Trip Number 9 ~ It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year ~ Christmastime at the GF & Poly

[Disney Mommy 3]

Jodi~YAY!! It's so official and exciting making those ADRs!!! that and airfare kind of seal the deal!!!!
MeMom~they look like prison guards...or parole enforcers...

 

[T*Bird]

Got my ADRs,
I got my ADRs,
Got my ADRs...
To-Daaaaaaay!!!


Seriously please, someone explain it to me --
Why is it that when you do ANYTHING at all for your trip you get all excited and happy behind and wanna dance?



It's like taking a hit of a drug.
Disney Crack!!!!!!

Tell me more, tell me more! Was it love at first sight?

I sure hope you're coming back with details!


P.S. In other news.......how 'bout those Hat rumors. (Sorry, Shelly, football talk)

I was scrolling through your pictures and noticed your picture and comment about the pin trading CM. It reminded me of these guys...

outside Magic Kingdom this summer. They were less than thrilled to be there, it was clear. I had to wonder if they were being punished.

Kona is a favorite of ours. How fun is it to start off a day with a breakfast called The Big Kahuna?!?!?

We were fortunate enough to be among the first riders on Little Mermaid, as we were there on unofficial opening day in October and got a sneak peek.

That is too funny! Maybe not so funny if you were on the other side of that pin board ! They really should put all those stone faced CM's in the HM or ToT. They would be right in character there.

 

[JoBird]

Jodi~YAY!! It's so official and exciting making those ADRs!!! that and airfare kind of seal the deal!!!!

Totally ready to go. Now I just have to wait for-freaking-ever to leave.

Tell me more, tell me more! Was it love at first sight?

I sure hope you're coming back with details!


P.S. In other news.......how 'bout those Hat rumors. (Sorry, Shelly, football talk)

Oh boy! Details on my ADRs! Okay it's not much to tell.

At 5:30 this morning I woke up, grabbed my phone and looked at my emails and let a big sigh out when I saw one that said "Good Morning ________ Family! Here are your Advanced Dining Reservations!"
YES---- I was a a total lazy butt and asked the GF IPO to get them all for me.

There have been so many problems with the Dining site online and people not being able to log on for the whole vacation time (Like the trouble Shelly had--) that I told IPO to get them. I usually make them myself and yes I was totally scared to give up control but honestly It was the easiest thing ever. They even got all the times I wanted, except for one- that was 15 minutes before the time I requested.
So glad I did it.

And the restaurants I got:
Cinderellas Royal Table
Ohana
Yak n Yeti
Kona
Grand Floridian Cafe
San Angel Inn
Via Napoli

And the rest will be snacks at concierge.
Just happy to be finished!



And now as far as the Hat rumors...

Really? You think????? I will be really disappointed if true.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

What a bummer rude CMs are! I wonder if they realize all the planning and money that goes into a vacation to WDW. It's not certainly something that someone gets to do every day and then to have a rude CM just puts a damper on it all.

I agree, the Little Mermaid ride is great! The queue is so long! Cute though. I'm glad you got to ride Shelly. We did as well in October and the place was a madhouse.

You would think they could at least fake a smile even on a bad day!!

We loved the LM ride!! We never did go through the regular queue though.

Grumpy CMs are no fun!! I've seen that woman at the Poly before and I thought the same thing- she doesn't look happy.

Love the pics in front of that beautiful Christmas tree.

I can't wait to ride LM and eat at BOG too!!! Forty something more days!!!! Woohoo

Wow Main Street was beyond packed.

I think I had seen that Poly CM before as well. I wonder how she keeps her job???

Yay for being in the 40-something day range!! Not long now!

Glad you enjoyed the Little Mermaid ride, we liked it too.


We experienced the same level of crowds in October but not long waits for the rides either, weird.

Was that pin trading CM a Snotty Cow? ��

It was very cool!

It is so weird when there are so many people everywhere and the lines aren't that bad.


Snotty cow, that is still so funny!!!!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I'm sure that has something to do with it. It was awful in Korea....and when you threw in the hygiene. Ugh! I'm glad not to be there anymore, and I don't get quite as bothered by crowds as some people.

Now I can go to the grocery store and let DS trail 10 feet in front of me, and not have a single other person break our path. Ah! I love the luxury of space.

Well at least it wasn't summer and the hygiene thing wasn't so much of an issue!!

I bet you appreciate space so much now!

That's too bad about the rude CM, but thankfully it was not the norm for you.

I love the new Little Mermaid ride! They do open the walkway between that and Storybook Circus sometimes. We were able to walk through it a couple of times during our trip. I think it depends on if it's really crowded, and if they don't need to keep it closed for construction vehicles.

Yes, thankfully we only ran into a few of those!

I think it will be so much better if they open the path between those 2 sections.

