Christmas in July (Weather) - Our 2015 Christmas Vacation

[PlutoTheDog89]

It’s never easy coming home from vacation. For my family, vacation has always been Disney World. Sure, there have been shorter, 3 or 4-day vacations sprinkled in, but most of our trips have always been to Walt Disney World. Of course we’d like to travel elsewhere. Thoughts of traveling to Europe or exploring the United States have often entered our minds, but it’s rare that we can coordinate all of our schedules and Disney has become “home” for us during the holidays.

Growing up, we’d travel to Disney every 2-4 years. We’d head there in the summer and profusely sweat as we went park to park. My parents brought my sister for the 15-year anniversary; We visited for the 25th-year anniversary and we’ve celebrated birthdays, graduations and even a friend’s wedding at Disney. We’ve stayed on-site, off-site and visited in the summer, fall, spring and winter. We’ve driven, flown and even took the train once (never again).

We started to visit Disney for Christmas in 2009. My dad had been battling cancer and once he finally went into remission, we wanted to celebrate. We thought long and hard as to how and where we’d like to celebrate my dad getting healthy. A party, maybe? Finally, my dad spoke up. He had never seen Disney during Christmas, “I bet it’s really something”, he said. I had just returned to college for my junior year when I received the call. “What do you think about spending Christmas in Disney,” my mom asked. I was elated at the idea. We took Amtrak down in 2009, which proved to be the right idea. That was the year that a massive blizzard attacked most of the east coast. It was also the year that a huge cold front overtook most of Florida and Orlando. It was in the 30’s at night! Despite the cold weather, though, we loved every part of it. We returned again in 2010. After graduating in 2011, I was without a job until November and we had a wedding in Disney to attend in April, 2012, so we skipped. I’ll never forget that Christmas. Sure, we had our own fun, but we missed Disney. And so, we returned in 2012… and again in 2013, 2014 and this year - 2015.

We made a lot of mistakes in 2009 and 2010. We didn’t take advantage of the convenience of the meal plan, we didn’t plan or strategize our trip, and we didn’t take in all the holiday decorations or enjoy the entertainment. We went in blindly, but we learned through the years. Family friends joined us in 2014 and couldn’t believe how much we planned and were able to pack into one day. FP+? ADR? EMH? After drowning in acronyms, they let me take the reigns and plan the perfect Christmas vacation.

We had always been driven by efficiency, planning trips that, despite the crowds, allowed us to see and do everything. This year, however, we decided to slow things down a bit. Here’s what we learned…

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Weather

This was perhaps our most consistent year weather-wise. In the week and days leading up to the trip, the forecast called for very warm days (low to mid 80s) the first few days of the trip, only to fall into the lower 70s with cooler nights at the end of the trip. But, just like typical Orlando weather in December, it changed literally the day before our trip (when our bags were already packed.)

I learned my lesson last year and from the years before (or so I thought.) In 2009, we packed light. It's Florida, after all, finally a warm Christmas! We were sorely mistaken. The temperature plummeted shortly after we arrived and never went back up. Most days were in the 60s or high 50s, with nights going down into the high 30s. We were freezing. We packed warmer clothes in 2010. We had a few nice days, but for the most part it was jeans and long-sleeve shirt weather. We skipped in 2011 and had the best weather in 2012. I specifically remember this because it was right after Sandy. We really lucked out weather-wise and it wound up being one of my favorite trips. It was warm, in the 70s most days. It only got cooler a few days, but most days were sunny.

Last year saw the temps hover in the 80s for a few days. It was warm but tolerable. I only packed one pair of shorts. Fortunately I sleep in mesh shorts, so I wore those some days. The temperature dropped and it rained a lot during the second half of our trip. For this year, I kept close tabs on the weather. Seeing the hot temperatures the first few days, I packed a lot of t-shirts and shorts. The heat was supposed to wear off by Sunday, December 27th. It was due to fall into the 60s at night, so I packed a few heavier long-sleeve collared shirts and layers - hoodies, a sweatshirt, etc. I never wore them because the weather never broke. It served as nothing more than dead weight in my luggage.

