Trip Report The "Who Only Wants ONE Disney Christmas trip?!? Let's Do It Again!! Trip Report

Hello everyone!!!!

My name's Michelle and I love Disney! My last trip was in February 2016. (Hiiiiii Michelle!)

Isn't that how these addiction groups work????

In all seriousness though, I just got back from our fourth trip in the last two and a half years! And it's been a great two and a half years!!!!!

Here's the deets-

When- 11/12 - 11/22

Where- 7 nights at Bay Lake Tower in a 2 bedroom theme park view villa (still can't believe that actually happened by the way. Never in a million years did I think I would have a room with a theme park view!) And then 3 nights at Wilderness Lodge in adjoining rooms.

What- 10 day park hoppers, deluxe dining plan, 3 Very Merry Christmas parties, 1 Jingle Bell Jingle Bam Dessert Party, 1 Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage.... we were not messing around this trip!!!

Who- My best friend Amy (who is actually a DVC member and loves Disney just as much as I do!) and I decided to take my two kids Calvin (age 8) and Claire (age 6) and her two youngest kids Leionna (age 12) and Landon (age 9).
Amy's husband is a firefighter and due to an awesome promotion to lieutenant, he unfortunately had to go away for two months for training. We were looking for a reason to go back at Christmas time and this was perfect! Our trip was right in the middle of his training. My husband is a teacher and can only go during school breaks so this was a perfect time for us to take a trip together without the husbands!!!

Why? Because we like you! No seriously though if you are on this website reading trip reports, I think you know the why!

We also decided to surprise the kids the day before we left which was so much fun-

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.w.salisbury/posts/10154188354405668

We had a 7:00 am flight so we had to be up bright and early at 3:30. We didn't mind though- WE WERE GOING TO DISNEY FOR 11 DAYS!!!!! Mine and my kids longest trip yet! (Amy's family has gone for two weeks at Easter before)

FULL DISCLOSURE- We wear a lot of matching shirts!

Everything went off without a hitch at the airport and before we knew it we were on a jet plane to Orlando!!!!

We are ready!!!!

Two and half short hours later, we had left the frigid 30- 40 degree weather of Buffalo behind for 75 degrees and sunny Orlando!!!! Woohoo!!!!!

The sign that brings happiness to millions!

We lucked out and got to stop at Wilderness Lodge to drop people off before arriving at Bay Lake Tower and were able at least show the kids the front of it and the grounds. None of us had ever stayed at either resort so we were pretty excited!

We were dropped off at Bay Lake Tower and quickly let the front desk know that we were there. That lobby smells amazing by the way! Amy thought it was a little too "perfumey" but I loved it. Not as much as the Beach Club lobby, but it was still pretty good!!!!

We took an elevator to the 5th floor walkway to the Contemporary - we had a lunch date with the Big Cheese himself at Chef Mickey's!!!!!

Admiring the awesome view!

Pre- stuffing our faces Photopass shot-

More on our first Chef Mickey's lunch later today!!! Thanks for reading along!!!

 

[sheriffwoody]

I agree about the food at the Greek booth! I could use some of that deliciousness right about now...

 

[mishel635]

We made a quick stop in Norway for some school bread-

Sooooo good! I know a lot of people think it has a strong anise flavor but I don't taste it.

By now we were pretty full. It was only about 8:15 so we decided to head to the Polynesian to check out Trader Sams Grotto for the first time while we waited to get the kids.

Trader Sams was a BLAST!!!!! Our bartenders were hilarious! (I'm so mad I didn't write down their names because I've since forgotten them! )

Amy's barstool would randomly go up and down which provided some great entertainment. One minute I was looking her in the eye and the next I'm looking down at the top of her head.

Here's some pics but because of how dark it was they aren't the best-

Volcano time!

Swimming out to deliver drinks

The "shell phone" in the corner.

Amy and I each ordered a Hippopoto MaiTai and it was delicious! They were BIG!!!

There were lots of little jokes and funny sayings here and the bartenders really played it all up. Definitely worth a stop!

It was about 9:30 when we finished our drinks so we headed out to get the kids at Lilo's Playhouse. We were going to pick them up and then head back to the room. Leionna was going to stay there with the kids and then Amy and I had a reservation at California Grill for the first time!

