Christmas at the most magical place on Earth - Dec '12 TR - Upd 3/28 x3

[debrapagliasotti]

Day 1, Part 7 MVMCP Once Upon A Christmas Time parade

While we waited for the second parade to start, I went across the street to pick up some popcorn. While I was waiting in line, Hunter & Harper headed off to get more cookies and hot chocolate from the nearby location. When they were on their way back, Duffy was headed to his M&G near where we were seated. Harper wanted her picture with Duffy, so Bo gave them the other camera and Hunter took a picture for her.

Waiting for the parade

I was SOOOOOO excited to see this parade...like crazy excited!

I apologize that my pictures are not great. My battery in my Nikon was about to go out, so most of these were taken with my smaller camera.

The parade was amazing! Wonderful! Beautiful! Fun!

Up next -- finishing out MVMCP

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[debrapagliasotti]

Day 1, Part 8 MVMCP Finish

After the Once Upon A Christmastime Parade we discussed what to do since the time was now about 1045pm. We decided to get a few more cookies and another hot chocolate since it was getting really chilly.

We decided to head over to It's A Small World since the boys were still awake. We parked the stroller and walked right on. We were the only people in our boat.

In the middle of IASW, Evan fell asleep -- must have been from the excitement of all the singing

We left IASW and we saw...Scrooge Mc Duck!! He was the one character I was hoping to see!!!! There were a couple people in line, so Hunter, Harper & I got in line (Jaxon was quickly falling asleep in the stroller by now!) When we were the next ones up to meet him, Scrooge had to go and check on his money, but they told us he would be back in about 5 minutes. Sure enough, he was! It was about 1135pm by the time we finished up with Scrooge.

Since Bo hadnt ridden Space Mountain yet, I told him to take Hunter & Harper and they could go ride it while I stayed with the boys.

The little boys were crashed out!!

I was watching the time while I was sitting there in Tomorrowland. It was fun watching people sprint to Space Mountain as the time was ticking down...1155pm...1156pm. Bo and the kids came off the ride at 1201am. They said there was no wait and they pretty much walked right on.

So...2 character meets, Holiday Wishes, Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, Dance Party, Space Mountain x2, Mad Tea Party x2, Dumbo, Barnstormer, Haunter Mansion, Its A Small World -- I think we got quite a bit accomplished during our MVMCP time.

As we were leaving we took a few more pictures.

I love the holiday topiaries!!

As we headed down Main Street, it was snowing!

We headed to the bus stop. There werent too many people waiting for our bus, so we all got a seat on the next one to arrive. By the time we got back to the hotel, all 4 kids were knocked out. We woke up Hunter & Harper & Jaxon, and I carried Evan. We got back up to the room and got the kids quickly in PJ's and I got clothes out for the next day for everyone. Bo & I went out on the balcony to see the view at night -- it was even more beautiful at night. We got to bed about 2am and were exhausted!!

Up next, a few more MVMCP bonus pics & final thoughts on the party


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[JoshAndEvsMom]

Wow! It does sound like you got quite a bit accomplished at the party! How fun! The parade looks amazing. I love the pic of the "ice skaters!"

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Wow! It does sound like you got quite a bit accomplished at the party! How fun! The parade looks amazing. I love the pic of the "ice skaters!"

The parade was super amazing! The skiers (their pic will be in my "bonus" MVMCP post) were fun! They stayed in our area a couple minutes b/c they had to let the rest of the parade move up some. One of the guys told Hunter his Jack Christmas hat was awesome!

The toy soldiers were my fave though!!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Day 1, Part 9 MVMCP bonus pics & final party thoughts

Just wanted to share a few more pictures from Once Upon A Christmastime Parade -- it really was beautiful, and having seen this parade, makes me even more excited to see Boo to You in October!!

Scrooge!!

7 Dwarves

Mickey & Minnie's float

To the candy shop

Skiers

And one more pic of the Toy Soldiers

Have you checked out the training video Disney Parks released of the Toy Soldiers preparing for MVMCP?? Its less than 2 minutes and it is the CUTEST thing ever!!

Here is the link!!

So what did we think of our first MVMCP??

Hands down worth it!! Having the lower crowds in the park to really immerse yourself in the holiday surroundings -- the parade at night is amazing!

We would not hesitate to do MVMCP again! In fact, we hope to be able to do another December trip in a few years

Up next, Epcot


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[debrapagliasotti]

Day 2, Part 1 Epcot

After such a hectic and long day yesterday -- early flight and staying out late for MVMCP, we decided to sleep in and get to Epcot whenever we got there.

