sharona
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2008
Who - Me, DD12, my mom73, my SIL and my nephew13
When - Dec. 10th - 15th
Where - WDW Dolphin
Hotel - Great. Loved the location and our 9th floor room with balcony overlooking the resort lagoon and Swan with a distant view of EPCOT. The lobby was gorgeous with a giant Christmas tree made entirely of white poinsettias. Pools were great and the 80 degree days and warm nights (for December) allowed us to take advantage of them.
Transportation - Used 1 way mini van rentals to get to/from MCO/the hotel. Very easy as the Dolphin had a National/Alamo desk right in the lobby. Drop off and pick up of the cars went smoothly with the Dolphin valet and we avoided the $18/night parking fee.
MK - We took the bus and it was fine. I'm not a fan of the WDW buses but for MK it usually makes sense. We didn't wait more than a few minutes for a bus to or from and had a seat 5 out of 6 rides.
EP - We both walked and took the boat. The walk was easy enough to the International Gateway but it was not shaded in the afternoon so it was too hot for my mom to walk back so we took the boat. It was a longer ride but a nice chance to be off our feet for 15-20 minutes. IG entrance was great - no crowds even when leaving after Illuminations.
HS - Took the boat each way. No issues going over but not a great experience on the way back. Big crowd waiting. Several boats dropped off but didn't take on any passengers. We were at the front of the crowd so not too too bad but I'd guess those at the back of the line waited over an hour...
AK - We took a taxi due to an early ADR and it was worth the $20+. We were there in just a few minutes and no worries about missing our ADR.
We also took a taxi to Wilderness Lodge for a dinner ADR and again it was well worth the $20+.
Parks
MK was not crowded when we arrived at 2pm on 12/10, likely because it was a MVMCP night and non party guests without hoppers stayed away.
Disney15_1771a by SharonCat..., on Flickr
We had our FPs and enjoyed ourselved right up to 7pm then we made our way down Main St enjoying the snow and the festive atmosphere.
Disney15_1952c by SharonCat..., on Flickr
HS on the 11th was busy but again nothing too bad. We rode TSMM with FP then Star Tours then saw BATB and IJ shows followed by RNRC. After a late lunch/early dinner we walked through the Osborne Lights around 7pm. That was packed. Sardines in a can packed. I felt sorry for those with strollers or on scooters as there really was no where to go. We found that walking on the very edge of the crowd allowed a bit of breathing room but it was just so incredibly crowded.. worth the squeeze though as it was so beautiful!!!
Disney15_1665 by SharonCat..., on Flickr
EP on the 12th was a great day. We started off in the morning with our FPs for Soarin and Spaceship Earth then we waited about 40 minutes for Test Track followed by our FP for Figment. It was busy but not that crowded - very manageable. We headed back to the resort for a few hours in the late afternoon and were back in World Showcase by sunset. We greatly enjoyed our trip around the world ending in Japan for the fireworks show. Nice view from there and not the crush that you see on the FW side of the lagoon.
Disney15_1013a by SharonCat..., on Flickr
AK on the 13th was good. We had a character meal at Tusker House which was really fun. Goofy was quite the scamp and Daisy was a big ole flirt. So cute. Had a great day at the park but left at 3pm to get ready for MVMCP that night.
AK_BRDGMDL_7547439672 by SharonCat..., on Flickr
MVMCP - Of course the only rain we saw was during our party night. Nothing that a few ponchos couldn't handle... We're not big on m&g's so we mostly enjoyed the atmosphere, hit some rides and then got a good spot for the fireworks and the parade. Loved both of these so much!!! The whole park was so festive and the snow on Main St. and the characters all in their Christmas gear - really put us in the Christmas spirit.
aDisney15_0856c by SharonCat..., on Flickr
MK on the 14th - Exhausted from our busy day on Sunday, we slept in on Monday and didn't leave our resort until it was time for our dinner reservation at Whispering Canyon. After dinner we took the boat to MK and stayed til close at 12? 1? I honestly can't recall! Best part of the night - we swapped our Wishes FP for BTMRR from 930-1030pm. We waited for Wishes to start then we got on BTMRR and rode while the fireworks were bursting all above us. It was a truly magical experience and one I very highly recommend. Coming in and out of the tunnels and seeing the castle all lit up and the fireworks bursting and my DD's smile at it all was just awesome and is my favorite memory of the trip.