Got my ADRs,
I got my ADRs,
Got my ADRs...
To-Daaaaaaay!!!


Seriously please, someone explain it to me --
Why is it that when you do ANYTHING at all for your trip you get all excited and happy behind and wanna dance?



It's like taking a hit of a drug.
Disney Crack!!!!!!

Congrats!!!!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I was scrolling through your pictures and noticed your picture and comment about the pin trading CM. It reminded me of these guys...

outside Magic Kingdom this summer. They were less than thrilled to be there, it was clear. I had to wonder if they were being punished.

Kona is a favorite of ours. How fun is it to start off a day with a breakfast called The Big Kahuna?!?!?

We were fortunate enough to be among the first riders on Little Mermaid, as we were there on unofficial opening day in October and got a sneak peek.

Wow that is pretty bad!!


Kona is awesome, we just love the food there!

That's great that you got to ride the LM before official opening.

MeMom~they look like prison guards...or parole enforcers...

They do!!

Totally ready to go. Now I just have to wait for-freaking-ever to leave.


It is going to be forever!!!!


Oh boy! Details on my ADRs! Okay it's not much to tell.

At 5:30 this morning I woke up, grabbed my phone and looked at my emails and let a big sigh out when I saw one that said "Good Morning ________ Family! Here are your Advanced Dining Reservations!"
YES---- I was a a total lazy butt and asked the GF IPO to get them all for me.

There have been so many problems with the Dining site online and people not being able to log on for the whole vacation time (Like the trouble Shelly had--) that I told IPO to get them. I usually make them myself and yes I was totally scared to give up control but honestly It was the easiest thing ever. They even got all the times I wanted, except for one- that was 15 minutes before the time I requested.
So glad I did it.

And the restaurants I got:
Cinderellas Royal Table
Ohana
Yak n Yeti
Kona
Grand Floridian Cafe
San Angel Inn
Via Napoli

And the rest will be snacks at concierge.
Just happy to be finished!



And now as far as the Hat rumors...

Really? You think????? I will be really disappointed if true.

So glad IPO got all the days and times you wanted!! I was worried for you!!

Looks awesome!

 

[sjs314]

Totally ready to go. Now I just have to wait for-freaking-ever to leave.




Oh boy! Details on my ADRs! Okay it's not much to tell.

At 5:30 this morning I woke up, grabbed my phone and looked at my emails and let a big sigh out when I saw one that said "Good Morning ________ Family! Here are your Advanced Dining Reservations!"
YES---- I was a a total lazy butt and asked the GF IPO to get them all for me.

There have been so many problems with the Dining site online and people not being able to log on for the whole vacation time (Like the trouble Shelly had--) that I told IPO to get them. I usually make them myself and yes I was totally scared to give up control but honestly It was the easiest thing ever. They even got all the times I wanted, except for one- that was 15 minutes before the time I requested.
So glad I did it.

And the restaurants I got:
Cinderellas Royal Table
Ohana
Yak n Yeti
Kona
Grand Floridian Cafe
San Angel Inn
Via Napoli

And the rest will be snacks at concierge.
Just happy to be finished!



And now as far as the Hat rumors...

Really? You think????? I will be really disappointed if true.

Jodi

Congrates on reaching the 180 day mark and getting all the ADRs you wanted. I see a few on your list that I am planning on too. Love Via Napoli and excited to try 'Ohana, Kona and GF Cafe for the first time

I hope Disney gets the online site fixed by time I need to make mine. You were smart to take advantage of IPO this time

 

[T*Bird]

Totally ready to go. Now I just have to wait for-freaking-ever to leave.




Oh boy! Details on my ADRs! Okay it's not much to tell.

At 5:30 this morning I woke up, grabbed my phone and looked at my emails and let a big sigh out when I saw one that said "Good Morning ________ Family! Here are your Advanced Dining Reservations!"
YES---- I was a a total lazy butt and asked the GF IPO to get them all for me.

There have been so many problems with the Dining site online and people not being able to log on for the whole vacation time (Like the trouble Shelly had--) that I told IPO to get them. I usually make them myself and yes I was totally scared to give up control but honestly It was the easiest thing ever. They even got all the times I wanted, except for one- that was 15 minutes before the time I requested.
So glad I did it.

And the restaurants I got:
Cinderellas Royal Table
Ohana
Yak n Yeti
Kona
Grand Floridian Cafe
San Angel Inn
Via Napoli

And the rest will be snacks at concierge.
Just happy to be finished!


Ask and ye shall receive!

Boy, there is so much that I don't know diddly about. So you can have someone else make your ADR's? Very nice!

Congrats on getting your requests! It looks like a great list! Just like usual with Shelly's ADR's, I have only been to one of them - San Angel. I really need to get out more.

And now as far as the Hat rumors...

