I prefer the short ones now. This is our 3rd trip this year and the others were 4-5 days. I’m ready for a long break now lol.
It is hard to do those long ones. The longest I've done is 6 days....I can't imaging 8. This was 5 and I'm worn out.
I like the short ones but, I always want to do as much as I can when I go since I don't go as often.
 
We had one of our favorite trips when we went Nov 17-23. I think going so much recently has us more relaxed and not feeling the need to do it all. CL FPs helped too. :)
But, people are rude. I had some young guy pushing what I assume was his girlfriend or wife in a wheelchair after HEA.
They didn't speak English, from what I gathered, and he really was struggling with the wheelchair in the crowds on the sidewalk. I keep looking over saying "Please don't hit me, please don't hit me" And whattaya know, he turns it and rams me. I said "What the heck.?" because, honestly, it looked like he did it on purpose. No apology. Then, I could hear them all laughing. Very rude, but :goodvibes pixiedust::santa:

We got seated with a couple of fantastic young men at the JBJB dessert party. Said they were CMs. We had a lot of fun talking. Loved them. Loved the show. Hated the crammed tables...

Busy planning Spring Break, bringing DD24 and my grandboys. Very excited! Another Birthday trip for me, my last hoo-rah in the 40s! Not sure if we will make it back to Disney for awhile after that. 😢

Happy Holidays to all you Nov peeps!
 
We really had a great time!! We flew in Friday before Thanksgiving & home Wed.
It was fun to be with 2 adults that had never been before.....completely acting like kids again...LOL

Had a pixie dust moment.....in Epcot, PPO at Garden Grill so, right on to Soaring. Had FP for Frozen....even met Anna & Elsa in new outfits. As we walked around the countries, I kept trying for FP for 4 to ride TT.....was only able to get 2. So, when we arrived at the FP spot, I was explaining to the 2 riding FP where to meet up with us 2 going through single rider line....the CM asked what we were doing & let all 4 of us go in FP!!! So Nice!!!

We had great CMs the whole trip. Even saw a lot of guest doing nice things for others!! Even though it was very busy, only saw 2 bad interactions. 1 while we waited for the 2nd parade during party, we were sitting right at the CM that was blocking main street due to the before parade portion was going on......a lady in a scooter was mad because she couldn't drive down the street & the guy with her chewed the CM out saying "she can't see so, she'll probably run over people on the sidewalk"...........REALLY??? if she can't see, she shouldn't be driving that thing on a busy park night. WOW, some people.
Then our last night, leaving AK, our bus was about to leave & the driver saw us "trying" to run to get on.....so, he was nice enough to stop, lower the step to let us on. We thought there were no seats left so, standing holding on (2 of us 60 yr old). As the bus starts to leave, I notice 4 empty seats in the back (not together but, who cares)...….I was floored no one offered these seats....they were perfectly fine with us standing with empty seats. Just plain RUDE. I would never let anyone stand knowing I had an empty seat by me. I had to bite my lip because I'm pretty good about voicing my opinion when people are rude like this....LOL.

We were on a full bus back to Pop from MK one evening (so it was a decently long ride) and I had to stand holding my 2 year old. My husband offered to take him but he was standing and holding the stroller, so we kind of braced the stroller against the bus and held our little boy together. He couldn’t really stand and hold my hand because it was jam packed and 2 scooters and I didn’t want him getting whacked in the face with bags and butts if the bus turned suddenly, ha. Not one single person offered a seat. It really wasn’t a huge deal but I am the queen of seat offering, so it always strikes me as odd when people don’t.
 
We were on a full bus back to Pop from MK one evening (so it was a decently long ride) and I had to stand holding my 2 year old. My husband offered to take him but he was standing and holding the stroller, so we kind of braced the stroller against the bus and held our little boy together. He couldn’t really stand and hold my hand because it was jam packed and 2 scooters and I didn’t want him getting whacked in the face with bags and butts if the bus turned suddenly, ha. Not one single person offered a seat. It really wasn’t a huge deal but I am the queen of seat offering, so it always strikes me as odd when people don’t.
OMG, same here....and my DH would never sit if a lady w/a child was trying to stand. No way. And so many kids can sit in laps.
I actually had sat on the step going up to the back of the bus and I guess they thought it was ok not to tell me 4 seats were opened. oh well, it takes all kinds..........but, I will never be that person. And I can say my kids will always be thoughtful, too!!!

At least, there were many more magical moments!!! That's all I'll try to remember!!
 


I think the introduction of ride share services has and will continue to have a negative impact on the bus transportation experience. Disney will continue to comply with the law (ADA) but if that law doesn't apply to you then you'll have to contend with ever less convenient and ever less comfortable bus service. And the more Minnie Vans we see buzzing around property, the more that indicates people who want better paying for better, and that's a big plus from Disney standpoint.
 
