Christmas 2012, A TR! 2 Adults and no kids!

[Skip3key]

So, I am not proud of it, but this is my second attempt at this trip report. The first one failed miserably after I became frustrated with my computer and photobucket... and I quit. But dang it, I want to write this trip report, I NEED to write this trip report! I can deal with all the bombs and the bullets.....oh wait, Im getting away from myself....

I know it is now August, and we took this trip December 2012, but I took a lot of pictures and made a lot of notes, and we ate a lot of food and it was christmas! Also, we are 80 days from going to the Food and Wine and I intend to write an awesome TR for that too! So lets get this done!

First things first, the introductions!



Thats me on the right, my partner and now DF of 22 years Eva on the left, and my brother Matt in the middle. (We lost Matt due to a previously undetected and unsymptomatic heart condition suddenly one morning in December 2010 at age 30. He was physically fit and healthy, and was fine one day and gone the next. He was always very bitter about the fact that we had gone to Disney World when I was 13 and he was 3 and he couldn't remember it at all and my dad wouldn't take us back because we had "already gone there"! I had promised him we would go to Disney World in the next Spring after he graduated college 2011... but it obviously didnt happen...so he came with us this trip! ) I also have a sister Lisa who was between me and Matt in age, and I am really trying to get her to go with us in October.... I'll keep trying...

We went to WDW December 10-15 and stayed at the Wilderness Lodge on the Club level. We went to MVMCP, the Osborn Festival of lights, and attended the Candlelight Processional. We ate at the California Grill, Sanaa, and La Cellier. It was a magical trip! Please join us!

 

[Skip3key]

So, I am an NFL football diehard... I do not miss a Sunday...doesnt happen. So our Disney trip actually cant start until Monday, and ends on Saturday to ensure I am home for football. So I really try to pack it all in....We leave on the earliest possible flight out of San Antonio, which was at 7am, and I was amazed when we cruised right through security and right to the gate with almost an hour to wait until boarding! I really made sure to document all the food on our trip this time, so lets start now! We started with what turned out to be an excellent breakfast taco at the "Las Palapas" in the airport... was excellent!



On the plane with Matt !



At the Orlando Airport by 11:45am! Christmas tree was smaller then I had pictured it! Over the mini- monorail, down the escalator...



We then grabbed our rental car and headed to the Wilderness Lodge- this is the "Welcome Home" entrance! I always think that someday Im gonna try the "Magical Express" but i always chicken out...I just love the ability to jump in the car and go anywhere on a whim! Or maybe I have control issues...:




Here is our room on the club level 7107- actually a little underwhelming... a bit smaller then our normal room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and it felt very similar to that room... but the food that came with the room was pretty tasty! (more on that later)



So we dumped our stuff and headed off to get into a park ASAP!!

 

[Skip3key]

What park did we hit first? Well, by 2pm we were heading straight to out most favorite ride in all the parks! Can you see it?



You got it, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror! I think we rode this ride 6-7 times this trip! Was such a great time of year to come, such low crowds that I think we never waited more then 15 minutes for most rides, and if it looked like we were going to have to wait, we got a fast pass! Was great!
We rode every ride so much that we figured out where every camera was and did "fake sleep" for all of them!



And this is my attempt to get a pic when the door open and you drop...tried over and over, but could never get it to come out!




And of course, right after the TTT is the Rockin Roller Coaster!





For those of you who havent ridden this ride, at the time of this picture you are being "launched" and going from 0-60 in like 3 seconds! (I could be exaggerating, but not by much)!!
After this we walked to the other side of the park to my next favorite ride "Star Tours"! I love it! Next trip I wanna ride it until I see all the different versions!


Then a dash back over to the first side of the park (I know...criss crossing the park, but Im on a time crunch and Fantasmic has to be tonight!) For Fantasmic! I got corrected by a cast member because I was sitting on the back rail of the top seats (wow the stadium was just PACKED)...but the show was really good and I was glad we went! This picture shows how awesome the zoom is on my new camera...

And we RAN out of fantasmic to the "Osborn Spectacle of Lights" because you know the whole stadium is heading that way! We got in the first bunch to reach there, and it did not dissapoint...was very magical... And the choreographing of the lights and the music was phenomenol... and then when it started to "snow"...well, I think I teared up... was ll I had read about and I highly recommend it as my pictures do not do it justice! Oh, and the hot chocolate was AWESOME!!


Ok...believe it or not- we did all this stuff, and I was like 8:30pm... and we have 9:30 reservations at the California Grill which has become our traditional first dinner meal each trip!! So.... lets go!

