"Is this the Magic Kingdom?" - A November Trip Report

“Is this the Magic Kingdom?!” - A November Holiday Trip Report

53 rides
36 characters
6 table service meals
5 nighttime shows, fireworks and parades
4 and a half days
3 girls
And 2 resorts
All add up to….

One magical Disney getaway!

Hey everyone! I may be home physically, but mentally I’m still in Disney World. We had a GREAT long weekend (or short week, as some people have called it) For those who have read my pre-trip report, you already know the scoop. For those who haven’t, here’s a little run down:

Who:
-Me: Darolyn (or most people call me D) age 28. Disney enthusiast to the max.

DSC07392 by Derelicte19, on Flickr

-Sister: Ashley, age 26. Loves Disney as well but not quite to the same obsessive level as I.

DSC06321 by Derelicte19, on Flickr

-Mama: Terryn, age 29... Again! I thank her for bringing me to WDW at the tender age of 11 months and getting me hooked. I also thank her for buying our timeshare in Kissimmee so we can enjoy a vacation with Mickey and friends every year J

DSC06942 by Derelicte19, on Flickr

We’re all Disney fanatics!! J

Here’s me and my sister (and friend) in 2006

8131_189995891071_674341071_4381286_4635389_n by Derelicte19, on Flickr

And here we are in 2007

n674341071_2766527_4062959 by Derelicte19, on Flickr

And at Busch Gardens in 2009 (Yes, sometimes we cheat on Disney… sorry!)

n674341071_2824009_4791285 by Derelicte19, on Flickr

Me and Mama on our 2010 trip

155212_10150099410841072_674341071_7868956_7013788_n by Derelicte19, on Flickr

And May of 2011

DSC07059 by Derelicte19, on Flickr

We visited Disney World together this past May and had a great time. We had originally scheduled our next WDW vacation to be fall of next year, for a week, in our timeshare at Vistana. Well, plans changed. None of us wanted to wait a year and a half so a couple schedule changes, a few number crunches and some reservations had us flying into Orlando on Thursday night November 10 and returning home Tuesday night November 15. Yup, a full year ahead of time. Since we wouldn’t be using the timeshare, we decided to stay on Disney property. Much easier doing that than renting a car and staying off-site (though in the long run, that might have ben cheaper!) We’d stayed at the All Stars a couple times but this time we decided we wanted to go big… deluxe resort big. So we booked a courtyard view room at the Wilderness Lodge for 4 nights and 1 night at the All Star Movies (since our flight wasn’t scheduled to arrive into Orlando til midnight, we couldn’t fathom the idea of spending the $300+ nightly rate when we were arriving so late.)

This trip was a trip of many firsts for us: Our first deluxe resort. Our first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We added 3 new restaurants to our itinerary and also it would be my sisters first time visiting WDW during the holiday season (my mother and I both visited Thanksgiving week back in 2001 and again last November) Also, our first time experiencing the Magical Express and our first time NOT having a rental car and relying completely on Disney transportation.

Now, onto the good stuff…. Enjoy!!
 

lbrad

Well-Known Member
Just came on board ... GREAT TR !!! Looks like a lot of fun.
Don't know how you lasted so long in your flip flops...
Sure hope no one stepped on your frozen toes :eek:

Great pictures ... thanks for sharing :wave:
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sunday November 12, 2011

We decided to sleep in on Sunday. The late night Thursday night combined with the long Saturday made us super tired. I woke up around 9:15 and we were all ready and out the door by 11. I realized I hadn't taken any pics of the lodge so we stopped and I took some when we were heading out.

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Looking up to the lodge from the walkway to the buses.
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Entrance to the villas
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The Epcot bus was pulling up just as we got in line. Man, we had such good timing with transportation so far! We made a brief stop at Fort Wilderness where (again) no one got on the bus.

