A Disney Christmas 3 years in the making - Our First Ever Pre-Trip Report!

mamaofsix

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 8, 2017
Hi there, everyone. My name is Jenn. I have really enjoyed reading Trip Reports on the DIS boards, and thought I'd take the plunge and try it out. So, here it is: My very first pre-trip Report!

Introductions: As my Dis Name suggests, Andrew (hubby) and I have 6 children. 2 Biological daughters (Eden and Gabriella), 2 adopted sons (Kanen & Isaiah), and 2 more adopted daughters (Hope and Pamoon). All between the ages of 4 and 14. Life is busy. Life is expensive. Hence, we have only gone to WDW twice since having children. This coming trip will have been three years worth of saving and planning. My parents are coming along!


THUS FAR, WE HAVE KEPT THE WHOLE THING A SECRET FROM OUR KIDS! :ssst: We plan to tell them about 60 days before we leave, as a birthday surprise for our oldest son, Kanen.

As citizens of the Great White North (we live in rural Ontario, Canada), Christmas is a big deal for our family. We have NEVER been to Disney during the Christmas Season, and are so incredibly excited to be able to experience it this year! Andrew has his ugly Christmas Sloth Sweater ready to go. We hope there are some readers out there who will enjoy hearing about the journey! So, keep reading, eh?


upload_2018-7-15_16-49-54.jpeg



TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PICKING THE DATE AND OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS : Skip to Post #2

WHERE TO STAY (That We Can Afford)? Skip to Post #3

PLANNING OUR DAYS . . . AND OUR NIGHTS. Skip to Post #4

MEALS AND SUCH. Skip to Post #5

CAN I GET A FASTPASS? Skip to Post #8

SURPRISING THE KIDS! Skip to Post #11

FAST PASS AND FINALIZING TOURING PLANS: Skip to Post #14
 

Attachments

  • upload_2018-7-15_16-46-27.jpeg
    966.9 KB · Views: 3
Last edited:
PICKING THE DATE AND OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS :santa:

Having a slightly type A personality, I chose our trip dates about 18 months in advance. Our last trip was during Ontario's March Spring Break and the parks were level 10's - Every. Single. Day. We swore we would try for a less busy time next trip. We were also interested in slightly cooler temperatures than 90 F. :cool:


After scouring crowd calendars, prediction models and prices . . . and researching seasonal pros and cons at Disney, I chose what some considered a 'sweet spot.' The week after American Thanksgiving. Sure, crowds are busier that week than they once were - but we are still getting all of the Holiday Perks without the enormous holiday week crowds.

After picking the dates, I had to tell my husband we were going! (lol) Then, I had to convince my parents to come. 6 children and 2 adults is tough - grandparents for the win. Luckily, neither needed much convincing and were incredibly excited. I'm amazed they've all kept it a secret from the kids for this long!

To save $$$$, we will be driving down and meeting my parents (who are flying) to check in on Saturday, November 24th, 2018. Check-out will be Saturday, December 1st.

Even as a child, my family always drove down to Disney. There is something super magical about leaving our snow globe and seeing the climate transform to the sunny south. I love the snow, but it will be neat to leave it behind for a week. Here's our son, Isaiah, dressed as Frosty last winter :)

upload_2018-7-15_17-8-32.jpeg
 
WHERE TO STAY? (THAT WE CAN AFFORD!)

Having a large family is a huge blessing. But it also comes with a huge price tag when traveling. It would be incredibly expensive for us to stay on Disney Property as a party of 10. Not to mention the cost of eating out and not being able to cook a few meals for ourselves. So, our solution will be the same as in the past. We are renting a large villa at Windsor Hills Resort. If you've never considered an option like this: you should try it! Honestly, for the same price as staying in a Value Room at Pop Century (that sleeps 4), we are staying in a SIX BEDROOM VILLA with a large pool, hot tub, equipped kitchen, 4 bathrooms and a resort that includes a giant pool/hot tub/splash pad/slides, basketball courts, golf, playgrounds, theater, you name it.

Because I planned so far in advance, it was a breeze to read villa reviews, choose one I liked, and book it through a booking agency.

Another perk of Windsor Hills: It is, quite literally, a 5 minutes drive from WDW. We found last time that our villa was actually closer to a few of the Disney Parks than many of the ON-SITE Disney Resorts. Since we will have a vehicle anyway, this decision was a no-brainer. I've heard others say they don't like to leave the 'Disney Bubble,' but Windsor Hills felt so luxurious and spacious to us that it was actually an improvement over staying at Disney. And there is so much more to explore in Orlando and Florida than just Disney. It's the right decision for us.