Marathon trip completed! Students did a wonderful job marching in Magic Kingdom. Great bus service all week. Monday night (non-party night) was insane at MK but Tuesday was much better. Wait times mostly dropped to nothing during and right after HEA. Thanksgiving at Epcot wasn't too crowded - people were definitely waiting for the Festival of the Holidays to start on Friday. We stopped over for the morning to get our magnets, etc and it was much busier than Thanksgiving.

Overall, 7am EMH at HS was way more productive than 8am EMH at AK. We got to AK by 7:30 (not early enough - FOP was already a 60 min wait at 7:40). 60 min wait for FOP then, up to 230 min throughout the day, so still better than nothing. Arrived at HS at 7am got us on Smuggler's Run in under 30 minutes, then TSM, FP for Slinky Dog, breakfast at Woody's, and fun drinks at our Oga's reservation at 9:45 (although they were taking walk-ins at that point as well). 50s Prime Time lunch was pretty lousy but dinner at MM was delicious. Other than the dreaded child-on-shoulders for JBJB, it was a great day.
 
I finally had a few minutes to sit down and think about our trip last week. In short, we loved it and I would absolutely go back this week more often if my husband was willing (he missed family). 7 nights was just perfect for two days in each park so we didn't have to rush anything, but we were also ready to go home. Wilderness Lodge was just stunning and while we got to see a lot of the other resorts and they looked great too, it never gets old coming back to it's sights and smells after a long day. Felt like home.

Things we did right: we slowed down on this trip to take in more of the sights and try some fun things. Caring for Giants Elephants was a huge highlight but hands down the best moment of our trip was the boat ride from MK to WL after MVMCP. Our boat sang Christmas carols and O Holy Night over the dark water just gave me chills! We also got a bit of pixie dust with front row seats to Lion King. Cast members were all really great too. On Thanksgiving day I could tell some were a little tired, and a few admitted to missing their families when we talked, but they smiled all the same and gave us a great trip.

Our only regrets were MVMCP and EPCOT on Friday for the first day of Festival of the holidays. Lesson learned on both counts. My kids just aren't old enough to hang with us long enough to make the extra cost of MVMCP worth it and we left right after the first parade with both kids in tears. We'll try again in a few years. Friday at EPCOT was insanely busy. I'd really looked forward to the Christmas Cookie Stroll as a fun family activity but what we got were lines lines lines and places that were constantly out of cookies. At the last stop I finally just told the cast member to give my cookie to someone else, as I'd been waiting for 20 minutes after paying and we had another reservation to get to.

I'm kind of sad to see this thread pass now, it was such a fun way to plan our trip and get some new ideas. We'll be taking next year off from the parks to go to Aulani, then back for the 50th.
 


We were on a full bus back to Pop from MK one evening (so it was a decently long ride) and I had to stand holding my 2 year old. My husband offered to take him but he was standing and holding the stroller, so we kind of braced the stroller against the bus and held our little boy together. He couldn’t really stand and hold my hand because it was jam packed and 2 scooters and I didn’t want him getting whacked in the face with bags and butts if the bus turned suddenly, ha. Not one single person offered a seat. It really wasn’t a huge deal but I am the queen of seat offering, so it always strikes me as odd when people don’t.

My DD7 and I were already standing and my wife had to hold my DD3 while no less than 6 grown men watched her on our way back from MK to BWV. This drives me nuts, but not worth starting anything confrontational. Fortunately my 3 yo asked my wife why they were standing and the man watching her was sitting. He still didn't get up, but I think he got an earful from his SO after we got off the bus. Some people...
 
My DD7 and I were already standing and my wife had to hold my DD3 while no less than 6 grown men watched her on our way back from MK to BWV. This drives me nuts, but not worth starting anything confrontational. Fortunately my 3 yo asked my wife why they were standing and the man watching her was sitting. He still didn't get up, but I think he got an earful from his SO after we got off the bus. Some people...


Right now, I will get up and stand before I let my husband do it. He's having knee surgery in 9 days, so he had to be careful on our trip last week. He looks perfectly fine from the outside, so there's no way to know he has an issue. Just offering another side of the situation.
 
Right now, I will get up and stand before I let my husband do it. He's having knee surgery in 9 days, so he had to be careful on our trip last week. He looks perfectly fine from the outside, so there's no way to know he has an issue. Just offering another side of the situation.
yes, I agree, you can't always tell. And I try to think about that.
and I never say anything or cause any type of confrontation because there may be a good reason.
But, to not tell a 60 yr old lady sitting on the floor, that there are empty seats in the back....that's just plain rude. again, I didn't say anything but, they got my angry look >:( LOL
 
I finally had a few minutes to sit down and think about our trip last week. In short, we loved it and I would absolutely go back this week more often if my husband was willing (he missed family). 7 nights was just perfect for two days in each park so we didn't have to rush anything, but we were also ready to go home. Wilderness Lodge was just stunning and while we got to see a lot of the other resorts and they looked great too, it never gets old coming back to it's sights and smells after a long day. Felt like home.

