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!!!

 

[MegRuss626]

Following along and can I please be a member of your family???? I will even gladly participate in matching shirts!!

 

[MrsRella]

Cute matching shirts! Would love to stay at either of those places. Looking forward to reading the rest of your TP.

 

[mishel635]

Lunch at Chef Mickey's was great! We had only been there for breakfast before which I think is equally as good! Lots of options to choose from and great character interaction!

First up- Donald!

Donald #1!

Next up- Minnie Mouse!!!

The big cheese himself- Mickey!!!!

We had the characters here sign a wooden letter for each of the kids' bedrooms. They didn't seem to mind, and the kids loved it!

Pluto was really funny!

My favorite - Goofy!!!

These desserts were really good!! (I mean, they were no zebra domes, but they were pretty good! We stayed at AKL - Kidani last February and I fell in love with those darn zebra domes!!! None on this trip though!)

Lots of napkin twirling going down at our table my friends! So fun!

Overall, I love Chef Mickey's! The character interaction alone is worth it for us, but I actually think the buffet is pretty good too! It's no gourmet meal, but I feel it's a pretty decent buffet and a lot of fun!

Up next- our room wasn't quite ready yet so we went to check out the pool for the afternoon!

 

[mishel635]

We grabbed our refillable mugs (hot pink was a new color since we were here last, and some had handles and some didn't) and headed back over the 5th floor walkway to get back to Bay Lake Tower. We had our bathing suits with us and we were ready to soak up some Florida sunshine!!!! We had about 3 1/2 hours before we had to start getting ready for our dinner at The Wave! (Another first for all of us)

This pool was pretty nice! You could choose to either be in the shade of Bay Lake Tower, or in the sunshine. We got to the pool around 1:00 and there were plenty of lounge chairs available.

I was SO ready for some sunshine! Sunshine on my shouldeeeerrrrsss makes me happyyyyyyyyy!
Corny songs aside, it REALLY does!!!! I've grown to HATE western NY winters and the cold weather. If it weren't for my husband only having 12 more years til he can retire with a NYS teachers pension, we would either be moving south or west to warmer climes! Until that day, we will just take vacations to the sunshine!!!!!!

But first, the boys found a ping pong table! There was shuffleboard, bocce, cornhole and ping pong and they were psyched!

The girls made our way into the pool area (after scanning our magic bands to get in)


Claire was ready for the pool!!!

We had the hot tub to ourselves!

Claire LOVED the pool party and games!

We never got a text that our room was ready and it was almost 4:00 pm, so I went to the front desk and asked and they said for some reason the text system wasn't working and our room was indeed ready!!!!!!

11th floor, room 8130 just off the elevators! It was perfect!!!

Here's the main area of our villa-

We used Dizzy Dolphin grocery service again and they were great as usual. I like that you tell them what you want instead of picking from a list of items they carry. They even got us Baileys for our coffee and Titos and champagne for our mimosas!

And here is the feature the I was IN LOVE with and made sure to enjoy every single day we were there-

The amazing view-

Seriously, just gorgeous!!!!

Coming up- dinner at the Wave, and the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage!!!!

 

[kaitertot5249]

OHMYGOSH that view! I would LOVE to stay in a room with that kind of view someday. Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

 

[pezgirlroy]

We grabbed our refillable mugs (hot pink was a new color since we were here last, and some had handles and some didn't) and headed back over the 5th floor walkway to get back to Bay Lake Tower. We had our bathing suits with us and we were ready to soak up some Florida sunshine!!!! We had about 3 1/2 hours before we had to start getting ready for our dinner at The Wave! (Another first for all of us)

This pool was pretty nice! You could choose to either be in the shade of Bay Lake Tower, or in the sunshine. We got to the pool around 1:00 and there were plenty of lounge chairs available.

I was SO ready for some sunshine! Sunshine on my shouldeeeerrrrsss makes me happyyyyyyyyy!
Corny songs aside, it REALLY does!!!! I've grown to HATE western NY winters and the cold weather. If it weren't for my husband only having 12 more years til he can retire with a NYS teachers pension, we would either be moving south or west to warmer climes! Until that day, we will just take vacations to the sunshine!!!!!!

But first, the boys found a ping pong table! There was shuffleboard, bocce, cornhole and ping pong and they were psyched!

View attachment 177794

The girls made our way into the pool area (after scanning our magic bands to get in)


Claire was ready for the pool!!!
View attachment 177795

View attachment 177797

View attachment 177798

We had the hot tub to ourselves!
View attachment 177799

Claire LOVED the pool party and games!
View attachment 177800

We never got a text that our room was ready and it was almost 4:00 pm, so I went to the front desk and asked and they said for some reason the text system wasn't working and our room was indeed ready!!!!!!

