Your ULTIMATE SURVIVAL GUIDE to Disney World at Christmas Time! UPDATE x2 10/21

[theworldneedscolor]

I am pretty sure Snow White is 14, not sixteen..

 

[jessily]

That slide sounds awesome. Beautiful sunset photos!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Oh my goodness! Your TR is almost over! Good thing you have so many others...

 

[MarieTheCat24]

BLT's pool is super pretty. I love the glass tiles around the slide.

HIGH-FIVE, TRIVIA WINNER! Were the prize bubbles Disney-themed?

That sunset is absolutely gorgeous. It stinks that you had to put off TSM, but that seeing that sunset had to have been worth it.

 

[beachphotog]

Wait a minute... if there is no sleeping in Disney, how can there be homework in Disney???

Congrats on the pool trivia! I love when the CM's ask trivia questions on Disney transportation... my family always know more than the CM!

 

[DisneyDork712]

Chapter 83: Some Early Morning Mania and SHOPPING!

Then we went over to Tren-D and I got that “Have a Magical Day” shirt! It’s really cute!

​

I am totally obsessing over this shirt right now!! I want to find one before our Disneyland trip this fall, but the only one I can find online is $46 plus shipping! Is that how much it actually costs in the parks? I seem to recall someone around here mentioning it was less than that! And judging by the prices of some of the other items on that site, it is probably nearly double the actual price!

OT, but I made a wall hanging of that quote!

You know you're in a Disney park when you hear those words!

 

[petals]

luvin the sunset pics

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I am pretty sure Snow White is 14, not sixteen..

Apparently she's 16! That's what the correct answer was

That slide sounds awesome. Beautiful sunset photos!

It really was! Thank you!

Oh my goodness! Your TR is almost over! Good thing you have so many others...

I know! It's probably a good thing - I have lots of other trips to write about!

BLT's pool is super pretty. I love the glass tiles around the slide.

HIGH-FIVE, TRIVIA WINNER! Were the prize bubbles Disney-themed?

That sunset is absolutely gorgeous. It stinks that you had to put off TSM, but that seeing that sunset had to have been worth it.

It really is! I was impressed with the design! I'm glad they put so much time and effort into a WATER SLIDE. Disney is great.
Woohoo thank you! No, they weren't. But they were bubbles, so I mean you can't go wrong!
It really was! I know, but it all worked out for the best! Absolutely!

Wait a minute... if there is no sleeping in Disney, how can there be homework in Disney???

Congrats on the pool trivia! I love when the CM's ask trivia questions on Disney transportation... my family always know more than the CM!

One of life's greatest mysteries!
Why thank you. I do too! That's awesome haha

I am totally obsessing over this shirt right now!! I want to find one before our Disneyland trip this fall, but the only one I can find online is $46 plus shipping! Is that how much it actually costs in the parks? I seem to recall someone around here mentioning it was less than that! And judging by the prices of some of the other items on that site, it is probably nearly double the actual price!

OT, but I made a wall hanging of that quote!

You know you're in a Disney park when you hear those words!

I have no idea how much it was, but it definitely wasn't $46! It may have been $34.99? That sounds about right. Still a little pricey, but what are you gonna do.

I love that wall hanging! Very pretty!

luvin the sunset pics

Thank you!​

 

[Aussiesalad]

Ahhh waterslides are the best!! And the tiles look so pretty!!
It was never super high on my list before but your making me really want to stay there!

Good work with the trivia win!!
Bubbles are awesome, I'd be happy with that!

Ahhhhh the colour of the sky makes me so happy!
By the way what do you do with all your millions of amazing Disney pictures?
Apart from share them with us of course. Frames? Albums? Scrapbooks?

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Ahhh waterslides are the best!! And the tiles look so pretty!!
It was never super high on my list before but your making me really want to stay there!

Good work with the trivia win!!
Bubbles are awesome, I'd be happy with that!

Ahhhhh the colour of the sky makes me so happy!
By the way what do you do with all your millions of amazing Disney pictures?
Apart from share them with us of course. Frames? Albums? Scrapbooks?

They are! Especially the Bay Lake one!
Ahh you definitely are going to want to stay at Bay Lake. The place will blow your MIND.
Thank you!
I was!
I'm glad you like it!
Hahaha I don't even know what I do with them! I put them on the trip reports, I instagram them, I put them on facebook, and I print them out to put in my dorm. I seriously need to figure out some more creative ideas!
​

 

[kansasdisneygal]

Hey Jess, sorry I haven't commented in a while. Been crazy busy with work. But I am all caught up now! I can't believe all the luck you had with TSM FP!! And that special Jungle Cruise must have been so fun!! loving all the food pics and crazy in love with the castle lighting pics! The BLT pool looks really neat, that slide looks awesome!

