Travel Tuesday Tales

Memories of a Magical Disney World New Year

Nancy Christmas Holidays, Disney Vacation Planning, Travel Tuesday Tales, What to Do at Disney World , , , , , , , 8 Comments

So we had a wonderful time on our Disney vacation. 🙂

We tried new things, were blessed with amazing weather, and had the chance to share precious family time. We laughed, we sang, we clapped, we ate, we walked (and walked and walked), we were moved, we were silly, we learned new things and met new people….

In short, we started 2011 off in the most magical way.

As I have thought about doing a trip report for you, I realized quickly that I can’t do ONE because it would be a book! So instead, over the coming weeks, I’ll share different aspects of our trip that will hopefully help you in planning your next Disney vacation.

Today, I want to share a few highlights, along with some new things that this veteran Disney vacationer experienced on our trip to Walt Disney World:

First, we found a few “non-obvious” places for fireworks and parades. I have heard this recommended before but somehow we never actually did it. On this trip we did. We watched the Christmas parade over in Frontierland, right in front of Pecos Bill’s (having just finished lunch there) and had no problem finding a front row space to watch…on the day before New Year’s Eve. Likewise, we watched Holiday Wishes on one of the pathways that lead to the Tomorrowland bridge….it winds down below The Plaza Restaurant and there was literally no one there. Great view, and Tinkerbell flew right over us.

We went to Epcot for New Year’s Eve prepared to stay the entire day…which we did. While we might have been able to leave for a break and then return, based on the perfect weather and corresponding crowds, we decided not to chance it. We knew what to expect and took it very easy, keeping things low key and relaxed. Our daughter decided to try out the Kim Possible phones and had a blast (more on this in a coming article). I took advantage of places to relax when available. We found a place for the NYE fireworks EARLY, took turns blanket sitting, made friends with people from Brazil who were right next to us….and celebrated with them when it was the New Year in Brazil (which was before us).  In fact, welcoming a New Year with people who were literally from around the world seemed like the best possible way to celebrate…and we think that Walt Disney would have approved. 🙂

We were a bit lazy on New Year’s Day. We started with a late breakfast at Cape May buffet and then DD and I enjoyed a VERY special belated Christmas present from Santa: we went to the Grand Floridian spa. 🙂 If you ever have the chance to splurge on one thing for yourself….do this. You deserve it.

DD then joined DH at Magic Kingdom where they pretty much walked onto every ride there. Surprise for us: crowds practically disappeared starting on New Year’s Day, so it ended up being a very productive attraction day. After spending the afternoon taking pictures, I joined them for dinner at ‘Ohana, and then we returned to Magic Kingdom for the evening. Main Street Electrical Parade, Holiday Wishes….and riding Big Thunder Mountain in the dark all were perfect ways to end the perfect Disney day.

On Sunday we went to Hollywood Studios and those of you who were following along on our Facebook page know that we had a 5 minute wait for Toy Story Mania! We were there before park opening, and at rope drop, our DD went to Tower of Terror and apparently got the first FastPasses of the day there while DH and I went to get in line at Toy Story. We were entering the building as she arrived. Everyone else apparently went to get FastPasses for this ride, so the FastPass return time for TSM grew rapidly…while the stand-by line grew much more slowly. This strategy allowed us to ride/see everything we wanted to see before lunch. In the afternoon, we headed to ESPN Zone on the Boardwalk to cheer on our Steelers…and meet some really fun folks while there. 🙂

And I changed one of our ADRs again! At the last minute! Seeing that we were likely to be at ESPN Zone all afternoon, and then heading back to Hollywood Studios for the Osborne Lights in the evening, I decided to change dinner to the Captain’s Grill at Yacht Club since it was nearby, and I’m so glad that I did….it was amazing, in fact probably my favorite dinner! Once again, proving my motto for this trip: “Change is Good”. 🙂

Oh….and pictures of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights truly do NOT do them justice. If you love Disney World, put this on your bucket list!

