Who wants to plan with me? mid Nov - mid Dec - We're up to 110! WOW!

[AmberHeartsDisney]

We are adding a day to our trip!! We are now staying until the 6th yahoo I'll update my siggy when I get to work on my iPhone now.

 

[newtodis]

We are adding a day to our trip!! We are now staying until the 6th yahoo I'll update my siggy when I get to work on my iPhone now.

That's awesome news!!!

 

[exwdwcm]

hello friends- another December goer here! We actually just returned from our second Dec trip- we did Dec 10-20th- my Trip Report is in my sig, almost completed now!

We just bought DVC (BLT) in January (post trip) and will be going back again in Dec!!!

*Where are you staying? BLT one bedroom, lake view
*When are you going? Dec 4-11
*Who's in your group? Me (Michelle), Hubby, Son- William (3) and DH's parents (first trip!)
*What is everyone hoping for as far as ADRS? Crystal Palace breakfast, Chef Mickey's breakfast, Le Cellier dinner (or lunch), Teppan Edo dinner, JIKO dinner, Ohana dinner (then some meals in the room since we have a kitchen for the first time!)
*What are you looking most forward to? sharing the magic with first timers. Watching our son enjoy the 'snow' again! Trying out JIKO. Staying in BLT! Watching WISHES from the lounge at BLT!
*Are you using any other site to help you plan? allears.net
*What are you doing to get in the Disney spirit now? listening to the DIS unplugged podcast (did the podcast cruise last year!) and Disney radio stations on live 365 at work. Visiting here of course. Planning the itinerary, sharing photos with DS.

 

[newtodis]

Thank you. We will be booking very very soon and I will ask, once we call. We are actually thinking about flying down, from the A/C Airport,but with all that is going on, isn't it hard just to get your bags on and you can't bring those neccessary items on board and we don't want to pay high prices for our bathroom items. Also, staying on property is what we've always done, just for the kids, and if we stayed off property, how would we get around without renting a car or taking a shuttle that would probably leave earlier from the Parks than we expect? Just a little info. Thank you again.

We haven't flown in a couple of years so I can't tell you about the restrictions. My in laws fly a lot to come down and visit and they've never had any problems. My understanding is that the restrictions would only be on your carry on bags - you would be able to pack liquids and stuff in your checked baggage.

Most off site places have shuttles or you'd have to rent a car yes. For us, we drive so we don't have to worry about the car rental.

hello friends- another December goer here! We actually just returned from our second Dec trip- we did Dec 10-20th- my Trip Report is in my sig, almost completed now!

We just bought DVC (BLT) in January (post trip) and will be going back again in Dec!!!

*Where are you staying? BLT one bedroom, lake view
*When are you going? Dec 4-11
*Who's in your group? Me (Michelle), Hubby, Son- William (3) and DH's parents (first trip!)
*What is everyone hoping for as far as ADRS? Crystal Palace breakfast, Chef Mickey's breakfast, Le Cellier dinner (or lunch), Teppan Edo dinner, JIKO dinner, Ohana dinner (then some meals in the room since we have a kitchen for the first time!)
*What are you looking most forward to? sharing the magic with first timers. Watching our son enjoy the 'snow' again! Trying out JIKO. Staying in BLT! Watching WISHES from the lounge at BLT!
*Are you using any other site to help you plan? allears.net
*What are you doing to get in the Disney spirit now? listening to the DIS unplugged podcast (did the podcast cruise last year!) and Disney radio stations on live 365 at work. Visiting here of course. Planning the itinerary, sharing photos with DS.

Welcome!! Happy planning with us! And congrats on buying into DVC. I can't wait until we do!

 

[jewels1916]

Can I join in this planning party??

I am going with my two best friends, Kelly, who went with me last December, and Lacy who has NEVER BEEN! It will also be Miss Lacy's 26th birthday, so woohoo! We are going Dec. 9-13 and staying at Coronado Springs!