 

[Skip3key]

So, we quickly drove back to the Wilderness lodge, changed clothes, and then jumped on the ferry boat to the Magic Kingdom and then switched over to the Monorail to the Contemporary Resort. Its a little confusing, but when you arrive to the Contemporary, you actually have to go down 2 levels to "check-in" to the California Grill restaurant, and then you are escorted in an elevator to the restaurant on the top floor! This is by far our favorite restaurant, the food is AMAZING, the staff is fantastic, and the views cannot be beat. Try to arrange to eat during the MK fireworks and you are in for a not to be missed experience. We, sadly, could not get earlier reservations to do that this trip, but maybe next trip.

Eva looks like she is calmly waiting for her food, but let me tell you that we were STARVING by this time! I think we split a hot pretzel between breakfast and now! That bread with the salted butter on the table was soooo good...

We dont often get appetizers, but had heard the goat cheese raveoli was not to be missed... and they were spot on amazing... mouth watering....

Eva ordered the scallops by a recommendation of the waiter, and that would have been ok, but he also recommended them medium rare... and since she rarely eats scallops, that was not so good...but she was so full, that we didnt complain...

You will notice I'm definitly a carnivore, and I had the fillet but asked them to put it over polenta since thats how they used to serve it on our first visit before the menu changed, and I was so full, I think I had one bite, but it was a delicious bite! The rest went back to the room with us and was snacked on as a midnight snack for several days!

After Dinner we went out to the observation deck..and could see the castle lit up below, and felt truly blessed to be so lucky to have such a perfect day 1 of our vacation...


First pic is with iPhone, second one with camera... not much difference...

Funny thing happened on our way back to the Wilderness Lodge....
So, we get back on the Resort Monorail, but of course we have to go all the way around to get back to the Magic Kingdom (through the Poly and GF), and now the monorail is PACKED as MK has closed and OMG the sweaty stinky smell of people that had been in the parks all day! Whew! So we finally get back to the MK, head over to the docks for the boat to take us back to the WL, wait for what seems like forever as again, the MK just closed and everyone is heading back, we finally get on the boat and are heading back, when the captain tells us we have to go back and around to the Contemporary dock as someone is there on their motorized scooter and needs to go to the Wilderness and cant we just pick them up?! Well heck, we just drove all around the 7 seas lagoon just to get here and now going back where we started? And then everyone on the boat had to get up and everyone get all the way on the right side so the boat would tip low enough that the scooter person could drive on, and then we had to do it again when we got to our dock at WL...and of course they got off first....very slowly..... Im usually pretty easy going, but heck, I was tired and cranky by now! Day 1 closed!

 

[Skip3key]

So let me start by saying that I read all the boards before our trip, especially with talking about what to wear. I saw people say to pack everything from sweaters and sweatshirts to parkas... and being that is December, I assumed it would be at least a little chilly...I dont know if it was unseasonable last year, but we only brought 1 pair of shorts, 1-2 t-shirts, and the rest pants and long sleeved shirts and boy were we sorry. On this day it got so warm in jeans that we left the Magic in the middle of the day (something we NEVER do) and found a Wal-Mart and bought what they had left, consisting of a few pairs of either over or undersized mens shorts...but it was better then pants! It was chilly enough at night for our fleece pullover and jeans, but during the day it was shorts and t-shirts all the way!

Day started off awesome, we had arranged to do the Segway tour at EPCOT (not sure if they do this anymore, heard they stopped in February when some people made a stink because they weren't allowed to bring in their personal Segways to use in the park). We were to be there no later then 745, and it was sweet to walk in with no one else around in the park!

Felt like Clark Griswold "first ones here!" when we parked in the first row!



After about 45 minutes of training inside one of the innovations areas, we were ready to spread our wings and get out on the open road! LOL!

But, they made us ride over to the Land for breakfast first (was included in the tour..so OK!), best part...we were there when Soaring opened up, so we grabbed a fast pass to come back with as soon as the tour was over!
Breakfast! So much food! Think I ate 1/4 of it!


Apparently Disney Segways have been alterered to not go very fast, because I did a Segway tour in San Antonio, and was zooming up and down the city streets...these Disney ones just kinda buzz along... but it was still sweet to ride in the park and all over the world showcase before the park opened... If you notice we started the day in fleece pullovers, and now, at about 1030, we are already in t-shirts!


Italy! I will see you later when we try to "drink around the world"!


