Chased By a Bear and a Trip to Urgent Care - A Very Merry Dis-mas 2016 TR! **Complete 2/23**

Great pictures in the wrap up. I can't wait to return to WDW during the holidays. I'm holiday addicted!
 
The one thing I do love about Boardwalk is that I can just sit and read peacefully in this beautiful lobby. I spent like 2 hours doing that one day and the only other hotels I've ever felt that peaceful in were Animal Kingdom Lodge and Sequoia (the Wilderness Lodge of DLP).


This was the first picture I took when I was at Boardwalk lol. Probably my favorite thing there.


YUM! This was also my reaction to finding a Peet's in Phoenix.

Enjoyed your TR! Can't wait for the next one! :)

Oh, I love that about the Disney resorts, too! I feel the same about Yacht Club, AKL and Wilderness Lodge, in addition to the Boardwalk. Even with all the guests milling about, they seem kind of insulated from the craziness. The Beach Club and Poly are too noisy, and the Grand is just not...cozy.

That chandelier was amazing!! I have so many pictures of it from odd angles, trying to get all the different details.

It was like winning a prize when I found the Coffee Bean! It's always nice to find a favorite in an unexpected place. Thank you Atlanta and thank you Phoenix!

End-of-trip-travel-days are the saddest! I'm already dreading the end of our next trip and it hasn't even started yet! :P

At least you have May to look forward to! We just booked our ADRs for August, and I'm already geting antsy about what FPs we'll want to book. Enjoy your planning!

I've really enjoyed this TR (and your previous one, which I went back to binge-read a while ago.) Sad to see it ending. :(

I feel that way too...the being sad about it ending before it begins ::yes:: It gets especially bad when our trip gets closer, and the days are in low single digits. I always seem to think, "In a week my trip will be over already :sad::sad:" Why do we torture ourselves??

I hope you got some great things for August!! The fast pass situation for May has me nervous...MIL thinks every ride is going to kill her, so I have to choose very carefully to help ease her into things. Not only has she never been to WDW, she's never been to ANY kind of amusement park. I'm anxious to say the least!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I'm glad that I stopped by your TR after you posted here so I could see all those giraffes and read about your sweet engagement! I hope you'll pop back around the next time I write one :-)

Sounds like a nice final morning enjoying your resort! Glad your trip home went smoothly!

It was a really nice relaxing morning. I know I complained a little (a lot maybe, lol!) about the Boardwalk, but by the end of the week we were liking it more, and it was a fun area and so pretty to look at!

I was happy to get home to my dogs. It's always the hardest part about being gone for me. The kids were ready for Christmas festivities to begin, so at least it wasn't a total downer to come home this time around!

Great trip report. Thank you for sharing!!!

Thank you so much! Writing these reports always helps me come down from the trip high, relive it, and keep the post-Disney depression at bay for awhile!

It doesn't make leaving so hard when you've got other trips in the works. I enjoyed reading along. Enjoy your trip in May.

It definitely helped knowing I'd be coming back again in a few months! Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm really looking forward to May and seeing Flower and Garden again - it's been years, and I can't wait to see the flowers and topiaries again!


I have enjoyed reading along and picked up lots of great tips for our trip the same week this year.

Oh, I'm so glad! I always try to be informative and keep things real to our personal experiences. Overall, I think it was a good week to travel. We got to enjoy the magic of the holiday season at Disney World, while also getting to have our traditional Christmas morning at home. I hope your trip is AMAZING!! pixiedust:pixiedust:

:laughing: I always end up having to get some last minute panicked gifts too!

You should do a ptr!

I just worry so much about getting the perfect gift, and spend the week looking at everything, struggling to make a decision...and then coming home with pens and paper :rotfl2: I'm glad I'm not alone in panic gift giving!!

I might end up doing a PTR...I'll probably cave in after FP day!

Great pictures in the wrap up. I can't wait to return to WDW during the holidays. I'm holiday addicted!

Thank you! Boardwalk is so photogenic!!

I thought I would be happy with a one-and-done trip during the holidays, but now I'm anxious to get back too! It's just so special there :-):-)
 
Awwww, it's over! At least you have May to look forward to.

I FINALLY started uploading photos from my December 2015 WDW trip to my SmugMug account. I wonder if there is a time limit on trip reports. :confused3

I've written only one trip report. I did not write a pre-trip report for it. I just made my first few posts my trip plans. I don't have enough interesting information to create an entire pre-trip thread. I also don't like posting too much information prior to a trip about where I'll be and when. I'll share that AFTER the fact!
 
