[teatah14]

Hello! I am a new member, I just joined today. I am starting to plan my next trip to Disney. It will be for December 2004. This will be the first trip with my daughter. She will be two at the time of our trip. I am wondering what would be the best place to stay? I am planning to stay onsite. I have previously stayed at All-Star Movies & Dixie Landings. I loved them both. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Also, I have heard about Mickey's Christmas Party. What exactly is this & how much will it cost? I want to make sure I plan enough of a budget so we can go.

My group will be myself, my husband, & our daughter. I am already looking forward to it.

[wdwspider]

Sounds like a lot of people are planning a Christmas 2004 trip. Myself included. One other forum member is planning to go then too.

Welcome to the forums, and I'm just as curious to read your replys as you are.

[brumcg]

teatah14,

Welcome to DisneyCentral!

Hmmm...when I hear you say that you loved All-Star Movies and Dixie Landings, my first thought is that they would be great candidates! :)

A couple of questions:

1) Are you going to be spending most of your time in the MK? If you are and you have the budget, I'd think a monorail resort would be great.

2) What part of December are you going?

My daughter was 2 on our last trip, it can be a challenge! Look for the kids tips threads in the forums.

Good luck!

Bruce

[JOANN]

ALL THE RESORTS ARE JUST BEAUTIFUL!!! THIS LAST THANKSGIVING MY HUSBAND AND I SPENT 11 DAYS AT WDW. WE SPENT 5 NITES AT THE CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT, AND 6 NITES AT THE ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE. I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE LODGE IS OUR FAVORITE. THE XMAS DECORATIONS WERE JUST BREATHTAKING. ACTUALLY, THAT WAS OUR 3RD VISIT AT THE LODGE, AND IN MAY IT WILL BE OUR 26TH TIME BACK TO THE "HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH"!! OUR DAUGHTERS ARE 33, 28, AND 24, AND IN MAY THEY WILL ALL BE THERE WITH US. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SON-IN -LAWS, AND BOYFRIENDS SEEM TO ENJOY FISHING MORE THAN MICKEY. (STILL TRYING TO CONVIENCE THEM THAT THEY COULD FISH AT WDW TOO, AND DO ALOT MORE THAN JUST FISH) IF YOU HAVE ANYMORE QUESTIONS WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS WITH YOU. BY THE WAY , WE DID DO THE VERY MERRY XMAS PARTY, AND HAD A WONDERFUL TIME!! IT'S WORTH THE EXTRA COST. :)

[dab]

Originally posted by teatah14
Also, I have heard about Mickey's Christmas Party. What exactly is this & how much will it cost? I want to make sure I plan enough of a budget so we can go.

Here is a link that should answer all your questions about MCMCP. http://wdwig.com/hol_mk.htm

We're thinking of going December 2003. I'll be staying at Port Orleans Riverside in less than 2 weeks... used to be called Dixie Landings. There are so many choices. I guess the best advise I can give is to set a budget first and then try to plan accordingly. Sounds like what you've done already. Perhaps if you share what you are wanting to spend per night we might be able to help you more. Have fun trip planning! :)

[goofygal1975]

This is a must do if you can. We went in 2001 (it didnt fit into our schedule for 2002:devil ) We had such a great time. We loved the shows, and you get to see and have photo ops w/character dressed up in their christmas gear. We got on the rides we wanted with little or no wait. We also enjoyed the free cookies and hot chocolate while waiting for the night parade. When we went the hours were from 7pm-midnight. You recieved a band to wear on your wrist to show you had the special tickets. The prices 2 years ago were $33.00 for adults and $23.00 for children.

[mattomouseman]

We were down in WDW for Thanksgiving 2001 and we had a blast! All the decorations were up for Christmas and we stayed at WL. It was breathtaking! We also stopped at GF and the Poly and the decoratioins were spectacular! I'm guessing all the resorts are gussied up for the holidays! I would suggest, if you can afford it, a monorail resort (Contemporary or Poly) or even the WL because of it's access to the MK and the TTC. MGM is a must that time of year for the Osborne Lights and the characters in their Christmas costumes. It even snowed on NY street in MGM! We had such wonderful photo ops there, the MK and of course Epcot. Santa was at the American Pavilion and my boys had a ball. Also in Epcot at the begining of World Showcase the characters all rode in on a double decker bus and set up for photos there, it was great! It is a wonderful time of year to go. We hope to try and get down for Christmas and maybe even halloween one year!:)

[Jessibelle]

Everything depends on your budget. You can spend a fortune for the convenience of having a resort close to MK, which is very helpful if your daughter will need a nap each day and some R&R time. We took our daughter when she was 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 3 & 3 1/2. The easiest time we had was when we stayed at Polynesian. We also enjoyed both Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs, which are moderately priced resorts. We did not like the All Star resorts because they were far from all the parks except for AK and the rooms are pretty compact. But if it is in your budget, then it is much better than staying off-site.

I would use the website to check the different cost at each resort and set your budget.

Two other things...there are alot of things that you should take into consideration when going to WDW with a toddler that you probably will not think about before you get there and find yourself in the situation. Use this website. When you get closer to the trip, ask for tips and helpful hints and you will find yourself better prepared than we ever were. If only we had used this site before our trips, we would have saved ourselves alot of grief.

Lastly, start thinking about the restaurants you want to eat in about 4 to 6 months before. With a 2 year old you will want to do alot of character dining and you will need Priority Seating, so you want to be on top of that as soon as you can start calling for your PS's. This site is also very helpful in keeping up to date with what character meals there are and which ones are good.

Happy planning! You have a whole bunch of people here that live to tell others about their Disney experiences, good and bad. You have found the right place. :)