khertz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
Welcome to my very first TR! And welcome back if you have followed me over from my PTR (found here)!
Over a year and a half ago, my DH and I decided to take a vacation to Disney World during the holiday season. Eventually we settled on the dates of December 4th-14th, 2009. Along the road of planning, we decided to make it a family trip and invited our parents to come along. Of course, they were excited to accept! My parents (Paul & Kathy) both love Disney, and have been visiting almost every year for the last 12 years. My in-laws (Kathy & Jamie) hadn't been in almost 17 years, so there was lots of new things to see and do since their last visit. And visiting during the holiday season was a first for all 6 of us!
For seven nights, we stayed in a three bedroom suite at DHs and my timeshare, the Wyndham Bonnet Creek which is pretty much sandwiched onto Disney property, so we didn't feel as though we were truly staying off-site since we were still so close to the action! We had a fireworks view room, which we really enjoyed as well. On the 7th day of our trip, our parents spent the day in the parks with us, then headed home that night while DH and I stayed an additional three nights in a 1 bedroom suite to enjoy some time just the two of us.
Here is a picture of all 6 of us from a few days into the trip:
My parents on the left, in-laws in the middle, and DH & I on the right
DAY 0: Thursday December 3rd
The day before DH & I left for vacation was a hectic one! I had been working like crazy in the days leading up to the trip so I wouldn't have to use as much of my paid time off, and DH was left in charge of doing laundry! Finally on Thursday morning, it was time to start getting our last minute things together and leave the house. The plan for the day was to drive from our house in Lafayette, LA to my in-laws house in McComb, MS to drop our cats off. Then we would be stopping in Tickfaw, LA for dinner at my aunt and uncle's house, and finally getting to my parents house to get to bed to leave for Disney in the morning...Things didn't quite go that way, though!
I forced DH to take a picture of me crossing the LAST day off of our countdown calendar!
DSCN4345 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DSCN4346 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
No more days left!!
DSCN4342 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DSCN4343 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DSCN4344 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
All of the stuff we managed to cram into our little Honda Civic!
We left our house pretty close to the time we had said we'd like to be on the road. We made decent time to my in-laws' house and the cats did fine on the car ride. They were of course a little freaked out when we brought them inside, but they adjusted pretty quickly. DH's grandmother was nice enough to stay at the house with not just our two cats, but also my in-laws' cat and dog. She has kept them plenty of times, so I knew they were in good hands.
I had been in touch with my uncle David all day about going to their house for dinner, so that was our next destination. We got in the car, and I saw I had a message from him on my cell phone asking if we'd like wine or beer with dinner. I called him back to give him an answer, and he said that he was sorry, but it wasn't a good time for us to come over now. I was a little confused and disappointed, especially since I had so been looking forward to seeing my two little cousins Skylar and Sawyer that night. So instead of stopping off, we headed straight to my mom's house for the night, and picked up Burger King on the way.
We made it to my parent's house at a decent time, which actually may have worked out better anyway. We were able to shower, and get everything packed into the van before going to bed. My MIL even gave me one of her Ambien to help me sleep because I knew the excitement of leaving in the morning would keep me up ALL night!! And OMG did it work great!
DAY 1: Friday December 4th
At 5:30 am Friday morning, my MIL dropped DH and myself off at the airport for our 8:00 am flight to Orlando. Then she drove back to my mom's so the four of them could hit the road at a decent time. We tried to convince them to fly with us instead of driving, but they were too chicken! It worked out for us though, because they were able to take our large suitcase so we didn't have any bags to check. We just printed our boarding passes, grabbed some breakfast at Popeye's (YUM!), and headed through security to wait for boarding.
I was too excited to sleep, too excited to read my book...too excited to do pretty much anything but look around and try to guess who else was going to Disney World. While DH read his book and tried to hide from me, I snapped some pictures.
IMG_0057 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DH doing his best to ignore me.
IMG_0058 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
IMG_0059 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Me: tired but excited! DH: tired & not that excited (yet!)
We were in the first boarding group, so we got decent seats on the plane. The guy that ended up sitting next to us was from New Orleans, but you'd think he was a tourist looking at him! He was all decked out in Saints clothes, wearing beads around his neck, etc. It was pretty funny. He immediately noticed DH's Saints hat and sat with us! He then proceeded to show us Saints pictures on his phone and sing, "Stand up and get crunk!" at random times. He was heading to Disney to meet up with his wife & kids. This will be important later. HAHA! All I can say is, luckily it was a short flight!
