A World of Disney - 2019-2020 Pre Trip Reports! - Basic NYE plans

We did a Ruins, Chocolate and Beach Break in Cozumel and had a great time! Sounds a lot like your taste of Cozumel.

In Georgetown, we did a submarine- which was a good choice since it rained all day. We also had fun just walking through the shops.

We chose to stay on the ship in Jamaica, except to have lunch at Margaritaville- which was a mistake since it was $$$ and we could have had better food on the ship!
 
One day I’ll get back there to do a proper China trip.
So I just learned that outside of the Disney parks, Jon has absolutely no desire to see the rest of China, so if you need a China buddy (especially if you want to do the ABD!) then I'll totally go with you.

And they said A LOT of things are currently under scaffolding/tarps just to prepare for the 2020 Olympics
How bad was this? I don't recall from your social media updates.
 


So I just learned that outside of the Disney parks, Jon has absolutely no desire to see the rest of China, so if you need a China buddy (especially if you want to do the ABD!) then I'll totally go with you.


How bad was this? I don't recall from your social media updates.
I may take you up on that offer one day! The China ABD does visit pretty much everything I'd want to see!

For scaffolding, the castle was pretty much all covered. And they didn't have the scrim up fully, so it was a bit weird to look at. Mount Prometheus was also 1/2 covered, but at least they finished the top of it so it was erupting again. Oh and the entrance to Disneyland was a pain because 1/2 the entrance was behind construction walls, so high crowds and long lines. Plus other construction walls hemming everyone in and blocking part of the way to get into the monorail station, so if you made a wrong turn, you'd need to walk all the way around. I think that was worst. Not horrible but not wonderful!
 
I may take you up on that offer one day! The China ABD does visit pretty much everything I'd want to see!

For scaffolding, the castle was pretty much all covered. And they didn't have the scrim up fully, so it was a bit weird to look at. Mount Prometheus was also 1/2 covered, but at least they finished the top of it so it was erupting again. Oh and the entrance to Disneyland was a pain because 1/2 the entrance was behind construction walls, so high crowds and long lines. Plus other construction walls hemming everyone in and blocking part of the way to get into the monorail station, so if you made a wrong turn, you'd need to walk all the way around. I think that was worst. Not horrible but not wonderful!
Good to know! Our China trip for next year might turn into a trip like yours that's focused on the 4 Asian parks and is Disney-centric instead (see previous note about Jon not caring to see China :P) So I reread this PTR to get an idea of how you planned and what you were able to fit in!

How many days did you end up having in each park? Was it enough?
 
Good to know! Our China trip for next year might turn into a trip like yours that's focused on the 4 Asian parks and is Disney-centric instead (see previous note about Jon not caring to see China :P) So I reread this PTR to get an idea of how you planned and what you were able to fit in!

How many days did you end up having in each park? Was it enough?
I did 2 days Shanghai, 2 days HK, and what ended up being 7 park days in Tokyo.

Shanghai and Hong Kong - that worked well. Shanghai I bought the FPs and it was the best decision, so I'd budget for that too. It helped me avoid lines while also not having to stare at my phone trying to grab new FPs! Hong Kong was pretty much empty so I walked on everything. But the hours are limited at the park, so 2 days let me watch the halloween show 3x (worth it) and just take things easier.

Tokyo - 7 days aren't necessary. But I did 2 days, then gone for a week, then back for 5 days. I'd say 4-5 days is enough. But you have to be very careful of when you plan it as the crowds are no joke (and contributed to some of my worst experiences). When picking days to visit, first check national holidays. I wouldn't visit +- 1 week of a holiday as people take extra time off. I also wouldn't visit in the last or first week of any seasonal events. And park days, Tues-Fri are the key. Weekends just suck with a huge number of people. Mondays also suck because I guess sometimes schools will be out on Mondays so it again gets super crowded. My best days were Wed-Fri (the tuesday was the day after a national holiday and was hell). I would even rather skip a seasonal event altogether on my first visit, as the crowds can be ridiculous.