Restaurants - We ate a lot of CS as it was a short trip and we're not big fans of WDW food but we did make a point to have a few ADRs and we enjoyed them all.
50's Prime Time - loved our server Carole - she was sassy and bossy and hilarious. Fed most of us who didn't clean our plates. Scolded my mom for tattling and me for letting DD order 2 apps instead of a meal. Also, I've never seen my nephew so well behaved at dinner!
Tusker House - our favorite meal that we do just about every trip is the character breakfast at TS. Food is just wonderful, atmosphere is so fun and the characters always seem extra friendly here.
Calendar 16 by SharonCat..., on Flickr
Whispering Canyon - fun and delicious. Most of us got the steak dinner and it was cooked to perfection and so tender. Hands down the best meal of our trip and one of the best steaks I've had at any of the WDW properties. The atmosphere here was very cute with the whole ketchup bit and the kids and some adults riding the stick ponies around the restaurant. Great service here too.
Disney15_2197a by SharonCat..., on Flickr
Memory Maker - glad we got it and we got lots of great family pics. It was nice for me to actually be in a few of them for a change. Worth the money if you have a big group or are going to be there for more than a few days. We didn't stop at every station and we had to wait for most of the photopass opportunities which didn't sit well with the kids. I had to threaten the family a few times to get them to stop but in the end we had about 200 pics. Some of the PP CMs were so great and others were just ridiculous with either their lack of even checking to make sure they got the pic or taking 400 poses of each family so that the line barely moved. The PP at the Wilderness Lodge was super - she really knew what she was doing.
MCO - the usual zoo on the way home of wheelchairs and strollers going through security. TSA was a mess and I was glad we got there early enough not to worry about the time it was taking. Most of the food court in Terminal A was shut down for construction which stunk.
That's it! A great trip for sure and WDW is gorgeous at Christmas time but I will never travel anywhere in December again. Too stressful with so much to do when we got home to get ready for Christmas!
When - Dec. 10th - 15th
Where - WDW Dolphin
Hotel - Great. Loved the location and our 9th floor room with balcony overlooking the resort lagoon and Swan with a distant view of EPCOT. The lobby was gorgeous with a giant Christmas tree made entirely of white poinsettias. Pools were great and the 80 degree days and warm nights (for December) allowed us to take advantage of them.
Transportation - Used 1 way mini van rentals to get to/from MCO/the hotel. Very easy as the Dolphin had a National/Alamo desk right in the lobby. Drop off and pick up of the cars went smoothly with the Dolphin valet and we avoided the $18/night parking fee.
MK - We took the bus and it was fine. I'm not a fan of the WDW buses but for MK it usually makes sense. We didn't wait more than a few minutes for a bus to or from and had a seat 5 out of 6 rides.
EP - We both walked and took the boat. The walk was easy enough to the International Gateway but it was not shaded in the afternoon so it was too hot for my mom to walk back so we took the boat. It was a longer ride but a nice chance to be off our feet for 15-20 minutes. IG entrance was great - no crowds even when leaving after Illuminations.
HS - Took the boat each way. No issues going over but not a great experience on the way back. Big crowd waiting. Several boats dropped off but didn't take on any passengers. We were at the front of the crowd so not too too bad but I'd guess those at the back of the line waited over an hour...
AK - We took a taxi due to an early ADR and it was worth the $20+. We were there in just a few minutes and no worries about missing our ADR.
We also took a taxi to Wilderness Lodge for a dinner ADR and again it was well worth the $20+.
Parks
MK was not crowded when we arrived at 2pm on 12/10, likely because it was a MVMCP night and non party guests without hoppers stayed away.
Disney15_1771a by SharonCat..., on FlickrWe had our FPs and enjoyed ourselved right up to 7pm then we made our way down Main St enjoying the snow and the festive atmosphere.
