Trip Report Another Brifraz Live Christmas TR

InLovew/disney · Dec 31, 2021

Such a great trip report!

mpaulam · Dec 31, 2021

Love the nighttime view of the train station!

brifraz · Jan 1, 2022

Well, it's 2022 now but I still need to wrap up a few things from 2021 and this Trip Report is the first one! We 'slept in' until 7am on 12/30, which is pretty insane for us. Started our morning with some breakfast at Olivia's, which is always enjoyable. @MeffysMom and our daughter got their usual - the omelette and the banana bread french toast. I tend to go with the crab cake eggs benedict, but this time I just had some eggs and pancakes. The food at Olivia's is always really good and they definitely treat you like family. Hoping that the new year finds a return to a full menu there (it's been a bit limited since reopening).

After breakfast, we headed back to the room to get packed up and ready to leave. Evidently our room was going to get turned over because housekeeping stopped by a couple times prior to 10am to see if we had left yet. We did leave around 10:30am, but found it a bit annoying that they kept checking when checkout is not until 11am (this would be another instance where not doing actual in person check in and check out makes things worse). We headed to Epcot where the lines were already quite long except for this... because why would anybody be waiting in line for this?

While @MeffysMom basked in her poor taste for three cups of Beverly, our daughter and I enjoyed some of the other... more palatable offerings. With the large crowds, we simply decided to head back into World Showcase to complete the Cookie Stroll and then enjoy our 'bonus prize' in the DVC lounge. So we hiked back to the America pavilion with a few brief shopping stops along the way, and picked up the chocolate krinkle cookie, which was quite enjoyable.

Then up front to gather our 'completion prize' which is quite generous with the 50th cookie and a little chocolate soft serve.

We went over to the DVC lounge to enjoy the ice cream before it melted too much and also to augment the enjoyment with some potato chips (we are a family that fully supports the idea of potato chips dipped into chocolate soft serve... trust us, it's delicious).

While there we decided to get away from the crowds a bit and hop on the monorail for a ride and then grab something to eat at the Poly. But as we left the lounge we did have to pause for a couple minutes to wave to this guy!

And then, our daughter took note that the Spaceship Earth line was down to 10 minutes so we finally got our ride in on that. We did get there right at 2pm, which meant that Park Hoppers were now coming into the gates in droves and while we only did wait about 10 minutes, by the time we got to our time vehicles the line was 50 minutes! There were a couple pauses as we rode and at one of them we hung out with this guy for a minute. Really think he needs a c-pap machine or something...

Also, the ride picture added to the final descent activity wasn't working and also pictures weren't showing up on the globe at the exit. We jumped on the monorail and headed to the Poly. See you there!

riverside · Jan 1, 2022

Totally agree with you about Olivia’s—both lunch & dinner!!

brifraz · Jan 4, 2022

Sorry to leave you hanging for a whole... what has it been? Almost 72 hours?? Yeah, back to the real world and getting our daughter back to college and returning to work and all the other stuff that real life brings.

Let's get that last day finished up. We arrived at the Poly around 2:45pm or so and headed back to Trader Sam's to see what the line was like. They were already taking names for the walk-up wait list, so we added ourselves to the list and were told that 'maybe' we would get in around 3:45pm but it depended on people inside having a drink and then leaving (which is not always that likely). So we sat in the lobby area and relaxed for a bit and our daughter got some dinner from Captain Cook's. Sadly, they were out of the special 50th cupcake that she had been hoping for... We told ourselves we would wait until 3:45pm, but if they didn't have a table by then we would head out to the patio and try our luck out there. So, at 3:45pm we found a table on the patio. We told the hostess at Sam's that we were bailing out, but... we did still get called at about 4:15pm! Oh well... the weather was nice, there was some live music, and the food was still quite good. Pot stickers and lettuce wraps!