We landed a little earlier than expected, around 10:20, and headed right over to where our Mears shuttle would be picking us up. It was POURING rain! Not a good start!! However, what was nice was not having to even go to baggage claim, and only waiting about 10 minutes for our shuttle. There were a couple stops before us, but soon we were at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek! They had 3 bedroom units available immediately, but if we still wanted our fireworks view, we'd have to wait. We decided to wait, and just did pre-check in. They said they would call us when our unit was ready. We picked up some shuttle information, and headed outside to find a shuttle to MK and Epcot had just pulled up...perfect timing!
UP NEXT: Exploring the resorts in the rain, and unexpected obstacles
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Intro & DAY 0 & DAY 1: Travel Day - below
Friday December 4th
DAY 1: Resort Hopping!
DAY 1: Resort Hopping! Continued... Check-In & DTD
Saturday December 5th
DAY 2: Epcot Rope Drop
DAY 2: Epcot Continued...Tackling Future World!
DAY 2: Epcot Continued...World Showcase
DAY 2: Epcot Continued...Candlelight Processional
DAY 2: Epcot Continued...IllumiNations
Sunday December 6th
DAY 3: Islands of Adventure
DAY 3: Islands of Adventure Continued...
DAY 3: Islands of Adventure Continued...
DAY 3: Universal Studios
Monday December 7th
DAY 4: DHS...Rope Drop & Toy Story Mania mania!
DAY 4: DHS continued...
DAY 4: DHS Continued...
DAY 4: DHS Continued...
DAY 4: DHS Continued...
PhotoPass Pics Are In!
DAY 4: DHS Continued...Finishing @ DHS & Hopping to MK!
DAY 4: MK...Welcome to the Magic Kingdom!
DAY 4: MK Continued...Castle Dream Lights
DAY 4: MK Continued...SpectroMagic
DAY 4: MK Continued...Wishes!
Tuesday December 8th
DAY 5: Late morning @ Animal Kingdom
DAY 5: AK Continued...FOTLK & Camp Minnie-Mickey
DAY 5: AK Continued...Meeting the Characters!
DAY 5: AK Continued...Character Trees & Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
DAY 5: AK Continued...Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
DAY 5: AK Continued...Maharajah Jungle Trek & MORE Characters!
DAY 5: AK Continued...Pooh & Friends! & MVMCP
DAY 5: MK Continued...MVMCP!
DAY 5: MK Continued...It's a Small World After All!
DAY 5: MK Continued...Small World Nightmare! & Holiday Wishes!!
DAY 5: MK Continued...Holiday Wishes!
OT Post!: New Orleans Mardi Gras & Wedding Fun
DAY 5: MK Continued...Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade
DAY 5: MK Continued...Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade continued
Wednesday December 9th
DAY 6: Universal Studios
DAY 6: Universal Studios continued...
DAY 6: Islands of Adventure & dinner at The Melting Pot
DAY 6: IllumiNations & Osborne Lights from our room!
Thursday December 10th
DAY 7: Animal Kingdom...Kilimanjaro Safari
DAY 7: Animal Kingdom continued...more Safari & we meet the Yeti
DAY 7: Animal Kingdom continued...
DAY 7: Hollywood Studios afternoon
DAY 7: Hollywood Studios continued...Future Animators? & Osborne Lights!
DAY 7: Hollywood Studios continued...Osborne Lights
Video of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at DHS
Friday December 11th
DAY 8: Breakfast at Chef Mickey's!
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom morning
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom continued...Jungle Cruisin'
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom continued...Stopping to smell the roses
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom continued...
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom continued...Solo?
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom Solo continued...
DAY 8: Epcot
Saturday December 12th
DAY 9: Universal Studios
DAY 9: Universal Studios continued...
DAY 9: Winter Summerland Mini-Golf
DAY 9: Winter Summerland Mini-Golf continued...
Sunday December 13th
DAY 10: Early MK Morning & KTTK Tour
DAY 10: KTTK Tour continued...
DAY 10: MK Afternoon continued...
DAY 10: MK evening & Grand Floridian
Monday December 14th
DAY 11: Last Day! :-( DHS Rope Drop
DAY 11: Last day continued...