After the tour we walked around Epcot and met my favorites! Chip and Dale! If you notice I am wearing a "Chip & Dale" t-shirt that Eva had made for me as a surprise... except it says "Ang & Matt"- isnt she so sweet! So perfect!

Next we ran through Club Cool and tasted everything... oh that Beverly! What evil I will play on people I bring back in the future!

(for those that dont know, Club cool has free soda fountains, only catch is it only has sodas from around the world...and most of them are....less then memorable... and the Beverly from Italy...the worst of the worst!

At this point is when we were too hot and couldnt stand it and ran to Wal-Mart... and then back to the WL, because tonight is MVMCP!!

 

[Skip3key]

Well, I think I took about 100 pictures of the Contemporary resort, as I took pics everytime we went by in the ferry boat...it was just so cool!




Finally! In the Magic Kingdom! Im ready for some Christmas! Been almost 24 hours since the Osborns!
Now, I really liked MVMCP...it was a bit pricy, but it was fun to be in the park with such a festive atmosphere, with fewer people and virtually no wait for any rides. Ironically, the first thing was rode was the People Mover, which never has a wait, but I had never ridden before! Here's me and Matt!

Then we wandered around to the New Fantasyland and peeked through the wall at the construction of the 7 dwarves mine train ride being built! (Couldnt really see much, but it was fun to imagine!)

We then rode the new Dumbo and it was a blast!

No not that one! This one! This is a picture of the twin Dumbo ride while we are on the other one!

Went through the Toon Town Circus area- bet this is great for kids on the hot summer days...and there were some nice bathrooms near here too!

Next we rode the new Arial ride (very cute), but OMG was the lead up to the ride (the cattle mover area for people to wait) so long! There was no line and I swear it took us 10 minutes to walk through it!

Next we went and rode the Haunted Mansion (minimal wait, love it), Big Thunder Mountain (minimal wait), and it was a little chilly by now, so the fleece went back on, but that wasn't gonna stop us from riding Splash Mountian with NO WAIT AT ALL! And actually only got splashed a little! (but wasn't about to ride it again to get the sleepy picture!)


By now poor Eva was starving again...food just takes a backseat when I am trying to get all the rides and experiences in! She wanted a Turkey leg, but wasn't going to pay $11 for it (oh... thats where you draw the line?)... so we proceeded to Pecos Bills and got this lovely plate of food and glad we decided to split it, because we only ate about 1/2 together!... not terrible, but not very good either...I guess we got spoiled by California Grill last night, but no time for an ADR tonight! Got things to do!


Went over to Adventureland to go on the Jungle Cruise only to find it wasnt open (it is still on my bucketlist to ride the Jungle Cruise at night), and Pirates was closed for some reason too... I was upset, but at that moment they broke out the free hot chocolate and cookies! Yea! So awesome- it was availabe all over the park and I had more then I could eat or drink... after that, so back to some rides, and Space Mountain was somehow missed on our first time around (? how? I dont know!!) It was a dream..... we rode it 7 times in a row without any wait...out of the tunnel....back in the otherside and walk straight through....was awesome...



Now, We are not usually ones for parades, we use the parade time as an opportunity to ride the rides with less wait while everyone else is watching, but we watched the Mickey Christmas Parade, and it was awesome! We were so entertained and cheered! It was great!




Followed by about a 30 minute musical production right on the stage in front of the castle! We were entranced!

And once it was over...the most magical moment and I guarantee my eyes were full of tears... "Snow" on main street...


So ended Day 2...how could it get any better? Well let me tell you...it can!

 

[rachel09985]

How neat that you "took" your brother with you! That is special.

You sound like my boyfriend- he hates missing football he is a huge green bay fan. Whenever we are there during a game he is on his phone the entire time

 

[Skip3key]

Argh! Overslept! Didn't wake up until 7:45 and couldn't get Eva out of the room until 9!! So hard for me to be pokey on a Disney vacation... I mean, I know its vacation and all, but there are a MILLION things to see and do, and soon enough we will be back home and I can sleep there! One great thing about staying on the Club level at the Wilderness Lodge is the fact that you get the "Old Faithful Club" as a bonus and they have complimentary food and beverages put out there throughout the day, so we never had to worry about wasting time on breakfast- we just grabbed a bagel, or cereal (maybe got a to-go cup and carried my fruit loops with me!) (could also grab fresh fruit, muffins, or pastries too) some coffee, or juice and we are off! Just FYI, the food on the club level is good, but the only issue is that you have be at the resort to eat it! We are usually in the parks way early to way late (usually take a small break back at the resort in the middle), but we kept missing the times for the good food! (Breakfast was from 7-1030, then it was closed, open again 1130-4 for snack like crackers, cookies, gummies, chips, but the best time was appetizers from 5-7p with offerings from the restaurants downstairs and was awesome! And dessert from 8-10pm. As a bonus there is free soda, water, beer, wine and cordials available as well.)
Food From Old Faithful Club Appetizer time

So today was ANIMAL KINGDOM DAY!