 

[tsmack78]

Going for Thanksgiving for the 3rd year in a row. Very excited! This is DH's first time to go for the holidays. He is always hunting and never goes during this time. I am hoping to go to the MVMCP on the Sunday we are there which is the 28th. Waiting on those November hours and for ADR!

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I'll be there Nov 15-20!

Going with DH, DS (22 months at the time) and my parents.

Staying at ASMu family suite.

ADR are up in the air. I want to eat at Ohana and my parents want Plaza Restaurant. It will depend on if we get free dining for how many places we book for TS.

 

[HunnyPots]

We are going Dec 11-18 to celebrate my daughter's college graduation!

We are most likely staying offsite again, as last time we discovered just how wonderful a vacation can be when you have a four bedroom home to spread out in, rather than all four of us squished into a tiny hotel room. No reservations yet though.

It will be me, dh, dd 22, and ds 19 and will be our 5th trip to the world but our very first trip in December! So excited!

We're not big on Disney dining, so ADR's are not a huge thing with me. We'll cook breakfast in our "home", do a counter service lunch, and most dinners will be offsite or takeout on the way back to the house. We'll snack in the park, of course! Dole Whips are must-haves, as are buckets of popcorn, and all the world showcase goodies!

We are planning on MVMCP but no idea what night we want to shoot for.

Looking forward to touring all the deluxe resorts to check out the Christmas decor!

I'm pretty nervous about airfare at that time of year. Checked American and found $97 to get us there but $287 to get us home! Needless to say, I did not book yet. Hoping Airtran will have a better deal when theirs opens up for December.

Happy planning, everybody!

 

[princess-rn]

Hello all!! Thanks for the invite to the AWESOME post newtodis!!!!! I've been looking for something posted about December vacations! We are SO excited!!! We experienced Christmas in Disney for the first time in 2007 and are so excited to be doing it again!!! This time we will be traveling with my DH family...his Mom, Dad and sister. They've heard us talk SO much about Christmas at Disney..we can't WAIT to show them everything!!!

OH...here's our info....almost forgot!

*Where are you staying? POFQ (DH and fam are from New Orleans..I find it ironic that we are staying here. It's the cleanest FQ they will ever see! ) it's our FAVORITE Mod resort!

*When are you going? Dec 4-11
*Who's in your group? Me, my husband, our son (will be 8 yrs old), husband's Mom, Dad and sister. *What is everyone hoping for as far as ADRS? CP dinner package at Le Cellier, Chef Mickey's (first night tradition), LTT(for MVMCP), Ohana, 1900 Park Fare (with Cinderella)....
*What are you looking most forward to? just being in WDW again for the wonderful Christmas season and sharing it with more family!
*Are you using any other site to help you plan? allears.net and disboards of course! *What are you doing to get in the Disney spirit now? hanging out on disboards, reading past trip reports, looking at pics from trips...

 

[princess-rn]

We have the 2009 Unofficial guide for kids from our last trip which was nice, then picked up the 2010 for adults at the library. Also (if you're at the library), and see the 09 or 10 Florida Eye Witness Guide - it lists some great info on the parks.

For avid droid, iphone or blackberry users, my DH is planning our trip drive and itinerary using TripIt. You can forward emails through it, and it will load in all your ADRs, Park Itineraries, google maps, etc. Dh was telling me something about when it comes time to communicate with IPO to just give them some email addy he set up and everything would auto-load in to TripIt - then it lays out in a calender form. From there, you can click on the day - see the park, click on it - click on some link or something. I don't know - sometimes he gets too techie for me, I guess that's why he's an engineer

I also saw this on my FB page today - if anyone plans on driving, this looks like an awesome time suck for kids (and maybe my DH too ) I'm thinking we might need a couple of these.
http://learningexpressblog.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/toy-review-perplexus-new-for-2010.html

Thanks so much for the "tripit" tip. I JUST downloaded it on my G1 and can't wait to start using it!!!!

 

[dato63]

We're going too!

*Where are you staying? FW Cabins. We tried them last year, and it was a hit even with DH.