Disney15_1952c by SharonCat..., on FlickrHS on the 11th was busy but again nothing too bad. We rode TSMM with FP then Star Tours then saw BATB and IJ shows followed by RNRC. After a late lunch/early dinner we walked through the Osborne Lights around 7pm. That was packed. Sardines in a can packed. I felt sorry for those with strollers or on scooters as there really was no where to go. We found that walking on the very edge of the crowd allowed a bit of breathing room but it was just so incredibly crowded.. worth the squeeze though as it was so beautiful!!!
Disney15_1665 by SharonCat..., on FlickrEP on the 12th was a great day. We started off in the morning with our FPs for Soarin and Spaceship Earth then we waited about 40 minutes for Test Track followed by our FP for Figment. It was busy but not that crowded - very manageable. We headed back to the resort for a few hours in the late afternoon and were back in World Showcase by sunset. We greatly enjoyed our trip around the world ending in Japan for the fireworks show. Nice view from there and not the crush that you see on the FW side of the lagoon.
Disney15_1013a by SharonCat..., on FlickrAK on the 13th was good. We had a character meal at Tusker House which was really fun. Goofy was quite the scamp and Daisy was a big ole flirt. So cute. Had a great day at the park but left at 3pm to get ready for MVMCP that night.
AK_BRDGMDL_7547439672 by SharonCat..., on FlickrMVMCP - Of course the only rain we saw was during our party night. Nothing that a few ponchos couldn't handle... We're not big on m&g's so we mostly enjoyed the atmosphere, hit some rides and then got a good spot for the fireworks and the parade. Loved both of these so much!!! The whole park was so festive and the snow on Main St. and the characters all in their Christmas gear - really put us in the Christmas spirit.
aDisney15_0856c by SharonCat..., on FlickrMK on the 14th - Exhausted from our busy day on Sunday, we slept in on Monday and didn't leave our resort until it was time for our dinner reservation at Whispering Canyon. After dinner we took the boat to MK and stayed til close at 12? 1? I honestly can't recall! Best part of the night - we swapped our Wishes FP for BTMRR from 930-1030pm. We waited for Wishes to start then we got on BTMRR and rode while the fireworks were bursting all above us. It was a truly magical experience and one I very highly recommend. Coming in and out of the tunnels and seeing the castle all lit up and the fireworks bursting and my DD's smile at it all was just awesome and is my favorite memory of the trip.
Restaurants - We ate a lot of CS as it was a short trip and we're not big fans of WDW food but we did make a point to have a few ADRs and we enjoyed them all.
50's Prime Time - loved our server Carole - she was sassy and bossy and hilarious. Fed most of us who didn't clean our plates. Scolded my mom for tattling and me for letting DD order 2 apps instead of a meal. Also, I've never seen my nephew so well behaved at dinner!
Tusker House - our favorite meal that we do just about every trip is the character breakfast at TS. Food is just wonderful, atmosphere is so fun and the characters always seem extra friendly here.
Calendar 16 by SharonCat..., on FlickrWhispering Canyon - fun and delicious. Most of us got the steak dinner and it was cooked to perfection and so tender. Hands down the best meal of our trip and one of the best steaks I've had at any of the WDW properties. The atmosphere here was very cute with the whole ketchup bit and the kids and some adults riding the stick ponies around the restaurant. Great service here too.
Disney15_2197a by SharonCat..., on FlickrMemory Maker - glad we got it and we got lots of great family pics. It was nice for me to actually be in a few of them for a change. Worth the money if you have a big group or are going to be there for more than a few days. We didn't stop at every station and we had to wait for most of the photopass opportunities which didn't sit well with the kids. I had to threaten the family a few times to get them to stop but in the end we had about 200 pics. Some of the PP CMs were so great and others were just ridiculous with either their lack of even checking to make sure they got the pic or taking 400 poses of each family so that the line barely moved. The PP at the Wilderness Lodge was super - she really knew what she was doing.
MCO - the usual zoo on the way home of wheelchairs and strollers going through security. TSA was a mess and I was glad we got there early enough not to worry about the time it was taking. Most of the food court in Terminal A was shut down for construction which stunk.
That's it! A great trip for sure and WDW is gorgeous at Christmas time but I will never travel anywhere in December again. Too stressful with so much to do when we got home to get ready for Christmas!
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