For our last day, we returned to our favorite park, Epcot, and took the “Undiscovered Future World” tour. I cannot recommend this tour enough! Interesting, and fun, we were able to see some “behind the scenes” places, and ride Soarin’ again. And we learned a lot of fascinating details, not the least of which was to always “remember to look up and look down” because there are a lot of cool things to see that most of us normally miss because we’re so busy running to the next ride/attraction.

And then we left to return home. 🙁

Any Disney vacation goes so quickly, doesn’t it? It seems like you plan for an eternity (and for many of us that planning does last months or years even!) and then it finally arrives…..and in the blink of an eye, it’s over. But the memories remain, and that of course, is the true magic of Disney.

Then the planning starts all over again!

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Our Evolving Disney World Vacation…and Learning to Adjust

Nancy Christmas Holidays, Disney Vacation Planning, Travel Tuesday Tales , , , , 1 Comment

I am a planner by nature….and I love planning a Disney World vacation more than just about anything.

So planning a Disney trip 7-12 months in advance provides plenty to think about prior to the trip, and for the most part, this is a good thing. For example, having the chance to pour over menus, researching various accommodation options, finding fun, new, interesting things to see and do…. all make the time spent while waiting to leave fun…and it goes faster that way too.

The downside of this is when things change. Sometimes they change in minor ways that simply involve changing things like an advanced dining reservation time. On the other hand, sometimes a lot of things end up changing…and changing plans make us planners…well….a little uncomfortable.

Unless you learn, as I am learning on this trip, to just go with the flow. 🙂

Back in May I started documenting my vacation planning for our New Years trip to Walt Disney World. Since that time, there have been a few minor changes to our trip. We have changed:

  1. The number of people going
  2. Where we are staying for all 4 nights (this has changed several times)
  3. Where we are eating (this has changed several times as well)

And we haven’t left yet.

But it’s all good, because it has been a great lesson in flexibility for me. 🙂 I am adjusting as we go, learning to be ok with change, and trying to focus on what really matters: spending a few days with my family in a happy, carefree place.

So, here is what I know about our trip at this moment, 3 days before we leave:

  1. Our flight leaves (weather permitting…yes I worry about this in December) at 6:15 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 30
  2. We are now staying the first two nights at Yacht Club. A big surprise and a long story about how this occurred…but we are quite pleased to be within walking distance of Epcot for New Year’s Eve.
  3. We will eat at San Angel Inn our first night and then see the final Candlelight Processional.
  4. New Year’s Eve will be at Epcot (day and evening) and we are eating at Chefs de France.
  5. We are starting New Year’s Day with a big breakfast at Cape May Café
  6. Dinner that evening is at ‘Ohana and then we will visit Magic Kingdom for the last night of Holiday Wishes.
  7. We move to Saratoga Springs for the last 2 nights of our stay on Jan. 1
  8. Dinner our last night is currently at the Turf Club Bar and Grill at Saratoga Springs and then we’ll visit Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
  9. And our flight leaves for home at 6 p.m. on January 3.

This is, of course, all subject to change….which at this point, I am fully expecting it to. 🙂

Beyond this, we will see how things go, which usually works best during this very busy season anyway.

As to my preparations for leaving, seeing that we depart in 3 days? Well, we had that little Holiday over the weekend, so there is a lot left for me to do this week. But I have done our online check-in, ordered our Dining Plans, and cancelled our papers and mail. And I have our DME luggage tags, and Park Hopper passes in hand, so that’s kind of important.

So with daily checks of the weather forecast, we’re in the homestretch and planning for packing has begun. It’s definitely been a “different” kind of trip for me so far…..and to be honest, the planning changes have been kind of fun!

(But shhhhhhh don’t tell anyone, I don’t want to lose my membership in Planners Anonymous! 🙂 )

Want to follow along on our trip? I’ll be posting periodic updates and pictures on our Facebook Page.

