Chased By a Bear and a Trip to Urgent Care - A Very Merry Dis-mas 2016 TR! **Complete 2/23**

[coloredimage]

I know him from the show Eureka on the Syfy channel!

Same! Glad it's not just me because the second I saw the name I thought "wasn't he on Eureka?"

What did I get from this ride? The reinforced opinion that I really miss Maelstrom

This seems to be the overarching theme I've seen from a lot of people who were super in love with Maelstrom (myself included)

My favorite view <3 Lovely shot.

I wanted one thing while were were in the American pavilion...Fire Nog. This is just eggnog with Fireball in it. It was ok. If I hadn't watched them pour the liquor in, I'd have never known it was in there. It was the teeniest tiniest cup ever for $9.50. Learn from me and do not waste your money on this!

I won't waste my money if I ever go while it's sold but this sounds like a great idea to try next year at a holiday party!

creepy glowing eyes of death....

 

[MeghanEmily]

I agree with others - MIL would be a little out of line in my opinion here. Maybe if she said she was going to throw herself a party and foot the bill/invite people or something and was wondering if you'd just host at your place? I mean I don't know her and what the dynamic is with her in your family or anything, but it seems a little weird and ungrateful to me. You're totally cool and not over-reacting.

I don't know how actual Canadians feel about how their country is represented, but my goodness this is a beautiful pavilion!!

Allow me to be the voice of a real "actual Canadian" here! Nate and I think it's beautiful, too! This is where we're getting married this summer! ...that said, we think it's a kind of campy, ridiculous representation of our country as a whole. It adequately represents about 10% (if I'm being super generous) of Canada and it's culture, and pretty much 0% of our neck of the woods. But what can you really expect of a small pavilion in a theme park?? Not all of America is like its pavilion or anything either. And the Canada pavilion is gorgeous. We give it our stamp of approval.

I had similar feelings about Rose and Crown the one time we dined there. It was perfectly okay, but I'm not in a huge rush to go back. Nathan liked it better than I did though. And part of the appeal for us was watching Illuminations over dessert from the best table on their patio. (We lucked out on that one!)

We've never done a dining package or gotten legit seats for the processional because it never appealed to me strongly enough, but my mom and I watched most of the show standing at the back once and enjoyed it. I mostly only stopped because Marlee Matlin was narrating that time and I love her, but it was a lovely show either way.

The next morning was the beginning of our last park day, and we were starting things off with a DVC presentation...they were picking us up at 8:10am!

Looking forward to this! I've never caved on this one. (Only been asked a couple of times since if I'm not traveling with my mom I'm just a young-looking person with no kids, not really their target audience.) But I'm curious what you all thought of it and if it was worth your time!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Has anyone else been watching Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix?? We started it on Saturday night and are a few episodes in. I think it is HILARIOUS, but I haven't found anyone else who is watching!!

I am a HUGE Timothy Olyphant fan, so my husband and I binge watched all 10 episodes over the weekend...So funny!!!!!!!!

 

[PolyRob]

Hello again!

Has anyone else been watching Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix?? We started it on Saturday night and are a few episodes in. I think it is HILARIOUS, but I haven't found anyone else who is watching!!

It stars Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, and Drew's character is kind of a ho-hum boring mom character who suddenly gets ill and becomes a zombie, but not in the ugly, skin falling off kind of way...but definitely in the flesh eating sort of way.

If you're ok with swearing and gore, it is really, really funny. Timothy Olyphant is so good at playing the panicked but supportive husband.

I binge watched it Saturday. Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant were great! I feel like using the term "undead" helps separate her from traditional zombies. It was very enjoyable and I hope Netflix makes more seasons!

We had an easy exit from the theater after the show ended, and it was time for our fast pass for Frozen Ever After.

I was grateful for the pass, because the line was about 90 minutes long. The fast pass line moved quickly, so there wasn't time to stop and take pictures, or even look around much inside, which was a shame because it was really cute in there!

It was *maybe* five minutes from line entry to ride boarding

this Northern Lights scene was above the area where you load into the boats.

What did I get from this ride? The reinforced opinion that I really miss Maelstrom

The animatronics of Sven and Olaf were AMAZING, but Elsa was not working during her big Let it Go scene. Her hands were not moving, she was just standing still. I also learned that there is a ride photo. I had no idea until I saw the flash. That's why we ended up with THIS magical memory:

X and I were trying to stay toward the middle of the boat to avoid getting wet...DH and L did not think about that, and they got splashed. It was a chilly night, so not the best time to be walking around with wet clothes!

I just recently watched Frozen again and have a new appreciation for the ride. I agree, the animatronics look great, but I still feel the story is a little disjointed (is there even a story to follow?). After watching it again, I looked up the ride on YouTube to reminisce and saw the Elsa arm thing you experienced! (2:40)

 

[xlsm]

Sounds like a nice end to your day! Although you weren't super impressed with the CP, I'm glad you still enjoyed it!