Really? You think????? I will be really disappointed if true.

At first I thought "No way" followed by "That dirt bag" and now back to "No way". TD says it's a hoax. I would be truuuuuly shocked and diappointed if true.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Totally ready to go. Now I just have to wait for-freaking-ever to leave.

Oh boy! Details on my ADRs! Okay it's not much to tell.

At 5:30 this morning I woke up, grabbed my phone and looked at my emails and let a big sigh out when I saw one that said "Good Morning ________ Family! Here are your Advanced Dining Reservations!"
YES---- I was a a total lazy butt and asked the GF IPO to get them all for me.

There have been so many problems with the Dining site online and people not being able to log on for the whole vacation time (Like the trouble Shelly had--) that I told IPO to get them. I usually make them myself and yes I was totally scared to give up control but honestly It was the easiest thing ever. They even got all the times I wanted, except for one- that was 15 minutes before the time I requested.
So glad I did it.

And the restaurants I got:
Cinderellas Royal Table
Ohana
Yak n Yeti
Kona
Grand Floridian Cafe
San Angel Inn
Via Napoli

And the rest will be snacks at concierge.
Just happy to be finished!

And now as far as the Hat rumors...

Really? You think????? I will be really disappointed if true.

Wow I would be so afraid to give up control to IPO. But they did a great job! Something to look into in the future. Although I don't see ourselves staying on Disney property anytime soon never mind CL- which we always did before and will miss it tremendously!!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Well Shelly, I just put DH on a plane back to FL. This was the second weekend doing it and it seemed harder today than last week.

I'm so jealous of him even though he's not at Disney he's still in FL. 40 days left.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Well Shelly, I just put DH on a plane back to FL. This was the second weekend doing it and it seemed harder today than last week.

I'm so jealous of him even though he's not at Disney he's still in FL. 40 days left.

That's got to be so hard!!!

But only 40 days to go for you!!

 

[khertz]

That is really a bummer that you ran into 2 crabby CM's that morning! It's kind of sad that some CM's don't realize how much of an effect their bad attitude can have on the guests. But on the brighter side, your Tonga Toast looks absolutely amazing, and the seeing the MK decorated for Christmas has me wishing for another holiday trip! Plus the Obsorne Lights in your earlier post, hands down my favorite Christmas happening in WDW!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

After our ride we looked for a FP machine for the LM ride so we could do it again later. Didn't see one anywhere near the ride and finally asked a CM and we were told that the FP's for the LM ride were clear up by Mickey's Philharmagic. Well that's logical, right? NOT!! How strange and confusing. I wonder if it will stay like that when all is said and done in FantasyLand...

So we made our way up towards Philharmagic.

There was a line about a mile long to get into BOG for lunch. We didn't want to eat there anyway, but I was kind of hoping to get a peek inside. That didn't happen!

So we got up to Philharmagic and grabbed some FP's for the LM ride. We were surprised that the time wasn't all that much later. We also noticed that the FP machines for Winnie the Pooh were right there as well. They've probably always been there and we just never noticed because we don't ride Pooh anymore!

After we got our FP's we decided to go see Philharmagic while we were right there. We only waited about 5 minutes. I just love this show!! The rest of the family enjoys it too, but not as much as me. They could take it or leave it!

When we were done watching the best 3D show ever it was time for our FP+ for the Haunted Mansion. So we headed over there and found the FP entrance and when it was our turn to scan our cards only 2 of them worked mine and DH's...The CM told us that the kids' FP+ for that time were for BTMRR. So I explained to them that wasn't correct and pulled out my print out showing them that we all 4 had FP's for HM right now and all 4 for BTMRR later. I could tell the one CM was going to argue with me and I stood my ground and told her that there is no way I would be separating the kids from us, that doesn't even make any sense. Another CM jumped in and hit the over-ride button and let us all in. I thanked her and asked her if we were going to run into a problem when we went to BTMRR later. She said she didn't know and that this was all in the test phase and told me that there is a FP+ kiosk over by Mickey's Philharmagic and we could go over there and scan our cards and see what was going on.

So we had an awesome ride on the HM!

After that we headed back over to Philharmagic to see what was up with our FP+ cards. Got over there and there is only one FP+ kiosk, and it is right there with the LM and Pooh FP machines. There was one couple in front of us trying to make changes to their FP+'s. So yes, you can apparently make changes while you are in the park. They were taking forever and I said to DH I'm not waiting here all day wasting our time, I guess we'll just hope for the best when we get to BTMRR later. The CM standing there heard me and asked us to wait and gave us a free FP to use that day on any attraction for our time. So we waited it out!

