As we continue to make up for lost time after not traveling at all as a family last year, we arrive at the trip I’m most looking forward to: Baby Bricker’s first Christmas at Walt Disney World. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to do some amazing things in her first year-plus, but WDW is still the place we call “home” and the holiday season is our favorite time of the year in Florida.
We have so many memories together as a couple at Christmas from the last nearly two-decades and now we cannot wait to incorporate Baby Bricker (Megatron) into those, creating fresh traditions and forming new nostalgia that we’ll cherish for years to come. It’s also a bit of a homecoming for us, as Sarah and I have not been able to take our traditional Christmas trip to Walt Disney World together for the last two consecutive years–and we previously had not missed a year since 2007!
Suffice to say, I am beyond ready to be done with the solo holiday season trips and attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party as a family. To see Candlelight Processional together (probably from outside the amphitheater, but it still counts). To watch the Holiday Storytellers at EPCOT and Beacons of Magic. Even to attend Jollywood Nights–I’m really curious to hear Sarah’s opinion of the new party. Honestly, this list could be entirely Christmas entries because there are that many, but I’m going to mix it up to keep things interesting. Let’s dig in!
Wilderness Lodge at Christmas – We’re big on family traditions. We’re also big on Christmas. So it probably checks out that we’re biggest of all on Christmas family traditions. We’ve started a lot of these over the last couple years, fully realizing that not all of them will “stick” and that we’ll narrow our focus to the ones that actually become meaningful.
The Christmas tradition we would’ve liked to start was staying Old Faithful Club Level at Wilderness Lodge every year. Then we priced that out and, ahem, wow. Even for a split stay or one night, it was more than we could stomach. Suffice to say, we decided to downgrade…not just to a standard room at Wilderness Lodge, but to Port Orleans French Quarter. It’s been an expensive travel season for us and there’s “research” to be done on the new rooms at POFQ, so it just made sense.
As a result, the Christmas tradition we will actually be starting is a dinner at Wilderness Lodge followed by a family photoshoot (by me, not any professionals) all around our favorite spots at Wilderness Lodge. Fun shots, and also ones we can repeat on each Christmas-time trip to illustrate how much Megatron has grown. (There are actually a lot of locations around Wilderness Lodge that are perfect for charting height!)
Breakfast at Crystal Palace – Winnie the Pooh is in the running as one of Megatron’s favorite characters. Maybe one of her favorite people, period. She sees Pooh & Friends often at Disneyland because they’re low stakes characters, has a Pooh plush that she loves to boop on the nose, and reads their books.
Most of this is because I really like Winnie the Pooh, which is something I “discovered” relatively recently (pre-Megatron by a few years). Becoming a fan of Pooh, a hugely popular character who has been around a while, as an adult would be an odd thing to shout from the rooftops, so I’ve only mentioned it in passing a few times. But I really do love Pooh’s humor, attitude and charm–his whole “deal.” To the extent something that’s highly rated can still be underrated, I think Pooh is.
Anyway, Megatron agrees. Possibly for different reasons. But nevertheless, she loves seeing Winnie the Pooh and other characters from the Hundred Acre Wood. She even loves booping Pooh on the nose throughout the pages scattering the queue in Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. (A line she likes more than most rides!) Between her fondness for Winnie the Pooh and character meals, we can’t wait to see how she reacts to Crystal Palace.
Merry Menagerie (and Maybe Real Animals?!) – You’ve probably seen our effusive praise for Merry Menagerie at Animal Kingdom, which is arguably the highlight of the holiday season at Walt Disney World. In case not, Merry Menagerie is animal puppets that are majestic and awe-inspiring. Those are some strong words for what you could dismiss as visible humans moving around animals. It’s really not.
The Merry Menagerie puppeteers emote as they control the animals, and the line between performer and critter is blurs, as each takes on the personality and emotions of the other. It’s truly remarkable how effective this is, and how easy it is for guests to suspend disbelief. It’s one of those ‘little things’ at Walt Disney World we’ve been talking about recently that’s where the magic truly lives.
All of that is true with adults. Unsurprisingly, it’s even easier to get kids to suspend disbelief. Sometimes I can accomplish that with a Mickey Mouse or Winnie the Pooh plush and truly terrible voice over work. Point being, Megatron loves animals and loves puppets, so this should be an absolute slam dunk. I’m also hoping we get a proper do-over with DAK, and she takes an interest in animals other than just random squirrels and such.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree – This will be Megatron’s third version of Country Bear Jamboree, and first that’s exclusively in English. Not that the language part really matters…I think she’s in it just for the adorable cats. (In our house, these bears are cats.)
I also don’t really expect the more familiar Disney songbook at Country Bear Musical Jamboree to move the needle one way or another. Mostly because none of these songs are familiar to her. The only Disney songs she really knows and loves are “Grim Grinning Ghosts” (dad’s version) and “it’s a small world.”
Nevertheless, we love the Country Bears and will take every opportunity to indoctrinate her into the Bear Band’s ways that we get.
Ride the Rail, Sky & Water – One thing we’ve already learned is that many of Megatron’s favorite attractions are actually transportation rides. (Yep, she’s our daughter!) She loves to ride them and wave at people from them, or wave at them.