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Notice the pretty much empty bus.. It was like this most everytime we rode..
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I would love to go horseback riding there sometime..
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Thinking about staying here for Tower of Terror 10 Miler weekend...
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We arrived at Epcot around 11:30
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We had a 1:35pm ADR so we knew we wouldn't be able to do a ton. We started off by getting our picture taken with Stitch (again) he had no line so we figured, why not!
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We then made our way into the park, ready for some adventure!
 

Kristia

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure if anyone said it yet (I don't think so) but that character you were wondering about in the parade is Horace Horsecollar. I have been playing Epic Mickey on Wii and he is in it quite a bit.
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
First things first, we headed over to Test Track to grab some FP for after lunch. We walked over to The Land and rode Living With The Land with no wait. My mom and grandmother love gardening so this is one of Mom's favorites. I love it too.

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The unoriginal LWTL pics everyone has already seen a million times.. But I'm gonna post them again!!
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Tigers love pepper... They hate cinnamon. (FOr those who have seen The Hangover)
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After Living With The Land we journeyed over to imagination to see our old pal Figment. Add me to the list of those who miss the beloved Dreamfinder... There was actually a short line for the ride, which surprised me. There is NEVER a line for this... Guess there's always a first time for everything!

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LeCellier.Lover

Well-Known Member
I'm really enjoying reading your trip report! Looks like you guys had a fun time! I'm glad to see someone shares my same love of ToT, can't get enough of that ride! :p Your picture of the pot roast made my mouth water, I love that dish and that restaurant! One time I was a victim of getting caught with my elbows on the table and I got my nose put in the corner. :( Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip! :)
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm really enjoying reading your trip report! Looks like you guys had a fun time! I'm glad to see someone shares my same love of ToT, can't get enough of that ride! :p Your picture of the pot roast made my mouth water, I love that dish and that restaurant! One time I was a victim of getting caught with my elbows on the table and I got my nose put in the corner. :( Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip! :)

Thanks for reading! :wave:

50's is such a fun time. It's a can't miss meal for us every time we go!! ToT is awesome as well. It's such a well done ride!

And I must say that even though I am a die-hard Bruins fan, the Blackhawks are my favorite team in the west. Patrick Kane is my favorite hockey player. LOVE him! :)
 

LeCellier.Lover

Well-Known Member
And I must say that even though I am a die-hard Bruins fan, the Blackhawks are my favorite team in the west. Patrick Kane is my favorite hockey player. LOVE him! :)

It's funny that you say that because I'm the same way, I'm a die-hard Blackhawks fan but the Bruins are my favorite team in the east. Small world, huh? :lol: OMG! Patrick Kane is my all-time favorite player :D
 

princessmelinda

Active Member
LOVE this trip report! I'm also from Red Sox and Bruins nation :)! I'm debating on whether to go in november or early december next year! I absolutely adore a Disney Christmas too!
 

glendroid

Active Member
I am forever happy that the bruins beat the Canucks. I'm a Canadian and I hate the Canucks.

The bruins just may be my second favorite team after my oilers ;)

Thanks again.

Ps. Nice TR
 

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
Happy Day After Your Birthday! That sounds so much better than "I didn't know" or "Dang, I forgot." :D

I spent the morning with y'all on your totally fab trip and loved every moment. Good stuff! Let's see what all I can remember....

I agree with Via Napoli. I love it. Haters can just keep on hatin' and eat elsewhere. This leaves a nice table available for ME...well...when I get back someday...

Love the parade for MVMCP. It's my favorite of the Disney parades that I've seen. I think it was the mood that night more than anything. I stood there all giddy hopping around and commenting on the twirl-factor of all the girls' dresses. LOL!

Wilderness Lodge. The whole BB thing was weird. Not sure I wouldn't have been creeped out so much I'd have wanted to switch rooms...or resorts. I think your description of the location was really spot-on. It does feel like a little hidden gem tucked in right around the corner from the MK. As much as I liked it I wouldn't call it a favorite. Cost might dictate staying there again someday but for now I'm glad to say I stayed there, too, but don't plan to stay again.