Well, Today was Early Morning Hours and the park actually opened at 8am, so it was decently busy- when we tried to go to Africa, there was a 20 minute wait for the Kilimanjaro Safari, so we kept on walking , and who should we run into but DEVINE!! She was awesome! She came out of the foliage and walked on the path and she is so cool on the stilts!


We then walked all the way to Expedition Everest and rode it 3 times in a row WITH NO WAIT! Didn't even use a fast pass! Here is a picture I took from the top of the first hill of the park below, and on one of the rides, we sat in the front row and I videoed the whole ride! Was awesome!





We then skipped the Kali River Rapids, mostly because I have some sort of water magnet in my body that activates whenever I go on a river raft type ride... I am not kidding, no one will even sit near me now as I will hit every waterfall, go backwards over every big dip and get sloshed with oncoming water...the rest of the car can be bone dry and I am sopping wet from head to toe. I only go on these types of rides as the last ride on a hot day before leaving the park! So we headed over to DINOLAND and got some funny pictures and rode DINOSAUR twice with no wait.



We wandered around Camp Minnie and Mickey, and then Suddenly the Lion King let out and we were swallowed up in a sea of people and felt like salmon swimming upstream! Well, as Animal Kingdom is our least favorite of the parks, at that point we decided to head to SANAA for our lunch!

We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Kidani Villiage for our lunch...little did we know that by the end of our vacation this we would be Disney Vacation Club owners in Kidani Villiage!



We sat at a table by the window and just look at the view we had! So many animals just walking by! So cool!


Our food was the "Indian Style Bread Service" with choice of 3 breads and 3 accompaniments - We got traditional Naan, Spicy Naan and Papadum, accompanied by cucumber raita (ehh..was ok), Mango chutney (really good), and the red pepper hummus which was ok- not great, but I did enjoy all of the breads! For our meal, we split the Tandoori Chicken, which was simply good... but comparable to what we get at home. Most folks on the Disboards just raved about Sanaa, but we found it just OK- maybe it was an off day, and we will have to try again in the future...

So after lunch it was about 2pm or so, and we hadn't yet hit Downtown Disney this trip, and this is one of the perks of having a rental car and not relying on Disney transportation...just get up and go, and in 15 minutes we were there!... See next post!

 

[Skip3key]

So we arrived at Downtown Disney! It was really pretty busy there, and we had a great time going in and out of the shops, our favorite was the Christmas Shop where we got Christmas ornaments to use as gifts for those back home, and suddenly, on Day 3 of our vacation, as I am trying to pay, NOW American Express flags my card and wont approve the charge until I call them and assure them that it really is me in Orlando... I applaud the credit card security at AMEX, just strange it took them 3 days to catch up with me after such high dollar charges as park tickets and such went through without a problem, but $50 in Christmas ornaments was flagged! After a 5 minute call, all is well again, and we continued to goof around....



We then went into Ghirardelli where it was mass confusion... took about 20 minutes to get me a scoop of chocolate chip and Eva a frozen cappuccino , and there didn't look to be any method to their madness... people standing all around waiting where there was no room, no numbers system... but boy was it good!


We sat outside to people watch, and suddenly we noticed a woman rushing past us calling a childs name... then she came back the other way, looking more frazzled, then we head a mans voice shouting the child name from a distance, and then the voices became more frantic... it was so hard to watch... next we saw cast members were involved. We never saw the resolution, but I once heard that its near impossible to lose your child at Disney, that they have such good security measures in place it is usually a brief scare. From what I understand, the best thing to do is make sure the kids know what a Disney Cast Member looks like (White name tags), and contact one immediately when separated... and have your name and cell number on the kids somewhere (tattoo maybe? LOL)!

Now that I have done my PDA for the day... Onto the next part of this vacation! Yes, the day is still young! Its barely 5pm! So back to the Wilderness Lodge, change clothes and then back to EPCOT! We actually rode Space Ship Earth first, and then when we went to ride Test track (it was its opening week after renovations) they were not allowing any more stand by and no more fast passes...awww... , so we instead went to Mission Space...Orange level of course (green is for wimps) and rode it twice (I love no wait!)



