PlutoTheDog89
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2011
Sitting at work and wondering where the time has gone. My family just wrapped up out 8th Christmas in Disney in 9 years, and our third trip this year: (Easter, Halloween, and now Christmas.) We were joined by family friends, who first went with us in 2014. We all stayed at Beach Club and tried to plan some time to relax and enjoy the parks, rather than running around 24/7.
We went from 12/25-1/1. We usually go on 12/24, so getting there on Christmas threw us a little out of wack. Regardless, we still got plenty done.
On Traveling with 8
We traveled with 10 for Halloween when we visited with my cousins, their little ones, and my aunt. Keeping 10 people together and moving was very tough—especially with kids. Traveling with kids was an eye opener, in fact.
Traveling with 8 adults was harder. When we first visited Disney with them in 2014, they were down for anything. "You lead and we'll follow." This year was different. They were a bit more informed and prepared and despite passing two drafts of the itinerary by them and urging them to choose and ADR or 2, they never really seemed happy. To add to this, they moved at a slow pace. My family is very much "get up, get to the parks, take a break in the afternoon, head back at night, crash, repeat."
Anyway, I'm not gonna complain. That was they only negative from the trip (that was in my control), really.
Staying at the Beach Club
Staying Deluxe, while incredibly expensive, is a really nice perk during the holidays. Forget the amazing decorations and gingerbread displays—we were able to leave EPCOT and be in our room in the time it took most people to get to the bus stop!
We've now stayed BC and Poly. For moderates, we've stayed POFQ and Coronado; and have stayed at All Star Sports and Music. To me, BC is the bar for service and accommodations. Disney should have the manager at BC type up a manual of "how to treat guest and run a resort" and then hand it out. Everyone is happy and friendly, the resort is clean, and everything runs efficiently.
We booked a standard view, having sprung for a Lagoon view the year before. We were upgraded to a garden view. The balcony was full, but small, so we didn't spend a ton of time on it... but we were very grateful to have been upgraded, as that never happens to us.
Our Itinerary
Arriving on 12/25 threw off our plans a bit. We're used to waking up in Disney on Christmas and celebrating at Magic Kingdom. Instead, we checked in on 12/25. That pushed all our planning back one day and gave us one less day of wiggle room. To add to this, in order to really experience Pandora, we needed 2 days at Animal Kingdom (to get a FP+ for both Na'Vi River Journey and FoP). We usually only do one day, so that was one less day to play with.
We did MK on 12/26. It was crowded, but not BAD. We had FP+'s for Jingle Cruise, Thunder Mountain, and 7DMT. We also went on Space Mountain, saw the parade, went to Hall of Presidents to see that spectacle, and ate breakfast at BoG. We returned for the fireworks that night. I was really disappointed that they didn't show Holiday Wishes. HEA is great, but it's not the same during the holidays. It also didn't really snow on Main Street...
12/27 we did Animal Kingdom. It was very crowded. We had a FP+ for Expedition Everest and the Safari, then went to dinner at Boma (we were the "Family of the day") then went back for Pandora at night and FoP. Everest was down, so we waited to do it at night—It's a totally different experience at night. RoL was ending as we went over there. You really don't need a seat inside to see it—we saw it just fine standing by the fence. It's nice, but nothing we'd schedule a night around. It was mayhem when it let out. They really need better crowd control in that area.
As for Pandora at night—not as bright as I thought it'd be. I got some some long exposure shots with my Nikon and the colors popped, but I think I Was expecting everything to be bold and bright. Still, it's gorgeous. I know FoP doesn't get a lot of love on here, but it was breathtaking. It's the first ride to give me goosebumps in quite some time.
On 12/28 we did DHS in the afternoon and evening, then ended the night at EPCOT for Illuminations. DHS was crowded, but didn't seem too crowded—if that makes sense. The ride wait times were high (RnR was 140 minutes; ToT was 90-110 minutes) but it was easy to get around. We had a FP+ for TSMM and ToT. We saw JBJBAM. It had a lot more BAM than last year. The Sunset Seasons Greetings was nice, but a bit underwhelming. You can only watch projections so long. It was cool to see ToT transformed, but killed the theme for me a bit.