Jaxon & Evan woke up around 930am and I woke up when I heard them. I turned on some Disney cartoons for them and slowly started getting ready for the day. About 10am Hunter & Harper woke up. I had all the kids dressed and ready to go by 1030am. Bo finally woke up about this time (he can sleep through anything!!)

While he was getting dressed, Harper & I were out on the balcony and we see this...

In the end what was written God =

Bo got dressed and we finally headed out to Epcot about 11am.

While walking down the hallway, I took a picture of the adorable carpet with its hidden Mickey. This part of the carpet is Mickey on a roller coaster on the Boardwalk

We enjoyed the nice walk from Boardwalk to Epcot. It was a quick walk, maybe 10 minutes or so. During that walk, I captured what has become one of mine & Bo's favorite pictures of the trip.

We got through International Gateway and walked towards France for our lunch ADR at 12n.

Up next, Chefs de France


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[debrapagliasotti]

Day 2, Part 2 Epcot lunch at Chefs de France

If you are following along in my dining report, the text for this post is copied directly from there, however, I am adding a few more pictures (non-food) to the posts over here on my trip report

We had a 12pm ADR (in hopes of seeing Remy at 1230p). We checked in about 10 min early and were seated right at 12pm and Sophie was our server. She was very nice and did a good job of explaining the menu and giving suggestions.

Evan waiting patiently for food.

Since we were on DxDP we all ordered apps.

Hunter & I both ordered the Lobster Bisque. I thought this was delicious. Very nice flavor, large pieces of lobster. Hunter declared this as "the best thing he ate all trip!"

DH ordered escargot. Casserole of Burgundian escargots baked in parsley and garlic butter. Not something he typically orders, but I had never tried it, so he got it so I could sample. He ate one and said they were fine. Hunter tried one and absolutely hated it. Harper would not go near them. I thought they were very nice. Good garlic flavor. There were 6 on the dish, I had 4 of them.

Hunter trying (and hating!!) escargot -- Harper wouldnt go near it!

Harper ordered the cheese plate. Imported cheese board with raisin and walnut bread. Sadly, I do not have the names of the cheeses. Harper liked a couple of them, but did not care for the others. DH and I sampled the cheeses and thought the flavors were quite nice.

Both little boys had the cheese puff pastry. I did not sample this, but they both ate it all, so I guess they enjoyed it. This was served with a small salad, they ate the tomato.

For our entrees, again Hunter and I ordered the same thing. Quiche Lorraine - Ham & cheese. The famous ham & cheese quiche served with a mixed green salad. This was quite nice. Nice flavor. I was getting quite full so I did not have more than a bite of the salad. This was Hunter's first time trying quiche and he enjoyed it as well.

DH, Bo ordered Croque monsieur - Ham and cheese sandwich. The classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich served with a green salad. DH did not give me much more than "it was good".

Harper ordered Macaroni baked with cream and Gruyère cheese. She really enjoyed this, but couldnt eat it all because it was so rich. I tried a bit of it and I have to agree with her. I dont think I could eat a whole serving of this!

The little boys both had the same thing. Breaded chicken strips served with pasta. They are not big fans of chicken nuggets/strips, so we took off the chicken in hopes they would eat the pasta, but they really didnt touch it. I think they were probably full from their appetizer.

At this time Sophie came by and asked what we wanted for dessert. I was stuffed and did not order anything. Bo was also full and just ordered coffee as his dessert. The kids all got dessert.

Harper ordered chocolate mousse. She loves pretty much anything chocolate, so she had no complaints about this dessert.

Hunter ordered Fresh strawberry and cream cake with raspberry sauce and strawberry sorbet. He loves strawberries, so this was perfect. I did try a small bite and this was very nice. Light and fresh tasting.

Both little boys had the chocolate chip cookie. This was quite large. Both boys loved it.

2 iced teas, 2 sprites, 1 OJ, 1 apple juice

Total cost before automatic 18% gratuity added $192.61, 6 credits used

All in all we were all quite happy with our meal at Chefs. Remy was a little late, but super cute -- and his handler...HILARIOUS!! We would definately return here again.

Remy did make an appearance about 1245pm finally. His handler made it worth the wait. He kept asking us if we wanting his autograph too since we were taking his picture.

Up next, a little Epcot before dinner time

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[PracPerfPatricia]

Lovely updates... MVMCP and Chefs de France...

It sounds like you really had a very productive night at the Party... I love Scrooge McDuck too and I also noticed that all 7 Dwarves were out... Not only is the party unique and fun but being in the park at night is a whole totally different experience...

Chefs is such a pretty restaurant -it looks/sounds like you had a really lovely time there... I haven't been there in a while... your review makes me want a lunch reservation there... Your gang sound like good eaters... mine too... It does make things easier...