We then proceed to the Mexico Pavilion as I really wanted to try out La Cava del Tequila.. and ride the "Gran Fiesta Tour with the Three Caballeros" which is an indoor boat ride and is a great place to cool off on a hot park day. It really reminds me of the RiverWalk in San Antonio where we live and is so cute! So we rode the ride...


And then got 2 Tequila shots, (they only have about 100 to choose from- we ended up drinking Herradura Blanco, and I thought the presentation was so cute with salt, lime a little shot of bloody mary mix for a back!



We also got a Blood Orange Margarita to share


And then went outside to watch the fireworks...and went to Norway and tried the "schoolbread" we had read about, but I never read that it had coconut in it, and I hate coconut, but Eva enjoyed it... after that we wandered over to China before it all really hit me and Eva captured my shame on camera as I sat on the curb and couldn't get up for fear of falling down... Luckily, by the time Innovations was over, and we walked back to the parking lot, I was pretty close to back to normal again (at least I didnt feel like I was gonna throw up! Such a light weight!)!


So it was back to the Wilderness lodge... Had left overs from previous meals that was in the fridge, a little wine on the balcony and in bed by 1015p...because by gum, we are gonna be at the opening of EPCOT tomorrow! Its a another Big Day!

 

[Skip3key]

So this is all EPCOT all day!

We are up by 645a, out of the hotel by 7:35a and inside the park by 8:15!(EMH) despite the long line to get in! We ran directly to Fast track and grabbed a fast pass, then got in the standby line...



The new Test Track involves you designing your own virtual vehicle from the wheels up.... and it was very difficult to make all the design decisions in such a short amount of time... and I wished I had made some different choices, but I wasn't too bothered as I knew we would go right back through with the fast pass... only I found out after that the fast pass line only gives you some pre-done choices and is much abbreviated from the full experience...not cool. Fast pass should be the same. An OK ride otherwise, best part is getting to go fast outside the building on the track! Unfortunately we never did find the camera on the ride to do our sleepy pic...




We then crossed the park to the Land Pavilion and grabbed a Soarin fast pass and rode Living with the Land, which might be Evas favorite ride... Im always amazed at all the food growing in sand!



We then went to the Imagination Pavilion, which used to be my favorite... but I really think it is in bad need of renovations. It just made me feel sad for what it used to be.... The Figment ride (journey into imagination) was closed, but I was delighted to see Captain EO as I remembered it from when I saw it back in 1988 as being amazingly awesome! Eva had never seen it, so I talked it up.... and I am sad to say, I kinda wish I hadn't re-watched and it had remained what I remembered! It was so campy and 1980's goofy... ahhh Michael...you were so cool back then...



Next it was time for our lunch at Le Cellier in Canada...




This is probably one of the most sought after places to eat in all the lands, and you usually have to book it out several months in advance as it is a pretty small place and just doesn't have that many tables. We had arranged to have our meal as part of the Candlelight Processional Package... so for about $60 each (i think), we get an appetizer, meal and desert and get reserved seating at the 5:00p showing of the processional- we usually never eat this much and share meals, but we had no choice as I wanted the reserved seating! The food was outstanding... and we each really had the same thing except desert...

The pretzel bread on the table was soft and hot and salty amazing goodness...




Followed by The Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup (yum),



The Mushroom Filet Mignon with wild mushroom risotto and white truffle butter sauce,




Eva had the Creme Brûlée




I had the cutest Chocolate Mousse ever! (get it?)



We both ate until we were on the cusp of exploding..


Before coming on the trip, Eva and I decided we wanted to play a game we found online called "Drinking Around the World", where you have to drink one alcoholic beverage in each country in the world showcase... now you are supposed to do this all in one day, and one drink per person...but as we are lightweights, I knew that wouldn't work, so we fudged a bit and shared drinks in most countries... and since I really don't like beer, we had to compromise sometimes...So here is drink one of the day... Red Wine in Canada!




We wandered through the UK and saw some hilarious street performers


Through the International Gateway to the Boardwalk Area!
We next decided we would try to walk off the big lunch by exiting the International gateway out of the parks and into the Boardwalk area... We walked into the Yachtclub and Beachclub resorts so we could see their christmas decorations...

Yachtclub and their inside decorations- A giant train and miniature city!




Beachclub and their inside decorations- A giant edible motorized gingerbread Carousel!