I also wish I had included more actual rest days - not just travel, but legit relax at the hotel. The pools in HK look awesome and weather would have been perfect. Tokyo also has pools but they are all indoor (outdoor pools only open for like 2 months in summer). I don't think Shanghai had pools, but Disneytown did have lots of meal spots that I didn't get to try.
 


NYE Updates

So I know I need to continue working on my Asia Trip Report, but that one takes more time since I have to go thru photos and video from both camera and phone, then resize, then upload, etc... I figured I'd go ahead and update this PTR with our current plans. (Also excuse it for being text heavy; writing it down here helps remove it from floating around my brain!)

If you haven't been paying attention, about 1.5 weeks ago Disney opened a lovely new ride, Rise of the Resistance. So my friends and I have been keeping track of all the procedures so we can make the most of it!

(Oh and Dina is my friend who also lives in LA-she is staying in my studio villa for 4 nights; Willis is our friend who is driving down to Florida for Christmas with family and then staying at Pop Century; they've both appeared in Zach's various trip reports)

Day 1 - Saturday, Dec 28
-Our plan leaves around 7:30 am (ick!), but since Dina lives only 15 minutes from the airport, I'm just going to crash at her place the night before (better than getting someone to drive me super early the next day). Dina and I have the window and aisle seats in a row; someone is currently in the center, and it looks like a full flight, but we prob would both be watching movies anyways.
-Willis is picking us up from the airport and Dina wants to make a Target run (hopefully we can do the target car pick-up, which will save time)
-Go to Boardwalk and get room
-Quick stop at Epcot to get our Festival of the Holidays magnets. I had hoped to maybe try a dish or two, but that probably won't happen.
-Over to DHS for our SDD Fastpass
-Dinner at Topollino Terrace and watch fireworks from Epcot and DHS.

Day 2 - Sunday, Dec 29
-Wake up god-awful early to get to DHS. They just updated hours for the next 10 days, and we expect they will update this day too. So rather than a 9am park open with 8am-9am EMH, we are expecting a 7am park open with evening EMH (if at all). This actually works out better in our schedule than the stressful operations during EMH last weekend! We will want to get an early Virtual Queue return time, so fingers crossed! I'm thinking we will need to try and arrive at the park at 5am... and with time differences, that means my body will think it's 2am.. oh joy! At least we can walk to DHS from the Boardwalk.
-Depending on timing, maybe try to take a brief nap?
-Fastpasses at AK starting at 11 am (FoP, Safari, Everest)
-Dinner, 5pm, Toledo Tapas
-Magic Kingdom, for 10pm Christmas fireworks and After Fireworks Dessert Party

Day 3 - Monday, Dec 30
-Wake up relatively early again. We are thinking of playing the system and trying to enter DHS and get a late number boarding pass, with the hope that it actually won't be called and we will end up with a fastpass for Tuesday and a 1-day park-hopper ticket we can use in the future. That will require tricky timing, so who knows if it will work!
-Head to Magic Kingdom
-Brunch at Crystal Palace (10:30)
-Fastpasses start at 1 (Jingle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, 7DMT)
-Watch Christmas entertainment - parade, stage shows, etc.
-Dinner, California Grill 5pm; watch earlier fireworks from the roof deck
-Fireworks dessert party at 10:30 for midnight fireworks
-Maybe go on another ride or two, as EMH continues until 2am, so we can avoid the worst of the bus craziness?

Day 4 - Tuesday, Dec 31
-Another early wake-up to try and get a virtual queue spot. I think we've settled that afternoon would be best, but we are willing to work with whatever is necessary!
-Lunch is at Tutto Italia. Planning on making it a big meal
-Fastpasses at Epcot - Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land
-We cancelled dinner at Takumi Tei, to make sure we are open for the virtual queue boarding slot. I'll do it by myself either this trip or next one.
-Epcot midnight fireworks

Day 5 - Wednesday, Jan 1
(Willis leaves early this morning)
-Yet another early wake-up for Rise of the Resistance. Probably will go back and try to take a brief nap
-Breakfast at Topolino Terrace
-Fastpasses start around noon (SDD, Star Tours, Indiana Jones-more a placeholder than anything)
-12:30 reservation at Oga's
(Dina leaves late afternoon)

Now my solo plans - still very rough, as I don't know how I will react with the crowds and weather. I plan to try and get a boarding pass almost every morning, but will adjust if necessary.

