Disney Christmas 2025 Trip 17

Well, I was going to start on the trip number 2 but Mady and Tressa said to go backwards because they are fresh on my mind. So this entry is about trip 17. So this trip is pretty recent. It was when me, Tressa, and Mady went for Christmas. We stayed at Art of Animation. Mady had been at Christmas before, but me and Tressa had not. We went to both Christmas parties. The “Very Merry Christmas“ at Magic Kingdom and “Jollywood Nights“ at Hollywood Studios. First thing is, I loved the weather. It wasn’t really cold, but I am used to going in the summer when it’s really hot. The next thing I noticed was everything decorated in Christmas stuff. The fact that it was Disney Christmas stuff made it even more special. We started at Epcot. There it was pretty much the same but Christmas decorations were everywhere. Living with the Land was great. They had snowmen and Christmas lights were on all the trees. Then we went and met Goofy. We waited in a long line, but he was in a sled and Christmas music was playing. So it was enjoyable waiting. The pics with him were great and he acted like he was excited to see Mady. From there we went to Hollywood. We saw Pinocchio and got a picture with him also. That was the first time we ever saw him. Maybe it was a holiday deal. It was basically a weekend trip so we didn’t stay at Epcot long. We did the regular stuff at Hollywood until it got dark. I think the Jollywood Nights party started about six. You get an armband so if you don’t have one, you need to leave the park. Runaway Railway was as good as always, and Star Wars was fun. We got some good pics there. We walked around and did normal stuff waiting on the party. The Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster was changing to the Muppets, so Mady and Tressa road it one last time as Aerosmith. I thought it felt a little different as the sun went down. The air got colder and it just made it feel very much like a hometown holiday, I don’t know why. The Tower of Terror was lit up with Christmas scenes and you had fake snow that would blow across and above Sunset Boulevard, and Christmas music played in the background. There were multiple huge Christmas trees decorated. You also got a menu of different food items for different quick service food places. There were Christmas cakes and sweets and also stuff like meatballs and alcohol drinks. There was an ice rink right in front of the Chinese Theater. We watched a show there as we had a drink. Then the party started. The dance party was over there where the Pixar characters usually are at. All the characters like Monsters Inc., Frozen, Edna from the Incredibles, and the feelings characters from Inside Out. There is music playing with a DJ. We got out there and danced and partied. I know it sounds corny, but it was a lot of fun. Basically it’s the same with me about everything Disney. I have bought into just letting go and being a kid. Mady was really liking it and Tres was laughing her butt off. So we danced and hung out for a while then walked around and rode some rides and ate some more Holiday food. Then went back and danced. We then went to get some fancy fried cheese and Mady saw Goofy and he had a dance party. So she was dancing and we met up with Eric Ripley and his family. He is an ex-student of mine and we still stay in touch. So we got a cool picture with them, visited and then they left. The next day was Magic Kingdom. When we got there, the decorations were overwhelming. There’s a huge tree right in front. Wreathes all the way down Main Street. I was just awestruck. We did our typical rides and then had Buffalo chicken at Cosmic Rays. Also, the characters seemed to be out more than normal. We actually saw Jesse and Woody together from Toy story. We watched a parade and ate some Christmas snacks and took pictures. Since the weather was cold wearing Christmas Disney hoodies and shirts was great too. Pirates was still great and the Beacon Barrel was brand new. It is a small bar right next to Pirates of the Caribbean. You can be in there for 45 minutes. They have small appetizers and the only place to get alcohol drinks at Magic Kingdom. Well, we got reservations and went. They have a drink there and I can’t remember the name of it, and it’s $50 BUT! You get to keep the cup. And is is a Pirate Skull. Mine says first edition, my good buddy Josh Dumatrait has a later edition like 3rd, He gets to go during Halloween so atleast I got the Pirate skull first (HA!) So I got one of the first ones ever. Anyway, the place is great. Everything is pirate theme and ever so often they act like there’s a storm and the lights flicker and the pictures move. It was a great experience. We walked around and got ready for the fireworks. So when the show started, I wasn’t expecting it to be different but instead of being Happily Ever After, it’s Christmas themed music and lighting on the castle. It, I will say, might be the only negative about the entire Disney experience on that trip. I mean, I enjoyed it immensely but I just was ready for Happily Ever After. But the Christmas one is phenomenal. At the end, there is a Christmas parade and they blow the snow off the roof as well. It’s a long parade, but very Christmasy and that makes it special. Everything at that time of year is Christmas. We ate some more Christmas snacks and did a dance party then went back to the hotel. The next day was Animal Kingdom and we had a character breakfast at Tusker House. We did Kilimanjaro first and the animals were all out. It must’ve been because it was cooler. The breakfast was great. https://photos.app.goo.gl/yAvo3ChLAK44yfm89

The characters were all the old school, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. We got pics with all of them. The food was a buffet and had everything. It was really good. We did the Lion King show again also and rode Dinosaur for the very last time. They are doing away with it and making another land there. It was always a great ride. I even felt a little sadness as we got on. Over the years both our kids rode that ride and enjoyed it and it was apart of their childhood. It was a little emotional at the end. Everyone on the ride was saying what the characters say in the beginning of video. You go back in time and are supposed to bring back a small plant eating dinosaur and of course a meteor shower hits and you almost don’t make it back. It was a great ride. I am adding a audio of the last thing you hear (You’re not gonna make it) before making it back to the current time on the ride. If I remember correctly we were flying out later that day so we had to leave early. All in all it being a short trip, we did everything we wanted. Both the Christmas parties were great. It was kind of a different experience, but still Disney special. I can’t wait to go again and stay longer over the holidays.
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