Trip Report It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas! *COMPLETED*

The soothing croon of Michael Bublé kept reverberating in my mind as I pondered starting yet another trip report. Like summer, the Christmas season makes me happy. Going to WDW during the Christmas season makes me VERY HAPPY. The joy of sharing my trips with my WDWMAGIC friends makes me happier still. Thank you for the encouragement to keep on writing!

Holiday Vacation #1
When: November 16-23, 2019
Where: Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Who: Tuvalu and Woody

Looky! I finally got a Magic Shot!

Okay, so it’s a bit creepy. But it leaves no doubt that this was a CHRISTMAS trip.

In mid-November.

But hey, we had Halloween in August!

And yours truly was very excited to experience Christmas decor at the resorts and in 3 of the 4 parks. (Epcot was still in full “Food and Wine” mode.) It wasn’t always this festive in November. We’ve been this same week in the past and outside of MK, there was very little decorating completed. I was so disappointed the year we stayed at WL (very close to turkey day) and missed out on the holiday stuff. I was worried the same thing would happen again. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Woody, on the other hand, is a “Let’s celebrate Thanksgiving before shifting our focus to Christmas” kind of guy. Growing up, his family did not put up their tree until CHRISTMAS EVE. (Can you imagine?!!) Over the years he has mellowed, thanks to my influence, and better tolerates the Christmas creep. Yet I was concerned that his inner Scrooge might reveal itself during this vacation.

I needn’t have worried. But I’m getting ahead of myself again.

Our week consisted of some new experiences and old experiences....some frustrations....some drama (of course!)....and a very magical meet.

Stay tuned.

 

[Tuvalu]

We just stayed at Pop too to try out the Skyliner! That is good information about the Boardwalk busses. We did not find that out during our stay. We were disappointed though one night when HS closed at 10 and the Skyliner from HS to CBR also stopped at 10! We walked up at about 10:15 and were too late

Skyliner information definitely needs to be made clearer to guests. Alternate transportation when the Skyliner is down should be on signage at each station and even in guest rooms, IMO. And closing at park closing? Ridiculous.

Holy Moly, that carousel is impressive!!! Not only are all those details spectacular but how do they get gingerbread to BEND like that (horse's knees?)))

I recall in past years that chocolate was also used along with gingerbread. Chocolate is easier to mold into shapes, that's for sure!

We stayed at CBR so we used the Skyliner quite often. I kept telling my niece that I had the opposite complaint from most people, it was too COLD in there!
Epcot on the 16th was the worst crowd we experienced on the trip. Hopefully it got better for you and Woody from that point!

It was a few days until the crowds felt manageable. We still had fun though!

 

[Tuvalu]

I'm late !!
I'm late !!
For a very important DATE!

@Big Hair just informed me of Tuvalu's holiday trip report! Time to sign back in and see the greatest Trip reporter of them all! Wonderful insight as usual. Will be " cherry picking " your TR for our trip dec 23-jan2. This gets me even more excited !

Magic magic magic !

Hope you find a few tidbits for your upcoming trip during the busiest most wonderful time of the year!

I’m late again

Will be excited to read but sad at the same time as I should have been there to ride BTMRR together on my birthday!

So typical that you go in November (when I always go) and for the first time since 1999 I don’t go in November.

Anyhow I will enjoy reading and will be watching the pictures for the weather at it definitely looked like it was cooler than a normal Nov trip.

It was colder than normal! Perhaps we'll get to ride BTMRR together again on a future birthday.

For you Chick-fil-A fans...

Spark Hope

Spark hope and light the way

www.chick-fil-a.com

As a CFA Red Member, I caught a preview of this and it's a very sweet promotion. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[Rista1313]

As a CFA Red Member, I caught a preview of this and it's a very sweet promotion. Thanks for posting the link.

Man... and I thought being a silver member, I was fancy! I also got the preview email though... so #status

only 140 more points to go to red status I think!

 

[krisri18]

Hope you find a few tidbits for your upcoming trip during the busiest most wonderful time of the year!


It was colder than normal! Perhaps we'll get to ride BTMRR together again on a future birthday.