*When are you going? 11/25 - 12/4

*Who's in your group? Me, DH John, and DDs Madison & Makayla (will be 7)

*What is everyone hoping for as far as ADRS? A lot. Would like to try Ohana for dinner, Crystal Palace & Chef Mickey's for breakfast. Those will be 1st for us. Then favorites like HDDR, Bierngarten, 1900 Park Fare, Tony's, Askerhush, and several more.

*What are you looking most forward to? MVMCP, the campfire at FW and just looking at the campsite decorations again. My DH bought a used golf cart and is fixing it up for this year, just to see the sites.

*Are you using any other site to help you plan? allears.net And some friends who are addicted to planning.

*What are you doing to get in the Disney spirit now? My DDs love to look at the maps. So we go through our Passporter and try to figure out new rides to try, and they like to figure out old ones if they can find them. We have made our mousekeeping envleopes already - and remember special moments from the previous trips.

Deb

 

[princess-rn]

question on character meals

We got the DDP for our trip in Dec 5-12th. I have a couple of questions since we have never done the DDP and the last time my Wife and I visited WDW was in 1998. We now have 2 boys(6 and 2) with one on the way that will be 8 mos at the time we go.

During the time we are going its listed as a "value season", will the character meal locations be packed?

We are trying for CP, Liberty Tree, Biergarten right now. What are others that you had good interaction at?

Also would you recommend breakfast or lunch for the interaction meals?

thanx

I've never tried Biergarten..but have heard good things about it. As far as character interaction at CP and LTT...I agree with other posters on hear about CP...Character interaction is not the greatest. DS was 3 or 4 the last time we ate there and he LOVED Pooh and Tigger! We barely had enough time to see them before we were done eating. Actually if I remember correctly we had to hang around until we got to see them all..and we are NOT fast eaters. They were very brief at each table..so we were disappointed. Also the service was terrible!! Will not be adding CP to our list again. LTT was completely different. Character interaction was GREAT! The characters spent ample time at each table playing with the kids (and adults..as I have a picture with Chip trying to pick my nose....) We saw each character at least twice before we left. Good luck and happy planning!!

 

[princess-rn]

Ok...I LOVE this thread and need to stop posting for today..but I should have added in my intial post that our first night will be spent at the DTD Hilton. This is another tradition of ours. We like to have a "vacation" night before our vacation..to get us in the mood. So, we head down SUPER early the day before our vacation actually starts and check into a DTD resort. (Hilton is by far our fav) We spend the day relaxing then head over to DTD for dinner and window shopping. It's the PERFECT way to start our vacation. Especially at Christmas when everything is decorated so beautifully!

 

[natenapril]

Hey everyone!!!Great thread!!!
WHERE: Pop
WHO: Me, DH, DD(13), DD(8), DS(5), Ddad(53), his girlfriend
ADRs: Chef Mickeys and unsure of the rest
other sites: allears
Getting into the disney spirit: stocking up on glow sticks and little toys to keep my younger ones entertained
Looking forward to the most: MVMCP

This is our first trip at Christmas and only our 2nd trip to WDW. We had a Christmas trip planned last year but had to cancel due to an injury.

We are also going to US/IOA on this trip as well!!

 

[MomofKatie]

WHO: DD12 and me
WHERE:offsite, staying on DH's accumulated hotel points
WHEN:11/10-11/15
ADRs: might not do any TS this trip
OTHER SITES: Mousesavers, Intercot, Allears
GETTING INTO THE DISNEY SPIRIT: planning!!!
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST: seeing the Christmas decorations

We are in the early planning stages- DD has a day off for Veterens' Day, so we will only miss a few days of school. We haven't been during mid-November before, so really looking forward to the Christmas activities and decorations.

 

[Tinker_Tam]

Can I join you all?????

*Where are you staying? Pop Century

*When are you going? Nov 30-Dec 9.

*Who's in your group? Me, DH, DD4 and DS3 (3 at time of trip)

*What is everyone hoping for as far as ADRS? I see tons I would love to get. Highest on my list is CRT, CP, and Le Cellier

*What are you looking most forward to? This is the first trip for all of us...so I am looking forward to EVERYTHING!!!! Can't wait to see my children's reactions

*Are you using any other site to help you plan? Just the DISboards...not sure I have enough hours in the day for any other site.

