2016 Walt Disney World Christmas Trip Recap — Part 3
I thought we might pick up from Part 2 of our 2016 Walt Disney World Christmas Trip Recap by addressing the decision to travel in mid-November as opposed to our normal (and recommended) “sweet spot” of the week after Thanksgiving. The latter we rank as the #1 week of the year in our Best & Worst Months to Visit Walt Disney World post, so it might surprise you that we chose to go earlier.
Our motivations for the earlier dates were being able to update Christmas posts on the blog earlier in the season, potentially lighter crowds, and not be playing catch-up with real world responsibilities during the heart of the Christmas season upon returning home. Barring a scheduling conflict, we wouldn’t do it again. As much as we like presenting fresh information to you all, I don’t think we learned/reported anything “essential” by going a couple weeks early.
The benefit was that crowds were probably lighter during our mid-November visit, but I’m not certain. Plus, with the way crowd levels have been so unpredictable in the last year, I wouldn’t bank on that not shifting again next year. The downside was that we missed out on Christmas decorations at many of the resort hotels, and the Holidays Around the World at Epcot.
These two things were a big deal for us. If this were last year and the Osborne Lights were still running, I don’t think it would’ve been as big of a deal. We would’ve soaked up the Christmas ambiance by heading to Disney’s Hollywood Studios every night to gaze at those for hours. Alas, that was not an option. The only park that felt fully in the holiday spirit as of mid-November was Magic Kingdom.
We’ve undoubtedly bemoaned the loss of the Osborne Lights more than necessary on this blog. They’re gone. They’re not coming back. We get it. However, it keeps coming up because their absence has left a gaping hole in Walt Disney World’s Christmas lineup that Disney chose not to address this year. (I don’t think there’s any denying that you’re paying more and getting less at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this year…especially at Christmas.)
Without the Osborne Lights, it is more difficult to obtain that same sense of immersion in the Christmas atmosphere. For us, this is a big part of Christmas at Walt Disney World. It’s why we like sitting by the fireplace in the Wilderness Lodge lobby, or wandering through World Showcase after the IllumiNations Peace on Earth tag. The snowfall on Hollywood Boulevard after Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! is in this same vein, but too fleeting.
This visit reaffirmed to us that first week of December really is the sweet spot for Christmas season at Walt Disney World. I can’t say I’m disappointed by the November visit. The big upside is that it has made for a slower-paced early December, with much more time for enjoying the Christmas season at a relaxed pace.
Anyway, that was our rationale for switching weeks, along with why we wouldn’t do it again. Hopefully that was helpful if you wondered why we went early this year or have contemplated doing the same.
Our next day started out late, once again, as we continued our more leisurely approach to this trip. This approach was one huge plus side to our trip. We’ve definitely taken a more lax approach with attractions in recent years as compared to when we first started visiting, but we still (mostly) aimed at being in the parks as much as possible.
This trip, we spent far more time at the resorts, and doing nothing. It actually felt like a vacation, which was a strange–but really nice–change of pace. My goal for next year is to score a couple of days at Wilderness Lodge and spend 4 hours per day in a rocking chair by the fire. I’m not even kidding.
On this particular day, I was still up by 7 a.m., which meant a solid 3 hours of watching Stacey host Must Do Disney. Not quite the same as gazing longingly into a fireplace, but still relaxing.
After reviewing receipts from Tangierine Cafe and the Grand Floridian pool bar, I suggested to Sarah that we try new-to-us table service restaurants instead of counter service for the remainder of the trip. It seemed like we could have a table service meal for only a couple dollars more.
I remember when we first started visiting Walt Disney World as adults, one of the “hacks” was dining at a handful of table service restaurants that had near counter service pricing. In the last two years, it seems that counter service price increases have far outpaced table service prices. I suspect you could now do a near counter service priced meal at half of all table service restaurants at Walt Disney World.
