill if I can find something. Hopefully I get a hunger for a specific food so I can nail down a restaurant between now and then.

They give you a coaster - one side is red and the other is green. The red side says you want to watch the fun from a distance and the green side says you want to join in on the fun. So don't let the antics stop you from going and having a good time! (I was a red sider, too.)

 

[JustCor]

Following! I booked Whispering Canyon Cafe for pretty much the same reasons you listed for our Christmas trip. I hope you like it if that's what you decide. I'll be following along.

Hi and welcome! I may have waited a bit too long to book Whispering Canyon. I haven't had much luck finding a time before 8pm for any of my days. That's a little later than I like to eat. Those late night meals leave me with bad indigestion and tossing and turning all night trying to sleep. I'll keep trying to find an earlier time before the trip, but if not, it'll have to wait for the next trip. I hope you enjoy it when you go!

They give you a coaster - one side is red and the other is green. The red side says you want to watch the fun from a distance and the green side says you want to join in on the fun. So don't let the antics stop you from going and having a good time! (I was a red sider, too.)

I had seen that mentioned once or twice before, but also came across a review where the reviewer didn't receive that and wasn't sure if they had gotten rid of the coasters. I'd totally go if I could be a red sider. I'll happily watch the antics, but I'd like to just enjoy the food myself.

 

[JustCor]

I'm doing a thing

I made a few small changes recently, and by a few I pretty much mean two changes. Gone is brunch at Narcoossee's. Once the drive for brunch had passed, it no longer made sense to do. It's pricey, for one. I know that Disney is pricey in general, but the brunch is much more than I wanted to shell out. Also, I'm not sure I'll be in Orlando in time to catch the ADR time. I think it'll be possible, but there's a work thing that still isn't quite resolved that may interfere with my departure time. So, I cancelled it. With my ADR now gone, I needed to fill that emptiness in my Disney soul. I finally committed to Whispering Canyon Cafe. There are no dinner times available that I could find for the length of my stay, but there are lunch times available. That kind of fills in a few blanks: Wilderness Lodge to see the Christmas stuff, Whispering Canyon to watch the shenanigans, and somewhere relatively close to Magic Kingdom for day 1. I'm not sure why that third thing was important, but I had a brief memory of wanting to do something at Magic Kingdom on day 1, but I cannot, for the life of me, remember what that thing was. Oh well.

I think I've mentioned it before, but I'm leaving Tuesday open to possibly go to MVMCP. I haven't figured out if I'm going yet, but I'm leaving the time open just in case. I think I may end up doing Disney Springs during that day as well, so it'll be a nice and laid back kind of day. I had read a story about the drones that Disney has cleared through the FAA that are supposedly going to be used for a Christmas show over Disney Springs, and I would love to watch it. If you haven't seen the teaser video they released, it's pretty neat and got me really pumped thinking of the potential for this type of technology:

So, that's it for the moment. My actual planning time has been severely limited by some studying that's been going on. I have to renew my ACLS certification this weekend and I'm nervous, so Disney planning has been replaced almost completely by studying heart rhythms and pharmacology stuff. My brain hurts. More planning to come, and maybe a few more adjustments and changes.

 

[Disney_traveler]

Hi! Just stumbled across your report on the New Posts thread. Your planning sounds a lot like me when I start a trip and end up changing my mind throughout. I'm now 40+ days out and STILL rearranging!

I'm definitely following along!

 

[LovingPooh]

Following along. I too have to live through others until I get back next year. Have fun!

 

[JustCor]

Hi! Just stumbled across your report on the New Posts thread. Your planning sounds a lot like me when I start a trip and end up changing my mind throughout. I'm now 40+ days out and STILL rearranging!

I'm definitely following along!

Hi! I've tried to cut back on changing things up, but at the end of the day, almost all of my food plans are based completely on what I'm hungry for at the moment I'm choosing ADRs. The minute the craving passes, all of my plans look ridiculous. I'm resisting the urge to drop all of my current ADRs and pick only the restaurants where I can eat as much shrimp as humanly possible in one sitting. I have to say, it sounds like a really good idea at the moment.

Following along. I too have to live through others until I get back next year. Have fun!

Thank you for following! I'll try to make it worth a follow to get you over the hump!

 

[JustCor]

There's gold in them thar (these those) hills

I've watched so many Youtube videos about Disney restaurant reviews that I feel like I have eaten at every place in the parks at least three times. I've also learned that everybody loves and hates every restaurant and every restaurant is overrated and underrated. I never knew that was possible. I think I want one more restaurant, but I'm kind of torn at the moment between two different plans. I'm not exactly sold on going to MVMCP for this year yet. My sister has been talking about flying down next year and taking her family to Disney for the Christmas party. I may wait until then to go.

For now, though, I'm looking forward to the things that aren't ADRs or fast pass stuff. I can't wait to see the decorations in the parks and the resorts, as well as the fireworks. I'd almost be content to just do that stuff and skip everything else. Almost, but not quite. I've got one more day to plan out, and it's turning into the hardest one. I need a food choice and a couple of fast pass selections, but I haven't figured out exactly what I want to do yet. It may turn into an Animal Kingdom/Hollywood Studios day.

Back to the youtubes.