 

[Disneydude97]

You know, Jess, I was just thinkin' about your first trip report for your graduation trip ("The Port Report: Frumpin' Around the World with the Bathrobe Princesses"), and, like you and Kristen, I really would like to have a graduation trip myself in 2 more years (Class of 2015, representin'!) I may even invite you, Kristen and maybe even Mike!

OK, see you in the next update!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Hey Jess, sorry I haven't commented in a while. Been crazy busy with work. But I am all caught up now! I can't believe all the luck you had with TSM FP!! And that special Jungle Cruise must have been so fun!! loving all the food pics and crazy in love with the castle lighting pics! The BLT pool looks really neat, that slide looks awesome!

Don't even worry - I totally understand! I'm so glad! Yeah, there was so much TSM magic happening! Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed reading about everything!

You know, Jess, I was just thinkin' about your first trip report for your graduation trip ("The Port Report: Frumpin' Around the World with the Bathrobe Princesses"), and, like you and Kristen, I really would like to have a graduation trip myself in 2 more years (Class of 2015, representin'!) I may even invite you, Kristen and maybe even Mike!

OK, see you in the next update!

Haha hopefully you get to go on one!​

 

[bombshellz]

I just joined today...and spent most of my time reading your TR. Your pics, especially all the food pics, are amazing! I'm hitting the world for the first time this month and I'm learning so much from your experiences. Thank you! Can't wait for more

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I just joined today...and spent most of my time reading your TR. Your pics, especially all the food pics, are amazing! I'm hitting the world for the first time this month and I'm learning so much from your experiences. Thank you! Can't wait for more

Awesome! Welcome to the trip report! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying everything. Thank you! Oh wow, you are going to have an AMAZING time! I hope that your trip is very magical! Thank you ​

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Alright everyone. Today is my last day of summer. (and I was up at 8:15 am. WHAT THE HECK!?) Preston flew in last night so he's FINALLY back! Tomorrow I am moving into my dorm room and then begins my audition week for the upcoming semester's productions! That's right, not only are we starting classes, but we have auditions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights! Prayers and good thoughts would be greatly appreciated - I hope they all go smoothly!

Considering this looks like one of the busiest weeks ever, I am going to post updates here AND on my HHI trip report today. I gotta keep them rolling!

Thank you so much for reading, and I just wanted to wish you all the best of luck with going back to school! And if that does not apply to you, I just wish you the best of luck with whatever you're doing!

Now, onto the update!

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Chapter 92: The Best Night of My Life
December 31st, 2011

I posted on twitter:
Due to the full house new year episode, I can only say "HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY NEW YEAR" like Michelle tanner @90sgirlproblem

This happens every year. I just can't stop saying "HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY NEW YEAR" with, of course, the appropriate Michelle Tanner hand gesture. GAHH she's so cute. HAPPY NEW YEAR! (It's hard for me to find an accurate video, but the first 8 seconds of this one will explain to you exactly how Michelle says it, if you don't know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eVdV8gmz-c)

We rode over to the Polynesian for our New Year's Eve dinner! It was about 7:10 pm when we got there and they said we couldn’t check in until 7:25 pm. (our dinner was at 7:30 pm) So we went downstairs and I caught up on my trip journal.

We went upstairs once I caught up and checked in at Ohana! We waited to be called. Our buzzer didn’t go off until 7:50 pm… it was REALLY busy in there!

We were brought to our table and it was the exact same table that we sat at during our February trip!

Our waitress was cousin Tiffany. She called us “cousins” in like… every other sentence. She sat right down at the table when she took our order. I loved her!

I had been preparing for this meal for months, so I was ready to try and pace myself. That is my biggest advice for anyone eating at Ohana. PACE YOURSELF. Have ONE serving of everything and THEN go back for your favorites. If you eat too much of one thing, you will be exploding by the end of this meal.

We started with that delicious bread that is so flavorful that it doesn’t even need butter! YUM! I’m pretty sure we ate that entire loaf in a matter of seconds, so Dad asked for more.

Next we had the salad and the dressing was SO GOOD. I absolutely love it! It has a very unique and sweet flavor to it.

Here are all of the meat sauces, which were brought out next:

The chicken wings and pot stickers are the “appetizers.” Those chicken wings are DELICIOUS – the meat literally fell right off the bone.

The pot stickers were so good too! Wow. Those were Jonathan’s favorites.

I only had one of each. I planned on having more later but I got filled up so fast!

Then the noodles and vegetables came out. Those noodles… wow. I loved them even more than last time! They just tasted SO good! The vegetables were so fresh and they were cooked perfectly!

Then came the MEAT! Pork was first and that tasted really good. In general, pork is not my top favorite meat, but they prepare it really well at Ohana.

