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

[xoktenox]

Wow, the Poly is so pretty, I can see why you guys miss staying there (even though the BC is amazing too). Those pictures from the monorail ride over are so cool too, good job Emma! I hope to ride it at least once while we're there Can't wait to hear about the party!

 

[tinkerbell87512]

oh the mini golf course looks so fun! Looks like you guys had a blast!!!

Your pictures of the Poly decorations are great. Can't wait to see your GF pictures. You know how I love that resort!

 

[jwwi]

Emma I just love the Poly, it is my favorite resort to visit. The decorations are so pretty.

 

[wdwgirl03]

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

Yeah, it's so pretty at the Polynesian. You should try to visit there even if you can't get an ADR at Ohanas. It's always just fun to check out the other resorts!

Wow, the Poly is so pretty, I can see why you guys miss staying there (even though the BC is amazing too). Those pictures from the monorail ride over are so cool too, good job Emma! I hope to ride it at least once while we're there Can't wait to hear about the party!

Yup, we have so many memories from the Poly...getting leis when you arrive, eating at Captain Cook's, playing on the beach, and the monorail of course! I will have to tell Emma you liked the pictures. It's almost time for the MVMCP update!

oh the mini golf course looks so fun! Looks like you guys had a blast!!!

Your pictures of the Poly decorations are great. Can't wait to see your GF pictures. You know how I love that resort!

Thanks for the comment on the pictures...the GF ones are coming up!

Emma I just love the Poly, it is my favorite resort to visit. The decorations are so pretty.

Aren't they though?! Even when they don't have the Christmas decorations it's pretty.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Thursday, December 18, 2008 cont'd (part 5)

After our visit at the Polynesian it was time to continue on to the Grand Floridian. We only had to wait a couple of minutes before monorail yellow pulled into the station.

I must say that is one of the cool things about staying at one of the MK resorts...transportation is a lot quicker! It just seems they come a lot more frequently than buses do.

As we were sitting down on the monorail we noticed a family all wearing Santa hats. We definitely saw plenty of those during the trip (and especially at the party!) and I'm kind of sad I didn't get one. Oh well.

Soon we arrived at the Grand Floridian! Every time we visit there I almost feel bad for wearing shorts and a t-shirt...it's just so fancy! Anyway, we headed into the main building to check out the decorations. As soon as we entered we could see the soaring Christmas tree. It was beautiful! Do you think we got enough pictures of it?

There was also a smaller tree and a planter filled with poinsettas.

We wanted to get a closer look so we made our way downstairs to the main floor. Of course we headed directly toward the gingerbread house! As we got closer you could smell all the gingerbread. It smelled sooooo good! And the house itself was amazing. So many little details.

We all had to take a picture in front of it too.

Then for a while we just kind of explored the resort. I took another shot of the tree...I thought it would be cool to look up at it since it's so big! You can also see the decor is very appropriate for the Grand Floridian's whole Victorian feel.

Emma and I also went to check out the little store that they have in the gingerbread house. They sold all kinds of gingerbread treat there, from a "shingle" from the house to actual gingerbread houses (those were quite expensive!!). Now, I am not a big fan of gingerbread but the smell was so good I was so tempted to get something. Ultimately I decided not to.

At this point we were getting kind of anxious for MVMCP so we headed back upstairs to the monorail deck. I spotted this cute window display on the way.

I took one more "artsy" picture of Emma looking at the tree and we were off!

Finally it was party time! WOOHOO!! When we arrived at the Magic Kingdom we went in the special entrance they have set up for party guests (ok, so it's not really special, they just use the righthand turnstiles as the party entrance).

We were greeted by some cast members who were already in their party attire which I thought was really cute. Kind of over-the-top, but still cute (I have a picture that I'll post later on...). So we got our wristbands and party maps and were ready to have some fun! We still had a good 2 1/2 hours until the official party start time. And that time wasn't going to go to waste!

 

[xoktenox]

You're killin me here not givin us the MVMCP full update! lol The GF is gorgeous, a little too stuffy for me personally but definitely nice to visit. Totally worth it to see that gingerbread house!