04%20WH-Pool%20Twilight.jpg


This brings me to the CONS of staying 'offsite.' No 60 day fast pass. No 180+10 dining reservations. No free parking. No free magic bands.

Enter: DISBOARDS!

It was about this time (18 months ago), that I joined the Disboards and read a very interesting thread detailing "Throw Away Rooms." "Hmmm...," I thought. "Wouldn't it be nice if our family had a Disney Campsite booked? We might not stay the night, but we could enjoy it during the day or crash there for a break." And for $71.00 a night, we would get free parking, free magic bands for 10, 60 day fastpass, and a 180+10 ADR window. I was sold. By booking 2 nights at a campsite flanking the 4 days we planned to be at the parks, we would pay $142.00 to get over $100 worth of magic bands, and $80 worth of parking for our 2 vehicles. Plus the coveted FP and ADR perks. I looked online for availability, and there it was. It felt like a Christmas Miracle!! My husband and I are super stoked to tour the campgrounds in the off hours. Our family are avid campers here in Canada, so it will be neat to have the campsite as a day-time fall back while near the parks.

upload_2018-7-15_17-29-18.jpeg


And, just like that, our accommodations were booked! For about $1500.00, the 10 of us will enjoy 7 days in the Sunny South :)

 
PLANNING OUR DAYS . . . AND OUR NIGHTS

The truth is, with 6 children, we are just not the type of people who can go to a Disney Park every single day. We don't just need down time. We need down days. So, I began mapping out what I thought would be a good plan for our week. I checked our Touring Plans (which I usually rely heavily on and works great for us) for crowd predictions. Then I picked the best parks for what looked to be low crowd days (with a grain of salt). Here's the rough plan I initially came up with:

Friday / Saturday: Leave home at 6:30a.m. on Friday. Stop for a hotel stay somewhere in Tennessee for the night. Get up and go around 6:30a.m. on Saturday. Arrive a villa in the early evening. Order some pizza and chill in the pool.

Sunday: Down day. Swim. Pick up groceries. Andrew and I go to The Campground to do early check-in and pick up magic bands (Canadians cannot receive their magic bands in the mail like you lucky Americans).

Monday: EPCOT!!! Full disclosure: this is, hands down, my favourite Disney Park. As a kid, there was just something about it that captivated me. I do not need to see the castle at Magic Kingdom first. I need to take in that big space ball first. When I was reading up on Holidays at Disney, imagine my delight to learn all about the World Showcase story-tellers. And (gasp!), the Candlelight Processional - which I am embarrassed to admit I'd never heard of before planning this trip. (It is, after all, our first time going during the Holidays.) And, did I hear something about a special, Christmas, ending to Illuminations?!?! *Sigh* We will rope dropg to close at this park. No question.

Tuesday: Sleep in, swim, have a short nap before . . . Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!!! Again, I had not heard about this until researching for our trip. I cannot begin to tell you how excited our kids are going to be for this. We're not big on character meet and greets, so this party will be all about the short waits for rides, the dance parties and shows, the parade and the fireworks.

disneymainstrret-snow.png


Wednesday: Sleep in, enjoy our villa, let our feet and blisters recover for a day. Maybe Andrew and I will go on a DATE at Disney Springs and leave the kids with Grandma and Grandpa...Maybe check out Fort Wilderness Campsite again.

Thursday: Animal Kingdom. I have only been here once - it was a year after it opened with my parents. Andrew and the kids have never been. When we saw the advertisements for Pandora, we knew it was a must. Not just for the kids, but for my hubby and dad who are both huge Avatar fans. We will skip Rivers of Light to instead enjoy Pandora at night. Once more, rope drop 'til close!

Friday: Magic Kingdom. *We decided to skip Hollywood Studios this time. It was our kid's favourite park last trip, but so many things have closed that they liked (The Great Movie Ride, Honey I shrunk the kids playground, Car Stunt show), that I think we'll leave it until next time. When we come back again - likely in another 3 years! - the Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story crowds will hopefully have calmed down a bit and we can enjoy it again.* That brings us to Magic Kingdom. We think that by doing the Christmas Party with short ride lines, one more full day at MK should be just right. We will rope drop and tour until 6 before the party starts. Touring Plans has this as a low crowd day, so fingers crossed :) Back to our villa to relax, pack, and get a good night's sleep

Saturday / Sunday: Leave our villa around 7:30a.m. Take the I-95 home instead of the I-75 like on the drive down. Stop in Virginia for the night on Saturday. Plan to be home just after Supper on Sunday night.


So, the skeleton of our plan was mapped out. Next would come the finer details!
 


