WDW Tomasella Trip Dec 7-12
Cast of Characters: John 74, Trip Reporter
Norma Jean 63, Trip Planner
Resort: Wilderness Lodge
This is our annual Christmas trip. There is no place like Disney at Christmas. We picked the second week of December because Pop Warner football usually is the first week in December but since the first week was so close to Thanksgiving they made Pop the second week. When you have to make DVC reservations 11 months in advance you dont think of those things.
Were flying out of Atlantic City on Spirit Airlines. We have a 6:30PM flight and we will get in Orlando about 8:40PM. This way we can get up early and get to the park at rope drop. We have two ADRs, Trails End and Cape May Cafe.
Our plane left on time and landed about 5 minutes early. We had to wait about a half hour for our luggage to come out. There were two or three Spirit flights landing within a half hour of each other. We didnt use the ME luggage pick-up because we didnt want them delivering it in the middle of the night.
We boarded the motor coach at 9:35 and left within 10 minutes. The WL was the third stop so it was about 10:30 when we arrived. Check in was easy at that time of the night. Since we didnt get our Magic Bands in the mail before leaving we picked them up at the desk. After a Mickey bar and Mickey sandwich we retired for the night.
Day 1 Hollywood Studios
I was up at 5:45 and I went down to Roaring Forks which is the food court at the WL. I picked up two refillable mugs and filled one and went to the main lobby to sit by the fireplace and just enjoy the surroundings and people watch. At 7:00 I went back to RF and filled both mugs and headed back to the room to wake up NJ. This will be the routine every morning except for buying new mugs each morning.
We were at the motor coach pick up at 8:10. We waited for about 10 minutes for the coach to arrive. We stopped at the Grand Floridian where two scooters were waiting. On the way to HS the driver braked a little fast and a young boy about 5 hit his face on the bar right behind the drivers seat. He cried for some time.
The bag check was very crowded so we went to the far right line which was just a bit shorter. A minute later they opened another section to our right so we jumped in that line real quick.
NJs band didnt work but a cast member with a computer fixed it. We had a fastpass for TSM at 9:05 and got there 9:06. My band didnt work but the cast member let me through with NJ. NJs gun stopped working way through and the cast member asked if we wanted to stay in the car and go again but my arm was tired from pulling the gun so we declined. Our routine is to go to Starrin Rolls to get something to eat. We usually walk right in but today there was a line out the door. The park was very crowded today.
After our morning snack we went to the Great Movie Ride. We asked for the Western side so we had to wait about 10 minutes before they let us board. Opinion is this ride could use an update which is true. Most of the scenes people never seen or heard of the movie.
This trip we intended to do a little resort hopping so we left the Studios to go to PO French Quarter. Four Caribbean coaches came by before our coach. We had a driver change and while that took place a 5th CB coach passed by.
I wanted to try the beignets that our faithful trip reporters say are delicious. They only have them at PO Riverside which was our next stop. We then got the first coach which stops at Riverside. We walked around the resort for a while and then we stopped in the food court. There was no one in line and the cook made mine fresh. They did not disappoint me. They are delicious especially piping hot.
Our next stop is DTD. We decided to take the boat since again our faithful love this ride. Our mission was to go to the Art of Disney where Jim Shore was supposed to be from 1 to 3. We arrived about 10 minutes early. He was no where in sight. The cast member said he was there 2 weeks ago even though his website said he would be there on Dec 8th. We looked around but didnt buy anything.
We went to Earls for lunch and for those whove been here know how busy they get but the line moved quickly. We ordered two originals and NJ got a butternut squash soup which she loves. She took half her sandwich back to the resort. We went back to the room to relax. I turned on the Eagles game and it was one of the best games of the year. While I watched the game NJ went down to the Mercantile shop and bought two WL long sleeve shirts. She didnt have her DVC card so after the game we went back and got our 10% discount.
We went out to the coach stop and waited 10 minutes for a HS bus. We had fastpasses for Fantasmics 6:30 show. While going past the entrance for the Fantasmic dinner package the cast member was letting a party in so we walked in with them. The section wasnt crowded and it was dead center. We hadnt seen this in a while and enjoyed it. Since we were near the last row in the back we were out quickly. We didnt make the boat at the dock and waited 20 minutes for the next boat. We just made that one. We got off at the Swan and walked the rest of the way stopping at the Boardwalk Bakery to fill our coffee mugs. We still beat the boat to Epcot which was just pulling into the Boardwalk dock.