11th floor, room 8130 just off the elevators! It was perfect!!!

Here's the main area of our villa-
View attachment 177801

We used Dizzy Dolphin grocery service again and they were great as usual. I like that you tell them what you want instead of picking from a list of items they carry. They even got us Baileys for our coffee and Titos and champagne for our mimosas!

And here is the feature the I was IN LOVE with and made sure to enjoy every single day we were there-

The amazing view-
View attachment 177802

View attachment 177803

Seriously, just gorgeous!!!!
View attachment 177804

Coming up- dinner at the Wave, and the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage!!!!

I would love to hear more about Dizzy Dolphin. We will need grocery items, plus baby items and beer so this almost sounds like a win.

 

[Doc Disney]

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!!!!!

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

 

[mishel635]

So we started getting ready to head out for our dinner at The Wave and then the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage!!!!!

Waiting for our table- Mary Poppins!

When your six year old wants a selfie with her mom... you take a selfie!

I had heard good things about this restaurant so I was pretty excited to try it.

Pretty cool waiting area- it felt like we were underwater!

The lights looked like jellyfish!

The menu was pretty impressive- it was hard to choose! But Amy and I each got the shrimp and crab cakes for an appetizer. They were delicious! The remoulade and citrus radicchio salad it was served with really went well together. Delicious!

Leionna got the artisanal cheese board and the selections were very good.

For our entrees- Amy and the boys each got the grilled rib-eye. They said it was good but not seasoned very much.
I got the scallops and they were phenomenal!!!! SO good!!

Claire got the grilled cheese on rainbow bread- fine dining at it's best!

We were all pretty full, but dessert was calling. Amy and I got an espresso and then the kids got a few different desserts that we all tried-

We're fancy.

Espresso and chocolate peanut butter cake...

Bananas foster cake. We each had a bite and then we were stuffed!!!!!

Overall- The Wave was a good choice. Our waiter was good, the food was outstanding, and it was a pretty cool atmosphere. I would definitely go there again.


Now, I don't know about all of you, but I tend to overplan a little when I plan a Disney trip. I will say to myself, "It's Disney!!! We won't be tired! We can sleep when we're home!" But. We had been up since 3:00 am. And we were tired.
Luckily we had about 45 minutes until our Pirates and Pals cruise, and there were these lovely sectional couches on the 4th floor of the Contemporary where we had to wait for the Pirates party to start. So we all took a little rest/nap while we waited. And it was glorious!


Up next- Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage!

 

[mishel635]

So while we were relaxing/power napping on the couches near the check in for California Grill, they started setting up the hallway for the Pre-Fireworks Voyage party!

We checked in and then went on a scavenger hunt on the 4th floor which was fun. The kids loved it. And while we were at the store, we just HAD to buy some pirate swords obviously!

They gave us the bandannas when we checked in.

Before we knew it, the doors were opening and our pirate guides were there. They were really funny!

Unfortunately I was still a little full, because they had tons of snacks set up! Popcorn, pretzels, chips and salsa, fruit, cake, Mickey ice cream bars, cotton candy, chocolate gold dubloons, hot and cold drinks. A really nice spread! The kids loved that the gold doubloons said "Dead men tell no tales" on them. (And so did I! )

Almost immediately, Captain Hook and Mr Smee came in to meet and greet, sign books and take photos.

It was a nice set up and a lot of fun. Next they announced it was time to head outside to board one of two boats (we were on the Mr Smee!)

 

[mishel635]

We headed outside and they had all the kids get together for a quick group photo.

The pirate guides were really funny and were making jokes during the entire pre-voyage festivities.

We boarded our boat and quickly learned that our pirate guide on the boat was even funnier. Seriously he was hilarious! Asking everyone questions and making jokes, singing songs. Very fun. There were a lot of adults without kids on this as well and he really had fun with them. One couple was celebrating their anniversary and there were a few birthdays. We were definitely a loud and rowdy bunch.

First up, we had a really close up view of the water pagaent.

And then it all turned to patriotic floats-

Overall, we really enjoyed the fireworks cruise. Snacks, funny entertainment all evening, and a great view of the electrical pageant and the fireworks.

However we definitely learned our lesson about planning things at night after flying out really early- Claire and Landon both fell asleep on the cruise and missed the fireworks. And we were all so sleepy after we got off the boat, that we didn't even stay to meet Peter Pan.


Amy and I sat on the balcony after we all got back to the room and enjoyed a cocktail while enjoying this view-

A little blurry but you get the idea!!!!

 

[mishel635]

Day 2- Breakfast at Ohana, pool day, Cinderella's Happily Ever After dinner, and then our first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!!!!! Woohoo!!!!!

