Trip Report The Cold Never Bothered Us Anyway - December 2024

Happy New Year, WDW Magic Friends!

We have been back from our latest WDW for nearly a month, so it's high time I get started on our trip report, before I forget everything that happened.

The cast of characters:

Me, Katie - thirty-something mom, wife, and Disney trip planner extraordinaire

Jason - My husband of 11 years, fellow Disney adult, happy to be along for the ride

Lincoln - Our precocious three-year-old son, Jason's twin, lover of characters and roller coasters

Sunday, December 1st - Travel Day

I was up and at 'em shortly after 4:00 am, after a fitful nights' sleep. Between the excitement (we're going to Disney!) and the anxiety (what if all of our reservations randomly get canceled?), I can never sleep the night before a trip. I got J up around 4:30, and he and I quickly got ourselves ready to go and packed up last-minute items in our "go bag." We always get Lincoln out of bed last, hoping that he'll stay asleep while we transfer him to the car seat, but it never works out that way. The three of us were wide awake and pulling out of the driveway just after 5:00 am.

We made our first stop of the trip at Buc-ee's, where we all had a potty break and grabbed some breakfast.

I sat in the back with Lincoln for the next leg of the trip to try to keep the breakfast mess under control, and get him set up with a movie on his tablet.

Don't mind my disgusting car window - Lincoln has these little suction cup car toys that constantly fall off and get re-attached, thus the million little circle marks on the window.

We stopped again for gas and another potty break shortly after crossing over into Florida. And once we hit Gainesville, this was our view for the next hour and a half.

This was the second trip in a row that we ended up stuck in traffic for over an hour on the way down, and both times the traffic was not in Atlanta! This time around, I had considered booking a hotel room in Lake City for the night before our check-in day, so that we could drive most of the way down the night before and be on property before Noon. Plus, that would keep us from having to wake up so early to drive down. For our next trip, I'm definitely booking that hotel room for the night before.

Thankfully, Lincoln was a good sport, and kept himself entertained.

Finally, shortly after 1:30 pm, we passed through the magical gates, and all of our troubles disappeared.

Up next: Disney Springs

 

[cgersic]

Oh my goodness, the smiles on his face at 'Ohana!!! Sweeeeet!!!!

 

[k8einwdw]

You can see L’s teenager face in this picture.

View attachment 840568

Savor this precious time because he’ll be a teen in the blink of an eye.

(And save this pic to post again in 10 years to prove me right. )

I agree, he looks so grown in that pic! We’re only doing this once, so we try to really soak in every moment. This age is definitely tough at times, but it’s also a lot of fun.

Oh my goodness, the smiles on his face at 'Ohana!!! Sweeeeet!!!!

We were so thrilled that he loved this character meal - this was definitely our best one yet!

 

[k8einwdw]

Wednesday, December 4th - Resort Day - Continued

Since we hadn't gotten much time at Disney Springs on our check-in day, we decided to carve out some time on our resort day to spend some more time there. We were hoping it would be less crowded, and we could get some peanut butter cold brews from Gideon's. It was definitely less crowded than it had been on Sunday night, but the Gideon's line was still crazy long. Lincoln fell asleep in the stroller, so we used that opportunity to grab some of his Christmas presents from World of Disney. We got him the Disney Parks Candy Land board game for under the tree, and some Mickey lollipops and Buzz and Woody parachute toys for his stocking. We also grabbed a spare "Patchy" just in case, as the original is looking a little worse for wear. We popped into a few other shops as well - Disney Days of Christmas, Basin, Marketplace Co-Op, Disney Ever After...The one store we completely forgot to go in was Bowes Signature Candles - they have a candle inspired by the Yacht/Beach Club lobbies that I love, and I burned my last one out back in the fall.

I didn't grab any pics of the Christmas Tree Stroll, but I of course had to get pics of my favorite peanut reindeer. Someone had woken up and wanted to be included in the pics as well.

When we had had our fill of Disney Springs, we headed back to Pop to begin our day...er half day...of resort-hopping. First, we had to get a couple pics for Grandpoppy (my dad) - "Lady and the Tramp" was one of the few Disney movies he would sit down and watch with us kids when we were little - the list also inluded "101 Dalmatians" and "Jungle Book."

