2belles'mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2000
A Family Disney Christmas
December 17-30
CAST
Me 38 Disney Planner and Disney Addict
DH David 38 Not-so-much-a Disney fan, but comes along for the ride
DD Katja 9 Definitely following in Moms footsteps
DD Annika 6 Disney Addict in training
DB Steve 36 Last trip to Disney was three years ago, with us
DSIL Sarah 31 Loves Disney too!
DN Riley 12
DN Tallon 4
DN Tanner 2
DG Nana
DG Papa
Background and Our Pixie Dust is under attack!!
This was our third Christmas family reunion at the World. The first trip was five years ago. For the second reunion, our family got together for Christmas at the Wilderness Lodge, and had a fabulous time. Finally, three years after the last trip, the time came to get together in the World again!! The group for this tripstaying at the Boardwalk Villas-- included my brother Steve and his wife Sarah, their three children Tallon 4 years old, Tanner 2 years old, and Riley 12 years old, my parents Nana and Poppa, my DH David, and our two little girls Annika 6 and Katja 9.
My parents and my family would be flying from Seattle, and my brother and his family would be coming from Wisconsin. His older son Riley would be flying from Arizona, where he lives with his mother. Our departure date was set for December 17, and as the date approached, the anticipation level increased exponentially. The trip was so many things wrapped into one, especially for the kids: a magical Disney vacation, CHRISTMAS!!!!, and the chance to be reunited with cousins, aunts and uncles who are very much missed during absences.
On December 13, four days before our departure date, when I was in the throes of finalizing things at work and final preparations at home, our Pixie Dust came under attack. . I was at work, preparing to supervise an evening Christmas Choir Concert. At about 5:00, I got a beep from my cell phone that I had a message. The message was from my father, Theyve taken your mother by ambulance to the hospital. They arent sure what it is, maybe her Pancreas. I will call you when I get to the hospital. That was it. My dad doesnt have a cell phone; I didnt even know which hospital. Sick with worry, all I could do was wait for a call. My mother has heart failure and diabetes, and although she looks great, a trip to the hospital struck fear through my bones
At 8:00, I could take it no longer. I went to my car in the parking lot at the school, and started calling local hospitals to see if my mother had been admittedno luck.. Finally, after getting home around 9:30, I got a call from my dad. My mother was at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. She was on a morphine drip, doing better, but still no diagnoses. However, she was steadfastly adamant with whomever was in earshot: On Saturday, she was getting on a plane to Disney World! My father reported that they were getting ready to do an MRI and some more testing. Not much sleep for me that night. The next morning at 6, Dad called to say that my mother would be getting her appendix out at 7:00 a.m. Her appendix! On the one hand, good news since it wasnt something more serious. On the other her appendix!
I didnt know 66 year olds got appendicitis
and
the docs were saying no travel for at least a week after the surgery!!!! That would be the 22nd
5 days past the scheduled departure. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. The trip meant so much to my mother
seeing her son and grandkids who live in Wisconsin and Arizona, spending the holidays with them
After her surgery, I talked to her. She still thought she was getting on the plane on Saturday (post-op meds were of course making her feel JUST FINE
). I told her that the doctors would probably make her wait a couple of days
but dont worry Mom, just a couple. My dad had not yet discussed with her the ban on flying, sigh
As it turned out, they cleared her to fly on the 21st and scheduled her staples out on the morning of the 21st. My dad got the tickets reissued (NO WAY was Nana going to miss the trip) but paid THROUGH THE NOSE. Delta was nice enough to waive the change ticket fee, but the new travel dates came with ticket prices high enough to double what Nana and Poppa had originally paid.
So, even though Nana and Poppa would miss the beginning of the trip, they WOULD be there. The worst part was that their time with my brothers son Riley, would be so short. Riley doesnt live with my brother and his wifehe lives with his mother in Arizona. His mother was being extremely difficult, and had refused to allow Riley to stay through Christmashe would be flying back Christmas Eve (perhaps understandable except that she kept him for Christmas LAST year as well, which was supposed to be my brothers year). So Nana and Poppa would have precious few days now with Riley. HOWEVER, Nana was okay, that was the most important part, and she WOULD be making it to Disney World!!!
December 17DAY 1, TRAVEL DAY and another attack on our Pixie Dust!
We got up early and finished packing. It was a bit stressfulalthough I had started packing three weeks prior, the last week had been hectic and I had been unable to devote much time to it. My dad volunteered to drive us all the way to the airport (as opposed to the ferry terminal) to save us some time. I gratefully accepted. We caught the 10:00 a.m. boat to Seattle, planning to get to the airport by 11:30 for our 1:00 flight. Finally, on our way!!!
But then--as the ferry started to unload in Seattle, my Dads car refused to start! Cars, all around us driving off the boat. Our car, sitting like a dead duck. Panic setting in. Some inappropriate cursing from the adults. My DH, David, flags down a ferry worker. The worker directs the other cars around us, and informs us he will push our car off the boat and then jump us on the dock. They push the car down, around the corner, bring out a little machine on wheels and jump us. The car starts. A well oiled machineobviously they are used to dealing with dead batteries on the Washington State Ferry system!
We got to the airport, made our flight, and had a short 1.5 hour flight to Salt Lake City, where we changed planes for the loooonnnng 4.5 hour leg to Orlando. We were due to land at 10:58 p.m., but figured that our internal clocks would be fine since it would be three hours earlier for us. For our arrival night, we would be staying at the Hyatt at the airport, making the late hour even more tolerable ($45 Pricelinegotta love it!).
My brother Steve and his family were flying in from Wisconsin, and their flight had arrived earlier that morning. They planned to make a day of it without us, heading to the Magic Kingdom with their two boys, Tallon, 4, and Tanner 2. They would then return to the Hyatt at the airport (where they also were staying) in order to pick up Steves 12 year old son Riley who was due in from Arizona at midnight, and meet up with us.
When we arrived in Orlando, the girls (Katja, 9, and Annika, 6) and I headed for the Hyatt to check in while David went to wait for our luggage to arrive. We had two roomsone for my parents and one for us. Since my mother had been struck down by Appendicitis and would not be joining us until the 21st, we figured we would let Riley use my parents room (Priceline, remember?). We figured he might enjoy a little privacy from his 4 and 2 year old brothers. He would also get his own room at the Boardwalk Villas until my parents arrived, since we had rented the points from a DVC member for their studio.
