Part I: Dec 25—Jan 2
Cast: With Mom, Dad, sister, myself, two grandmothers, and an aunt
The Resort: Yacht Club
As always, Yacht Club is a great place to stay for our entire family. It is elegant without flaunting, and yet has many fun, whimsical touches (like the pool). The entire Resort was decked out in its Christmas finest. The atmosphere music all over was traditional Christmas songs and hymns, and bountiful poinsettias were planted throughout the entire property.
Our two rooms were at the very far end of the Resort, too far from the lobby and the central eating places for our grandmothers. I went back to the front desk and noticed the CM spoke French as well. So, using my French knowledge, award winning smile, and polite attitude, I requested if we could be moved to a more centrally located area--in French. He obliged and gave us a complimentary upgrade that overlooked Crescent Lake, the Wedding Gazebo, and the nightly Illuminations at Epcot, which we saw almost every night from the balcony. The Christmas finale "Let there be Peace on Earth" was incredible. It was the same view we had last year (also given a comp. upgrade). The AP rate we had for our rack rate room of 550/night was under 200/night. Quite nice.
My sister and I had a great time in the main pool, and the rest of the family enjoyed the quiet pool area and hot tub. The many verandahs and balconies were used by my grandmothers sitting in the rockers. Hurricane Hanna’s and Beaches & Cream always served up good food swiftly. The only problem with Beaches and Cream is that it seems too small for the Resort, it was always jam packed and that was a tiny annoyance when we just needed our mugs refilled. But I know it was “the busiest week,” and they did a great job at meeting Guests’ needs. But I think they could use a self serve island set up that the moderates and vales have to make mug refilling more convenient and less time consuming.
Also, there was a lot of roof and siding hurricane damage at Yacht/Beach. No biggie there. Both rooms had refrigerators tucked inside a dresser unit, a huge plus! And the now free health club was packed every morning. Even tho the largest dumb bells they had were 50s, it was still nice to use the gym.
The morning wake up call is also Stitch themed. He takes over Mickey's job and yells at you to begin your day. Get moving!!
The Weather:
It started out down right cold, then about two days in the 60s. (That first day when it was COLD (12/26) the parks were vacated and almost everything at Epcot/MK was walk on, including the mountains and classics--which was a very nice birthday present to ME). Each day after was met with moderating temperatures until it was well into the 70s and near 80, and long sleeved shirts were not needed anymore at night. Shorts and short sleeved shirts all day/night. It did get cloudy at around noon each day, but the clouds would dissipate later in the day. We lucked out and never had any rain, sprinkles, or dark, ominous clouds in the area.
Magic Kingdom
For the most part was absolutely packed (as expected). Still, it looked and sounded beautiful all decked for Christmas. Arriving in the morning and staying until 11ish and returning no sooner than 6ish at night allowed for us to go on all of our favorite rides many times, and take our grandmothers on some of their favorite rides. We made good use of Fastpass selections in the morning and manipulated through the crowds in the evenings. We saw the Christmas Parade on my birthday from Main Street wheelchair area (thanks grandmothers) and really enjoyed it.
We also saw Wishes for the first time inside the park on Main Street (not from Ohanas, the computer, or stuck on the monorail beam). Beautiful.
On the other hand, this was the filthiest we had ever seen this park. This was our third time over “the busiest week” so we obvisouly know what to expect based on previous years and common sense, yet MK was a pigsty. Guests had no manners and treated the place like their trash can, like their payment entitled them to be piggish. But, there were also not a bevy of street sweepers out in force like years past, and it was apparent. MK was in tip top condition last year same time, yet was filthy in certain areas this year, specifically down by the yellow tables down around the moat by Plaza Pavilion and in Tomorrowland all over.
Stitch's Great Escape was terrible. The concensus from the family all agreed. It made no sense, and was just composed of sitting in a dark theater with cannons that twist, loud noises, and grunts. The AA was super impressive, but that cannot save this horrendous ride. (And we weren't huge advocates of AE either, so we are not biased.) Stitch was just that bad. His merchandise was everywhere at every park and at each Resort we visited. He really did take over, or they are just throwing that stuff down our throats. PhilharMagic should have had this attention with its "classic" characters.
