Trip Report COMPLETED: BEST (DISNEY) MONTH EVER !! - Dec 2016 - 2 Continents, 2 Resorts, 6 Parks !!

Hello to all the Disney Fans

As the title stipulates the month of December was a great Disney month for me and my family

Quick introduction - I am Max and I have been going to Disney since 1979. This trip report will detail trips 24 and 25 for me. (edit 1/17)

What: The first leg is a solo trip to Tokyo Disneyland and the second is a family trip to Walt Disney World.
Who: My DW (T) and 2 DD ( S 21 and C 19) and me (Max)
(I am using initials to type less and protect the innocent.
The star over my head in the shot below is awesome!!!

When: Dec 10 and 11 at TDR and Dec 23-30 at WDW
Why: Business trip from Dec 2-16 in Japan & family vacation in Florida.

This is my first full length trip report that I have attempted. In the past I have asked a few questions on the boards, and then posted a few details but never really went all in. The family has agreed to this one so here goes. I will try to use Doc Disney, Nicole and Longers amazing reports as motivation.

Just a few disclaimers (and I understand if I might lose most of my viewers but I have to be up front and honest)

#1 - I am Canadian (hence the honest and upfront approach - lol). So my viewpoints and opinions come from a different perspective at times. I will try to avoid political comments but sometimes the jokes are hard to pass on. (And I know the hat gives it away - I support the Blue Jays and that is the hat the team wears on Canada Day - Our birthday - 150 Years old in 2017!!)

#2 - I do not take a lot of food pictures - I am on a seefood diet - I see food and I eat it. I do not take the time to take a picture of it - I will have a few though.(The sound you hear is of all the "foodies" running for the exit)

#3 I do not own or use an expensive camera - all pictures will be either photo pass or iPhone. (the sound you now hear is of all the photographers leaving the building)

#4 Having been to TDR before (and being on a solo trip) and having been to WDW a few times I did not take a ton of pictures. Hopefully enough to tell the story. And my night time shots are limited (see point 3)

#5 I did not take a great notes (I know - Rookie mistake) but I will rely on my family to fill in the blanks for me.

Next Up : Background on the two trips and how them came to be

 

[amjt660]

We ate in the West Wing (first time for us)
It was a good meal and the theme is excellent.
We are really looking forward to the live action film coming out in 2 weeks

 

[amjt660]

We rode Buzz, Space , watch the Projection show on Cindy's castle (loved it) and then took one last set of MK photo pass pics
After that we said good bye to MK for this trip. One day to go and Epcot was the park of choice.

Some pretty good shots on Buzz (me) and Space (C)

 

[21stamps]

Part 1 Day 10 - On the way to the Arabian coast
So after my journey I started to walk towards the Arabian coast area of the park.
First up was the Mysterious island area which includes 20000 leagues under the sea.
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Coming out from the island we get a view of the Arabian Coast
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The first courtyard was where the Magic Lamp Theater is located.View attachment 186564 View attachment 186565
This area reminds me of the Morocco country in Epcot.

Next Up : Sinbad!!

Wonderful report and amazing photos!!
This is my favorite part so far! Is that a mini Blue Mosque replica in the 7th and 8th photos?

 

[21stamps]

Okay so before Mermaid Lagoon I wanted to attempt to add a video
I do not know it this will work - hopefully someone will let me know if it doesn't

So since the start of this report I have been trying to tell/show you how busy it was.
This video sums it up pretty darn good.

This is not the line for a ride
This is not the line for a show
OR a character or a restaurant
This is a line up for a food cart ( churros and popcorn)
It stretches from the covered cart all the way back to the lights on the back wall
Enjoy

This. Is. Crazy.

 

[amjt660]

Wonderful report and amazing photos!!
This is my favorite part so far! Is that a mini Blue Mosque replica in the 7th and 8th photos?

I am not an expert but yes I believe it is a Blue Mosque

Thanks for following along - loved your report with T
Only complaint is that he gets all the camera time
More group shots or selfies with both you next time

Max

 

[amjt660]

This. Is. Crazy.

Yup
Would not believe it if I had not seen it with my own eyes

Max

 

[amjt660]

Part 2 - Thursday Dec 29, 2016
Last park day
Our last day was an Epcot day.
C and I were up and moving early
S was not feeling her best so she and T held back for a bit
We were at rope drop at the Int Gateway and rushed to Frozen
It was slow to start up ( about 10 min) but we got on pretty quick once it opened.

As I said earlier I like this ride , it is well done and should be in DHS or MK.

The two of us then rode Soarin and took these pics before it got too busy

We met up with T and S at the imagination pavilion.

We then watched the Pixar short films

I think these 3 have been running for awhile

We then rode imagination and played in the area after - luckily no video or still picture evidence of that!!!!

Next up was living with the land and then the Circle of Life movie
I do not think I have watched the movie since the early 2000's
It was fun to see it again.