Even though it was a full, busy day, it didn't seem hectic, which made it more enjoyable I think! I really liked the CP, it just wasn't quite what I had expected. I went in blind, didn't watch any videos or anything on Youtube...I think I was more disappointed by the value of the dining package, and it carried over to my feelings on the show maybe?

There is nothing weird or unnatural about hating Tom Brady, and you have my wholehearted support in this endeavor!

Haha!! I just hate his stupid cheating face. I'm pretty sure my hatred stems from the way he left his pregnant actress girlfriend and then wound up with Giselle. I don't even care how ridiculous it sounds, LOL!!

I want to watch this. It looks hilarious and I LOVE Timothy Olyphant. But, I don't like gore, so I'm very skeptical!!

I love Timothy Olyphant too!! There is a lot of blood and yucky stuff and I'm only 3 or 4 episodes in. I had to look away a couple of times, and I watch The Walking Dead, so just be prepared!

Same! Glad it's not just me because the second I saw the name I thought "wasn't he on Eureka?"

This seems to be the overarching theme I've seen from a lot of people who were super in love with Maelstrom (myself included)

My favorite view <3 Lovely shot.

I won't waste my money if I ever go while it's sold but this sounds like a great idea to try next year at a holiday party!

creepy glowing eyes of death....

Yes! I'm glad you know what Eureka is! I love that show.
The problem with the Frozen ride is (in my opinion) that Maelstrom was charming, and Frozen is just...a ride through some scenes from the movie/shorts. Don't get me wrong, the Sven and Olaf are truly impressive, but otherwise it's weak in terms of story.

Fireball mixed with eggnog should be a homerun! Definitely something to add to a party rotation.

I agree with others - MIL would be a little out of line in my opinion here. Maybe if she said she was going to throw herself a party and foot the bill/invite people or something and was wondering if you'd just host at your place? I mean I don't know her and what the dynamic is with her in your family or anything, but it seems a little weird and ungrateful to me. You're totally cool and not over-reacting.


Allow me to be the voice of a real "actual Canadian" here! Nate and I think it's beautiful, too! This is where we're getting married this summer! ...that said, we think it's a kind of campy, ridiculous representation of our country as a whole. It adequately represents about 10% (if I'm being super generous) of Canada and it's culture, and pretty much 0% of our neck of the woods. But what can you really expect of a small pavilion in a theme park?? Not all of America is like its pavilion or anything either. And the Canada pavilion is gorgeous. We give it our stamp of approval.

I had similar feelings about Rose and Crown the one time we dined there. It was perfectly okay, but I'm not in a huge rush to go back. Nathan liked it better than I did though. And part of the appeal for us was watching Illuminations over dessert from the best table on their patio. (We lucked out on that one!)

We've never done a dining package or gotten legit seats for the processional because it never appealed to me strongly enough, but my mom and I watched most of the show standing at the back once and enjoyed it. I mostly only stopped because Marlee Matlin was narrating that time and I love her, but it was a lovely show either way.

Looking forward to this! I've never caved on this one. (Only been asked a couple of times since if I'm not traveling with my mom I'm just a young-looking person with no kids, not really their target audience.) But I'm curious what you all thought of it and if it was worth your time!

MIL lives 5 hours away...and wants DH to plan, invite, and pay for everything. I think it's unreasonable, and I told him to call his sister and have her do it! I guess I just feel like we're being treated like a bank, and that's so wrong. It's just frustrating, as I'm sure you can imagine!

Thank you for being the voice of a true Canadian! OMG, that will make for such a beautiful wedding location!!

I understand about not having the majority of the country represented...it's not all waterfalls, totem poles, and gardens. I guess they just have to put in the pretty stuff so people like me take 9,000 pictures! You know, I think that's why I've never watched The American Adventure. I appreciate the work that went into building the United States, and the great men and women who have contributed so much, but I also hate that our history so glossed over and white washed. People don't want to showcase it warts and all...like the murdering of native people and destruction of land, persecution of minority groups, etc...
It isn't all the romantic notion of swashbuckling brave explorers standing triumphantly atop a mountain holding a flag...maybe I'm weird, but I hope more people feel the same way I do.

Sorry, I didn't mean to get so serious, LOL!! I also like glitter and rainbows

Oh, I'll bet R&C is so nice during Illuminations!

I have soooo many thoughts about the DVC thing, and I can't wait to write about it...although there's no pictures for that part, so I hope it doesn't end up being boring!

I am a HUGE Timothy Olyphant fan, so my husband and I binge watched all 10 episodes over the weekend...So funny!!!!!!!!