I personally loved the hot weather. Sure, I sweat a lot and at times it was very humid (well, most of the time it was very humid) but I knew I'd soon be returning to New York just in time for the dead of winter. I never went in the pool, but I could have. It was that hot. My parents struggled a bit. They really didn't like the heat nor had they packed for it. They packed some clothes for the hot weather, but like me, they didn't buy too into it. It resulted in a few laundry days to keep our lighter clothes clean.

Overall, a good trip weather-wise. Sure it was hot, but the sun was shining every day (outside a few foggy mornings) and we never had any rain. I'd hope for the same weather next year, maybe just a little cooler at night. I like throwing on a pair of jeans and a collared shirt at night, especially for dinner. Of course, we're most likely staying at the Beach Club next year, which means knowing our luck, it'll be the coldest week in years.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Alright everyone - the trip report is finally ready to get going. I started this shortly after my trip then hit a bit of a hiccup. I started my night classes, work got busy and unfortunately we had a family tragedy, so it kind of took a back seat. Also, I purchased an awesome Nikon before the trip and took over 1,000 photos! I was "that guy." I didn't want to post anything until I had the time to sort through the photos and edit them in LightRoom. With that said, let's get to the trip report....

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Resort Review: Port Orleans French Quarters

I want to write a quick caveat before getting into my review. I’ve said it a million times for restaurants and wanted to stress it again here: reviews are incredibly subjective. One poor experience can lead one to have a negative opinion of a certain restaurant or resort. Not only that, but a poor experience can happen anywhere. A family friend always stays at Deluxe resorts and has had a poor experience at the Grand Floridian. I’ve heard of people having bad experiences at the Polynesian, as well. These are massive resorts that are subject to a slip-up every now and then. Don’t let one bad review skew your opinion. Port Orleans French Quarters has been very good to us. But – we’ve been debating changing resorts or upgrading to a Deluxe. This may have been the push we needed.

We spent two Christmases at Disney’s Coronado Springs. We really enjoyed the resort, but it quickly became “stale” for us. It’s a rather large resort and although it’s beautifully themed, the rooms simply didn’t do it for us anymore. In 2013, we looked to find a new resort. We eventually settled on Port Orleans French Quarters. We liked how small it is – as one of the smaller resorts at Walt Disney World, the lobby and sole bus stop is only a 3-5 minute walk from every room. It’s also wonderfully themed and situated along the Sassagoula River, presenting some awesome views.

The resort had been very good to us, but this year it failed to meet its marks. We arrived around 12:30pm. The cast member who checked to see if our room was ready and assured us that we’d receive an early check-in. The room was dirty upon check-in. The beds were made, but there was a thick coating of dust on the furniture, and the rugs had crumbs and dust. We even discovered dead bugs along the windowsill and bathroom ceiling. We figured that the room was cleaned in haste to allow for our early check-in. We were disappointed to find the room in the same condition the next day after returning to the park. My mom called the maid service and aired her grievances. They assured us that the room would be vacuumed and cleaned better. The next day the beds were made, but the room hadn’t been vacuumed and the furniture was still dusty. After calling the maid service again, a maid soon arrived to our room. Rather than knocking, the maid just walked in. She started complaining, raising her voice and claiming that she had vacuumed the room already. When we pointed out the dust and crumbs, she plugged in the vacuum and began vacuuming with a vicious motion, often hitting into the furniture. After she finished, she continued to complain about having to clean the floor. My mom had enough, and in a calm but stern manner, told the maid that if she was to speak to her with respect, she’d demand the same in return. She then stressed that if my family was to spend nearly $300 per night, that we’d expect the room to be cleaned. The maid grew silent, thanked us, and exited the room.

