It's The Happy Place For The Holidays

Growing up I never went to Disney World. I knew relatives who did, and their stories filled me with awe. When I met the woman I would eventually marry, I discovered she had also never been. We achieved that dream for our honeymoon, and nearly 17 years later Disney World is still our “Happy Place.”

We have gone at different times of the year, almost always with an eye to avoiding the busiest ones, and have discovered one of the most magical times is November when holiday decorations are going up, but the parks have not hit their full-force Christmas crowds. Our most recent trip was the week before Thanksgiving and even though it rained almost every day, it at least never felt too crowded to do the things we wanted.

Each time we get to go, we are looking for a mix of new experiences and our favorite ones that feel like old friends. This trip was our first since the Tron Lightcycle Run roller coaster opened in Magic Kingdom, and we paid for me to get a Lightning Lane pass for it. The concept of getting scanned into a computer world and riding a lightcycle up and down steep hills and curves had me very excited to try it, and I was not disappointed. The theming felt very cool and immersive, and the ride itself was smooth but delightfully fast, if you are into that sort of thrill. At first, the hunched-over posture in which you ride felt like it might be uncomfortable, but I quickly realized it allowed me to move my upper body in a way that prevented feeling jerked around. Will ride again next time.

When we took our son to Disney World for the first time six years ago, the movie Moana had just been released on DVD, and we bought a copy at Disney Springs and took it back to our room at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort to watch it. The newly renovated rooms there have fireworks on the bed backs that go off at the push of a button, and when I see Moana now I always think of watching it that first time, beneath the yellow lights of a twilit bayou.

Large portions of Epcot have been under construction for awhile, but the dust has finally cleared on one section between the geosphere and The Land, and what have they been working on? An interactive water-themed walking tour inspired by Moana! Our kids delighted in playing with each feature and having the water play back. There were musical “strings” made from water that sounded notes when plucked. Fountains that rose to meet your hand. Waterfalls that parted if you approached slowly enough, and roaring geysers that leapt with the movement of your body. Ribbons of water formed a dancing arch over the exit path, and this is one of those defining experiences kids will remember about a trip, a place to play in ways that are unique and magical. Moana herself is available nearby for photos at specific times of the day, but her line starts forming before she even arrives for each window, so come early.

We have ridden Jungle Cruise on a couple of trips before and while we enjoyed it, we usually don’t spend a Lightning Lane on it. But our son has since found his appreciation for terrible jokes, both hearing them and making them; and something told us it would be just his sort of ride. Going to book it using the Genie+ app, we noticed a seasonal update: for the holidays it is the Jingle Cruise.

The boat journey through a river with artistically rendered animals is always one bad pun after another, the adventure made different every time by the particular schtick of each captain.

Aboard this Jingle Cruise, we experienced actual schtick as our captain was Jewish and gave each joke a Hanukah-themed spin, complete with dreidel. Sure enough, when we asked our son later what his favorite ride was he said, “Jingle Cruise!”

Among the perks of staying at a Disney Resort for your trip is a voucher for a free round of mini-golf at Fantasia Gardens for each member of your party. Located next to Walt Disney World Swan Hotel between the parks and Disney Springs, Fantasia Gardens has our favorite theming of any mini-golf we’ve tried. Each hole of the Gardens course represents some element from the classic film Fantasia, including spinning snowflakes, happy mushrooms and satyrs, a not-too-spooky cave, and the iconic sorcerer’s brooms dumping actual water across the walkway. They also have the Fairways course which is like a regular golf course shrunk down, and which takes 90 minutes to play. (We always stick to the Gardens course with our kids but we did try the Fairways years ago and it is a brilliant concept: actual *miniature* golf.)

The kids loved mini-golfing but it was the first day we experenced the full force of the Florida sun, unfiltered by any rainclouds, and we could not help but be grateful for the cloud cover the other days. As we said several times on our trip: we were not rained out, merely rained on!