Ian
12-17-2010, 11:24 AM
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! :eek: ), 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.
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! :eek: ), 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.