Ian's Quick and Dirty Trip Report (No, not THAT kind of dirty!)

[Ian]

Hey, so with the hustle and bustle of the holidays and having lost a good portion of the month of December to planning and packing for our trip and then being away for almost a week, things are a bit hectic in our household.

So basically that means I don't have enough time to do full trip reports (I also didn't take good enough notes this time around), but there were enough things I wanted to comment on that I felt like it warranted at least some bullet points.

Just for context, we made the trip for my brother's wedding which was in Epcot on Saturday the 11th. We split the stay between Bay Lake Tower (BLT) and Saratoga Springs (SSR).

• This is the first holiday trip I've taken to WDW in two years and I had forgotten how much I love Disney during Christmastime. There's just something about the parks being all decorated and festive that I think creates a mood that permeates the entire place ... guests and cast alike. It's a little extra dose of magic in a place that's already pretty magical.
• Even though we bought into BLT on the very first day it was on sale, this was actually the first time we had stayed there. We really liked it. First off, the fact that the one bedroom villas have two full baths is huge for a family of six like ours. Being able to have two people getting ready at the same time is a big, big plus. We also loved the rooms (very modern) and the location can't be beat. It's like a 10 minute walk to MK tops. And the views were pretty special, too. Even though we had a room around one side, we still had a great view of the Contemporary which looks really cool all lit up at night. Definitely our new favorite DVC resort for sure.
• I have no idea whether Disney has just been putting an emphasis on it lately or if it was just the holiday spirit or what, but the CM's we encountered this trip were really, really great. I honestly can't remember one truly negative interaction we had with a CM and, quite the contrary, we had countless really great encounters. So many of them went out of their way with the kids and made a fuss over the twins and such ... it just really added to an already great trip. There was one lady at World of Disney on our last day who seemed to be having a bit of a bad day, but even she overall wasn't nearly as bad as some of what I've seen lately.
• Keeping that same theme going, I'm not sure if I was just swept up in the holidays or what, but I thought the parks looked great. Even Fantasyland, which I expected to be a disaster with all the work going on, was looking good. And the new queue they did for Winnie the Pooh is awesome. I don't know who loved it more, the kids or the grownups! If this is the future of Disney queues, I'm on board ... sign me up. Although I am a bit worried about what they're doing to the queue at Haunted Mansion. I really hope the gravestones make a return.
• The Christmas iteration of Reflections of Earth is just amazing. They take what's already by far my favorite fireworks show in WDW and add that ending on that's just perfect. From the music to the narration to the message to the display ... it all just comes together perfectly. That finale is just awe inspiring and, quite frankly, darn near moves me to tears when I see it. Love it!
• Speaking of being moved to tears, the Candlelight Processional is without question my favorite thing to do in WDW. Period. Better than any ride, show, attraction, or parade in any park. It's just so beautiful and inspiring. We were fortunate enough to have Steven Curtis Chapman as our narrator and you could tell his passion for the subject matter really added something to his delivery. I truly did tear up at the portion where everyone joins in and sings Silent Night. In a place where you're typically surrounded by 25,000 complete strangers, there's just something so intimate and special about that moment that it gets me "right here." If you've never done this show, you've got to put it on your bucket list (*cough* ... JOHN!! ... *cough*).
• Yeah, I know the Osborne Lights are overdone and tacky and ostentatious ... but I still love 'em! We saw them twice while we were there and man if there's a better way to get into the Christmas spirit I don't know what it is. The music, the lights, the snow, and even the crowds just all come together to make an unforgettable experience. Oh yeah and the little Phineas and Ferb segments they added are totally cute and well done. Nice work, Disney!
• Yeah, yeah ... I know ... I said multiple times that we werent' going to do MVMCP this time around. That it wasn't worth it anymore, too expensive, too many cutbacks, and not enough bang for your buck. But some of my family were going Sunday night, so we decided at the last minute to join them (just DD8 and I). I gotta say ... it was outrageously expensive (like $110 for the two of us! ), but we did have fun. That parade is so cute and the fireworks are (of course) awesome, as well. The crowds weren't that bad and we were able to ride some rides, too. But just overall the atmosphere and the special Daddy/Daughter time we had together made it well worth the money. I think it's back on my to-do list again.
• Let me tell you ... It gets COLD in Central Florida. The first two days of our trip were okay, but after that ... BRRRR!! We FROZE!!! I mean yeah it's nice to have a bit chillier weather during Christmastime to make it feel more like the holidays, but another 20º wouldn't have hurt. It was too much to be outdoors in that cold all day long and at night for the fireworks and stuff it was exceptionally bad. Especially at Epcot where the wind comes off World Showcase Lagoon with an added chill to it. All things considered I would have preferred warmer weather, holidays or not.
• I flat out refuse to believe Disney that attendance is flat or down and that they're not making money. Those parks were PACKED!!! I haven't seen crowds like that in ages. On the weekend it was just insane. We went to Osborne Lights on Saturday night and it took us like 4 1/2 hours to get from Epcot to the Studios by boat and back. The boat lines were just NUTS! We actually ended up walking back from the Studios to the Boardwalk and grabbing a boat there, because the boat line at the Studios was all the way up near the park entrance! Seriously ... it was crowded. We were at the Studios Sunday morning and TSM had a 60 minute wait 8 minutes after the park opened! Crazy!