Once we had our luggage and were settled, I called my brothers room to let him know that we had arrived and had Rileys room. It was about midnight by this time, so I figured that Steve was probably meeting Rileys flight. My SIL Sarah answered the phone, and it sounded as if I had rousted her from a deep sleep. Odd, I thought, I had assumed she would be waiting up for Steve and Riley. I had imagined that her little guys would be besides themselves with excitement to see their big bro again, and they wouldnt be sleeping either. My own girls were bouncing off the walls, eager to see their cousins, and I pictured an hour of children tearing around the hotel rooms in joyous celebration before getting them to sleep.
So, Sarahs groggy voice threw me. I apologized for waking her up. I just wanted to let you know that we are all checked in, and we have Rileys room for him!, to which Sarah replied, Riley isnt coming. !!!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????!!!!!!!!!!?????????
Whaaaaaaa? said I, stupidly. Sarah explained that Rileys mother had called Steves cell phone TODAY, while they were ON THE PLANE. She said that Riley had bronchitis and she wasnt going to put him on the plane. No, she would not consider waiting a day or two. He would not be coming, period. Yes, words had been exchanged. It had not been a pretty phone conversation.
I was completely stunned. I was deeply disappointed, sad and extremely angry, all at once.
I wanted to get on the phone and scream at The evil woman villain (whom I have never met nor spoken to). This would be the THIRD Christmas in a row that she had managed to keep Riley from his father. Unbelievable. Unacceptable. Unconscionable. Our side of the family gets to see Riley precious little. My 66 year old heart-failure patient MOTHER was getting on a plane DAYS after major abdominal surgery so that she could see her grandkids!!!!! So that she could see Riley!!!!! She had been so disappointed that her time with Riley would be cut short due to her arriving late because of her emergency appendectomy. I was OUTRAGED!!!!! Not to mention the money side of thingsthe plane ticket that was now useless (my brother out $400 bucks there), the expiry park hopper (another $250 bucks), the MVMCP ticket
all those ADRs I had made and now needed to be amended
I tried to cover up my raw emotions so that my daughters werent distressed on our first night. But they knew what was going on, and they were devastated that Riley wasnt coming. Especially my nine year oldshe and Riley make up the older kids out of the cousins, and like to buddy up. They were also let down since they would have to wait until morning to see their remaining cousins. So much for my visions of a happy and chaotic cousin reunion on arrival night!
On a happier note, my brother had taken his family to Magic Kingdom for the day, and they had had a wonderful time. It had been crowded, but they rode Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Carribbean, and visited Tom Sawyer Island. They were drained, both emotionally and physically, and had turned in early. Hence, my midnight phone call finding such deep sleepers.
At this point, my family was emotionally and physically exhausted, and after a quick room service (well, not that quick, it took forever to arrive!) meal, we hit the hay.
Tomorrow: Arrival at the Boardwalk and Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party!
December 18DAY TWO, THE BOARDWALK AND MVMCP (TINKERBELL STRIKES BACK)
We slept in a bit, got up around 8:30 and touched base with Sarah. Their kids were up bouncing around, so we made plans to meet for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. They were going to head there pretty soon since their crew was hungry. I got the girls going, but soon got a call from Stevethey were scrapping the hotel plan and heading for a McDonalds. They would stop by our room after. We finished getting ready, had a light bite, and then they were there!!!! Adorable little Tallon and Tanner. Tallon, at 4 1/2, a regular little chatter box eager to talk to his older girl cousins. Tanner, 21/2, shy of the new adults, but eager to get in on the action with the other little ones. The scene I had envisioned the night before playing out before our eyes this morning. Wonderful, familial chaos. The kids getting to know one another again. Sad that Riley wasnt with us, but wonderful anyway.
After the joyful reunion, we packed up and headed down to the rental cars. Steve and Sarah had rented a sweet mini-van with leather and a DVD player. We had a full-size SUV, no leather, no DVD player. Oh well. We loaded the entire traveling circus into the vehicles, and headed to the Boardwalk!
I always marvel at how beautifully decorated Disney is at Christmas. The Boardwalk itself was gorgeoushuge dripping garlands, heavy with ornaments, the Christmas trees, the gingerbread train set up in the lobby
There was no line, so check in was easy. We got our room keys and headed upour room was on the 5th floor, right next to the elevators. I had rented a 2-bedroom Villa and a separate studio for my parents (renting points from a DVC member). But something was strange there was no counter at the breakfast bar no breakfast bar. Also, the living area looked smaller than we had expected. Interesting .as we poked around some more, we realized that the two bedroom villa was a handicap room. There were no tubs in the rooms (except for the jetted one in the master), and no barrier to keep water from piling up on the bathroom floor during showers.
I called the front desk to see about switching rooms. We really needed a breakfast bar with four kids, and we needed bath tubs and showers with barriers to keep the water from turning the floor into a slip-n-slide. No problem, the wonderful gentleman I spoke to said stop by the front desk, they got us another villa, same floor, not handicap. Great, we would stop by on our way to our lunch at Alfredos.
When I got to the front desk, however, no one had any idea what I was taking about. They said there no rooms available and were perturbed that someone had told us there were. They called out a manager type who told me the same thing. She also said we probably didnt want to change rooms anyway (whatever that meant??). Since by now we were running short on time to get to our 12:00 Alfredos ADR, we decided to let it drop and headed to Epcot for lunch. We figured it wasnt a big deal in the scheme of things!
We walked from the Boardwalk through the International Gateway entrance, crossed the bridge and headed to Italy. There was really no one in World Showcasethe place was practically empty. We enjoyed taking in the sights. When we arrived at Alfredos we were shown immediately to our table. I had never dined in the restaurant before and found it fabulous. Our waitresses name was Katja, the same as my daughtershe got a real kick out of that. I had the Fettucine Alfredodelicious, but very heavy and rich. The kids had plain noodles and seemed to enjoy their lunch.