We opted for Captain’s Grille, mostly since we were hungry and it was the nearest option that had immediate availability. I’ll write a full review of the meal at some point soon, but we really enjoyed the meal.
Not only was the restaurant nearly-deserted, but the food was really good, and there were several reasonably-priced options. We ended up ordering the Yacht Club Burger with salt & vinegar fries and the Blackened Sustainable Catch BLT with truffle fries. We’d highly recommend either options–and both sets of fries! This was a new-to-us restaurant in a strict sense, but not totally new. Since Captain’s Grille shares a kitchen with Crew’s Cup Lounge, the menus are pretty much interchangeable. Still, it was nice to eat in a new environment, and we really enjoyed our meal.
On Page 2, we will talk about the dirty “u” word: upcharges…
Tom,
Really enjoyed this trip report. I agree with you on all of the upcharges. It’s the main reason why we are planning on taking a trip out to Disneyland next year instead of WDW.
The upcharges and such are really not sitting well with me. It seems to be more about seeming exclusive, because if you add up the revenue from 2 cabanas a day, it just isn’t that much in the Disney coffers.
I think my next Disney trip will be to DLR, and I’m hoping FPP won’t be a thing over there yet. Hopefully it will be easy to enjoy the parks, but even then I think we will spend just 2-3 days in parks and then other time at Universal and probably elsewhere.
In the grand scheme of things, you’re right–the revenue is insignificant. I think these initiatives are more about some mid-level manager making a name for themselves, showing how much their idea contributed to revenue. The problem is, several of these ideas have flopped, so they aren’t contributing *anything* to the bottom line. Just negative press.
As for exclusivity, I don’t think those cabanas offer it…in the least. Just because someone has money doesn’t mean they “have more dollars than brains” (as my father would say). To the contrary, most well-off individuals don’t appreciate being fleeced. I can imagine some guest staying at the Four Seasons booking these cabanas sight-unseen via the hotel concierge, and going to Guest Relations for a refund as soon they arrive at the park.
The cabanas are pathetic by any reasonable assessment.
We were there just before you {our usual time to visit}, and decided to only attend mvmcp and no other parks this trip. We visited all the deluxe resorts to see decorations, was thrilled to stroll Disney Springs, enjoyed our resort at a slow pace {PO Riverside}. I think as grandparents we have decided the value in the parks are getting less and less {more money, more lines and crowds}…. but the ambience of the Resort as a whole is so pleasant. Going forward, we will probably do more Disney Cruises with the grands… and small trips to the World when crowds are lowest and weather is mild.
Thanks Tom and Sarah, for maintaining a wonderful site of great info and awesome photos. I’ve been going to Disneyland since the early 60s and my wife and I now live in FLA.
Speaking of up charges…..We went to WDW for a couple days before our annual pass Christmas blackout. We sprung for the MVMCP on Sunday 12/11. I would say…check that off the list. Don’t need to do it again. Overcrowded and I don’t like reinforcing the idea of paying extra for Christmas entertainment when it should be available to everyone who pays $100+ for a park ticket already.
We went to Epcot on Monday and almost…almost bought the Candlelight Processional lunch package. I was worried of being shutout of the show. We opted not to pay for the package. Good choice. Stood in the Stand-By line for about an hour, enjoyed my stand-by sandwich and beer, and ended up with great seats. Leaving the park, I saw the Dining Package Stand-By line for the 8:30 show. It was longer than the regular Stand-By line. Yeah, I guess they got to sit 50 feet closer. My advice to readers, do NOT pay for the Candlelight Processional dining package, especially if you’re not going on a weekend.
My last rant…Fastpasses. I hate them. They have ruined the spontaneous nature of enjoying the parks. Just like upcharges, they affect non-Fastpass holders immensely. I would not be surprised in the slightest if Disney started charging a premium for them. After all, Americans cannot wait for anything and will pay handsomely for the privilege.
Keep up the great work Tom and Sarah. See you at the parks.