Continuing January 1
-Dinner at Sebastian's
-Watch Jingle Bell Jingle Bam (I considered the dessert party but decided to not do that after all)

Day 6 - Thursday, Jan 2
-No morning/early afternoon plans, but maybe Disney Springs for the Christmas Tree Trail. Or maybe just sleep... a lot!
-FPs at Magic Kingdom starting around 2:30 (7DMT, Splash, BTMR)
-No dinner plans yet - I will see what is available and what I feel like.

Day 7 - Friday, Jan 3
-Animal Kingdom day, FPS at FoP, Safari, Everest
-Dinner at Tiffins
-Nighttime at AK

Day 8 - Saturday, Jan 4
-FPs at Epcot (FEA, Spaceship Earth, Living with the land-timed to see it at night)
-I booked Takumi Tei this evening, but may switch back to Il Mulino

Day 9 - Sunday, Jan 5
-Magic Kingdom Day
-Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare
-FPs (7DMT, Peter Pan, Pirates)
-Dinner Citricos (since it's rumored to be renovated sometime this year)

Day 10 - Monday, Jan 6
-Breakfast Ale & Compass
-FPs at SDD, Star Tours.

So, yeah, still very rough, which is crazy for a trip that is coming up in only 2.5 weeks! My, how my touring strategy has changed in the past 2 years!
 
Wow you are definitely going to be on the go for this trip! So all those early mornings at DHS for RotR- are you trying to ride it every single time? Or are you just giving yourself a lot of opportunities to try in case you don't always get a boarding group?
 
Wow you are definitely going to be on the go for this trip! So all those early mornings at DHS for RotR- are you trying to ride it every single time? Or are you just giving yourself a lot of opportunities to try in case you don't always get a boarding group?
Definitely the first 3 times when Dina and Willis are around. After that I’ll see how I feel! And if the early mornings/late nights have just exhausted me too much!
 
Your plans sound amazing!! I was just organizing all my notes and our plans, etc. Having Jimmy along on this trip, we will not be as ambitious as you are about getting a boarding group for RotR, but we do have one early morning planned to give it a try! Hopefully the Disney Gods will work in our favor on the 29th!

Our plans overlap on the 30th (obviously! Our dessert party!) and also on the 31st. We're doing Epcot til afternoon sometime when we hopefully can have some pool time before our NYE Pixar Party at the Contemporary!

So excited to see you and hear firsthand about all your Asian trip adventures!! See you soon :)
 
Your plans sound amazing!! I was just organizing all my notes and our plans, etc. Having Jimmy along on this trip, we will not be as ambitious as you are about getting a boarding group for RotR, but we do have one early morning planned to give it a try! Hopefully the Disney Gods will work in our favor on the 29th!

Our plans overlap on the 30th (obviously! Our dessert party!) and also on the 31st. We're doing Epcot til afternoon sometime when we hopefully can have some pool time before our NYE Pixar Party at the Contemporary!

So excited to see you and hear firsthand about all your Asian trip adventures!! See you soon :)
You’ll have to send me a text once you get to DHS on the 29th! Maybe we can try and hold you a spot in line? (Also...we may have some connections that will help us in this regard, though it will depend if he is affiliated with Resistance or First Order that day!)
 
We are here now, went on RotR a few days ago. I swear Disney is doing something different every day with that park! Opens at 7am now, looks like it'll be 6am last week of Dec. Keep an eye on the hours regularly - open and close.
 
We are here now, went on RotR a few days ago. I swear Disney is doing something different every day with that park! Opens at 7am now, looks like it'll be 6am last week of Dec. Keep an eye on the hours regularly - open and close.
Yup! We’ve been following the rotr thread! I’m very happy about my decision to stay at Boardwalk since I can just walk and don’t need to rely on other transport!
 
Lots of ambitious plans for sure! So many early mornings! EEK! Love your meal choices, as I'm curious to start hearing about Topolini reviews. :)
 

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