On the 1st Day of Christmas Walt Disney Gave to Me.....Final Chapter 5/14/10!

[CRdisMom]

ellen--my vote is naught. It sounds like the mcSparklsons were opening cans of whoop

[karajeboo]

Originally Posted by stich626

Subbing, but please don't hate me as I am a Michigan fan. lol

Who are you and what are you doing on my TR? Oh, funny story.... we have some great friends who are UM fans and I love to remind them of this.... two years ago Santa brought Ally a puppy for Christmas and we named him Buckeye. In honor of Bo Schembechler, when he goes potty outside we taught him to go BoBo. And to do #2? We taught him to.... are you ready? We taught him to.... this is good.... we taught him to..... "M Go Poo"!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by DisneysRedhead

Ooo yeah! I was reading your other TR and now I can read this one! Can't wait for the rest of the 12 days of x-mas!

I've got the first 5 figured out, but I'm stuck on the rest - hopefully I'll be inspired and it will come to me!!!

Originally Posted by praisehisname

The Wilderness Lodge is so pretty. I really want to stay there someday!

It really was beautiful. Especially since it was very damp and chilly the first day, and the lodge was so warm and cozy.

Originally Posted by englishrose47

Born Nuts !!!!The insults continueI hveonly stayed at Popand have to agree their buses are great from th resort, however at MK you need to pack a bag for the LONG haul to the last bus stop !!!I don't find POP spread out but then I've only been in 50's ad 60's!I almost styed at POFQ and that is still one want to try!

Actually, I think CSR has the best bus stops. They are all so close to the entrance of the parks except for one (can't remember which one though). Insults? Who, me?

Originally Posted by Native NYer

Joining in. WL looks so beautiful.

It was! The tree in the lobby was HUGE!

Originally Posted by podsnel

Hi girlie!! I am very anxious to see all the Christmas stuff- I am dying to go at Christmas time, but Pods is just not into it- he says it won't be warm enough (this from the man who complained CONSTANTLY about the heat when we were there in September). Sheesh- he's freakin' Goldilocks, there's no pleasin' him!!

Can't wait to see what you did. And whether you were naughty or nice!

Tell Pods it was 85 and sunny on our last day - it got HOT! December-Feb in Florida is a crap shoot. You just don't know what you're gonna get.

Originally Posted by englishrose47

Oh Good Ellen you are here to defend me !!! Kara is spreading rumors about me

I know you are but what am I????

Originally Posted by ScotsMinnie

I'm in! Visited Wilderness Lodge for the first time this year and thought it was beautiful. Looking forward to hearing about your trip.
Lx

Again, even MORE beautiful at Christmas! But think about it. Disney. Christmas. Two of the most beautiful things alone, and when you put them together it is pure BLISS!

Originally Posted by MaryAz

Yay another TR!!

I think if I put this much effort into cleaning my house it would be spotless!

Originally Posted by CRdisMom

ellen--my vote is naught. It sounds like the mcSparklsons were opening cans of whoop

And you would be right! We were quite naughty a couple times this trip - but it was in response to REALLY naughty people and yes, we did have to open a can of whoop a$$ a couple of times!

[mom2shayleeandlogan]

WL looks beautiful! Can't wait to read more!

[englishrose47]

Ellen she is claiming innocense !!!

[ICanFly!]

I am loving reading about your adventure! We went to WDW last Christmas (19th thru the 29th) and loved it! We stayed at the WL. They upgraded us from a room with a queen and a set of bunkbeds....we have a 16yr old son..his feet hung out the end of the bunk beds by almost a foot! lol...anyways we were on the side closest to the water and the GF and Polynesian. So a tree view. Well, they upgraded us to 2 queen beds and we had a view of the pool court area! it was awesome! The tree in the lodge was huge and beautiful! And the weather was perfect in December. I so want to go back in December again.

Loved the WL so much that this last July I took my best friend there after we went to the 4th of July Daytona race. Now that was a hot muggy week we were there! It thundershowered every afternoon. And we got there the afternoon after the monorail worker was killed. So no monorail for a day and a half. The buses were moving rather well and fast considering.

We must have been lucky...no issues with transportation for us. We got everywhere in great time...and no rude people.

Can't wait to hear more.....

[karajeboo]

Originally Posted by mom2shayleeandlogan

WL looks beautiful! Can't wait to read more!

A four day weekend and no family in town until AFTER Christmas, means I should have more time to update my TR!

Originally Posted by englishrose47

Ellen she is claiming innocense !!!

What, is Ellen the mom now??? Rosie is telling on me!!!!

Originally Posted by ICanFly!

I am loving reading about your adventure! We went to WDW last Christmas (19th thru the 29th) and loved it! We stayed at the WL. They upgraded us from a room with a queen and a set of bunkbeds....we have a 16yr old son..his feet hung out the end of the bunk beds by almost a foot! lol...anyways we were on the side closest to the water and the GF and Polynesian. So a tree view. Well, they upgraded us to 2 queen beds and we had a view of the pool court area! it was awesome! The tree in the lodge was huge and beautiful! And the weather was perfect in December. I so want to go back in December again.