The fast pass situation for May has me nervous...MIL thinks every ride is going to kill her, so I have to choose very carefully to help ease her into things. Not only has she never been to WDW, she's never been to ANY kind of amusement park. I'm anxious to say the least!

Oh no! Good luck! As a Disney aficionado I'm sure you'll find the right way to ease her into the bubble. Looking forward to hearing how it goes. I'm feeling the same way about Nathan's family since they're coming for the wedding. They've never done Disney either. The closest thing they've seen is probably our little version of a county fair! Haha. They're doing a park day on their own the day before the wedding, so we won't have time to guide them through it...but I wish we'd be able to be there and do the planning so they have their best shot at a good experience! (Hehe I have a lot of faith in my own abilities here, apparently.) And they have similar worries about rides, too. His mother doesn't want me to tell her to do anything "like a roller coaster"...but it's hard to know if that means just no Space Mountain, or no Test Track, or no Anything-that-moves...etc...
 


Oh no! Good luck! As a Disney aficionado I'm sure you'll find the right way to ease her into the bubble. Looking forward to hearing how it goes. I'm feeling the same way about Nathan's family since they're coming for the wedding. They've never done Disney either. The closest thing they've seen is probably our little version of a county fair! Haha. They're doing a park day on their own the day before the wedding, so we won't have time to guide them through it...but I wish we'd be able to be there and do the planning so they have their best shot at a good experience! (Hehe I have a lot of faith in my own abilities here, apparently.) And they have similar worries about rides, too. His mother doesn't want me to tell her to do anything "like a roller coaster"...but it's hard to know if that means just no Space Mountain, or no Test Track, or no Anything-that-moves...etc...

I think MIL believes Disney World will be like a county fair, LOL!!

I understand about wanting your in-laws to have a good day! I get that way whenever anyone goes to WDW for the first time...I'm so afraid they'll do things "wrong" and then hate their trip and think going to Disney World is awful, or a waste of time. But I have to remind myself that not everyone is going to get it. You either understand Disney or you don't. There isn't a lot of in between, and sometimes I weirdly take it personally when someone doesn't like the park/resort experience, because in some way I feel like they're telling me that what I like is pointless. I know it's silly! So I always feel a lot of pressure when anyone asks me to help them plan or anything.

That is a pretty broad statement about the no roller coasters...hm...it's so hard to judge what someone's expectations are vs. your own in terms of the rides. Like, Star Tours isn't "like a roller coaster", but it can be rougher than some coasters. And even People Mover has a little drop, LOL!
I wish you much luck in helping them find things they'll like to do!!
 



Chapter Ten: 'Til next time

I wanted to do a final wrap up post with a few last thoughts about the trip.



1. Would I recommend this week to other December travelers?
Yes! Any issues I had about traveling this week were my own shortcomings and personal hang ups. I did feel like Christmas at home was a little rushed and that we missed out on some stuff we'd normally do if we were home. Local events and stuff. But as for WDW itself, I think it's a great week to go. You have all the benefit of the holiday atmosphere, including the anticipation of Christmas itself being only a few days away. The crowds weren't terrible, and if it was getting crowded in one place, we just went somewhere else or to a different area of the park.

2. What advice do you have for staying at the Boardwalk?
While this was not our favorite resort experience, we did come around to it at the end of the trip. The view of the water was beautiful, but our room was reallllly loud. If we ever stayed there again, I would book a garden view or club level. If you are not in a room close to Bellvue Lounge or *maybe* the lobby or clown pool, I don't recommend getting resort mugs here. Order some water or your drink of choice and have it delivered. Amazon was really easy to use. For room requests, I'd DEFINITELY 100% recommend asking to be close to the elevator.
Walkability to Epcot was great, and easy access to the Beach/Yacht Club restaurants was nice. Boardwalk Bakery was a nice place for QS, but options outside of desserts is a little limited.