My kids and I had never had breakfast at Ohana so we were pretty excited!

The food was good, traditional breakfast food but we had an odd experience with our waiter. I forgot to write down his name, and he did redeem himself somewhat by the end of our meal, but when we first sat down, he immediately came to our table, didn't introduce himself, and started pouring us juice. Only two of us wanted the juice, so we politely asked him to stop pouring it ( I didn't want to waste it) and he acted offended, slammed a glass down and stormed off. We then didn't see him for at least five minutes and Amy and I both REALLY wanted coffee. Someone else brought us food, and then I had to stop a different waitress to ask for water for the kids. He then finally reappeared, Amy and I asked for coffee and for the rest of the meal, he joked with the kids and tried making them laugh. We decided just to let it go because we hate complaining but it was very strange.

Character interaction here was great.

Lilo loved Calvins slap bracelet Stitch!

Stitch!!!!!! All the kids are big Stitch fans but my niece LOVES Stitch so this was a big deal for us!!!!

Overall it was a good breakfast- Mickey waffles AND Stitch waffles!!! What's not to love????

Plus I LOVE the Polynesian so I always love stopping in there. Someday I will stay there!

We took the monorail back to the Contemporary. It was a beautiful sunny 70 degree day and the pool was calling our names!!!!

Snapped this on the way through- such beautiful artwork in this lobby!

We also took a moment to check out the Frozen gingerbread display-

We headed back up to our room, changed into our suits, Amy and I whipped up a quick batch of mimosas, and we headed down to the pool!

It was a beautiful sunny Sunday and we pretty much had the pool to ourselves!!!!

The kids LOVED this splash pad, especially when they realized it was shaped like a Mickey head!!!!

Since breakfast was at 9:00 am and dinner was at 4:00 pm, Amy and I skipped lunch and just drank our pitcher of mimosas and the kids had chips and Mickey ice cream bars. Hey, we were on vacation right???

 

[prfctlyximprct]

The Wave is now on my must try list! Loving your pictures! Seems like a such a fun trip and we're only at the beginning! A pitcher of mimosas?! Sounds like my kind of vacation! Can I join next time

 

[mishel635]

So we got ready for our dinner at 1900 Park Fare. We had never been there before and I was pretty excited to meet Lady Tremaine and her daughters for the first time. Especially since we had this on the back of our shirts -

I figured it would start some fun conversations!!!

We got there a few minutes early and saw a photo pass photographer who took our pictures and was phenomenonal!!! We had so much fun with him!

Once we were done with our impromptu photo shoot, it was time for dinner! Our waitress quickly informed us that the stepsisters would not be at dinner tonight. At first they said Suzy and Perla would be there but then it changed to the Fairy Godmother. I was a little bummed we wouldn't get to meet the stepsisters but we also had never met Fairy Godmother and the kids were pretty excited. First up- Prince Charming!

The food at this buffet was pretty good. Salad bar and a taco bar, shrimp, carved beef and turkey, and their famous strawberry soup!!!

Fairy Godmother was very sweet. And then it was time for Lady Tremaine. We told her we had some bad news for her and her daughters and then showed her the back of Calvins shirt.

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.w.salisbury/posts/10154253516660668

Super fun character interaction and great food!!!

 

[mishel635]

Following along and can I please be a member of your family???? I will even gladly participate in matching shirts!!

Haha!!! Thanks for following along! The matching shirts are definitely a requirement!!!

Cute matching shirts! Would love to stay at either of those places. Looking forward to reading the rest of your TP.

Thank you and thanks for following along!

OHMYGOSH that view! I would LOVE to stay in a room with that kind of view someday. Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

Thanks for following along! Words and pictures seriously can't even describe that view! I hope you get to stay there someday!!!

I would love to hear more about Dizzy Dolphin. We will need grocery items, plus baby items and beer so this almost sounds like a win.

Dizzy Dolphin is great! This was our third time using them, and in the past he would just email them a list of what you want but apparently they've updated their website and have an online form now that you can fill out. Their website is dizzydolphindelivery.com. (If the link is not allowed please just let me know!)

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

I'm currently watching big fat snowflakes fall outside right now....
Thanks for following along!

The Wave is now on my must try list! Loving your pictures! Seems like a such a fun trip and we're only at the beginning! A pitcher of mimosas?! Sounds like my kind of vacation! Can I join next time

The Wave is definitely worth a trip!! We brought a popcorn bucket from a previous trip to fill with drinks for the pool for our refillable mugs... (We're resourceful! ) And if you're okay with the daily matching shirts, you're in!!!! Lol Thanks for following along!