Ran out of space for pics! See the next post!

 

[Skip3key]

We walked around the rest of the Boardwalk, which was very a very pleasant walk...


We could see the Dolphin and the Swan...



When we walked in front of the ESPN Club, they were prepping for the ESPN Red Carpet Special later that night, and saw this guy...


Then it was back into Epcot! First stop, FRANCE!

Drinking around the World drinks: Grey Goose Orange Slushes that area so AMAZINGLY delicious that we each had our own. The crepes at the nearby cart are also fantastic and I cannot resist them!




What's also great about EPCOT world showcase at Christmas, is they have presentations throughout the day explaining each countries version of "Santa" and the Christmas Customs.. so neat... Here is Pierre Noel in France...



Next on the tour, Morocco!

Not too many choices for a beverage in Morocco as you can imagine, but we did find a "Strawberry Slush with Orange Blossom water" to share...



After Morocco comes Japan:
And we listened to the Christmas customs which was really entertaining, and then found a saki bar area and shared a nice light citrus sake...



And of course at the center of the World Showcase is the American Pavilion, and the site of the Candlelight processional. We waited in line, and then found seats- turns out there were plenty of seats and really having the expensive lunch probably want necessary. When we sat down it was still light, and as the show progressed, it turned to dark, and for our showing, the famous person who was narrating was Blair Underwood. It was an extremely moving experience to be there with the giant choir and the orchestra, and the narration, and the sun going down, and hearing the Christmas Story... an experience I will always remember...



Oh, and the shared drink for America was yet another slushy... Jim Beam Lemonade style... really think there is very little alcohol in all these slushies... not like Mexico's offerings!

 

[Baby Mama]

Hello from your sister! Love the pics and I can't wait to be there with you for your wedding!

 

[wiigirl]

Love all your pics!

 

[Skip3key]

After the show, we continued our walk around the showcase and next stop was ITALY!!!

I really wanted to get something cool and Disney from Italy, but was surprised at the lack of shops and items to choose from... we got a glass of Moscato to share (can tell I really liked it)... but the highlight was meeting La Befana and hearing the Italian Christmas Story! Was awesome!








So Italy was relaxed and laid back, but as we walked to Germany, the music and laughter got louder and louder, and all I can say, is there was a definite PARTY going on in Germany! Lots of drinking and laughing and general merriment that wasnt in the other countries on the showcase! I dont have many pictures... but we had Apple Schnapps shots and a glass of Reisling, and the shopping was awesome! I got a stein and Eva got a bottle of Eierliquor that she had been talking about for years... however when we got home and she tasted it... her memory did not match with reality and it remains almost full.





We continued on, walked past the African outpost all closed up this late at night, headed to Norway and rode the Maelstrom- really like this ride, but usually skip the movie at the end as it has become a running joke about "Norway, where the Spirit is our people and out people are our spirit"... or something like that! No drinks here- just had enough at this point!




Walked on through China and Mexico (not again)... and left EPCOT... believe it or not, its only about 8:15 pm at this point! We headed back to the Wilderness lodge... we had himmed and hawed all day about what to do for dinner... we had talked about going to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review (love it- been the last 2 trips) , but decided we just wanted to stay in the hotel. Once we got back to the lodge, we talked to the concierge up on the club floor and asked if we might be able to eat appetizers in the Bar downstairs, and he said "no", so we asked him to see if we could get a reservation at the Artist Point restaurant for about a half hour, and he said we could just go down and ask at the restaurant itself. No help whatsoever... not sure what we paid extra for on the club level.
We changed clothes and headed downstairs- at the Artist Point, they said they had about a 20 minute wait and gave us a buzzer and said we could wait in the bar...and guess what, when we got in the bar there was a menu with APPETIZERS IN IT!! Stupid concierge upstairs didn't know what he was talking about (geez guy, if you don't know just say "I don't know", don't guess !)





We gave back the buzzer, sat in the bar and ate appetizers and watched the NFL Thursday night football game and it was great! Chicken Lollipops, chips and sauces and wine... then up to bed...

 

[GrammyJudy]

Enjoyed your report as we are going about that time this year

 

[mommytocalliesue]

Enjoying your TR!! I truly sorry about the loss of your brother...he is my age and just scary to think it could happen to "us" being so young. I find it truly special that you took him with you!

Loving all the pics. While I've been to Disney at Christmas time...my kiddos have not and I CANNOT wait to share it with them!!

