First Trip Report

Myself
DIL
Grandsons 12 & 9
Grandaughter 6

Left Newark with only an hour delay due to the East Coast snowstorm on December 1st. We fly Jet Blue whenever we go to Disney World as the TV makes the time go faster and the snacks are delicious! Landed at MCO and headed straight for the Magical Express to take us to All Star Movies. At the resort the rooms were not ready at 3:30 and still not ready at 4:30 and still not at 5:30. Kids were tired and we just wanted to settle in. Finally around 6:00 rooms (adjoining) were ready. The front desk was very nice and gave us a free voucher for dinner for all of us for the inconvenience. Since this is my first trip report I don't want to write too much more about the first day. Everyone was very happy to be there and looking forward to the next day at Magic Kingdom.

Myself and the two younger ones got off to an early start. We ate in the cafeteria before starting off and there was quite a nice selection of breakfast items. Hopped on the bus to Magic Kingdom and we were on our way. We always do first and last day at Magic Kingdom. Weather was nice. The park was crowded due to closing at 4:30 for a private party. We are big fans of the fast pass but I think that Disney is giving out too many now. Some of the rides had long fast pass lines. We stopped for a Mickey pretzel $6.79 each and the kids enjoyed them. We rode Jingle Cruise, POC, Aladdin, then headed for Splash Mountain, everyone's favorite ride, then HM. Kids loved Aladdin ride so we went back and they it rode more several times. All the times we have been and it was their first time for it. We made our way back to the bus stop and you all know how you get packed in. A few things I disagree with on Disney and that is one of them. DIL and other grandson never made it to the park. We had dinner at the resort and I was not fond of it due to the limited selection, not like it used to be that is for sure. Kids ate chicken nuggets mostly the whole time we were there. We then headed off to Disney Springs and that is when the cold front moved in. We were not prepared for it being that cold in Florida so early in December but it was!. Sweatshirts,long sleeve shirts and we were still cold so we made a short night of it. We wanted to walk thru the Christmas Tree Trail but left due to weather. Back to resort and off to bed. Since I am new to posting I am not sure if this will turn up as a new post or not I can only see submit reply so here goes!

Yes, we have had a fair number of rather cold (and/or cloudy) days this winter. Still, you managed to get in quite a few Magic Kingdom rides!!

Sorry you missed the Trail of Trees - hope you were able to get back to see it later in your trip.

I was also surprised on a few trips about how cold it can get in Florida.

We all had breakfast at resort. All Star Movies had a coffee pot so I did not need to purchase a mug just for coffee ($19.99 plus tax for length of stay). I don't mind the fountain water at the parks and quite a few people use them. You can request a free cup of ice water at some of the counter service and snack stands otherwise a bottle of water will cost $3.50. If you go during the warmer months that can add up. Tuesday was windy and cold and we headed off to Epcot. Had FP for Soaring of course since it is our favorite ride. Rode Lving With The Land (kids call it the Vegetable Ride), Nemo ride and then walked around the countries. Of course a stop in Germany to the Werther's Store was a must, bought several bags of the popcorn ($8.99) and carmel candy, all delicious! One of my favorites is the American Adventure but somehow we became separated and trying to find everyone made me pass it. I have seen it many times so it was OK. Everyone was chilly even though the sun was out. We walked around until it got dark so we could see the Christmas lights. I forgot to mention this is the first time to see Disney for Christmas, we go in October since everyone loves the Halloween theme and weather. Headed back to resort for dinner..food was just ok nothing really that I would rave about. Walked by pool area and there were actually people swimming while lifeguards were bundled up in sweatpants and hoodies. I was quite surprised at that.
Day 3 was Hollywood Studios first time for the 2 youngest and 9 years for the oldest.
Oldest wanted to ride Tower of Terror but not alone so of course I volunteered thinking I could skip out when our turn came (there is an exit for peole like me) but....he wanted me to ride it. Well, I can tell you my eyes were closed the whole time and yes, you will get shaken up! I did not like it but grandson loved it so that is what it is all about! We then rode Toy Story Mania and walked around a bit. DIL and 2 youngest went to the see Voyage of The Little Mermaid and loved the show. Grabbed some snacks and headed off to the Star Wars Galaxy Edge area. It is huge. Grandson wanted to try the Blue Milk so he did and liked it. Lines were too long and there were not any FP's left so we walked over to Toy Story Land. Kids rode a few rides and enjoyed it. As we were leaving we wanted to try the new Gondola so we rode it round trip to the one reort and back to the park. It was a short ride but we liked it. Would love to see it over the Parks. Headed back to the resort.

Very nice Epcot and Studios days!! I'm sure your grandson appreciated how you braved Tower of Terror for him!!