Was very happy with Splash, a lot of it was working, but not the little rabbit children and their accompanying dialogue, or the leap frog fountains. Pity.
Big Thunder is my favorite mountain, we have a back seat club for the wildest ride, and I noticed the little possums that swung from that branch in the flooded mine town were missing.
Space had huge lines, even waited 35 mins with a FP once, but still enjoyed it. Fantasyland, with its air gates, was still fun but I did not like the look of those gates. HM and Pirates were fully functional, and all the MK rides and attractions were enjoyed by the entire family.
Country Bear Christmas was seen for the 1st time and was a huge highlight of the vacation. The theater was filled and Guests had to wait for the next show. That's some good news fer ya. It was a very fun, Christmasy show, a job well done.
Epcot:
We spent the most time here because of our backdoor entrance and the great food selections. We would stop in for counter service lunch or snacks (fish and chips/ crepes) and bring them back to the room or eat lagoonfront at a table. We saw a majority of the Santa’s from Around the World, and saw LeVar Burton at the CandleLight Processional, which, again, was phenomenal. It’s so great to see Disney put on such a Biblical production done so well. And that signer for the deaf and hard of hearing is amazing, she steals the show everytime—she has such passion for her job.
World Showcase looked beautiful, and we explored and visited each country. WS is our favorite part of any Disney park, especially at night, even moreso during Christmastime. As always, Epcot was very, very clean. We visisted every pavilion in Future World except Living Seas (yet 1st time in Land ever for chicken noodle soup!) and rode Spaceship Earth for the first time since ’94. What a great attraction!! Rode it more times afterwards. I like Body Wars more than Star Tours, but both could use a tad upgrade.
Epcot crowds are always manageable because it is so large, and everyone waits in line or stands around TT and MS separated from their party. As long as you avoid that area, no crowds! And as long as you get there before the lines build to ride, they are good rides.
And on a side note, a lot of lines had posted times of 110 minutes, or 130 minutes, something like that. (Thus we leave by 11.) I heard too many guests saying that they were going to wait the "Hour and 10 minutes." I hope they realized their mistake.
We were here for New Years Eve 10 mins before our 5pm PS in France (see below). After dinner, we rode some rides and I did my first KidCot Adventure and stopped at each country, had them write Happy New Year in their language, and then I had to say it back to them. It was actually very, very fun and worthwhile. We spent the night in Japan at the 80s video dance party (not that my sis or I knew any of the songs) and my parents were there with their co workers from school who also vacation at Yacht Club each New Years. The grandmothers, stuffed and fatigued, retired back to Yacht Club and watched the fireworks from our balcony. The fireworks were great, over the top, and exciting. The Epcot Party is the best b/c on the backside of WS it never feels overly crowded, the view is unobstructed, and it’s a nice little jaunt back to Yacht Club. Even moreso than the grand finale at midnight, I enjoy each country’s fireworks celebration in the order midnight hits their homeland. The differing music and style of fireworks really give another personality and unique aspect to each pavilion. Lots of fun.
I also wanted to note that, while on the monorail after The Land was closed, you could see demolition behind the construction walls. Ripped up pavement and lots of cement blocks in a pile.
MGM:
A lot of time was spent here as well. We rode our two favorite rides many times. And, just like at Epcot, the rest of the park away from the two main rides was quite manageable. MGM was also super clean. We opted to walk here each time for exercise (pushing the grandmothers in chairs) because the boats had long lines.
My mom and I (early risers) would go out for a morning run down to MGM with our handy APs, ride Tower twice, then run back. It worked out very well and provided memories. We'd be back to the room by 8 with breakfast from the bakery for everyone else. The Tower is still amazing and out of control, and the air time is just so much. I even got a picture with TJ, the best bellhop around.