After lunch, we headed back to the Boardwalk. Once in our room, I called the front desk to report a minor maintenance issue. I happened to mention the handi-cap room issue to herthe strange room change that wasnt, She checked, and then informed me that they HAD changed our rooms! We should bring our old keys down and she would reissue keys for the new room. By this time, Tanner was down for his nap. I asked if it would be possible for us to have 1 hour to make the change, so that the 2 year old could sleep and we could get all of our stuff transferred. No problem, said she! But do call, she asked, as soon as we were out as the room would need to be refreshed for the next folks.
At this point, Steve took the girls and Tallon down to the pool (the clown waterpark as Tallon called it) to swim, David went on a grocery run, and Sarah and I started the process of transferring our vast quantities of luggage to the new room. On our first trip to the new digs, we found a maintenance CM in the room, steam cleaning the carpets. He told us he was almost done, and that the carpets would be dry in about an hour. We decided to go ahead and start the transfer anyway It took us about a ½ hour to complete the process, including the transfer of little Tanner. We opened the doors to the balconies to speed up the carpet drying, and as I was standing on the main balcony I noticed that several people were standing on the balcony of our OLD ROOM. I did a double-take. It had only been about a ½ hour, and we hadnt even done a final check to make sure we had not left anything behind. It was definitely our old roomwe could tell since the balconies were much larger than the standard balconies to accommodate wheelchairs. Sarah and I decided to go down and let the new folks know that if the room looked used it was because we had just been there, and that if they found any personal items, well, they would know where they came from! As it turned out, they werent very happy with the handicap room either, but they were glad we let them know what was going onthey had indeed detected that people had been in the room. Sarah and I marveled that the room had been turned over so quickly without refreshing!
I headed down to the poolTanner was still nappingand joined my brother and the other kids. Tallon was having a blast going down the Clown Slide. However, the girls reported that the water was cold, cold, cold. Apparently the water heater was broken. Dang, too bad, since the air temp was only about 69! Still, the kids had fun going from the pool to the hot tub to slide.
After pool time, we herded everyone upstairs for nice hot showers and to get ready for Mickeys Very Christmas Party. We also spent some serious time decorating the 6 foot Christmas tree I had brought with me.
The kids had fun putting all of the little Target-special ornaments I had picked up.
We left to catch the bus a bit past 5:30, and arrived at the Magic Kingdom a bit past 6:00 ( a little later than I had planned, but OK!). Hordes of people were leaving the Kingdom, and a much smaller group of us were entering. Here is where I DEFINITELY got my moneys worth from Tourguide Mike: In the past, they have had Tomorrowland open during the transition hour of 6 to 7 p.m. TGM had let all of us subscribers know, just a couple of weeks prior, that they were now opening FRONTIERLAND, not Tomorrowland. So I steered our party toward Frontierland. And can you believe it, they showed SKEPTICISM! They didnt have faith! Especially when I stopped to ask a traffic-directing CM in front of the castle to confirm my informationwhen I inquired as to which land was open, she told us that NOTHING was open unti 7:00. Baaaah. My brother told me my intel was no good (former marine that he is). I kept the faith and responded, My intel is fine. Disney just doesnt ADVERTISE that part of the park is open. All the better for us. Still, as we fought the mass hordes of humanity exiting the park, fish upstream, making our way to Frontierland, I could tell that my crew was not sure about this at all, not at all. But never fear! My intel proved solid as a rock
as we approached Splash Mountain and observed empty logs interspersed every once in awhile by a peopled log. It was open! The ride was a 100% walk on, you didnt even need to get off your log!! The kids rode Splash 3 times in a row, then we headed next door for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and did that one twice in a row. Tallon proclaimed his LOVE for both of the ridesthis was his first time ever on both of them!!! It was so neat to see the look of rapture on his face.
By now it was 7, so we left Frontierland and headed to Tomorrowland. We all rode Buzz Lightyear (no line), and than Tallon, being a Stitch fan, announced that he had to see Stitch. Absolutely HAD to ride the Stitch ride. Katja and Annika werent to wild about the Stitch ride and would rather have passed, but decided to go along with Tallon. I meant to stay with Tanner so Sarah could ride it (not one of my favorites either!), but since there was now line I missed the window of opportunity to bail out and got trapped behind the big doors you are ushered in to begin your Stich Experience. Dang. Steve and Tallon were ahead of us, and Steve selected the very front row of seats. The girls and I joined him hmmm, we had never done the front row before. I had a clear view of Tallons face as Stitch emerged in the teleporting tube thingee. He was spellbound. Then, suddenly, Stitch took aim at Tallon and hit him square in the face with stream of water!!! He hit Steve too!!! The look of shock and betrayal on Tallons face was priceless. I was laughing so hard I could hardly contain myself. After the ride, Tallon proclaimed that Stitch is NOT my friend. Stitch spit on me. Stitch is NOT A FRIEND. Well, Tallon doesnt like Stitch anymore!
After Stitch, we headed to Space Mountain. This one was going to be tricky since both Tallon and Annika were just on the cusp in terms of height requirements (Annika, at 6 years old, our tiny little peanut, is a hair shorter than Tallon, 4 years old). And, much to Annikas OUTRAGE, Tallon made the cut and she didnt. Oh, the injustice of it. While the taller kids (cant say older in this case!) rode Space Mountain, Annika got some candy in the gift shop. We promised her that we would try again with different shoesI mean she was so, so, so close!!!!!
We also rode Winnie the Pooh and did Buzz a couple more times before it was time for the fireworks. We positioned ourselves on the Tomorrowland Bridge for Wishes, right under the Tinkerbell wire. When Wishes started, it took a couple of minutes to realize that the low cloud cover and the FOG yes FOG yes FOG was obscuring the higher pyrotechnics. It was eerie. The sky would light up, but you couldnt see the fireworks! I have to admit to being disappointed, but it was kind of cool tooespecially the grand finale when it got so bright it seemed like day!!!!