Still hungry after those, we decided to also grab the Thai Chicken Flatbread, but we ate that up before we remembered to get a picture! As we sat and ate and relaxed, a cart rolled by with... YES, the 50th cupcakes! So, our daughter stalked them back into Captain Cook's and waited patiently as they unloaded onto the shelves and scored.

Now full of food and ready to go, we took the monorail back over to Magic Kingdom to get some good seats for the 6:30pm fireworks. Thanks to Tom Bricker, we know that the 'ideal' viewpoint for the castle fireworks show is in the middle on Main Street, just past Casey's where the road rises just a little bit so you get an advantage over those both closer and further away in terms of sightlines - you saw our location in my earlier post. I'll be back (hopefully tonight) with some pictures from that spot!

Lilofan · Jan 4, 2022

brifraz said:
Sorry to leave you hanging for a whole... what has it been? Almost 72 hours?? Yeah, back to the real world and getting our daughter back to college and returning to work and all the other stuff that real life brings.

Let's get that last day finished up. We arrived at the Poly around 2:45pm or so and headed back to Trader Sam's to see what the line was like. They were already taking names for the walk-up wait list, so we added ourselves to the list and were told that 'maybe' we would get in around 3:45pm but it depended on people inside having a drink and then leaving (which is not always that likely). So we sat in the lobby area and relaxed for a bit and our daughter got some dinner from Captain Cook's. Sadly, they were out of the special 50th cupcake that she had been hoping for... We told ourselves we would wait until 3:45pm, but if they didn't have a table by then we would head out to the patio and try our luck out there. So, at 3:45pm we found a table on the patio. We told the hostess at Sam's that we were bailing out, but... we did still get called at about 4:15pm! Oh well... the weather was nice, there was some live music, and the food was still quite good. Pot stickers and lettuce wraps!
View attachment 611939

Still hungry after those, we decided to also grab the Thai Chicken Flatbread, but we ate that up before we remembered to get a picture! As we sat and ate and relaxed, a cart rolled by with... YES, the 50th cupcakes! So, our daughter stalked them back into Captain Cook's and waited patiently as they unloaded onto the shelves and scored.
View attachment 611940

Now full of food and ready to go, we took the monorail back over to Magic Kingdom to get some good seats for the 6:30pm fireworks. Thanks to Tom Bricker, we know that the 'ideal' viewpoint for the castle fireworks show is in the middle on Main Street, just past Casey's where the road rises just a little bit so you get an advantage over those both closer and further away in terms of sightlines - you saw our location in my earlier post. I'll be back (hopefully tonight) with some pictures from that spot!

Like the cupcake ! Now FL residents can go to the local DMV and buy personalized plates WDW 50th anniversary for their vehicles if they choose.

brifraz · Jan 7, 2022

Alright, let's finally get back onto the little rise in Main Street just north of Casey's and some final fireworks from 12/30. For those who might not know, Magic Kingdom does New Years Eve two nights in a row, so 12/30 was the first night of New Years Eve. Which worked out great for us, because it meant the 'normal' fireworks show was at 6:30pm with the big NYE display happening just before midnight. Since we needed to hit the road a bit earlier than midnight, we were quite happy with the early showtime for Enchanted.

And, as I mentioned on our first viewing, we definitely think it is a better show than Happily Ever After was. Far more engaging and, while the projections are awesome, they are not necessary for the show to be enjoyable (which was, IMHO, the fatal flaw with Happily Ever After). In fact, after the show all three of us commented that we really want to watch it from behind the castle at some point - which was something we loved doing with Wishes.

Okay, you don't want me to blather on about this, you just want some pictures, right? (yeah, I could blather all day... just got word that we have a snow day today). But just a small rant before I share... PLEASE if you are taking pictures of fireworks, keep your dang phone in front of your face, NOT OVER YOUR HEAD. Yeah, it was a bit annoying to have a kid up on dad's shoulders for the whole show (always preferred the piggy back viewpoint for a little kid since it keeps them at the same height as the parent), but the phone screens up above peoples heads is really aggravating. Luckily @MeffysMom is very conscious of this and always keeps her phone right in front of her chest-chin while shooting fireworks.