Then, we hopped on the Skyliner to head over to the Epcot International Gateway.

From there, we walked over to Beach Club to admire the gingerbread carousel. Lincoln was appalled to find out that he was not allowed to ride on this one.

Next, we walked over to Yacht Club, where Lincoln enjoyed watching the model train for a few minutes. I also love their Christmas tree.

Up next: More resort-hopping

 

[mpaulam]

The pictures from ‘Ohana are adorable!

 

[k8einwdw]

The pictures from ‘Ohana are adorable!

They are definitely some of our favorites of the trip!

 

[k8einwdw]

Y’all, I registered this baby for PRE-K this morning! How did we get here so fast?

 

[Tuvalu]

Y’all, I registered this baby for PRE-K this morning! How did we get here so fast?

View attachment 840791

 

[Figment Forever]

I remember when Julia was younger she LOVED collecting the pressed pennies. One time, my dad (pop-pop) had supplied her with several rolls of quarters AND pennies. As we made our way through security at the airport, we had NO idea why Julia's backpack was pulled off and searched! Then we watched as the TSA guy pulled out all the rolls of coins! lol. At the time, we weren't laughing so much, but now we crack up at that memory!

 

[k8einwdw]

I remember when Julia was younger she LOVED collecting the pressed pennies. One time, my dad (pop-pop) had supplied her with several rolls of quarters AND pennies. As we made our way through security at the airport, we had NO idea why Julia's backpack was pulled off and searched! Then we watched as the TSA guy pulled out all the rolls of coins! lol. At the time, we weren't laughing so much, but now we crack up at that memory!

Oh yeah, I got pulled going through bag check on our Animal Kingdom day - it was 100% because of the ziploc bag filled with 80 quarters.

 

[k8einwdw]

Wednesday, December 4th - Resort Day

After Yacht Club, we made the walk over to Boardwalk to check out their decorations. I will never not call this the Boardwalk Bakery.

From Boardwalk, we took a bus to MK...

And then from MK, we took a boat over to...

Fort Wilderness! One of our favorite places on Earth.

We hadn't been able to go to Tri Circle D Ranch in 2023, as they were closed for a private event, so we made it a priority to head over there on our resort day. It was beautifully decorated for the holidays.

And then from Ft. Wilderness, we caught another bus over to...

Wilderness Lodge! Easily our favorite resort to visit during the holiday season. One day we will stay here at Christmastime.

Up next: More resort-hopping

 

[k8einwdw]

Wednesday, December 4th - Resort Day - Continued

From the Wilderness Lodge, our next destination was the monorail loop. I reminded J that when we had stayed at Wilderness Lodge in 2015, there was a boat to Contemporary, and I seemed to remember that someone (@Tuvalu?) had said that this particular boat launch had finally re-opened somewhat recently. So, we headed to the boat launch to get to the Contemporary. On the boat, we made friends with another family with young kids that does Disney annually like we do, and we chatted about our trips so far. This particular boat route goes from Wilderness Lodge to Ft. Wilderness to Contemporary, so we stopped off at Ft. Wilderness first. A few people got off, and shortly after we pushed off for the Contemporary, a couple piped up and said that they were supposed to get off at Ft. Wilderness. Evidently they had been deep in conversation (or more likely, staring at their phones) when we had docked. Our boat captain was nicer than I would have been, and turned around to let them off. We and our new friends whisper-Booed them. Finally, we arrived at Contemporary and told our new friends that we'd look for them at Hollywood Studios the next day (we didn't see them).

Remember this jacket?

At some point while we were at the Poly for breakfast that morning, it had gone missing. I remember taking it off of Lincoln before heading into 'Ohana, and I thought I had left it sitting in his stroller, but it was not there when we left the Poly. We had had nice weather for most of the day, but it was starting to get chilly again, so while we had been resort-hopping, we had also been looking for a new jacket for L. We didn't spend much time at Contemporary since we had just been there the night before, but thankfully we were able to find a new jacket for L at the Fantasia Market. Jacket acquired, and $50 poorer, we started making our way around the monorail loop.