Extras
Final Thoughts & Big News!
First a little background...Intro & DAY 0 & DAY 1: Travel Day - below
Friday December 4th
DAY 1: Resort Hopping!
DAY 1: Resort Hopping! Continued... Check-In & DTD
Saturday December 5th
DAY 2: Epcot Rope Drop
DAY 2: Epcot Continued...Tackling Future World!
DAY 2: Epcot Continued...World Showcase
DAY 2: Epcot Continued...Candlelight Processional
DAY 2: Epcot Continued...IllumiNations
Sunday December 6th
DAY 3: Islands of Adventure
DAY 3: Islands of Adventure Continued...
DAY 3: Islands of Adventure Continued...
DAY 3: Universal Studios
Monday December 7th
DAY 4: DHS...Rope Drop & Toy Story Mania mania!
DAY 4: DHS continued...
DAY 4: DHS Continued...
DAY 4: DHS Continued...
DAY 4: DHS Continued...
PhotoPass Pics Are In!
DAY 4: DHS Continued...Finishing @ DHS & Hopping to MK!
DAY 4: MK...Welcome to the Magic Kingdom!
DAY 4: MK Continued...Castle Dream Lights
DAY 4: MK Continued...SpectroMagic
DAY 4: MK Continued...Wishes!
Tuesday December 8th
DAY 5: Late morning @ Animal Kingdom
DAY 5: AK Continued...FOTLK & Camp Minnie-Mickey
DAY 5: AK Continued...Meeting the Characters!
DAY 5: AK Continued...Character Trees & Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
DAY 5: AK Continued...Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
DAY 5: AK Continued...Maharajah Jungle Trek & MORE Characters!
DAY 5: AK Continued...Pooh & Friends! & MVMCP
DAY 5: MK Continued...MVMCP!
DAY 5: MK Continued...It's a Small World After All!
DAY 5: MK Continued...Small World Nightmare! & Holiday Wishes!!
DAY 5: MK Continued...Holiday Wishes!
OT Post!: New Orleans Mardi Gras & Wedding Fun
DAY 5: MK Continued...Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade
DAY 5: MK Continued...Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade continued
Wednesday December 9th
DAY 6: Universal Studios
DAY 6: Universal Studios continued...
DAY 6: Islands of Adventure & dinner at The Melting Pot
DAY 6: IllumiNations & Osborne Lights from our room!
Thursday December 10th
DAY 7: Animal Kingdom...Kilimanjaro Safari
DAY 7: Animal Kingdom continued...more Safari & we meet the Yeti
DAY 7: Animal Kingdom continued...
DAY 7: Hollywood Studios afternoon
DAY 7: Hollywood Studios continued...Future Animators? & Osborne Lights!
DAY 7: Hollywood Studios continued...Osborne Lights
Video of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at DHS
Friday December 11th
DAY 8: Breakfast at Chef Mickey's!
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom morning
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom continued...Jungle Cruisin'
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom continued...Stopping to smell the roses
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom continued...
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom continued...Solo?
DAY 8: Magic Kingdom Solo continued...
DAY 8: Epcot
Saturday December 12th
DAY 9: Universal Studios
DAY 9: Universal Studios continued...
DAY 9: Winter Summerland Mini-Golf
DAY 9: Winter Summerland Mini-Golf continued...
Sunday December 13th
DAY 10: Early MK Morning & KTTK Tour
DAY 10: KTTK Tour continued...
DAY 10: MK Afternoon continued...
DAY 10: MK evening & Grand Floridian
Monday December 14th
DAY 11: Last Day! :-( DHS Rope Drop
DAY 11: Last day continued...
Extras
Final Thoughts & Big News!
Over a year and a half ago, my DH and I decided to take a vacation to Disney World during the holiday season. Eventually we settled on the dates of December 4th-14th, 2009. Along the road of planning, we decided to make it a family trip and invited our parents to come along. Of course, they were excited to accept! My parents (Paul & Kathy) both love Disney, and have been visiting almost every year for the last 12 years. My in-laws (Kathy & Jamie) hadn't been in almost 17 years, so there was lots of new things to see and do since their last visit. And visiting during the holiday season was a first for all 6 of us!