Also loved your drinking around the world. I told my DH the other day, I can't wait until the kids are older and we can partake in that!! We are also staying at the Wilderness (not club level though) on our trip! I've heard it is just beautiful...especially during Christmas time! Can't wait to read more!

 

[Skip3key]

Whew...did this day, but apparently didn't save, and then lost power! So starting this day again!

So, We actually slept in this day as we had arranged to attend a Disney Vacation Club presentation this morning at Bay Lake Towers. We have actually been curious about DVC, and since they were offering $100 Disney gift card in return for watching the 1 hour presentation, I thought we had nothing to lose.

We ate breakfast in the Club level lounge, and was picked up by a DVC van out front and taken to BLT and arrived there by 10am. I must say, the Bay Lake Towers are gorgeous! I never have attended a time-share presentation, but this was such a pleasant, low key, and non-pressured presentation! Essentially, she told us how the program worked, presented all the prices, levels, ect, and then answered any questions, and then pretty much told us to let her know, and gave her card... thats it! No pressure at all! Well... we just sat there, and continued to talk, and because they had a year end special going on (although I am pretty sure there is always some "its about to end" special going on) where you get an extra year of points and $500 cash back, we decided to go for it and bought in to the Animal Kingdom (the only DVC property with a club level available)! Very exciting! Here are our pics at BLT...




After our presentation (entire process took about 2 hours), they offered to drive us wherever we wanted to go for the day, but as we had planned on going to the Magic Kingdom, we walked over, and it took us 5 minutes to get to the front gate from BLT! Awesome!



Main Street looked just awesome, and once inside the gate, I veered left and into the Fire Station as I wanted to try my hand at playing the "Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom" game. You are given a map and a set of cards, and you must travel all around the given area of the park (starts on main street), and find these designated stations (there is a lock on the wall) and hold up a lock card, and a cartoon scene magically appears in the glass in front of you (in a window or a picture) and plays a scene- you then cast a "spell" by holding up a card, and then get directions to go to the next site. It is really cool! We only did the Main Street scenario as there were so many players that day, there was a line at each lock and it wasn't as much fun as you could see exactly where you were supposed to go by the lines...




So we continued on to Adventureland! And I decided to pick up my first "Dole Whip" after reading about them online as a "must try" at Disney. However, I do not like pineapple, so I got the orange Dole Whip, and I guess its not the same, as I didn't think it was anything special, pretty much like orange sherbet... but we shared it as we explored one of my favorite attractions, the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse!




We proceeded up the road to the Jungle Cruise and grabbed a fast pass as the standby line was about 1 hour, and I was hungry by now! As we wanted to see a few more attractions in Adventureland, and just wanted a snack, we opted for some nachos at Tortuga Tavern across from Pirates. Clearly these were not Mexican style nachos and they really should change the name of the food as what we received was an insult to nachos everywhere... Maybe I have a higher standard for nachos being from San Antonio... but these were straight up AWFUL! Now I like cucumbers.... but I have never seen cucumbers in my nachos before..... and the cheese tasted like cheese-whiz from a can, and the "salsa" (ha-ha) was very similar to catsup.... not to be confused with ketchup, which would have been equally as awful... long story short (too late) I remained hungry...



We left lunch, and practically walked onto Pirates (10 minute wait), then went and rode the Jungle Cruise with our fast pass, and next we saw something we never saw before.... and decided we finally needed to experience... the Tiki Birds. Wow. It was one big ***? moment for me... Maybe its one of those things you had to have experienced as a child to appreciate... but I just didn't get it. Was like being in your slightly crazy grandma's attic... and you were taking part in her crazy hallucinations...



We left Adventureland as I wanted to try to see Enchanted Tales with Belle... but as it was opening weekend for Fantasyland, it was CRAZY busy with over a 2 hour line (might have been 3, can't remember)... As we just bought into DVC, we decided we would just catch it next trip!

My next fun thing for us to do, was to ride the monorail around the resort loop and look at the Christmas decorations in each resort. We had already seen the Contemporary when we ate at California Grill earlier in the week, so we skipped it and went to the Polynesian. It was very festive and I think I might really like to stay at the Poly on a future trip... the tropical vibe was so serene and calming!




Back on the Monorail and off to the Grand Floridian... holy Mary Poppins batman! Looked just like something out of the Mary Poppins time and era... very proper and very nice. Very not me... but I can appreciate why people really like to stay there. The tree was huge, and the giant Gingerbread house (made out of real edible gingerbread) was so impressive in the lobby. Really enjoyed the piano music wafting throughout the lobby... had a great Christmas feel here overall.