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Travel Tuesday Tales: T-Minus 36 Days and Counting…

Nancy Christmas Holidays, Travel Tuesday Tales , , , , 7 Comments

While our friend Brenda is enjoying her vacation in Walt Disney World, I thought I’d take today to provide a quick update to our Disney vacation planning. We leave for Disney World in 36 days, on December 30…and as always happens when you start planning so far in advance….I can’t believe that we’re about a month away!

I can’t believe it because I have quite a bit to do in the next month for this trip.

Oh yeah. And we’ve got a few holidays sprinkled in there as well. 🙂

First let’s start with an update to some previous plans: Instead of 4 going, there are now just 3, myself, my DH and our DD. So I have had a few changes to make in the past month or so, namely to all of our ADRs, and Candlelight Processional reservations.

I also have been regularly in touch with Disney Vacation Club (meaning *daily*), in the attempt to reduce the size of our accommodations from a 2 BR to a Studio or 1 BR. Knowing how crazy busy this week is at Disney, I’m not holding my breath, but it’s worth the try, so that we can save the points for another trip. (And isn’t that always the case: you start planning your next one before you leave on the current one? Or is that just me…. 🙂  ) In any event, currently we still have a 2 BR at Old Key West for the first two nights, and now have a 1 BR at Wilderness Lodge for the 2nd 2 nights. In addition to calling DVC, I’m also on the waitlist for something smaller, so we shall see what happens.

Now what is done so far?

  • Accommodations (well sort of): check.
  • Basic Disney Dining Plan added: check.
  • Advanced Dining Reservations for all dinners: check.
  • Flights booked: check.

And what needs to be done in the next few weeks?

  • Tickets ordered: To Do!
  • Magical Express contacted: To Do!
  • Parking/transportation to and from airport: To Do!
  • Check park hours: To Do!
  • Any additional tours/meals/events booked: Research, maybe yes, maybe no.
  • Check luggage situation and replace some suitcases: Research, but probably To Do!
  • Check for new comfy walking shoes for me: Oh definitely To Do!!!!

This is, of course, in addition to getting ready for Christmas. Yeah, it’s gonna be a fun month! 🙂

Now you may notice that I don’t really have any itinerary planning on here, and I will say that is a benefit of many trips: for us at this point, we don’t worry about this as much as we would if we were still fairly new to Walt Disney World. Plus, and this is a biggie: there will be lots of crowds, and so we have learned that flexibility will be key during our time there over New Years. We have a few favorites at each park, and certainly know where we will be each evening (we decided that when making our ADRs). Beyond that, once I see the hours for each park, and see when the Holiday events will be ending, then we will narrow it down to which park we’ll go to each morning, and we’ll chat about if there are any Must-Sees for anyone on this trip. That will be about it for itinerary planning for this Disney vacation for us. (Note: it really helps here that we are 3 adults, so no little one meltdowns if we just can’t see something…..)

This weekend, DD will be home from college 🙂  so we’ll have a chance to talk a bit about if there are any extra things anyone wants to do, like doing a tour or something like that. We also need to decide if we want to get Park Hoppers for 4 days or 5, so I can order them from Undercover Tourist. And then I need to call Disney to arrange for Magical Express.

Oh, and before Black Friday, I’ll be looking at our suitcase situation, and my shoe situation, both of which are apparently necessary purchases….

And that will be it then, for a few weeks, as I get ready for Christmas………

…….until I start obsessing about the weather forecast. 🙂

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Travel Tuesday Tales: Flying to Disney World but Wishing We Were Driving

Nancy Travel Tuesday Tales , , , 8 Comments

I booked our flights for our Disney Christmas/New Years trip last week and was not happy with the many American dollars that it cost. Not that I was especially surprised, since this is not only the busiest week of the year, but also one of the most expensive. So while I gritted my teeth while booking, I kept thinking “Why not drive? Why not drive? Why not drive?”

Well?