I wonder how the sky writer got in so close to Disney...? I don't have any problem with the writing but I think Disney is usually pretty protective of their air space and I don't think Disney wrote that...hmmm mystery...

 

[15isto2]

Love the report so far

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

REMY!!!! I love him! Your lunch at Les Chefs looks so yummy. MUCH better than what I am eating right now! The pic of your hubby & DS's shadows deserves to be framed. Adorable!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Lovely updates... MVMCP and Chefs de France...

It sounds like you really had a very productive night at the Party... I love Scrooge McDuck too and I also noticed that all 7 Dwarves were out... Not only is the party unique and fun but being in the park at night is a whole totally different experience...

Chefs is such a pretty restaurant -it looks/sounds like you had a really lovely time there... I haven't been there in a while... your review makes me want a lunch reservation there... Your gang sound like good eaters... mine too... It does make things easier...

I wonder how the sky writer got in so close to Disney...? I don't have any problem with the writing but I think Disney is usually pretty protective of their air space and I don't think Disney wrote that...hmmm mystery...

I was so excited about seeing Scrooge McDuck!! I didnt want to bother with waiting in line for the 7 Dwarves this time around. Maybe one day.

We really enjoyed Chefs. Would definately like to eat there again.

I didnt really give it any thought about the sky writer. We actually saw it again later in the week, same message being written.

Love the report so far

Thank you

REMY!!!! I love him! Your lunch at Les Chefs looks so yummy. MUCH better than what I am eating right now! The pic of your hubby & DS's shadows deserves to be framed. Adorable!

Remy is such a cutie-patootie! I'd never say that about any other rat

We love, love, love that picture. It will definately be framed

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Day 2, Part 3 Epcot fun

After our tummies were full from our yummy meal at Chefs de France, we had 1 very important order of business (ok, 2) -- to redeem our Photopass + voucher (we didnt want to use up MVMCP time to do this last night) and get over to Soarin to get FP since they were still available.

But since I am passing a Christmas tree, I must take a picture

So, off to The Land we go. I run downstairs and get FP with return time of 615pm.

After Soarin FP are in hand, we head back over to the camera store and I quickly redeemed our voucher for Photopass +. We noticed that Goofy was meeting nearby, so we took the kids to get in line. Just a few minutes later and we were meeting Goofy.

After we have met Goofy, we decided to head over to The Seas With Nemo.

The little boys loved the ride, and once we finished we looked at the aquariums for a while.

Mickey -- not so hidden

The kids had to visit with Bruce -- Hunter & Evan

Harper & Jaxon

I love this Nemo setup outside -- always thought it was so cute.

Hunter wanted to take a picture by himself. "Just keep swimming"

By this time it was nearing 3pm, so we decided to head over to Journey to the Imagination since we had never been on this before.

Evan did NOT like the wind, skunk smell and definately NOT the pitch dark scene!!!!! He started screaming when it went dark. Poor baby!

After Journey to the Imagination, we let the kids play in the Imagination area for a few minutes. Evan loved this area for some reason...

After we played with Figment for a while, I noticed on my Touring Plans app that Gran Fiesta Tour had only a 5 minute wait, so we decided to head over to ride that.

On the way, had to take pictures of the adorable topiary.

Hunter & Harper asked if we could get a snack before we rode. They were craving pretzels, so we stopped and got them each a pretzel.

While heading back to Gran Fiesta Tour, we thought it would be funny to have the kids take a picture with the Mayan type calendar (afterall, the end of the world was coming in a few days )

The little boys loved Gran Fiesta Tour and really got a kick out of seeing Donald pop up in all the scenes.

After Gran Fiesta Tour, I saw on my app that Maelstrom only had a 5 minute wait, so we headed over to ride that. As we were walking up, they were making an announcement that the ride had just shut down.

We glanced at the time and noticed the holiday storyteller from Norway was about to begin. We watched the story of the holiday gnome Julenissen.

After Julenissen, Bo & I wanted to get a beer from Germany. So we stopped by the German Pretzel wagon and got 2 Altemunster Draft beers and 1 pretzel to share (cant have German beer without a pretzel!!)

We figured we should go ahead and head over to Coral Reef for our dinner ADR at 525pm. We arrived early and sat outside to finish our beers before checking in, plus Evan had fallen asleep in the stroller, so we were trying to give him some time to rest before we checked in.

This would be our first time eating at Coral Reef. What would we think about it?

Up next, Coral Reef

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[SAT887]

Great update. You have a beautiful family! The pitch black, and the bursts of air on the imagination ride scare my youngest... I always forget about it too - I have tried my best to shield her and I am always off. I really used to love the imagination pavilion - they really need to update it and find a better sponsor...