The Osborne Lights were brilliant and def. welcomed back after their absence. As great as they looked, anyone who saw them on Residential Street knows that they belong there or on similar structures. Draped from apartments on a city street is not the same as wandering through a neighborhood where each house has its own style of lighting, thus giving off its own personality. Do not get me wrong, the Lights looked fantastic, but it does not look or feel the same as when walking through a “residential” area. It was just too much in too few a space. They also were missing the HUGE mistletoe and the holographic glasses b/c, as I was informed, “the light strands are too close together so the angels wont appear.”
First time also on Millionnaire (went back on it 3 more times). My sister and I always passed it off like it was stupid, but boy did we have fun. Even made it to number 3 on the board!
First time also in One Man’s Dream. That was great and we were glad we stopped in after passing it so many times.
Animal Kingdom:
We went here one day 6pm till 8pm closing. This place is even more beautiful at night all lit up. Completely empty it was, and we rode Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl each several times. A lot of attractions were closed due to “early sunset.” We enjoyed ourselves nonetheless and planned on coming back, but never made it. (Always next trip!!).
The FOOD:
Of course all of the counter service was great. I still think Disney has the best cheeseburgers. Whatever we order, we always get quality, and quantity. Fish and Chips taste so good, as do the crepes, and Norwegian pastries, and Dole Whips, popcorn, I can go on and on...(my favorite food are the cherry danishes.)
Chef Mickey’s Breakfast: Second time here and it was really super. The food tasted great and there was just so much. The characters paid attention to us all, and the grandmothers had a really good time. It was the highlight of their trip. We love it here.
50s Prime Time Café: We always have a dinner here because the food is delicious and the ambiance fun. This was my birthday dinner, so of course the “MGM extended family” was even more crazy to our table. My steak was very tasty, but the mashed potatoes were delicious. Another highlight of any trip is always here!
Les Chefs de France: New Years Eve dinner was here. The food was good for everyone and the restaurant was very pleasant. Our waiter, however, was horrible. He was Italian and older and was apparently not having a good night. I speak French and wanted to carry conversations and see how I could do, but he was very curt and simply would reply in English. The younger students, I assume, who work there were laughing and having a great time with their respective tables. I found myself taking walks throughout the meal just to speak French to the staff, and they were all impressed, or so they say, haha. I even was allowed to keep the menu as a souvenir.
At 6pm, midnight in France, our family pulled a Griswold and put on our hats and blew noisemakers and celebrated the French New Year b/c “we were in France.” We made a scene, others quickly joined in, and the staff came over and thanked us for starting the celebration they had forgotten. Our waiter was still horrible. I schmoozed it up with more French-ers, got some pictures, and left wishing we had a different waiter (I swear it did not ruin our evening, it was just the theme of the night and we laughed about it.)
Side Note: I got sick!! On the last night my family was there, I got achy, phlegmy, and sickly. I put on a whole bunch of clothes, crawled under the covers, fell asleep, awoke in 4 hours, and completely sweat the fever out. I was cured!!
Part II: Jan. 3 – Jan 6
Everyone went home leaving my sister and myself at Caribbean Beach, and newly arriving college friends at Pop Century.
Caribbean Beach: The place is still beautiful and holds very many memories. After all, this was our first onsite Disney Resort back in ’88. And we’ve returned over a dozen times. Our room was the specific room we requested and have requested many, many times, a lake view in Aruba. The mini fridges here were also concealed in a new piece of furniture. The foodcourt had fast service and bountiful selections, and the souvenir mugs here have changed for the 4th time.
There are little things missing at Caribbean Beach, the atmosphere music on the now named Caribbean Cay was not working for our 3rd vacation in a row (I guess it’s done with). Remember when “Parrot Cay” had real parrots, a shipwrecked playground, the aforementioned music, and the welcoming signs with the treasure map? All are gone, and have been gone since the mid 90s, and the Caribbean Cay change had to be within the past year. But many things remained the same, including a lot of the staff inside Old Port Royale. It's always great seeing those ladies again, they remember my sister and I year after year and cannot believe how we have grown up. Personability like that keeps Caribbean great--lots of "old friends."
Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM
The three theme parks we visited during this second half w/o our family but with friends were all empty. You have to understand we have made ALL of our trips during Easter, Christmas, 4th of July, or NJ Week Weeks just b/c those crowded times are the only times we can travel. So our first quiet time was unreal. You can really walk around and look up at buildings instead of down at the ground swerving and weaving and avoiding strollers. You can arrive after 11—or at noon—and still have a FastPass for your favorite ride, and have the come back time only an hour away. Your favorite mountain is only a 15 minute wait, FastPasses aren’t even turned on at Splash, and Tower and RnRC were both 5-10 mins. It enabled us to try things we never did before, like ToonTown (hello Princess Room). It was crazy and something my sister and I will never forget. Now that the entire nuclear family is an AP holder, we will go back during a quiet time and enjoy ourselves like we thought we were enjoying ourselves before.
Evening Extra Magic Hour:
-At MGM: Was good, but not that good b/c Tower only had one shaft operatable b/c of a breakdown, which brought it’s line to almost 45mins, which in turn drove people over to the coaster which drove that wait time way up.
At Magic Kingdom: Simply the best. No waits (or under 15mins) for every single one of our favorite rides. Very effective here, and very worthwhile. The park was empty. This was our last night at Disney World, and def. the only way I would have wanted the trip to end (if only my parents were with us!).
PhotoPass: Worked out really well for us b/c we would get our pictures taken and then our parents could view them from home. They did miss us (and Disney) afterall.
I met and hung out with Jonnie, Aimee, and Kenan several times and we had mini Magical Gatherings. They were all fun, and we had fun times in the parks.
Oh yeah, and the Top 7 Must Sees with Chrissa was spliced all over with the new Magic Your Way, Evening Extra Magic, and Stitch (which is now number 3-ugh). It was easy to tell where the insertions with new material were added.
Thank you for reading/skimming my trip report. If you have any specific questions or need advice on trips over these super busy seasons my family only visits over, just let me know. Or need Caribbean Beach questions answered (I LOVE it there) drop me a PM.
In short, it was a great vacation and we were so happy we could bring our grandmothers with us over this most magical of magical times. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and thanks for the birthday wishes too. It truly was a vacation like none other.
-Donnie
:xmas:
Cast: With Mom, Dad, sister, myself, two grandmothers, and an aunt
The Resort: Yacht Club
As always, Yacht Club is a great place to stay for our entire family. It is elegant without flaunting, and yet has many fun, whimsical touches (like the pool). The entire Resort was decked out in its Christmas finest. The atmosphere music all over was traditional Christmas songs and hymns, and bountiful poinsettias were planted throughout the entire property.
Our two rooms were at the very far end of the Resort, too far from the lobby and the central eating places for our grandmothers. I went back to the front desk and noticed the CM spoke French as well. So, using my French knowledge, award winning smile, and polite attitude, I requested if we could be moved to a more centrally located area--in French. He obliged and gave us a complimentary upgrade that overlooked Crescent Lake, the Wedding Gazebo, and the nightly Illuminations at Epcot, which we saw almost every night from the balcony. The Christmas finale "Let there be Peace on Earth" was incredible. It was the same view we had last year (also given a comp. upgrade). The AP rate we had for our rack rate room of 550/night was under 200/night. Quite nice.
My sister and I had a great time in the main pool, and the rest of the family enjoyed the quiet pool area and hot tub. The many verandahs and balconies were used by my grandmothers sitting in the rockers. Hurricane Hanna’s and Beaches & Cream always served up good food swiftly. The only problem with Beaches and Cream is that it seems too small for the Resort, it was always jam packed and that was a tiny annoyance when we just needed our mugs refilled. But I know it was “the busiest week,” and they did a great job at meeting Guests’ needs. But I think they could use a self serve island set up that the moderates and vales have to make mug refilling more convenient and less time consuming.
Also, there was a lot of roof and siding hurricane damage at Yacht/Beach. No biggie there. Both rooms had refrigerators tucked inside a dresser unit, a huge plus! And the now free health club was packed every morning. Even tho the largest dumb bells they had were 50s, it was still nice to use the gym.
The morning wake up call is also Stitch themed. He takes over Mickey's job and yells at you to begin your day. Get moving!!
