Trip Report It's a Jolly Holiday! *COMPLETED*

I am often asked, "What is your favorite time of year to go to Disney World?"

I used to answer late spring ~ warm but not miserable, little to no rain, manageable crowds. Then in 2009, I discovered the splendor of Disney of Christmastime ~ and have made an annual visit since. Now those of you who read the countdown thread might be thinking, "Hey, didn't you go last February?" Well, yes. "April?" Spring Break, of course. "June?" Had to celebrate the start of summer. "August?" Had to celebrate the end of summer. "September?" When your adult son asks you to go with him, you go! "November?" Quick getaway to celebrate DH's milestone birthday.

Which brings us back to....December!

(In case you think my frequency borders on lunacy, let me say I have fine company with @lostpro9het, @b33b33, @Doc Disney, @samantha788 and @gwhb75, among others .)

I have a love/hate relationship with going to WDW in December. While I LOVE being there, I HATE having one less week at home to decorate, shop, wrap presents, send Christmas cards, bake cookies, etc. And since this year we were due to arrive home on Christmas Eve, I needed to have everything ready for Christmas dinner too. Why don't I just eliminate a few things? Can't. Won't. I am under the curse of perfectionism! So I rush around like a mad woman for 3 weeks in order to have BOTH a perfect vacation AND a perfect Christmas!

This is probably a good time to confess that my Christmas tree is NOT perfect. You see, two summers ago we adopted an adorable kitten named Poly (yes, we named her after our favorite resort .) She is strictly an indoor cat. Having had cats before, we were surprised to discover that our new addition enjoyed climbing both our Christmas trees. Multiple times per day. Now last year this was merely a minor inconvenience, since Poly was still a kitten and didn't weigh much (read: she didn't cause much damage.) This year? Completely different story!! Bent branches, broken ornaments...on any given day, we didn't know what was going to end up as collateral damage next.

Can you spot her? For reference, we have 9 foot ceilings.

And here she is in the living room tree:

Anyhoo, I was able to complete all my Christmas and Disney preparations by December 16...the next morning we would start our Jolly Holiday!

 

[Tuvalu]

I read your whole report today in one sitting! Looks like you all had a great time despite Em not feeling well, and the pics are gorgeous! I also read LostProphet's report a while back since I was eager to read reports that were from December trips (found yours today). We're doing December 19-27 this year at our home DVC resort (GF), and it'll be the first time for us at WDW over Christmas. I've done November trips before (solo and with my sister) but never with the hubby and kiddo so they haven't done MVMCP yet (I've done 3). Really looking forward to the trip, despite the crowds. And we added a trip sooner than that, recently, to use up more points (Hubby has some business to take care of down there so it's a bonus trip of sorts) May 30-June 3....it'll be our first time at Old Key West. On my November trip last year I, too, got super soaked feet on the POTC ride and didn't like it one bit. Maybe it has something to do with how they're filling each row on the boats now? I think for a while they were not, before the refurb. It didn't matter where you sat (but I will try for the back row next time) because the water went everywhere on the floor. I had to stuff tiny pieces of notebook paper (I used to write trip reports, too, but on another site) into the bottoms of my Skechers to help soak up the water the rest of the night (I can't wear Crocs). Good think I had an extra pair of shoes back in the hotel room, for other days.

Had to laugh a little at your mentioning of Em swearing off Tower of Terror at age 4.....my kiddo (now almost 11) tried TOT for the one and only time at age 4-1/2 (hey, she was tall enough and didn't complain at all until the drops started) - it took my sister and me at least 10 minutes to calm her down afterwards while she kept saying, "I'm never riding that ever again!" Same thing sort of happened when she was 6 and rode Expedition Everest with us for the very first time, only THEN she said she wouldn't ride it again "until I'm 17!" I'll remind her when she's 17, hehe.

I agree it's bad that they don't have alarm clocks in the rooms any more - I do rely on my Droid for my own alarm settings and time, etc., but I wear a watch now, too, just to save my phone's battery (all those times looking at the phone throughout the day just to see the correct time....wears the battery down quicker). I wish I had one of the digital watch attachments they came out with for the Magic Bands but I looked around and asked about them in shops last November and they're all gone/no longer available.

Congrats to Em on her run times (my hubby wants to do the Dopey - he ran Cross Country in HS and has stayed in shape with running and mountain biking here in Colorado. He thinks he can jump in and do the Dopey but I'm trying to talk him into starting smaller. He's 45 like me and he can probably handle it, though. The kiddo and I would just go cheer him on, but the kiddo could run a 5k easily). We will try Whispering Canyon for the first time ever in June (and we plan to use the "join in" coaster). I'd like to try Skippers Canteen but the hubby and kiddo are very fussy eaters and I might have to try it without them some time (also, reviews I've read since they opened are mostly so-so or bad food-wise. A lot of spices, I've heard. If the place gets better we might try it or see if they can alter menu offerings a bit, such as leaving the spicy meat out of the macaroni). Your tip about the GMR ride (when to expect a chance to ride with the Western guide theme) is great - I'm adding it to my ongoing planning notes. In 7-8 trips I don't think I've ever had the Western experience, just the Gangster one.