 

[khertz]

Got a bit behind but I'm all caught up now!

It sounds like y'all had a really great time at the party. The picture of the boys passed out in the stroller is too funny. It seems like they made it pretty late though, so that is good that they experienced almost everything you did! The parade is really fantastic. Really puts you in the Christmas spirit!

Even for a sleep in morning, you seemed to make pretty good time. At least at Epcot, there are lots of smaller rides you can ride that don't build up the wait times as quickly. I love the little Nemo plant area! It's one of my favorite movies, and now DS is just obsessed with Nemo. I'm sure that spot will be a real hit when we go back in October.

That lunch at Le Chefs looks really delicious and fun. I would love to get to see Remy! He's so adorable. The mac and cheese looks fantastic!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Great update. You have a beautiful family! The pitch black, and the bursts of air on the imagination ride scare my youngest... I always forget about it too - I have tried my best to shield her and I am always off. I really used to love the imagination pavilion - they really need to update it and find a better sponsor...

Thank you

I felt so bad for little Evan during those scenes. He was fine once they were over, but I still felt bad for him. The imagination play area was fun...but I agree, it does seem a bit dated.

Got a bit behind but I'm all caught up now!

It sounds like y'all had a really great time at the party. The picture of the boys passed out in the stroller is too funny. It seems like they made it pretty late though, so that is good that they experienced almost everything you did! The parade is really fantastic. Really puts you in the Christmas spirit!

Even for a sleep in morning, you seemed to make pretty good time. At least at Epcot, there are lots of smaller rides you can ride that don't build up the wait times as quickly. I love the little Nemo plant area! It's one of my favorite movies, and now DS is just obsessed with Nemo. I'm sure that spot will be a real hit when we go back in October.

That lunch at Le Chefs looks really delicious and fun. I would love to get to see Remy! He's so adorable. The mac and cheese looks fantastic!

The boys did really well with the long hours that first day -- between waking up early for the flight, then staying out late (and in another time zone).

I thought we did pretty well at Epcot considering our arrival time. We still had more time at Epcot to come, so I wasnt too worried.

I think the love for Nemo really started for Jaxon & Evan on this trip. They talk about Nemo all the time (and Dumbo too by the time the trip was over).

Chefs was a lot of fun. I would definately like to go there again!! And yes, the mac and cheese was very good...rich, but good!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Day 2, Part 4 Dinner at Coral Reef (Candlelight Processional package)

For dinner this evening, we were headed to Coral Reef for the Candlelight Processional package.

I had read all sorts of different reviews, some good, some bad, some down right awful...but I was hopeful. Hunter really wanted to eat here because of the aquarium.

We arrived about 515pm for our 525pm ADR and had to wait approx 20 min before our buzzer went off. We were seated on the second tier and immediately our waitress, Patty approached our table. She told us what we were able to get since we were doing the Candlelight Processional package. She offered recommendations and came back shortly with drinks, presented us with the bread basket and took our dinner order.

Bread basket. These were ok. Typical rolls. I shared one with Evan.

For our appetizers, I ordered the Crispy-fried Shrimp with Coral Reef Slaw and a Spiced Rémoulade. The shrimp were nicely fried, with a good crispy texture, but the real winner was the spiced remoulade! That paired so nicely with the shrimp. I could have easily eaten a few more of these!!

Bo ordered Crab Cakes with Tropical Fruit Salsa and Tequila Aïoli. He enjoyed these. I had a small bite and was quite happy that I ordered the fried shrimp. These tasted ok, but I definately preferred my shrimp

Hunter ordered Caesar Salad with Shredded Parmesan and Croutons. This kid loves salad, so I was not at all suprised he ordered one. He ate every last bite, so I guess he enjoyed it.

Harper ordered Creamy Lobster Soup made with Tarragon and Brandy. She ate every last drop and would have licked the bowl clean had we let her! I was going to ask for a bite, but by the time I looked over, she was already done!

The little boys both had sliced apples for their appetizer. I did not take pictures of the apples.

Entrees were brought out about the time we were finishing up our appetizers.

I ordered Coral Reef Lobster Orecchiette Pasta with White Cheddar Cheese and Basil Oil. This was delicious, but INCREADIBLY RICH!! The flavor was nice, and everything went together well, but it was so heavy. There was no way I could eat all of this, so towards the end, I ended up just picking out the lobster and eating all of that. The lobster chunks were HUGE!

Bo ordered Grilled New York Strip Steak served with Roasted Potatoes, Mushrooms, Spinach, and Red Wine Sauce. He ordered this cooked medium. He said the cut of meat was quite nice, very little fat. He also enjoyed the roasted potatoes. Sorry for the blurry picture here.

