The One Where They Go to Disney (again): December 2019 PTR (UPDATED 11/15)

[chri3060]

Random life/trip update today! My birthday is this Wednesday, and DH has been asking me for weeks what I would like for a gift. I have been driving myself crazy thinking of ideas to give him, but I really don't need anything. Then it finally hit me, I don't actually need the gift on my birthday!

So I asked to either attend After Hours at MK or MVMCP during our December trip! We've done both in the past, and I love them equally. The price is pretty much the same after our AP discount. Right now, I'm leaning towards After Hours because I think it will be less crowded since MVMCP is going on 4 times during the week we are there, and I assume that most people would do that over After Hours. But I'm leaving it up to DH to decide that way there will be at least some element of surprise!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Thats a good idea for a present!! We treat our December trip as our christmas present to each other haha its just easier since its what we would want anyway!

 

[chri3060]

Thats a good idea for a present!! We treat our December trip as our christmas present to each other haha its just easier since its what we would want anyway!

We do the same thing! But since the trip has been paid off since May, its hard NOT to buy Christmas gifts for DH lol He's agreed to do stockings plus an extra gift this year since I can't help myself

 

[chri3060]

Another resort change update! This is the 3rd resort we've had booked for the first part of our trip. I've changed plans so many times, I don't think DH remembers where we are staying anymore

Tuesday night, I was telling DH how much I didn't want to stay at All Star Movies because the bus system was such a nightmare when we stayed there in August. So I hopped on WDW website, and checked what was available from the 7th to the 10th. Lo and behold, Pop Century was available! We still had to pay rack rate, which is annoying, but it was less than $30 total to switch from Movies to Pop for 3 nights, so I made the change! I really excited to stay at Pop again and have access to the Skyliner!

 

[Cloe Colton]

AWESOME!! I'm sure you were so excited to make that switch! I wonder if people were bailing on Pop because they are afraid to ride the gondolas now lol (I still plan to in December since its the whole darn reason I booked CBR! lol)

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Hi, Liz! I'm joining in on your planning fun!

Your plans so far sound great! You'll have so much time in HS - good job in scoring so many great Fastpasses!

I've really enjoyed my stays at Pop and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. I look forward to seeing what you thought of the skyliners!

 

[chri3060]

Hi, Liz! I'm joining in on your planning fun!

Your plans so far sound great! You'll have so much time in HS - good job in scoring so many great Fastpasses!

I've really enjoyed my stays at Pop and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. I look forward to seeing what you thought of the skyliners!

Welcome!! Thanks for joining in!!! I was so relieved to get so many great FPs. I feel like no matter how many times we go, I always get so worked up over FP day lol

We've only stayed at Pop once before, this past January, for a quick 2 night 3 day trip, but we loved it! I'm happy to be going back, especially with direct access to the Skyliner!

 

[chri3060]

I can't believe we are 3 weeks away from our trip!!! We went to WDW in December 2017 and even though we did a lot, I feel like there are so many Christmas related things we didn't get to see. I made out a list of everything that we want to do/see/eat on this trip that we didn't during our last holiday trip or the trips we've been on since then.

Things to do:
1. The #1 spot is obviously filled by Rise of the Resistance! The goal is to wait in line for however long it takes on our first day there to ride it. We have 3 full days dedicated to HS, so we should be able to ride at least twice.... hopefully!

2. We plan on spending some time in Disney Springs, and walking the Christmas Tree Trail is on the top of my list.

3. The Christmas decoration are my favorite party of Disney in December, so we will definitely be taking some time to tour the MK and Epcot resorts. The Wilderness Lodge has a brand new gingerbread castle that looks amazing, and SSR resort also has a new display. I'm planning to have us duck out of MK and head to Wilderness Lodge for lunch one day so we can check out the display. SSR is a quick walk from DS, so we can pop over there after the Christmas Tree Trail!

4. Mini golf! We are big fans of mini golf, and the only local place to play near us closed last summer. We've never found time to squeeze in a round, but I have set aside some time to go to Summer Winterland to play!