As a CFA Red Member, I caught a preview of this and it's a very sweet promotion. Thanks for posting the link.

Man... and I thought being a silver member, I was fancy! I also got the preview email though... so #status

only 140 more points to go to red status I think!

You're welcome! Would this be a bad time to mention that I've never had Chick-fil-A? Lol

 

[Tuvalu]

Oh Boy, getting nervous about our trip next week. We will mostly be in the Epcot area, so will expect the construction chaos, and just make the best of it

A positive attitude works wonders. Believe you'll have a good time (even in chaos) and you will!

Very late!
As always love reading your reports.
Thanks for taking the time to write them and help a little bit to make the year in between 2 trips go faster ☺.

Very very late to the party but may I use the excuse I just got back from a last minute trip, although it wasn't a Disney trip we did see a bit of Disney in London I love reading your trip reports to get my Disney fix in between trips. Happily following along!

Appreciate your kind words, friends.

Man... and I thought being a silver member, I was fancy! I also got the preview email though... so #status

only 140 more points to go to red status I think!

All I can say is EAT. MOR. CHIKIN.

 

[Tuvalu]

Like @Swissmiss said, it's good to have you back, Max!

Tuvalu not at WL or Poly???

To quote Zazu in Philharmagic, "NOT YET!"

And were you able to find one that you liked?

One that sufficed. Liked would be a stretch.

Yes but when you bump your elbow against a curtain it hurts a lot less!

This is such a man statement. What is it with men bumping their elbows in the shower?

It is a Disney Safety Feature - in the event of a fire your "cabin" will release and fall into the wall , hence extinguishing the flames!

Brilliant!

I was not the first overall but I raised this point at Christmas last year when we stayed at the Dolphin

loved that movie
View attachment 430279

Agree! One of my top Pixar faves.

I can't believe we paid that much for a 15 min meal!
View attachment 430281
Max

Is that you?

 

[amjt660]

And Max is finally BACK (to his old self). . (I think it is safe to say we’ve all missed Max’s humor when he wasn't here)

Max

 

[amjt660]

Is that you?

Nope

It is your picture!

Max

 

[Tuvalu]

Nope

View attachment 430508

View attachment 430507

It is your picture!

Max

 

[Pirate Magic]

Always in for one of your reports!!!!!

 

[Gabe1]

Saturday, con’t

Our room was on the second floor which pleased us, as we were able to take the stairs (rather than the elevator) during our stay. Though I had seen pictures of the new Pop rooms, I was still excited for the big reveal when Woody opened the door.

View attachment 430027

First impression? IKEA functionality ~ clean lines, everything designed with a specific purpose. I am a practical person, so I liked the new features. But I prefer carpet in a hotel room (yup, I’m a dinosaur) and I missed the “decade” theming that the rooms formerly had. Nothing in this room indicated we were at Pop Century Resort. We could have been at a Hampton Inn....if not for the Mickey Mouse lighting.

View attachment 430028

The Murphy bed/table combo was a cool feature. I found the large table useful, though Woody thought it was awkwardly large for 2 people. There was a sign indicating that NO OBJECTS were to be on the table when we left for the day. We decided the reason must be in case the housekeeper needed access to the bed. Since we did not use the bed, I was fine with leaving stuff on the table. Woody was not. He is a rule follower so our table was kept clear for housekeeping!

View attachment 430032

The room had ample space for two people, but with the second bed pulled down I imagine it could be cramped with three or four guests.

Speaking of cramped, my biggest problem with the room was the narrow space between the bed and the wall. I had to turn sideways to walk each time I got out of bed. Closing the barn door to the bathroom area only freed up another inch or so of space.

View attachment 430030
(Note to @MinnieM123 ~ that’s MY alarm clock! )

If you like pillows, this room is for you! There were 8 (count’em, 8!) pillows on the bed to choose from.

View attachment 430029

Yes, I know four of them were for the Murphy bed. But since we only used one bed, it was a pillow-palooza!!
The pillows were very comfy, as were the super-soft sheets and mattress ~ definitely a step-up from value rooms of yore.

