How much Christmas can we squeeze into 3 days? Nov/Dec 2015 TR *NEW TR Link 5/18!*

[missangelalexis]

The reveal video is perfect!! Their reactions are too wonderful. I love Jake's little smile at the end and how calm Nate is about punching his eye out! I'm glad his injruy wasn't anything serious.

Love all the travel pictures!

 

[nettii]

Your Video made me cry....and book a trip!!!!

 

[Elevationist]

I told him to read it aloud and when he got to the end...nothing. Jim and I had to literally break it down for them but when they finally got it...pure magic!

That seems to be the case in most of the reveal videos I watch on the DIS, actually!

I finally got to put on my Magic Band. I got pink this time!

My favorite!

Bye, rainy Pittsburgh! Orlando, here we come!

HOORAY!!!

he flight was very fast and we landed at MCO a full 30 minutes early!

Man, ya'll are off to a GREAT start!!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

If you watch to the end, you'll hear Nate say, "I'm so excited that I punched my eye out by accident!"

YOu can actually see him do it a tad if you watch.

I called them out to the living room and Nate found the note right away. I told him to read it aloud and when he got to the end...nothing. Jim and I had to literally break it down for them but when they finally got it...pure magic! They were so excited! Here is the video link if you want to see the big moment!

CUTE!!!!

That seems to be the case in most of the reveal videos I watch on the DIS, actually!

Really now? Now THAT is good to know. {We're surprising DD in March and are still figuring out how to do it.}

 

[Elevationist]

Really now? Now THAT is good to know. {We're surprising DD in March and are still figuring out how to do it.}

Hahaha. Yes. I don't have children, but I can't help but notice that everytime I watch a reveal video, it goes like this:

1. Adults giddily present clever reveal to child/children.
2. Child/Children read/see/listen to clever reveal.
3. Child/Children don't get it and stare around blankly.
4. Adults have to explain it at least once (if not more) before child/children grasp that they are going to Disney.

And it cracks me up every single time.

 

[khertz]

Awwww what a great reveal!!

I'm glad the travel went well. I'm sure it can be a bit stressful with 3 kids! I was nervous enough traveling with two the first time. lol

 

[hokieinpa]

YEAH! That surprise was do fun! I don't know how you didn't mention it in front of them for so long, i would have such a hard time!

Play area in the airport! UMM love this!!!

Congrats on a quick, painless flight!

The surprise was exactly what I hope it would be! And it was SO HARD not to spill it all to them. It almost slipped out so many times!

And that play area is a lifesaver before a flight!

I love how there was a complete non-reaction at first and then an explosion of happiness.

It was definitely a delayed reaction! I think they had a hard time believing it was all true!

GO HOKIES!!!!! Though I graduated a bit earlier than you, like ten years earlier, but graduated none the less ; ) I miss it too, it's been way too long (aka since my daughter was born) since we've been down there.

We haven't been back since the boys were born either. I know it must look so different now! I would love to go back for a game when the boys are older!

Eye punch aside, this is an awesome video. Surprises are so much fun.

It was such a fun surprise and worth the secret keeping in the end!

What a great thing to have at the airport. Ours has nothing for kids.

Having a place for them to run before a flight is a lifesaver! We're flying out of a different airport in May (BWI) and I made sure there was a kids play area there too!

Gets me every time and my daughter always has to take a photo with it ; )

Yes! I have to stop myself from running right into the store and buying everything before we even get on the Magical Express!

The reveal video is perfect!! Their reactions are too wonderful. I love Jake's little smile at the end and how calm Nate is about punching his eye out! I'm glad his injruy wasn't anything serious.

Love all the travel pictures!

The surprise went off perfectly! It was worth all the months of keeping the secret and not being able to talk about the trip. And yes, Nate's eye was just fine - I was a little worried but thankfully we were all good!

Your Video made me cry....and book a trip!!!!

Thank you! And yay for another trip!!

