Trip Report Live Reporting Xmas Eve to New Year's

Welcome to the latest Brifraz live trip report. I'm sure there are many of you who have followed along with us in the past - this is our 10th WDW Trip Report (if you include the Aulani report, 11th). But, I am also sure that we have some new travelers along for the ride.

So...we are a team of 3. Our DD is now 11 years old and heading quickly for 12.

Most of the household activities revolve around music. I teach high school band and my daughter is fully immersed in it (she plays euphonium, tuba, and trombone in different bands at her school, plus piano at home and sings in school as well as a community chorus). Mrs. Brifraz is also a teacher, but she teaches English - we are in fact at rival high schools which makes things fun, and in a couple years our daughter will be at a third high school which considers both of ours to be rivals of a sort.

As a youth, I visited the World quite early on. My Great Aunt lived in Orlando as her first husband was a scientist with NASA and I got to visit DW quite early on. Sadly, those visits ended with my youth and it was not until I was out of college that I began to go back. In the 90s I did a number of trips with different friends until I took my girlfriend there in 1999 and to my great shock she has stayed with me ever since. We are approaching 15 years of marriage and this will be our 20th Disney trip together.

Usually, I give a full Pre-Trip report with lots of details of our plans, but this time, I'm going to let the surprises come with the live report that will be starting on 12/23.

But, I can't resist a little overview...coming up briefly...

 

[brifraz]

I'm far more impressed that you went to work that early the day after vacation than about braving the holiday crowds, lol. I'd want to sleep and unpack and do laundry.

Ha! 23 years as a public school teacher and that morning wasn't even close to the roughest I've had. Now, if I recall correctly...that night at the Indoor Soccer game, I was falling asleep on the bench.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

Needing some trip report pick me ups these days, so I thought I would read one of yours!

It was time for our first trip on the Jungle Cruise with the Jingle overlay. Very enjoyable. Nice to hear a few different puns. And definitely enjoyed the visual enhancements.

We love going at Christmas time, for many reasons, but the Jingle Cruise is pretty fun with all it's holiday puns. It's a fun ride anyway, but the holiday overlay makes it a little more special.

So, now she has a Fastpass for anything in Studios at any time until 12/31. Not sure when she will use it and what for, but she is happy!

Perhaps I missed this....what did she end up using her extra FP for?

This was the first visit there for my wife and daughter and the reviews are consistent with the reviews from everyone forever. Food is OK, but nothing special. The experience is a ton of fun.

We enjoy the Sci-Fi experience. It's a fun place to grab a burger but it's never a "must-do" on our trips.

Ever had a seriously magical morning? It's 7:40am. Epcot is scheduled to open at 8am. We have been on Soarin twice. The girls are on a third time never had to get off. Pics soon!

WOW!!!!!! That is magic!! So glad you guys were able to get there early and take advantage of the magic! Fun to be able to joke with cast members and re-ride immediately without having to walk down that loooooonnnnggg hallway!

Thanks! Spent a full day enjoying AK - never got bored AND we didn't even do Kali, any character meets, or Triceratops spin.

Animal Kingdom is our favorite park, by far! There is so much more than just rides, so yes, I agree with you and @Zipitidoda that it's a full day park. Your trip was even before Pandora opened! I enjoy that land and the two rides there are phenomenal. And Saulli Canteen is delish!

seeing a movie at the Disney Springs theaters. So, we splurged and did the Dine-In (or Fork and Film or whatever it is called)

Awwwwww, I bet your daughter was excited for the special treat! We have an AMC dine-in just down the street from us. We are avid movie people so we would go to the movies frequently (before everything changed, ahem COVID). We didn't usually get food due to price/quality issues but the few times we have had food, it isn't bad. Kind of a special treat to eat at the movies!

Our dinner view. The Merry and Bright Dinner Party at DHS is quite enjoyable, I must say!

AAAAAawwwwwwwwww, so happy you were able to take advantage of the party for the Osborne lights! Like you, I'd love to see them come back to the World, somehow, somewhere.

...finally, here are some pictures from New Year's Eve. As you saw earlier, we got into Epcot mid-afternoon.

I am AMAZED Epcot wasn't at a phased closing on New Year's Eve and you were all able to get in so late in the day and move around fairly freely!

Trader Sam's Grog Grotto at the Poly is a very enjoyable visit, but quite tough on the wallet. We walked away with 4 different souvenir glasses. Pics and details coming at you.

We did Trader Sam's once and really enjoyed the atmosphere and the way drinks were announced! The sudden rainstorms and flashing lights were pretty cool! I'm not sure we're in a hurry to go back there. As great as the drinks are, my kitchen does NOT have room for another souvenir glass!

We shopped a little on the way in and our daughter bought herself and Alex and Ani bracelet.

WOW! Congrats to your daughter for saving up enough money to buy an Alex and Ani bracelet! I hope that's something special she'll have forever!