After Wishes, another ride on Space Mountain (but alas, not for Annika), and then over to Cosmic Rays to get something to eat before the parade. Yes, we were trying to follow Tourguide Mike advice and stay up for the 2nd parade. We had skipped the first parade and done rides (no lines for rides during the first parade!). We got some chicken nuggets, fries and chicken sandwiches. Tallon and Tanner were loosing steam rapidly. We loaded the kids in the strollers and headed to Frontierland to grab spots. By 10:30, we were seated but Tanner was out for the countsound asleep. Tallon followed soon after, and then out went Annika. When the parade started Annika woke up, and she and Katja had a great time watching right up front, with an unobstructed view. Steve tried to wake up Tallon, but he went into a sleep-walk-fugue- kind of rage about it. He did snap out of it for a bit of the parade, but eventually fell back asleep. Steve taped the whole thing though, and Sarah and I took tons of pictures. I pointed out that we could cut out all of the pictures, glue them on popsicle sticks, and re-enact the parade for his boys!
Since the kids were pretty much out, we decided to leave the Magic Kingdom as opposed to squeezing in a few more rides while the park cleared. It wasnt too bad getting out of MK, and the wait for the bus was no longer than 5 minuteswe had been scared by stories of 1 hour waits!!! All in all, a smooth exit.
We arrived back at the Boardwalk sometime after midnight, and said goodnight. It had been a wonderful Christmas Partywe had some Pixie Dust left afterall.
TomorrowWonderland Tea Party, MGM Studios, and Chef Mickeys
Monday, December 19 Wonderland Tea Party, Disney-MGM Studios, Chef Mickeys
Since it had been a late night, we all slept in and had a leisurely morning. David cooked a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon and bagels which we all very much enjoyed.
When we were ready, we took both cars and drove to the Grand Floridian. We arrived around noon, planning to take some time to check out the GF and ride the monorail. The lobby of the Grand Floridian, as usual, is splendid. The tree is magnificent (I realized that the Boardwalk doesnt really have a big flagship tree, like the Wilderness Lodge, the GF or Animal Kingdom Lodge). We checked out the gigantic Gingerbread house (its a working candy shop too), but since the line was ridiculously long, we didnt buy any candy. Then we hopped on the monorail for a spin around the monorail resort area. We got off at the Polynesian and spent some time poking around. My brother Steve announced that next time, he would like to stay herehe was especially impressed by the new Volcano Pool. I like the hotel, but I cant say it is my favorite!
By the time we got back to the GF, it was time to check the kids in for the Wonderland Tea Party at 1900 Park Fare. Tallon, Annika and Katja would be partaking, while the adults and Tanner had lunch at the Grand Floridian Café. The timing worked out perfectlyI had make a 1:00 ADR for the Café, and by the time our buzzer went off that our table was ready, it was 1:30, starting time for the tea party. Yeah! We enjoyed a lovely lunchI had the Cobb salad, cant remember what anyone else hadand then went to pick the kids up.
The Wonderland Tea Party is such a cute activity! It is hosted by Alice and the Mad Hatter. The kids get to eat their desert before lunch, just like in Wonderland. They eat decorate-your-own cupcakes, sandwiches and fruit, and applejuice (not tea). They play games, follow-the-leader and such. My girls love that they get to go crawling under tables in the restaurant! When we arrived to pick the kids up, Steve tried to peek through the curtains to check on the action, and in unison the children all shouted at the top of their lungs NO PEEKING! When the doors opened, all of the kids had their heads down on the table. As the adults enter, they shout out SURPRISE!!!! and present the parents with a small boquet of flowers.
We left the GF and drove to Disney-MGM Studios, arriving just in time for the 3:30 Holly Days Parade. I had planned to go all the way back to Star Tours to snag a viewing spot, but Steve managed to find a perfect, right-up-front unobstructed spot on the street just outside the Villain Store. While we waited for the parade to start, David went to Tower of Terror to get fastpasses (return time of 4:30), and I ducked into the Villian shop and purchased sweatshirts for the girls, who were cold (now they would be double sweat-shirted and warm).
The Holly Days parade was great fun. My nephew, 4 year old Tallon, is a Power Ranger fanatic, and seeing the Rangers in the parade really made his day. The Red Power Ranger, Jack, got a kick out of my brother yelling out YOU GO JACK!!! YOU ROCK!!!! at the top of his lungs, in his strongest Marine Corps voice. Im glad I got it on video! After the parade we still had some time before our ToT fastpasses could be used, so we headed toward Indians Jonesperfect, the 4:15 show was just starting. We got good seats and enjoyed the stunt show.
Now it was getting close to 5:00, and time to use our 4:30 Tower of Terror fastpasses, so we headed back to Sunset Blvd. The kids got to ride two times, since we did the baby swap. Tallon called it the spooky ride, and while he did go ahead and ride twice, he wasnt too keen on the whole experience.
Wow, we had packed quite a bit of MGM fun into 2 ½ hours! At 6:00, we left MGM and drove the two cars to the Contemporary for our 6:40 ADR at Chef Mickeys. I had been in favor of canceling the Chef Mickey ADR, but my daughter Katja informed me that Chef Mickeys is a TRADITION, and we simply HAD TO DO IT. Okay! I was worried since the ADR was so late that we were going to run into a looonggggg wait, so Sarah and I were prepared to do some power shopping at the Grand Concourse shops. We snagged a nice comfy waiting space in the Outer Rim Lounge and settled in BUT ABRA-CADABRA! After 10 minutes our table was ready! Amazing!
Even though my shopping was cut short (Sarah managed to use that 10 minutes for a mini-shopping-marathon), I wasnt complaining. The buffet wasnt impressiveI have definitely had better at Chef Mickeysbut it was okay. The character interaction was great, and both Tallon and Tanner warmed right up to them. They especially liked Mickey and Minnie, and I was glad we got to see the head mice so early in our trip. After dinner, it was home to the Boardwalk and to bedtomorrow was an early day at Epcot!
December 17-30
CAST
Me 38 Disney Planner and Disney Addict
DH David 38 Not-so-much-a Disney fan, but comes along for the ride
DD Katja 9 Definitely following in Moms footsteps
DD Annika 6 Disney Addict in training
DB Steve 36 Last trip to Disney was three years ago, with us
DSIL Sarah 31 Loves Disney too!
DN Riley 12
DN Tallon 4
DN Tanner 2
DG Nana
DG Papa
Background and Our Pixie Dust is under attack!!