Overall I have to say ... we had an amazing time. I left thinking to myself, "Why the heck am I so critical of Disney all the time?? This place is GREAT!"

I started to wonder to myself if I was making too much out of the things that upset me. At the end of the day, whether things aren't what they used to be or not, man it's still a great place to go and spend time with the family.

[KylesMom]

It sounds like Tinkerbell and her pixie dust got to you, Ian. What a wonderful, glowing report of Disney during the holidays. Everything from the CMs to BLT to the special holiday touches and shows sounds incredible from your perspective. Thanks for brightening my morning!

[magicofdisney]

Good report. I prefer these type trip reports.

What was it like traveling with your babies? Was this their first exposure to the parks? If so, that could have added to the magic you felt. I know it does for me.

[Disney4us2]

Sounds like a great trip.

[faline]

You are making me wish I had been during the holiday season this year!!

We stayed at Bay Lake Tower this past summer and really like it a lot - it's a great location!

Wow! Your daughter is 8 already!!

Thanks for a great report!

How was the wedding?

[Ian]

What was it like traveling with your babies? Was this their first exposure to the parks? If so, that could have added to the magic you felt. I know it does for me.

Honestly, it was a lot (more for DW than me, but still a lot). They're both only four months old, so getting them through airport security along with two other kids plus car seats and strollers and carryons and all that ... major headaches.

And yeah it was their first trip, but of course at four months they had no clue. We definitely wouldn't have taken them this young if not for the wedding.

How was the wedding?

Cold, but fun. The actual ceremony was in the Italy pavilion at Epcot which was a beautiful spot. It was just so early in the morning (9AM to get it done before park opening) that it was really, really cold and raw.

The reception was in a conference room above Living Seas, though, and it was an awesome spot. There were huge windows all along the room that looked out into the aquarium tanks!

[faline]

Cold, but fun. The actual ceremony was in the Italy pavilion at Epcot which was a beautiful spot. It was just so early in the morning (9AM to get it done before park opening) that it was really, really cold and raw.

The reception was in a conference room above Living Seas, though, and it was an awesome spot. There were huge windows all along the room that looked out into the aquarium tanks!

Too bad the weather didn't cooperate more for the ceremony. What a great place for a reception!

[Joannelet]

Great report Ian!! Made me smile
I have to say that I was a part of the cast member tree in the Candlelight Processional and no matter how many nights I performed I always always got all choked up after the narrator read One Solitary Life and then we sang Silent Night....
There is just something about that moment that is magical Steven Curtis Chapman is one heck of a narrator to see for that show too Great family man who has endured heartache and shares his strength with the world.
Can't believe how cold it is right now down there. I have family and friends that live there and they feel like they are back in NJ
Glad you had such a great time with family. You are right Disney can NOT be beat!! Can you explain a little bit more on the Pooh queue or is that for a podcast? I want to know how it works....

