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

Rista1313 · Mar 20, 2018

Happy Anniversary to you! Our 10th is this Sunday!

Matt and Kelly · Mar 20, 2018

John Dulmage said:
Happy Anniversary! All the best for many many more together!! Love the pictures!

krisri18 said:
Happy Anniversary to you both!

Thank you very much!

Matt and Kelly · Mar 20, 2018

Rista1313 said:
Happy Anniversary to you! Our 10th is this Sunday!

Thanks very much!

That’s awesome! Congratulations to you both!

DAKOTADISNEY · Mar 21, 2018

Happy Anniversary! I was wondering if you had any tips for the Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. We are going next December and are wondering about crowds, ride times, things like that. Our daughters are older so we probably won't be doing character photos. Thanks. Really enjoyed your trip report and the great photos of your family.

Matt and Kelly · Mar 21, 2018

DAKOTADISNEY said:
Happy Anniversary! I was wondering if you had any tips for the Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. We are going next December and are wondering about crowds, ride times, things like that. Our daughters are older so we probably won't be doing character photos. Thanks. Really enjoyed your trip report and the great photos of your family.

Thanks very much!

Well, this was our first Christmas Party so I'm happy to provide what little advice I can pass along. People with party tickets are provided access to the park at 4pm (I think) so if you want to hang out at the hotel or relax in the morning without burning a park day on your tickets you can do so. We were there all day and definitely started to notice crowds pick up around 4 or 5. Though the CMs are quite good at making sure those without party tickets are cleared out of the park by the time the part does start.

From what I could gather the longest lines were for the character meet and greets since many of them are characters you don't get to meet in the parks on a daily basis. With that, the ride lines seem to be very short from what we witnessed. WIth your daughter being older, I'd think you'd be able to get on a number of rides with limited waits.

The free food items throughout the park were fun to try, so make sure you get a map and figure out where things are being served. Only a few actual sit down options were open so just keep that in mind if you're going to be eating dinner or a bigger meal while at the party.

I suggest waiting for the late parade if you plan on watching it. It looked to us like a lot of people started to leave after the fireworks which left a ton of great spots open near Main Street for the late parade.

Hope some of this helps. I'm sure you guys will have a blast when you're there in December!

Matt and Kelly · Mar 21, 2018

Before moving on, I just want to say thank you again to all those who wished us well on our Anniversary yesterday. We really appreicate the kind words. Ok, on with it...

After meeting with Ariel, we had to do the standards or else we’d never hear the end of it. If we simply bypassed Dumbo on the final day Lennon would likely never let us live it down so off we went. Dumbo and the Barnstormer for the final time this trip.
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IMG_1796 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

We actually ended up riding the Barnstormer twice in a row as nobody was in line behind us so that made the kids pretty happy and they wanted to ride again but we had FP+ approaching for what was becoming one of Ella’s favourites, Space Mountain. One our way we stopped to grab a return time for the Mine Train which made both girls happy.

We strolled through Fantasyland, over into Tomorrowland and up toward Space Mountain. Lennon wasn’t feeling it today so Ella had the chance to ride twice. First with me, then with Kelly. She was in heaven!
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MK_SPACEMOUNTAINA_20171215_8143360007 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

After I finished with Ella on Space, I took Lennon over to Buzz as she really wanted to help defeat Zurg. I was happy with that so of we went while Kelly and Ella took to the stars.
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MK_SPACEMOUNTAINA_20171215_8143368903 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
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MK_BUZZLIGHTYEARRIDE_20171215_8143375726 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

While we were in Tomorrowland we decided to stop by the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor as we’d yet to enjoy that show. I quite like the show but am always nervous I’ll end up being someone they put up on the screen. I’d especially hate to end up the “Dancing Guy” as I might be the worst dancer around. Thankfully we just got to sit back and have a few laughs at the expense of others before hitting the pavement and moving on.