Thanks again for the great report!

I appreciate your kind comments . No matter the crowds, it is wonderful to experience Christmas at WDW...you can read all about it, but nothing compares to seeing it! I can only imagine what it is like to wake up on Christmas morning in the world...we got as close as Christmas Eve morning in 2009, when we spent a few hours in the MK before heading home.

We have a fastpass for Pirates this Sunday...optimistic that this time we won't get wet, yet likely we will (isn't that the definition of insanity...doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result, LOL?!)

Bonus trips are extra fun and you'll get to visit the Flower & Garden Festival. Epcot is gorgeous!

Glad to hear we aren't the only ones who scarred our 4 year old on Tower of Terror! Does she like RnR coaster? Em has been riding that since she was tall enough...she loved it and is a favorite to this day. She loves Everest too, but her first ride was as a teen. I can speak for her and say she would encourage your husband to do the Dopey, and your daughter the 5k!

We will give Skipper Canteen another try in the future, but are waiting for some improvements.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Tuvalu]

Love your report! Every time I read your user name I have to say it 3 times in a sing song voice!

Tuvalu Tuvalu Tuvalu thanks you!

 

[Tuvalu]

@lostpro9het posted a pic of his view from the Poly last week, so I thought I would share a pic of my own:

Am I actually standing on a bungalow deck??!!

You will have to wait for the TR to find out...

 

[RebeccaMcK]

Tuvalu, yep - we're all insane for expecting our feet to stay dry on POTC, lol. I've prepared the hubby and kiddo, and we plan to bring flip flops to wear for that ride and then change back into sneakers afterwards (I don't think I'll ever get to leave the backpack back at the hotel, arg. At least Hubby wears it when he's with us, giving me a rest sometimes). I've got to be in my Skechers for park touring, Crocs don't work for me. Got FPs for POTC for our second day in MK in June. We HAVE to ride since the kiddo has now finally seen the POTC movies (all 4 of them in the past few weeks) and is in love with Capt. Jack Sparrow. She hates the drops (DLand has two while MK has one, so she prefers MK's version) and those are my favorite parts, but she likes the pirates atmosphere. Saw all the movies for "free" via Netflix (one was streaming, the other 3 were on disc only) and now we bought the first two movies on dvd.

In answer to your question about RnRC....nope, I can't get the kiddo to ride that one (not even try it, not even ONCE!). She knows it goes upside down and refuses to ride, just like with California Screamin' at DCA. Hubby and I can take turns with either Child Swap or the Single Rider line in December (not planning to go to DHS in May/June...using both our park days for MK and maybe Epcot), unless we finally get her to try it out. She's a wimp (but we love her). She'll turn 11 right before we head to WDW in late May. If we wind up owning a hotel condo down there some time in the near future (long story, as a rental income investment) maybe we'll extend the December trip by a few days at the end to give Hubby his first taste of runDisney...he's thinking about it.

 

[MinnieM123]

@lostpro9het posted a pic of his view from the Poly last week, so I thought I would share a pic of my own:

View attachment 137184
Am I actually standing on a bungalow deck??!!

You will have to wait for the TR to find out...

That's not a bungalow deck! You can't fool us, @Tuvalu , Tuvalu, Tuvalu!! I think you're standing in front of a scenic screen background, and you're really in a studio somewhere in Plattsburgh, N.Y.,!!

 

[LisaBelle]

I'm on pins and needles waiting to find out!

 

[mishel635]

Another wonderful trip report! So glad I found this! It was great seeing pictures of Wilderness Lodge at Christmastime.
Also, I'm not sure what it says about me, that I got the most excited about the fact that they have waffles with strawberries and cream with bacon for QS breakfast at Wilderness Lodge!!!!!! It looked almost as good as your Nutella fruit waffle. Thanks again!

 

[Tuvalu]

Another wonderful trip report! So glad I found this! It was great seeing pictures of Wilderness Lodge at Christmastime.
Also, I'm not sure what it says about me, that I got the most excited about the fact that they have waffles with strawberries and cream with bacon for QS breakfast at Wilderness Lodge!!!!!! It looked almost as good as your Nutella fruit waffle. Thanks again!

Roaring Fork is the only deluxe QS location with the strawberries and cream waffle . I have missed it and can't wait to have one again in December!

Thank you for your nice comments .