I'm very glad that they have brought breakfast back to the Garden Grill.

I hope we can go to a Garden Grill Character Breakfast a few years from now. I feel like that's a fun interaction and a little bit less intense than Chef Mickey's in terms of people and the characters feeling rushed. I remember a 2014 dinner we had at the Garden Grill. The characters were really playful, funny and spent a lot of time with us, even circling back to us.

Speaking of how busy it was, I know that many really frown upon traveling to the World during holiday season, but with the right planning it can really work. This is where (to me at least) FP+ has really paid off.

Your family is incredible at planning WDW trips and you really seem to make it work! I love the fact we can get FP+ from our phones now, it really does make the trips so much easier and more relaxing (as you know). As for your Top of the World Lounge access, are you grandfathered into that since you bought resale before they took away the benefits are or you no longer able to access TOWL?

Sunshine Seasons at The Land. Really? Is there a better counter service location in the World. This trip we only had quick snacks on the awesome Epcot morning, but it is always good and there is such a variety.

YES! I love Sunshine Seasons! It has a pretty decent selection and we've had great meals there (breakfast, lunch and dinner). I find it underrated for what it is.

Be Our Guest. I'm always a bit torn on Be Our Guest. I feel that it is overpriced (even by Disney standards) but really does provide some of the higher quality food on site. The setting is amazing and beautiful. But the menu is pretty limited. Beast is there! But he only meets in the cashier area from lunch. So, take the good with the bad, enjoy the best parts and deal with the lesser parts. It is an experience worth doing.

Agreed, BOG is expensive, now that the menu is Prixe-fixe, it's not so bad. The food is great and the atmosphere is special. For a nice, relaxing meal, I really enjoy the treat that is BOG!

I had fun reading your TR and am looking forward to the July 2020 one, should you take the adventure!

 

[brifraz]

Needing some trip report pick me ups these days, so I thought I would read one of yours!

Glad you enjoyed it. I do enjoy doing them - even though I pretty much never totally finish!!

Perhaps I missed this....what did she end up using her extra FP for?

I don't even remember what I ate for lunch today...

WOW!!!!!! That is magic!! So glad you guys were able to get there early and take advantage of the magic! Fun to be able to joke with cast members and re-ride immediately without having to walk down that loooooonnnnggg hallway!

It was really an amazing experience. We've been very lucky over the years to have gotten more than our fair share of Disney Magic. I know I've mentioned it before, but it was pre Trip Reporting era... on our daughter's 5th birthday, we were chosen as family of the day at Magic Kingdom and got to meet ALL the opening show characters in Mickey's Toontown and then ride the train with all of them. It's been 13 years and we still all talk about it on a pretty regular basis.

I am AMAZED Epcot wasn't at a phased closing on New Year's Eve and you were all able to get in so late in the day and move around fairly freely!

We've done a number of New Years in Epcot and I don't think it has ever reached phased closing. They can pack a LOT of people into that park. There was one year (maybe 2009-2010) that we sat on the floor of the Rose and Crown in the corner and played cards for a couple hours just to escape the insanity.

Your family is incredible at planning WDW trips and you really seem to make it work! I love the fact we can get FP+ from our phones now, it really does make the trips so much easier and more relaxing (as you know). As for your Top of the World Lounge access, are you grandfathered into that since you bought resale before they took away the benefits are or you no longer able to access TOWL?

We bought resale in 2007, so we are still in the 'old' resale rules for our points. We then bought 25 points direct from Disney a few years later (when that was the minimum you could buy), so we have benefits from those as well.

Agreed, BOG is expensive, now that the menu is Prixe-fixe, it's not so bad. The food is great and the atmosphere is special. For a nice, relaxing meal, I really enjoy the treat that is BOG!

The Price-fixe has definitely turned us off BOG a little more. Just not a menu that really appeals to us and definitely not at that price. We are going to (hopefully) try Topolino if July happens!

I had fun reading your TR and am looking forward to the July 2020 one, should you take the adventure!

Hoping that things turn out right... hard to believe it is under 2 weeks away.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

We bought resale in 2007, so we are still in the 'old' resale rules for our points. We then bought 25 points direct from Disney a few years later (when that was the minimum you could buy), so we have benefits from those as well.

That was real smart, to buy in at 25 points!

We are going to (hopefully) try Topolino if July happens!

Yum! Let us know about Topolino! It's on our list, but then again, so are lots of signature restaurants in Disney Springs like the Boathouse!

 

[Zipadeelady]

@slipperalwaysfits 3 out of 5 of our family prefers Animal Kingdom over Magic Kingdom. Just a great ambiance throughout the whole park.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

@slipperalwaysfits 3 out of 5 of our family prefers Animal Kingdom over Magic Kingdom. Just a great ambiance throughout the whole park.

And SO much to do, and so many ways to enjoy the park without rides, even though we do enjoy all the rides!