Things we did right: we slowed down on this trip to take in more of the sights and try some fun things. Caring for Giants Elephants was a huge highlight but hands down the best moment of our trip was the boat ride from MK to WL after MVMCP. Our boat sang Christmas carols and O Holy Night over the dark water just gave me chills! We also got a bit of pixie dust with front row seats to Lion King. Cast members were all really great too. On Thanksgiving day I could tell some were a little tired, and a few admitted to missing their families when we talked, but they smiled all the same and gave us a great trip.

Our only regrets were MVMCP and EPCOT on Friday for the first day of Festival of the holidays. Lesson learned on both counts. My kids just aren't old enough to hang with us long enough to make the extra cost of MVMCP worth it and we left right after the first parade with both kids in tears. We'll try again in a few years. Friday at EPCOT was insanely busy. I'd really looked forward to the Christmas Cookie Stroll as a fun family activity but what we got were lines lines lines and places that were constantly out of cookies. At the last stop I finally just told the cast member to give my cookie to someone else, as I'd been waiting for 20 minutes after paying and we had another reservation to get to.

I'm kind of sad to see this thread pass now, it was such a fun way to plan our trip and get some new ideas. We'll be taking next year off from the parks to go to Aulani, then back for the 50th.

Glad to hear your count of your MVMCP experience. We debated back and forth a million times but our little one is 2 and we knew it was about to be a complete waste of $200 so we didn’t do it. It killed me because I don’t know if we’ll be able to go back this time of year again but fingers crossed. I just think it would’ve been a very short stay and a very cranky kid and it wasn’t a combo I was willing to pay $200 for, ha!

And I agree about the thread! We all gave advice and shared so much excitement and now it’s like bye friends!! Wahhh
 
Glad to hear your count of your MVMCP experience. We debated back and forth a million times but our little one is 2 and we knew it was about to be a complete waste of $200 so we didn’t do it. It killed me because I don’t know if we’ll be able to go back this time of year again but fingers crossed. I just think it would’ve been a very short stay and a very cranky kid and it wasn’t a combo I was willing to pay $200 for, ha!

And I agree about the thread! We all gave advice and shared so much excitement and now it’s like bye friends!! Wahhh

Yeah, it was a real bummer about MVMCP. I was so excited for it and it was just chaos for my family and a huge disappointment. It was a sold out party which makes a difference too, but there were huge lines for everything and Main St was a zoo the entire time. Just my opinion, but I think you made the right choice. There were soooo many crying kids there.
 
Yeah, it was a real bummer about MVMCP. I was so excited for it and it was just chaos for my family and a huge disappointment. It was a sold out party which makes a difference too, but there were huge lines for everything and Main St was a zoo the entire time. Just my opinion, but I think you made the right choice. There were soooo many crying kids there.

They need more for kids under 6! I realize that more and more each time we take our little one. All the parties are at night, all the fireworks are at night, there is literally nowhere to eat a counter service breakfast and lets face it breakfast is usually a safe meal that they’ll eat well for little ones, lunch places don’t open until 11 (hello when you’re up at 5 or 6 you need lunch before 11!) All the new attractions are sci fi and older crowds and trying to compete with universal and they’re totally eliminating their younger demographic. Epcot AND DHS are always awful days for him because he’s basically in his stroller running around with me while my husband rides stuff with a few rides for all of us smattered in and a few character meets (which usually have insane lines and are hard for him.) They need like a preschool party in the mornings or something!!
 
We've been back for over a week now...returned home the Sunday after Thanksgiving. All in all, I thought it was a great trip, but too short to experience all the holiday offerings. I'd like to go back during the same time frame but I would shift the trip earlier by a day or two and leave on the Saturday because our 6.5 hour drive ended up being 11 hours. I think we will renew our APs in June, but I'm not certain so we will see. It did really make last week rough...we were all tired and my 5 yr old who had been diagnosed with a sinus infection before the trip and had been on antibiotics the whole time, ended up with stomach issues because of the meds. But maybe if we hadn't had to deal with an 11 hour unexpected (yes I should have realized but I didn't) drive.

I loved all the holiday stuff we did (except Thanksgiving dinner at LTT and WCC weren't all that great) and Gran Destino was amazing!

Another thing I'm (semi) sad about is they are still introducing new holiday snacks and drinks so we obviously missed some things by going so early in the season. Oh and we only did Epcot at night and it was just too hard to do festival stuff then, so I may need to work on a different schedule if we go again.

That closed out 2019 with 6 trips for DH and me and 4 trips for the boys. As of now, we have 4 trips planned before our APs expire (MLK weekend, spring break, adults only F&G, and our big 9 night trip in May/June). If we renew our APs, we would probably do Independence Day again, Oct Break, and Thanksgiving, as well. It's been a whirlwind!
 
WDWinfo show "monorail refurb, schedules may change", but researching more, looks like they are refurbing individual trains. So no worries!

Hi, what were you able to uncover in your research on the monorail refurbs? We have an upcoming stay at a monorail resort in early January so we're hoping it's nothing major that will defeat the purpose!

Thanks!
 

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