*What are you doing to get in the Disney spirit now? Right now I just hang out here in the DISboards and try to gather as much info as I can. I just feel like it is soooo far away.

 

[lee_d]

I've never tried Biergarten..but have heard good things about it. As far as character interaction at CP and LTT...I agree with other posters on hear about CP...Character interaction is not the greatest. DS was 3 or 4 the last time we ate there and he LOVED Pooh and Tigger! We barely had enough time to see them before we were done eating. Actually if I remember correctly we had to hang around until we got to see them all..and we are NOT fast eaters. They were very brief at each table..so we were disappointed. Also the service was terrible!! Will not be adding CP to our list again. LTT was completely different. Character interaction was GREAT! The characters spent ample time at each table playing with the kids (and adults..as I have a picture with Chip trying to pick my nose....) We saw each character at least twice before we left. Good luck and happy planning!!

Thanks for the awesome advice!! I think we have ruled out CP for those reasons you mentioned along with others.
This is our first trip with the boys 6, 2, and 8mos old, come time of trip.
The last time I was there was on our honeymoon in 98'.. sooo we are excited to see the changes and updates!!!

 

[dolphindan1]

count us in...

*Where are you staying? Bonnet Creek

*When are you going? Nov 13th - 21st

*Who's in your group? me, DW, DS 9, DS 14, DSIL, DMIL, DNeice 1st trip

*What is everyone hoping for as far as ADRS? nothing really...princess breakfast at Norway 1st sitting and Chef Mickeys

*What are you looking most forward to? My neice's 1st trip

*Are you using any other site to help you plan? TGM, ridemax, allears, DIS of course, oh undercover tourist

*What are you doing to get in the Disney spirit now? DIS boards and trying to help people have a great trip, Disney Movies, Disney changing background on computer

 

[Fantasmic23]

November 28 - December 4 at POP. Our first time (and I know definitely not our last) staying at a WDW Resort. We (Me, DH, DD, DS) are so excited! Disney twice in the same year!! Ah, the things we do for love ...

And we are so excited for the DDP!! When we booked, the CM over the phone mentioned something about the Liberty Tavern (?? We're not too familiar with the table service restaurants). We've read and heard good things about The Crystal Palace (and DH and DD just love Pooh), so we're looking forward to making an ADR for that.

We're not familar with any of the restaurants in Epcot (although I just listened to a scathing review about the Rose and Crown on the DIS Unplugged podcast), AK or HS. But that's why I have you guys. We also just bought 2 books: 2010 Birnbaum's Guide and Mousejunkies.

We weren't planning on going back until February 2011, but after a recent visit with some hardcore Disney friends (who were raving about WDW at Christmastime), DH and I just looked at each other and said, "Why not?"

I'm already really nerding-out on this end. I've made a few tees for the kids to wear and I've started a Disney playlist on my iPod. "What's This?" from The Nightmare Before Christmas was one of the first songs I purchased from iTunes (but I'm always on the lookout for suggestions).

We just can't wait to see how WDW is decorated for the holidays. We've heard wonderful things!!

 

[Katie & Glen]

Hi All!! So looking forward to our Xmas trip! We will be in the world Dec 9-16. Got a pin code so we decided to go with AKL Savannah View room.

This will be my husband (Glen) and stepsons (Ethan) first trip to the parks. Hubby has stayed in the resorts for conferences before, but that's it.

We are really looking forward to all the decorations and the whole experience. I want to see all of teh parades since I haven't stopped to wath them since I was Ethan's age (8). Ethan of course wants to do ALL of the rides and Glen just keeps saying "Whatever you and Ethan want to do is fine" Boy is he in for a world of hurt!

The two places we have all agreed upon for dining are Tony's in MK and Whispering Canyon at WL.

We have been using The DIS, allears.net, UG, the Birnbaums guide to the World for Kids.