Nowhere has as many modes of transportation as Walt Disney World. The railroad, monorail, and various boats will certainly be fun–but I’m most looking forward to taking her on the Skyliner. It didn’t really register with her the last time we did it, but a lot has changed since then and her fondness for transportation has really blossomed in the last few months.
Snow on Main Street – There’s something magical about seeing snow fall. That’s true whether it’s the first time ever or first snow of the season. Even as a native Michigander who lived in the snow belt and regularly got dumped on by the lake effect snow machine, it still gets me.
Heck, even the fake stuff gets me in the parks. There’s something equally magical about experiencing a simulated snowfall on Main Street–it really is like being transported thousands of miles away to another time and place in the Midwest.
Megatron has yet to experience snow, real or fake, so we’re curious as to how she’ll react to it. Or if she will at all! Either way, it’ll be memorable for her parents to witness her watching her first-ever snoapfall!
4 Steps in 4 Parks in 1 Day – Megatron’s sleep schedule is now on Eastern Time, just like mine! This should make Baby’s First Early Entry and Rope Drop at Walt Disney World a distinct possibility. I love the idea of heading to EPCOT first thing, and having her walk through World Showcase (and beyond) as we get photos of her in our favorite place without other guests around.
Then the wheels started turning. Why stop there? If we’re out the door by 7:30 am, we could easily knock out EPCOT by 10:30 am, take the Skyliner over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, boat back to Beach Club to see the Mickey’s Christmas Carol Carousel, bus to Animal Kingdom to see Merry Menagerie, and bus to Magic Kingdom to close out the park! Kill like a half-dozen birds with one stone.
Even as I type this, I realize it’s overly ambitious and the wheels are bound to fall off by, like, step 3. Maybe well before that if we aren’t able to make it out the door of our hotel room on-time, as is often the case nowadays. (It seems like we’re perpetually in tardy mode.) So maybe the goal should just be “Baby’s First Rope Drop.” Even that might be overly optimistic once the practical realities come into play. Nah, let’s swing for the fences.
Say Goodbye to Rivers of America & Tom Sawyer Island – When I was originally coming up with this list, it was just Rivers of America. It didn’t seem like we’d have a chance or need to say goodbye to Tom Sawyer Island, at least as a family.
Wow how quickly things change with kids. Megatron went from barely being able to stand with assistance to capably running around and wanting to explore on her own, rejecting our hands, in the blink of an eye. (I guess she’s not really Baby Bricker anymore!) Now, we’re really excited to take her over to the island, let her explore, and see how she reacts to all of the little nooks and crannies of Tom Sawyer Island. And take lots and lots of photos, obviously.
Speaking of photos, Sarah and I have loved the peaceful promenade along the Rivers of America and have made a point of savoring this late at night for the last ~15 years. We have tons of photos of us as a couple over the years (…which might make you wonder why I chose the most awkward pose–it’s the oldest one I could find, from 2008!) and we’d love to add a new family photo Megatron. Hopefully one with a natural pose, but that’s not really our style.
Say Goodbye to the Boneyard – First we should probably say hello to it, I suppose. While we’ve paid cursory visits to the Boneyard over the years “for research,” we’ve never fully explored or appreciated it. Unlike Tom Sawyer Island, it feels less conducive to adults-only visits, and we haven’t wanted to be the awkward Childless Disney Millennials goofing around in a playground.
Part of me wonders if spending time in the Boneyard is a mistake. If this is one scenario where ignorance is bliss, and I’m better off with my current “good riddance” attitude towards Dino-Rama (technically this is part of Dinoland USA, and the whole of the area is better than just Dino-Rama).
Anyway, a few of our friends with kids love the Boneyard and rank it among Disney’s best play areas in all of the world. If this blog suddenly starts a grassroots campaign to save Dinoland USA in early 2025, I guess you’ll know where we stand on it. Even without spending extensive time there, I already think it’s odd Disney isn’t retheming this to Indiana Jones. It’s a workable theme and the parks need more spaces for kids to explore, not fewer.
Figment Meeting Figment – This is far and away #1. As mentioned in What Went Wrong During Baby Bricker’s First Trip to Walt Disney World, we failed to meet Figment. On our next, shorter family visit, we purposefully opted against meeting him, saving it for Christmas.
Now, the stars have aligned and Megatron fits into her Figment costume and will, fingers crossed, get to wear that while walking to meet Figment for the first time. I’ve had to remind myself not to get too excited or build anticipation too much, to avoid a situation where the expectations and reality don’t quite match. Because although Megatron loves meeting characters, there are certain ones she loves more than others.
The potential “problem” with Figment is that he’s more of an unknown. Whereas she’s well acquainted with Mickey Mouse & Friends or Winnie the Pooh’s Posse, her only familiarly with Figment is once on the ride (which she loved, but that was months ago) and the gigantic ‘statue’ of him next to her crib (which she also loves). Fingers crossed that the statue quadrupling in size is exciting instead of terrifying!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of our list of things we can’t wait to do with Megatron this Christmas at Walt Disney World? Any other future family traditions, photo ops, meaningful milestones, or things we should have her experience before they go away? What would your picks be for your family’s version of this list? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