We got off at the Poly - yes, we had just been there that morning at 'Ohana. But you know what else is at the Poly? Captain Cooks, arguably our favorite resort QS on property. We had mobile-ordered some dinner while on the monorail - Pulled Pork Nachos for me and J, and a Mac and Cheese kids meal for L.

YUM.

While we were at the Poly, we checked with the front desk to see if L's jacket had been turned in to the lost and found. It had not, so they gave us a card with a QR code to put in a Lost and Found ticket online. Spoiler alert - we never got that jacket back. We ended up replacing it earlier this month.

After leaving the Poly, our last stop of the night was the Grand Floridian. L was enthralled by the giant gingerbread house! While it smelled heavenly, the line to buy treats was super long, so we passed.

I'll be honest, I don't remember how we got back to Pop, and I didn't take notes. If I had to guess, knowing us, we took a bus from Grand Flo to HS, and transferred to the Skyliner.

After we had gotten back to Pop and got L bathed and put to bed, I decided to treat myself to half of my chocolate cake from Steakhouse 71 the night before. It was delicious, but unfortunately, I felt sick almost immediately after eating it. I don't know if it was because it had been out of the fridge during our time at Epcot, or if I was allergic to something in it (surely there's no shellfish in chocolate cake), but let's just say it wasn't so pleasant coming back up later. Thankfully, neither of the boys woke up while I was sick, and we were all able to sleep peacefully the rest of the night.

Step count for the day - 20,453 steps - 7.58 miles

Up next: Hooray for Hollywood!

 

[k8einwdw]

Thursday, December 5th - Hollywood Studios Day

I was up around 6:00 am, and got the boys up around 6:15-6:20 - we were hoping to be out of the room by 7:00 to get in line for the Skyliner. We left the room a few minutes after 7:00, and hopped in the long line for the Skyliner - the line always looks intimidating first thing in the morning, but once they start boarding, it moves pretty quickly. A couple minutes after we got in line, I realized that I had left my cell phone in the room. They hadn't started boarding yet, but it was only a matter of minutes, so I knew I needed to move fast. I raced over to the 50s section, ran up two flights of stairs to our room, ran back down two flights of stairs, and raced back over to the Skyliner - I don't think I've run that fast in my adult life. I was severely out of breath by the time I made it back, and the boys were about 3 groups away from boarding, so I had made it just in time.

Hollywood Studios was opening at 8:30 for resort guests, and we made it in shortly after 8:00. Like all of the other families with young kids, we headed here:

We hadn't been able to get a LL for Slinky Dog, so that was our first destination - and this time, Lincoln was tall enough to ride!

We ended up waiting close to half an hour, but Lincoln was surprisingly patient.

The verdict? Lincoln loved it! He laughed and exclaimed "Whoa!" over and over. I was nervous that he'd get scared on the higher hills, but he absolutely loved it, and now tells everyone that it's his favorite ride at Disney. After Slinky Dog Dash, we headed next door to Alien Swirling Saucers, another favorite of Lincoln's. While we were walking through line, L wasn't watching where he was going, and walked right into one of the metal stanchion poles. Poor guy got a goose egg right on his little head almost immediately. Par for the course with a little boy, unfortunately. Thankfully, we were able to get him cheered up in time to enjoy the ride.

After our ride, J and I were both wanting coffee, but from different places. J wanted to get our usual Black Caf Cold Brew from Kat Saka's Kettle in Galaxy's Edge, and I wanted to get the Round 'em Up Latte from the Joffrey's in Animation Courtyard - we decided to split up, and L stayed with me. Of course if the grown ups are getting Joffrey's, Lincoln HAS to have a donut.

Kaylee? Close enough I guess.

While we were waiting for Jason, Lincoln and I sat in the Animation Courtyard, near the old Toy Story Mania entrance, enjoying our donut and latte. While we were there, he was pointing out all of the Incredibles characters he recognized - Jack-Jack is his favorite. He was excited to see "Jack-Jack's Mommy" come out to meet guests, and asked if Jack-Jack was with her. He's also a big fan of Edna Mode, and was excited to see that she has her own building.