Ack, I need to catch up and finish the rest of the episodes! DH doesn't want me to watch it without him, but I might anyway!

I binge watched it Saturday. Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant were great! I feel like using the term "undead" helps separate her from traditional zombies. It was very enjoyable and I hope Netflix makes more seasons!



I just recently watched Frozen again and have a new appreciation for the ride. I agree, the animatronics look great, but I still feel the story is a little disjointed (is there even a story to follow?). After watching it again, I looked up the ride on YouTube to reminisce and saw the Elsa arm thing you experienced! (2:40)

Hooray, another Santa Clarita fan!! I'm so glad to have found a few people who like it too! I need to finish it up, we didn't have time to binge the whole thing.

I really like Frozen, and didn't get so sick of it like many people did (maybe b/c I don't have young daughters??), so I was very excited to see the new ride and have that experience. The "story" is very weak, and I'll admit, I didn't feel like it made much sense? Maybe I was tired or not paying enough attention, I don't know! I will ride it again in May with my mother-in-law and see how I feel about it then.

 

[Raeven]

That show sounds hilarious I'll have to check it out.

I hadn't watched any Candelight Processional videos or anything either, and we heard it was amazing but it just didn't really appeal to us (and we were already doing the Fantasmic package). I think that's about what I thought it wouls be nice but not a "must do".

Oh yeah I would've never wanted to wait in the regular line for Frozen Ever After especially once we rode it. And I really like Frozen too! The getting wet part was unpleasant I was trying to avoid it too

 

[MeghanEmily]

Thank you for being the voice of a true Canadian! OMG, that will make for such a beautiful wedding location!!

I understand about not having the majority of the country represented...it's not all waterfalls, totem poles, and gardens. I guess they just have to put in the pretty stuff so people like me take 9,000 pictures! You know, I think that's why I've never watched The American Adventure. I appreciate the work that went into building the United States, and the great men and women who have contributed so much, but I also hate that our history so glossed over and white washed. People don't want to showcase it warts and all...like the murdering of native people and destruction of land, persecution of minority groups, etc...
It isn't all the romantic notion of swashbuckling brave explorers standing triumphantly atop a mountain holding a flag...maybe I'm weird, but I hope more people feel the same way I do.

Sorry, I didn't mean to get so serious, LOL!! I also like glitter and rainbows

Totally agree! We have a similar issue in Canada, as I'm sure many countries do. In the interest of keeping this post non-pollitcal and following all the board guidelines, etc, I'll keep it vague. But Canadians like to pretend that we don't have issues with prejudice like you might expect of certain other places, but that kind of prejudice and lack of support still exists for Aboriginal Canadians in a big way (along with other minority groups as well)! It's easier to put up a totem pole (albeit a beautiful one by an aboriginal canadian artist!!) than discuss that kind history and lack of respect. The Canada in Epcot is basically totem poles, flowers, the Rockies, and the prettiest parts of Montreal!

That said, I also like glitter and rainbows! Lots and lots of glitter and rainbows!

 

[happymommy]

Loving your report (I'm not quite to the end yet)!

I wanted to let you know, if you're ever sick at Disney again, there is another clinic that sends a doctor to your room at Disney, even late at night. I had to use it, not once, but twice, one trip, when my son had an ear infection also, and then daughter had strep a few days later. They also bring a huge suitcase with most typical antibiotics, so filled the prescriptions right there at the room, and our insurance surprisingly reimbursed us 100%, even the extra $50 late night fee when one was after midnight (I was alone with my kids at the Dolphin resort, so didn't want to cart both to an ER and didn't have a car. When they were sick, they were really sick, so letting them wait in bed was huge. Both had high fevers.

 

[xlsm]

That show sounds hilarious I'll have to check it out.

I hadn't watched any Candelight Processional videos or anything either, and we heard it was amazing but it just didn't really appeal to us (and we were already doing the Fantasmic package). I think that's about what I thought it wouls be nice but not a "must do".

Oh yeah I would've never wanted to wait in the regular line for Frozen Ever After especially once we rode it. And I really like Frozen too! The getting wet part was unpleasant I was trying to avoid it too

Oh, I think you'd like the show! You should definitely give it a try!

And as for CP, yeah...it really was lovely, but not a must do for us. Would we stop and watch/listen again as we passed by? Sure! But it isn't a must do for us. I really thought it would be *more* somehow, but it is literally some choirs singing while a person reads the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible in bits and pieces between musical numbers. I am really glad we did it once, and even though I was/am frustrated by the cost of the dining package, I'm glad we had a seat guaranteed. I can't imagine how I'd feel if we waited forever in a line and then had the same opinion of the show.

I'm really curious to see what the future is for wait times at FEA. In three to five years I can't see it having the hour plus waits that it does now. I mean, I guess it could...Maelstrom had long lines sometimes...I just wonder about it.