Gotta love the Moana swirl fireworks. Glad they have kept those around.

Really appreciate the use of lasers in this show - it's not a lot, but it is pretty cool. Also, the fireballs from the Fantasyland roofs are nice.

I feel like there are more spotlights now than there used to be... regardless, they are cool!

Merida! Obviously a favorite moment for my Scottish heritage.

And, the highlight for our daughter and one of the best effects of the show - when Elsa shoots fireworks out of her hands (although I'm partial to the firework timed to Wall-E and EVE flying up the main tower).

I'm sure that I'm going to have some concluding thoughts and ideas at some point... maybe even later today since I've got some bonus free time!!

brifraz · Jan 8, 2022

First thoughts... the crowds and the lines.

This was now our 5th trip since COVID happened. And it was definitely the longest lines we have yet experienced. However, it wasn't as bad as some past Christmas weeks that we have experienced. I'm not sure exactly what the current maximum capacity numbers are for each park, but since park reservations were all booked up in every category every day that we were there, I think we experienced the current maximums everywhere.

Just as it was pre-COVID (and really, forever at WDW), the early morning and later evenings were the best time to actually enjoy attractions. I never recommend the holidays for anyone on their first trip to WDW because the lines are just too long to try to do everything. That being said, with 7 days in the parks, we did get to do just about every attraction in all three parks. And, had we wanted to, we definitely could have.

We definitely took advantage of the early morning hour every day except our last one and it was pretty successful for us. The evening two hours at MK and Epcot that we got to do were pretty amazing. We were surprised that it was as empty as it was. We've always been EMH people and have experienced quite a few late nights in the parks and the late night crowds on our two nights definitely seemed smaller than those crowds ever were. Limiting things to just Deluxe/DVC/other high level resorts surely cut down on the crowds and given the high crowd levels during the daytime it was really worth it to us.

We did NOT notice any change in the standby lines because of Lightning Lane/Genie Plus. Obviously, we are comparing to previous Christmas weeks and not comparing things to our last few visits. Many have posted how LL/G+ caused HUGE lines during Christmas week, but really... Christmas week caused huge lines! The only attraction where I recall seeing more than one or two parties using the LL/G+ was Spaceship Earth, where we saw about 5-6 parties go through LL while we were in the standby line but with that omnimover, it still really didn't slow down the line very much.

To be honest, I think I like the reserving your Park for the day thing. If you are a planner at all, it makes it easier to be prepared for how crowded things are really going to be. We've been in parks before when they hit a phased closing level and it was ugly and maybe a little unexpected at times, so my hope is that the Park Passes help spread the crowds between the four parks during peak season and that they keep that capacity level for those passes a little lower for just that reason (to spread things out more).

MickeyCB · Jan 9, 2022

brifraz said:
Okay, you don't want me to blather on about this, you just want some pictures, right? (yeah, I could blather all day... just got word that we have a snow day today). But just a small rant before I share... PLEASE if you are taking pictures of fireworks, keep your dang phone in front of your face, NOT OVER YOUR HEAD. Yeah, it was a bit annoying to have a kid up on dad's shoulders for the whole show (always preferred the piggy back viewpoint for a little kid since it keeps them at the same height as the parent), but the phone screens up above peoples heads is really aggravating. Luckily @MeffysMom is very conscious of this and always keeps her phone right in front of her chest-chin while shooting fireworks.

Yep, I'm 5'1" (maybe) and this was my view in 2017.
But, I guess in retrospect I don't know what I was complaining about, I could just watch the whole thing on her phone.

Loco_driver · Jan 9, 2022

Great report @brifraz ! Enjoyed all the live updates!

ShookieJones · Jan 10, 2022

Great TR @brifraz! Thank you for sharing!