That seems to be the case in most of the reveal videos I watch on the DIS, actually!

Right?? I think kids have such a hard time believing that they really are going to Disney World that it just doesn't click at first. But honestly, if someone sprung a surprise trip on me, it would take me a few minutes to process it and start the freak out!

My favorite!

Ok - so dilemma on my AP band. Yellow (my favorite color) or pink (because, princess) or something new?? Decisions!

HOORAY!!!

Little did I know just how warm and sunny it would be!!

Man, ya'll are off to a GREAT start!!

Time was on our side on the flight! The flight down always seems to arrive early which is just fine with me!

YOu can actually see him do it a tad if you watch.

It was such a silly, fun memory to add to the big reveal!

CUTE!!!!

Thank you! It went off perfectly!

Really now? Now THAT is good to know. {We're surprising DD in March and are still figuring out how to do it.}

Hahaha. Yes. I don't have children, but I can't help but notice that everytime I watch a reveal video, it goes like this:

1. Adults giddily present clever reveal to child/children.
2. Child/Children read/see/listen to clever reveal.
3. Child/Children don't get it and stare around blankly.
4. Adults have to explain it at least once (if not more) before child/children grasp that they are going to Disney.

And it cracks me up every single time.

I agree 100%. Most kids just stare blankly until the parents spell it out for them. I don't think the boys would have gotten it any sooner even if I had printed "YOU ARE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD TODAY" in big red letters. I think they are just in a moment of total disbelief that it's actually happening!

Awwww what a great reveal!!

I'm glad the travel went well. I'm sure it can be a bit stressful with 3 kids! I was nervous enough traveling with two the first time. lol

Thank you! The surprise went just like I imagined and the boys were so excited!

Security and waiting in line to board are the hardest parts! We've had great travel luck so far so I hope that holds out!!

 

[To_Infinity_And_Beyond]

Wow! I've been completely enthralled by your trip so far! I loved watching the "big unveilling" and I'm glad the travel went smoothly. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next update!

 

[hokieinpa]

Wow! I've been completely enthralled by your trip so far! I loved watching the "big unveilling" and I'm glad the travel went smoothly. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next update!

The big reveal went so perfectly (except for the whole punching eye thing!) and just how I imagined! And we were very lucky with our flight - happy campers the whole time!

 

[ashw100]

Joining in! Love the trip reveal. I'm glad no one was seriously hurt. Sounds like a perfect flight, that's always a great way to start your trip.

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

What a cute reveal . Do you think I'm too old to hope that my parents to it for me some day?

And yay for flights that arrive early - those are the best kind!

 

[Dugette]

Guess I got a bit behind already! Love the reveal video! So cute when they finally get it and the excitement is just overflowing! Glad you had a nice mini-vacation before your vacation and that the travel day went pretty smoothly. Looking forward to your WDW arrival!

 

[DisMom1981]

Joining in- we were at Pop the same time as you with our three kiddos. We also did a surprise reveal that did not elicit the response we expected- had to break it down for them and our middle's response , DD 4, was like of course we are going to WDW and DS 6 was like are you kidding me on repeat and DD 4 mos was like Whatev!

Can't wait to compare your experience to ours!

 

[KathyM2]

That reveal was so awesome!!! It is so much work keeping a surprise but that makes it all worthwhile!! Glad travel day went well!!!

 

[hokieinpa]

Joining in! Love the trip reveal. I'm glad no one was seriously hurt. Sounds like a perfect flight, that's always a great way to start your trip.

We had a really good flight. Fingers crossed, travel has been pretty good for us so far aside from stressful minutes getting through security without losing a child!

And I was really happy with how the surprise reveal went off...and that Nate didn't have any serious eye injury. That would not have been fun to deal with at the beginning on our trip!

What a cute reveal . Do you think I'm too old to hope that my parents to it for me some day?

And yay for flights that arrive early - those are the best kind!

Thank you! And I wish someone would surprise me with a trip too!