We could head back to the Mine Train at this point so off we went. We made the walk back and rolled through the FP+ queue. I loved how genuinely excited both girls would get for this ride. They went from absolutely hating it a short time ago, to riding it the entire thing with their hands in the air. These trips are getting far more fun as they become more adventurous.
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MK_MINETRAIN_20171215_8143384528 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
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MK_MINETRAIN_20171215_8143382971 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

With what would be our last trip into the diamond mines, we were all set for something we had yet to experience so far this trip, the Haunted Mansion. For whatever reason Lennon had not wanted to ride, she is freaked out by the hitchhiking ghosts, but we convinced her to come along with us this time. Before heading to meet the happy haunts, we stopped for a quick bathroom break. The Tangled bathroom area does provide for some cool photos.
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

We had made it to the entrance and Lenny was doing pretty good…on we forged. I loved this ride, sucks that we only ended up on it this one time but it’s a classic and I was happy we didn’t skip it. Even Len enjoyed herself so I think she’s over that ghost hurdle.
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

As we left the ride there was a PhotoPass spot that Kelly wasn’t going to let us miss.
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MK_HAUNTEDMANSIONEXIT_20171215_407170410506 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
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MK_HAUNTEDMANSIONEXIT_20171215_407170410515 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

Len was clearly over the whole hitchhiking ghost thing as this guy was happy to follow us home...
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MK_HAUNTEDMANSIONEXIT_20171215_407170410522 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

We continued to power through the park as best we could. Splash and Big Thunder were next but along the way, we wanted to stop off for a quick treat. The girls were happy with cake pops and I ended up with more popcorn.
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

Somehow things got all switched around and I ended up finishing the cake pops and they took over my popcorn. Oh well, nice to recharge before continuing on.

John Dulmage · Mar 21, 2018

DAKOTADISNEY said:
Happy Anniversary! I was wondering if you had any tips for the Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. We are going next December and are wondering about crowds, ride times, things like that. Our daughters are older so we probably won't be doing character photos. Thanks. Really enjoyed your trip report and the great photos of your family.

Like Matty30, we did our first MVMCP this past Dec., (actually 11/28). We did NOT have park tickets that day - just party tickets. So we showed up at 4:00 when it was time for party ticketholders to be able to get in. FYI - if you don't go to the park that day, you can make FP+ for 2 rides (they will only let you go up until 6:00 - even though the party doesn't officially start until 7:00). So we did SP from 4-5:00 and then Jingle Cruise from 5-6:00 (actually 5:20-6:00). If you aren't doing Character meets, then we were able to get on some rides with virtually no waits: BTMRR, HM, WP, IASMW. We also got a decent spot to watch the Frozen "castle lighting" show (they have one earlier before the park closes to non-ticket holders - but we did the one during the party). 7DMT still had a decent line, so we didn't try it. my one regret is I really wanted to see the VoicePlay (a capella group) show, but I didn't look at the schedule enough ahead of time to plan for it! Like Matty30 said, food options (except treats) are limited during the party, but we were able to grab some grub at Cosmic Ray's. Also don't miss the Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration show in front of the castle along with Holiday Wishes fireworks show. And also, plan on seeing the 2nd (11:00) Christmas Parade. We watched it from the beginning part of Main Street right by the big Christmas Tree (right across from where Matty30 watched it according to his TR), which was great, because we left right after that and because we were so near the entrance/exit, we were able to get on the first boat out to WL and beat the rush! The party was more crowded than I anticipated, but it was still a lot of fun (and did I mention treats!).

AKemily · Mar 21, 2018

Happy (belated) anniversary! I'm sad that your trip report is coming to an end.

I have really enjoyed following along!

DAKOTADISNEY · Mar 21, 2018

Wow! Thanks for all of the good advice. It gives me a really good idea of what to expect and makes me very excited for next December.