 

[wdwgirl03]

You're killin me here not givin us the MVMCP full update! lol The GF is gorgeous, a little too stuffy for me personally but definitely nice to visit. Totally worth it to see that gingerbread house!

LOL, I'm sorry! I promise it is coming very soon...and there will be lots of pictures! And I kind of agree about the GF. I don't know why, I mean it is Disney World but it's just so upscale. I'd still like to stay there sometime. haha

Hopefully I'll get to the real party updates tomorrow...TGIF!

 

[jwwi]

Can't wait to see your Christmas party pictures. It is so much fun to go to the special events. I loved the hot chocolate and cookies, but they were very filling.

Off topic: Are you going to the big MU game on Saturday? I get to go, and am very excited. Big win against Notre Dame, my DS went and had a good time.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Can't wait to see your Christmas party pictures. It is so much fun to go to the special events. I loved the hot chocolate and cookies, but they were very filling.

Off topic: Are you going to the big MU game on Saturday? I get to go, and am very excited. Big win against Notre Dame, my DS went and had a good time.

Oh, the special parties are all so much fun. We've been to one of each now and I loved them all. Those treats were yummy!

As for the basketball game I am going. My dad has season tickets so I always go with him and my sisters will of course be in the student section! It's going to be another big game.

 

[kathleen27]

Great updates!

The mini golf looks like fun! I like the little poems.

The poly looks so beautiful. I love the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian. We still have never been resort hopping, so I've never been to either.

Can't wait to hear about the party and see all the pictures.

 

[nts4wdw]

Great pictures from the GF! I can smell the gingerbread. Sure looking forward to those MVMCP pictures.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great updates!

The mini golf looks like fun! I like the little poems.

The poly looks so beautiful. I love the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian. We still have never been resort hopping, so I've never been to either.

Can't wait to hear about the party and see all the pictures.

Thanks.

Oh, both resorts are amazing. You should try sometime to check them out.

Great pictures from the GF! I can smell the gingerbread. Sure looking forward to those MVMCP pictures.

I'm working on the first party update right now, so stay tuned...

 

[wdwgirl03]

Thursday, December 18, 2008 cont'd (part 6) Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!!!!

Once we had our wristbands we were all set to do some rides. We figured the party would be a great chance to do the rides we weren't able to on our Magic Kingdom morning. Unfortunately I didn't really take any pictures until later on but we were able to do a few rides. I think we checked the information board and nothing had a huge wait. Maybe a little longer than the previous morning but nothing too outrageous. We first headed over to Adventureland to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. It was pretty much a walk-on. Then we rode the Haunted Mansion (another walk-on) and Thunder Mountain. We had to wait a little bit at BTMRR but it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of rides but we easily could have done more. Instead we headed back to Main Street to get something to eat and just hang around there because we really wanted to see the castle lighting. Somehow we missed it last year and I wasn't going to miss it again! I had seen videos of it on youtube but nothing compares to seeing it in person! As we were waiting on Main Street I took that chance to play around with my camera to try and find a good setting for taking pictures at night. I think I was successful...kind of. I love how the lighting looks on this one...so pretty.

So at 6:30 it was time for the lighting! The show is really cute. Basically it's Mickey and the gang thinking about how it would be cool to decorate the castle but they can't think of a good idea. One of them suggested wrapping it like a giant Christmas present. The fairy godmother is also there to help with the transformation.

Finally Cinderella mentions that she has always loved how her glass slippers sparkle and asks if the Fairy Godmother could make the castle look like that. So she asks everyone if they will help make Cinderella's wish come true. We had to say the magic words and the transformation began! I had to include a video because I absolutely love how they light it up section by section. And the music is really cute too. If you listen closely, you can hear this little kid who must've been near us...at one point you can kind of hear the kid say "that looks so beautiful!" Awwwww. I can't imagine what it's like to take kids to Disney World. Sorry for that randomness...here's the video!



And a few pictures of the castle in all its glory. Seriously, this has to be one of Disney's best ideas.

When the show was over it was getting closer to 7:00 so we headed over to Tomorrowland. The first thing we did there was ride Space Mountain. After the ride, we saw that Stitch was greeting party guests so we went to meet him. He was so cute in his Christmas attire! We also got our special party photopass card. That 40% discount would come in handy when we got home since I always end up buying a couple prints.

