First Disney Trip !!!!

[HouCuseChickie]

Oh How nice - I feel the love already ! Here is my first question, We are planning on the third week of November but just read that it is the beginning week of Mickey's Christmas party. Is that a good thing or bad ? In your
opinion

We went Nov 15-21st last year. It's a nice time to go since many of the holiday decorations are up, but if you're going before Thanksgiving week- you should experience lower crowds. We are big BIG fans of Osborne Lights in DHS and I love the little show they do each night to light the Dreamlights on the castle. We've done MVMCP once...it was fun, but not sure if we'd do it again. If you opt not to do it, you can still see Holiday WIshes (the party fireworks) from places like the Poly beach, GF dock, or Contemporary deck (and they pipe in the music)...dining at Cali Grill on a MVMCP evening will also afford you such a view.

Not sure of your dates, but the hotel decorations tend to go up around the 17th. Sadly, the MK tree won't go up until after the Christmas parade is taped and Candlelight Processional and the holiday storytellers start after Thanksgiving...but you still really get the holiday vibe at this point. Plus, if your trip starts early enough, you may even catch the tail end of Food & Wine fest in Epcot.

In addition to the Unofficial Guide, I really like to recommend people also checkout Allears. http://www.allears.net/index.html
I still use it all the time...from menus, to lodging pics, to all kinds of random things. And of course, asking questions on here is great as well! Plus, there are lots of great resources on here too! Welcome!!!!

 

[Walt 1901]

We did MVMCP and we had a good time. The kids had to stop at every hot chocolate and cookie station to get their free hot chocolate and cookie. It was crowded in the being, but depending on the cast members working it started to empty out as the night went on. If the cast members working dont let the people without wrist bands ride the rides they tend to leave at it was more fun later. Loved the snow on Main Street.

 

[real mad hatter]

A quick mention for " Passporters " book..A great book for WDW @ souvenir

 

[Figgy1]

Welcome. Buy the unofficial guide and read it cover to cover. Then read it again.

That's the best place to start if you do that you will really have a much better understanding of all the fun you will have! Welcome and happy plannng!

 

[Figgy1]

Don't be afraid when you see the book. Tons of information, but broken up into sections to be more easily used. Everything you'd want to know about the hotels, dining choices, rides, shows, etc.

I get it sometimes just for something to read,

I love that book when I lost power for a week after Sandy it kept me sane.

 

[Ellendram]

Thanks again. Does anyone know if the Mickey Christmas party will make the MK close early ? Since it is a ticketed event ? What are the Osborne lights ? Not familiar with that. We can be flexible with our dates so we could change them to October. Also - I am holding off on actually booking because I read that Disney will usually offer a Free Dining promo during our time of travel. Does anyone know when they usually announce the fall promos ? I would hate to book the trip and then find out that I could have done better with a promo.

 

[bsiev1977]

Thanks again. Does anyone know if the Mickey Christmas party will make the MK close early ? Since it is a ticketed event ? What are the Osborne lights ? Not familiar with that. We can be flexible with our dates so we could change them to October. Also - I am holding off on actually booking because I read that Disney will usually offer a Free Dining promo during our time of travel. Does anyone know when they usually announce the fall promos ? I would hate to book the trip and then find out that I could have done better with a promo.

On nights that the Christmas party is running, MK will close at 7pm.

Osborne lights is a show of lights synchronized to music, and is located at Hollywood Studios. Search it in YouTube and you'll find plenty of videos of it. Looks really cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing it in December myself.

As far as booking and promo rates, I'm pretty sure I've read on here that it's not too much of a hassle to rebook to a new deal if something better comes along, especially if you work with a travel agent,

 

[popcenturylover]

Thanks again. Does anyone know if the Mickey Christmas party will make the MK close early ? Since it is a ticketed event ? What are the Osborne lights ? Not familiar with that. We can be flexible with our dates so we could change them to October. Also - I am holding off on actually booking because I read that Disney will usually offer a Free Dining promo during our time of travel. Does anyone know when they usually announce the fall promos ? I would hate to book the trip and then find out that I could have done better with a promo.

Yes, the hard ticketed events close the parks early. The Osborne lights is a big light display at DHS. No one knows if & when there will be a free dining promo. Disney has said that it is cutting back on promos this year. Last year we got free dining for September in March. So who knows!? By the way, Welcome!

 

[DVC4bestvacations]

Welcome! There are alot of great information to be found here at WDWMagic! Just don't buy into the negativity.

Enjoy planning you vacation it is half the Fun!!!

 

[GSP Guy]

The UG is the best book around!

And no question is too stupid.

