There's no place like "home" for the holidays...*updated 3/18 p. 43 and 44*

[Jennifer48]

I absolutely loved TSM. I don't know how people could not unless they have trouble with the shooter. Your hand gets tired!

When I was there in December, the line for the Prince Caspian exhibit was always over 60 minutes. I couldn't believe it. So I never got to see it and I love the Narnia books and movies.

Can't wait to hear about Fantasia Gardens. I've always wanted to go but never seem to fit it in!

 

[kathleen27]

Great update!

Sounds like you got a lot done!

The TSM ride is amazing. We missed the queue though since we used fp. Funny that you got mad at the stranger!

I like the "cool" pose at RNRC!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi Sarah!

More lovely photos of my spiritual home One day I will go, don't know where I'll get the money - maybe if i sell one of the kids, or a kidney....don't really see the need for two?

Anyway, enjoyed the updates, we were a bit disappointed in the Narnia 'attraction' as well, not an awful lot to it.

We kept missing the Jedi training our trip, so it will definately be on the 'to do' list next year.

Di x

 

[xoktenox]

I love all those pics of the Pixar Place area! The detail in them is so amazing, part of what make Disney so amazing. The Jedi training sounds so cute

Can't wait to hear about Fantasia Gardens

 

[Lemap760]

Enjoying your trip report. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Michelle_and_Aaron]

So did you guys do star tours while you were over at jedi training academy? I have never ridden that but a lot of people say it can make you sick to your stomach. Isn't the trainig academy cute though? I hate the crowds but the vibe of all that stuff in Star Wars Weekends is great. If you guys go in May or June you should check it out.

 

[jwwi]

Hi neighbor,

I found this TR late, but just got caught up. I love all the Christmas decorations , and you sure picked a good time to get out of WI. The BCV area is so beautiful, I would love to stay there some day.

We are huge Brewers and MU fans, so it is funny to see you in all your team wear in all the pictures. Are you going to the winter warm up?

My DD is a teacher too, she was very fortunate to get a job out of college, she is in the Tosa district. But I know it is tough to get a full time position.

Your TR is fun to read. Keep warm this weekend.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Okay now I had to come over and check out your report since you posted on mine that we were there at the same time, and I am loving reading your report! On Tuesday night and Thursday morning we apparently followed each other and were doing all the same things, too funny! And lucky you- the Beach club was really beautiful when visited there. I can't wait to read more.

P.S. I am totally jealous that you went to the gymnastics tour show, I am a huge gymnastics nut and it looks like it was lots of fun

Hi! Thanks for coming over to my TR! That is really funny we were at the same places on the those days! Yeah, we really loved the Beach Club...hopefully some day we'll get to go back but I guess it's really hard to get rooms there because it's the smallest DVC resort (I think...).

Ohh, the gymnastics show was really cool! I loved seeing all those Olympians.

Another great update. I love looking at pictures of the Beach Club and Yacht Club pictures. I think that's the only way I'll ever get there. haha I can't wait to ride Toy Story in June. I'm hoping the hype will be almost over and we won't have to wait so long for a fast pass.
I love watching the kids do the Jedi thing because they really get into it. Like they're really fighting the REAL Darth Vader.

Well, you never know, I didn't think we'd ever get to stay at the Beach Club...maybe some day you will! You will love Toy Story Mania...it is so much fun.

hahaha, yeah some of the kids were really into it. So cute!

I absolutely loved TSM. I don't know how people could not unless they have trouble with the shooter. Your hand gets tired!

When I was there in December, the line for the Prince Caspian exhibit was always over 60 minutes. I couldn't believe it. So I never got to see it and I love the Narnia books and movies.

Can't wait to hear about Fantasia Gardens. I've always wanted to go but never seem to fit it in!

I know, it's just a great ride and I love the extra little effects if you hit certain targets.

Oh wow, that is crazy! I've never really read any of the Narnia books...I did end up buying Prince Caspian after the movie came out. But maybe I will get the others to add to my future classroom library!