Hi,my wife and I went to the Magic Kingdom Dec.10th because there was no Mickey Christmas Party and it stayed open until midnight. We were extremely disappointed this year.Wishes Fireworks (awesome) at 10pm however (nothing) leading up to it like last year.There was No Frozen show at the Castle a few hours before and worst of all No Show that turns the Castle into Disney Paintings,sorry I cannot remember the name of it.So,Nothing,Nothing leading up to the 10pm Wishes Fireworks show.Horrible Planning,just Horrible Planning and then it took (exactly) 1 hour and 45 minutes to get out of park to our car…It seemed to us they want people to buy the Hard Ticket Event because Magic Kingdom was a Huge Disappointment to non hard ticket goers.
Thanks, Tom, for a great honest trip report. My husband and I feel the same way about the upcharges that seem to come weekly to WDW, and that we still feel the love of Disney. I sincerely hope that you have written to WDW with your comments. I feel that someone with your stature in and with WDW over the years would make some of the executives rethink some of their money grabbing ideas. Please email, write to them. If enough of us do this I would hope that they will finally at least listen to us. I hope they aren’t so complacent in their spot in the theme park world, that they think they can’t be harmed by bad publicity. I have seen a lot of bad publicity over the past couple of years, and it is getting more and more, especially about these upcharges. There are big companies that learned the hard way by going under, that they can’t live on their past reputation of survive. Thanks for airing that and please, please make known your feelings to WDW co.
While I strongly agree with the letter-writing strategy, I would also strongly encourage anyone who has the same concerns to share those online, via social media or what-have-you. Disney is very diligent in monitoring online feedback, and I suspect that gives them more pause as it’s visible to the public instead of just directed towards Disney, internally.
We too just got back from our annual post Thanksgiving trip. At this point we will only go the week after Thanksgiving. A Cast member confirmed what Tom said that the week after Thanksgiving is the best time to visit. The crowds are minimal, the weather is nice and the parks were wide open. Since the pools are all heated the weather really doesn’t matter.
We just pull our two kids out of school for that week. It’s so much more enjoyable not fighting a Christmas or Easter break crowds.
My parents live two hours south of WDW so we fly into Fort Myers on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, hit them up for Thanksgiving week then head to Disney from Saturday until Friday then fly out of Orlando (using the Magic Express so we don’t need a rental car). We always do the Very Mickey Christmas the Sunday after Thanksgiving (when everyone is LEAVING to go home) then squeeze in maybe one more park. For the Very Mickey Christmas, make sure you’re at the Magic Kingdom at exactly 3:55pm when they open the gates for those tickets (4pm to 12am) so you can maximize your time in the park. Eight hours is plenty of time at the MK to see everything and the crowds are non-existent by 7pm. If we do another park it’s usually later in the week. My wife and I hit every hot chocolate/cookie bar at least three times and loaded our backpacks with cookies (which last all week, LOL).
We have found over the years that hanging at our resort or taking a boat to Disney Springs is so much more relaxing than trying to jam four park visits into a week long visit.
We prefer to stay at the Port Orleans Riverside or another moderate hotel. It’s not entry level so you don’t have to deal with massive crowds that tend to flock to the All Star resorts, it’s quiet and great to stroll around. To us it doesn’t matter where you stay you get the same level of food and service. When you drop another $300+/night to stay at a “high” end resort what are you really gaining?
We just returned on Friday (12/9) from a five-night stay at the Polynesian on our first “just the two of us” trip for our 25th anniversary and were noting many of the same cash grabs as a sad state of affairs. It was quite warm on arrival day but steadily dropped (with the requisite rain) to the most lovely departure day morning at the MK. At 8 a.m. EMH we were pleasantly shivering in the cool morning breezes. It reminded us why we always spend our vacation $$ at WDW in December. We typically have to wait until mid-December to clear the semester’s end and the crowds on this earlier trip were noticeably thinner. I’m sure it helped that we didn’t stay over a weekend, too. We took our Tuesday rain day to circle most of the deluxe resorts for a Christmas tour (sorry, AK, next time…) and I’d agree, going prior to the first of December would be missing out.