The Weather:
It started out down right cold, then about two days in the 60s. (That first day when it was COLD (12/26) the parks were vacated and almost everything at Epcot/MK was walk on, including the mountains and classics--which was a very nice birthday present to ME). Each day after was met with moderating temperatures until it was well into the 70s and near 80, and long sleeved shirts were not needed anymore at night. Shorts and short sleeved shirts all day/night. It did get cloudy at around noon each day, but the clouds would dissipate later in the day. We lucked out and never had any rain, sprinkles, or dark, ominous clouds in the area.
Magic Kingdom
For the most part was absolutely packed (as expected). Still, it looked and sounded beautiful all decked for Christmas. Arriving in the morning and staying until 11ish and returning no sooner than 6ish at night allowed for us to go on all of our favorite rides many times, and take our grandmothers on some of their favorite rides. We made good use of Fastpass selections in the morning and manipulated through the crowds in the evenings. We saw the Christmas Parade on my birthday from Main Street wheelchair area (thanks grandmothers) and really enjoyed it.
We also saw Wishes for the first time inside the park on Main Street (not from Ohanas, the computer, or stuck on the monorail beam). Beautiful.
On the other hand, this was the filthiest we had ever seen this park. This was our third time over “the busiest week” so we obvisouly know what to expect based on previous years and common sense, yet MK was a pigsty. Guests had no manners and treated the place like their trash can, like their payment entitled them to be piggish. But, there were also not a bevy of street sweepers out in force like years past, and it was apparent. MK was in tip top condition last year same time, yet was filthy in certain areas this year, specifically down by the yellow tables down around the moat by Plaza Pavilion and in Tomorrowland all over.
Stitch's Great Escape was terrible. The concensus from the family all agreed. It made no sense, and was just composed of sitting in a dark theater with cannons that twist, loud noises, and grunts. The AA was super impressive, but that cannot save this horrendous ride. (And we weren't huge advocates of AE either, so we are not biased.) Stitch was just that bad. His merchandise was everywhere at every park and at each Resort we visited. He really did take over, or they are just throwing that stuff down our throats. PhilharMagic should have had this attention with its "classic" characters.
Was very happy with Splash, a lot of it was working, but not the little rabbit children and their accompanying dialogue, or the leap frog fountains. Pity.
Big Thunder is my favorite mountain, we have a back seat club for the wildest ride, and I noticed the little possums that swung from that branch in the flooded mine town were missing.
Space had huge lines, even waited 35 mins with a FP once, but still enjoyed it. Fantasyland, with its air gates, was still fun but I did not like the look of those gates. HM and Pirates were fully functional, and all the MK rides and attractions were enjoyed by the entire family.
Country Bear Christmas was seen for the 1st time and was a huge highlight of the vacation. The theater was filled and Guests had to wait for the next show. That's some good news fer ya. It was a very fun, Christmasy show, a job well done.
Epcot:
We spent the most time here because of our backdoor entrance and the great food selections. We would stop in for counter service lunch or snacks (fish and chips/ crepes) and bring them back to the room or eat lagoonfront at a table. We saw a majority of the Santa’s from Around the World, and saw LeVar Burton at the CandleLight Processional, which, again, was phenomenal. It’s so great to see Disney put on such a Biblical production done so well. And that signer for the deaf and hard of hearing is amazing, she steals the show everytime—she has such passion for her job.
World Showcase looked beautiful, and we explored and visited each country. WS is our favorite part of any Disney park, especially at night, even moreso during Christmastime. As always, Epcot was very, very clean. We visisted every pavilion in Future World except Living Seas (yet 1st time in Land ever for chicken noodle soup!) and rode Spaceship Earth for the first time since ’94. What a great attraction!! Rode it more times afterwards. I like Body Wars more than Star Tours, but both could use a tad upgrade.
Epcot crowds are always manageable because it is so large, and everyone waits in line or stands around TT and MS separated from their party. As long as you avoid that area, no crowds! And as long as you get there before the lines build to ride, they are good rides.
And on a side note, a lot of lines had posted times of 110 minutes, or 130 minutes, something like that. (Thus we leave by 11.) I heard too many guests saying that they were going to wait the "Hour and 10 minutes." I hope they realized their mistake.