Fantasia Gardens is a lot of fun...you should try it sometime!

Great update!

Sounds like you got a lot done!

The TSM ride is amazing. We missed the queue though since we used fp. Funny that you got mad at the stranger!

I like the "cool" pose at RNRC!

We did get to do a lot considering we were only there for a few hours.

I don't know why I got mad...but on the bright side I beat my score from the first ride in the morning!

Hi Sarah!

More lovely photos of my spiritual home One day I will go, don't know where I'll get the money - maybe if i sell one of the kids, or a kidney....don't really see the need for two?

Anyway, enjoyed the updates, we were a bit disappointed in the Narnia 'attraction' as well, not an awful lot to it.

We kept missing the Jedi training our trip, so it will definately be on the 'to do' list next year.

Di x

Hey there!

I'm glad you liked the pictures of the Beach Club.

Yeah, I just remember a while ago they had walk-through attractions for other movies that had a lot more to see. I guess I thought it would be more like those.

I love all those pics of the Pixar Place area! The detail in them is so amazing, part of what make Disney so amazing. The Jedi training sounds so cute

Can't wait to hear about Fantasia Gardens

Oh, I know, sometime I want to take a longer trip so I can just spend some time in the parks looking at some of the details. I have the Disney Treasure Hunt book but haven't gotten around to using it yet!

Enjoying your trip report. Can't wait to hear more.

I'm glad you're enjoying my trip report.

So did you guys do star tours while you were over at jedi training academy? I have never ridden that but a lot of people say it can make you sick to your stomach. Isn't the trainig academy cute though? I hate the crowds but the vibe of all that stuff in Star Wars Weekends is great. If you guys go in May or June you should check it out.

Oh no, we did not do Star Tours. I've never been on it (I hate motion simulator rides...there was one at Universal, some Jimmy Neutron thing that I thought I was going to get sick on...and that was designed for kids!!!!). Emma went on it once a few years ago with Dad and didn't really like it so we just never bother. The Star Wars Weekends would be kind of cool!

Hi neighbor,

I found this TR late, but just got caught up. I love all the Christmas decorations , and you sure picked a good time to get out of WI. The BCV area is so beautiful, I would love to stay there some day.

We are huge Brewers and MU fans, so it is funny to see you in all your team wear in all the pictures. Are you going to the winter warm up?

My DD is a teacher too, she was very fortunate to get a job out of college, she is in the Tosa district. But I know it is tough to get a full time position.

Your TR is fun to read. Keep warm this weekend.

Hi!

It was soooo nice to get out of WI for a bit but it was no fun coming home to the cold (but then again it's never fun to come home from Disney World).

haha yeah, atleast one of us wore Brewers/Marquette/Packers stuff every day so we met a lot of other Wisconsinites that way. We thought about going to the winter warmup but decided not to since there's a MU game this afternoon too. We went last year and it was pretty insane...we had no idea it was so popular.

That is great your DD was able to get a job right away. I am definitely jealous but I'm hoping something will come along for next year!

Thanks for reading my TR!

 

[tinkerbell87512]

I loved TSM! I actually kind of wished I had went on during a busy time of day. I want to look around the queue line a bit next time.

Loved the pic of you guys outside of RnR!!! Can't wait for more!

 

[wdwgirl03]

I loved TSM! I actually kind of wished I had went on during a busy time of day. I want to look around the queue line a bit next time.

Loved the pic of you guys outside of RnR!!! Can't wait for more!

Yeah, I agree...in May when they were doing the previews we saw a little bit more of the queue since they didn't have fastpasses. But sometime I wouldn't mind waiting a little longer to admire some more of the details.

haha, thanks. Working on a new update right now...

 

[wdwgirl03]

Thursday, December 18, 2008 cont'd (part 3)

On the way out of Hollywood Studios we saw the Christmas tree. I loved the giant film reels at the bottom...perfect theming for DHS.