Totally agree! We have a similar issue in Canada, as I'm sure many countries do. In the interest of keeping this post non-pollitcal and following all the board guidelines, etc, I'll keep it vague. But Canadians like to pretend that we don't have issues with prejudice like you might expect of certain other places, but that kind of prejudice and lack of support still exists for Aboriginal Canadians in a big way (along with other minority groups as well)! It's easier to put up a totem pole (albeit a beautiful one by an aboriginal canadian artist!!) than discuss that kind history and lack of respect. The Canada in Epcot is basically totem poles, flowers, the Rockies, and the prettiest parts of Montreal!

That said, I also like glitter and rainbows! Lots and lots of glitter and rainbows!

I struggle with keeping things vague in my reports and comments all the time, lol!!

No one wants to confront the reality of life at Disney World, I guess, which makes sense, but I am glad to know that I am not the only one who sees the tarnish on the shiny parts of their home pavilion!

Hooray for glitter and rainbows! And unicorns. We can't forget about unicorns!

Loving your report (I'm not quite to the end yet)!

I wanted to let you know, if you're ever sick at Disney again, there is another clinic that sends a doctor to your room at Disney, even late at night. I had to use it, not once, but twice, one trip, when my son had an ear infection also, and then daughter had strep a few days later. They also bring a huge suitcase with most typical antibiotics, so filled the prescriptions right there at the room, and our insurance surprisingly reimbursed us 100%, even the extra $50 late night fee when one was after midnight (I was alone with my kids at the Dolphin resort, so didn't want to cart both to an ER and didn't have a car. When they were sick, they were really sick, so letting them wait in bed was huge. Both had high fevers.

Thank you so much, I'm glad you're following along!!

That is such a good thing to know about the "house call" dr. visits! If something like that happens again, that's a wonderful resource to have!! I'm glad it worked out for you, I can't imagine how stressed I'd be if one of the kids got really sick and I was by myself away from home!

 

[xlsm]

And the plot thickens...

SIL emailed DH asking for money to send MIL to Scotland for her birthday.

I am not even kidding.

I'm not sure why his family has suddenly decided to start treating us like a bank, but I can't even think rationally about any of it. It just makes me angry. DH is incredibly frustrated with the whole situation.

We've started to consider telling her, sure, we'll throw some money into the pool, but WE'RE going to Disney World in May and you can come here and stay with the kids!

I don't know what's going to end up happening, but I'M at least going to WDW in May! I booked a dining package for Rivers of Light at Tiffins just a few minutes ago. I plan to keep it for now, and see how the seating looks. It may end up getting switched to a Fast Pass, we shall see!

But let's take it back to December again!

Our last park day is full and busy and oh so much fun!

Chapter Eight: Magical Days and Hollywood Nights

Waking up on your last park day is always a little sad. Even though you are filled with excitement for the day to come, you can't help but feel the nagging voice in the back of your mind telling you it's time to begin your goodbyes.

Our original plan for this day was to rope drop Magic Kingdom, because we had fast passes for our evening park. Things changed when we agreed to attend a DVC presentation. They offered us a $50 gift card and four fast passes...so we decided that losing a couple hours in the morning would be ok, since we would now have a few passes at Magic Kingdom.

They were sending a van and driver to pick us up at 8:10am, so we were up and ready pretty early. We headed down to the lobby at 8:00, and enjoyed the outdoor decorations while we waited.





There are no pictures from the DVC part, so this portion will be very long and wordy!

Our driver was on time, and we piled in the van on the way to Saratoga Springs for the presentation. The drive wasn't very long, and our driver was chatty, so the time passed quickly.
We had never visited Saratoga Springs before and it's always fun to see a new resort. We didn't get to see the lobby, because they drove us right to the little DVC showcase area. There were a couple of other families inside already. Fruit, pastries, coffee, juices, and water were available for the prospective DVCers, and we grabbed a few things while we sat. Actually, we had barely filled our plates and sat down before the CMs came to get all of us for the first part of the presentation.

We were allowed to take our food into the room where several chairs were set up in rows, and they started a video talking about DVC...basically a very stylized commercial showing happy families who loved their DVC memberships.

After that, they match up each family with a DVC guide. We were assigned to our guy, and walked back with him to his office. He offered juice and water, and ipads for the kids. We talked about our Disney trips past, present, and future, where we have stayed, where we plan to stay, etc...

He showed us different point scenarios, and he and DH talked and talked and talked FOREVER about the value of points when traded for other properties in other cities, banking points, etc...I admit, I glazed over. I was bored.
Our option for purchase was limited to the Polynesian, and we were offered a deal for the full year's points for 2016 even if we closed after the new year, and bonus points if we bought a certain amount. It actually worked out to be a decent value.