Another big reason why we’d stay at Port Orleans French Quarters was the transportation. Between the size of the resort and the one bus stop, we’d always get on the first bus for our respective park. This was not a problem – when a bus showed up. We’d often wait 30 minutes or longer for a bus. One day, my sister and I had early FP+’s for Hollywood Studios. We waited nearly 45 minutes for a bus and missed our first FP+. Fortunately, it was for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which my parents don’t go on. We were able to use their FP+ that I had reserved at a later time for the ride.

The experiences at the resort wasn’t enough to “ruin” our trip. Yes, it was stressful, but nothing can ruin our Walt Disney World vacation. We grinned and beared it. We won’t be staying at the French Quarters next year. I think we’ll opt for a Deluxe Resort like the Beach Club. While a dirty resort can happen anywhere, staying in close proximity to two theme parks should alleviate the transportation problems a bit.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Thursday, December 24th, 2015

And so it starts. I woke up around 4:30am. The house was quiet and it looked like no lights were on. My mom and dad usually both wake up very early, especially when there’s a plane or appointment to make, so this seemed off. The fear of pulling a Home Alone and missing the plane jolted me out of bed. I was relieved to find the kitchen lights on, where my mom sat, fully dressed, checking emails. My sister and I had packed the car the night before, so all we had to do was wash up before heading out. I brushed my teeth, got changed and was ready to go.

With MagicBands intact, we piled into the car around 5:00am and arrived at the airport by 5:30. We grabbed a quick bagel and played the waiting game. By 7:35am, we were off, heading toward our sixth Christmas vacation in seven years.

I slept most of the flight, which is very strange for me. Between sitting in an uncomfortable seat and the excitement of getting there, I rarely sleep on the plane. This year was different, though. Could I be getting sick? Not this year, I thought.

Side Note: I’ve gotten sick EVERY YEAR at Disney. In 2009, I caught a cold. In 2010, I broke my foot the week before getting there, then got a stomach virus the last two days of the trip. In 2013 I got a cold right before the trip, which left me feeling sick the first half of the trip; and last year I got a bad cold the last half of the trip. I actually did get sick the week before this trip. I got a really bad stomach virus which lasted the entire weekend. I hoped that karma would pay off and I would have a happy, healthy vacation.

We arrived in Orlando early, but were stuck taxiing until our terminal opened up. After traveling into Orlando for so many years, we made friends with a worker at MCO. We called him and he said he’d meet us to scoop up our bags and walk us across the airport. My mom, sister and I stopped off to grab our annual “first Starbucks of the trip” - a tradition we started long before Joffrey’s was introduced at Disney resorts or Starbucks opened at the parks. It was often thought of “our last good cup of coffee” for the next week or two. We continued the tradition even after Starbucks opened and Joffreys was added to the resorts.

After meeting up with the worker, we trekked across the airport to the Magical Express. It was much more crowded this year. In past years, we’d walk right on. This year, the Magical Express had a line that would make Soarin’ blush. Okay, maybe that’s an over exaggeration, but the line was long!

Once on the bus, I handed out our itineraries. Part of having a plan is creating an itinerary. Sure, we’ll often stray from the plans, but it helps us keep track of reservations and FP+ windows, and reduces the amount of times “when should we be ready by?” is asked. We understand the transportation (or so we thought we did) and are able to properly estimate when we should leave the rooms and be ready for reservations by.

We arrived and checked in by 12:30pm. The CM at the front desk said that he’d be able to check us in early. We received a corner room in building 3. It was dirty - there was crumbs and dust on the rug, a coating of dust on all the furniture, dead bugs on the windowsill and the mirrors were dusty. We assumed that the room was cleaned in haste to allow for an early check-in and gave them a free pass.

We were hungry, so we went over to Riverside to grab a bite to eat. The weather was beautiful. It was in the mid-to-high 70’s and the sun was shining strong. After eating, we went back to the resort to relax a bit. I decided to walk the grounds a bit. The weather was gorgeous and I knew we’d be heading back to a cold New York in a 10 days, so I tried to enjoy it. I tried to find the fastest route to the lobby and bus stop, then walked around snapping some photos.