Matt and Kelly · Mar 21, 2018

John Dulmage said:
Like Matty30, we did our first MVMCP this past Dec., (actually 11/28). We did NOT have park tickets that day - just party tickets. So we showed up at 4:00 when it was time for party ticketholders to be able to get in. FYI - if you don't go to the park that day, you can make FP+ for 2 rides (they will only let you go up until 6:00 - even though the party doesn't officially start until 7:00). So we did SP from 4-5:00 and then Jingle Cruise from 5-6:00 (actually 5:20-6:00). If you aren't doing Character meets, then we were able to get on some rides with virtually no waits: BTMRR, HM, WP, IASMW. We also got a decent spot to watch the Frozen "castle lighting" show (they have one earlier before the park closes to non-ticket holders - but we did the one during the party). 7DMT still had a decent line, so we didn't try it. my one regret is I really wanted to see the VoicePlay (a capella group) show, but I didn't look at the schedule enough ahead of time to plan for it! Like Matty30 said, food options (except treats) are limited during the party, but we were able to grab some grub at Cosmic Ray's. Also don't miss the Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration show in front of the castle along with Holiday Wishes fireworks show. And also, plan on seeing the 2nd (11:00) Christmas Parade. We watched it from the beginning part of Main Street right by the big Christmas Tree (right across from where Matty30 watched it according to his TR), which was great, because we left right after that and because we were so near the entrance/exit, we were able to get on the first boat out to WL and beat the rush! The party was more crowded than I anticipated, but it was still a lot of fun (and did I mention treats!).

Great advice, John. Thanks for adding it. We definitely won't be getting stuck in another two-hour line to meet one character next time and will likely use the early part of the day to sleep in and take it easy before heading to the park. Looking forward to our next Christmas Party visist...whenevr it may be.

AKemily said:
Happy (belated) anniversary! I'm sad that your trip report is coming to an end. I have really enjoyed following along!

Thanks very much for the well wishes and for reading along! I can't believe I'm almost done. Makes me want to go back again soon just to be able to write another one.

DAKOTADISNEY said:
Wow! Thanks for all of the good advice. It gives me a really good idea of what to expect and makes me very excited for next December.

Have a great time!

LisaBelle · Mar 21, 2018

I’ve loved your report so far. Sad it’s coming to an end! Loved seeing the pictures of the character breakfast with Ariel, Rapunzel, Eric and Flynn. My daughter loves Flynn so we are planning to do that breakfast on our next visit. Happy anniversary to you and Kelly. Your girls are adorable! Glad they are enjoying more adventurous rides! It’s a lot of fun to share those rides together. My dream is to have a Disney Christmas. Thanks for sharing yours with us!!

Matt and Kelly · Mar 22, 2018

LisaBelle said:
I’ve loved your report so far. Sad it’s coming to an end! Loved seeing the pictures of the character breakfast with Ariel, Rapunzel, Eric and Flynn. My daughter loves Flynn so we are planning to do that breakfast on our next visit. Happy anniversary to you and Kelly. Your girls are adorable! Glad they are enjoying more adventurous rides! It’s a lot of fun to share those rides together. My dream is to have a Disney Christmas. Thanks for sharing yours with us!!

I really appreciate you following along and thank you for the well wishes. It's been some time since we spent Christmas at Disney so it was really nice to get back and experience it again. Really adds a whole new level of magic at that time of year. Hopefully you'll get to spend your Christmas there sometime soon.

Your daughter will love that breakfast. The character interaction there was terrific and they were all more than willing to spend a little extra time at each table for little things like Ella taking selfies on her iPod and stuff like that. Plus the food is pretty good so you can't go wrong!

Matt and Kelly · Mar 22, 2018

Now that we had re-energized it was time to hit up Splash Mountain. As we made our way towards the bridge to head to the ride Kelly noticed another PhotoPass photog. Figured it was better to take the pics before we got all wet on the ride so in line we jumped. The girls were still munching on treats so Kelly and I took advantage of having pics of just us.

MK_PROFRONROVER_20171215_407171325002 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

MK_PROFRONROVER_20171215_407171325010 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

Once we were done it was time to ride. Still my favourite and by this time, even months later as I type this, a ride Lennon won’t stop talking about. Amazing what happens when you just give something a try instead of acting too scared to do it!

Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

Only issue remaining is that the kids refuse to sit anywhere but the final two rows! Oh well, maybe we’ll move up next trip.

MK_SPLASH_20171215_8143461402 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

After Splash we made our way onto Big Thunder for the final time. Like the Mine Train earlier, the girls have completely bought in and sat the entire time with their arms in the air. Kelly took an on-ride video of Ella which I’ll have to post at another time when I can upload it to YouTube or something. Suffice to say she loved it. Lennon, too, but I wasn’t quick enough to pull my phone out of my pocket before we got rolling.

We were getting to a point now where we felt we were almost ready to say goodbye to MK. We had only a few things left to accomplish. First was our last FP+ to meet Rapunzel and Tiana and the final thing we wanted to do before wrapping up our visit was to meet the mouse himself, Mickey. Amazing that we’d been around for well over a week but had yet to meet the big cheese.

While the Kelly and the girls went to meet the princesses, I made my way back down Main Street to acquire a return time for the talking Mickey meet and greet. The line was pretty long so we ended up having to kill a little time before we could head back.

Kelly was still with the girls so I decided to hop on the train and take a little spin. I love the train but for whatever reason, we’ve never taken the girls for a ride around the park. One of my big regrets about this trip, and trips past.

Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

The kids seemed to enjoy their princess visit…

MK_PFTHPURPLEB1CHAR_20171215_407175429332 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

MK_PFTHPURPLEB1CHAR_20171215_407175429334 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

MK_PFTHPURPLEB2CHAR_20171215_407175262302 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

MK_PFTHPURPLEB2CHAR_20171215_407175262305 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

And I got a text asking where I was as the train approached the Fantasyland stop. I didn’t make it all the way around the park but I did enjoy the ride. Love taking it easy, even for a short while, to see a different side of MK. Next time the girls will certainly take the ride with me.

I met up with them near the carousel and Kelly and I decided it was time for later lunch. The kids were still full from their treats so they weren’t hungry but we made our way back toward Main Street and stopped at Casey’s Corner. They may not have been hungry but they seemed to like Casey.

Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

Casey’s was pretty busy but I’ve never eaten there before so I was kind of looking forward to it. Kelly ordered the corndog bites with fries and a drink and I went with the footlong chili cheese dog with fries and a drink.

We cozied up on the curb down Main Street but, in hindsight, with that footlong we definitely should have sat at a table as it was messy! Quite good, but so messy. I didn’t quite finish everything but being mid-afternoon and having that large a portion, I was stuffed for the rest of the night.

by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

With our break for lunch done we could then go back and meet Mickey.

Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

We rolled through the FP+ queue and after a really short wait we were next in line to meet the boss. I had heard about the talking feature now but wasn’t too sure what to expect. Clearly, this caught the girls off guard as when he started to say hello and welcome them over, they pretty much froze!

MK_TSTHEATERCCHAR_20171215_407180864559 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

MK_TSTHEATERCCHAR_20171215_407180864562 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

Took a little while for them to warm up to it, and it was a little weird, but finally, we could check meeting Mickey off the list.

MK_TSTHEATERCCHAR_20171215_407180864578 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

MK_TSTHEATERCCHAR_20171215_407180864597 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

MK_TSTHEATERCCHAR_20171215_407180864757 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

As we made our way back to the hub we decided it was time to head back to the Beach Club. It was really starting to fill up with Christmas party guests so our timing was about perfect. I ran around to take a few quick parting shots and one last look back down Main Street before saying “See Ya Real Soon” to the Magic Kingdom.

Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

Disney World - 2017 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

dizfan917 · Mar 22, 2018

I've really enjoyed following along on your trip! I'm curious about how the dining plan worked out for you. Did you think it was worthwhile for the family? It looks like you guys ate lots of good stuff!!

Matt and Kelly · Mar 22, 2018

dizfan917 said:
I've really enjoyed following along on your trip! I'm curious about how the dining plan worked out for you. Did you think it was worthwhile for the family? It looks like you guys ate lots of good stuff!!