Our first stop was in England for fish and chips. The seating area was roped off but we found a table outside Rose and Crown. A group was just getting up. Perfect timing. We then went to the bakery in France where we each got an apple turnover. Illuminations was an hour away so we went to our usual spot across from where Off Kilter plays. Always enjoy this show. They had a holiday fireworks display right after which was spectacular. I dont how many of you remember when this was a laser light show. I had video taped that one year and would watch it every now and then but its on VHS and NJ replaced our VHS with DVD players. I have to get my Disney tapes put on discs.
We just missed our coach and waited about 10 minutes for the next one. We got something to drink before heading to our room. After showers it was lights out at 11:15.
Day 2 Magic Kingdom
Same morning routine. We were out the door at 8:10. No coaches came the first 5 minutes then a DTD coach came. No one got on. Another 5 minutes passed before our coach arrived. On the way to MK I looked over towards the WL boat dock and that was crowded. Glad we took the coach. The pre show started at 8:45 and the crowd was let in before 9. We walked through the castle to a rope drop and went to ride the Mermaid. Cute but reminded me of Its A Small World. Its for kids but isnt that why grownups go to Disney, to bring out that inner kid. It was time for our morning snack so we went to the new Starbucks and ordered two sausage and cheddar cheese sandwiches and we shared an orange juice. We went to the seating area outside the ice cream parlor. Note, the section below is big and is a smoking area but no one was there so we ate our sandwiches without the smoke. Also, if you go to the left in that area you will probably be safe because the ashtray is on the right side.
We went back into TomorrowLand and did Buzz. It was a walk on. I was beating NJ by 30,000 but at the end she hit something that jumped her score 100,000. We rode the TTA after Buzz. We then took in the Laugh Floor. This never gets old because that guy always changes and so does the audience participation. The people are always good natured.
We went back to Main Street to the Art of Disney. While NJ shopped I went in the candy store. Every Halloween I make candy apples for the neighbors kids and the grandkids (and NJ). The plastic wrap always sticks so this year I used cellophane and that stuck also. I told NJ that when we went to Disney I would go in the candy shop and see what they do. After my question the cast member held up a can of spray. They spray non stick on the wrap. Problem solved.
I met up with NJ in the A of D and she had picked out two Jim Shores and had them sent to the resort. She purchased them with a Disney Reward card and it was used up so we told the cast member to discard it. Little did we know it was the wrong thing to do because NJ purchased the shirts at the WL with the card also and she wanted to return her shirt but since they couldnt put the refund back on the card they had to do a lot of manipulating to give her a refund.
The dance parade was going by so we went to the castle to watch that then we went to Pirates. The line snaked outside and only one side was open but moved quickly. When we got in our boat there was a Magic band on the seat. I was going to take it to Guest Relations but on the way I saw a supervisor taking with a cast member so I gave it to him.
Next up was our fastpass for Jingle Cruise. Thats not a misprint. During the holiday this year they have a new theme. Our skipper, Jai, was great. she had a lot of new material and presented it in a way that made you laugh. NJ made it a point to tell her when we got off that she did an excellent job.
It was now close to noon so we headed over to Caseys for a hot dog and corn dogs. There was no seating available so we crossed Main Street and sat and had lunch in the seating area outside the ice cream parlor. We decided to leave the park and take the coach to the Art of Animation resort. It was a 15 minute ride to get there and it is beautiful. The food court is huge. It looked kid friendly. The detail for the different buildings is phenomenal. We had our mugs with us so we got something to drink in the food court. We took the coach back to the MK and then the coach back to the WL. We got back to the resort at 2:30 and rested until 3:30. We went down to the lobby and people watched till 4:15. We had a 5 oclock ADR at Trails End so we walked out to the dock for the boat to Fort Wilderness. We checked out the General Store but did not buy anything. We were still early so we sat in the rockers on the porch till our ADR time.We were seated immediately. While waiting for our waiter another couple sat down across from us. Their waiter appeared right away and they had their drinks in a minute or two and we still didnt see our waiter. I was ready to get up and ask someone when he appeared. We ordered our drinks, ice tea, and helped ourselves to the buffet. the food is similar to the Hoop-De-Doo Revue with shrimp and sliced beef and a few other choices added. Our waiter never cleaned our dirty dishes. We just stacked them on the other half of our table. The couple across from us had coffee and we were looking for our waiter to order also. They got their check and we were still waiting so we asked their waiter if he could bring us coffee. He went in the kitchen and our waiter came out with our coffee. They automatically add 18% gratuity. We usually leave close to 20% since our son was a waiter at the Rain Forest Cafe outside AK and we know what the wait staff has to put up with but I was ready to leave just 15%.