Loved the WL so much that this last July I took my best friend there after we went to the 4th of July Daytona race. Now that was a hot muggy week we were there! It thundershowered every afternoon. And we got there the afternoon after the monorail worker was killed. So no monorail for a day and a half. The buses were moving rather well and fast considering.

We must have been lucky...no issues with transportation for us. We got everywhere in great time...and no rude people.

Can't wait to hear more.....

Living in Florida, I know how hot and humid it can be in the summer. That's why we opted for the Florida resident season passes which have us blacked out from mid June through mid-August. I can't imagine fighting the crowds AND the heat then! And our weather was very cool and damp the first day. High in the upper 50's which isn't bad but it was so damp that it just chilled us to the bone! Then the next two days were Florida chamber of commerce days. 70's one day and then mid 80's the next but sunny and dry!!!

[ICanFly!]

Living in Florida, I know how hot and humid it can be in the summer. That's why we opted for the Florida resident season passes which have us blacked out from mid June through mid-August. I can't imagine fighting the crowds AND the heat then! And our weather was very cool and damp the first day. High in the upper 50's which isn't bad but it was so damp that it just chilled us to the bone! Then the next two days were Florida chamber of commerce days. 70's one day and then mid 80's the next but sunny and dry!!![/QUOTE]

Actually the crowds weren't bad I was amazingly surprised! For July 5th thru the 12th. I mean even walking in Epcot the walkways were very bare! We knew that about 2pm the rain would hit so we started planning our days to do outside stuff until then. Around 2 we would do inside rides, a nice lunch or the shows. One day we even did a hotel tour! That is all we did...toured all the hotels! It was so fun! It rained off and on all that day tho'. We were never cold just usually wet, which after a while you get crabby especially when your wet and hot from the mugginess. Is that a word? If not it is now Christmas week was definately busier with people, but you learn what parks to stay out of on christmas day. Mainly MK. AK wasn't too busy Christmas day...great day of fun and not bad on the crowds. We did have one day where the wind blew and I had to buy a sweatshirt it was so cold- upper 50's low 60's. Otherwise it stayed in the 74 to 82 degree range the whole time.

[stich626]

M went poo alot this year. lol

[AlohaPolynesian]

Nice update. WL is one of the few resorts I'd never stay at...the rooms are just not appealing to me at all for some reason. Of course, I also said that about the BoardWalk last year and I just got back from a trip there and loved it so I guess I should never say never!

[khertz]

Just dropping in to say that I'm subscribing! How nice to be able to just take a two hour drive to WDW for the weekend. I would LOVE that!! We were in WDW that same weekend. :-) That was the weekend it really warmed up and I was wishing I had packed more shorts & t-shirts! Look forward to reading more.

[englishrose47]

Merry Christmas to all the Karajeboos !!!

[karajeboo]

Originally Posted by ICanFly!

Living in Florida, I know how hot and humid it can be in the summer. That's why we opted for the Florida resident season passes which have us blacked out from mid June through mid-August. I can't imagine fighting the crowds AND the heat then! And our weather was very cool and damp the first day. High in the upper 50's which isn't bad but it was so damp that it just chilled us to the bone! Then the next two days were Florida chamber of commerce days. 70's one day and then mid 80's the next but sunny and dry!!!

Actually the crowds weren't bad I was amazingly surprised! For July 5th thru the 12th. I mean even walking in Epcot the walkways were very bare! We knew that about 2pm the rain would hit so we started planning our days to do outside stuff until then. Around 2 we would do inside rides, a nice lunch or the shows. One day we even did a hotel tour! That is all we did...toured all the hotels! It was so fun! It rained off and on all that day tho'. We were never cold just usually wet, which after a while you get crabby especially when your wet and hot from the mugginess. Is that a word? If not it is now Christmas week was definately busier with people, but you learn what parks to stay out of on christmas day. Mainly MK. AK wasn't too busy Christmas day...great day of fun and not bad on the crowds. We did have one day where the wind blew and I had to buy a sweatshirt it was so cold- upper 50's low 60's. Otherwise it stayed in the 74 to 82 degree range the whole time.[/QUOTE]

I'll tell you what else helps to determine which parks to go by - Tour Guide Mike.... I swear by his recommendations!

Originally Posted by stich626

M went poo alot this year. lol

Very true! But I look forward to them getting stronger - I love the rivalry!

Originally Posted by AlohaPolynesian

Nice update. WL is one of the few resorts I'd never stay at...the rooms are just not appealing to me at all for some reason. Of course, I also said that about the BoardWalk last year and I just got back from a trip there and loved it so I guess I should never say never!

TOTALLY different from BW! I'm partial to all the Epcot resorts, just because that is my favorite park. But WL did have its benefits too....

Originally Posted by khertz

Just dropping in to say that I'm subscribing! How nice to be able to just take a two hour drive to WDW for the weekend. I would LOVE that!! We were in WDW that same weekend. :-) That was the weekend it really warmed up and I was wishing I had packed more shorts & t-shirts! Look forward to reading more.