We all showered up and got dressed for Christmas Eve dinner. We’d be dining at Tutto Italia. We took the bus to Hollywood Studios, then hopped on the boat to the Boardwalk. It was a pretty seamless night travel-wise. After dinner, we walked the Boardwalk and went to see the decorations at the Swan and Dolphin lobby. We took the boat back to Hollywood Studios, then the bus to the resort and called it an early night (around 11pm). We were sleeping by midnight, ready to tackle Christmas Day (the biggest day of our trip!)

Here are some photos I snapped along the way...

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Friday, December 25th, 2015: Our Magic [Kingdom] Christmas

There’s a reason we don’t go to the parks on Christmas Eve (two reasons, actually.) One being that we like to relax and settle in. The other being that we view the parks and Magic Kingdom, in particular, as our Christmas gift. No matter how old we are or how many times we visit, seeing the castle for the first time still evokes the same sensation and excitement as running downstairs to find gifts under the tree. However, seeing the castle would be a bit more difficult today. We woke up to a thick fog. We arrived at the bus stop by 7:15am. It was already very crowded and we worried if we would make the bus. We did. We were left standing, but it was totally worth it as we arrived at the park by 7:30am.

As we arrived, a ferry boat packed with one-day guests arrived. To my surprise, they allowed the guests in. The park was scheduled to open at 8am, with an EMH at 7am. This bothered me a little, but it was Christmas so I shrugged it off.

This was our first time witnessing Disney’s new security measures. The news and many blogs made it sound as though everyone would go through the metal detectors. That was not the case. They actually randomly select guests and have them go through. My dad and I were never selected. My mom was selected at every park. It became a running joke.

When I originally booked our FP+s, I selected Buzz Lightyear, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train and Thunder Mountain. After re-evaluating our plans, I swapped Buzz Lightyear for Jingle Cruise.

Immediately after arriving, my sister and I left my parents behind and made a B-line to Space Mountain. It had a posted wait time of 20 minutes, but I think we were on within 10-15. As we approached the ride, my parents texted to let us know they had gone on the People Mover.

We met up with our parents shortly after riding Space Mountain. It was around 8am and the park was officially open. Before the massive wave of people entered the park, we rushed over to Buzz Lightyear to take advantage of the 10-minute wait. By 8:15am, we had been on two major rides at Magic Kingdom and held FastPass+’s for three more.

After Buzz we walked over to Adventureland. It was hot outside. The air was very dense and humid - it actually felt like it was misting. I joked to my sister that it felt like we were swimming in a jar of mayonnaise. Sometimes I shock myself with how weird my analogies are. We explored Adventureland and stared at the Dole Whip’s former location.

“We can get one later” my mom exclaimed.

“You don’t understand - it’s not the same” I replied.

After about a week of explaining the new Skippers’ Canteen restaurant - how it would be a Table Service and currently in a “soft opening” stage, I was presented with new questions.

“What’s this - this is new!”

“Oh, maybe we can eat here one night!”

“Oh look, Pirates is a short enough wait, let’s go” I replied.

Pirates was around a 15-minute wait. There were no signs of water-logged boats or flooding, but then again, we sat toward the back. I will say - you do get a bit more wet on the small drop. Maybe we had larger guests at the front of the boat, who knows.

After Pirates, we redeemed our FP+ for Jingle Cruise. By then, it was at a 45-minute wait. Jingle Cruise is such an underrated ride from a FP+ standpoint. It really is a cult favorite - not to mention, you slap on a Christmas theme and it’s sure to draw a crowd. It was around 9:30am and we had a 9:50am reservation for Be Our Guest, so we made our way toward the back of the park. It still didn’t feel overwhelmingly crowded, but it did seem worse than past years.