We decided not to take the boat back to the WL, instead we went to the coach stop. We wanted to see the Christmas decorations that people put up in FW when they come down for an extended stay. Its amazing how much time and effort these people put in to make Christmas in Disney seem like home.
At the main stop we caught the coach to the WL just to relax and people watch. We filled our mugs and sat in the lobby for a while then went to the Villas. The Villas has a double fireplace in the lobby. One in the lobby and another one the other side of the wall. I think we both may have dozed off for a short while while enjoying the warmth of the fire. Then it was off to the room and showers and bed.
Day 3 Epcot and Mickeys Christmas Party
Epcot had EMH today so we were at the coach stop at 7:30. Coach arrived at 7:58 and we arrived at Epcot at 8:20. While NJ went in Mouse Gears I went on Test Track in the single rider line. It was a complete walk on. I was going to save this comment for the end of the trip report but Ill inject it now. Fastpasses for TT were out for the rest of the day. That is the bad thing about Fastpass +. Someone without the band has no way to get a fastpass for this ride the rest of the day. There are times when we got the paper fastpass and werent going to use them so we gave them away. You cant do that with the bands.
After meeting up with NJ, she bought a sweatshirt for the party tonight, we went to the Land and Sorin. We have fastpasses for 10:10. There wasnt a wait so we went in the standby line. We were in the front row last seats on the left. This is one of NJs favorite rides in Disney. We still had time for our fastpass so we went on Living With the Land. I really enjoy this ride because Im an avid gardener. We still had time before our Sorin fastpass window so we took in Ellens Universe of Energy. The pre show was just getting finished so we had good timing with that. We didnt need to see the whole pre show thing since weve seen it quite a few times but if youre a first timer you should catch the entire pre show,
After Ellen, we went back to the Land for our second ride on Sorin. Again we were moved right to the staging area. We were seated in the same two seats as our first ride. It was close to lunch time so we thought wed eat in Four Seasons and then head out to World Showcase. I had the steak with blue cheese dressing and NJ had the vegetable flatbread. both were very good.
We started walking past Canada and I mentioned to NJ we havent seen the movie here in years. I asked the cast member at the door if the movie was in circle vision and he said yes. Thats the reason we havent seen the movie in years. Circle vision made me sick to my stomach years ago and Im leary about watching it again. We walked through the shops, bought nothing, until
we reached the American pavillion. The show was going to start in 5 minutes so we went in. The choir sang holiday songs. As always, they were great. We always have to catch the American Adventure movie. I get teary eyed when I see Sally Ride walking to the spaceship with a huge smile on her face. The film needs an update as some have mentioned.
We then headed backward because Off Kilter was going to start in about 5 minutes. Probably for the holidays Off Kilter must have been on vacation and they had a Canadian Western band which was excellant. They were playing a square dance type song and I noticed this girl, late teens early 20:s, coming and she was right in step with each beat. Now thats not so amazing but she was texting the whole time.
We decided to head back to the resort for a midday break at this point. We stopped in Innovations to take a free Visa photo but the line was very long so we skipped it. We did stop in the Art of Disney store on the way out to see if they had any different Jim Shore figurines.
After our rest we left the room at 4 and caught the coach to the MK. I had a Donald Duck tee shirt on and the driver said he is a huge fan of Donalds. He asked us if we knew Donald Ducks middle name. NJ replied Fauntleroy. I think I was more stunned than the driver. On our last trip while we were waiting for the Ellen show the cast member was asking trivia questions. I asked him if he knew DDs middle name and he didnt know DD had a middle name, so I told him what it was. I never expected NJ to remember because shes not interested in trivia. We have a 5:00 ADR at Cape May Cafe so we had to transfer coaches to go to the Beach Club. We looked around the lobby while waiting. They have a carousel made of chocolate and there are 13 hidden Mickeys on the carousel. I found a few but our buzzer went off for our ADR. This is a great buffet if youre a seafood lover like me and NJ but they also have quite a lot to offer other than seafood. We always make our ADR for a Tuesday because on Tuesdays they have fried calamari on the buffet. When we go out to dinner at home we always get these for an appetizer. We then went out to the coach stop and it was very crowded. Our plan was to catch the first coach to a park and then a coach to the WL. The first coach to come was for AK. When the driver opened the door he said the park was closed and he wasnt taking any passengers. A coach came shortly after for the MK. We got back to the resort at 6:50 and I figured we had time to go back to the room for NJ to change into the white sweatshirt she purchased the other day and our Christmas hats. We were back at the coach stop at 7:10 and the coach that came had the same driver so they must be running one coach. Its only a 20 minute round trip.