[Nate's Grandpa]

Overall I have to say ... we had an amazing time. I left thinking to myself, "Why the heck am I so critical of Disney all the time?? This place is GREAT!"

I started to wonder to myself if I was making too much out of the things that upset me. At the end of the day, whether things aren't what they used to be or not, man it's still a great place to go and spend time with the family.

Maybe you're just getting old(er).

Really enjoyed your report.
Thank you!

[eam]

Ian, what a great trip report. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, even though it made me want to be there very badly-cold weather, or not.
Your children are very fortunate to have such great parents that will do so many things with them, and I'm sure they will appreciate it throughout their lives. Keep up the good work!

[buzznwoodysmom]

Glad you had such a great trip. Christmastime is our favorite time to visit too. We try to go every other year around the holidays, and on the years we don't go we really wish we were there. This is one of our "off" years, and boy have I wanted to be there so bad over the last few weeks.

I agree 100% with you about the cast members. We were there at the end of Oct. and for the most part the CMs were amazing. We had only one bad CM encounter, but the rest went above and beyond to make sure their guests were having the very best time. Our visit in June was quite the opposite, horrible CMs everywhere we went. I truely think the heat of summer has a lot to do with both rude guests and CMs.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Sounds wonderful...we always go at or near Christmas and love it except for crowds...we also saw CP with Steven Curtis Chapman and he is wonderful

[Melanie]

I was waiting for a paragraph on Duffy!

Weather has improved greatly. I was even a bit warm walking around Epcot today!

So now I guess you know who Stephen Curtis Chapman is.

[wildernesslady]

Glad you got your magic back. I think we are all so personally attached to Disney that when something happens we don't like or agree with it hits us hard. The holidays are my favorite time to visit. BLT sounds great. Can't wait to try it sometime.

[Ian]

Glad you got your magic back.

Me too. I was missing it a lot, actually.

btw I live like 30 minutes from you, tops. I know the Gilbertsville area quite well. Used to hunt up that way many, many moons ago.

I was waiting for a paragraph on Duffy!

I wanted to save my Duffy commentary for a podcast.

So now I guess you know who Stephen Curtis Chapman is.

Well, "know" is a relative term, but yeah ... I've seen him now at least.

He was really good, though. VERY passionate and really, really into it. You could tell he was very strong in his beliefs.

We also saw CP with Steven Curtis Chapman and he is wonderful

Yeah, he really was. He's the fourth different narrator I've seen do the show and he was by far the best.

Maybe you're just getting old(er).

LOL ... there's no "maybe" about it!

[Ian]

One other cool thing I forgot to mention ... on our last day in the parks we were headed to Haunted Mansion and noticed all these Cast Members standing around outside the queue area.

One of them was holding this crazy bouquet of roses that had like black paper around them and cobwebs all over them. They were clearly "Haunted Mansion" roses.

So being the nosy one I am, I couldn't help but ask what they were for. The CM holding them said they were for a Cast Member who was celebrating 20 years at Walt Disney World. I thought that was so cool!

Here's a pic I snapped:

[faline]

What a neat way to celebrate a special cast member anniversary!

[luvDaMouse]

We left on dec 11th and I agree with you it was way cold,at night especially! My dh and I were also commenting on how DIsney says attendance is down and all the parks were packed when we were there. We did not ride many rides because the waits were too long by the time we got to the parks! we would wait in the morning till it would warm up a bit before we headed out
Thanks for the report!
And from the movie Hook, I am glad you got your "happy thoughts" back

[wildernesslady]

Well Hello Neighbor. I see you're staying at WL next. That's our home resort. Hope you enjoy it. We love it there.

[MOJoe]

Welcome back from your visit to the Dark Side.

Great report. Honest. Informative. Insightful. And best of all, Happy. Glad you had a great trip.