I ended up in a skort with leggings under it on Saturday and shorts on Sunday. I couldn't believe the temperature change between Friday and Sunday!

Originally Posted by englishrose47

Merry Christmas to all the Karajeboos !!!

Same to you Rosie!!!

[karajeboo]

On the 3rd day of Christmas, Walt Disney gave to me.....

3 Season Passes
2 and a half hours drive time
And a room at the Wilderness Lodge.

When we moved to Florida in late 2007, we already had a grand gathering scheduled for the following May with Jeff's family. His parents picked up the tab for rooms, tickets, and dining plan for the whole trip!

It was while on a bus from the resort that we started talking with some folks from Tampa who suggested we visit Guest Services to check on upgrading our tickets (paid for by my inlaws) into season passes.

Well as luck would have it, we not only upgraded at NO COST but ended up with a $200 Disney gift card!!!

So last year I figured I spent 24 days in WDW, and this year I'm well on my way.

Jeff laughs (well I'm guessing its tears of laughter) when he says that our FREE trip with his parents has cost him a lot of money ever since!

So here we are off to DHS with our passes and not a care in the world.

Well, except I DID care about rain. And the fact that Mr Weatherman was calling for it all day. And I DID care about cold. Well, Florida cold.

And I'll have you know that Florida cold is different from normal cold. It's damp. It's biting. It really goes right through you!

I'm sitting here typing right now and it's 67 outside (yeah, I know you all want to throttle me right through your monitors right now ) and I am freezing!!!

We were all bundled up in sweatshirts and jeans - first time I've EVER been in long pants in WDW! Hmmm, a first!

We hopped off the bus, ponchos at the ready, to marvel at the tree in front of DHS.



See the gray and gloomy skies?

First thing we did was head to TSM to grab fast passes for later in the day. Then off to the two biggies - RNR and ToT.

When we got in line for RnR, there was a HUGE group of high school kids from Argentina. Not really bad, but just so many and singing.... oy vey!

Now let me tell you a bit about my love/hate relationship with Rock n Roller Coaster. I love that it's a fun, smooth ride, with awesome music! I HATE the takeoff and the way it takes my breath away.

So.......

I took the chicken exit and let Jeff and Ally ride together.



Funny, when Jeff got off he said he can feel his age on these thrill rides now....

On to ToT - an attraction I can ride over and over. I just LOVE it!

So as we're in the queue, we are put in our positions to board the elevator. There are two wheelchairs that are in our group. So naturally it takes quite a bit longer to board.

This throws the whole timing out of whack.

The doors close. We go up. We see the "doo doo doo doo" of the Twilight Zone. The doors close.

And we sit there.

In TOTAL darkness. For a while. In all reality, probably 1-2 minutes. Go ahead. Try it.

Go to your closet and turn off all the lights and stay still for 1-2 minutes. I'll be here when you get back.

It's a LONG time to be suspended in an elevator that we all know already has some issues!!!! IN THE DARK!!!

There was a lot of nervous laughter in there, before we finally got moving again.

Finally, we fell. Up, down, repeat. Ride over. Loved it!!!!

By now we had about an hour to kill before our ADRs for a late lunch, so Ally and I checked out the times guide and we were just in time for.....


THIS..... is American Idol!




I actually took some video bursts, but I haven't figured out how to download those yet... I might work on that this weekend so you can see the kind of talent that rolls in here.

Let's just say that Jeff thinks Disney has some ringers on standby - cause the two that did NOT win, were not good at all. The one that DID win, would easily make it on to HOllywood. I don't know. He was awfully jovial, good with the camera, great stage presence. Too polished.

You can decide for yourself. Ringer?

American Idol ringer?

But it was lots of fun again! Love this new attraction!

It was now time to head to Hollywood Brown Derby for lunch. I'll be back with food porn and my review of our meal here!!!

If I'm not back before, I want to wish you all a safe and merry Christmas!!!

[emser]

You really AREN'T talking about the "cold" again, are you?!?
I see 40 degrees and get soooooo excited!!
Huh, maybe we should wait and go to HS on Saturday when we meet you...you and Spencer can act like your gonna ride RnR, but chicken out at the end. He can learn how to be "tough" from Aunt KJ!!

[MEK]

Loved your last two updates. I enjoyed reading your impressions of the villas vs. the lodge. Since I'm DVC I have no choice but to stay in the villas. I hope I don't feel too far removed from the lodge. I don't think I will. I am an early morning explorer and I will seek out every nook and cranny.

I don't like the idea of the buses going to FW, but what are you going to do? My DH usually likes to rent a car, so I guess it won't be an issue.

I think I would have freaked a bit with a tuck ToT elevator. I have a love - hate relationship with that ride. I love it, but it always makes me a bit nervous!

As far as AI - I definately think they plants ringers in the show. they have to - its a show and the bottom line is they have to keep people entertained.