We were here for New Years Eve 10 mins before our 5pm PS in France (see below). After dinner, we rode some rides and I did my first KidCot Adventure and stopped at each country, had them write Happy New Year in their language, and then I had to say it back to them. It was actually very, very fun and worthwhile. We spent the night in Japan at the 80s video dance party (not that my sis or I knew any of the songs) and my parents were there with their co workers from school who also vacation at Yacht Club each New Years. The grandmothers, stuffed and fatigued, retired back to Yacht Club and watched the fireworks from our balcony. The fireworks were great, over the top, and exciting. The Epcot Party is the best b/c on the backside of WS it never feels overly crowded, the view is unobstructed, and it’s a nice little jaunt back to Yacht Club. Even moreso than the grand finale at midnight, I enjoy each country’s fireworks celebration in the order midnight hits their homeland. The differing music and style of fireworks really give another personality and unique aspect to each pavilion. Lots of fun.
I also wanted to note that, while on the monorail after The Land was closed, you could see demolition behind the construction walls. Ripped up pavement and lots of cement blocks in a pile.
MGM:
A lot of time was spent here as well. We rode our two favorite rides many times. And, just like at Epcot, the rest of the park away from the two main rides was quite manageable. MGM was also super clean. We opted to walk here each time for exercise (pushing the grandmothers in chairs) because the boats had long lines.
My mom and I (early risers) would go out for a morning run down to MGM with our handy APs, ride Tower twice, then run back. It worked out very well and provided memories. We'd be back to the room by 8 with breakfast from the bakery for everyone else. The Tower is still amazing and out of control, and the air time is just so much. I even got a picture with TJ, the best bellhop around.
The Osborne Lights were brilliant and def. welcomed back after their absence. As great as they looked, anyone who saw them on Residential Street knows that they belong there or on similar structures. Draped from apartments on a city street is not the same as wandering through a neighborhood where each house has its own style of lighting, thus giving off its own personality. Do not get me wrong, the Lights looked fantastic, but it does not look or feel the same as when walking through a “residential” area. It was just too much in too few a space. They also were missing the HUGE mistletoe and the holographic glasses b/c, as I was informed, “the light strands are too close together so the angels wont appear.”
First time also on Millionnaire (went back on it 3 more times). My sister and I always passed it off like it was stupid, but boy did we have fun. Even made it to number 3 on the board!
First time also in One Man’s Dream. That was great and we were glad we stopped in after passing it so many times.
Animal Kingdom:
We went here one day 6pm till 8pm closing. This place is even more beautiful at night all lit up. Completely empty it was, and we rode Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl each several times. A lot of attractions were closed due to “early sunset.” We enjoyed ourselves nonetheless and planned on coming back, but never made it. (Always next trip!!).
The FOOD:
Of course all of the counter service was great. I still think Disney has the best cheeseburgers. Whatever we order, we always get quality, and quantity. Fish and Chips taste so good, as do the crepes, and Norwegian pastries, and Dole Whips, popcorn, I can go on and on...(my favorite food are the cherry danishes.)
Chef Mickey’s Breakfast: Second time here and it was really super. The food tasted great and there was just so much. The characters paid attention to us all, and the grandmothers had a really good time. It was the highlight of their trip. We love it here.
50s Prime Time Café: We always have a dinner here because the food is delicious and the ambiance fun. This was my birthday dinner, so of course the “MGM extended family” was even more crazy to our table. My steak was very tasty, but the mashed potatoes were delicious. Another highlight of any trip is always here!
Les Chefs de France: New Years Eve dinner was here. The food was good for everyone and the restaurant was very pleasant. Our waiter, however, was horrible. He was Italian and older and was apparently not having a good night. I speak French and wanted to carry conversations and see how I could do, but he was very curt and simply would reply in English. The younger students, I assume, who work there were laughing and having a great time with their respective tables. I found myself taking walks throughout the meal just to speak French to the staff, and they were all impressed, or so they say, haha. I even was allowed to keep the menu as a souvenir.