The park was very crowded. This must have been the same night HTanner mentioned in her trip report. We made our way to Frontierland to watch the parade. I did notice quite a few people without wristbands. I guess they dont say anything to you unless you try to get on a ride. Right after the parade we inched our way to the castle. The hub wasnt that bad so we decided to wait for the castle show. Before the show started people just pushed their way to the front. As always, the castle show was great. We stayed in the same spot for Wishes. After Wishes we decided to go to Tomorrowland and see the show outside of Space Mountain. As we were going by a bench the people sitting there started to get up so grabbed a seat. After relaxing for a while we decided to go to the Crystal Palace and get a hot chocolate. We were tired at this time so we went back to the resort and called it a night.
Day 4 Animal Kingdom
AK had EMH so we did the daily routine and were out to the coach stop by 7:20. A HS, Epcot and Fort Wilderness coach came and no one got off or on. When our coach finally arrived a family with two kids came running up eating Mickey bars. The driver wouldnt let them on till they finished eating. Nice breakfast. Bag check was empty and we zipped right through. We wanted to go to the Observation building first but that doesnt open till 9:30 so we walked the trail. (note:I know the names but not the correct spelling of everything. I had saved all of the park pamphlets but NJ discarded them. After going through the trail we got our morning snack, apple turnovers and orange juice. We also got a pretzel to share. Then it was off to the Observatory. This morning they were working on two birds. One they were doing a blood study but could not take all the blood at one time. This was the third or fourth time they drew blood from this bird. They only do this work in the morning so if you want to see how Disney treats their animals you have to get there before noon.
After taking the train back we walked over to the Finding Nemo show which is a must see. They do a great job with this show. After the show we were hungry so we headed over to the Flame Tree BBQ. Going past Mt. Everest everyone was looking up towards the mountain. The tram was on the way up the mountain and was stopped dead. Glad we dont ride this. I did it once and that was enough. NJ and I shared a chicken and ribs platter and they take TIW so we saved 20%. After lunch it was off to the Lion King which we had fastpasses for. My band didnt work but NJs did so they let me in with her. We had great seats. Third row. Love this show, so much energy. We sat right on the end of the row and when the show was over we were out the door second without rushing. Next up was Dinosaur which was a 10 minute wait and then it was off to the Flights of Wonder. One of my favorites at AK. Time to go back to the resort to rest so we have some energy for the evening.
After resting we were going to go to the Art of Animations food court for dinner. The menu looked inviting when we visited there earlier in the week. We were out to the coach stop at 3:15. We were going to catch a coach to HS and transfer to A of A. While we were waiting we got into a conversation with a couple who had just arrived from Connecticut. The HS coach pulled up and the doors opened and two people exited the rear of the coach. The driver stepped to the door and said something to the people in front of us and shut the door. We thought he had to unload a electric vehicle, He pulled away. There were 5 families waiting to go to HS. We asked the couple in front of us what he said. The driver asked them if they were going to HS and they said DTD so he left not worrying about the crowd of people behind them. The driver doesnt normally get out of his seat unless he has to load or unload a vehicle. Wait it gets better. A coach pulls up and the sign over the windshield reads Animal Kingdom Lodge but the sign on the side reads DTD. After the couple in front of us gets on he leaves.. Its now after 4 oclock and the couple we were talking to have 4 oclock ADR at Brown Derby. A MK coach pulls up to the first stop and I go over to ask if it would be easier to go to MK then A of A. A lady beat me to the door and was upset that she has waited a hour and 5 minutes for a DTD coach. She had no idea that the coach that read AK Lodge was actually a DTD coach. We decided to just go to HS and get something to eat there rather than making switches. It probably was the best move because the traffic was backed up on the main highway.
Bag check was empty so we sailed right through. We headed to the Backlot Express and it was open but totally deserted except for another couple. After getting something to eat we headed over to the stage where Mulch, Sweat and Shears were playing. If you havent seen this group I suggest you watch them the next time you are in HS. They are funny and the music is great. It was now time to see the Osborne lights. It was 5:50 and only a dozen people were there. We grabbed a seat on the curb and mentioned that maybe they are not as popular as they used to be. Just a short time before 6, three cast members were going by and one came back and said there would not be Osborne lights tonight because of a private party and the park closed at 7. Until I read HTanners trip report I didnt know it was for Pop Warner. We did not see any signs and no one said anything when we entered the park. We stopped at the 5 & 10 and purchased 3 Christmas ornaments before we exited the park.
