[quote source="/post/14584/thread" timestamp="1440558265" author="@stevesanders"]I normally don't put travel plans on the Internet, but we have good neighbors watching the house. We will be there from the 14th the 20th. We've got a silver 6.0 pulled by a grey VW Golf diesel. Hopefully I can get a site on Cotton Tail Trail. We've been there enough times to know our way around, but if you have any local/insider advice, please share! We normally park the car on the campsite and leave it until checkout when we're at Disney.
The next thing we've got to figure out is how to do a respectable job of decorating our campsite for Christmas at Fort Wilderness. Based on our last trip there in December the decoration "bar" is set VERY high!
Congratulations on the retirement! My wife and I are starting to look forward to that, but we've got a few years to go.
Thanks for moving the post to the proper section.
Steve.[/quote]Steve,
The trip planning section of the board is restricted to those with junior level or higher accounts. That is a good place to discuss future travel plans since it is not open access.
Thanks for the retirement congratulations. My wife is retiring from Disney as early as she can in order to lock in her retirement benefits. You never know when something will change. I am eligible to retire from my job in December, although I plan on working another 6 years until the house (and camper) are paid off and I max out my pension.
Since it sounds like you've been to Fort Wilderness several times, you know the way the place works. Some people really go all out decorating at Christmas and Halloween. Some guy known as the Castle Guy will be back this year. He has a very impressive model of Cinderella's castle that lights up in sync with music. If you go "looping" to see the decorations, you'll probably see it. He is there from December 6th to the 22nd. The biggest suggestion I can give, especially at that time of year, is to be sure to enjoy the campground; especially the last days of your trip when the parks will be more crowded. There is some good fishing along the canal behind the 300 loop; the outdoor movies and campfire sing along is fun, the pools are really nice (I like the quiet pool more). You may have already eaten there, but if not, be sure to try Trails End restaurant, especially for the breakfast buffet. It is outstanding and, for Disney, reasonably priced. And don't forget to head to the beach to watch the fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant at night.
The best times for you to go to the parks will be at the beginning of your trip. Early December is to me, the best time to visit Disney. The weather is great and the crowds are lower. The crowds start to pick up by December 18th (they all come for my birthday
). Be sure to see the Osborne Lights at Hollywood Studios as this may be the last year for them, at least for quite a while since construction on the park will be starting soon. Also, in the Magic Kingdom, the new Jungle Cruise themed full service restaurant in the Magic Kingdom should be open by then, as well as the greatly refurbished Liberty Tree Tavern. Finally, be sure to take advantage of all the other Christmas related activities. Epcot has the Candlelight Processional each night, which is excellent. We don't wait in the huge lines to get a seat, but rather walk up and stand in the back. Each country has something related to the time of year, and Canada usually has an excellent band that plays only around Christmas. I'm assuming they will be back. Also, each year near the fountain at Future World they have a great Gospel group singing Christmas songs several times a day. Finally, be sure to hop the boat from the campground to the Contemporary, and then visit each of the hotels on the monorail (Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian) to see the Christmas decorations and gingerbread houses/creations. It is really nice to see. Spend some time in the Grand Floridian's lobby soaking up the atmosphere and listening to both the piano player and then the band play at night. Then, either drive or take a bus to the other resorts to see the decorations. If at Epcot, you can easily go out the International Gateway in the World Showcase and walk to the Yacht and Beach Club (beautiful at Christmas) and the Boardwalk resort. If you want a nice reasonable lunch, you can always go to the captain's Grill at the Yacht Club. Their fish and chips are amazing.
You can get a lot of information [a href="
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/holidays/"]BY CLICKING HERE[/a] .
For those wondering what it is like at Christmas, here is a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjnVcOIMI4gAnd here is the Castle Guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNuY1syol48Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions.
Doug