For seven nights, we stayed in a three bedroom suite at DHs and my timeshare, the Wyndham Bonnet Creek which is pretty much sandwiched onto Disney property, so we didn't feel as though we were truly staying off-site since we were still so close to the action! We had a fireworks view room, which we really enjoyed as well. On the 7th day of our trip, our parents spent the day in the parks with us, then headed home that night while DH and I stayed an additional three nights in a 1 bedroom suite to enjoy some time just the two of us.
Here is a picture of all 6 of us from a few days into the trip:
My parents on the left, in-laws in the middle, and DH & I on the right
DAY 0: Thursday December 3rd
The day before DH & I left for vacation was a hectic one! I had been working like crazy in the days leading up to the trip so I wouldn't have to use as much of my paid time off, and DH was left in charge of doing laundry! Finally on Thursday morning, it was time to start getting our last minute things together and leave the house. The plan for the day was to drive from our house in Lafayette, LA to my in-laws house in McComb, MS to drop our cats off. Then we would be stopping in Tickfaw, LA for dinner at my aunt and uncle's house, and finally getting to my parents house to get to bed to leave for Disney in the morning...Things didn't quite go that way, though!
I forced DH to take a picture of me crossing the LAST day off of our countdown calendar!
DSCN4345 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DSCN4346 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
No more days left!!
DSCN4342 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DSCN4343 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DSCN4344 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
All of the stuff we managed to cram into our little Honda Civic!
We left our house pretty close to the time we had said we'd like to be on the road. We made decent time to my in-laws' house and the cats did fine on the car ride. They were of course a little freaked out when we brought them inside, but they adjusted pretty quickly. DH's grandmother was nice enough to stay at the house with not just our two cats, but also my in-laws' cat and dog. She has kept them plenty of times, so I knew they were in good hands.
I had been in touch with my uncle David all day about going to their house for dinner, so that was our next destination. We got in the car, and I saw I had a message from him on my cell phone asking if we'd like wine or beer with dinner. I called him back to give him an answer, and he said that he was sorry, but it wasn't a good time for us to come over now. I was a little confused and disappointed, especially since I had so been looking forward to seeing my two little cousins Skylar and Sawyer that night. So instead of stopping off, we headed straight to my mom's house for the night, and picked up Burger King on the way.
We made it to my parent's house at a decent time, which actually may have worked out better anyway. We were able to shower, and get everything packed into the van before going to bed. My MIL even gave me one of her Ambien to help me sleep because I knew the excitement of leaving in the morning would keep me up ALL night!! And OMG did it work great!
DAY 1: Friday December 4th
At 5:30 am Friday morning, my MIL dropped DH and myself off at the airport for our 8:00 am flight to Orlando. Then she drove back to my mom's so the four of them could hit the road at a decent time. We tried to convince them to fly with us instead of driving, but they were too chicken! It worked out for us though, because they were able to take our large suitcase so we didn't have any bags to check. We just printed our boarding passes, grabbed some breakfast at Popeye's (YUM!), and headed through security to wait for boarding.
I was too excited to sleep, too excited to read my book...too excited to do pretty much anything but look around and try to guess who else was going to Disney World. While DH read his book and tried to hide from me, I snapped some pictures.
IMG_0057 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DH doing his best to ignore me.
IMG_0058 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
IMG_0059 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Me: tired but excited! DH: tired & not that excited (yet!)
We were in the first boarding group, so we got decent seats on the plane. The guy that ended up sitting next to us was from New Orleans, but you'd think he was a tourist looking at him! He was all decked out in Saints clothes, wearing beads around his neck, etc. It was pretty funny. He immediately noticed DH's Saints hat and sat with us! He then proceeded to show us Saints pictures on his phone and sing, "Stand up and get crunk!" at random times. He was heading to Disney to meet up with his wife & kids. This will be important later. HAHA! All I can say is, luckily it was a short flight!
We landed a little earlier than expected, around 10:20, and headed right over to where our Mears shuttle would be picking us up. It was POURING rain! Not a good start!! However, what was nice was not having to even go to baggage claim, and only waiting about 10 minutes for our shuttle. There were a couple stops before us, but soon we were at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek! They had 3 bedroom units available immediately, but if we still wanted our fireworks view, we'd have to wait. We decided to wait, and just did pre-check in. They said they would call us when our unit was ready. We picked up some shuttle information, and headed outside to find a shuttle to MK and Epcot had just pulled up...perfect timing!
UP NEXT: Exploring the resorts in the rain, and unexpected obstacles
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