Emma took a picture of me and Dad...I think this one turned out pretty cute.

Then we headed over to the dock to catch a boat over to the Swan and Dolphin. We'd get off there and walk over to Fantasia Gardens. It didn't take too long for a boat to come and we were on our way. The walk to Fantasia Gardens is not bad...you literally just walk down the pathway in between the two resorts, cross the street, and you're there. When we arrived at the mini golf course, there weren't too many people there. If you've never gone mini golfing before, it seems like it gets more crowded at night (especially during times when the parks close early) because people are too busy visiting the parks during the day. Dad has an annual pass so we were able to get a good discount with that...I think it was 50% or something. We got our clubs and each picked out which color golf ball we wanted to use and we were ready to play! Since we were just playing for fun we didn't bother keeping score at all. Oh yes, I should also mention that there are 2 courses...one is Fantasia Gardens which is the typical mini golf course and then there's Fantasia Fairways which is more challenging because it has hazards like you'd find on a real golf course. We chose Fantasia Gardens because it's more fun.

Each hole has a little poem to get you started. Here's the first hole!

As you can probably guess, some of the holes are more difficult than others...and it seems they get a little trickier as you progress through the course. This hole with the flowers was pretty early on (and therefore pretty simple!) and I am proud to say I got a hole-in-one on this one!

Emma taking her turn...

We continued on and eventually found ourselves at this hole. The poem tells you to try and hit it through the crocodile's mouth (you can kind of see the hole is right in that path then). Well, most of the time it's impossible so we usually ended up going around the sides. But since there was nobody else on the course with us, sometimes Emma and Dad would try the hole a second time to see if they could do it.

Here's the Sorcerer Mickey hole! You can see how close the course is to Hollywood Studios.

And the poem...

I forget how it happened but after you hit the ball water would spray out from his fingers (there's a couple holes with little effects like that ). Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't though. Oh well.

When we finished the course we turned in our clubs and the CM gave us each a couple surprises. We got a souvenir golf ball, a mini sharpie marker, and a lollipop. The picture on the ball is actually what the last hole looks like. My dad collects golf balls so it was kind of a perfect souvenir for him!

One final shot from Fantasia Gardens...

Overall it was a fun time. We all got a hole-in-one on some hole and we didn't lose our balls in the water (there are some little ponds so if you hit the ball a little too hard you could lose it...which we did see some lost balls ). I love the mini golf courses at Disney World so I was glad we were able to do it again. Because it was getting to be early afternoon, we walked back to the Beach Club to take a short break. We wanted to get some rest before the main event...Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

That is a really cute picture of you and your Dad. Fantasia Gardens sounds like it's a lot of fun. I didn't realize it was that close to DHS, what a great activity.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Great update! I think we're gonna play golf this time too. I have oodles of vouchers saved up.

 

[lmillercrew]

I wanna try mini golf too! It's something we haven't ever done there. I looks really fun.

 

[Jennifer48]

Great update of Fantasia Gardens. I didn't realize there were 2 courses. I always thought there was just the greens one and not a normal mini-golf course. Thanks for the info!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi Sarah,

Fantasia Gardens looks really fun - we went to WinterSummerland which was fun as well! I'm pleased to say I got some hole-in-ones as well! It's nice to do something a bit less frantic than the parks, though depending who you play with it might not be.......my DH is very competitive!!!!

Can't wait to see the photos from MVMCP!!!

Di x

 

[xoktenox]

Sounds like mini golfing was a good time! Can't wait to hear all about MVMCP!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

That is a really cute picture of you and your Dad. Fantasia Gardens sounds like it's a lot of fun. I didn't realize it was that close to DHS, what a great activity.

Yeah, it's just another thing in the Epcot/DHS area. It is a lot of fun.

Great update! I think we're gonna play golf this time too. I have oodles of vouchers saved up.

Oh cool! Might as well use your vouchers!

I wanna try mini golf too! It's something we haven't ever done there. I looks really fun.