MEALS AND SUCH

After figuring out the rough outline of our trip, I planned out our meals. Our strategy for days in the Parks is to eat breakfast at the Villa, bring in a packed lunch, and have a sit-down meal for Supper. For our non-park days, we would also home cook 2 meals, and eat out for 1. This keeps costs much lower, and we feel a little healthier doing it. Andrew and I love to cook, but we also love going out to eat - so this strikes a nice balance while on vacay. Here I am eating gourmet on our 14th wedding Anniversary. No kids! The best way to eat ;)


upload_2018-7-15_18-26-49.jpeg



Well before our 180+ window, I had planned what we wanted to do:

Monday: PPO Garden Grill 8:00a.m. with Candlelight Processional Dining Package (breaking our 'breakfast at the villa' rule just this once). My reason: I thought the breakfast here looked like something we'd all LOVE, and the rotating factor is so neat. Living with the Land is secretly one of my favorite rides, so how cool to see it from this perspective?? ALSO: With the tiered fp system, my hope was to squeak in a ride on Soarin' before the rope drop crowds arrived, then jet over to Test Track. Leaving our Tier 1 fastpass free for Frozen.

Tuesday: Because we can be let into Magic Kingdom by 4:00 for the party, we plan to do a few rides and then eat a quick meal at Pinnochio's Village Haus. Originally, I thought Be Our Guest. But, with all of the free treats throughout the night, who needs to start it off with a heavy meal? We've never eaten at Pinnochio's, and I just think my kids would love to score the table with quirky signs to hold up for those going through It's a Small World. So, no reservations needed for this.

Thursday: I looked at a few options, but ultimately Satu'li Canteen won out. And with Mobile Ordering, it should be a breeze! Again, no ADR's necessary. Woo hoo!

Friday: For our last 'hurray,' a Christmas Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern before we left the park sounded amazing. I planned to foot my parents' bill on this meal as an early Christmas gift.:santa:

THEN CAME OUR 180 DAY WINDOW
Up at the crack of stupid to sign on and be ready for 6:00a.m. on the button, all I had to worry about was my Liberty Tree Tavern ADR. Candlelight Processional Packages had still not been announced :( . To my surprise, there was very little availability. I settled on a Dinner at 4:45 by splitting our group into 3 sub-groups to reserve. Fingers crossed they will let us all sit together. That aside, I was so happy and relieved! We have never eaten here and my mouth waters when I watch online reviews for it.

FINALLY, Candlelight Processional Packages OPEN!
I was so anxious about the Candlelight Processional Packages, that I even started a watch thread with all of the details I could find. You can find it over here on the Dining board if you want to read along:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/o...ocessional-dining-package-watch-2018.3674294/

On July 11th, booking became available. My reason for booking was simple: I didn't want to wait for hours in line with the kids, only to be turned away. Our family is VERY musical, and all of us are going to be thrilled with this concert. I am anticipating a tear or two. Anyway, back to the dining. I was SOOOO disappointed to find absolutely zero availability for breakfast at GG on our day. Others reported availability on their days for small groups of 2 or so, but no luck for November 26th. (The narrator had yet to be announced, by the way). So, I spent about an hour that early morning trying to figure out a 'plan B.' I finally settled on:

Biergarten at 4:15 for the 6:45 CP show. It's super early, so I figured we'd just have a snack-y lunch so that we're good and hungry by then. I was very disappointed not to get our first choice, but since booking Biergarten I have looked at reviews and menus and it looks amazing. The band looks great. And they decorate it so nicely for Christmas! Once again, this is a restaurant we've never tried. Really looking forward to it :yay: And 6:45 seems like the perfect time for CP. It will be dark by then, and we will get out early enough to stroll around before finding a spot for Illuminations. WIN-WIN!
 
Sounds like you are going to have tons of fun

As for your three year plan... well, it mighave to be a little longer if your trying to avoid crowds due to 2021 and probably part of 2022 being the 50th anniversary
 
Sounds like you are going to have tons of fun

As for your three year plan... well, it mighave to be a little longer if your trying to avoid crowds due to 2021 and probably part of 2022 being the 50th anniversary
True - might have to stretch this next gap to 4 years!!
 


CAN I GET A FAST PASS?

After getting our ADR'S, Fastpasses and a general itinerary were next on my list. I should mention that we've already bought our park tickets and MVMCP tickets. Woohoo!