 

[GSP Guy]

sorry... supposed to have been like button

 

[JIMINYCR]

Welcome. Osborne lights will absolutely astound you. Nowhere else will you see a display of Christmas lights synchronized to music like Disney has at DHS.
The following tells the story.

As the story goes, Arkansas resident Jennings Osborne and his family were very big on the Holidays. In 1986, Jennings asked his youngest daughter Breezy what her Christmas wish was. She replied that she would like to see their whole house covered in lights. They had quite a large house but Jennings was determined to make his daughter's Christmas dream come true. That first year the Osborne family covered their home with a modest 1,000 red lights. With each passing year, the family wanted to do more. The Osbornes eventually purchased property adjacent to their own in order to expand on their newfound hobby.

The display grew to millions of lights. There were flashing lights, multi-colored lights, custom-made light sculptures and a 75-foot Christmas tree adorned by lights. This drew onlookers from all over Arkansas. Displeased by the resulting traffic jams, the local residents asked that the Osborne family stop the annual display. Legal intervention was sought, and it appeared that the Osborne's beloved tradition was about to come to an end. When Mickey Mouse got word of this, he offered a venue where the Osborne lights could be shared with visitors from around the globe. In 1995, Residential Street at theDisney's Hollywood Studios became the home of this dazzling light show.

Disney keeps adding to the displays. Theres so much to see, as you wander through the streets take your time to find all the small things placed around the lit up buildings. And keeping with the season theres a manger scene.

 

[Ellendram]

Wow = looks beautiful. Thanks,,so much to consider !

 

[Ellendram]

Another question. Because we are staying on Disney Property we plan on using the transportation system and therefore will not be renting a car. Is there somewhere with Disney where we can buy snacks/milk/water,,etc for our room once we arrive ?

 

[luv]

Thanks again. Does anyone know if the Mickey Christmas party will make the MK close early ? Since it is a ticketed event ? What are the Osborne lights ? Not familiar with that. We can be flexible with our dates so we could change them to October. Also - I am holding off on actually booking because I read that Disney will usually offer a Free Dining promo during our time of travel. Does anyone know when they usually announce the fall promos ? I would hate to book the trip and then find out that I could have done better with a promo.

You should use a travel agent who specializes in Disney, like Kingdom Konsultants. They will book what you want and if a promo comes up (there are SO many) that will save you money, they'll plug it in. It's a free service and extremely helpful to new planners. I do NOT work for them, even it sounds like I do. I just really think all people new to Disney should go this route. I wish I'd been able to!

October will also have days the MK shuts early for parties - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is offered in October. It's much better than the Christmas party, but if you want to avoid parties, October won't help you.

All the hotels have snacks, milk and water. They are ridiculously priced, but they have them available for purchase.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

A quick mention for " Passporters " book..A great book for WDW @ souvenir

My favorite also.

 

[KatMaria]

Agh! So excited for you guys, hope to see you around Hollywood Studios, its where I work

 

[melflip8]

Welcome and kudos to you for jumping onto WDWMagic. After reading the Disney Planning Guide of your choosing, I suggest you highlight out the things you DEFINITELY don't want to miss or do, and then maybe just focus on that for your first trip. You will most likely get hooked and then can start spreading your wings from there! Best of luck!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Another option for you. We've used their services in the past and were pleased. Helped us defray our costs.

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home | frequently asked questions | search | contact | customer login | view cart Monday March 18th 2013​

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[sshindel]

Another question. Because we are staying on Disney Property we plan on using the transportation system and therefore will not be renting a car. Is there somewhere with Disney where we can buy snacks/milk/water,,etc for our room once we arrive ?

It probably depends on where you are staying. Most resorts will have some basics but not a TON in the way of general grocery. The Ft. Wilderness campgrounds have some "Trading Posts", which have a little more in stock in the way of food. Also, mentioned elsewhere is the (external) grocery delivery services, which I've heard of but have never used, so I can't vouch for them.

A note about the Christmas Party. As mentioned, the parks close at 7pm the day of the party, but if you purchase a ticket to that event, you can get there (unless they've changed it recently) anytime after 4pm and get in. My family typically will buy 1 less day of park tickets, buy the Christmas party tickets, and use the morning for a nice sleep-in / Downtown Disney / Relax by the pool kind of a day. Then we get to the MK gates at 4pm and stay as late as the kids will allow us. The crowd is very light on the night of the parties (having kicked everyone out at 7 except ticket holders), the entertainment is great, and the special version of the fireworks is spectacular.

It would all depend though on a million factors, like how many days you'd be spending in total (so you knew you wouldn't be missing something else you could be doing all day), how much the extra Christmas magic is worth to your group, etc.