The mini-fridge (bottom left) was a good size and had a glass door. The fridge had an interior light. WARNING: If the door is not completely closed when you turn in for the night, you will have a VERY BRIGHT nightlight for your room. Don’t ask me how I know.

View attachment 430031

The sliding door on the tub was 100% better than a shower curtain.

View attachment 430033

I did not care for the sink. It protruded too much into my personal space. I think it would be difficult for a child to use when brushing his teeth.

View attachment 430034

We did a quick unpack and then headed for the reason we came to Pop.

We did 3 in the room in 2018. It really wasn’t bad with the Murphy bed down but you loose the table and we left it down and housekeeping didn’t ever rise it once. We rarely stay at Pop and I refuse to deal with All Stars but I found the storage a big plus. The main area overall was tight almost wall to wall but the larger mattresses were a plus. Ying yang. As for IKEA I found the quality to be far less than IKEA. I’m betting Disney will regret going so low in laminated floors and furniture. Doubt it will hold up. It really is Kmart quality.

 

[Tuvalu]

Always in for one of your reports!!!!!

And always glad to see you!

We did 3 in the room in 2018. It really wasn’t bad with the Murphy bed down but you loose the table and we left it down and housekeeping didn’t ever rise it once. We rarely stay at Pop and I refuse to deal with All Stars but I found the storage a big plus. The main area overall was tight almost wall to wall but the larger mattresses were a plus. Ying yang. As for IKEA I found the quality to be far less than IKEA. I’m betting Disney will regret going so low in laminated floors and furniture. Doubt it will hold up. It really is Kmart quality.

My observation of IKEA resemblance in the room was more about style, functionality and storage, not quality.

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, November 17

Today can be succinctly summed up in two words ~ COLD and CROWDED.

But when have I ever been brief?

My first Disney morning began at 4:45 am. Nope, not due to noisy neighbors. Not even due to the extremely bright glow emanating from a not-completely-closed fridge. The subconscious anticipation of being here, in the World, had awakened my conscious mind. Even after all these years and countless vacations, the wonder remains.

We had Entenmann’s and coffee in the room before heading over to the Skyliner station. The gondolas cabins did not begin operating until 8 am and we arrived at 8:02.

There were just a few folks ahead of us in line and we were given our own cabin.

I took a couple pics of the ventilation system. There are even vents below the bench.

After experiencing a busy CBR station yesterday afternoon, it was surprising to find it empty.

Destination DHS!

Another #ShirleyStatus ride in a cabin!

The first C had come into play.....it was COLD in the cabin! But it was less windy and therefore less side-to-side swaying. And the commute to DHS is shorter than Epcot. I rode and disembarked without any queasiness.

 

[RememberWhen]

Ridiculously late, but excited to read more about your trip.
I’m not thrilled with all the IG issues people are having. I’m assuming they will expand the entrance at some point. I’m also not thrilled that they’re sending folks to Boardwalk for bus service when the skyliner is down. That bus stop is not awesome at the best of times. Now they’re adding riffraff?!
The beach club carousel is my favorite of the gingerbread creations. So lovely. We spent ages watching it last December.
hoping the weather warms up at least a little!

 

[Tuvalu]

Christmastime is here!!

The bleak sky and chill in the air added to the ambiance. It felt like the holiday season!

Had to snap the Minnie Rockettes for Em (and apologize for the glare.)

The Studios had opened early for EMH but there was practically no one on Hollywood Blvd. Where were all the people? My optimistic self prepared for a low crowd day....and couldn’t have been more wrong.

 

[Tuvalu]

I had been unable to secure a FP for Slinky Dog and since the park seemed empty, I suggested to Woody we head for Toy Story Land and check out the standby line.

Tuvalu! Don’t you know you can see attraction wait times on MDE??!

I do. I just prefer the old-fashioned way of seeing them in person.

How cute are these ornaments?

Photo courtesy of @riverside. I wasn’t able to capture this unobstructed view. And I like to give credit where credit is due!

We stopped for PP pics.

X marks the spot!