Hunter also ordered this same steak, minus the mushrooms and he subbed fries. He ordered his medium well. He ate most of the steak and about half the french fries. He said the steak was fine, little fat.

Harper ordered Seared Chicken Breast served over Spaetzle finished with Applewood-smoked Bacon and Chicken Broth. To be honest, she did not care for this at all. She took a couple bites of the chicken and said it was quite dry. She did not care for the spaetzle either. I traded plates with her and she enjoyed my pasta, but agreed it was very rich. I agreed her chicken was very dry. Patty offered to get her another meal, but by this time Harper was getting full anyways.

The little boys both had cheese pizza. I did not try this, but the boys both ate about half of their pizzas.

We all ordered dessert tonight.

Bo, Harper and I all had The Chocolate Wave served with Raspberry Gelato. OK, I am not a huge chocolate person, but this was yummy!! And that raspberry gelato was so refreshing and perfect with the chocolate molten center. MMMM!!!

Hunter ordered Orange Cheesecake with Blood Orange Sauce. He loved this! He later declared this as his favorite dessert of the trip. I was curious of the orange flavoring and had a small bite. The orange flavor was quite mild.

Jaxon ordered plain vanilla ice cream (he is very picky about desserts). So again, no picture.

Evan ordered Coral Reef Brownie. Patty kept calling this "Nemo dessert" and I couldnt remember from pictures what it looked like. Oh goodness, this was so cute in its presentation. He devoured this! Every...single...bite! The brownie appeared to be very moist when I cut it for him.

Overall, our meal at Coral Reef was nice. Other than Harper's chicken, everyone enjoyed their meal. The ambiance was nice with the aquarium.

There were a lot of divers in the aquarium (probably 8-10) and the little boys thought that was the neatest thing to watch them swim. Some of them would come up to the glass and do flips in the water and wave to everyone.

$295.94 was the total cost for the Candlelight Processional package. 12 dining credits used.

Up next, Candlelight Processional & Holiday IllumiNations

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Day 2, Part 5 Candlelight Processional

After dinner at Coral Reef, we rushed over to use our FP for Soarin and arrived about 645pm. I knew there was no way we would have enough time for everyone to ride before we needed to head over to Candlelight Processional, so I just sent Bo, Hunter, Harper & Jaxon to ride (Evan is too short -- normally we would rider swap, but the timing was not in our favor!!). Evan and I went over to the area where FP distribution is and I sat down, while Evan was running around in the open area.

We waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, about 730pm they come off Soarin -- yes, 730pm...Candlelight Processional is at 815pm This was everyones first time to ride Soarin. Last time we were there, TT was our priority and we never got around to Soarin. Bo thought it was "ok" and Hunter, Harper, Jaxon liked it.

We rush off and are dodging in and out of people trying to get over to America theatre. We arrive a few minutes before 8pm (completely out of breath!!) and find out they havent let anyone in the theatre yet. The line was long, but moved through very quickly. We ended up about halfway up, near the end of a row.

We had never seen Candlelight Processional, so we were very excited (well, Bo & I were). Our narrarator was Alfre Woodard. We weren't too familiar with her work, so once she was finally announced in November, we had to Google her

She did an amazing job! She seemed so moved by the words she was reading and had a wonderful soothing voice.

I didnt take many pictures because I didnt want to bother anyone around us.

Candlelight Processional was absolutely beautiful. The choir was amazing and overall it was very moving. The kids all did well sitting through this (even the little boys).

After CP was over, it was time to find a place to watch Holiday IllumiNations. We found a spot close by to where we were and waited for it to begin.

Tree in America Pavilion

Holiday IllumiNations

Up next, Holiday IllumiNations continued


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[debrapagliasotti]

Day 2, Part 6 Holiday IllumiNations continued

I love Holiday IllumiNations!! So, so pretty! Jaxon & Evan love fireworks

We left Epcot as soon as Holiday IllumiNations was over as the park had closed. On the way back to the hotel, we took a couple pictures

Hunter & Harper wanted to go swimming when we got back, so Bo took them to the quiet pool for about 45min. I stayed back in the room and got the little boys in bed.

Hunter & Harper got showers as soon as they returned back to the room and headed to bed.

Tomorrow, we head to Hollywood Studios bright an early

 

[1stvisit0909]

Looks like you had a great day at EPCOT! can't wait to hear about DHS!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

What a fun day! The Candlelight Processional and Holiday Illiminations look awesome. Your little ones are troopers! I'm impressed that they lasted through the fireworks!