After worrying about the pre-Christmas crowds all year, I am pleased to report that they were not nearly as bad as I expected. With a lot of planning and a willingness to be at the parks before rope drop every day, we got an enormous amount done. Just to give you an idea, here’s what we accomplished (forgive the shorthand).
Checked in at the Boardwalk Inn at 9pm on 12/20. First time at a deluxe resort because this was my 50th birthday trip. We didn’t spend any time at the resort except to sleep so for us the choice was strictly about location and walkability to two parks. We enjoyed our stay immensely, but it wouldn’t be worth it to us to stay at a deluxe in the future.
Friday 12/21 – Arrived at the MK at 7:40am for early EMH at 8am. Touring Plans predicted a crowd level of 4 because it was the last MVMCP day and the park would close at 6pm.
"Ran" to 7DMT and rode on standby with 20 minute wait.
Peter Pan on standby with 20 minute wait.
Buzz Lightyear on standby with 5 minute wait.
Haunted Mansion on standby with 5 minute wait.
Pirates on standby with 5 minute wait.
DH and I took the monorail to the Polynesian for our favorite brunch at Kona Café while the kids rode Space Mtn on standby with a 1 hour wait and then had brunch in the park (DS loved the buffalo chicken tater tots at Friar’s Nook) and DD got her Mickey waffle fix at Sleepyhollow Bakery.
After brunch we started using our FP+s. First Splash Mtn. Then Big Thunder. And ultimately Space Mtn again.
We had time to stop and take tons of photos throughout the day in the matching tee-shirts I made everyone wear, and we also had time to indulge in many of our favorite snacks as well as do souvenir shopping.
We left the MK at 5pm and drove our rental car to Disney Springs where we did a bit more souvenir shopping and had dinner at Chef Art’s Homecomin’ which was delicious. According to DH’s fitbt, we walked approximately 11 miles that day.
Saturday 12/22 – After a quick breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery, we walked to Epcot via the International Gateway at 8:45am. The park was predicted to have a crowd level of 6.
Test Track on standby with a 50 minute wait.
Soarin’ on standby with an hour wait (Touring Plans misled us here by posting that the actual expected wait time would be 20 minutes – they were really off here).
Checked out Club Cool where I was offered a free slushie when they saw my Birthday Pin! That was a nice surprise.
Frozen on standby with a 40 minute wait.
Lunch in the World Showcase – Sommerfest for 2 of us, Tangeriene Café for 1 of us, and a holiday kitchen booth for one of us.
Time to start using FP+s again: Space Ship Earth, Soarin’ (our favorite), Living with the Land, and then Seas with Nemo on standby with a 5 minute wait.
Tried to ride TT again on the single rider line but the ride had gone down.
Three Caballeros with 5 minute wait.
Saw the Candlelight Procession from afar (not really our thing).
Got tons of snack again throughout the day (including at Karamelle Kuche) and had time to souvenir shop.
Dinner at Rose & Crown Pub at the latest seating so we could stay through IllumiNations which we hadn’t seen in several years and was amazing from our close vantage point. Enjoyed the special Mary Poppins dessert with a spoon-shaped sugar cookie filled with sugar!
Walked back to our resort after the show and checked out the boardwalk at night. It was another 11 mile day according to the fitbit.
Sunday 12/23 – After another quick breakfast we walked to DHS, arriving at 8:30 for 9am opening. This park was predicted to be a 9 crowd level today, and I’d agree with that assessment. It was the most crowded park of our trip.
“Ran” to Toy Story Mania which we rode with a 10 minute wait on standby. Considered waiting 1 hour for Alien Saucers but decided it wasn’t worth the wait for our family with 2 teenagers when we saw it.
Got s’mores French toast at Woody’s Lunchbox, and I cannot rave about this enough. OMG!
Then DH and DD rode TOT on standby while DS and I rode RNRC on standby. Then the kids teamed up to ride RNRC again while DH and I went to see Muppets 3D which I love.
We arrived a half hour before the first Indiana Jones show at 12pm but it was already full so we went back to ride TSM again, this time with a 75 minute standby wait. The park was REALLY crowded by now but not so you couldn’t walk comfortably. DS and I shared the adult grilled cheese and the brisket sandwich at Woody’s Lunchbox for lunch, and both were excellent.
After lunch was FP+ time again. First TOT, then RNRC. And finally Slinky Dog Dash, which by then had a 2.5 hour standby wait, so it felt great to walk right on! It was more thrilling than I anticipated and we all enjoyed it. I’d rate it a step above BTMRR in thrills. Overall I was super impressed with Toy Story Land.