I did tell our guide that if we were to decide to purchase, the Poly wouldn't be our first choice. We would be much more likely to buy in at the new Copper Creek addition at the Wilderness Lodge, because we would want to buy where we would want to stay the most. It's no secret to any of you that our family adores the Wilderness Lodge, and if we were going to make the commitment to DVC, we would want the 11 month advantage to try to get a DVC room inside the Lodge proper. He was really trying to push the Poly, which is his job, but I stayed pretty firm. We were given a package with all the information we had discussed, and our offer for the deal at the Polynesian would be good for seven days. We asked to be put on a list to be contacted when Copper Creek sales opened (and he kept telling us if we bought at the Poly, we'd be among the first notified about CC, because owners get first chance to buy in at a reduced cost), and then it was time to go tour the model Poly unit.

As we walked over to see the model room (which was a Poly deluxe studio), we got to see one of the pools at Saratoga Springs, and I think the tennis courts? I'm fuzzy on that, but I remember being impressed because the grounds were very attractive and all of the facilities were impeccably clean and well taken care of.

The Polynesian Deluxe Studio was undeniably beautiful and well appointed. I loved the size of it, and the two shower/bath areas. The kids loved the little murphy bed.
Outside of the model room, they were doing construction on a new model...I assumed it was going to be a Copper Creek room. I'd like to get a look at those!

We finished the tour and were taken to another room to set up our fast passes and our return ride to the location of our choice. DH dealt with that stuff while I took the boys over to get FREE ice cream. Yep! There was an ice cream area set up, just like at any ice cream shop on property, with lots of flavors to choose from. After they got their ice cream, there was a toppings bar for them to load up on flavored syrups, various candy, cookies, sprinkles, etc...

I declined the ice cream treat, but the boys were thrilled. DH came back over and handed me the gift card, and then broke the bad news that they only gave us THREE fast passes instead of the four that we were originally promised, and they were limited - no Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, no Peter Pan's Flight, and if we used any at DHS, no Toy Story Midway Mania.

I was little irritated by this, because we had planned for each of us to pick a fast pass, since we'd been offered four.

We went to get in the van that was taking us to the Magic Kingdom. Our driver was awesome, and we really liked her. We had a loooooong drive back to the park and learned all about her and her life and family because we had to reroute our path to MK because a big truck had slid off the road and gotten stuck, blocking the road.

This whole thing was supposed to have taken around 90 minutes. It ended up lasting over THREE HOURS.

I wasn't very happy with how much time we had lost in the park that morning, but I was taking things in stride. We were dropped off right by the fenced off area separating the bus zone from the security at MK, which was very nice! We did have to go through the bag line this time since I had the DVC tote with me, but it didn't take too long. I was sooo happy to see this sight again!



We were greeted with a performance by the Dapper Dans, which is always a nice treat!



Our arrival coincided with the Move it Shake it Dance and Play it parade/dance party thing. It was right in the hub in front of the castle.



After being cooped up inside all morning, we were ready to get moving and have some fun! The boys wanted to use one of the "free" fast passes for Buzz Lightyear, so we set our course for Tomorrowland.



We stopped for a photopass picture along the way



We rode and had a good time, the pictures didn't load onto our account, but I wasn't too concerned about it. I can't remember who won It was probably DH!

Everyone was more than ready for lunch.

On the way out of Tomorrowland we saw the train go by...



It was crossing in front of Space Mountain, and looked so cool. The difference in the old fashioned train and the modern metal mountain. Unfortunately, I ruined the picture with my hand being in the way!



I was mad at myself when I saw that, but I was in a hurry to catch the shot

We made the decision to eat in Fantasyland




This was our first time eating here! It was just never in our path during a meal time before, and we usually end up at Casey's Corner or Columbia Harbour House.

It's so cute inside Pinocchio's Village Haus!





It's a lot bigger inside than I expected. (Like the Tardis, Doctor Who fans It's bigger on the inside!)
We sent the kids upstairs to get a table after we ordered, and DH and I waited for the food. X and I had pepperoni flatbread with no fries, L had it WITH fries, and DH had the chicken parm sandwich.



(L wrote me a little message with fries, lol!)



The food was hot, fresh, and tasty. We were pleased overall, and it was just what we needed to get us energized and ready to take on the rest of the park!

The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, and the crowds were out in force!



We passed through the edge of Liberty Square and decided to check the wait time for Haunted Mansion. It was posted at 30 minutes, which wasn't ideal, but we all really wanted to ride it since it was our last day, and we didn't want to use a pass for it. We had other plans for those! So, we elected to wait, and passed the time with Pokemon Go.











The specialized messages weren't working that day, so no funny things happened, just the typical hitch hiking ghosts sitting with us in the doom buggies. We started off toward our next ride we'd picked for a fast pass.

