The Disney Grump & Family Take on the World-Our '09 Christmas w/ the Mouse, COMPLETE

[stace208]

Great pictures-both yours and PP! I think my favorite is the one with all of you in front of the golf ball with the topiaries behind you.

The storytellers seem so wonderful so I hope we get to see them next year! Can't wait to hear about CP for breakfast!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I had NO idea there was a Gingerbread House in there.....! And we were in there on our trip! How did I miss THAT?!

I really like the PP pic in front of America...I remember seeing the photographer there, sorta off center from the tree and wondering what they looked like. Now I'm wishing we had stopped!

Beautiful night Epcot shots!!!!

The fountain was dancing to the Christmas music and I just had to stop and watch for a while, I just think it’s so cool!

Me too!

 

[Rozz]

I am so loving your trip report!

 

[klacey1]

Your pictures are beautiful-- my favorites are the ones in Morroco! Glad you loved your hibachi, too! We have a fantastic tepanyaki restaurant here that we frequent-- the portions are huge and the price is relatively low.
Excited to hear about the Crystal Palace!

 

[SoonerGirl]

AMEN, sister!

I knew my DIS friends would understand!

Oh wow! That Monkey King is interesting to say the least!! I am just loving the nighttime pics with all of the countries all lit up--sooo pretty!! And your PP pics are great!!

Yeah, the Money King was something else - the boys loved him!

Epcot is so pretty at night isn't it? It's almost impossible to take a bad photo.

I think your nighttime pictures of Morocco are particularly lovely!

Hmmm. I don't remember a storyteller in Morocco back in '05. Perhaps I missed him (or it was added later.)

The dancing waters are mesmerizing... they must've been especially enjoyable with Christmas music!

Looking forward to hearing about your Pooh Bear breakfast!


Kathy

Oh, the dancing fountain is so wonderful! I kept watching and watching, telling the boys 'just one more song'. It was even better with the Christmas music.

Your pictures turned out great! Love love love epcot at night Can't wait to be there again!!!

Won't be long now!

The first time I subbed in my husbands classroom, the told them if Mrs. Schafer doesn't come home happy, Mr. Schafer doesn't return to school happy I haven't had any problems in his classroom!

That sure helped to be able to offer up that little bit of information didn't it?!

Your night time photo are very fun... I really enjoy the parks at night.
I am with you... keep the mom happy!
While in World Showcase we went on a mission of getting a PP picture at every country one night. We found a photographer in about 2/3 of the countries. It really is magical at night!

I didn't hardly notice any photopass photographers out in WS, I'll have to keep my eyes open for them in May!

Connor would be all about the Monkey King storyteller!

He was awesome for boys - they were all about the crazy Monkey guy!

You have some beautiful Morocco nighttime shots! It's my favorite pavilion, but I don't know as if I have ever been there at night.

Morocco is one of my favorite pavilions to photogragh - so many interesting things in there. You'll have to check it out after dark sometime!

Wow, the night photos of Epcot are great! Really makes you feel like you're in the real place and not in a theme park.

Maybe it's just me, but I think the Money King is a little scary-looking!

Well, he's supposed to be a great warrior - so he probably should look a little scary, gotta intimidate the enemy!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I'm glad you enjoyed Teppan Edo. Was your chef pretty entertaining? My kids thought ours was hilarious and enjoyed the meal very much because of him. I really love your family PP shot in front of the tree. I think that would have made a lovely Christmas card!

Even though we enjoyed our meal at Teppan Edo, I was just a bit disappointed in our chef. He wasn't nearly as engaging as I had hoped he would be. He had his moments, but he could have been better. The chef at the table across from ours was great - I kept wishing we would have gotten that one!

Cant wait to try Teppan Edo!!!!! We are going in December! Great pics--thanks for sharing.

I am so jealous of your PP pics by Spaceship Earth! We left Epcot before nightfall, the pics are just georgeous! I especially love the Minnie/Mickey in the background.

Can't wait for our next update

I really like the way the nighttime PP pics turned out! Epcot is just so pretty after dark - I love being there at night.

Whew....finally got caught up. I love it that you and Justin got some time to hang out one on one. The older they get the more you will appreciate that time I'm sure. I hate to admit this but we didn't get to see a single one of the storytellers.We only had one day in Epcot and we spent it riding rides and eating.

Justin and I really did have a nice afternoon to ourselves. And you're right, we don't get one on one time very often, so that made it even better. I really think I need to take a mother/son trip with him, he would make a great touring buddy!

I can't believe you missed all of the Storytellers, but I can sure see how you can get distracted by all the great food!

Love all the pics from FotLK!

Your room decorations are cool; good job!

That stinks that you got stuck on the TTA...and speaking of stinking, hopefully that little boy had good aim!

The storytellers in Epcot sound awesome; we didn't take the time to do that!

Your photopass pictures are beautiful!

I was pretty happy with the FOTLK pics too - my old camera wouldn't have been able to get those shots, so I was pretty excited!

Thanks for the compliment on the decorations, it was nice to have a bit of a Christmas feel in our room.