Buzz in a Santa hat. How fitting.

The deeper we got into TSL we discovered where all the people were! Slinky was 115 minutes. No thanks! Toy Story Mania was 90, but we had a FP for later. Saucers was posted at 45 (actual wait was 30) and since we had nowhere else to be....and it wasn’t a hot summer day....we joined the line.

Behind us was a sweet family of 4: Dad, Mom and daughters age 7 and 8. This was their first visit to WDW, and I overheard some questions about the FP system so I turned around to offer assistance. Mom wondered if they could get Slinky FPs after they used their initial three. I said it was possible but highly unlikely due to the ride’s popularity.

Mom said to her daughters, “Then we’ll come back tonight to ride it when the line will be shorter.”

Younger daughter began to protest. “I don’t want to ride it. It looks SCARY!!”

Woody and I immediately reassured her that it was more fun than scary. Since Slinky is an all-ages coaster akin to BTMRR, I asked if she had ridden BTMRR.

“Yesterday was our first park day,” Mom chimed in. “We went to Animal Kingdom. We rode Everest first and then Dinosaur. Afterwards she wasn’t keen on doing any more rides!”

We chuckled together that their daughter’s initiation to Disney Parks consisted of two of the scariest attractions on property.

“Congrats on being named parents of the year!“ I joked and everyone laughed. Chatting with the family made our wait pass quickly and soon it was our turn.

I was giddy that we got to (spin? swirl? whip?) to Deck the Halls. More Christmas!

I could see that the daughters had fun riding Saucers. I hoped they’d get to ride Slinky later.

 

[Tuvalu]

Ridiculously late, but excited to read more about your trip.
I’m not thrilled with all the IG issues people are having. I’m assuming they will expand the entrance at some point. I’m also not thrilled that they’re sending folks to Boardwalk for bus service when the skyliner is down. That bus stop is not awesome at the best of times. Now they’re adding riffraff?!

The IG entrance is under expansion, part of the reason for the current chaotic mess.
Can’t comment on the Boardwalk bus depot.

 

[Tuvalu]

After we exited Saucers I did open the MDE app to check out our options.

There weren’t any.

Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration. But Disney has done a fine job of mucking up park touring at DHS. Since we held a Toy Story Mania FP (and had just ridden Saucers), the other Tier 1 attractions (SDD, ToT and RnR) were out unless we wanted to wait 1-2 hours in a standby queue. SR:MF was over two hours and we didn’t feel like wandering around Batuu since we had just visited in August.

How about a show? Well, the shows (including Muppets!) don’t start until after 10 am. No wonder all the waits were long.....there were very few things EMH (and now regular) guests could do!

We walked out through the masses entering Toy Story Land and found an unpopulated location where we could think through what to do next.

We both love the courtyard of the former Great Movie Ride. We loved the ride too.

Stunning details.

Though it’s hard to tell, the fountain was working.

The only attraction with a manageable (40 minutes) wait was Star Tours. My motion sensitivity does not care for this ride, but I can do it as long as I keep my eyes shut. Woody enjoys Star Tours (and has lots of fond memories of riding with our sons) so I suggested we join the line.

Before entering the queue I did a quick search to see if any FPs were available. There were ~ after 6 pm. As a matter of fact all Tier 2 FPs (the shows, plus Muppets) did not have any availability until mid-afternoon.

It was only 9:30 in the morning!!

There was some entertainment to keep us occupied while in line.

The CM working at the door to the show building briefly held us back so that FPs guests could enter. Then he looked at me and said, “What’s up with your phone?”

I was momentarily confused (and a bit panicked) before I broke into a smile.

This is my phone case.

“Good one!” I chuckled as he allowed us entry.

I fared fine on our mission, though haven’t a clue who was the rebel spy. And Woody had fun, which was the most important thing.

 

[SharonD]

“What’s Up with your phone?” Made me chuckle.

 

[riverside]

Photo courtesy of @riverside. I wasn’t able to capture this unobstructed view. And I like to give credit where credit is due!

Why thank you but are you sure that's my photo? I haven't got to the HS part in my TR yet.