We got over by the Liberty Belle (which was docked and being set up for the Tiana's sundae parade party thing), when X told us he had left his phone on Haunted Mansion.

He told DH before he told me, which was probably good, because he's nicer than me, LOL!! L and I stayed put while X and DH went back to find it. We set off the little "lost phone alert" thing, which I do love about all of us having iphones! Luckily, someone heard it beeping and turned it in. We reunited once again, and kept heading toward our next adventure.



Have a happy Thursday!

 

[coloredimage]

SIL emailed DH asking for money to send MIL to Scotland for her birthday.

I am not even kidding.

I'm not sure why his family has suddenly decided to start treating us like a bank, but I can't even think rationally about any of it. It just makes me angry. DH is incredibly frustrated with the whole situation.

...

I don't even know how to respond to that. I'M frustrated by that situation and I've got no skin in that game.

We had never visited Saratoga Springs before and it's always fun to see a new resort.

I love Saratoga Springs. I've never stayed there but my dad's students performed in the little theater-y space they have there one year for Disney Honors. It was a beautiful hotel from what I remember of it.

Ugh. 3 hours??? I would have been hopping mad at that point.

 

[nimbuscat]

Great TR!! I started reading yesterday, as we just decided to book a trip around the same time period as yours for Christmas 2017. I've never done Disney at the holidays before, so this has been perfect for me!

 

[xlsm]

...

I don't even know how to respond to that. I'M frustrated by that situation and I've got no skin in that game.



I love Saratoga Springs. I've never stayed there but my dad's students performed in the little theater-y space they have there one year for Disney Honors. It was a beautiful hotel from what I remember of it.

Ugh. 3 hours??? I would have been hopping mad at that point.

Right?!?!? The whole situation is nonsense, in my opinion! I have got to find a way to compartmentalize my feelings, because I am starting to get even more anxious about taking this trip with MIL. I just need to focus on Flower and Garden, Rivers of Light, and saying goodbye to Wishes.

Saratoga Springs was very pretty! I think if we were DVC owners, or if we had a car while staying onsite, it would be somewhere I'd pick to stay. As it stands now, I like being close to the action too much!!

Oh, and I was mad about the three hour time suck! I kept trying to rush everyone along, but it just kept dragging. Luckily everything worked out pretty well once we got into the park.

Great TR!! I started reading yesterday, as we just decided to book a trip around the same time period as yours for Christmas 2017. I've never done Disney at the holidays before, so this has been perfect for me!

Welcome aboard!! I'm happy to have you here!

I think this week was a great time to visit WDW. The crowds increased as the week went on, but it was never unmanageable. We were always able to work around them. The only problem I had with it was feeling like our Christmas at home was rushed. I'm glad you're getting a little taste of things from my TR. The parks are really beautiful all dressed up for the holidays, you're going to love it!

 

[missangelalexis]

Are you serious? The MIL situation is getting out of control!

But how awesome that you booked a dining package for ROL!

The DVC presentation sounds interesting. And the free ice cream sounds nice! But that REALLY stinks that they only gave you 3 FPs and that they were limited. And that it took 3 hours! Good to know for the future...

How fortunate that X was able to recover his phone!

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

I did tell our guide that if we were to decide to purchase, the Poly wouldn't be our first choice. We would be much more likely to buy in at the new Copper Creek addition at the Wilderness Lodge, because we would want to buy where we would want to stay the most. It's no secret to any of you that our family adores the Wilderness Lodge, and if we were going to make the commitment to DVC, we would want the 11 month advantage to try to get a DVC room inside the Lodge proper. He was really trying to push the Poly, which is his job, but I stayed pretty firm. We were given a package with all the information we had discussed, and our offer for the deal at the Polynesian would be good for seven days. We asked to be put on a list to be contacted when Copper Creek sales opened (and he kept telling us if we bought at the Poly, we'd be among the first notified about CC, because owners get first chance to buy in at a reduced cost), and then it was time to go tour the model Poly unit.

As we walked over to see the model room (which was a Poly deluxe studio), we got to see one of the pools at Saratoga Springs, and I think the tennis courts? I'm fuzzy on that, but I remember being impressed because the grounds were very attractive and all of the facilities were impeccably clean and well taken care of.

The Polynesian Deluxe Studio was undeniably beautiful and well appointed. I loved the size of it, and the two shower/bath areas. The kids loved the little murphy bed.
Outside of the model room, they were doing construction on a new model...I assumed it was going to be a Copper Creek room. I'd like to get a look at those!

Ooh, this is all good info, thank you! We're exploring DVC options too (we've spoken to a phone rep and are holding firm for Copper Creek as well) and are thinking about a tour on our next full-family visit. Good to know what to expect.