So we went and grabbed the kids (after watching them have a blast with Chip n Dale). They were having fun and loved it but were getting tired so we left and took the monorail back to our resort.

The kids went right to bed and we headed over on the walkway to the Contemporary for our reservation. I was SO excited to finally try the California Grill.

We arrived and took the elevator up. Our table was ready right away and we had a nice surprise waiting for us-

Because we were staying at Bay Lake Tower, there was Mickey confetti in our table, a note and two glasses of champagne!


Appetizers- fish tacos and goat cheese ravioli. Both were good but the fish tacos were a little bland.

However, our entrees were SO good!

I got the scallops-

And Amy got the ribeye which she said was amazing!

For dessert we got the chocolate pudding cake and the S'mores creme brûlée which were both delicious! We were STUFFED!!!! The view was amazing so we enjoyed the view and relaxed for a bit and finished our champagne sloooooooowly. I didn't think we were going to be able to move to get back to our room! We were so full and exhausted.
Our server was great as well. I would definitely recommend the California Grill!
We eventually made it back to the room after a loooooong but amazing day full of many firsts!
Next up- another day at Magic Kingdom and our second MVMCP!

 

[mishel635]

The next day we were heading to Magic Kingdom for rope drop and cinnamon rolls at Gastons!

We had two fastpasses for the morning and then we were going back to rest at the hotel in the afternoon until dinner at 4:00pm at Cinderella's Royal Table followed by our 2nd Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! We were pumped!!!!

Amy and her kids had never seen rope drop so we were up and at em! We got there with a few minutes to spare, however two of our magic bands wouldn't work with our fingerprints so we needed to have someone with an iPad called over, and then Amy got picked for security. So we watched from the security area behind the trees, but we saw some of the show and got to hear it at least!

We then decided to stop in at the fire station and see what we could see. We figured we could get some pictures to send to Amy's husband Tony who was at his lieutenants fireman training in New York City.

We stopped in but there was a long line of people signing up for the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and not much else. Lots of neat memorabilia from fire stations all over, but not much Magic Kingdom related so we made our way up Main Street....

All of a sudden I looked in front of the castle and saw a fire truck! The driver was standing in front of it talking to people so we went over just to see if we could get a picture of it. When we explained about Amy's husband, he said "Well hop in and we will take a ride!" So exciting!!!!!

Driving around the hub-

Such a cool experience and the driver was so friendly!!!!!

After our ride in the fire truck, we were starving! Leionna headed over to Sleepy Hollow for a fruit and Nutella waffle, and the rest of us headed to Gastons for some cinnamon rolls!

We got to Gastons and I quickly made it to the front and ordered cinnamon rolls and drinks for each of us. The cast member turned away my magic band when I went to pay and said "These are on Gaston. Have a great day!" The pixie dust was strong that morning my friends! Especially when we found out that Leionna had a hard time getting her magic band to work for some reason, and she got her waffle on the house as well!!!

I had heard mixed reviews about the cinnamon rolls here by these were warm and gooey and delicious! (And about as big as Claire's head!!!! Not one of us could finish one!)

We then made our way over to Adventureland!

First up- Pirates!!! One of my favorites!

 

[mishel635]

Arrrrrrgggghhhhh!

Claire was mesmerized with the swirling snake and really thought it was real at first-

The kids hopped on Aladdins carpets for a quick spin and then we headed to Haunted Mansion! I love early mornings at Magic Kingdom.... barely any lines!!!

Next up was my favorite ride- Splash Mountain!!!!

I seriously love this ride!!!! The details, the music, love it!!!!!

We decided to grab some lunch at Pecos Bill's before our 7 Dwarfs Mine Train fastpass. It was our first time and I was really impressed with the toppings bar! I got nachos and split them with the kids.

And afterwards the kids wanted Mickey Bars!

 

[mishel635]

I don't know why but this picture and the next one makes me laugh so much!

We then headed to 7 Dwarfs Mine Train!

Grabbed a few more Photopass shots on our way out-

We went back to the room and rested for a bit before getting ready to head right back! The walk to Magic Kingdom was SO fantastic!!!! Definitely an awesome perk of staying at Bay Lake!

