Christmas In The World...Dec 18, 2015 - Jan 4, 2016

[tyandskyesmom]

Our first stop on the journey home was the SpringHill Suitesby Mariott in Altamonte Springs/Maitland, Florida. It was right off the highway and we arrived around 10pm which was much later than we expected to. We checked in and Caryt ran to McDonalds for some food...how we were hungry, I do no know but we were.

Here's the room...it was clean, big, and comfy...it did not take long for us to all pass out!

Morning dawned and we headed down to our free breakfast and the pool.

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Then packed up and headed more north.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Our GPS gave us some really crappy, out of the way scenic route to get to our next stop. Plus, traffic was a mess...

We had planned to arrive at the Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville-Smyrna earlier in the day also but between our scenic drive and traffic that wasn't happening! We arrived around 10 pm again and everything around there to eat closed at 10pm. So Cary had to drive a bit to find a Wendy's.

Again, a very nice and spacious room.

In the morning we headed to our free breakfast and then the pool again...Skyler's one request when she found out we were riving was that we get hotels with indoor pools...

And then we got on the road. We arrived home late and Nina was excited to see us! Everything was as we left it and we headed to bed as soon as we brought everything in from the car.

The next day we spread out what we had gotten at Goofy's...

What Skye had bought for her two best friends...

And what Tyler had bought for his girlfriend ...

We actually had Disney Sanacks last us until almost our July trip...win win as far as I am concerned!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

And now the hard part...summing it all up.

We found driving a very effective and doable way to get down there if airline prices are too high and we have the time. We would all prefer to not drive (except Cary at this point because he does not have that experience yet) but we found enjoyment from driving too.

We loved having the pool right outside our room but do prefer the feature pool for actual pool time. I love, love, love a corner room and the two windows! The queen sized beds were wonderful and soft. Our walk to the main building was not too far and we had a decent view. Bus wait times were never too bad...here and there we might have waited a little longer than other times but still not bad...and I do still much prefer busses to a car!

The parks were no where near as crowded as I was expecting. We did use morning EMHs and rope drop so maybe that made a difference along with having all our dining and fast passes reserved. There certainly were lines for rides but we had all our "must dos" covered. We never did ride Small World because there was no way I was waiting 45 minutes for it!!!

While Fast Pass Plus works, I still don't like it. I like the old way. I understand no one asked me. It did make it feel like we had a lot of reservations for things. I also DO NOT like the tiering for DHS and Epcot...I understand the need for it but I don't like it.

And Dining...We had ADRs for 2 - 3 meals per day for 15 days. It was a lot of food. Food we normally would not order...but not because we wouldn't want to, but because I am cheap. Cary, was the one with the problem. We had some issues with eating on a schedule and having so much food. He caught on to ordering after a few days but he sometimes felt like he had to stuff himself. He is not used to this level of luxury, he did not grow up that way nor was he ever expecting in his lifetime that he'd be able to live that way. He has requested no dining plan next time. I gave him the down side of that but I do realize our family dynamic and our eating habits have changed in the last 4-5 years so we'll see.

Our worst meal was probably Ohana for dinner on Christmas Eve. It was extremely disappointing. Maybe I just had it hyped up in my head form all the reviews in here but it was bad...from food to service to wait times...I do realize some of our choices for that day may have lead to part of our experience so I am willing to give it another chance some day though.

Our best meal overall was probably Yachtsman Steakhouse. The service was great, the food was great, the venue was great!

I was disappointed in the food court at Caribbean Beach...closing so early when parks are open so late is silly! But that is most of them, so what are you gonna do???

It had been so ling for me and the kids and with Cary never having been there, this was a great trip. Nothing better than Disney for Christmas. The time frame we went for was great but it would not be my first choice. It was very expensive compared to times of the year but I definitely would not turn it down if that's what works for us again. The weather was HOT...and we were not prepared for it. I mean were sort of prepared for it but not like we should/could have been...that's our fault though.

Overall, this was our best trip yet and we can't wait to get back!

 

[micandminforever]

I have enjoyed reading your trip report and look forward to the next report.

 

[vamassey1]

I too enjoyed your report. We're thinking of going next year for Christmas and I'm really worried about the crowds.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Thanks for the report. Looking forward to the next one.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

I too enjoyed your report. We're thinking of going next year for Christmas and I'm really worried about the crowds.

I was a little too. I was prepared for the worst thing ever...I was pleasantly surprised! I don't know if it was just because I was expecting it to be so bad or if it was good planning (I'd like to think it was my expert planning but I doubt it!). It may also be because I don't have babies or little kids. Both my kids are very familiar with Disney World and know how to take care, plus have cell phones. So I did not have to worry about anyone getting lost.

My best advise would be to plan. We avoided Magic Kingdom on the "BIG" days for the most part. We used morning EMH and rope drop the most and got the things we wanted to do done before our fast pass times when crowds and lines were the lowest. We set our fast passes for late morning/early afternoon mostly so we had the time before when crowds were lower to get to the other things.

I also think our dining plan really helped. I think the lines for food at counter service places were crazy. By the time we were through our table service meals (usually, unless we wanted a more leisurely meal) the people at the CS places probably were too. I mean by the time you decide where to eat, what everyone wants, stand in line and find a table (in some cases not even being able to look for one until you had your food), and ate your cold food, we were probably done with our nice sit down meal. While the ADRs with the FP+ seemed to be a lot of "appointments" to keep, I think the CS route would have frustrated us to no end! So, it would be my advise at that time of the year to go with mostly sit down meals that you made ADRs for.

And maybe the biggest (which is easier for us because we did have a longer vacation than most people can do) is to take your time and just enjoy being there with your family. If you're worried about doing/seeing it all, you're going to be disappointed. When we ended this trip, we did not know we'd be back in July so we were looking at the end of our vacation not knowing when we'd get back, especially all of us since Tyler will be starting college next year. But we had a great trip and I would not hesitate to go at that time of the year again in the future!

 

[vamassey1]

I was a little too. I was prepared for the worst thing ever...I was pleasantly surprised! I don't know if it was just because I was expecting it to be so bad or if it was good planning (I'd like to think it was my expert planning but I doubt it!). It may also be because I don't have babies or little kids. Both my kids are very familiar with Disney World and know how to take care, plus have cell phones. So I did not have to worry about anyone getting lost.

My best advise would be to plan. We avoided Magic Kingdom on the "BIG" days for the most part. We used morning EMH and rope drop the most and got the things we wanted to do done before our fast pass times when crowds and lines were the lowest. We set our fast passes for late morning/early afternoon mostly so we had the time before when crowds were lower to get to the other things.

I also think our dining plan really helped. I think the lines for food at counter service places were crazy. By the time we were through our table service meals (usually, unless we wanted a more leisurely meal) the people at the CS places probably were too. I mean by the time you decide where to eat, what everyone wants, stand in line and find a table (in some cases not even being able to look for one until you had your food), and ate your cold food, we were probably done with our nice sit down meal. While the ADRs with the FP+ seemed to be a lot of "appointments" to keep, I think the CS route would have frustrated us to no end! So, it would be my advise at that time of the year to go with mostly sit down meals that you made ADRs for.

And maybe the biggest (which is easier for us because we did have a longer vacation than most people can do) is to take your time and just enjoy being there with your family. If you're worried about doing/seeing it all, you're going to be disappointed. When we ended this trip, we did not know we'd be back in July so we were looking at the end of our vacation not knowing when we'd get back, especially all of us since Tyler will be starting college next year. But we had a great trip and I would not hesitate to go at that time of the year again in the future!

Sounds like good advice. We do plan on doing 1 ADR a day but will be eating CS for 1 too. We are rope drop people but will be traveling with possible a large group. We've been for Thanksgiving and Easter so crowds don't bother us but I think this will be the most crowded time yet. In 2005/2006 we arrived on 12/30 so we saw the New Years Eve crowds in MK an Epcot. I'm hoping for the best.

 

[AinsleyLM]

I really enjoyed your report! We are going Dec 17-22 this year. I have been several times, but I have never been at Christmas time. And a few of my group have never been. Your report helped me get an idea of it.