Back!Elbow!Shoulders! · Jan 10, 2022

I suppose now would be a good time to say so long and thanks for all the fish.

heatherhy01 · Jan 11, 2022

Thanks for sharing!!! Looks like a great trip

erstwo · Jan 11, 2022

I really enjoyed following along with this TR! As I said, it really helped pass the time during some long drives over the holidays. Thank you for your evaluation of the lines now vs lines on past Christmases vs lines affected by LL. I have to say I was totally amazed at your whole family's ability to stay up late and then get up super early! I know naps are involved in the afternoons but I honestly don't know if I could do it! But you certainly had the best strategy/ got so much done.

amjt660 · Jan 11, 2022

Enjoyed following along
Thanks for sharing

Max

brifraz · Jan 11, 2022

Back!Elbow!Shoulders! said:
I suppose now would be a good time to say so long and thanks for all the fish.

Great... now you've given away my last night for my post about all the food from the trip. Oh, I'll still use it.

Back!Elbow!Shoulders! · Jan 11, 2022

brifraz said:
Great... now you've given away my last night for my post about all the food from the trip. Oh, I'll still use it.

Oh no! I can delete it. I thought you were done.

brifraz · Jan 11, 2022

Back!Elbow!Shoulders! said:
Oh no! I can delete it. I thought you were done.

No, I just let things brew for way too long before I actually post them. Call it the long dark tea-time of the soul.

brifraz · Jan 11, 2022

Ok, then! @Back!Elbow!Shoulders! motivated me to get more wrap up posts done. So, here goes. The food. I'll start by saying that we are pretty open-minded in our food tastes. We like high end, high quality, 'foodie'-type stuff. That being said, we also like a quick grab of fast food here and there. And I can be similarly (although not equally) happy with a can of Campbell's tomato soup with some Cheez-Its as I would be with grilled pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta, trumpet mushrooms, heirloom apple-laquered pork belly, black mission figs, and a Zinfandel glaze. So, I might not be the best judge in the world for foods!

There's been much talk over the years about the downfall of Disney menus because of (originally) the Dining Plans and (later) cost cutting. I will certainly agree that the variety of offerings has diminished. I would also agree that the overall quality of foods in the moderate level table service and the quick service has gone down over the last 20 years. BUT, I also personally think that in the last 5 years or so a few more interesting things have crept back onto menus. Are they these amazing, creative, unique things? No. But I definitely think that the quality and variety has improved a bit. Now, the recent limited menus (due to COVID or just because it was a convenient excuse) have definitely been a bit of a disappointment, but I still think that there are some positives in the Disney food universe in the last few years.

I'd say that the kiosks we visited at Epcot on this trip were all very good, but I'm not sure that there were any huge 'wow' plates that we got. The items in Mexico and Germany all fit the comfort bill and all had good flavor, but none were things that we'd mark down as 'must have' on our next trip. And, really, how can you go wrong with a bread bowl filled with cheese fondue???

The 50th Dinner at California Grill is very pricey, BUT in our opinions, the quality was very high. I wouldn't put it in the same class as our trip Victoria and Albert's a few years ago, but it is a very high quality dinner. It doesn't ever hurt when you can go outside and watch fireworks in the middle of your meal! We only decided to do it after looking over the menu carefully and knowing that all three of us would have things that we would be very happy with. And we were very happy with it, for sure. Yeah, it's a big hit on the wallet, but it's also not something we do very often!

Otherwise, we still have favorites and go-to items that don't fail to disappoint. I'm fairly certain that I could have dinner at Raglan Road just about every night and be quite happy. Similarly, we are always very happy with the Boathouse. And when there is some entertainment and both (or either), that adds to things.

The simple counter service things are exactly what they are... a small step above stadium food in both quality and price. And somethings that's just fine with us! And some of those things really hit the spot when you are active all day touring the parks.