I really admire those who criss-cross a park all day long, but our family does NOT fit into this category. So, I carefully plan our itinerary to include the least amount of walking, waiting (and whining) possible. We usually start at one end of the park and circle around. I rely heavily on Touring Plans. We used them for our last 2 trips, and it worked like a charm. Our fp's and ADR's need to fit into this 'least amount of walking possible' strategy. Did I mention how hard it is to organize fastpasses for 10 people who like different types of rides? We tour the park all together, so it can be tricky sometimes. But, I try to find FP's that are near to each other (ie: 7DMT and Winnie the Pooh). Here are 5 of our kiddos on our last trip. Several still smiling after a long day of walking. They were so little!

upload_2018-7-15_20-18-16.jpeg


Here are my best laid plans so far:

MONDAY - EPCOT
-Rope Drop Test Track
-Race over to Soarin'
-Ride Living with the Land
-Journey into Imagination
-Nemo FP 11:00-12:00
-Explore Aquarium
-Spaceship Earth FP 12:00-1:00
-Start circling the World Showcase. Start in the UK and watch Father Christmas
-Canada - picnic lunch in their gardens
-Mexico and 3 Caballeros
-Frozen FP 3:00-4:00
-China
-Biergarten CP ADR - 4:15
-Italy storytellers
-Get in line by 6:00 and watch Candlelight Processional, 6:45 show
-Japan if time
-Film in France
-Find a Spot near Canada to watch Illuminations with special Holiday Ending**Fingers crossed this show stays at EPCOT for just one more Christmas!! I want to hear that song one more time...**


TUESDAY - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
*From previous reports, it sounds iffy to book fp's for this day since we don't have a 'regular' ticket as well. So, I'm choosing to forego the risk. No FP's*
-Go through the gates by 4:00
-Ride the People Mover
-Catch Carousal of Progress
-Send in mobile order for Pinocchio's Village Haus and enjoy an early Supper!
-Ride It's a Small World
-Watch Elsa light up the castle
-Tomorrow Land Speedway
-Cookie Stop
-Walk toward Frontier Land and listen to the Reindeer Wranglers
-Splash Mountian
-Big Thunder
-Cookie Stop
-Pirates
-Aladdin if time
-Dance party at Cosmic Ray's & Cookie Stop
-Show in Tomorrow land
-Buzz Lightyear
-Watch fireworks
-Head to the entrance and watch the late parade from there.

THURSDAY - Animal Kingdom
-Rope Drop and start the day with the Safari
-Gorilla Falls Trail
-Expedition Everest FP for 5 group members who can handle it! 10:00-11:00. The rest of us sit and wait
-Maharajah Jungle Trek
-Kali River Rapids FP for all 10 of us: 11:00-12:00
-Picnic Lunch at the Flame Tree BBQ tables
-Dinosaur FP 12:30-1:30 - Book under the 5 people who didn't book Everest. Grandparents and little kids explore the boneyard.
-Festival of the Lion King
-Explore Pandora in the daylight
-4:00-5:00 Flight of Passage FP's for 7 of us, Navi River Journey for the remaining 3 who are prone to motion sickness or are too short.
-Mobile Order Dinner at Satu'li Canteen
-Explore Pandora at night
-Watch the tree projection show


FRIDAY - Magic Kingdom
-Get there early. Touring Plans advises this will be an EMH morning, so do the first 4 rides during that first hour
-Peter Pan with no fp to enjoy the queue
-Journey of the Little Mermaid
-Prince Charming's Carousal
-Mad Tea Party
-7DMT FP for 6 of us from 9:00-10:00
-Winnie the Pooh FP for remaining 4 of us from 9:00-10:00
-Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor
-Space Mountain FP for 5 of us. 10:00-11:00
-Dumbo FP for other 5. 10:00-11:00
-Take railroad from Fantasyland all the way around to Frontier Land
-Picnic Lunch on Tom Sawyer Island
-Jungle Cruise FP for all 10 of us. 1:00-2:00
-Swiss Family Treehouse
-Country Bear Jamboree
-Hall of Presidents
-Haunted Mansion (try to get 4th FP for this)
-Liberty Square Riverboat
-Watch The Muppets Presents... if time.
-4:45 ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern

Whew! There you have it. Now, this is under the assumption that no ride or attraction will be closed on the day we want to see it - haha. And this is if I get all of the fp's for the times I want them. Time will tell! But, boy, am I glad we'll have that 60 day window.


 
Last edited:
Sounds like a fun trip. We will be there the same week. Crossing fingers for low crowds! I'm impressed with the Ontario to Florida drive with 6 kids in only 2 days! That's amazing.
 
Sounds like a fun trip. We will be there the same week. Crossing fingers for low crowds! I'm impressed with the Ontario to Florida drive with 6 kids in only 2 days! That's amazing.
Fun that we'll be there at the same time! We are also hoping for low crowds . . . but trying to plan well in case it's busier than anticipating.