Once J got back, with a breakfast Ronto wrap in hand (I had started to wonder what was taking him so long), we started making our way over to our first LL at MMRR. As much as J and I miss the Great Movie Ride, this has quickly become one of our family's favorite rides.

After MMRR, we had some time to kill before our next LL, so we decided to let L meet some characters. First was Fancy Nancy - L had gotten really into her show right before the trip.

After Fancy Nancy, J asked L if he would rather meet Vampirina or Chewy, and L very excitedly said "CHEWY!!!" So, we headed over to the waste of space Star Wars Launch Bay. The line for Chewy was posted for 25 minutes, but I think it ended up being closer to 15. L loved Chewy's station with all of the different buttons, and of course had to press all of them. These pictures turned out so cute - L looks so tiny next to Chewy.

Up next: More Hollywood Studios fun

 

[rshell68]

waste of space Star Wars Launch Bay

Don't you mean where Monsters area should really go......

 

[k8einwdw]

Don't you mean where Monsters area should really go......

Agreed! Although I’ve heard there is CM parking back behind Launch Bay, so that may be what drove the decision. It just doesn’t make sense to have that entire area waste away like it is now.

 

[Sillysidewalker]

Y’all, I registered this baby for PRE-K this morning! How did we get here so fast?

View attachment 840791

It goes way too fast. I just registered Jet for high school and I cant believe we are here so soon. Loving the trip report and all of Lincoln's smiles.

 

[k8einwdw]

It goes way too fast. I just registered Jet for high school and I cant believe we are here so soon. Loving the trip report and all of Lincoln's smiles.

High school?!? I can't believe it!

 

[k8einwdw]

Thursday, December 5th - Hollywood Studios Day - Continued

After our character experiences, it was time for our next LL at Toy Story Mania. Jason and Lincoln sat together, and J tried to teach L how to aim for the targets, but L was more interested in pulling the trigger over and over.

We stopped in the gift shop in the exit for the first time in years, and L decided he needed the Bucket o' Soldiers. I now constantly find them in the floor...with my feet.

Our last LL of the morning was for Tower of Terror. Since L was not tall enough to ride, Jason and I took turns riding while the other parent hung out with Lincoln. While J was riding, L and I made a trip down Sunset Blvd hunting for pressed penny machines.

Once I was off of ToT, it was time for us to make our way back to Sci-Fi Dine In for lunch.

J and I had dined at Sci-Fi a couple times prior to this trip, and found it to be...fine. We chose Sci-Fi because 1) we wanted to book the Fantasmic Dining Package, and 2) we thought L would enjoy the food and atmosphere. Lincoln definitely enjoyed sitting in the car...maybe a little too much. He was constantly asking to get out to "fix" the car, and turning around to talk to kids in the car next to us.

As for the food, L got the kids Cheeseburger, and J and I both got the Beamed-Up Burger (two pressed Signature-blend patties, American cheese, shredded lettuce, jalapeno-bourbon-bacon jam, and house-made burger sauce on a Brioche bun). The burger was good - definitely more interesting than a plain cheeseburger - but we both agreed that the burgers at D-Luxe over in Disney Springs are better.

Most importantly, we got our passes for the Fantasmic dining package seating. We do feel like the Fantasmic dining package is worth getting - it saves you from having to line up an hour early on Sunset Blvd, and if you're on the dining plan like we were, it's the same amount of credits as it would be if you were just getting the meal, so you're basically getting the reserved seating for "free." Fanstasmic dining packages are currently offered at Sci-Fi Dine In, 50's Prime Time, Hollywood & Vine, Mama Melrose (for now), and Hollywood Brown Derby. Next trip, we may try to book 50's Prime Time, since we haven't been there in a few years.

While we were eating lunch, I had grabbed a LL for the next showing of the Frozen sing-along, which we had not seen since I was pregnant with L in December 2020. Jason was skeptical that Lincoln would sit through the show, but he did really well! He especially enjoyed the "snow" at the end of the show.