12/29 we did Animal Kingdom again. It was PACKED. We had a FP+ for Everest, DINOSAUR, and Navi River Journey. Navi River Journey was decent. We've seen it now, but don't have to go back. We can probably still do one day at AK, rather than 2. At night we went to Disney Springs, which was also crazy crowded. My family ate at WPE but I wasn't hungry at the time (and I wasn't in the mood to eat pizza or anything on that menu.) I went to Polite Pig instead. The meal was OUTSTANDING.
On 12/30 we did DHS in the day, then Ohana for dinner and MK at night. MK was very crowded. Even after the fireworks the lines for most rides were very long. I also can't stand that most attractions don't check MagicBands during EMH anymore. They ask "what resort are you staying at?" Anyone can answer that... The parents called it a night, but the kids stayed. We did Haunted Mansion, Pirates and continued our tradition of riding the Goofy Coaster 5x in a row. It's a weird inside joke my sister and I have.
12/31 we hung out at the resort. It was much nicer than we anticipated. The guys originally planned on golfing, but we cancelled when the weather was showing temps in the low 50s. I went over to EPCOT to get some content for my blog/vlog and it was as crowded as you'd expect—hard to move around in Mexico, Germany (anywhere there's good beer or drinks). As a rule, if you go on 12/31 and want to avoid the heavy (HEAVY) crowds, just stay out of the pavilions known for their alcohol: UK, Mexico, Germany, etc.
1/1 it rained. It really stunk, because we planned on going to EPCOT and getting in a few rides before we left. Instead, we stayed at the resort and went to Disney Springs for an early dinner. It was cold and rainy all day.
Crowds
It was obviously crowded. I think I heard that Space Mountain was 5.5 hours on NYE Day? I saw someone mention that they went to Disney and survived the crowds. I won't go into my normal spiel—but it can be done. We planned it all out and once again had a successful, efficient trip.
New Stuff We Experienced
Pandora at night: Thought it'd be brighter, but amazing nonetheless.
Flights of Passage: Gave us goosebumps.
Sprinkles: Get the Cap'n Crunch ice cream. NOW.
Takeaways
- My family runs at our own pace. We like to plan out our days, get in a bunch of rides, enjoy our time away from the parks—rinse and repeat. This trip just didn't mesh well. The family we visited with never seemed to enjoy themselves, despite us trying to cater the trip to them. They didn't want to go on many rides, wait for shows, and barely ate. We love our food, especially in Disney. We understand to get a solid view for Illuminations, you need to grab a seat early on. We missed out on a lot of rides this time around and while I'm sure we'll do it again, it just felt incomplete. I'm very much looking forward to my family's next trip—and doing it with JUST my immediate family.
- Every Disney fan should go see Pandora. I wasn't a fan when it was first announced, but the detail and theming is vintage Disney. You don't have to see the movie to enjoy it.
- Where you stay and how you stay is very much subjective. For us, it's worth the price to stay at BC and be within walking distance of EPCOT and DHS. The line for the boat was very crowded on 12/30 and we walked back in around 25 minutes. It helps us travel more efficiently.
- While Pandora was outstanding, we only need one day at AK. Next time we'll just get a FP+ for FoP and spend the day at AK, grab dinner, enjoy Pandora at night, and be done. We need three days at MK to accomplish everything during Christmas.
- You NEED FP+s. I feel like this is obvious, but as we wandered the park, my family and our family friends kept thanking me for booking everything, as we passed standby times as high as 220 minutes. I understand if you have ONE day at the park and you're not sure the next time you'll be back—wait for FoP... but i can't imagine spending half a day on line for a ride.
- DHS is still a good park. Maybe i'm biased, but with TSMM, ToT, RnR, the shows and Star Wars, it's still worth going to. I recommend Baseline Tap House to escape the crowds for a while and do some people watching.