So why NOT drive? Lord knows it would be a lot cheaper during this week, even taking into consideration the cost of gas, meals, and even a place to stay overnight on the way down….but…..

We fly, dear Disney friends, because while I LOVE road trips, for my family…not so much. And they have good reason for feeling that way….

When growing up, my family took a road trip every summer, and I just loved the sense of adventure, the chances to stop and explore new places and things, and the fact that the journey itself was part of the vacation. So for our first several trips to Disney World, we either drove or combined a driving/Autotrain trip…and I loved being able to take our time getting to Florida, checking out some of the pretty neat places between Maryland and Florida, and just making our vacation a little longer, and even a little more relaxing.

But as we started trying to visit Walt Disney World more often, this frankly became a problem: when you are making more, shorter trips, adding a couple of days or so, on either end just for travel wasn’t generally possible. After all, there are only so many vacation days to go around each year…

So one year we decided that we would do the drive in one day down and one day back: 14 hours of compressed family time, no significant stopping, exploring or extra fun. Just get in the car well before dawn, drive like no other, and arrive at Disney that evening.

This was our first visit to Disney World during Christmas week and we were to leave the morning after Christmas. We packed the car the night before, and I was sure to include lots of food, car games, audio books, dvds, you-name-it.

I am a planner, and I was prepared. 🙂

Up the next morning at 4 a.m. I quickly turned on the Weather Channel to check the weather report for I-95 and heard that there was this “tiny little area of precipitation” in North Carolina that wouldn’t amount to much, but travelers should be aware…….Hmmmm…..precipitation on December 26?

Well, we made it to North Carolina and found out that this little area of precipitation had pretty much shut down I-95 in North and most of South Carolina, since apparently the south doesn’t get any winter weather, so they don’t seem to have salt or snow plows. A light dusting of snow and ice paralyzed this major north-south highway….and there we sat. For hours. Not moving. Anywhere.

And the longer we sat, the more I listened to my family ask…over and over and over……”Why didn’t we fly? Why didn’t we fly? Why didn’t we fly?”

Sigh…..That was the last time we drove to Florida.

Every trip since then, as I start to plan, I am reminded (like I could forget) that flying is sooo much quicker, and more efficient, and that we can get there in just 2 ½ hours……yada yada yada

I know I know. And they are right: we don’t want to waste valuable Disney parks time sitting on I-95 in an ice storm, we want to get there and get going! So this year, we will still be getting up at 4 a.m., but with a 6:30 flight, we’ll be at the parks by 10 enjoying Pirates of the Caribbean and having a Dole Whip.

And my dear family will remind me yet again: “Gee Mom, isn’t this better than sitting on I-95 in an ice storm?”

Yes, it certainly is. 🙂

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Travel Tuesday Tales: Dear Disney Dining, You Could Make This So Much Easier

Nancy Christmas Holidays, Travel Tuesday Tales , , , , 1 Comment

In this installment of Travel Tuesday Tales, I am providing an update into my vacation planning for our next Disney trip for New Years. If you want to know how the planning has gone so far, you can read about our initial plans, where we’re staying, as well as see where we’ll be eating and my experiences with making all my ADRs.

So last Thursday was the first day that Candlelight Processional dinner packages were available to book, and since this was the last major item that I needed to reserve for now (until we do flights), I had the date noted in my planner to make sure I didn’t miss it. The thing is, I felt like Disney was late this year in opening up these packages: while it’s been 3 years since we went during the Holidays, I know that in the years that we have gone at that time of year, I was making these reservations a LOT earlier….like June/July earlier.

Not sure why Disney was procrastinating here, but I was starting to get a bit peeved. I get cranky like that when something interferes with my planning timeline. 🙂

In any event, over the past week, I had begun scouring Disney blogs, websites and message boards, trying to find out SOME KIND of information about the packages this year. We’re going to be on the basic Disney Dining Plan, so I already knew that it was probably going to cost 2 table service credits like last year apparently did. But I did want to know pricing, in case we decided to pay out of pocket and use those credits for another meal.