We wandered around the showcase for a bit and picked up a Canada 150 button from the pavilion
(picture to follow)

Then headed back to the YC to rest and start to pack up.

 

[amjt660]

Random shots around the resort

 

[amjt660]

We had our last meal at the Yachtsman Steak house
Unfortunately S was not up for a dinner so it was just 3 of us
We did all return to the parks for one last ride on Spaceship earth and Soarin
And 2 more photo pass pics

We left before Illuminations started - the girls were done
So I watched it form the balcony of our room

 

[amjt660]

My iPhone obviously does not do it justice
It was quiet enough that I could make out the music
The end of another great Disney day

 

[Tuvalu]

Fireworks viewing from a balcony ~ my favorite!

Thanks for sharing your Disney December .

 

[21stamps]

Part 2 Friday Dec 23 cont'd
We waited around 20 min for a MK bus and arrived around 4 pm ish.
Our game plan for the entire trip was to book our FP for either late afternoon or evening.
Based on 2014 booking early was futile at Christmas because getting a 4th, 5th FP of any value just did not happen.
So we were going to show up early, ride standby, head back to the hotel and then use FP at night.

First up was a Pirate cruise followed by a tree house climbView attachment 188988 View attachment 188989 View attachment 188990

Then came the first new even of the week - dinner at ...View attachment 188993 View attachment 188991 View attachment 188992

I had the "tastes like chicken" and I am sure C or S will fill in the blanks on what other ate.
This was the first day for alcohol drinks at Skippers so we indulged with a glass of Riesling for each parent
(S is legal in the US and C is not (even though she can drink back home - 19 years old in Ontario Canada)
The meal was good for most - T was not a fan of her fish dish - too watery - almost like a soup
Overall a good experience - not as many laughs as I hoped for but we had some fun

(Note: the sign pic was taken after dinner)

When we got out it was dark so we had to take pics of the ice castle
As per my post in Tuvalu's TR we are not a fan of the Frozenification of the parks - it is not Elsa's castle!!
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Again a reminder that all pictures are from an iPhone so quality is not so good.

Next up - FP utilization!!

You don't like the lights on the castle?
It was my favorite thing about MK.

C just corrected me that we actually used a FP on Pirates before dinner.
After dinner we rode the Transit Authority and saw the Laugh Floor show
With C in engineering school I could not resist taking pics of the schematics
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Our next FP was minetrain
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I found the camera!
We then watched the Chistmas Wishes and then rode Big Thunder to finish off the night
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Hopefully S and C have some pics to add from their phones.

Next up - Day 2 in the World

Great Mine Train photo!!

 

[21stamps]

Part 2 Sat Dec 24 cont'd - Dinosaur
We continued through Asia and entered Hester and Chester poorly themed Dinoland and rode Dinosaur.
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OK lets take a closer look at the ride photo

Max, C and T look fine - S looks totally frightened
Middle row the teenager is trying to climb out over his mom and the sister is seriously OMG moment.

But check out the Dad!! Does he not realize a huge dino just jumped out at us from the right??????

This picture is priceless

Too funny!

Next up we had lunch at Flame Tree - I was the only one who bought food - the girls brought food from the room.
After eating we decided to try to squeeze in both Nemo and Lion King shows.
Today was the Dash day - as you will hear about later
First up Nemo - because we showed up late we were sat down close on the right hand side.
In a couple of pics you will see the two CM who were signing the show.
While you take a look at the pics just keep swimming, go with the flow and explore the big blue world!!
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We love this show (and listen to the CD at home quite often).
After the show we humped it over to Africa and ended up being in one of the last groups to make it in the standby line for Festival of the Lion King.
We sat in the Elephant section. This was our first time in the new theatre.
We all enjoyed it - sorry no pictures - again just wanted to soak it all in.

That truly was the theme of this trip - it was very busy so theme park commandos were replaced with wandering group
It was a slower pace but we stayed together(for the most part) and enjoyed it as a family.

We didn't see either show this year. Looks like a wonderful day!

Part 2 Sat Dec 24 cont'd
After the Lion King show we wandered into Africa and checked the Safari ride and it was only 15min
Animal Kingdom was not too busy on this day ( we determined that it was probably the fact that a lot of schools went right to the 23rd so many vacationers were probably still at home or in transit on the 24/25th

No pics of the safari - with the jostling of the truck and my low level camera phone they usually do not turn out.

Our guide was funny - the line that stood out the most was

"That sign says ROW ADD CLOW SEED DUH - that is swahili for GO AROUND"
(the sign said Road Closed)

The animals were out and we got a good view of the lions on the rocks.

After the safari we rode Everest with our 2nd FP
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Ride photo from Everest - at least I was excited!
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We then had some photo pass pics
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After Everest we headed over toward Pandora and checked in at Tiffins.
We had some time so we had a drink on the balcony of the Nomad lounge
As I have stated on other TRs I strongly recommend visiting both the lounge and the restaurant.
I had the Waygu Strip Loin and Braised Short Rib
It was ridiculously expensive and equally delicious.
As I said to the server - tell the chef I can die happy- I do not know if I can eat anything better.