 

[MegRuss626]

So we got ready for our dinner at 1900 Park Fare. We had never been there before and I was pretty excited to meet Lady Tremaine and her daughters for the first time. Especially since we had this on the back of our shirts -

View attachment 178488

I figured it would start some fun conversations!!!

We got there a few minutes early and saw a photo pass photographer who took our pictures and was phenomenonal!!! We had so much fun with him!

View attachment 178489


View attachment 178490


View attachment 178491

View attachment 178492

Once we were done with our impromptu photo shoot, it was time for dinner! Our waitress quickly informed us that the stepsisters would not be at dinner tonight. At first they said Suzy and Perla would be there but then it changed to the Fairy Godmother. I was a little bummed we wouldn't get to meet the stepsisters but we also had never met Fairy Godmother and the kids were pretty excited. First up- Prince Charming!

View attachment 178493


The food at this buffet was pretty good. Salad bar and a taco bar, shrimp, carved beef and turkey, and their famous strawberry soup!!!


View attachment 178495

View attachment 178496


Fairy Godmother was very sweet. And then it was time for Lady Tremaine. We told her we had some bad news for her and her daughters and then showed her the back of Calvins shirt.

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.w.salisbury/posts/10154253516660668

View attachment 178497

View attachment 178501

Super fun character interaction and great food!!!

I'm so bummed for you that they weren't there! They are hysterical!!

 

[mishel635]

So we finished up with dinnner and hopped on the monorail to my happy place- the Magic Kingdom!!!!! I was SO excited for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party!!!!!

It was around 5:15 so our plan was to hit up our 7DMT fastpass and then our Space Mountain fastpass and then get in line to meet Nick and Judy around 6:15 since they were doing their meet and greet in Tomorrowland. Then if we had time after meeting them, we would use our Buzz fastpass. Also, Amy likes people watching so she was going to stake us out a spot on Main Street to watch the parade as well (my favorite part of MVMCP! )


So we all went on 7 Dwarfs Mine Train which of course we LOVE!

Then we headed to Space Mountain. It was Calvin and Claire's first time and they were excited but also a little nervous.

Waiting in line!

Getting ready to head into space!

They loved it!!!!!

We found Amy who headed to Main Street to find us a spot for the parade and we went to get in line for Nick and Judy. However, it was only 6:15pm and there was already a VERY long line for Nick and Judy. One cast member said it would be 45 minutes to an hour. The kids were not excited about that prospect so we decided to skip it. They were happy just to see them from afar.

So we did our Buzz fastpass so we could kick some Zurg butt!!!

Me and Landon

Calvin and Claire

We hopped over to one of my favorites- the People Mover!

Love these goofballs!

We then decided we were ready for a snack!
Last year, you could get unlimited hot cocoa and snickerdoodles at the party. This year, you could get all different snacks and we started with snow cones and sugar cookies at Friar's Nook.

Snowman sugar cookies were pretty good!

 

[mishel635]

So we made our way back to Main Street to find Amy to watch Elsa light up the castle and wait for the parade.

Grabbed a few Photopass shots while waiting.

Before we knew it, we heard Anna and Olaf and Elsa getting ready to light up the castle (again.... lol)


https://www.facebook.com/michelle.w.salisbury/posts/10154262647165668


I really love watching that video.


Waiting for the parade to start-

Photopass photographers were walking up and down Main Street taking photos with props which was kind of nice while we were waiting.

I seriously love this parade. I could not stop taking pictures of the castle and Main Street while we were waiting, but even the pictures just don't do it justice. There's just something so magical about being on Main Street when it's all decorated for Christmas and it's nighttime and the fake snow is coming down and the Christmas songs are playing.... LOVE it!!!!

 

[mishel635]

My kids were more excited to play with the elves BEFORE the parade, than they were for the actual parade. This is one of the things I love about Disney World- everything is fun, even waiting for a parade to start!!!!

Here they come!!!!

Donald and Daisy in their holiday finest!

Anna and Elsa!

These skier guys were really cool!

Olaf!!!!!

Okay, we need to take a minute and talk about one of the best parts of this parade..... the SMELLS!!!!!! Seriously, these floats smelled AMAZING!!!! Some floats smelled like cookies, Kristoff's float smelled like Christmas trees, Goofy's float smelled like candy, seriously SO GOOD!!!!!

The ice men...

Kristoff....

Wreck it Ralph and Vanellope

 

[mishel635]

My kids' favorites- Chip and Dale!

Clara belle! For some reason after this and then seeing her again at the castle show, my nephew decided my name should be aunt Mooooochelle. It was pretty funny especially when it came up randomly throughout our trip.

My favorite- Goofy!!!!

Seven Dwarfs!

Princesses!