- Disney Springs is cool. It's an outdoor mall, but it's a darn good one.
We went from 12/25-1/1. We usually go on 12/24, so getting there on Christmas threw us a little out of wack. Regardless, we still got plenty done.
On Traveling with 8
We traveled with 10 for Halloween when we visited with my cousins, their little ones, and my aunt. Keeping 10 people together and moving was very tough—especially with kids. Traveling with kids was an eye opener, in fact.
Traveling with 8 adults was harder. When we first visited Disney with them in 2014, they were down for anything. "You lead and we'll follow." This year was different. They were a bit more informed and prepared and despite passing two drafts of the itinerary by them and urging them to choose and ADR or 2, they never really seemed happy. To add to this, they moved at a slow pace. My family is very much "get up, get to the parks, take a break in the afternoon, head back at night, crash, repeat."
Anyway, I'm not gonna complain. That was they only negative from the trip (that was in my control), really.
Staying at the Beach Club
Staying Deluxe, while incredibly expensive, is a really nice perk during the holidays. Forget the amazing decorations and gingerbread displays—we were able to leave EPCOT and be in our room in the time it took most people to get to the bus stop!
We've now stayed BC and Poly. For moderates, we've stayed POFQ and Coronado; and have stayed at All Star Sports and Music. To me, BC is the bar for service and accommodations. Disney should have the manager at BC type up a manual of "how to treat guest and run a resort" and then hand it out. Everyone is happy and friendly, the resort is clean, and everything runs efficiently.
We booked a standard view, having sprung for a Lagoon view the year before. We were upgraded to a garden view. The balcony was full, but small, so we didn't spend a ton of time on it... but we were very grateful to have been upgraded, as that never happens to us.
Our Itinerary
Arriving on 12/25 threw off our plans a bit. We're used to waking up in Disney on Christmas and celebrating at Magic Kingdom. Instead, we checked in on 12/25. That pushed all our planning back one day and gave us one less day of wiggle room. To add to this, in order to really experience Pandora, we needed 2 days at Animal Kingdom (to get a FP+ for both Na'Vi River Journey and FoP). We usually only do one day, so that was one less day to play with.
We did MK on 12/26. It was crowded, but not BAD. We had FP+'s for Jingle Cruise, Thunder Mountain, and 7DMT. We also went on Space Mountain, saw the parade, went to Hall of Presidents to see that spectacle, and ate breakfast at BoG. We returned for the fireworks that night. I was really disappointed that they didn't show Holiday Wishes. HEA is great, but it's not the same during the holidays. It also didn't really snow on Main Street...
12/27 we did Animal Kingdom. It was very crowded. We had a FP+ for Expedition Everest and the Safari, then went to dinner at Boma (we were the "Family of the day") then went back for Pandora at night and FoP. Everest was down, so we waited to do it at night—It's a totally different experience at night. RoL was ending as we went over there. You really don't need a seat inside to see it—we saw it just fine standing by the fence. It's nice, but nothing we'd schedule a night around. It was mayhem when it let out. They really need better crowd control in that area.
As for Pandora at night—not as bright as I thought it'd be. I got some some long exposure shots with my Nikon and the colors popped, but I think I Was expecting everything to be bold and bright. Still, it's gorgeous. I know FoP doesn't get a lot of love on here, but it was breathtaking. It's the first ride to give me goosebumps in quite some time.
On 12/28 we did DHS in the afternoon and evening, then ended the night at EPCOT for Illuminations. DHS was crowded, but didn't seem too crowded—if that makes sense. The ride wait times were high (RnR was 140 minutes; ToT was 90-110 minutes) but it was easy to get around. We had a FP+ for TSMM and ToT. We saw JBJBAM. It had a lot more BAM than last year. The Sunset Seasons Greetings was nice, but a bit underwhelming. You can only watch projections so long. It was cool to see ToT transformed, but killed the theme for me a bit.