We've had really good travel luck so far...I hope that continues!

Guess I got a bit behind already! Love the reveal video! So cute when they finally get it and the excitement is just overflowing! Glad you had a nice mini-vacation before your vacation and that the travel day went pretty smoothly. Looking forward to your WDW arrival!

Not far behind at all! I took a long break in the lead up to Christmas since we were all sick.

I was so happy with how the big reveal went, even if we had to explain everything to them! Nate has decided that he wants all of our trips to be surprises now. Not happening since keeping the secret was a little to stressful for me!

Joining in- we were at Pop the same time as you with our three kiddos. We also did a surprise reveal that did not elicit the response we expected- had to break it down for them and our middle's response , DD 4, was like of course we are going to WDW and DS 6 was like are you kidding me on repeat and DD 4 mos was like Whatev!

Can't wait to compare your experience to ours!

How fun that we were there at the same time and both at Pop!

I'm sorry your big surprise didn't get the response you hoped! Nate has now decided that all of our trips should be surprises...not happening!

That reveal was so awesome!!! It is so much work keeping a surprise but that makes it all worthwhile!! Glad travel day went well!!!

It was hard work keeping quiet for so long but like you said, very worth it in the end! Their reaction was just perfect!

 

[Vernie822]

Hey Jamie! Joining in.. I love WDW at Christmas time. Hope you guys had an awesome trip.

Our trip actually started the day before our flight. We live in Central Pennsylvania and there are no major airports close to our town. It's much cheaper for us to drive the 2.5 hours to Pittsburgh and fly from there. Since our flight was at 11:25 am (and we had to be at the airport at 9:25) we decided to spend the night at a hotel near the airport.

We live about 2 hours north from the Pittsburgh airport (in Erie). I'm originally from Pittsburgh so we usually fly out of there but Buffalo's airport is also really nice (and small) with lots of great hotel options nearby, although I'm sure that's a lot farther away for you guys.

I called them out to the living room and Nate found the note right away. I told him to read it aloud and when he got to the end...nothing. Jim and I had to literally break it down for them but when they finally got it...pure magic! They were so excited! Here is the video link if you want to see the big moment!

Omg.. that video was precious. He is such a great reader!!

If you watch to the end, you'll hear Nate say, "I'm so excited that I punched my eye out by accident!", and see him holding his hand over his eye.

I can't lie I had to laugh at that.. so adorable.. looks like you pulled off an awesome surprise.

 

[hokieinpa]

Hey Jamie! Joining in.. I love WDW at Christmas time. Hope you guys had an awesome trip.

Thanks for following along! I loved Christmas at Disney - I'm having a hard time deciding if I prefer Halloween or Christmas now! We had an amazing trip!

We live about 2 hours north from the Pittsburgh airport (in Erie). I'm originally from Pittsburgh so we usually fly out of there but Buffalo's airport is also really nice (and small) with lots of great hotel options nearby, although I'm sure that's a lot farther away for you guys.

Pittsburgh is about 2.5 hours from us (we live in State College) so it's still a hike to the airport. But we can fly for more than half the cost out of our tiny little airport. And it's a direct flight too! We're going to drive to BWI in May so I'm interested to see how that works out!

Omg.. that video was precious. He is such a great reader!!

The big reveal went off so well - even if we had to really break it down for them! And thank you - he loves to read and I'm really proud of him!

I can't lie I had to laugh at that.. so adorable.. looks like you pulled off an awesome surprise.

That moment just shows how everyday life is with 3 boys. We laugh every time we re-watch that video!

 

[hokieinpa]

Magical Express and POP!

After our quick and easy flight, we made it downstairs and over to the Magical Express. I scanned my band and we were off!

We were directed to Lane 5.



I had passed out Magic Bands to the boys when we got off the plane and Nate was very excited to show his off!



And Colin was enjoying his too, apparently.



The lines for ME were PACKED!