You gotta get a second Lego set so you can play with the first, or you’ll risk becoming the villain of Lego Movie 2 😛
Very well written article. You summed up a lot of my feelings. One point that you made that really hit the mark with me was that the FEMA tents were an admission of an overcrowding problem, but the only solution offered was a money grab to benefit the elite at the expense of the masses that keep the parks afloat. To me it is just one more example of what is wrong with Corporate America. They have the mentality that every quarter must out earn the previous quarter no matter what it takes to make it happen or whatever other circumstances surrounded the decline. It is a wooden and block headed way of looking at success, and a lot of us felt Disney was one of the last few organizations on earth that understood this. I am a believer that valuing others and having a vision to do things the right way with pride in excellence will be rewarded through years of loyalty from the public that appreciates humanity over the machine, and it pains me every time I see Disney departing from this philosophy.
very well said!
Great articles! Hey what/where is the diorama in photograph 2 on page two of the blog?
Thanks
Every WDW vacation is now a “slow” trip for us.
We spend far more awake time at our chosen resorts (at least 2 on every trip) than at the Parks. On our last 5 WDW vacations you can count on one hand the # of times we’ve entered a Park before 10am. Our park commando days are happily long, long gone.
As a frequent Boardwalk Villa guest, I’ve grown to love the burgers at Big River Grille, but that restaurant interior is one the worst atmospheres anywhere throughout Disney World.
If we can’t get a spot on the outside patio (which has wonderful energy), we head somewhere else.
Totally agree. We have found that one maybe two parks is plenty to visit in a week. We have two kids (9 and 3) and we prefer to hang at our resort (or Disney Springs) and sprinkle the two park visits out during the week. We always do the Very Mickey Christmas the Sunday after Thanksgiving (when everyone is LEAVING to go home) and make sure we’re at the Magic Kingdom at exactly 3:55pm when they open the gates for those tickets so we can maximize our time in the park. Eight hours is plenty of time at the MK to see everything and the crowds are non-existent by 7pm. If we do another park it’s usually later in the week.
We have found over the years that hanging at our resort or taking a boat to Disney Springs is so much more relaxing than trying to jam four park visits into a week long visit.
We prefer to stay at the Port Orleans Riverside or another moderate hotel. It’s not entry level so you don’t have to deal with massive crowds that tend to flock to the All Star resorts, it’s quiet and great to stroll around. To us it doesn’t matter where you stay you get the same level of food and service. When you drop another $300+/night to stay at a “high” end resort what are you really gaining?
My parents live within a two our drive of WDW so we visit them every Thanksgiving and then pull the kids out of school the following week for a WDW visit. Tom is correct the week after Thanksgiving is the BEST time of the year (and lest crowded) to visit. The weather is usually perfect as well. 70-80’s during the day and 60’s at night. The pools are all heated anyhow! We asked at cast member while waiting in line to see Minnie the best time of the year to come and he confirmed that our week was the best. He said NEVER come the week of New Year’s or anytime near Easter. Oh and he said unless you like to melt never come in the summer. LOL.
Upcharges…
Yes. Just, yes.
(Glad you had a great time!)
I really enjoy reading your perspective on things at the parks and this post is especially eloquent, really lovely. I trust your opinions because you are passionate but not, as you so aptly put it, trading on packaged nostalgia… I’ve found that many Disney fans refuse to address anything that might paint WDW in a poor light. Headed to Cape Canaveral with my husband and kids the week before Christmas to visit family, we decided to do a few nights at Disney while in the area (made this decision before I realized how nightmarishly packed the parks will be). Your blog has been a top resource for me in my frantic planning primarily for your honest and only-appropriately-sentimental coverage of the parks. Also, you have helped reignite my photography obsession. You park photos are beautiful and very interesting technically.