More importantly though, I needed to know what restaurants were going to be included, as my family had requested to eat at the new Hacienda de San Angel on this trip, and if we were able to do this, it would be our first night, the night we did Candlelight Processional. But would it be available for the package? That was the question….

Reading Chip and Co. and the Disney Food Blog, I knew that they were taking reservations for after Oct 15, but could not find out anywhere if this meant Hacienda was part of the CP dinner package or not.

And I have to say, the closer it got to August 26, the more annoyed I was getting. There was no information to be found about this anywhere. Not wanting to waste valuable time on Thursday morning by asking lots of questions (you can lose a reservation during peak times like this if you do!), I decided to just go straight to the source.

Wednesday evening, I called Disney Dining to ask.

And would you believe, it took the poor castmember almost 10 minutes to find out the answer? Finally, she was back: no Hacienda de San Angel was not part of the CP dinner package this year, nor was Via Napoli either.

OK, thanks, at least now I knew. Thursday morning, 7 a.m. I was requesting San Angel Inn for the package (our second choice).

So Thursday morning, I did my usual early morning walk, checked email and Facebook, and at 6:55 a.m. I was ready, at the phone, with pen, paper, and credit card in hand, waiting to get this done so I could then get ready for work.

At 6:57 I began dialing…and received the “office is not yet open” recording. Continued to power-redial (I have done this before and AM a “professional” 🙂  ) and at precisely 7 a.m. ET I got the “Thank you for calling Disney Dining, how may we help you today?”. Great! You can help me by getting me this reservation, so I can go shower and get ready to leave for work, thanks.

(You used to just “press 1 for this, press 2 for that”. Now you have to verbally tell them what you need, and hope the automated whatever on the other end understands what you need so you don’t waste valuable time getting sent to someone else…..But I digress….)

I announced as slowly and clearly as I could to the automated whatever, that I needed “Dining Reservations for Candlelight Processional” and then of course was put on hold to the kind-of-annoying-at-7 a.m. music of Haunted Mansion. Before I knew it, a recorded voice thanked me for holding, told me someone would be with me as soon as possible, and then informed me that “due to unexpectedly high call volume, your estimated wait time is at least………30 minutes.”…… WHOA!

Ummmm Dear Disney Dining:

  • First, I do not have 30 minutes to wait, I have like a job that I have to go to, so we can pay to visit you.
  • Second, I am trying to reserve this package for the last night of the Candlelight Processional, and during the busiest week of the year. I am worried that by the time you get to me, the dinner packages for that night will be gone. (Yes, I worry about these things. I clearly need a life.).
  • Third, if you had only publicized the details of the Candlelight Processional package before TODAY, people might have actually known all of the details before calling….and could have had quicker calls, resulting in everyone having a shorter wait time.

Yikes. Well, I was clearly not going to hop in the shower while I waited. My luck, it would have been like a 5 minute wait. So I tried to do as many other things as I could while on hold, and wondered if my co-workers would REALLY mind if I just went to work without showering…. 🙂

Happily for my co-workers, at 7:35 a charming and God-bless-her extremely cheerful castmember came on the line to ask me what she could do for me.

“IneedtoreservetheCandlelightProcessionalDinnerPackageforDecembe30for  SanAngelInnat5pm…..please”

The charming castmember of course understood this completely, asked how many it was for, and within 2 minutes we were done, and I had my confirmation number.

See Disney how nice that works when folks know before hand what they want?

All kidding aside, I am clearly a huge Disney fan as you know by now, and I do really feel like this was just very uncharacteristically unorganized of them. So I jest now….and am just happy that I got what we wanted. My family is happy too.

So, we’re all set for dining now (unless someone changes their mind). Next on the planning agenda? Making those flight reservations some time in September.

I’ll keep ya posted! 🙂

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