We took the coach back to the WL and then decided it was too early to call it a night so we got the coach for Epcot. We were in the mood for ice cream but the ice cream parlor is now a Starbucks, so we walked over to Beaches and Cream at the Beach club. NJ got a root beer float and I a hot fudge sundae. We sat for a while and it was close to 8 so we went back to the resort and got coffee and sat in front of the fireplace for a while before going back and getting ready to call it a night.
Day 5 Magic Kingdom
Today is our last day. Magic Kingdom has EMH so we were up early to pack up. We stopped in Roaring Forks for something to eat before heading off to the MK. We got to the MK at 8:30 and did Philharmagic first. When we came out it was raining slightly. Up till today the temps had been in the mid 80s every day. Today the temperature was going to drop into the low 70s. We had to wait for rope drop into Frontierland which was at 9. We went to Thunder Mountain which was a walk on so that meant the first train the seats were all wet. After that we did Haunted Mansion. Ive mentioned in the past if you want to get on the doom buggy right away to stand under the picture of the lady holding the umbrella. After HM we did Pirates and then went to the Christmas shop and purchased two ornaments.Next up was the Hall of Presidents which was just letting people in the theater. Being patriotic I love this show. I think every one of our elected officials should have to sit through this show to see why the people elected them. It was then off to Tomorrowland where we did Buzz, TTA and Laugh floor. It was now time for lunch and we felt like eating a burger so we went back to Frontierland and Pecos Bills. We ordered 1 burger and two chilis splitting the burger. When our order came out there were two burgers. The cast member said he didnt know why two came out but to enjoy them. Theres that Disney magic.
We stopped at the Art of Disney store again and purchased another Jim Shore. It was The Hitchhiking Ghosts which is a Christmas present for our daughter.
We went to the train station and went upstairs to get a seat for the three oclock parade. It was only 1 so it was empty. We got a couple chairs in the sun since it was a little chilly with the wind blowing. A gentleman from Minnesota eventually came and sat next to us. He said it was 12 below there. He spends his winters in Florida. While we waited NJ went to the candy shop and got us some fudge. The parade was great.
We decided to head back to the resort and get something to drink and sit in front of the fireplace in the villas. Our DME pickup was 6:30. The rockers in the lobby of the villas were occupied so we went around the back. There are two leather chairs and a couch so we pulled up the two chairs right in front of the fire and we both dozed off some. It was close to 5:00 so we went to Roaring Forks for something to eat and then went back to the main lobby to get our bags from Bell Services and wait for the DME. Now, if have never seen the WL lobby at Christmas you are missing one of the best decorated resorts on property. This is why we stay here every Christmas. This is our DVC home. We also have DVC points at Saratoga but rarely stay there. Case in point, while we were sitting on the couch by the door, two families came in with their children for dinner at Whispering Canyon and they walked in and said WOW. They put everything down and took loads of pictures in front of the enormous Christmas tree in the lobby.
We went out to the DME pickup spot at 6:25 and the coach was there waiting for us. Most of the people on the coach were from Jersey but only a couple were flying to Atlantic City. Our driver was also a transplant from Jersey. Her parents home had gotten damaged in Hurricane Sandy.
The airport check in was very crowded and it took 20 minutes to get through. Security was also crowded. There was a gentleman in a wheelchair who could not speak and he would not go into the exam chute. He would grab the wheels of the chair and the man who was his guardian could not budge him. I never did see what they did to get him through.
Our flight was on time and they hurried everyone on the plane so we left a few minutes early. We were in the last row of the plane which I liked. We still had to wait for our luggage so it didnt matter where we sat.We arrived home after midnight.
I finally retired this past May and NJ decided we would cut our trips to once a year so our next trip was going to be in October but NJ was doing some checking on the Disney web site and found the Boardwalk was open the week after Easter so she booked three nights there for the Flower and Garden.
After Thoughts:
We liked the Magic bands. We used them for charging also which was convenient. I didnt like the bands for fastpasses. We didnt use some of the fastpasses because the times didnt coincide with our schedule. We didnt try and get paper fastpasses so I cant comment on how that would have worked.
I think they need to have more than one or two buses when they have EMH at the parks. Especially when the park is quite a distance from the resort. There were days when the crowds were huge waiting to get to the parks.
The coach drivers are getting very good at loading electric vehicles. There was very little delay when they have to load one. .
Really liked the Art of Animation Resort.
Dont know why people pay 10 dollars a seat extra when we didnt pay for a seat and we were in row 8 going to Orlando.
As always, thanks for reading and hope your next trip is Magical.
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Tomasella WDW Trip Report December 7-12, 2013
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