And, until our next visit (and specifically to Raglan Road), I'll just say So Long and Thanks for All the Fish.

pkkurz · Jan 24, 2022

pkkurz said:
Thanks for the recommendation. We have never been to the Boathouse and it was on our list to try. Never knew about the dueling pianos. I just booked us a Saturday brunch for our trip in late January. It looks like it will be right up our alley as we are old folks now.

brifraz said:
I believe I left you as we headed to Boathouse for our brunch there. For those who don't know, Boathouse does a live dueling piano brunch on the weekends and it is a lot of fun. Lots of songs for us older folks and a few newer ones as well - plus a ton of Disney songs.
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And they take requests! Of course, a visit to the Boathouse would not be complete without one of these for @MeffysMom!
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We always really enjoy our meals at the Boathouse and almost equally as often forget to get pictures of the food. Trust me, it looked great! I had the Mahi sandwich, @MeffysMom had the Sandwich King Burger (which is no longer on the menu, but they still made it for her), and our daughter had the Filet Mignon sliders - which are still EASILY the best food deal on property (two 2oz filets for $14 is pretty darn good even without the rolls and fries!!). Once again, full of food and much happier, we did a little bit more shopping and then headed back to the room for NAPS and the girls sat at the pool for a bit.

@MeffysMom and I then headed up to the hospitality house to visit with one of our CM friends, Lorna - a Gurgling Suitcase bartender from Glasgow, Scotland who has been at Disney for a LONG time. We always have a good time talking with her and sharing stories. And it doesn't hurt that we enjoy the Turtle Krawl and a Sunset Ale!
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Around 6pm we hopped on a Magic Kingdom bus and headed to the park. We had booked the 'After Enchantment' dessert party so we checked in at Tomorrowland Terrace right around 7pm and headed to the viewing area to get a good spot. Obviously, you saw the spot in my earlier post. @MeffysMom took a couple hundred pictures of the show and I'm not going to sort through them now, but I'll try to remember to do that later and give you some fireworks pictures! In terms of a review of the show, I actually like it MUCH more than Happily Ever After, which I was never a big fan of. I always felt that HEA relied far too heavily on the projections and while this show has just as much projection with pretty long sequences without any fireworks. I think the pacing of this show is much better in terms of balance between projection and fireworks. I still think Wishes was a better show than either, but I'm also an old guy which means that older things are always better, right? And everyone has their own opinion!

The dessert party afterwards was nice. Having a glass of wine or two after a long day is certainly welcome and while the spread of desserts (and savory items) isn't as good as at some of the other parties we have been to at Hollywood Studios and Epcot, it was still pretty good.
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For those interested, the party started right after the fireworks ended so about 8:20pm. Most people had already left by just a few minutes after 9pm (since the park still had a couple hours of open time), but we stuck around until the end at 9:30pm and each enjoyed three good plates full of deliciousness.

We then headed back into Fantasyland and visited with Tiana and Rapunzel, because... well, why not!?
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And then it was time to do a few rides with little to no wait at all. Little Mermaid... walked right on. Pirates of the Caribbean showed a 15 minute wait... walked right on. And finished up our night with a ride on the Jingle Cruise which showed a 30 minute wait and we were on a boat in about 10. We could easily have done a couple more attractions, but we took our time getting around and also took a lot of fun pictures on the way. Exiting the park at a bit after 11pm, we were very happy to score a 50th bus back to Old Key West.
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And I will leave you this morning as we head to Animal Kingdom (it's a few minutes after 6am) with this night shot of the castle in all it's splendor.
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We made it to the Boathouse today for brunch. It was awesome. We got there shortly after noon for our 12:30 reservation. We waited inside close to the gift shop as it was 43 degrees and there was no outdoor seating today. The duel piano players were great. The music was playing throughout the restaurant. Lots of familiar songs, Disney and otherwise. They even sang, “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad“ in a tribute to Meat Loaf. I had the Crab Cakes Benedict with grilled Asparagus and my wife had Avocado Toast with scrambled eggs. Both were delicious. This was our first trip to The Boathouse. It won’t be our last. Thanks again for the recommendation.

Trip Report Another Brifraz Live Christmas TR

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We need time for things to happen.

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