At 6pm, midnight in France, our family pulled a Griswold and put on our hats and blew noisemakers and celebrated the French New Year b/c “we were in France.” We made a scene, others quickly joined in, and the staff came over and thanked us for starting the celebration they had forgotten. Our waiter was still horrible. I schmoozed it up with more French-ers, got some pictures, and left wishing we had a different waiter (I swear it did not ruin our evening, it was just the theme of the night and we laughed about it.)
Side Note: I got sick!! On the last night my family was there, I got achy, phlegmy, and sickly. I put on a whole bunch of clothes, crawled under the covers, fell asleep, awoke in 4 hours, and completely sweat the fever out. I was cured!!
Part II: Jan. 3 – Jan 6
Everyone went home leaving my sister and myself at Caribbean Beach, and newly arriving college friends at Pop Century.
Caribbean Beach: The place is still beautiful and holds very many memories. After all, this was our first onsite Disney Resort back in ’88. And we’ve returned over a dozen times. Our room was the specific room we requested and have requested many, many times, a lake view in Aruba. The mini fridges here were also concealed in a new piece of furniture. The foodcourt had fast service and bountiful selections, and the souvenir mugs here have changed for the 4th time.
There are little things missing at Caribbean Beach, the atmosphere music on the now named Caribbean Cay was not working for our 3rd vacation in a row (I guess it’s done with). Remember when “Parrot Cay” had real parrots, a shipwrecked playground, the aforementioned music, and the welcoming signs with the treasure map? All are gone, and have been gone since the mid 90s, and the Caribbean Cay change had to be within the past year. But many things remained the same, including a lot of the staff inside Old Port Royale. It's always great seeing those ladies again, they remember my sister and I year after year and cannot believe how we have grown up. Personability like that keeps Caribbean great--lots of "old friends."
Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM
The three theme parks we visited during this second half w/o our family but with friends were all empty. You have to understand we have made ALL of our trips during Easter, Christmas, 4th of July, or NJ Week Weeks just b/c those crowded times are the only times we can travel. So our first quiet time was unreal. You can really walk around and look up at buildings instead of down at the ground swerving and weaving and avoiding strollers. You can arrive after 11—or at noon—and still have a FastPass for your favorite ride, and have the come back time only an hour away. Your favorite mountain is only a 15 minute wait, FastPasses aren’t even turned on at Splash, and Tower and RnRC were both 5-10 mins. It enabled us to try things we never did before, like ToonTown (hello Princess Room). It was crazy and something my sister and I will never forget. Now that the entire nuclear family is an AP holder, we will go back during a quiet time and enjoy ourselves like we thought we were enjoying ourselves before.
Evening Extra Magic Hour:
-At MGM: Was good, but not that good b/c Tower only had one shaft operatable b/c of a breakdown, which brought it’s line to almost 45mins, which in turn drove people over to the coaster which drove that wait time way up.
At Magic Kingdom: Simply the best. No waits (or under 15mins) for every single one of our favorite rides. Very effective here, and very worthwhile. The park was empty. This was our last night at Disney World, and def. the only way I would have wanted the trip to end (if only my parents were with us!).
PhotoPass: Worked out really well for us b/c we would get our pictures taken and then our parents could view them from home. They did miss us (and Disney) afterall.
I met and hung out with Jonnie, Aimee, and Kenan several times and we had mini Magical Gatherings. They were all fun, and we had fun times in the parks.
Oh yeah, and the Top 7 Must Sees with Chrissa was spliced all over with the new Magic Your Way, Evening Extra Magic, and Stitch (which is now number 3-ugh). It was easy to tell where the insertions with new material were added.
Thank you for reading/skimming my trip report. If you have any specific questions or need advice on trips over these super busy seasons my family only visits over, just let me know. Or need Caribbean Beach questions answered (I LOVE it there) drop me a PM.
In short, it was a great vacation and we were so happy we could bring our grandmothers with us over this most magical of magical times. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and thanks for the birthday wishes too. It truly was a vacation like none other.
-Donnie
:xmas:
Glad you had a good time!! And it was great to meet up! :sohappy:
:wave:
