Just Back from Disney World - November 12-19

Tina O'Toole

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 6, 2016
Our family just had our first trip to Disney World from Nov. 12-19. I went as a child, but neither my husband nor my kids had ever been. We drove 15 hours to get there, and it was nice to have the rental car. It was me, my husband, my mom, my 17 year old son, and my 10 year old daughter. My mom just had a knee replacement, so we had her handicapped placard which helped with parking. She rented an ECV each day, and that helped her a great deal with the walking. I am just going to review various aspects of the trip below.

Hotel - Port Orleans Riverside
We had a standard room for the 5 of us. We used Touring Plans room request fax service, and it helped. We asked for 1st floor, close to the main building, and a corner. We got all of the above. We were in 1625, and the view was beautiful. It was close to parking and the main building. The staff was friendly. When we arrived, they made us feel at home, gave us 1st visit and celebrating buttons. We thought it was clean, the beds were comfortable, and while there were 5 of us, there was plenty of room. The Murphy bed was perfect for my daughter, and she is 5'2". We brought closet hanging shelves which helped with the limited drawer space. They were quick to bring us extra blankets and pillows. We loved the boat ride to Disney Springs. It was a great experience all around.

Disney Springs - Arrival Day
We had a half day here. There were so many great stores, and we got to eat both lunch and dinner. I will review the restaurants below. We walked through the holiday tree display. While it was beautiful, I was expecting bigger trees. Either way, it was still a nice way to end the night.

Magic Kingdom - Day 1 and 4
We loved Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, the first night in our hotel, I managed to rip my toenail 3/4 of the way up, at 1:30am. It meant my husband had to go to the drugstore to get me hydrogen peroxide, gauze, tape, etc... It also meant a late arrival to Magic Kingdom on our first day. We missed our fast pass for Peter Pan. I spoke with Guest Services, and she gave me an all day fast pass for that ride, and we were on our way. The crowds were fairly low since it was a Christmas Party day, and we had tickets for that as well. We were able to get through most of the park on this day. The only section we missed was most of Fantasyland. We tried to do Fantasyland on our second day, but it was so crowded. This week, Magic Kingdom was only open all day for 2 days, and this was one of them. I knew it would be crowded, but didn't realize how bad. It made it difficult for us to do much of anything. I wish we would have gone to Epcot on this day, but we had two meal reservations. Overall, this is a magical park, and my daughter's favorite.

MVMCP - Day 1
The Christmas Party was magical. There is no way to do everything. We did not see any characters. My daughter wanted to see Nick and Judy, but instead, we watched the castle lighting, the Christmas shows, fireworks, and rode rides. The hot chocolate was delicious. We enjoyed the atmosphere, and ended the night with the parade. The parade, and snow on main street was truly magical and worth the money on its own.

Epcot - Day 2 and 5
We loved the new Soarin', and we were lucky to catch the last day of Food and Wine. Again, it is impossible to do everything. Between the 2 days, we still did not get to really explore each country. We did not get to enjoy all of Future World either. I really wish we had 3-4 days to dedicate to Epcot. Next trip, we will definitely do so. The food will be reviewed below. We really loved all of the rides we went on. Mission Space was a favorite, Turtle Talk was cute, and Frozen Ever After was a favorite.

Hollywood Studios - Day 3
This was my son's favorite park. I think 1 1/2-2 days would be best for this park. Especially since it is impossible to catch both night shows. We loved the rides. Star Tours was great. My son loved the TOT and Rockin' Roller Coaster. The Indiana Jones show was a blast, literally. Overall, it was a great day.

Animal Kingdom - Day 6
We really did not get to explore. We were crashing by this day, and slept in. We arrived at 11am. We managed to catch our fast pass for the Lion King, and loved it. Everest was so fun. My son and I rode it twice. The safari was great, and we were able to see the lions and a cheetah. We never made it to Dino Land or half of Asia. The projections on the Tree of Life are beautiful.

Restaurants

Arrival day:
Wolfgang Puck Express - We had lunch here, and it was delicious. While we all enjoyed our dishes, my son's barbecue chicken pizza wins. The pizza was so good, and the crust was light and buttery. I wish I would have ordered it.
Raglan Road - This was our dinner, and we were lucky to get a table directly in front of the stage so we were in the middle of the action. The music and dancing is lively and really fun. We loved the food. The scallop forest app is delicious. I has the Braised Be Beef, and it had so much flavor. The Ger's bread and butter pudding is the winner for dessert. I highly recommend this place, and we would return in a heartbeat.

Day 1:
Columbia Harbor House - This was our lunch, and it was great for quick service. The shrimp mac and cheese is heavy, so if you do not want something to weigh you down, try something else. The fish is delicious.
Sleepy Hollow - My son and I had chicken and waffle sandwiches, and they were so good. I hope they keep it on the menu.

Day 2:
Food and Wine - We ate at multiple booths for lunch. The duck on the steamed bun was my favorite, and I ended up with 2. In fact, it is the only thing I really remember.
Biergarten - The entertainment was good, but not as good as Raglan Road. However, the food was delicious. The schnitzel with gravy and potato dumplings were my favorite and I had to have seconds. I also loved the cucumber and potato salad. The desserts were great as well. If you like German food, I recommend this place.

Day 3:
We had breakfast sandwiches at Starbucks.
50's Prime Time - We were lucky and had an incredibly fun waiter. My mom was put in time out, and wore a hat that said tattletale. My son was made to sing "I'm a Little Teapot." The food was delicious. My mom and I split the sampling plate. The peanut butter cake was yummy. It was a great choice.

Day 4:
Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast - I know people tend to be split on this one. I am so glad we went here. the atmosphere is magical, and it was my daughter's choice. The pastries they give you to start are delicious. My son ordered the caramel apple french toast. While it was good, it wasn't the star. My husband and mom got the traditional breakfast. Again, it was basic. My daughter and I got the beef with egg, and it was so good. I can't stop thinking about it. We got scrambled eggs with it, and the char on the beef, and the sauce, all came together beautifully. I would go there again just for this dish.
Be Our Guest dinner - So beautiful. I wish we were seated in the ballroom, but we were in the west wing. It was definitely cool in there, but it was dark as well. The shrimp and scallops were very good. The grey stuff was ok, but I wish it were on a cupcake instead of a hard cookie. I loved meeting the beast as this is my favorite story. He twirled me, and I was so happy. It was a great night.

Day 5:
Yorkshire Fish and Chips - The fish is so light and moist. The batter is perfect. The chips are delicious. I am so glad we had lunch here.
Akershus - This was another great experience. The first part is buffet, and the salmon was so good. I also loved the salmon salad and chicken salad. The entrees I tried was the meatballs, and the dish with shrimp and scallops my son chose. I wish I would have chosen the dish my son chose. While the meatballs were great, the other dish was phenomenal. The rice cream was so good, and my kids devoured the chocolate dessert.

Day 6:
We at breakfast at the hotel, and it was good, basic breakfast food.
My son and I had a beef teriyaki slider. I am not even sure where it came from as my son bought them while I was in the restroom. All I know if they were delicious. The meat was tender, and it was very flavorful. The sauce was sweet and smoky.
Tusker House Dinner - So good! I was able to try many things. The salmon was great, and I has seconds. The plantains were sweet and I really liked them. The red curry was one of my favorites. I also loved the flourless chocolate cake. The characters were so fun, and I would definitely come back.

It was a truly magical week. We had no rain, and the weather was perfect. The temps were between 74-82 as a high. My toe was a mess, but I marched on, and it was so sad to leave. I hope this helped you all. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions. We also came home with many souvenirs, so if you have questions on prices, I may be able to help you.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for posting your trip review. Short and sweet. Sounds like you had a great time. We are going in February and staying at POFQ.
 
Thank you for your trip report! I enjoyed reading it. I felt so excited for you when you wrote about getting your 1st time buttons as it brought me back to our first trip 4 years ago! Such an exciting time.
 


Thank you for posting. I really enjoyed reading about your trip. We are planning a trip for early November. I hope we have good weather like you enjoyed on your trip!
 
Thanks for the report; I enjoyed reading about your trip. November has become our favorite month to go to WDW. We love the weather and the holiday decorations which seem to magically appear overnight. It sounds like you had a good experience and makes me ready to begin planning our 2017 trip.
 
How were the crowds? We plan on going same week you did this year. Never been in November.
 


Thank you for posting. We were there 11/6-11/13. The weather was perfect and we had an amazing time, but we hit some big crowds so we are thinking of doing the week you did for our next trip.
 
great TR. We will also be in DW during almost the exact date, Nov. 13-21, 2017. Looking forward to low crowds hopefully.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts


Top