It was around 11:15 when we wrapped up our surprisingly good breakfast at Be Our Guest. The park was starting to feel crowded and the ride waits times were growing exponentially. “Here we go,” I thought. We decided to swing by Haunted Mansion, but the line had already extended well into Liberty Square (near the Riverboat entrance). We decided to scout out a spot for the castle show, as we never really watched it. We found a great spot and at noon, watched the 15 or 20-minute show. After the show, we walked back to Thunder Mountain for our FP+ (11:50am-12:50pm.) We just made it.

It was really hot by 1pm. We decided to cool down a bit by heading to the stores along Main Street. Main Street was filled with people. Unfortunately, I witnessed the negative effects of the heat and crowds, as a woman struck an older man on an ECV for coming too close to her feet. We explored the store and walked out just in time for one of the parades. I think it was the Main Street Party or something like that. We went across to Starbucks and used a snack credit on a frozen frappuccino. Finally, it was time to redeem our FP+ for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We had never experienced the ride during the daytime, so I was eager to go on. My mom sat it out, as my dad, sister and I boarded. After riding, we exited the park and went back to our hotel room. We relaxed in our air conditioned room before showering and heading to dinner at Artist Point.

After Artist Point we explored the Wilderness Lodge, then hopped on the bus to Magic Kingdom and transferred to the hotel. Once aboard the bus to Magic Kingdom, an older guest told our family that there were reports of gunshots at Disney Springs. Normally I’d be skeptical, but the recent events in Paris made us nervous. There were many conflicting reports, but I eventually found the true story - that a drunk guest either got into a fight or tried to start a fight. It’s amazing how quickly something can get blown out of proportion. Unfortunately, these are the times we live in, I guess.

We ended the night around 10 or 11pm. We watched a Christmas movie and fell asleep. Tomorrow would be a slightly later day, so we’d have a chance to finally sleep a litte later.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Saturday, December 26th, 2015: A "Light" Photo Day


We woke up a little later today. With waking up at 5am on Christmas Eve and 6am on Christmas Day, it was nice to finally wake up a little later and catch up on lost sleep. We all woke up around 10am and skipped breakfast. Today we’d be heading to EPCOT and dedicating our day to the World Showcase, then heading to Hollywood Studios at night.

We arrived at EPCOT around 11:30am and went straight to the World Showcase. I was surprised by how uncrowded the park was. Sure, it was early on, but there was barely anyone in the World Showcase until noon or 1pm! We started with a croissant donut. I have this weird “thing” where I need to eat a breakfast-type food (bagel, pastry, eggs, etc.) as my first meal of the day. It doesn’t matter if it’s 6am or 1pm, I need breakfast as my first meal of the day. My family happily obliged, as we all love croissant donuts.

We promised ourselves that we’d tour the World Showcase. Even after visiting Disney over a dozen times, we’ve never truly explored the pavilions. We started at Canada and watched the Martin Short movie. I’ll go on record as saying that I believe Martin Short is one of the most underrated comedians. Also, Canada may be the most gorgeously landscaped pavilions at EPCOT. Between the forced perspective and the manicured grounds, I totally suggest exploring the pavilion and not passing it by!

The UK Pavilion is one that we’ve been to and fully explored already. My grandma is originally from England. We always make sure to stop by the souvenir store and walk back to the Pooh meet-and-greet, but it was too long to wait.

The France Pavilion is another country you’d miss out on if you didn’t walk all the way back. I didn’t know about the French bakery, Boulangerie Patisserie, until a few years ago. It’s become my dad’s favorite spots. He loves the sandwiches, but I love the pastries. We stopped there to split sandwiches. I’ll have a review of the meal coming soon - but let’s just say that as expected, the pastries stole the show.

Admittedly, we breezed through Morocco and Japan. We have a reservation for Teppan Edo on New Year’s Eve and have explored Japan before. Plus, we were running a little behind schedule. We had FastPass+’s for Hollywood Studios starting at 3:25pm and it was around noon by now.