I didn't go over and inspect the corner where she had him pee, but it looked like she had him pretty securely in the bag

The Epcot Storytellers were great - something to put on your list for next time!

Great pictures-both yours and PP! I think my favorite is the one with all of you in front of the golf ball with the topiaries behind you.

The storytellers seem so wonderful so I hope we get to see them next year! Can't wait to hear about CP for breakfast!

I think that's my favorite PP pic from this day as well, my favorite from the entire trip is coming up during the next day.

I had NO idea there was a Gingerbread House in there.....! And we were in there on our trip! How did I miss THAT?!

I really like the PP pic in front of America...I remember seeing the photographer there, sorta off center from the tree and wondering what they looked like. Now I'm wishing we had stopped!

Beautiful night Epcot shots!!!!



Me too!

I can't believe you actually walked into Liberty Inn and missed the Gingerbread House! It was right when you walked in the door.

I remebered from your last TR that you were a fan of the dancing fountain too - it's awesome!

I am so loving your trip report!

Thanks so much!

Your pictures are beautiful-- my favorites are the ones in Morroco! Glad you loved your hibachi, too! We have a fantastic tepanyaki restaurant here that we frequent-- the portions are huge and the price is relatively low.
Excited to hear about the Crystal Palace!

Thanks!

I know we used to have a hibachi style restaurant here, but I don't know if it is still around or not - obviously I never checked it out.

I'm hoping to get another update up today, I've got it typed up, just need to upload the pics!

 

[Happydog]

Yay!!! I love that you have photos of all the things I didn't take pics of or see!!!! I did see the fountain and loved that too! With the Christmas music -- so neat! And I realize that I didn't get a lot of time in the front of the park because we came and went through the International Gateway entrance, so I didn't see the topiaries all lit up! I saw them and got some pictures but not of them at night, but that is because we didn't drive! SO pretty and lots of great great photos!!!! Teppan Edo -- the veggies in the food. Yup, that is the reason why that isn't on my list anytime soon!!! DS's wouldn't go for that. Strange, though, b/c they really like eating at Tokyo Dining!!! The restaurant in the front of Teppan Edo!!! Something about Rice and chicken in a monorail dish I guess!! Great update!!!!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Way behind but all caught up again, why do I keep losing your thread?

So cool that you took the time to listen to the story tellers! We tried to get pictures of them all but didn't take the time to stay, too many people to keep happy! That's on my list for our next Christmas trip...
Your other WS pictures are beautiful as are your photo pass pics!
The camera loves your family!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Yay!!! I love that you have photos of all the things I didn't take pics of or see!!!! I did see the fountain and loved that too! With the Christmas music -- so neat! And I realize that I didn't get a lot of time in the front of the park because we came and went through the International Gateway entrance, so I didn't see the topiaries all lit up! I saw them and got some pictures but not of them at night, but that is because we didn't drive! SO pretty and lots of great great photos!!!! Teppan Edo -- the veggies in the food. Yup, that is the reason why that isn't on my list anytime soon!!! DS's wouldn't go for that. Strange, though, b/c they really like eating at Tokyo Dining!!! The restaurant in the front of Teppan Edo!!! Something about Rice and chicken in a monorail dish I guess!! Great update!!!!

I think having that short walk to the International Gateway entrance makes up for missing the front of the park!

On the veggies at Teppan Edo, Jared could have ordered from the kitchen and it would have come in those cute little monorail dishes, but he wanted to watch the chef make his food. So, if you're really interested in eating there, there would be something for your boys!

Way behind but all caught up again, why do I keep losing your thread?

So cool that you took the time to listen to the story tellers! We tried to get pictures of them all but didn't take the time to stay, too many people to keep happy! That's on my list for our next Christmas trip...
Your other WS pictures are beautiful as are your photo pass pics!
The camera loves your family!

Yeah, it's harder to do things like the Storytellers when you're traveling with a big group and have so many different people to keep entertained. But like you said - there's always next time!!

Thanks for the compliment on my pics

 

[SoonerGirl]

Tuesday, December 22nd

We got up very early this morning because we had an 8:05 ADR for breakfast at Crystal Palace. There was a bus waiting when we got to the bus stop so we hopped on and were on our way. There was one family on the bus that was going to Chef Mickey’s and the driver was kind enough to drop them at the Contemporary first. Soon we arrived at our destination.

Since we didn’t have to wait for the bus that morning we got to the MK with plenty of time to spare, so we took some photos while we waited to be let in.

Here’s Jared trying really hard to be grumpy. He wasn’t in the greatest mood (he's sooooo not a morning person!) and I kept teasing him that I better not see him smiling at the Happiest Place on Earth. So, he’s doing his best not to crack a smile in this photo!

Don took one of Justin and I. He's going to be taller than me pretty soon.

I love this sign

Finally we were allowed to enter the park. I was kinda bummed that we had to wait so long to get in. I made this ADR with visions of being able to get into the park around 20 minutes before we had to check in for breakfast so we could walk around Main Street and take some pictures. But, we weren’t let in until just a few minutes before 8:00. I wanted to be sure and at least get one of us in front of the castle, so I snapped a couple of pics along the way and we headed for the partners statue.