This was our third Christmas family reunion at the World. The first trip was five years ago. For the second reunion, our family got together for Christmas at the Wilderness Lodge, and had a fabulous time. Finally, three years after the last trip, the time came to get together in the World again!! The group for this tripstaying at the Boardwalk Villas-- included my brother Steve and his wife Sarah, their three children Tallon 4 years old, Tanner 2 years old, and Riley 12 years old, my parents Nana and Poppa, my DH David, and our two little girls Annika 6 and Katja 9.
My parents and my family would be flying from Seattle, and my brother and his family would be coming from Wisconsin. His older son Riley would be flying from Arizona, where he lives with his mother. Our departure date was set for December 17, and as the date approached, the anticipation level increased exponentially. The trip was so many things wrapped into one, especially for the kids: a magical Disney vacation, CHRISTMAS!!!!, and the chance to be reunited with cousins, aunts and uncles who are very much missed during absences.
On December 13, four days before our departure date, when I was in the throes of finalizing things at work and final preparations at home, our Pixie Dust came under attack. . I was at work, preparing to supervise an evening Christmas Choir Concert. At about 5:00, I got a beep from my cell phone that I had a message. The message was from my father, Theyve taken your mother by ambulance to the hospital. They arent sure what it is, maybe her Pancreas. I will call you when I get to the hospital. That was it. My dad doesnt have a cell phone; I didnt even know which hospital. Sick with worry, all I could do was wait for a call. My mother has heart failure and diabetes, and although she looks great, a trip to the hospital struck fear through my bones
At 8:00, I could take it no longer. I went to my car in the parking lot at the school, and started calling local hospitals to see if my mother had been admittedno luck.. Finally, after getting home around 9:30, I got a call from my dad. My mother was at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. She was on a morphine drip, doing better, but still no diagnoses. However, she was steadfastly adamant with whomever was in earshot: On Saturday, she was getting on a plane to Disney World! My father reported that they were getting ready to do an MRI and some more testing. Not much sleep for me that night. The next morning at 6, Dad called to say that my mother would be getting her appendix out at 7:00 a.m. Her appendix! On the one hand, good news since it wasnt something more serious. On the other her appendix!
I didnt know 66 year olds got appendicitis
and
the docs were saying no travel for at least a week after the surgery!!!! That would be the 22nd
5 days past the scheduled departure. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. The trip meant so much to my mother
seeing her son and grandkids who live in Wisconsin and Arizona, spending the holidays with them
After her surgery, I talked to her. She still thought she was getting on the plane on Saturday (post-op meds were of course making her feel JUST FINE
). I told her that the doctors would probably make her wait a couple of days
but dont worry Mom, just a couple. My dad had not yet discussed with her the ban on flying, sigh
As it turned out, they cleared her to fly on the 21st and scheduled her staples out on the morning of the 21st. My dad got the tickets reissued (NO WAY was Nana going to miss the trip) but paid THROUGH THE NOSE. Delta was nice enough to waive the change ticket fee, but the new travel dates came with ticket prices high enough to double what Nana and Poppa had originally paid.
So, even though Nana and Poppa would miss the beginning of the trip, they WOULD be there. The worst part was that their time with my brothers son Riley, would be so short. Riley doesnt live with my brother and his wifehe lives with his mother in Arizona. His mother was being extremely difficult, and had refused to allow Riley to stay through Christmashe would be flying back Christmas Eve (perhaps understandable except that she kept him for Christmas LAST year as well, which was supposed to be my brothers year). So Nana and Poppa would have precious few days now with Riley. HOWEVER, Nana was okay, that was the most important part, and she WOULD be making it to Disney World!!!
December 17DAY 1, TRAVEL DAY and another attack on our Pixie Dust!
We got up early and finished packing. It was a bit stressfulalthough I had started packing three weeks prior, the last week had been hectic and I had been unable to devote much time to it. My dad volunteered to drive us all the way to the airport (as opposed to the ferry terminal) to save us some time. I gratefully accepted. We caught the 10:00 a.m. boat to Seattle, planning to get to the airport by 11:30 for our 1:00 flight. Finally, on our way!!!
But then--as the ferry started to unload in Seattle, my Dads car refused to start! Cars, all around us driving off the boat. Our car, sitting like a dead duck. Panic setting in. Some inappropriate cursing from the adults. My DH, David, flags down a ferry worker. The worker directs the other cars around us, and informs us he will push our car off the boat and then jump us on the dock. They push the car down, around the corner, bring out a little machine on wheels and jump us. The car starts. A well oiled machineobviously they are used to dealing with dead batteries on the Washington State Ferry system!
We got to the airport, made our flight, and had a short 1.5 hour flight to Salt Lake City, where we changed planes for the loooonnnng 4.5 hour leg to Orlando. We were due to land at 10:58 p.m., but figured that our internal clocks would be fine since it would be three hours earlier for us. For our arrival night, we would be staying at the Hyatt at the airport, making the late hour even more tolerable ($45 Pricelinegotta love it!).
My brother Steve and his family were flying in from Wisconsin, and their flight had arrived earlier that morning. They planned to make a day of it without us, heading to the Magic Kingdom with their two boys, Tallon, 4, and Tanner 2. They would then return to the Hyatt at the airport (where they also were staying) in order to pick up Steves 12 year old son Riley who was due in from Arizona at midnight, and meet up with us.
When we arrived in Orlando, the girls (Katja, 9, and Annika, 6) and I headed for the Hyatt to check in while David went to wait for our luggage to arrive. We had two roomsone for my parents and one for us. Since my mother had been struck down by Appendicitis and would not be joining us until the 21st, we figured we would let Riley use my parents room (Priceline, remember?). We figured he might enjoy a little privacy from his 4 and 2 year old brothers. He would also get his own room at the Boardwalk Villas until my parents arrived, since we had rented the points from a DVC member for their studio.
Once we had our luggage and were settled, I called my brothers room to let him know that we had arrived and had Rileys room. It was about midnight by this time, so I figured that Steve was probably meeting Rileys flight. My SIL Sarah answered the phone, and it sounded as if I had rousted her from a deep sleep. Odd, I thought, I had assumed she would be waiting up for Steve and Riley. I had imagined that her little guys would be besides themselves with excitement to see their big bro again, and they wouldnt be sleeping either. My own girls were bouncing off the walls, eager to see their cousins, and I pictured an hour of children tearing around the hotel rooms in joyous celebration before getting them to sleep.