Around 5:15pm we left DHS and walked to Epcot because we all wanted to ride TT one more time and we had park hoppers passes so why not (I’d only paid for parkhopper passes to get free dining because it saved us $700 overall on the DDP which we enjoy having). We then raced back to the Boardwalk Inn to change for the dinner I’d been looking forward to most of all – Yachtsman Steakhouse. It was almost a 12 mile day which was good given all the food we ate!
Monday 12/24 (Christmas Eve Day) – Today I made everyone get up at 5:15am so we could get to AK by 6:30am for early EMH at 7am! The rest of the family was convinced no one would be there at that ungodly (and still dark) hour – boy were they surprised when there were hundreds of people ahead of us for what one CM called the “Pandora 5K”! LOL. Still, we were able to ride FOP with a 20 minute standby wait. Wow! Then we headed over to NJR which we rode after a half hour standby wait. I was glad to have experienced it but we all agreed that it wasn’t worth the wait.
It was a level 7 crowd day per Touring Plans. We left Pandora Land, and the rest of the family rode E:E on standby with a 20 minute wait while chicken-me walked the Maharajah Jungle Trail.
Tough to Be a Bug with a 5 minute standby wait.
Got Dole Whip Floats (some with rum!) at Tamu Tamu. Then DH and I went on the Safari with FP+s while the kids rode E:E again.
Lunch at Tusker House for the Rivers of Light Package. We don’t love this place but I booked it to ensure we’d get into the show for our first time and to reserve FP+s for other things.
After lunch, the rest of the family rode E:E yet again with FP+s. Then we rode FOP again with FP+s, and we all liked it even more the second time.
Then to Dinosaur with FP+s.
And finally, we got our seats at the ROL theatre and waited for the show which I thought was stunning and beautiful, but DH wasn’t overly impressed.
Quick dinner at Restaurantasaurus after the show, and then we drove to Universal Orlando where we’d stay overnight to get the Express Passes and early entry to the parks there the next day before returning home. (The Universal Parks were also very crowded on Christmas Day, but we had no problem doing everything we wanted with those EPs.) It was yet another 11 mile day.
So you can see that we accomplished an enormous amount in the 4 days leading up to Christmas. DHS would have been tough without FP+s and early arrival but I am nothing if not a dedicated planner! Yes, we needed a vacation from the vacation after returning home, but I don’t go to Disney to rest – I go to have fun. It was a wonderful trip, and I am sad that it is over.
Checked in at the Boardwalk Inn at 9pm on 12/20. First time at a deluxe resort because this was my 50th birthday trip. We didn’t spend any time at the resort except to sleep so for us the choice was strictly about location and walkability to two parks. We enjoyed our stay immensely, but it wouldn’t be worth it to us to stay at a deluxe in the future.
Friday 12/21 – Arrived at the MK at 7:40am for early EMH at 8am. Touring Plans predicted a crowd level of 4 because it was the last MVMCP day and the park would close at 6pm.
"Ran" to 7DMT and rode on standby with 20 minute wait.
Peter Pan on standby with 20 minute wait.
Buzz Lightyear on standby with 5 minute wait.
Haunted Mansion on standby with 5 minute wait.
Pirates on standby with 5 minute wait.
DH and I took the monorail to the Polynesian for our favorite brunch at Kona Café while the kids rode Space Mtn on standby with a 1 hour wait and then had brunch in the park (DS loved the buffalo chicken tater tots at Friar’s Nook) and DD got her Mickey waffle fix at Sleepyhollow Bakery.
After brunch we started using our FP+s. First Splash Mtn. Then Big Thunder. And ultimately Space Mtn again.
We had time to stop and take tons of photos throughout the day in the matching tee-shirts I made everyone wear, and we also had time to indulge in many of our favorite snacks as well as do souvenir shopping.
We left the MK at 5pm and drove our rental car to Disney Springs where we did a bit more souvenir shopping and had dinner at Chef Art’s Homecomin’ which was delicious. According to DH’s fitbt, we walked approximately 11 miles that day.
Saturday 12/22 – After a quick breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery, we walked to Epcot via the International Gateway at 8:45am. The park was predicted to have a crowd level of 6.
Test Track on standby with a 50 minute wait.
Soarin’ on standby with an hour wait (Touring Plans misled us here by posting that the actual expected wait time would be 20 minutes – they were really off here).
Checked out Club Cool where I was offered a free slushie when they saw my Birthday Pin! That was a nice surprise.
Frozen on standby with a 40 minute wait.
Lunch in the World Showcase – Sommerfest for 2 of us, Tangeriene Café for 1 of us, and a holiday kitchen booth for one of us.