 

[Raeven]

I don't know what's going to end up happening, but I'M at least going to WDW in May! I booked a dining package for Rivers of Light at Tiffins just a few minutes ago. I plan to keep it for now, and see how the seating looks. It may end up getting switched to a Fast Pass, we shall see!

I can't believe your family is asking you for money like that! I don't understand how this trip isn't enough of a present! We booked Tusker House for dinner I was going to switch to a FP, but Josh said we should keep it, and the idea of more bread pudding does sound tempting...

Waking up on your last park day is always a little sad. Even though you are filled with excitement for the day to come, you can't help but feel the nagging voice in the back of your mind telling you it's time to begin your goodbyes.

It is

and then broke the bad news that they only gave us THREE fast passes instead of the four that we were originally promised, and they were limited - no Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, no Peter Pan's Flight, and if we used any at DHS, no Toy Story Midway Mania.

This whole thing was supposed to have taken around 90 minutes. It ended up lasting over THREE HOURS.

Yikes I would've been mad!

 

[ariane37]

Ok I need to read your latest post but want to respond before I forget what I want to say since I'm behind
There have been many times in the past when Steve's brothers have treated us like a bank and it pisses me off to no end. I should be shocked at what your MIL and SIL are asking but in reality, that's family sometimes so I'm not Good luck whatever you do, I would be totally angry and I do like your idea of letting her watch X and L while you and DH go yourselves in May!
Now onto Disney I feel very similar to you on lots of your Epcot day adventures: Rose and Crown, CP, FEA. None really impressed me. We did see NPH narrate the CP the 2nd time we saw it and he's fantastic and yes, the choir is beautiful but.......I love other things lots more
I'll be back soon to read your last park day update #1!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Man, your family is getting nuts. Glad I'm not in your shoes. I totally agree - maybe she'll feel differently in terms of gratitude if her Disney vacation is off the table and she gets to stay home and babysit! Haha is that mean? Maybe a little. I don't care.

So glad to read your update about the DVC thing. I know Disney says they try to keep it on time to keep you from losing park time, but I've always heard those kind of things end up taking way longer than they're supposed to. Seems like that was your experience, too, which is not cool. We're not looking to purchase any time soon because we often stay at Values and Moderates anyway, and I'm hoping to go back to school next Fall, so probably not worth it for us to take time out of a trip to take a tour any time soon. Annoying that they were so pushy about Poly, even when you specifically told them if you purchased it would only be elsewhere. I guess it's their job to try to make the sale that day. Jeesh!

 

[dnllmz]

I'm sorry about the family drama. I was shocked that your mil even asked for you to throw a party for her even if you weren't taking her to Disney but I'm not into celebrating my birthday so I can't imagine asking someone to throw a party for me. I sure as hell wouldn't expect someone to throw me a party or even send me a card if they were taking me to Disney. Family can be so strange sometimes.

We didn't do CP because I didn't think my kids (that includes DH) would appreciate it. And I think I would of been like you. Liked it but not blown away by it so I'm glad that we didn't do it. We really enjoyed FEA. I did it twice with dd4 but would never do it without a fp & im not sure if we'd do it twice next trip. Maybe just once.

 

[xlsm]

Are you serious? The MIL situation is getting out of control!

But how awesome that you booked a dining package for ROL!

The DVC presentation sounds interesting. And the free ice cream sounds nice! But that REALLY stinks that they only gave you 3 FPs and that they were limited. And that it took 3 hours! Good to know for the future...

How fortunate that X was able to recover his phone!

It's totally out of control! I just. don't. understand

The boys were loving the free ice cream, but I was NOT happy about how long it took, and super annoyed by less FPs with limitations.

I was so glad they found his phone pretty easily. I was prepared to launch into a full scale freak out on him if they couldn't, LOL!!

Ooh, this is all good info, thank you! We're exploring DVC options too (we've spoken to a phone rep and are holding firm for Copper Creek as well) and are thinking about a tour on our next full-family visit. Good to know what to expect.

They have a room for kids under a certain age to hang out so they don't have to go sit with the parents, too. And they have iPads for kids to play on, too.

It was an interesting thing, but for the number of points we would want, plus dues, we wouldn't see any kind of return on investment for many years.
While it's still somewhat appealing to us, we really prefer the hotel treatment - I'm never going to cook on vacation, and I sure don't want to end up sleeping on a pull out bed on vacation, or having to bank or borrow to get larger accommodations if we brought friends. For us, I feel like it would be pretty restrictive and we'd end up spending a lot out of pocket anyway. But having a washer and dryer in some of the rooms would be amazing!

We talk about it quite often, but I'm not sure if it's something we'll ever do. If you're really interested, definitely make time for a tour on your next trip! Make sure you talk to a rep beforehand so you get offered perks I still have money on the gift card!