12/29 we did Animal Kingdom again. It was PACKED. We had a FP+ for Everest, DINOSAUR, and Navi River Journey. Navi River Journey was decent. We've seen it now, but don't have to go back. We can probably still do one day at AK, rather than 2. At night we went to Disney Springs, which was also crazy crowded. My family ate at WPE but I wasn't hungry at the time (and I wasn't in the mood to eat pizza or anything on that menu.) I went to Polite Pig instead. The meal was OUTSTANDING.
On 12/30 we did DHS in the day, then Ohana for dinner and MK at night. MK was very crowded. Even after the fireworks the lines for most rides were very long. I also can't stand that most attractions don't check MagicBands during EMH anymore. They ask "what resort are you staying at?" Anyone can answer that... The parents called it a night, but the kids stayed. We did Haunted Mansion, Pirates and continued our tradition of riding the Goofy Coaster 5x in a row. It's a weird inside joke my sister and I have.
12/31 we hung out at the resort. It was much nicer than we anticipated. The guys originally planned on golfing, but we cancelled when the weather was showing temps in the low 50s. I went over to EPCOT to get some content for my blog/vlog and it was as crowded as you'd expect—hard to move around in Mexico, Germany (anywhere there's good beer or drinks). As a rule, if you go on 12/31 and want to avoid the heavy (HEAVY) crowds, just stay out of the pavilions known for their alcohol: UK, Mexico, Germany, etc.
1/1 it rained. It really stunk, because we planned on going to EPCOT and getting in a few rides before we left. Instead, we stayed at the resort and went to Disney Springs for an early dinner. It was cold and rainy all day.
Crowds
It was obviously crowded. I think I heard that Space Mountain was 5.5 hours on NYE Day? I saw someone mention that they went to Disney and survived the crowds. I won't go into my normal spiel—but it can be done. We planned it all out and once again had a successful, efficient trip.
New Stuff We Experienced
Pandora at night: Thought it'd be brighter, but amazing nonetheless.
Flights of Passage: Gave us goosebumps.
Sprinkles: Get the Cap'n Crunch ice cream. NOW.
Takeaways
- My family runs at our own pace. We like to plan out our days, get in a bunch of rides, enjoy our time away from the parks—rinse and repeat. This trip just didn't mesh well. The family we visited with never seemed to enjoy themselves, despite us trying to cater the trip to them. They didn't want to go on many rides, wait for shows, and barely ate. We love our food, especially in Disney. We understand to get a solid view for Illuminations, you need to grab a seat early on. We missed out on a lot of rides this time around and while I'm sure we'll do it again, it just felt incomplete. I'm very much looking forward to my family's next trip—and doing it with JUST my immediate family.
- Every Disney fan should go see Pandora. I wasn't a fan when it was first announced, but the detail and theming is vintage Disney. You don't have to see the movie to enjoy it.
- Where you stay and how you stay is very much subjective. For us, it's worth the price to stay at BC and be within walking distance of EPCOT and DHS. The line for the boat was very crowded on 12/30 and we walked back in around 25 minutes. It helps us travel more efficiently.
- While Pandora was outstanding, we only need one day at AK. Next time we'll just get a FP+ for FoP and spend the day at AK, grab dinner, enjoy Pandora at night, and be done. We need three days at MK to accomplish everything during Christmas.
- You NEED FP+s. I feel like this is obvious, but as we wandered the park, my family and our family friends kept thanking me for booking everything, as we passed standby times as high as 220 minutes. I understand if you have ONE day at the park and you're not sure the next time you'll be back—wait for FoP... but i can't imagine spending half a day on line for a ride.
- DHS is still a good park. Maybe i'm biased, but with TSMM, ToT, RnR, the shows and Star Wars, it's still worth going to. I recommend Baseline Tap House to escape the crowds for a while and do some people watching.
- Disney Springs is cool. It's an outdoor mall, but it's a darn good one.