So, Sarahs groggy voice threw me. I apologized for waking her up. I just wanted to let you know that we are all checked in, and we have Rileys room for him!, to which Sarah replied, Riley isnt coming. !!!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????!!!!!!!!!!?????????
Whaaaaaaa? said I, stupidly. Sarah explained that Rileys mother had called Steves cell phone TODAY, while they were ON THE PLANE. She said that Riley had bronchitis and she wasnt going to put him on the plane. No, she would not consider waiting a day or two. He would not be coming, period. Yes, words had been exchanged. It had not been a pretty phone conversation.
I was completely stunned. I was deeply disappointed, sad and extremely angry, all at once.
I wanted to get on the phone and scream at The evil woman villain (whom I have never met nor spoken to). This would be the THIRD Christmas in a row that she had managed to keep Riley from his father. Unbelievable. Unacceptable. Unconscionable. Our side of the family gets to see Riley precious little. My 66 year old heart-failure patient MOTHER was getting on a plane DAYS after major abdominal surgery so that she could see her grandkids!!!!! So that she could see Riley!!!!! She had been so disappointed that her time with Riley would be cut short due to her arriving late because of her emergency appendectomy. I was OUTRAGED!!!!! Not to mention the money side of thingsthe plane ticket that was now useless (my brother out $400 bucks there), the expiry park hopper (another $250 bucks), the MVMCP ticket
all those ADRs I had made and now needed to be amended
I tried to cover up my raw emotions so that my daughters werent distressed on our first night. But they knew what was going on, and they were devastated that Riley wasnt coming. Especially my nine year oldshe and Riley make up the older kids out of the cousins, and like to buddy up. They were also let down since they would have to wait until morning to see their remaining cousins. So much for my visions of a happy and chaotic cousin reunion on arrival night!
On a happier note, my brother had taken his family to Magic Kingdom for the day, and they had had a wonderful time. It had been crowded, but they rode Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Carribbean, and visited Tom Sawyer Island. They were drained, both emotionally and physically, and had turned in early. Hence, my midnight phone call finding such deep sleepers.
At this point, my family was emotionally and physically exhausted, and after a quick room service (well, not that quick, it took forever to arrive!) meal, we hit the hay.
Tomorrow: Arrival at the Boardwalk and Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party!
December 18DAY TWO, THE BOARDWALK AND MVMCP (TINKERBELL STRIKES BACK)
We slept in a bit, got up around 8:30 and touched base with Sarah. Their kids were up bouncing around, so we made plans to meet for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. They were going to head there pretty soon since their crew was hungry. I got the girls going, but soon got a call from Stevethey were scrapping the hotel plan and heading for a McDonalds. They would stop by our room after. We finished getting ready, had a light bite, and then they were there!!!! Adorable little Tallon and Tanner. Tallon, at 4 1/2, a regular little chatter box eager to talk to his older girl cousins. Tanner, 21/2, shy of the new adults, but eager to get in on the action with the other little ones. The scene I had envisioned the night before playing out before our eyes this morning. Wonderful, familial chaos. The kids getting to know one another again. Sad that Riley wasnt with us, but wonderful anyway.
After the joyful reunion, we packed up and headed down to the rental cars. Steve and Sarah had rented a sweet mini-van with leather and a DVD player. We had a full-size SUV, no leather, no DVD player. Oh well. We loaded the entire traveling circus into the vehicles, and headed to the Boardwalk!
I always marvel at how beautifully decorated Disney is at Christmas. The Boardwalk itself was gorgeoushuge dripping garlands, heavy with ornaments, the Christmas trees, the gingerbread train set up in the lobby
There was no line, so check in was easy. We got our room keys and headed upour room was on the 5th floor, right next to the elevators. I had rented a 2-bedroom Villa and a separate studio for my parents (renting points from a DVC member). But something was strange there was no counter at the breakfast bar no breakfast bar. Also, the living area looked smaller than we had expected. Interesting .as we poked around some more, we realized that the two bedroom villa was a handicap room. There were no tubs in the rooms (except for the jetted one in the master), and no barrier to keep water from piling up on the bathroom floor during showers.
I called the front desk to see about switching rooms. We really needed a breakfast bar with four kids, and we needed bath tubs and showers with barriers to keep the water from turning the floor into a slip-n-slide. No problem, the wonderful gentleman I spoke to said stop by the front desk, they got us another villa, same floor, not handicap. Great, we would stop by on our way to our lunch at Alfredos.
When I got to the front desk, however, no one had any idea what I was taking about. They said there no rooms available and were perturbed that someone had told us there were. They called out a manager type who told me the same thing. She also said we probably didnt want to change rooms anyway (whatever that meant??). Since by now we were running short on time to get to our 12:00 Alfredos ADR, we decided to let it drop and headed to Epcot for lunch. We figured it wasnt a big deal in the scheme of things!
We walked from the Boardwalk through the International Gateway entrance, crossed the bridge and headed to Italy. There was really no one in World Showcasethe place was practically empty. We enjoyed taking in the sights. When we arrived at Alfredos we were shown immediately to our table. I had never dined in the restaurant before and found it fabulous. Our waitresses name was Katja, the same as my daughtershe got a real kick out of that. I had the Fettucine Alfredodelicious, but very heavy and rich. The kids had plain noodles and seemed to enjoy their lunch.
After lunch, we headed back to the Boardwalk. Once in our room, I called the front desk to report a minor maintenance issue. I happened to mention the handi-cap room issue to herthe strange room change that wasnt, She checked, and then informed me that they HAD changed our rooms! We should bring our old keys down and she would reissue keys for the new room. By this time, Tanner was down for his nap. I asked if it would be possible for us to have 1 hour to make the change, so that the 2 year old could sleep and we could get all of our stuff transferred. No problem, said she! But do call, she asked, as soon as we were out as the room would need to be refreshed for the next folks.
