Trip Report *COMPLETED* Once Upon a Christmas Time...A Very Merry Trip Report

Hello Everyone!

We just returned from yet another WDW visit this past weekend and with the holiday season quickly approaching I wanted to make sure I at least started our report before Christmas knowing that I would easily let this slip into January if I didn't.

Just to refresh your memory, this was the first trip we planned as DVC members having joined the club in March. Something we should have done years ago but better late than never, I guess! For those of you who may want to do some pre-reading, here is a link to the pre-trip report that started early this year and now seems so crazy to think the trip has already come and gone.

With that short preamble...let's start the show!

The Main Characters
My wife, Kelly, and I, along with our two Disney Princesses, Ella (7), and Lennon (5).

MK_MSCONFEC_20160808_7766697622_zpslcr5ylvk.jpeg

Here we are on our summer 2016 visit.

The Script
Once our DVC membership was completely finalized in March and we had access to the booking system we started thinking about our next visit. Kelly and I had spent Christmas in WDW way back in 2009 and we loved how the parks looked and felt decorated for the holidays. We figured this would be a great opportunity for us to head back around Christmas time and give the girls their first taste of a Disney Christmas.

Originally we booked accommodation for December 7-16 at our home resort, Saratoga Springs, and waited for the 7-month window to open to have access to other DVC options. Once the window hit we made our move. Our intention was to try and get the Grand Floridian knowing it would be next to impossible with a backup plan of either the Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge. Both BC and WL were available and we eventually decided on the BC because of the great Boardwalk location.

After we secured a one-bedroom villa at BC we decided to add another day to the trip because...well, why not! The 6th was not available at the time at BC so we ended up booking the additional night at AKL. I would periodically check back to see if the BC was open and one day, to my surprise, a one-bedroom lake view at the GF popped up. I quickly called the member line and made the switch from AKL to the Grand thinking this was likely the only chance we'd ever get to stay there so might as well take advantage.

Now we were all set and all that was left to do was wait out the remaining months and for once look forward to winter!

We planned and planned and planned as the days ticked by. Kelly and I escaped kid free to Denver in November to watch the GOAT, Tom Brady, crush the Broncos...something I have always wanted to do and finally was able to check it off the bucket list.


Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr
Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on FlickrUntitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on FlickrUntitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on FlickrUntitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on FlickrUntitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

Once we returned it was all Disney, all the time as we were now less than a month away!
 
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fractal

fractal

Well-Known Member
Great updates!

50's Prime Time is the best when you have a good "cousin".

Looks like you had some terrific character interaction. Enjoy your high scores now; I'm guessing in 10 years you'll be placing 2nd or 3rd. :D
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
fractal said:
Great updates!

50's Prime Time is the best when you have a good "cousin".

Looks like you had some terrific character interaction. Enjoy your high scores now; I'm guessing in 10 years you'll be placing 2nd or 3rd. :D
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Thankfully every visit to 50's has been with a good "cousin". Adds so much to the experience, no doubt.

The competitor in me won't let that happen without a fight! Even if I have to take solo trips just to practice, I'm not giving up my title!
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
December 15 – Our Final Park Day

And just like that, our final park day was upon us as we woke up on this Friday morning. Looking back now, the rest of the trip seemed to pass us by in the blink of an eye but man we had some really great memories to carry with us.

Our final morning was starting with breakfast at Be Our Guest. We were up early to ensure we were ready for a day at MK. Our reservation was right around EMH park opening, just after 800am. Instead of taking the bus we thought we would hail a Minnie Van just to ensure we were on time and could arrive a little early to grab some photos as we walked down Main Street.

Unlike the other times we had tried to call for a Minnie Van, we had no issue this morning and shortly after we put in our request, our driver was pulling up to the Beach Club.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/21jKBTR]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

We loaded in and made the quick drive to MK. Along the way, our driver was talking about the new Star Wars movie which he happened to see the night before. He had nothing but good things to say about it which made me excited to see it at some point when we returned home. Side note, I did see it the following week and was quite pleased. His review was pretty spot on, at least in my books.