My dad wanted to see the show in the American Pavilion, so he and my mom went in while my sister and I roamed the surrounding area. I wanted to grab some good photos and my sister wanted to sit on a bench and soak up some sun. I snagged some of my favorite photos from the trip!

There was a storyteller in Italy and Germany, so we stopped in both of those countries. I contemplated getting a beer, but I passed. It was getting pretty hot outside and I wanted something more refreshing. After Germany, we walked to China. We ventured back to the museum, which is actually pretty cool. I never even knew it was back there! I always grab a Tipsy Duck in Love, but went with the bubble tea. Bubble tea is all the rage up in New York City. Since I don’t really drink anything but unsweetened, dark coffee, I decided to go outside my comfort zone with something I’d never buy at home. It was decent, but I’d rather have my Tipsy Duck in Love, which is probably my favorite drink at Walt Disney World.

We ended our journey in Mexico. We decided to sit down and split the nachos, as well as the sweet tamale, which is offered during the holidays. The nachos are a family favorite and would tide us over until later, when we’d eat at Beaches and Cream. After eating in Mexico, we used the bathrooms and headed back toward the International Gateway. We grabbed the boat to Hollywood Studios.

We arrived at Hollywood Studios around 4pm, just in time to redeem our FP+ for Tower of Terror. Tower of Terror is one of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World and I always try and book it in the daytime and night. It’s a totally different experience. I booked my dad and I for the daytime, and my mom and sister at night. I would exchange MagicBands after Fantasmic! and experience the ride at night.

After Tower of Terror, we walked back toward the Frozen musical. We were surprised to learn that they had moved it. It’s now housed in the old American Idol building. The Frozen musical is actually really good - whether you like Frozen or not. The actors do such an awesome job of appealing to all of the audience.

We had some free time after Frozen. I can’t remember exactly what we did after this, but I know we eventually made our way back to the Osborne Lights to see them flip the switch at 6:30pm. This was a cool experience. We have seen the lights so many times, but never actually witness the lighting. After the lighting, we walked back to Pixar Place for our FP+ at Toy Story Midway Mania. Even with the FP+, it was still a 25-minute wait. This was a fraction of the stanby time, which was at an astounding 225 minutes!

On a side note - it was amazing how packed Hollywood Studios was all week! I expected the park to be packed at night due to the Osborne Lights, but figured it’d be a ghost town (comparatively speaking) during the day. Not the case! I think Hollywood Studios may have been, or felt like, the second most crowded park. I guess that was the “Star Wars” effect, as the movie had opened one week prior.

After riding Toy Story Midway Mania, we walked back to the Osborne Lights, as it was now pretty dark. We dedicated a solid hour to touring the lights and taking photos. Although, now that I think of it, we never found the black cat or razorback. I’m glad we did the scavenger hunt in 2014, or else it would be a huge regret of mine.

We decided to do the 8:30pm showing of Fantasmic. We lined up around 7:45pm and found a pretty good seat. I was excited to use my camera to capture some photos. I had learned a lot about the camera so far. I forced myself to shoot in manual mode, rather than automatic, to fully understand the exposure, iso and shutter speed. If you were to look at my photos from start to finish, you’d definitely notice an improvement. But I digress. I was able to get a few good photos, but the sudden bursts of light messed with my settings a bit

After Fantasmic!, I switched MagicBands and went on Tower of Terror. My dad sat this one out. I got lucky - they called for a single rider once I got into the steam room portion of the queue, so I was in-and-out in under 15 minutes.

We boarded the boat toward EPCOT and got off at the Yacht Club Resort. Whether you stay at the Yacht & Beach or are just visiting, take a moment to admire the Boardwalk at night from a distance. It’s gorgeous. The lights reflect off the water and make for a really awesome photo.