At this point, Steve took the girls and Tallon down to the pool (the clown waterpark as Tallon called it) to swim, David went on a grocery run, and Sarah and I started the process of transferring our vast quantities of luggage to the new room. On our first trip to the new digs, we found a maintenance CM in the room, steam cleaning the carpets. He told us he was almost done, and that the carpets would be dry in about an hour. We decided to go ahead and start the transfer anyway It took us about a ½ hour to complete the process, including the transfer of little Tanner. We opened the doors to the balconies to speed up the carpet drying, and as I was standing on the main balcony I noticed that several people were standing on the balcony of our OLD ROOM. I did a double-take. It had only been about a ½ hour, and we hadnt even done a final check to make sure we had not left anything behind. It was definitely our old roomwe could tell since the balconies were much larger than the standard balconies to accommodate wheelchairs. Sarah and I decided to go down and let the new folks know that if the room looked used it was because we had just been there, and that if they found any personal items, well, they would know where they came from! As it turned out, they werent very happy with the handicap room either, but they were glad we let them know what was going onthey had indeed detected that people had been in the room. Sarah and I marveled that the room had been turned over so quickly without refreshing!
I headed down to the poolTanner was still nappingand joined my brother and the other kids. Tallon was having a blast going down the Clown Slide. However, the girls reported that the water was cold, cold, cold. Apparently the water heater was broken. Dang, too bad, since the air temp was only about 69! Still, the kids had fun going from the pool to the hot tub to slide.
After pool time, we herded everyone upstairs for nice hot showers and to get ready for Mickeys Very Christmas Party. We also spent some serious time decorating the 6 foot Christmas tree I had brought with me.
The kids had fun putting all of the little Target-special ornaments I had picked up.
We left to catch the bus a bit past 5:30, and arrived at the Magic Kingdom a bit past 6:00 ( a little later than I had planned, but OK!). Hordes of people were leaving the Kingdom, and a much smaller group of us were entering. Here is where I DEFINITELY got my moneys worth from Tourguide Mike: In the past, they have had Tomorrowland open during the transition hour of 6 to 7 p.m. TGM had let all of us subscribers know, just a couple of weeks prior, that they were now opening FRONTIERLAND, not Tomorrowland. So I steered our party toward Frontierland. And can you believe it, they showed SKEPTICISM! They didnt have faith! Especially when I stopped to ask a traffic-directing CM in front of the castle to confirm my informationwhen I inquired as to which land was open, she told us that NOTHING was open unti 7:00. Baaaah. My brother told me my intel was no good (former marine that he is). I kept the faith and responded, My intel is fine. Disney just doesnt ADVERTISE that part of the park is open. All the better for us. Still, as we fought the mass hordes of humanity exiting the park, fish upstream, making our way to Frontierland, I could tell that my crew was not sure about this at all, not at all. But never fear! My intel proved solid as a rock
as we approached Splash Mountain and observed empty logs interspersed every once in awhile by a peopled log. It was open! The ride was a 100% walk on, you didnt even need to get off your log!! The kids rode Splash 3 times in a row, then we headed next door for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and did that one twice in a row. Tallon proclaimed his LOVE for both of the ridesthis was his first time ever on both of them!!! It was so neat to see the look of rapture on his face. By now it was 7, so we left Frontierland and headed to Tomorrowland. We all rode Buzz Lightyear (no line), and than Tallon, being a Stitch fan, announced that he had to see Stitch. Absolutely HAD to ride the Stitch ride. Katja and Annika werent to wild about the Stitch ride and would rather have passed, but decided to go along with Tallon. I meant to stay with Tanner so Sarah could ride it (not one of my favorites either!), but since there was now line I missed the window of opportunity to bail out and got trapped behind the big doors you are ushered in to begin your Stich Experience. Dang. Steve and Tallon were ahead of us, and Steve selected the very front row of seats. The girls and I joined him hmmm, we had never done the front row before. I had a clear view of Tallons face as Stitch emerged in the teleporting tube thingee. He was spellbound. Then, suddenly, Stitch took aim at Tallon and hit him square in the face with stream of water!!! He hit Steve too!!! The look of shock and betrayal on Tallons face was priceless. I was laughing so hard I could hardly contain myself. After the ride, Tallon proclaimed that Stitch is NOT my friend. Stitch spit on me. Stitch is NOT A FRIEND. Well, Tallon doesnt like Stitch anymore!
After Stitch, we headed to Space Mountain. This one was going to be tricky since both Tallon and Annika were just on the cusp in terms of height requirements (Annika, at 6 years old, our tiny little peanut, is a hair shorter than Tallon, 4 years old). And, much to Annikas OUTRAGE, Tallon made the cut and she didnt. Oh, the injustice of it. While the taller kids (cant say older in this case!) rode Space Mountain, Annika got some candy in the gift shop. We promised her that we would try again with different shoesI mean she was so, so, so close!!!!!
We also rode Winnie the Pooh and did Buzz a couple more times before it was time for the fireworks. We positioned ourselves on the Tomorrowland Bridge for Wishes, right under the Tinkerbell wire. When Wishes started, it took a couple of minutes to realize that the low cloud cover and the FOG yes FOG yes FOG was obscuring the higher pyrotechnics. It was eerie. The sky would light up, but you couldnt see the fireworks! I have to admit to being disappointed, but it was kind of cool tooespecially the grand finale when it got so bright it seemed like day!!!!
After Wishes, another ride on Space Mountain (but alas, not for Annika), and then over to Cosmic Rays to get something to eat before the parade. Yes, we were trying to follow Tourguide Mike advice and stay up for the 2nd parade. We had skipped the first parade and done rides (no lines for rides during the first parade!). We got some chicken nuggets, fries and chicken sandwiches. Tallon and Tanner were loosing steam rapidly. We loaded the kids in the strollers and headed to Frontierland to grab spots. By 10:30, we were seated but Tanner was out for the countsound asleep. Tallon followed soon after, and then out went Annika. When the parade started Annika woke up, and she and Katja had a great time watching right up front, with an unobstructed view. Steve tried to wake up Tallon, but he went into a sleep-walk-fugue- kind of rage about it. He did snap out of it for a bit of the parade, but eventually fell back asleep. Steve taped the whole thing though, and Sarah and I took tons of pictures. I pointed out that we could cut out all of the pictures, glue them on popsicle sticks, and re-enact the parade for his boys!