RnRC. In my younger years there was no better place to be than the back. In my older years I'm in search of a ride that's not as rough. The back always feels so rough to me. So nowadays we request the front. Getting old blows. Write that one down. :lol:

Loved your long day at DHS. So fun! Your pace seemed really relaxed and there's no better way to top it all of than a visit to the Osborne lights. Love 'em!

Totally jealous of your kitchen/tv table at Prime Time. We never get the cool table! Well, not that we've been there so much. The boys don't like the schtick (they say they hear that stuff enough from me) so I don't book it anymore. Why pay to put up with their whining, right? I'm thinking if/when we're there again Tracey and I will either ditch them for a meal or for an entire trip. :lookaroun Oh! And your sister's Bud Light Lime! Yeah, try that with Grenadine in it. (Or Corona with lime & Grenadine.) Totally fruity and yummy! Yes, it's girly beer! :slurp:

Oooooh...Ohana. I could easily skip the entire meal itself and just have the dessert. I wonder how that would go over: "Yes, hi. I'd like a Lapu Lapu to drink. Thanks. And you can skip all the food stuff. Just bring the bread pudding and keep it coming. Thanks!" Which brings me to the Lapu Lapu. Is that not total awesome sauce?! I looooove those! When the drinky is all gone bring me a spoon so I can scoop out the marinaded pineapple pulp. MMMmmmmmmmm.....

Okay. That's all I can think of because now I'm hungry. Can't wait to read how the rest of your adventure went! :wave:
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
LOVE this trip report! I'm also from Red Sox and Bruins nation :)! I'm debating on whether to go in november or early december next year! I absolutely adore a Disney Christmas too!

Thanks for reading!!

We loved going in November. The only bummer was not all the resort decorations were up. I went during Thanksgiving week in 2010 and everything was up and decorated. I think you can't go wrong with November (before Thanksgiving) or December (before Christmas!)

I am forever happy that the bruins beat the Canucks. I'm a Canadian and I hate the Canucks.

The bruins just may be my second favorite team after my oilers ;)

Thanks again.

Ps. Nice TR

Thanks! I LOVE my Bruins! :) While I'm not an Oilers fan, I do like Taylor Hall. Such a talented kid. I can't wait to watch the rematch of Boston/Canucks this weekend!

Happy Day After Your Birthday! That sounds so much better than "I didn't know" or "Dang, I forgot." :D

I spent the morning with y'all on your totally fab trip and loved every moment. Good stuff! Let's see what all I can remember....

I agree with Via Napoli. I love it. Haters can just keep on hatin' and eat elsewhere. This leaves a nice table available for ME...well...when I get back someday...

Love the parade for MVMCP. It's my favorite of the Disney parades that I've seen. I think it was the mood that night more than anything. I stood there all giddy hopping around and commenting on the twirl-factor of all the girls' dresses. LOL!

Wilderness Lodge. The whole BB thing was weird. Not sure I wouldn't have been creeped out so much I'd have wanted to switch rooms...or resorts. I think your description of the location was really spot-on. It does feel like a little hidden gem tucked in right around the corner from the MK. As much as I liked it I wouldn't call it a favorite. Cost might dictate staying there again someday but for now I'm glad to say I stayed there, too, but don't plan to stay again.

RnRC. In my younger years there was no better place to be than the back. In my older years I'm in search of a ride that's not as rough. The back always feels so rough to me. So nowadays we request the front. Getting old blows. Write that one down. :lol:

Loved your long day at DHS. So fun! Your pace seemed really relaxed and there's no better way to top it all of than a visit to the Osborne lights. Love 'em!