Up next: A Naptime Stroll around Hollywood Studios

 

[Go.Nijntje]

Thursday, December 5th - Hollywood Studios Day

I was up around 6:00 am, and got the boys up around 6:15-6:20 - we were hoping to be out of the room by 7:00 to get in line for the Skyliner. We left the room a few minutes after 7:00, and hopped in the long line for the Skyliner - the line always looks intimidating first thing in the morning, but once they start boarding, it moves pretty quickly. A couple minutes after we got in line, I realized that I had left my cell phone in the room. They hadn't started boarding yet, but it was only a matter of minutes, so I knew I needed to move fast. I raced over to the 50s section, ran up two flights of stairs to our room, ran back down two flights of stairs, and raced back over to the Skyliner - I don't think I've run that fast in my adult life. I was severely out of breath by the time I made it back, and the boys were about 3 groups away from boarding, so I had made it just in time.

Hollywood Studios was opening at 8:30 for resort guests, and we made it in shortly after 8:00. Like all of the other families with young kids, we headed here:

View attachment 841201

We hadn't been able to get a LL for Slinky Dog, so that was our first destination - and this time, Lincoln was tall enough to ride!

View attachment 841202

We ended up waiting close to half an hour, but Lincoln was surprisingly patient.

View attachment 841203

The verdict? Lincoln loved it! He laughed and exclaimed "Whoa!" over and over. I was nervous that he'd get scared on the higher hills, but he absolutely loved it, and now tells everyone that it's his favorite ride at Disney. After Slinky Dog Dash, we headed next door to Alien Swirling Saucers, another favorite of Lincoln's. While we were walking through line, L wasn't watching where he was going, and walked right into one of the metal stanchion poles. Poor guy got a goose egg right on his little head almost immediately. Par for the course with a little boy, unfortunately. Thankfully, we were able to get him cheered up in time to enjoy the ride.

After our ride, J and I were both wanting coffee, but from different places. J wanted to get our usual Black Caf Cold Brew from Kat Saka's Kettle in Galaxy's Edge, and I wanted to get the Round 'em Up Latte from the Joffrey's in Animation Courtyard - we decided to split up, and L stayed with me. Of course if the grown ups are getting Joffrey's, Lincoln HAS to have a donut.

View attachment 841204

Kaylee? Close enough I guess.

View attachment 841205

While we were waiting for Jason, Lincoln and I sat in the Animation Courtyard, near the old Toy Story Mania entrance, enjoying our donut and latte. While we were there, he was pointing out all of the Incredibles characters he recognized - Jack-Jack is his favorite. He was excited to see "Jack-Jack's Mommy" come out to meet guests, and asked if Jack-Jack was with her. He's also a big fan of Edna Mode, and was excited to see that she has her own building.

Once J got back, with a breakfast Ronto wrap in hand (I had started to wonder what was taking him so long), we started making our way over to our first LL at MMRR. As much as J and I miss the Great Movie Ride, this has quickly become one of our family's favorite rides.

View attachment 841206

After MMRR, we had some time to kill before our next LL, so we decided to let L meet some characters. First was Fancy Nancy - L had gotten really into her show right before the trip.

View attachment 841207
View attachment 841208

After Fancy Nancy, J asked L if he would rather meet Vampirina or Chewy, and L very excitedly said "CHEWY!!!" So, we headed over to the waste of space Star Wars Launch Bay. The line for Chewy was posted for 25 minutes, but I think it ended up being closer to 15. L loved Chewy's station with all of the different buttons, and of course had to press all of them. These pictures turned out so cute - L looks so tiny next to Chewy.

View attachment 841209
View attachment 841210

Up next: More Hollywood Studios fun

The pictures with Chewy are adorable .

 

[k8einwdw]

The pictures with Chewy are adorable .

I think it’s the height difference that makes them extra cute

 

[MinnieM123]

J and I had dined at Sci-Fi a couple times prior to this trip, and found it to be...fine. We chose Sci-Fi because 1) we wanted to book the Fantasmic Dining Package, and 2) we thought L would enjoy the food and atmosphere. Lincoln definitely enjoyed sitting in the car...maybe a little too much. He was constantly asking to get out to "fix" the car, and turning around to talk to kids in the car next to us.

This made me laugh! So, what time-sensitive vehicle repairs was Lincoln planning to do? (P.S.: Always good to have a competent mechanic in the family.)