I can't believe your family is asking you for money like that! I don't understand how this trip isn't enough of a present! We booked Tusker House for dinner I was going to switch to a FP, but Josh said we should keep it, and the idea of more bread pudding does sound tempting...


It is



Yikes I would've been mad!

MIL might get pushed off the Tomorrowland bridge at this point, LOL!!

I think I'm pretty set on keeping the reservation over getting a FP, too. I doubt MIL will stay up late enough to see ROL after the Wishes dessert party the night before, so if she comes to dinner, I can give her ROL ticket to someone else as pixie dust...and if she doesn't, I'll enjoy the time alone!!

I was definitely more than annoyed by how long it took! And then for our ride to Magic Kingdom to get delayed too...it wasn't my happiest moment!

Ok I need to read your latest post but want to respond before I forget what I want to say since I'm behind
There have been many times in the past when Steve's brothers have treated us like a bank and it pisses me off to no end. I should be shocked at what your MIL and SIL are asking but in reality, that's family sometimes so I'm not Good luck whatever you do, I would be totally angry and I do like your idea of letting her watch X and L while you and DH go yourselves in May!
Now onto Disney I feel very similar to you on lots of your Epcot day adventures: Rose and Crown, CP, FEA. None really impressed me. We did see NPH narrate the CP the 2nd time we saw it and he's fantastic and yes, the choir is beautiful but.......I love other things lots more
I'll be back soon to read your last park day update #1!

Why do people have to be that way?? It's only DH's family that outright asks for stuff (and EXPECTS it! We have two kids to raise and send to college over here, it's not like we're sitting on endless fat stacks of cash!) but my stepmom and one sister just make snide comments anytime we do ANYTHING. My sister's husband did call and tell me what I was supposed to buy them for their baby shower. He called and said, "you're going to buy us this item." I was like, "I am? That's news to me! I already got you something else. And by the way, that's a really rude and inappropriate thing to do."

That's how we felt about all three of those Epcot things...good for a one and done, but not something we're chomping at the bit to do again! There's so much else in the World Showcase I'd rather eat or spend my time doing!

(And I loved seeing what you were up to at Universal!!!)

Man, your family is getting nuts. Glad I'm not in your shoes. I totally agree - maybe she'll feel differently in terms of gratitude if her Disney vacation is off the table and she gets to stay home and babysit! Haha is that mean? Maybe a little. I don't care.

So glad to read your update about the DVC thing. I know Disney says they try to keep it on time to keep you from losing park time, but I've always heard those kind of things end up taking way longer than they're supposed to. Seems like that was your experience, too, which is not cool. We're not looking to purchase any time soon because we often stay at Values and Moderates anyway, and I'm hoping to go back to school next Fall, so probably not worth it for us to take time out of a trip to take a tour any time soon. Annoying that they were so pushy about Poly, even when you specifically told them if you purchased it would only be elsewhere. I guess it's their job to try to make the sale that day. Jeesh!

I don't think it's mean at all!! Luckily the "bad family" is limited to a few people...at least in terms of asking for stuff. They're pretty much making me want to pull all of my hair out!

Yeah, I was frustrated by how long it took! Especially because it was our last park day. I'd always heard that it wasn't a hard sell, but our guy, while super nice, was definitely trying to get us to bite the bullet that day. Probably because of how close it was to Christmas?? I don't know if DVC is ever going to be right for us, because we enjoy the full service hotel experience. I'm glad we did the tour, because it really was eye opening, and gave us a lot to think about.

I'm sorry about the family drama. I was shocked that your mil even asked for you to throw a party for her even if you weren't taking her to Disney but I'm not into celebrating my birthday so I can't imagine asking someone to throw a party for me. I sure as hell wouldn't expect someone to throw me a party or even send me a card if they were taking me to Disney. Family can be so strange sometimes.

We didn't do CP because I didn't think my kids (that includes DH) would appreciate it. And I think I would of been like you. Liked it but not blown away by it so I'm glad that we didn't do it. We really enjoyed FEA. I did it twice with dd4 but would never do it without a fp & im not sure if we'd do it twice next trip. Maybe just once.

I'm the same way about my birthday. It's coming up in a couple weeks, and I don't want anyone to get me anything, I want it to just be a normal day (but maybe with cake!!). I feel uncomfortable with surprises and gifts...and while I can understand someone wanting a party, it still seems super odd to me to ASK someone to throw one for you. Ugh. Family.

Yeah, the CP was nice, but I can't imagine little kids caring about it one single bit. I mean, maybe some, but by and large, no. I do think I'd stop and listen while passing by if there during the holidays again, but I don't think I'd go sit for it again. Unless someone I REALLY wanted to see was narrating.

I was incredibly impressed by the animatronics on FEA, and I'd do it again to see them...and I'd like to see Elsa operating correctly. But the line! Yikes! Definitely worth the fast pass to avoid that wait for the short ride.