Claire was all ready to meet Cinderella!

Made our way to the castle for our CRT reservation!

 

[MegRuss626]

The next day we were heading to Magic Kingdom for rope drop and cinnamon rolls at Gastons!

We had two fastpasses for the morning and then we were going back to rest at the hotel in the afternoon until dinner at 4:00pm at Cinderella's Royal Table followed by our 2nd Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! We were pumped!!!!

Amy and her kids had never seen rope drop so we were up and at em! We got there with a few minutes to spare, however two of our magic bands wouldn't work with our fingerprints so we needed to have someone with an iPad called over, and then Amy got picked for security. So we watched from the security area behind the trees, but we saw some of the show and got to hear it at least!

We then decided to stop in at the fire station and see what we could see. We figured we could get some pictures to send to Amy's husband Tony who was at his lieutenants fireman training in New York City.

We stopped in but there was a long line of people signing up for the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and not much else. Lots of neat memorabilia from fire stations all over, but not much Magic Kingdom related so we made our way up Main Street....

All of a sudden I looked in front of the castle and saw a fire truck! The driver was standing in front of it talking to people so we went over just to see if we could get a picture of it. When we explained about Amy's husband, he said "Well hop in and we will take a ride!" So exciting!!!!!

Driving around the hub-
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Such a cool experience and the driver was so friendly!!!!!

After our ride in the fire truck, we were starving! Leionna headed over to Sleepy Hollow for a fruit and Nutella waffle, and the rest of us headed to Gastons for some cinnamon rolls!

We got to Gastons and I quickly made it to the front and ordered cinnamon rolls and drinks for each of us. The cast member turned away my magic band when I went to pay and said "These are on Gaston. Have a great day!" The pixie dust was strong that morning my friends! Especially when we found out that Leionna had a hard time getting her magic band to work for some reason, and she got her waffle on the house as well!!!

I had heard mixed reviews about the cinnamon rolls here by these were warm and gooey and delicious! (And about as big as Claire's head!!!! Not one of us could finish one!)

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We then made our way over to Adventureland!

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First up- Pirates!!! One of my favorites!
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We live the cinnamon rolls at Gaston's!! We fondly refer to them as the cinnamon loaf because it's so big! lol

 

[mishel635]

Soooooo sorry for the long delay! I'm putting together a curriculum for a training my office is hosting in March for the first time and it's taking up a lot of my time!

Okay- back to our dream come true Disney trip!

Made our way up the stairs after meeting Cinderella-

Meeting the princesses-

Snow White!

Sleeping Beauty!

Jasmine!

Ariel!

And then we got to see a beautiful proposal... she said yes!

Between taking pictures with princesses and the proposal going on, I didn't even realize that I didn't take any pics of our entrees! The boys, Amy and I had the steak and shrimp (Amy, Leionna and I ate their shrimp). Everything was really good. Even the cheese platter was delicious. Claire had Mac n cheese which she liked and our waiter was very accommodating with letting the boys switch for a kids appetizer so they could get the fresh fruit.

Desserts were really good too!

The clock strikes twelve...

The seasonal strawberry cheesecake...

The kids all got Cinderella's Smores...

The wishing ceremony is always a big hit!

This was our second time at CRT and overall it was another great experience. The kids love it, I think the food is great, you get to meet a lot of princesses in one place, and the atmosphere for me is worth it alone. I definitely recommend it if you don't mind the price!

 

[DimpledDevil18]

It's been YEARS since I've ate at CRT. It was a staple of all of our Disney trips, but once we got to be a certain age we just couldn't justify the price anymore. It seems like its a great place to bring kids though! Maybe the next time I'm in WDW with a kid...

 

[mishel635]

We then headed over to get in line to meet the Seven Dwarfs!!!!! I insisted on this and also we were planning to meet Scrooge McDuck at our next party. We hate to wait in long lines for characters but I insisted on these two!

Luckily the cast member standing at the beginning of the line said the kids and I could go ride something while Amy waited, considering it was about 6:15 and they weren't supposed to show up until 7:00pm.

We headed over to Dumbo since there was only a 10 minute wait.