We wanted to ride Buzz Lightyear but after standing in line for 5 minutes without moving we decided to try something else...we'd come back later. Instead it was on to the people mover! It was actually really interesting riding it at night and seeing everything all lit up. Tomorrowland looks so cool in the evening. As we were on the TTA we could see that they were starting to let people into the theater for the 8:00 showing of Twas the Night Before Christmas so when we got off we decided to go in there. They are not kidding when they say the show is popular! By the time we got in there was standing room only but that was fine with us. It actually might have been better for taking pictures because we didn't have heads in front of us blocking everything. A couple minutes before the show started the little orchestra came out...that was a neat touch. Then the show began! It was a really cute show combining the story Twas the Night Before Christmas and singing and dancing. It seemed that all the songs related to a part of the story somehow. The show opened with "We Need A Little Christmas."

Then Mickey came out and started reading the story. The rest of the pictures may be out of order since I'm combining mine and Emma's.

Here's a short video of "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas." It's really cute when Mickey sings. hehe


It was cute to see all the characters dressed up...Pluto was one of the reindeer, Chip and Dale were toy soldiers, and Goofy was Santa.

Overall it was a fun show. It was definitely one of the highlights of the party and a must-see.


up next: more MVMCP fun!

 

[xoktenox]

Finallyyyyyy lol just kidding, but OMG I've been waiting for these pictures! That castle video is so good, words can't describe how beautiful it is. Thats so cute how you could hear the little kid standing by you. I've also heard alot of good things about the Twas the Night Before Christmas show too. Ahhh, one day... lol

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

You got some great castle pics! Funny...you're working on December 18th right now...I am too. I wonder if we end up in the same place by the end of the night?

 

[nts4wdw]

I agree that the lighted castle is one of Disney's best ideas! That show at the party looked too cute. We were too busy (and clueless) to do the shows when we went years ago.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Finallyyyyyy lol just kidding, but OMG I've been waiting for these pictures! That castle video is so good, words can't describe how beautiful it is. Thats so cute how you could hear the little kid standing by you. I've also heard alot of good things about the Twas the Night Before Christmas show too. Ahhh, one day... lol

LOL, I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures! And there are still a lot more to come. I had to take a video but really you have to see it in person...it is AMAZING.

You got some great castle pics! Funny...you're working on December 18th right now...I am too. I wonder if we end up in the same place by the end of the night?

Thanks! Yeah, I'll have to keep reading yours to see where you end up...

I agree that the lighted castle is one of Disney's best ideas! That show at the party looked too cute. We were too busy (and clueless) to do the shows when we went years ago.

The show was a lot of fun. Honestly I wasn't really planning on going because we knew it was so popular and didn't want to have to get there super early. But I'm glad we did. Aww, that is a bummer you missed it when you went but that is just more reason to go to another one!

 

[Lady Lallie]

MVMCP looks awesome, the castle is so beautiful. I hope Disney continues that traditions for years and years....so I can see it.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

Hi Sarah! I've been reading your last few updates, and now I'm finally getting around to replying. A few points:

1. It looks like you had a good morning at the Hollywood Studios (it's so hard to get used to saying that!). I knew Emma would love Toy Story Mania It's kind of hard not to.

2. I love Fantasia Gardens. I wish we had been able to play there in May. Oh well, next time. Congrats on your hole-in-one.

3. I love your pictures from the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. The giant gingerbread house is always so cool. And I really miss staying at the Polynesian. It's so nice being on the monorail loop, and the atmosphere of the whole resort is amazing. I want to go back.

4. You're finally getting to MVMCP!! I love all of your pictures so far, and I can't wait to hear about the rest.

I think that's all I wanted to say.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

On the one hand I'm sorry I fell so far behind. On the other hand I've had a delightful time this afternoon catching up!

you really captured so many terrific photos! Especially of the Beach Club. How I love that place!

I've never seen the tree with Piglet peeking out in MK. I will have to look for that!

I haven't been on the Indy Speedway in forever... I may have to go next time!

Oh dear... SO much more I wanted to comment on and I've forgotten. Great report and great photos!