Time to start using FP+s again: Space Ship Earth, Soarin’ (our favorite), Living with the Land, and then Seas with Nemo on standby with a 5 minute wait.
Tried to ride TT again on the single rider line but the ride had gone down.
Three Caballeros with 5 minute wait.
Saw the Candlelight Procession from afar (not really our thing).
Got tons of snack again throughout the day (including at Karamelle Kuche) and had time to souvenir shop.
Dinner at Rose & Crown Pub at the latest seating so we could stay through IllumiNations which we hadn’t seen in several years and was amazing from our close vantage point. Enjoyed the special Mary Poppins dessert with a spoon-shaped sugar cookie filled with sugar!
Walked back to our resort after the show and checked out the boardwalk at night. It was another 11 mile day according to the fitbit.
Sunday 12/23 – After another quick breakfast we walked to DHS, arriving at 8:30 for 9am opening. This park was predicted to be a 9 crowd level today, and I’d agree with that assessment. It was the most crowded park of our trip.
“Ran” to Toy Story Mania which we rode with a 10 minute wait on standby. Considered waiting 1 hour for Alien Saucers but decided it wasn’t worth the wait for our family with 2 teenagers when we saw it.
Got s’mores French toast at Woody’s Lunchbox, and I cannot rave about this enough. OMG!
Then DH and DD rode TOT on standby while DS and I rode RNRC on standby. Then the kids teamed up to ride RNRC again while DH and I went to see Muppets 3D which I love.
We arrived a half hour before the first Indiana Jones show at 12pm but it was already full so we went back to ride TSM again, this time with a 75 minute standby wait. The park was REALLY crowded by now but not so you couldn’t walk comfortably. DS and I shared the adult grilled cheese and the brisket sandwich at Woody’s Lunchbox for lunch, and both were excellent.
After lunch was FP+ time again. First TOT, then RNRC. And finally Slinky Dog Dash, which by then had a 2.5 hour standby wait, so it felt great to walk right on! It was more thrilling than I anticipated and we all enjoyed it. I’d rate it a step above BTMRR in thrills. Overall I was super impressed with Toy Story Land.
Around 5:15pm we left DHS and walked to Epcot because we all wanted to ride TT one more time and we had park hoppers passes so why not (I’d only paid for parkhopper passes to get free dining because it saved us $700 overall on the DDP which we enjoy having). We then raced back to the Boardwalk Inn to change for the dinner I’d been looking forward to most of all – Yachtsman Steakhouse. It was almost a 12 mile day which was good given all the food we ate!
Monday 12/24 (Christmas Eve Day) – Today I made everyone get up at 5:15am so we could get to AK by 6:30am for early EMH at 7am! The rest of the family was convinced no one would be there at that ungodly (and still dark) hour – boy were they surprised when there were hundreds of people ahead of us for what one CM called the “Pandora 5K”! LOL. Still, we were able to ride FOP with a 20 minute standby wait. Wow! Then we headed over to NJR which we rode after a half hour standby wait. I was glad to have experienced it but we all agreed that it wasn’t worth the wait.
It was a level 7 crowd day per Touring Plans. We left Pandora Land, and the rest of the family rode E:E on standby with a 20 minute wait while chicken-me walked the Maharajah Jungle Trail.
Tough to Be a Bug with a 5 minute standby wait.
Got Dole Whip Floats (some with rum!) at Tamu Tamu. Then DH and I went on the Safari with FP+s while the kids rode E:E again.
Lunch at Tusker House for the Rivers of Light Package. We don’t love this place but I booked it to ensure we’d get into the show for our first time and to reserve FP+s for other things.
After lunch, the rest of the family rode E:E yet again with FP+s. Then we rode FOP again with FP+s, and we all liked it even more the second time.
Then to Dinosaur with FP+s.
And finally, we got our seats at the ROL theatre and waited for the show which I thought was stunning and beautiful, but DH wasn’t overly impressed.
Quick dinner at Restaurantasaurus after the show, and then we drove to Universal Orlando where we’d stay overnight to get the Express Passes and early entry to the parks there the next day before returning home. (The Universal Parks were also very crowded on Christmas Day, but we had no problem doing everything we wanted with those EPs.) It was yet another 11 mile day.
So you can see that we accomplished an enormous amount in the 4 days leading up to Christmas. DHS would have been tough without FP+s and early arrival but I am nothing if not a dedicated planner! Yes, we needed a vacation from the vacation after returning home, but I don’t go to Disney to rest – I go to have fun. It was a wonderful trip, and I am sad that it is over.