I booked a post-Illuminations/Fantasmic ADR at Beaches and Cream, which is one of the more coveted reservations. This would be our first time dining at Beaches and Cream. It was so much smaller than I expected. Why is this Disney staple so small?! I’ll post more in my food review, but let’s just say that my family found a new favorite!

After eating at Beaches and Cream, we booked an Uber to take us back to Port Orleans French Quarters. It had been a long day, so we all crashed the second we got back to the room.

Here are some photos from the day...

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

And some more photos from December 26th...

I told you it was a "light" photo day!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Sunday, December 27th: It’s Wildly Hot Outside!

We had a 10am breakfast reservation at Cape May, so we left around 8:30am. We took the bus over to Hollywood Studios and then hopped on the boat to Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club. It was cloudy most of the morning. We enjoyed an awesome breakfast at Cape May - review coming soon, then walked the grounds of the Yacht & Beach Club. We always dreamt about staying at a Deluxe Resort. We walked the grounds a bit after our Beaches and Cream reservations and explored the lobbies and decorations after our breakfast. We were pretty much sold on the resort and decided to save up and splurge on a room next year!

After grabbing some photos and enjoying the decorations, we grabbed a bus to Animal Kingdom. The sun started to come out just as we arrived at Animal Kingdom. It was going to be a beautiful, bright sunny day. It was also set to be very, very hot. Animal Kingdom hot! It was around 87 on this day, but it felt like 90-95 in the sun!

For those that are unfamiliar with “Animal Kingdom hot,” it’s said that Animal Kingdom always feels a bit hotter than the rest of the parks. It’s said that it’s hotter due to the damp foliage, which makes it feel much more humid.

We walked back to the Kilimanjaro Safari, as we had a 12:50pm FP+ for the ride. This is one of my favorite non-thrill rides at Disney. It’s so much fun and it’s extremely relaxing - a great way to get off your feet! After Kilimanjaro Safari, we walked toward the new Harambe Market and checked out Zuri’s Sweet Shop. I bought the solid dark chocolate Mickey Head, infused with chili peppers. It definitely had a subtle, unexpected spice to it! It didn’t have you running to the water fountain, but there was certainly a spicy aftertaste. My sister went with this big chocolate chip cookie. It was awesome - but the “magic” was kind of ruined when we found it at other sweet shops.

After our sweet fix, we walked toward Harambe Market. This area is so cool and beautifully themed. While we didn’t eat anything there, we did explore. There’s so many colors and you truly feel like you stepped foot inside an African marketplace.

A little while after, my dad had enough. It was too hot and he couldn’t bear the heat much longer. He and my mom decided to go back to the hotel, while my sister and I pushed on. We had a FP+ for DINOSAUR, but we decided to wait for a photo with Goofy and we wound up missing our window. Oh well - we’ve been on it so many times already!

We finished the day by redeeming our FP+ for Expedition Everest. I’ll be honest - it was around this time that we realized that not many people at Disney World use or believe in deodorant. I know it sounds terrible, but an extremely hot park + very sweaty people does not mix!

After Expedition Everest, we grabbed a bus back to the hotel. I took a quick nap and we all took showers before heading to Magic Kingdom for the evening. We hopped on the monorail to The Contemporary and enjoyed dinner at the Contempo Cafe. This is such an underrated quick service. It’s not the best, by any stretch, but it gets the job done! After dinner, we went to Magic Kingdom for a night of rides, Wishes and the last parade of the night.

It was around Sunday that my sister and i started to realize how fast the trip was going. Sure, we had 5 days left, but we never go to the parks on December 31st (until nighttime) and January 1st is usually used to relax. We started to worry about how much we’ve done so far. However, now that I’m typing all this out, I realize just how much we did do. In just three short days, we had already seen Fantasmic, Wishes and the parade at Magic Kingdom; we tackled every big ride at each of the parks; we saw the Osborne Lights; we ate around the world and enjoyed most of our favorite meals and snacks. That’s pretty impressive!

Here's some photos from the day:

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

December 27th Photos Continued