As a kid, my parents didn't even let us stop for the night on our drive down. We'd drive 24 hours straight to get to Florida. They think we're spoiled for stopping to rest on the way, hehe...
 
Yesterday, we let our kids in on the surprise! It was my son's 9th birthday. His gift from us was a red binder full of a long, suspenseful narrative that ended with the news that we were going to Disney World :) The kids were . . . excited, to say the least.

40579250_1978278692193511_3326010231502143488_n.png
 
Hi. We’re going a few weeks after you and our plans seem similar. Following along to see how it all plays out. Hoping you have a wonderful trip!
 
Fast Pass Booking and Finalizing our Touring Plans

Okay, I am a little late in reporting here. Our fp booking day went okay, but I was disappointed that at 60+4, Flight of Passage and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train were unavailable!! So much for my prediction that the week we chose was going to be lower crowds...Hence, we will be joining the rush of humanity in the rope drop crowd for these two headliners.

I felt a bit of regret that booking campsites to open our window 30 days earlier did not seem to have benefited us in the fp department. However, we did get Space, Splash, and Frozen - which were all unavailable at the off-site 30 day mark last time we went. And every thing other than FOP and 7DMT had wide open times. So, in hindsight, I do think the throwaway room strategy was a good one and we will probably use it again in the future.

These are the fastpasses we were able to score for different members of our party:


MK:
-Splash
-Space
-Jingle Cruise
-Winnie the Pooh
-Dumbo

EPCOT:
-Frozen
-Spaceship Earth
-Nemo

AK:
-Safari
-Everest
-Kali
-Dinosaur


Fastpasses in hand, I began to perfect my itinerary on touringplans.com (SO worth the subscription price!!). I love that you can see how long it takes to walk between the rides, wait time estimates at specific times of day, etc.

One bummer is that I just found out that my two plans for 'downtime' at Magic Kingdom are not going to be open during our stay - Tom Sawyer Island (where we were planning a picnic lunch) and the Liberty Boat. :( :( Our new strategy will be to eat a picnic lunch near Pete's Silly Sideshow, where I hear there are ample empty tables, umbrellas for shade, and a water fountain for the kids to play in. We then plan to take the train around to Splash Mountain. The train and Speedway are set to be closed in December for TRON construction. If they close a week earlier when we are there . . . I will be ticked. These 2 things are a big part of our MK plans, and having Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Boat already down for refurb is quite enough, in my opinion.
walt-disney-world-railroad-main-street-usa-gallery04.jpg


With less than 3 weeks left, one would think there really is no planning left to do HOWEVER: They still have not announced the times for the Holiday Story tellers, nor have any details been revealed about snack locations and performance times for MVMCP! Disney sure likes to keep things secret until the last minute. So...I will be waiting to print and laminate my colourful itinerary sheets until the very last second.

a15706befbee7011df017dade7631cd9.jpg
2016-Mickeys-Very-Merry-Christmas-Party-Egg-Nog-and-Ginger-Molasses-Cookies-Heritage-House-1.jpg


Oh, and we haven't really begun to pack yet. It is currently 0 degrees celsius in our town and it snowed yesterday. Looking forward to packing shorts and t-shirts for warmer weather! We are planning to decorate our house for Christmas before leaving for Disney. I started yesterday by changing our Fall chalk board sign to a Christmas theme... I am no artist, but was happy with how it turned out. :santa:

45446703_280571699237708_7109835389455564800_n.jpg

Until next time...
 
One bummer is that I just found out that my two plans for 'downtime' at Magic Kingdom are not going to be open during our stay - Tom Sawyer Island (where we were planning a picnic lunch) and the Liberty Boat. :( :( Our new strategy will be to eat a picnic lunch near Pete's Silly Sideshow, where I hear there are ample empty tables, umbrellas for shade, and a water fountain for the kids to play in. We then plan to take the train around to Splash Mountain. The train and Speedway are set to be closed in December for TRON construction. If they close a week earlier when we are there . . . I will be ticked. These 2 things are a big part of our MK plans, and having Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Boat already down for refurb is quite enough, in my opinion.

I too am bummed about TSI and LB being closed. We're also missing the train. :(

I'll look into the area near PSS. I was so hoping the boys would be able to let off steam on TSI. I prefer to let them run around and play somewhere out of the way. And I'm not at all excited about TRON.

Love the chalkboard - very cute! I did the math this morning and realized I have five weekends (not including this weekend) until we leave/Christmas (as we return late on 12/22). Eek!
 

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!





Top