We rode the Safari again (using FP) and then caught the tree lighting ceremony
And then we decided to head back to the hotel.

Once at the hotel we walked to Epcot and entered through the International gateway (one of the benefits of staying at YC)

We noticed the Soarin line was not too long on the app so we went to the land.

Now this was our first ride on the new version and we had all tried to not spoil it by watching videos in advance.

I must say I was extremely disappointed in the new version.
The CGI is out of control and so noticeable.
It does not have the feel that you are really gliding around the world because parts are so fake.
If they took out all of the transitions it would be better.
(end of rant)

When we got out of Soaring we had very little time for our next adventure
Frozen Ever After was showing 90 minute wait but we only had 13 min until Illuminations started.
We called BS on the app and started our dash through the not so busy Future World and then much busier World Showcase
We showed up with literally seconds to spare and ended up being the last to ride
Total weight time you ask? 20 min
This was the only time T and S rode this ride all week
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And we loved it - Count me in the group that sees this as an improvement in entertainment value (but a lowering of the bar in educational value by putting a make believe land in World Showcase).

When we got out Illuminations was done and the park was emptying out
We headed back to YC and called it a night

World Showcase was PACKED when we were there, but Future World was relatively empty at night.

Your family Christmas presents are wonderful!!! What a perfect way to collect life long memories instead of trivial things!!! Priceless!!

Epcot doesn't look busy at all on Christmas Day. Were most of the crowds at MK?

 

[21stamps]

DHS FW /stage show tip.
We went to 3 shows during the day/evening.
Each time we walked up with about 30 min to spare and stood at the back of the first crowd.
Right of the edge of the walkway which the CM were constantly trying to keep clear.
Everyone else was sitting on the ground. As soon as the show almost started everyone stood up, we bunched up toward the front and had a great view.

Except for the inconsiderate parents who put there kids on their shoulders
I know you want them to see - I get that - so just hold them in your arms - at the same height as you - that way you do not ruin the experience for others.
And I have gone to Disney with my DD's in the past - this is not a rant of a non parent.

Disney did a no selfie stick policy for safety and guest enjoyment.
I hope they do a No child on shoulders policy next.

Max

Agree 100% about the shoulder thing. You can hold a child on your hip.

 

[amjt660]

You don't like the lights on the castle?
It was my favorite thing about MK.

Great Mine Train photo!!

OK just to clarify - I love the icicle lights on the castle - it is one of the highlights of a December trip to see it.
However, this is Cinderella's castle - it does not belong to Elsa, Anna and Olaf !
So it is the lighting ceremony that I watched once and never again.
Cindy is the owner - Elsa et al are bad tenants!!!

Thanks for catching up on the report

Max

 

[amjt660]

Too funny!

We didn't see either show this year. Looks like a wonderful day!

World Showcase was PACKED when we were there, but Future World was relatively empty at night.

Your family Christmas presents are wonderful!!! What a perfect way to collect life long memories instead of trivial things!!! Priceless!!

Epcot doesn't look busy at all on Christmas Day. Were most of the crowds at MK?

I am glad someone appreciates for weird sense of humour
Epcot is the place to be on Christmas day - MK is a zoo

Max

 

[21stamps]

OK just to clarify - I love the icicle lights on the castle - it is one of the highlights of a December trip to see it.
However, this is Cinderella's castle - it does not belong to Elsa, Anna and Olaf !
So it is the lighting ceremony that I watched once and never again.
Cindy is the owner - Elsa et al are bad tenants!!!

Thanks for catching up on the report

Max

I have probably shown my video of "Elsa lighting the castle" to about 35 people.,and I've probably watched it twice as many times. Maybe it's the sentimental value of Frozen for me (was the first movie that my son ever watched)...but that moment hit it out of the park for me.

I appreciate your opinion.. but selfishly, I hope Elsa remains for a few years . Sorry

 

[amjt660]

I have probably shown my video of "Elsa lighting the castle" to about 35 people.,and I've probably watched it twice as many times. Maybe it's the sentimental value of Frozen for me (was the first movie that my son ever watched)...but that moment hit it out of the park for me.

I appreciate your opinion.. but selfishly, I hope Elsa remains for a few years . Sorry

I think we just had our first agree to disagree moment
And I am totally cool with it!!!

Max

 

[dddisney]

Thanks for the great trip report.

 

[amjt660]

Part 2 - Friday December 30, 2016
So this was our travel day home.
Early flight (7am) came very early but we made it to the airport, had the same trouble with our "paper" ticket and

A few random shots from the trip
First up the mug purchase for this trip - fell in love with this AK mug pretty quick

t

This is the button they were giving out at the Canadian pavilion in Epcot to celebrate this year being our 150th

And some screen shots from the MDE app on our last day
The first ones are expected - popular attractions

But this one is not normal at all

Next up: Final thoughts