Then we all went on the Barnstormer (10 minute wait that was actually 5) and then we went to wait in line with Amy.

We ended up meeting them around 7:15-

With that out of the way, we headed towards Tomorrowland- we made a pit stop to dance with some elves and reindeer.

The DJ was great, the characters were so much fun and so was the music! Definitely worth checking out if you're there for a Christmas party!

We then headed towards the hot cocoa and white chocolate peppermint cookies.... these were the kids favorites!

Took a quick pic with this projection-

And then sat down to wait a few minutes until the start of a Totally Tomorrowland Christmas show. We missed this last year so we had never seen it and it starred some of our favorite characters so we were pretty excited for it!

No video yet. Sorry! I've only figured out how to upload videos on Facebook and I can't get anything to upload tonight. I will try tomorrow!

 

[becca_]

Oh I'm from Buffalo It is too cold here Love the view from the room!!!! So amazing! Can't wait to hear more !!!

Another WNY-er here! I feel your pain of living in Buffalo. I realize I'm posting a little late but your trip looks like it was loads of fun!

 

[mishel635]

I apologize for the delay - I was having technical difficulties and couldn't get my videos to upload on either Facebook or YouTube. I am finally able to upload them onto YouTube again so I am back!!!!

Here's some video from the Totally Tomorrowland Christmas Show -











Definitely worth checking out! Santa Stitch is adorable!

We then headed to ride something that I had never been on before for some strange reason-
The Astro Orbiter!

Waiting in line- only about a 10 minute wait!

It was fun, but I definitely wouldn't wait in line for more than 15-20 minutes. It was really neat being that high up though!

We headed towards Tomorrowland Speedway (5 minute wait!) and we lucky enough to see this-

Sidewalk water art of Mickey!!!! So talented!

We took another ride on Tomorrowland Speedway- the boys were finally tall enough to drive themselves and were LOVING it!


Tomorrowland Speedway selfie!

And then walked on the tea cups (literally no line- just walked right on!). We were definitely enjoying the low crowds!

 

[mishel635]

We headed over to Adventureland - couldn't resist the five minute wait for Pirates so we rode that again!

Then I insisted we go on the Jingle Cruise.... there's just something about going on it at night that I love!

By now it was after 11:00pm and we were all starting to get tired so we headed towards Main Street to start the short walk back to Bay Lake. That short walk to Magic Kingdom is definitely one of the best things about staying there!

We got back to our villa and after checking out the view again, we were all asleep!

The next day, we had a breakfast reservation at Chef Mickey's! Then we were relaxing at the pool for a few hours before heading to Downtown Disney (I'm trying to call it Disney Springs... I really am!). We had dinner reservations at T Rex. We had debated between there and the Regal Dinner and a Movie because we really like it there, but we just didn't want to spend almost three hours at dinner and a movie when there were so many new things to check out!!!

Chef Mickey's breakfast- always a solid choice! Decent breakfast food and great character interaction!

Goofy- being, well, goofy.

Minnie!

Getting in one more Minnie hug!

Mickey!

Napkin twirling with Minnie!

We had a $10 credit at the arcade (which doesn't go very far at all my friends!)

Checked out the Frozen gingerbread display again- can you see the hidden Olafs?

 

[mishel635]

We had another gorgeous sunny day to spend at the pool!

And we pretty much had the pool to ourselves again!

Claire loves the kids activities that they have every afternoon.


Sand art!!

Gorgeous Florida sunshine!

Poolside Duck Duck Goose!

We spent about four hours soaking up the sunshine and then went up to get ready. We were very excited to check out the new Disney Springs!

Found this guy in the UnderArmour store!

The new shops are pretty nice if you're looking to shop! Made our way to the kids favorite store-

The Lego Store!!!!

We then made our way to our dinner reservation at T - Rex! It is a bit loud for dinner but the kids LOVE it!!!!

He boys had the New York strip steak and us girls all had burgers and fries. I had the Guac-a-saurus burger and everyone else had the Bronto burger. Everything was really good!

We then decided to splurge on dessert and got this awesome creation- the Chocolate Extinction!

The kids LOVED it and it was actually really good!