Since the kids were pretty much out, we decided to leave the Magic Kingdom as opposed to squeezing in a few more rides while the park cleared. It wasnt too bad getting out of MK, and the wait for the bus was no longer than 5 minuteswe had been scared by stories of 1 hour waits!!! All in all, a smooth exit.
We arrived back at the Boardwalk sometime after midnight, and said goodnight. It had been a wonderful Christmas Partywe had some Pixie Dust left afterall.
TomorrowWonderland Tea Party, MGM Studios, and Chef Mickeys
Monday, December 19 Wonderland Tea Party, Disney-MGM Studios, Chef Mickeys
Since it had been a late night, we all slept in and had a leisurely morning. David cooked a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon and bagels which we all very much enjoyed.
When we were ready, we took both cars and drove to the Grand Floridian. We arrived around noon, planning to take some time to check out the GF and ride the monorail. The lobby of the Grand Floridian, as usual, is splendid. The tree is magnificent (I realized that the Boardwalk doesnt really have a big flagship tree, like the Wilderness Lodge, the GF or Animal Kingdom Lodge). We checked out the gigantic Gingerbread house (its a working candy shop too), but since the line was ridiculously long, we didnt buy any candy. Then we hopped on the monorail for a spin around the monorail resort area. We got off at the Polynesian and spent some time poking around. My brother Steve announced that next time, he would like to stay herehe was especially impressed by the new Volcano Pool. I like the hotel, but I cant say it is my favorite!
By the time we got back to the GF, it was time to check the kids in for the Wonderland Tea Party at 1900 Park Fare. Tallon, Annika and Katja would be partaking, while the adults and Tanner had lunch at the Grand Floridian Café. The timing worked out perfectlyI had make a 1:00 ADR for the Café, and by the time our buzzer went off that our table was ready, it was 1:30, starting time for the tea party. Yeah! We enjoyed a lovely lunchI had the Cobb salad, cant remember what anyone else hadand then went to pick the kids up.
The Wonderland Tea Party is such a cute activity! It is hosted by Alice and the Mad Hatter. The kids get to eat their desert before lunch, just like in Wonderland. They eat decorate-your-own cupcakes, sandwiches and fruit, and applejuice (not tea). They play games, follow-the-leader and such. My girls love that they get to go crawling under tables in the restaurant! When we arrived to pick the kids up, Steve tried to peek through the curtains to check on the action, and in unison the children all shouted at the top of their lungs NO PEEKING! When the doors opened, all of the kids had their heads down on the table. As the adults enter, they shout out SURPRISE!!!! and present the parents with a small boquet of flowers.
We left the GF and drove to Disney-MGM Studios, arriving just in time for the 3:30 Holly Days Parade. I had planned to go all the way back to Star Tours to snag a viewing spot, but Steve managed to find a perfect, right-up-front unobstructed spot on the street just outside the Villain Store. While we waited for the parade to start, David went to Tower of Terror to get fastpasses (return time of 4:30), and I ducked into the Villian shop and purchased sweatshirts for the girls, who were cold (now they would be double sweat-shirted and warm).
The Holly Days parade was great fun. My nephew, 4 year old Tallon, is a Power Ranger fanatic, and seeing the Rangers in the parade really made his day. The Red Power Ranger, Jack, got a kick out of my brother yelling out YOU GO JACK!!! YOU ROCK!!!! at the top of his lungs, in his strongest Marine Corps voice. Im glad I got it on video! After the parade we still had some time before our ToT fastpasses could be used, so we headed toward Indians Jonesperfect, the 4:15 show was just starting. We got good seats and enjoyed the stunt show.
Now it was getting close to 5:00, and time to use our 4:30 Tower of Terror fastpasses, so we headed back to Sunset Blvd. The kids got to ride two times, since we did the baby swap. Tallon called it the spooky ride, and while he did go ahead and ride twice, he wasnt too keen on the whole experience.
Wow, we had packed quite a bit of MGM fun into 2 ½ hours! At 6:00, we left MGM and drove the two cars to the Contemporary for our 6:40 ADR at Chef Mickeys. I had been in favor of canceling the Chef Mickey ADR, but my daughter Katja informed me that Chef Mickeys is a TRADITION, and we simply HAD TO DO IT. Okay! I was worried since the ADR was so late that we were going to run into a looonggggg wait, so Sarah and I were prepared to do some power shopping at the Grand Concourse shops. We snagged a nice comfy waiting space in the Outer Rim Lounge and settled in BUT ABRA-CADABRA! After 10 minutes our table was ready! Amazing!
Even though my shopping was cut short (Sarah managed to use that 10 minutes for a mini-shopping-marathon), I wasnt complaining. The buffet wasnt impressiveI have definitely had better at Chef Mickeysbut it was okay. The character interaction was great, and both Tallon and Tanner warmed right up to them. They especially liked Mickey and Minnie, and I was glad we got to see the head mice so early in our trip. After dinner, it was home to the Boardwalk and to bedtomorrow was an early day at Epcot!
Sarah decided she didnt want to risk to getting nauseated, so she sat this one out with Tanner. 
Sarah really wanted to see it since on her last trip, three years ago, we missed it. It was a lot of funTanner covered his poor little ears with his hands the entire time, but all of the other kids appeared well entertained. 
One of the tickets had blown away when he was getting fastpassesthe tape in the fastpass machine had run out, the fastpass fluttered away, he grabbed for it
well, you know how that goes
So, we had a few moments of panic (okay, maybe more than panic, Sarah and I were FREAKING OUT), it was Tallons ticket, and Sarah didnt think it could be replaced. All was fine howeverDavid collected the rest of Sarah and Steves tickets, took them to Guest Services, they traced the missing ticket and issued a new one. No problems!
Looking forward to more. 
).
My gosh, the crud hit me like a ton of bricks. Unbelievable. Steve wound up yakking all night too, so did Katja, and so did Poppa. Katja was sleeping in the same bed as me, and she yakked all over the bed. I got up, in my sad, sorry, nauseated state, and changed the bedding (how in the world I managed it, I do not know), and then I took all the towels we had left and layered the bed with them--good thing too. I cursed myself for not paying the extra 6 bucks for daily towel service (we were hording the dang things as if they were gold, for heaven's sake!) 