Thanks again for following along! Kelly and I were talking about this not too long ago. This was our first go with the dining plan and we really liked it. Yes, we failed to use every single credit and did skip dessert at some meals, but it was super convenient and we ended up saving money on food costs when we did the breakdown.

We did use all of our table service meals, and then some, but I think we ended up leaving with three quick service credits left which want too bad overall. I think now that we kind of have some experience it will help us if we decide to do it again next time.

We weren't shy about ordering more expensive meals that we may otherwise not have done and because we did multiple character meals it really helped to cut down costs.

I think we would strongly consider using it again next trip but would have to weigh the cost with the increases due to the inclusion of alcohol. I think I'd get terrific use of that but probably not Kelly. HAHA

Matt and Kelly · Mar 22, 2018

Kelly was quick to send this over. Here is Ella enjoying our final rip on Big Thunder.

Matt and Kelly · Mar 23, 2018

On the bus ride back to the Beach Club Kelly and I were talking about what to do for the rest of the day. We had originally wanted to swing back to Animal Kingdom and do a few of the things we didn’t get to do earlier on the trip but as we made our way home, it was late in the afternoon, and we ended up deciding just to hang out and relax at the resort. We were heading home the next day so we figured we might as well start our packing (sadly) and rest our feet.

When we arrived back at the resort, we jumped off at the Yacht Club stop as I wanted to check out the lobby. I’d heard about the holiday train set up and wanted to see it in person. First thing I recognized as we walked in was how good the lobby smelled. Great scents at both resorts.

The lobby at YC was gorgeous and the train was super cool.
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

We walked back to the room for a little rest and relaxation. I think we were all kind of disappointed not to go back to AK, especially since we really didn’t spend a lot of time there this trip, but it was really nice to take a load off.

The girls were hungry at this point so we made them some dinner in the room and they ate while Kelly and I started packing. Having in-room laundry is such a treat. We did a few loads to save us from doing it at home and started getting our bags. One of the things I always do on any Disney trip is stockpiling the toiletries. I’d been stashing away all the bottles and soaps since we arrived at the Grand over a week before. Now that it was time to pack I really had to negotiate how to get all of this home…I can admit, I have a problem!
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

With the girls done eating and the backs somewhat packed, I decided to take them down to the pool for an early evening swim. They seemed happy to take one last dip.
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

The pool was empty as it had been most of the trip. I found my usual spot in the hot tub and they girls split their time between the hot tub and the pool. As I was enjoying a beer in the tub I calculated that I had walked about 190,000 steps since arriving in WDW and I was most pleased to give my weary legs a soak.
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

As Christmas was just around the corner, some of the other guests had really stepped up the decorating game around the Villas.
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Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

We spent a pretty decent amount of time enjoying our last swim before we ended up heading back up to the room to finish up packing what we could, watch some TV and get some rest before the long travel day back home to Edmonton the next day.

We had an afternoon flight the next day so we had some time to sleep in and figure out what to do from there. Our park days had sadly come to an end but we at least had a little extra time before we left to make sure we were able to soak up as much Disney as we could before heading to the airport.

becca_ · Mar 23, 2018

Happy belated anniversary!! Ten years is awesome. The 28th this month is Daniel & I's 3.5 years.. Next time we go to Disney it will be almost 5. Time sure does fly when you're having fun.

The video of Ella on BTMRR is awesome. So glad you have those memories to keep

Matt and Kelly · Mar 23, 2018

becca_ said:
Happy belated anniversary!! Ten years is awesome. The 28th this month is Daniel & I's 3.5 years.. Next time we go to Disney it will be almost 5. Time sure does fly when you're having fun.

The video of Ella on BTMRR is awesome. So glad you have those memories to keep

Thanks very much! Spending your 5th(ish) in Disney will definitely make the trip that much better when you guys are there!

mlegerto · Mar 26, 2018

Matt, it looks like you and your family had a great trip! Your girls are so freaking adorable!

So....when's the next trip booked for?

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

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