Things to eat:
1. If I do not get the Butterfinger crunch cupcake on this trip, I will officially go crazy. On every trip we've taken in the past 2 years, which is five, I have said that I am going to get this cupcake. And I haven't. This is now basically my number 1 goal in life.

2. We don't have many repeat meals planned, so I am really excited to try out new dining experience. New to us places will be: ESPN, afternoon tea at the GF, Via Napoli, Sebastian's, Flying Fish, The Edison, Coral Reef, and the Plaza.

3. I'm a sucker for anything remotely holiday themed, and I am pumped over all the seasonal snacks that have come out so far! DH has his eye on the Christmas Cookie milkshake in MK, while I am excited for the snacks at Festival of the Holidays in Epcot.

4. This also kinda falls under things to do, but we plan on doing another monorail bar crawl and actually getting INTO Trader Sam's and checking out the new Enchanted Rose lounge. I am a huge Beauty and the Beast fan (original, not so much the live action) and this lounge gives me all the feels!

Things to buy:

I know that we both wanted to get specific souvenirs while in WDW. However, when shopDisney released their 25% off sale, we jumped on it. We purchased everything that we wanted, and now it will be sent to our home instead of us having to pack it and drag it home with us! I'm sure we'll still buy a few things here and there, but it's nice to know we won't have to worry about room in our suitcases!

I wanted this trip to be a little more relaxed than our past trips so we can really enjoy our time together, and soak in the holiday vibes. I am going to be less focused on going on ride after ride, and have us take our time taking in the sights and sounds of our very favorite place on earth.!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Wow, you're just three weeks away?! Exciting!

Your lists of things to do and things to eat are great! With three days in HS you should have plenty of time in SWGE and I will cross my fingers that your wait for ROTR isn't too crazy! I love that you have a list of things you want to eat - I always have one, too! Of the new places on your list, Via Napoli is a must-do on every trip, I adore the afternoon tea at the GF, and I really liked our lunch at the Plaza.

Honestly, I think ordering what you want ahead of time (and at 25% off!) is better than figuring out a way to squeeze it into your suitcase. With the must-gets out of the way anything else you find is a bonus!

 

[chri3060]

Wow, you're just three weeks away?! Exciting!

Your lists of things to do and things to eat are great! With three days in HS you should have plenty of time in SWGE and I will cross my fingers that your wait for ROTR isn't too crazy! I love that you have a list of things you want to eat - I always have one, too! Of the new places on your list, Via Napoli is a must-do on every trip, I adore the afternoon tea at the GF, and I really liked our lunch at the Plaza.

Honestly, I think ordering what you want ahead of time (and at 25% off!) is better than figuring out a way to squeeze it into your suitcase. With the must-gets out of the way anything else you find is a bonus!

I am so excited for tea at the GF, especially since it will be decked out in Christmas decorations! My MIL and I will be going, while my DH and FIL grab lunch at ESPN. We snagged a PPO breakfast at the Plaza. Hopefully, WDW won't change park hours at the last minute and we'll be able to get some photos on a near empty Main Street!

We plan doing some Christmas shopping while at Disney Springs, so the extra room in our suitcases will definitely be helpful!!

 

[Rich M]

Excited to see your trip plans. My sister and I will be there Dec 7th to Dec 12th. I have changed our resort 4 times and hope I am done with that. We are doing the AK AH and MK AH and Christmas Party. We are really excited to do all three. Have a great trip.

 

[chri3060]

Excited to see your trip plans. My sister and I will be there Dec 7th to Dec 12th. I have changed our resort 4 times and hope I am done with that. We are doing the AK AH and MK AH and Christmas Party. We are really excited to do all three. Have a great trip.

Changing resorts becomes slightly addicting lol We did the MK AH in January and the Villains AF in July. I loved the AH in January! The Villains was just okay, it was very crowded, IMO.

I'm still deciding if we will do MK AH or the Christmas party. I'm giving myself until next Saturday to decide!

I hope you enjoy your trip