3. What were your favorite holiday experiences? What would you skip?
The holiday decorations at Hollywood Studios were my favorite, which surprised me. They were beautiful and perfectly themed. Holidays around the World at Epcot was by far my favorite thing.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ranks somewhere in the middle. Did I enjoy it? Yes, absolutely! Our plans for it didn't work out the way we expected, but we still had an amazing time. Ride lines were low, crowds were great even though it was a sold out party. I did hate that the character lines are such a long wait. That was the main disappointment. Waiting three hours for a character is ridiculous in my opinion, and I hate that the opportunity to meet special characters like Santa Jack or the Dwarfs is so limited, and requires that time commitment. But the snoap and parade were special! I can't say for certain if we'd repeat it in the future.
The only thing I'd probably skip is the Candlelight Processional. It was lovely, but the cost of our dining package was ridiculous, and was over $100 more expensive than what we would have paid if we'd just eaten at Rose and Crown without the show. The show was not worth that price. I can understand how the dining package works out favorably for guests who prioritize it, but it is not a must do in my opinion.




Thank you all so much for following along with me! I always try to give the most honest look at our trip without glossing over things, because it's not fair to pretend that every trip is perfect, or that our family is all kumbaya and guitar circles around a campfire. I also hope our experiences can be of some benefit to others who are traveling to WDW in the future. If you have any questions, just ask and I'll be happy to help as best I can :-):-)

Have a wonderful day, a magical weekend, and...I'll see ya real soon!!

 
Thanks for the recap post! Overall this sounded like a really great trip for you and your family! I really enjoyed reading along and am sad that it's over! I hope you do a little PTR for your May trip but if not I will see you for the TR ;)
 


I loved the HS decorations too! It was fun seeing how someone else's December trip went. I hope you start a PTR for your next trip!
 
Thoroughly enjoyed your trip report and pictures. It helps with Disney withdrawals to be able to read and view other folks trips that "get it". Completely understand your feelings on Disney. Thanks for sharing. :worship:
 
Um, I wish for a May PTR :genie: :D
Those BW lobby chairs creep my boys out every time we're there. I just don't understand the reasoning behind them! I should do a google search and see if there actually IS a reason for them......like if they're modeled after something real. I hope against hope they're not though :scared1:
As always I loved reading along and I'm glad you guys had another great trip!
 
Great trip report! I hope you have a great trip with your mil but I'm a little bummed that you aren't going in December so we can plan together again. Maybe you need a 3rd trip in 2017. You have an AP so you should totally do it!!!
 
Thanks for the recap post! Overall this sounded like a really great trip for you and your family! I really enjoyed reading along and am sad that it's over! I hope you do a little PTR for your May trip but if not I will see you for the TR ;)


It really was a great trip, even with the few bumps along the way.
I'm still debating on the PTR...Fast Pass day is two days away, so I've been thinking about it quite a bit. There will for sure be a TR!

Loved this report! Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

I loved the HS decorations too! It was fun seeing how someone else's December trip went. I hope you start a PTR for your next trip!

I'm so glad you were here to follow along!! May is creeping closer and closer...

Thank you for the trip report! Highly entertaining and I loved reading it.

I'm happy you were here! Thank you!

Thank you for the trip report! I really enjoyed reading it :)

I really enjoyed writing it! It's so fun for me to relive our trips and extend the magic!

Great trip report. Really enjoyed reading it. Thanks!

Thank you! It was fun to write about the holidays for the first time after our usual summer trips!

Thank you! I really enjoyed reading along with this.

I'm so glad you did! It was such a departure from our usual trips, and even with a few hiccups, we all had a great time!

Thoroughly enjoyed your trip report and pictures. It helps with Disney withdrawals to be able to read and view other folks trips that "get it". Completely understand your feelings on Disney. Thanks for sharing. :worship:

Thank you! It totally helps with the withdrawls! I was so happy the first time I stumbled upon TRs on the Dis!

Um, I wish for a May PTR :genie: :D
Those BW lobby chairs creep my boys out every time we're there. I just don't understand the reasoning behind them! I should do a google search and see if there actually IS a reason for them......like if they're modeled after something real. I hope against hope they're not though :scared1:
As always I loved reading along and I'm glad you guys had another great trip!

Every day I get closer to starting a PTR. I have discovered that without one, I don't have anyone to bounce ideas off of! I didn't realize how much I've come to rely on that over the past couple of trips. I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to hold out much longer.

Those chairs :sad2: They are so creepy! I don't know the point of them at all, unless it's to scare children (and adults) into being good!

I'm so glad you hung out with me again, I wouldn't know what to do without you along for the ride!

Great trip report! I hope you have a great trip with your mil but I'm a little bummed that you aren't going in December so we can plan together again. Maybe you need a 3rd trip in 2017. You have an AP so you should totally do it!!!

Thank you!! I know...our 2016 group was great! I would LOVE to go back this December. We're constantly looking at dates with my AP, so who knows what will happen??
 

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