After about 15-20 minutes we got up to the kiosk and scanned each of our cards and they all came up with the correct FP's and times. We explained to the CM what had happened at the HM. He didn't have any explanation for it and said it must have been a glitch and looked at my print out of our FP times and all that and compared it to the screen and said it was all good and we shouldn't have any problems the rest of the day. So, we took his work for it and headed on!

By that time it was already time for our LM FP's! So we headed over. But first had to stop and try to pull the sword up, with no luck like always!

After another fun journey with the LM we walked back towards the castle. They had a spot where you could peek in and take a look at the Seven Dwarf's Mine Train construction.

Looks like there's lots of work to go!

As we got closer to Main Street the kids said they were hungry and wanted mini corndogs from Casey's. Of course! DH and I weren't quite ready to eat yet, so we just got them some corndogs and stopped for a little break.

Up Next: Adventureland!

 

[JoBird]

OH MY!!!!

I can't believe all of that trouble with the FP+! And I mean, come on. That HM CM was ignorant, esp since there was a way to override the FP. Of course you wouldn't tell your kids to run along to BTMRR and you'd see them later. What a tool.

At least you found someone with common sense and then bonus prizes-- you got another FP for later in the day!

This whole FP+ makes me very nervous. I think I will like it once the glitches are out of the system, but still nerve wracking.

Wish I could see someone pull the sword up- just once. It would be fun!!

Gonna make Drew get some corndog nuggets next time. They are cute. I can't believe your kids will eat them. I asked Belle if she would try them and she looked at me like I had 5 heads. But maybe Drew........

Thanks for updating today!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

That is really a bummer that you ran into 2 crabby CM's that morning! It's kind of sad that some CM's don't realize how much of an effect their bad attitude can have on the guests. But on the brighter side, your Tonga Toast looks absolutely amazing, and the seeing the MK decorated for Christmas has me wishing for another holiday trip! Plus the Obsorne Lights in your earlier post, hands down my favorite Christmas happening in WDW!

Yes, at least my tonga toast was amazing as always!!

Disney really does it up right at Christmastime, don't they?! So much to see.

OH MY!!!!

I can't believe all of that trouble with the FP+! And I mean, come on. That HM CM was ignorant, esp since there was a way to override the FP. Of course you wouldn't tell your kids to run along to BTMRR and you'd see them later. What a tool.

At least you found someone with common sense and then bonus prizes-- you got another FP for later in the day!

This whole FP+ makes me very nervous. I think I will like it once the glitches are out of the system, but still nerve wracking.

Wish I could see someone pull the sword up- just once. It would be fun!!

Gonna make Drew get some corndog nuggets next time. They are cute. I can't believe your kids will eat them. I asked Belle if she would try them and she looked at me like I had 5 heads. But maybe Drew........

Thanks for updating today!!

I know!! I realize my kids are 11 and 13, but they are both small and neither of them really look their age. So was she really thinking that I made seperate FP's for them and us?? Plus I had my print out. What an ordeal. Those kind of things are what makes me leary of the new FP+. I can see this happening a lot and then CM's getting annoyed about it and being argumentative with people.

Hopefully they will get it worked out because it seems that all this new NextGen crap is coming whether we like it or not!

I know, I would love to see someone pull up that dang sword!!

OMGosh my kids LOVE those stupid mini corndogs at Casey's!! We have to stop in there every time we are in MK.

 

[lala3291]

Hi Shelly!

We are back from another wonderful trip to WDW! We had a great time. We enjoyed POR too! We weren't crazy about having to rely on the bus system, so we probably will not stay there again. However, the resort was very nice and clean. I liked the resort itself, just not the busses. It seemed to take forever on some trips going back to the resort!

I'm off to catch up on your TR! I have missed so much!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hi Shelly!

We are back from another wonderful trip to WDW! We had a great time. We enjoyed POR too! We weren't crazy about having to rely on the bus system, so we probably will not stay there again. However, the resort was very nice and clean. I liked the resort itself, just not the busses. It seemed to take forever on some trips going back to the resort!

I'm off to catch up on your TR! I have missed so much!

Welcome back Lauren!!

So glad to hear that you had such a nice vacation. Glad you enjoyed POR too. Too bad about the buses. We didn't find them to be too bad there. Or any of the moderates. Believe it or not it's the deluxe resort buses that we have had back luck with!!

So when is the next trip??

 

[Monny2AE]

I keep hearing all these stories about FP+ glitches and it's making me nervous for our June trip! I'm sure it's frustrating for the CM's too.

Bummer your boys didn't get to pull up the sword. Last Dec when my DS pulled it up I just about flipped out because I'd never seen it go up for anyone before!!! DH didn't get it. He thought it went up every time. I had to explain it to him.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

geez....not looking forward to that new FP+business!!!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Wow not sure I like that FP+ thing they have going on. Lots of issues. I think I just like getting my own.

I don't remember HM having FP before is that new? Or am I losing it??