I offered to take a photo for the family ahead of us and they returned the favor by taking one of all of us.

Photos taken, we went over to check in at Crystal Palace.

I love the character topiaries in their winter gear!

We were seated quickly and our waiter, Vinnie, gave us the run down. Before I go any further I just have to give props to Vinnie. He was by far our best server of the week. He was funny and engaging without being overbearing. Our dirty plates were cleared promptly and our glasses never got more than half empty. He was FANTASTIC!!

We all had time to fill our plates before the first character was to arrive, so off to the buffet we went. Justin was pumped to see that they had an omelet station. I on the other hand, looked up and down and all around for the French toast puffs and there were NONE! Oh no! I filled my plate with a little of this and a little of that and went back to the table with my head hung low.

My mood improved soon when Piglet arrived

Next we saw Tigger

At this point I decided to go back up to the buffet and get some fruit, and as I approached I saw them, the yummy, puffy, cinnamony (yep, that’s a word ) French toast puffs. HORRAY!! I was happy now.

I got back in time to see Pooh

Soon we were all stuffed, but still hadn't seen Eeyore. He was only about 6 tables away from us, so we decided to wait. Just then the parade around the restaurant started, so that delayed everything. It was nearing 9:00 now, and therefore park opening time. We decided not to wait for Eeyore and headed into the park.

Up Next: How many times in a row will we ride BTMRR???

 

[princess&her4princes]

Hey Michelle!

I've been MIA from DIS lately and I'm playing catch up a bit now, I've missed so much. Loving your TR, sounds like a great trip and loving all your photopass pics! You guys got some great ones! SOOO excited that you're doing a trip with your Mom, too! You're going to have the BEST trip! I was so happy that we did that with my Mom this Fall....girl time is good time!! Can't wait to hear more!!

 

[stace208]

Yay! CP breakfast! The boys just look so happy to be there-Disney magic at its best! I can't wait to eat there in April. Tell me about these french toast puffs...they sound like something I need to try!

I love the picture of Jared trying to be Grumpy-sooo cute! He and my DS would get along quite well me thinks. WE might be crazy after a while with them but they would have a blast!

 

[MHTeacher]

Love CP breakfast! The Pooh and friends topiaries are so cute anyway, but even cuter wearing their winter scarves!

As always, your photos are beautiful!

 

[KathyRN137]

Hi Michelle,

So funny... the exact same thing happened to us during our last CP breakfast! We saw everyone but Pooh Bear and we were all done and ready to hit rope drop.

What an agonizing decision! To wait or not to wait....

I wonder what you chose to do!


Kathy

 

[TinkyCheeks]

What a great TR so far! I love that you took so many pics of the decorations and storytellers. How cool that your boys still go with you and have a good time. My oldest is 7 and already in the mouthy, I'm way too cool for Mom and Dad stage. I'm dreading the teen years!

 

[Charleston Princess]

It's hard not to be in a good mood when you are wearing Santa Mickey ears like Jared was that morning.

Love the picture of all four of you in front of the Castle.

I had to laugh that Disney even manages to decorate their Pooh topiaries for Christmas!

How cute that the boys look like they are having such a great time with the characters, and thank goodness there were some French Toast puffs by the time you went up for your second plate!

 

[ladybugmom]

Don't you just LOVE being able to enter the park before everyone else? And then getting your pic in front of the castle with no one else in it?! We were able to do that on our last trip b/c Ally had a BBB appt. at 8:00am!! We were able to get some great pics!! And we just LOVE CP!! We've never eaten there for breakfast--only dinner! French toast puffs sound AMAZING!!! French toast is my FAVORITE breakfast food!! Can't wait to read more!!

 

[praisehisname]

Don took one of Justin and I. He's going to be taller than me pretty soon.

I feel your pain. My DS15 is 6'2" and still growing. He hates it, but I keep telling him he'll be glad later!

Great picture!

Sounds like you had a great breakfast, especially since you found the French toast puffs!

 

[Happydog]

It is SOOOOOOOO funny that you said that about the CP!! MY DS7 feels the same way!! He loves those CINAMONY (I agree it IS a word LOL!) french toast puffs!!!!!

What great family photos you have! I have never made it to a Park opening breakfast ADR.. only because my family can't make it that early!!!! Well we can be up that early, and at a park that early, no problem, but my DH is not a breakfast eater at that early in the morning ... no one has the appetite... we ate at Chef Mickey's early (8:30) this past October, and we felt all out of sorts... not in the park, not ready to eat a full meal, etc.. we tend to do better taking the brunch time slot-- my guys eat more too. Anyhow I am envious of those empty park pics! I might try to get one early one morning for this coming trip, WHO knows, and make them come!

Great update as always!! I guess you rode it four times in a row!

 

[kschafer]

CP is the only restaurant I visited last time that we are making a repeat visit. I am not a big breakfast eater but have been very excited about the puffed french toast too. I didn't know they have an omelet station - now I'm really glad I am going back