Kids play area was cool with the mad hatters top hat filling with water and then randomly tipping over a drenching the kids underneath! And yes, lots of kids splashing around even in December...

We took the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom, switched to the boat and rode back to the Wilderness lodge... arrived back about 4pm in time for hot appetizers being put out in the Club lounge!

 

[Skip3key]

Back at the Wilderness Lodge, we ate snacks upstairs in the lounge (don't know why I don't have any pictures!) But, I did make notes that we ate some Tenderloin stew, crab wontons, assorted cheeses, breads and some wine (of course). We then used this opportunity to wander around the Wilderness Lodge and take pictures. This really is the most impressive resort I think, especially at Christmas... none of the other resorts even come close to the amazing charm and Christmas spirit you feel walking through the lobby... Here are some pictures, but they do not even do it justice...


That last picture is me outside of our hotel room door, and if you are wondering about the bag on my right leg, it is the most awesome bag for the parks ever. So much cooler then a fanny pack, and actually straps to your leg "a la Han Solo" style... holds so much, very secure and can be taken on any ride without fear of losing anything. Its from "Think Geek" if you are wondering. I have no financial investment in this- I just LOVE the bag.

We then went back to EPCOT as there were evening magic hours until 12:30am! So we arrived there about 8:30 and rode Nemo and Friends, looked through the aquariums, then rode Mission Space again (orange!) and then headed to the World Showcase where we got to see the fireworks again... so freaking cool. After the fireworks, we strolled from the Mexico side of the World Showcase going clockwise, and after the fireworks, much of the park emptied out... except I think all the drunk people stayed. I have never seen so many clearly drunk people so rowdy in EPCOT before... and LOTS of them were smoking in the park and no one was stopping them. I guess there are different rules this late. We went to Germany for a pretzel (MMMM), and then walked all the way around, and when we got to France I just had to have another crepe and Grey Goose slushy... for tomorrow we go home and this will be our last hoorah in EPCOT this trip... so good. Out of the park by 11:30... tomorrow is sad day... going home day...

 

[Skip3key]

Sad Day as Dec 8, 2012 was the 2 year anniversary of my brother Matt's passing... we kept him with us all day...

Alarm went off at 8:15... and any time at WDW is precious... so we don't waste any time at Disney World...even though today is going home day, I made sure the plane trip home isn't until later this afternoon so we can get some last minute Disney magic in! Our trip ends the exact same way it started... riding our favorite rides at Disney Hollywood Studios, the Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster...

Fully packed and out of the room by 9:30a... we checked out and loaded the car and said goodbye to the Wilderness Lodge (but we will be back!). We arrived at DHS and since we had no bags (we left everything in the car), we cruised through security. We hadn't yet ridden Toy Story Mania, so with the stand by line at 75 minutes, we thought we could grab a fast pass, but the time on the fast passes was already 2:40, and with our plane leaving around 4:40, it was just too close, so we had to pass on TSM this trip. We did see a new "Legend of Capt Jack" pirate attraction that had just recently opened- ended up waiting 45 minutes for it, and though it was kinda cool, it was only worth a 10 minute wait at most.

When we came out of Capt Jack, we noticed that Toy Story now displayed Stand by line of 85 minutes and Fast Pass time of 6pm! Crazy how popular that ride is in Hollywood Studios, but the VERY similar ride of Buzz Lightyear in Magic Kingdom had no wait at all!

We then headed to see Muppetvision 3D (love that show), no wait at all, rode Star Tours with a 10 minute wait, and then headed across the park for our grand finale. Grabbed a Fast pass for RR coaster, then rode TT twice and it still was not time for our RRC fastpass, so we rode RRC standby with a 20 minute wait, then immediately again with the FP.... so awesome.

On our way out of the park, we grabbed our customary fresh chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich we must have every trip (usually from the Main STreet Bakery in MK, but it was just too busy yesterday), stopped in a few shops- met "the Terminator ".... and then out to the car by 3pm....







We actually got a little Pixie Dust at the airport when we were given the option to upgrade our tickets to first class for only $99... and we said "heck yeah"...and we smiled so big when we loaded the fully loaded plane full of very cranky and crying children all piling into coach, and we turned left into the serenity and peacefulness of first class. A perfect end, to a perfect vacation.







Thanks for reading along with us.... now that this TR is done, we will start our next thread as we start on the journey of planning our Fairytale Wishes Wedding for October 2014!