Bags Packed… On My Way! Ho! Ho! Ho! Holidays at Walt Disney World – My Top Ten Must Do List!
Spending the Ho Ho Holidays at WDW
$2600.00 on Jet Blue for the four of us from New England to Orlando is a SPLURGE for 2 school teachers. With a bargain trip planned this summer that was cancelled last minute due to a broken vertebrae/broken toe/arm incident, we totally deserve this upcoming trip. We bit the bullet, splurged on the airfare, downgraded our resort for savings, and we are now in the midst of planning…
A Holiday to Remember – “The Giardi Jingle”
We haven’t been to Walt Disney World since 1997 – our honeymoon 18 years ago! Lots of classics remain the same but many new things to see and memories to be made.
(photo from our scrap book – 1997)
Here is our TOP TEN list of MUST DO’S for this Holiday Season!
10. The Kitchen Sink… okay so it’s not just for the holidays but I’ve never had one! We’ll be hitting the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor hard this December for the Mickey Mouse Kitchen Sink Sundae. With three scoops of ice cream and pretty much everything but the kitchen sink – oops! It’s got that too! No pictures yet but the five of us will be tackling this delicious treat!
9. Mini Golf – Santa Style at Winter Summerland Miniature Golf – You get to play with Santa and his elves. Maybe that is just what I need to improve my golf swing. With a winter and summer course to play, we can hang out with Santa in both “seasons”.
8. The “Jingle” Cruise – Will the Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom be decked out for the holidays like it has in the past? We can’t wait to find out! Still on the lookout for a Skipper’s Cantina opening date!
7. Main Street U.S.A Walking down Main Street at Christmas time is like no other experience. The window displays are so festive and inviting. We will leave extra time to “window shop” after our fast pass frenzy!
6. Boardwalk, the Yacht and the Beach Club – We’ll be hopping over from Epcot via boat or tired feet for a look at the holiday decorations in these three beautiful resorts.
5. The Grand Floridian – This resort deserves a category of it’s own with it’s life size holiday gingerbread house! I can’t wait to feast my eyes on this sweet display and then grab a quick lunch at the Gasparilla Island Grill (if we are still hungry after the gingerbread).
4. The Candlelight Procession at Epcot After toasting to the holidays at Biergarten we will have special seating at the Candlelight Procession. We will hear the story of Christmas from a celebrity narrator (still TBA for our date) and hear a 50 piece orchestra celebrate the songs of the season (better behave at Oktoberfest before the procession).
3. Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade It’s been 18 years since I saw this parade on my husbands shoulders in 1997! With his bad back I don’think shoulders are an option now so this time we will be sure to camp out and get the perfect viewing spot for this once in a lifetime parade at eh Magic Kingdom!
2. Minnie Mouse Holiday and Dine – at Hollywood Studios. Yup! I got reservations at this new one. At the Hollywood and Vine we willbe dining with Minnie and Pals along with a visit from Goofy Santa. I am beside myself as Minnie is my favorite! Still can’t believe I got the reservations! This was number one on the list until the recent announcement (see below).
(Minnie and Me… then and now)
Last but not least… 1. Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights – as announced recently, this will be the last year to view the Osbourne Spectacle of Lights. I saw this amazing display 18 years ago and I still see those sparkling lights in my memory. I can smell the hot chocolate and feel the “snow” as it hits my shoulders. This is such an amazing sight to see that I am certain Disney will read this blog entry and make sure they move the lights to Epcot as rumored. Right Disney?
Okay seriously – I hope I am able to get a better picture this time!
Since we usually travel when fares are low and room discounts apply, this may be our only time to view the magic at Christmastime. I am so thrilled that we splurged and I can’t wait to watch the excitement as my boys and I spend the holidays at Walt Disney World!
LOADS of pictures to follow!