This was a totally different experience for us from our previous trip. Last October, we walked straight through our line and onto a bus. Our line was quite long when we joined in but a huge rush of people came up behind us. So, small blessings!

After waiting for about 20 minutes, it was finally our turn! We boarded (after stowing Jake's car seat and the stroller under the bus) and found seats grouped together.

Our driver (Carlos) was quite funny!



Nate and my dad were enjoying some cartoons.



I love this shot of Tink and the castle!



Even though I was a few rows back, I managed to lean into the aisle and get a decent shot of the best sign in the entire world!



And then this one.



Art of Animation was our first stop.



Jake entertained himself by playing with a sticker we had gotten from a TSA officer at security in Pittsburgh. He ripped it and then placed the pieces of different parts of his body. Who needs attractions and shows when you have stickers??



It was nice getting a quick glimpse of AOA. We loved our stay here last October!



Then it was time for our stop - POP!




Next up - "Is that a giant can of Play Doh?"

 

[hokieinpa]

"Is that a giant can of Play Doh?"

When we stepped off the bus, the boys made a dash right for these giant blocks.



I remember seeing hula hoops out here as well. It's really nice having a little area for kids to play while parents have a minute to get everything together!

While the boys played, I headed inside. I had received a text saying our room was ready (4305) but my parents had not received any notification. So I went in and made sure everything was ok. I think there were 2-3 people in front of me in the Online Check In line.

I took a few minutes to snap some pictures of Classic Hall.





After talking to the CM, she discovered that my parents room was not quite ready yet but it was a connecting room to ours. Yay! I also reminded her that we needed a pack & play in our room and she said it was already taken care of - perfect!

She also gave me my birthday button! Of course, I didn't get a picture of it but you'll see me sporting it in pictures later in this TR.

I knew we could at least get into our room so we headed over to drop off bags and freshen up.

But...we saw this tree in the lobby and Nate was slightly obsessed with Christmas trees this year. So we just had to snap this picture where no one is looking at the camera. Which is how most pictures turn out for us.



Why can't they just all look at the camera? Just once??

We were in the 60s section and a preferred pool view room. I had originally booked a preferred room but I got a PIN code in the mail for a 15% discount. It was only available for preferred pool view room (of course) but it still saved us $50 on each room for the trip!

Our building - Building 4.



Our room was right behind that yellow flower.



We passed the Hippy Dippy Pool and then I hear Nate say "Is that a giant can of Play Doh?"



Why, yes it is! And at that moment, Colin took off like a wild man for the giant can of Play Doh. Can you guess what was on his mind? Doesn't it just look like the perfect thing for a 3 year old to climb and play on? Luckily, Jim caught him just as he reached his target. We pointed out the no climbing sign and promised him time to go wild at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground the next day.

So even though giant can of Play Doh wasn't as much fun as Colin first imagined, was a great landmark for us and made it easy to find our room each day!

On the elevator, I got my first "Happy Birthday" from a CM. I'm going to be honest - I was told "Happy Birthday!" more on this trip than I could possibly imagined. And it made me smile each time!

We made it upstairs into our connecting rooms. I got a few pictures before we "settled in ".





You see the connecting doors open here. When we got to our room, I told my parents to go ahead and see if their bands opened the room that connected. It didn't hurt to try...and it worked! The room was all clean and ready to go - perfect!

The room was small and basic. We were not planning on any breaks except our MVMCP day so it was just perfect for our needs for this trip!

After a quick peek at our rooms, we headed down to the bus stop. We were ready for our first destination!


Next up - Downtown Disney...I mean Disney Springs

 

[oceanmarina]

Joining in...... what a great surprise for the boys! Love the pictures, there's nothing like landing at MCO and looking or the Magical Express signs knowing your adventure is just beginning. What airline did you guys take down? (I didn't see if there were TV seat screens like JetBlue has, I know those keep my kids from being restless on the plane, even though its a short flight from JFK-MCO, about 2 hours). Looking forward to reading more