You should try it. It's worth doing atleast once even if you don't like golf.

Great update of Fantasia Gardens. I didn't realize there were 2 courses. I always thought there was just the greens one and not a normal mini-golf course. Thanks for the info!

Thanks! Yup, there's 2 courses but we always just play the Fantasia Gardens course. I think we'd get too mad if we tried the other one.

Hi Sarah,

Fantasia Gardens looks really fun - we went to WinterSummerland which was fun as well! I'm pleased to say I got some hole-in-ones as well! It's nice to do something a bit less frantic than the parks, though depending who you play with it might not be.......my DH is very competitive!!!!

Can't wait to see the photos from MVMCP!!!

Di x

Hi!

We've played at Winter Summerland and enjoy those courses too. Though I have to say I think they are a lot easier than Fantasia Gardens (I swear on the winter course they funnel your ball to the hole so you get a hole-in-one!). haha, I know what you mean, when we were younger we'd get mad if someone got a hole-in-one.

I can't wait to tell you guys about the party!

Sounds like mini golfing was a good time! Can't wait to hear all about MVMCP!!

Mini golfing was fun and it was a nice activity to break up the day.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Thursday, December 18, 2008 cont'd (part 4)

After mini golfing, we walked back to the Beach Club to take a short break. And I mean short. I think we may have been in the room for maybe an hour before we decided to head out again. As I've learned from the DIS, when it comes to the parties you're allowed to get in with your party ticket relatively early. But I wanted to see the decorations at some of the Magic Kingdom resorts (and nobody seemed to argue with that!) so we decided to do that before entering the park. I think we left around 3:00 to catch a bus over to the Magic Kingdom where we'd then hop on the monorail for a little resort tour.

There was a sign outside the park advertising the party...we've always talked about how some day we'll go to one of them. I was so excited we were actually getting that chance! At the monorail station Emma took a bunch of pictures.

Soon the lime green monorail pulled up and we were on our way.

Emma also took a bunch of pictures from the ride. They are really neat!

The first resort stop was the Contemporary but we decided not to get off there...we really just wanted to visit the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian to see the gingerbread house! After stopping at the TTC we could see our favorite resort getting closer...the beautiful Polynesian!!!

Before we knew it we were pulling into the station. After disembarking (haha) we took the familiar walk from the monorail platform into the Great Ceremonial House. I just love this resort.

Even the monorail platform was decorated for Christmas.

As we were walking in Emma and I kept saying how much we miss staying there. I guess when you stay at a resort for so many trips it's hard not to love it! When we walked into the Great Ceremonial House we could hear the Hawaiian music playing. Ahh, memories. There were also plenty of Christmas decorations including some gingerbread creations. Not quite the same as the displays at the Grand Floridian or Beach Club, but still cool. I forgot to take pictures so these are all courtesy of Emma again.

I also had to take a picture at one of my favorite resorts and saw these dolphins. This was a perfect spot.

There was of course a Christmas tree right by the doors leading out to the monorail.

Then we just spent some time walking around the GCH. It's so amazing.

I also noticed there was a special Christmas "store" near the main gift shop so I looked around there to see if there was anything good. They had Mickey wreaths, candy, stuffed animals, and of course, ornaments!

Aren't they cute? I would have loved to have gotten one but was afraid of how I would get it home without breaking. So I looked around some more and ended up finding this really cute little snowman Mickey ornament. It was perfect! Oh yes, and the best part was so much of the Christmas stuff was on sale so I got it for 50% off. It ended up costing only $4. I'll have to post a picture of it later because it's adorable.

After paying for my ornament I found Dad and Emma and we were ready to head over to the Grand Floridian. So we said good-bye and continued on our tour. We had to pose for one more picture before hopping on the monorail.

up next: the Grand Floridian and getting the party started!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Another update!

Poly looked lovely - we've never been to it, we kept trying to get an ADR at O'Hanas but were never able to. Will definately need to go next time!

Di x