We pulled into the bus drop off, unloaded and said thank you to our driver. Lines were pretty thin at this point in the morning so we easily made our way through security and the main gates to find ourselves strolling through a relatively empty Main Street.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/23Wtpdk]IMG_1776 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/22xxGus]IMG_1779 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

This allowed for ample time to find opportunities to take photos along the way.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/25iqW5P]MK_MSATHCLB_20171215_407165961856 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/25iqXRe]MK_MSATHCLB_20171215_407165961862 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/25ir1oZ]MK_PARTRIGHT_20171215_407166052049 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/FDeiat]MK_PARTRIGHT_20171215_407166054658 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/23WtsdD]MK_PARTRIGHT_20171215_407166054663 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/HHNkHF] by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/22xxE33]IMG_1783 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

As we reached the hub in front of the castle, CM’s from the Haunted Mansion were patrolling the breakfast crowds. There was no way we could pass up the chance to take a photo with this crew of Cast Members. They were at their creepy best but were also pretty playful with the girls so as not to get us started on the wrong foot in the morning.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/22xxFky]IMG_1781 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

From there we walked into Fantasyland and checked in for our breakfast.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/D2jgMa]Disney World - 2017 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

As we stood in line to enter the restaurant, we browsed the menu so we knew what to order when it was our turn at the till. French Toast with chocolate milk for the kids, Feast a la Gaston for Kelly and the Croissant Doughnut for me.

After placing our order we walked through the dining area looking for the best place to sit. I wanted the West Wing but was overruled. We ended up finding space near a Christmas tree with simulated snow falling out the windows of the dining hall. Not a bad fall back I guess.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/21jKDsT]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Exgu6s]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Exgu9y]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

As we were looking around the room taking in the scenery, our food magically appeared, which the kids thought was very cool, and it was time to dig in.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/22EwXV8]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/21jKCw4]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/HHNgdt]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I admit, I was tempted to try something a little “healthier” this morning but was very pleased that I went all in on the sugary sweet option. Very tasty.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal and we left ready to take on the morning. Because we were so close we decided we might as well start the day with a ride on Ariel which then led into a visit with the princess herself as there was no wait at all.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/23WttP4]MK_GROTTOACHAR_20171215_407166856228 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/HaLgoo]MK_GROTTOACHAR_20171215_407166856239 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

We were off to a good start to our final park day but there was a lot still to do. MK was hosting a Christmas Party in the evening so we wanted to get as much accomplished as we could before the crowds heated up in the afternoon.
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Zipitidoda said:
Bummed it's your last day. I really enjoyed your report. And..... How cool to get a pictures with the CM's of Haunted Mansion!!! That's the first time I've seen that before.
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I'm bummed writing about the last day! Thanks very much for reading along. This has been a lot of fun for me to look back and remember what a good trip we had. It went by so quickly so having the chance to look at the pictures and relive those moments is awesome...and I'm flattered that people have been following along while I do it.

I've never seen that before either. It was pretty cool to have the chance to snap a photo with them while nobody else was around. We experienced a number of memorable "firsts" on this trip.
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Not quite another update to the actual trip, but a special day worth sharing nonetheless.

Kelly and I celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary today and I couldn't be happier! Crazy to think it's been ten years, and almost too many Disney trips to count, already but I certainly consider myself to be extremely lucky that she's put up with me for that long.

Looking forward to seeing what the next ten years (and beyond) has in store for us. Hopefully with many more Disney visits mixed in!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/23Z9jDa]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/25m9aEk]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/23Z9jDR]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/23Z9jEc]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/24gwvi5]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/22xxrbb]MK_PROFRONROVER_20171215_407171325011 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
 
blreinsel

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Can't believe your trip is almost done! Looking forward to reading about the rest of your day at MK and AK!

Happy anniversary and congrats on 10 (y)ears! ;) I can't wait to celebrate year after year with Dylan. :inlove: All of the pictures are beautiful, but the one of just Kelly looking at you.. she looks radiant! It brought tears to my eyes. :cry::inlove: Maybe you should celebrate with a trip to Disney. :angelic:
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Zipitidoda said:
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!
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Thank you so much!

mlegerto said:
Couldn't agree with you more Matt. I suffer from the same problem and I make a point each trip of TRYING to slow it down!
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It's so easy to get tied up trying to do everything that you can quickly overlook things going on around you. Taking a breath now and then is something I definitely need to do more of while at WDW.

blgauger said:
Can't believe your trip is almost done! Looking forward to reading about the rest of your day at MK and AK!

Happy anniversary and congrats on 10 (y)ears! ;) I can't wait to celebrate year after year with Dylan. :inlove: All of the pictures are beautiful, but the one of just Kelly looking at you.. she looks radiant! It brought tears to my eyes. :cry::inlove: Maybe you should celebrate with a trip to Disney. :angelic:
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I'm sad all over again just thinking that the trip is almost done. Thanks for reading along!

And thank you for the congratulations. Without a doubt, I scored out of my league with her but I'm darn lucky. Our December trip was kind of an early anniversary present but I'm not opposed to another!
 

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