Totally jealous of your kitchen/tv table at Prime Time. We never get the cool table! Well, not that we've been there so much. The boys don't like the schtick (they say they hear that stuff enough from me) so I don't book it anymore. Why pay to put up with their whining, right? I'm thinking if/when we're there again Tracey and I will either ditch them for a meal or for an entire trip. :lookaroun Oh! And your sister's Bud Light Lime! Yeah, try that with Grenadine in it. (Or Corona with lime & Grenadine.) Totally fruity and yummy! Yes, it's girly beer!

Oooooh...Ohana. I could easily skip the entire meal itself and just have the dessert. I wonder how that would go over: "Yes, hi. I'd like a Lapu Lapu to drink. Thanks. And you can skip all the food stuff. Just bring the bread pudding and keep it coming. Thanks!" Which brings me to the Lapu Lapu. Is that not total awesome sauce?! I looooove those! When the drinky is all gone bring me a spoon so I can scoop out the marinaded pineapple pulp. MMMmmmmmmmm.....

Okay. That's all I can think of because now I'm hungry. Can't wait to read how the rest of your adventure went! :wave:

Thanks for the happy "day after" my birthday!! lol :D Wish I had a Lapu Lapu last night... Mmmmm... Delish!! :slurp:

Wilderness Lodge is really the only resort we've stayed at other than the All Stars so I don't have much to compare it to... Ahhh, the positives and negatives of having an off property timeshare... While we don't have to pay for lodging for the week (well, we do with annual fees and what not but it's not NEARLY as much as a week at the Polynesian or one of the moderates) we don't get to experience much staying on property. This is why we've decided 2 trips a year is a must.. One for staying off-site and doing stuff like Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens and Sea World and then one long weekend for staying on property and doing strictly Disney.... It's a COMPLETELY different experience staying off property and having your own car than staying on property and taking the Magical Express and whatnot

WL is beautiful but not so beautiful that we can afford it every year. We got lucky and did land a great AP rate for 2 nights for our stay in May but I think we're aiming for Port Orleans French Quarter for our long weekend in September :)
 

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the happy "day after" my birthday!! lol :D Wish I had a Lapu Lapu last night... Mmmmm... Delish!! :slurp:

Wilderness Lodge is really the only resort we've stayed at other than the All Stars so I don't have much to compare it to... Ahhh, the positives and negatives of having an off property timeshare... While we don't have to pay for lodging for the week (well, we do with annual fees and what not but it's not NEARLY as much as a week at the Polynesian or one of the moderates) we don't get to experience much staying on property. This is why we've decided 2 trips a year is a must.. One for staying off-site and doing stuff like Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens and Sea World and then one long weekend for staying on property and doing strictly Disney.... It's a COMPLETELY different experience staying off property and having your own car than staying on property and taking the Magical Express and whatnot

WL is beautiful but not so beautiful that we can afford it every year. We got lucky and did land a great AP rate for 2 nights for our stay in May but I think we're aiming for Port Orleans French Quarter for our long weekend in September :)

We loooove POFQ! I've stayed at 5 different deluxes (almost always with discounts), 1 moderate, and 1 value. By far I'd have to say POFQ is the best bang for the buck out of all of them. It's so serene and relaxing there. It's a beautiful resort. I hope you get to give it a try. They even give out beads and you don't have to "show" anything to get 'em! It's the little perks...:lol:
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We loooove POFQ! I've stayed at 5 different deluxes (almost always with discounts), 1 moderate, and 1 value. By far I'd have to say POFQ is the best bang for the buck out of all of them. It's so serene and relaxing there. It's a beautiful resort. I hope you get to give it a try. They even give out beads and you don't have to "show" anything to get 'em! It's the little perks...:lol:

Free beads?! Say no more!!!! lol I think that's where we going to stay... My mom and sister could care less, they leave the planning up to me cause I love to plan stuff like this! Besides, once I show them a picture of the beignets there's no way they'll say no... :slurp:

I like the fact POFQ is more compact than POR. CB just looks too spread out for me and Coronado is a little more in price than the rest of the mods. Here's hoping a nice little AP discount will come out soon! :cool:
 

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