Then next was the CHICKEN! I like chicken, but sometimes it’s sort of bland to me. However, at Ohana it is cooked and seasoned SO well. The flavor is absolutely delicious and it was my favorite meat on this day!

Next up was the steak! That was my Dad’s favorite! He kept going on and on about it! He didn’t have steak once on this entire trip so he was glad he saved it for Ohana!

I personally liked the steak, but I don’t think I got very good pieces. There was a lot of fat and it was sort of rare for my liking. However, I still ate it.

We were slowing down at this point but we ordered more noodles and pot stickers! They also brought us WONDERFUL warm towels. That just makes the meal even better. It's such a nice touch.

Then after a while, they finally brought us the shrimp! I enjoyed this more than last time, too! It was cooked perfectly! I could only eat two of them though and I was so sad! I wish I could have eaten more.

We took about a five minute break, I used the restroom, I came back and there it was….. THE BANANA BREAD PUDDING. Oh. MY GOD.

I tried to pace myself so I could enjoy every bite, and I think I was successful. This stuff was AMAZING! It tasted even better than last time, too! The bread was so soft and the banana foster sauce was DIVINE! Wow, it was just perfection. My only complaint was that I didn’t have enough ice cream – everybody ate it so fast!

I posted on twitter:
Ohana is the absolute best meal that I could have possibly had to finish off 2011

My Mom said the sweetest thing about New Years Eve during dinner, so I posted it on twitter:
“there's no one else I'd rather be with and no where else I'd rather be." thank you mother <3 #soblessed I love my family <3

Overview of Ohana:
Waitress: Cousin Tiffany
Service: She was very very friendly. She said “cousin” in about every sentence. She sat right down when she took our order, which I thought was cute. It took a long time for the shrimp to get there, but other than that she was great. She kept our waters filled and checked on us frequently. It did take a LONG time for us to get seated, but the New Years Eve crowds were absolutely beyond insane. It was only about a 20-30 minute wait though, which gave me more time to get hungry anyway. 4.5/5
Atmosphere: It was BUSY and hectic at Ohana that night. However, we were well taken care of so it didn't bother me. 4/5
Food: It was so good, it really doesn't even need an explanation. It was ever better than I remembered!!! 5/5

We finished and we were completely stuffed. We went on the monorail and headed back to our room. It was about 9 o’clock and we didn’t have to be anywhere until 10:50 pm.

I walked out on the deck and just stared at the Magic Kingdom. The Magic, Memories, and You AND the Electrical Water Paegent were going on. I was so overwhelmed. It was amazing to see them simultaneously!

I posted on twitter:
Just sort of watching the Electrical Water Pagent and The Magic, Memories, and You at the same exact time. NO BIG DEAL AHHH <3

This whole experience is extremely overwhelming. IM SO GLAD IM HERE RIGHT NOW I WANT TO CRY <3

It was just unbelievable that I was actually there. It finally really clicked – it was NEW YEAR’S EVE. I was in DISNEY WORLD. Not only that, but I was within WALKING DISTANCE from the MAGIC KINGDOM.

I had to go.

I heard the music blasting from the speakers in the Magic Kingdom. It was regular radio music but they were all dance mixes. So it was really upbeat and fun. I NEEDED TO BE THERE!

I got this burst of energy. I was like… I have to go. I have to go. I NEED TO GO TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM!!!!!!

My Dad was taking a power nap, so he wouldn’t go with me. Mom said she would be too tired later if she went now, so I only asked her a few times and then gave up. Jonathan was my last hope. I BEGGED him. He barely had done anything on this trip and it was about time he sucked it up and came with me!

I had to beg for at least five minutes and Mom told him to go, too! He FINALLY gave in and I was like “OH MY GOD LET’S GO!!!!!!!!!”

I grabbed our AP’s and room keys and sprinted out the door!

I posted on twitter:
Impulsive decision to brave the magic kingdom for half an hour. LET'S GO.

I got this bolt of energy and I basically ran and skipped all the way to the Magic Kingdom. I was speeding by everyone else we was walking there. This Dad with a stroller was like, “I’ll race ya!” hahaha

I could hear that dance music off in the distance and as soon as it got closer I couldn’t contain myself. I was dancing like a maniac. All of the cast members were dancing too, so I fit right in. Jonathan just stood there on his phone and pretended not to know me. But…. I think he secretly loved it.

I danced in line waiting to put our ticket through so I could enter.

We got in the Magic Kingdom and I was just going insane. The energy level in that place was THROUGH THE ROOF! I couldn’t even believe I was there. It seemed like a dream.

We got inside and walked down the right side of Main Street USA. There were some SEVERE traffic jams but I didn’t even care. I just kept dancing and absorbing the atmosphere.

People were lined up on the street for the parade. The shops were FILLED. It was such a different experience than your everyday Magic Kingdom. It was surreal.

We got all the way down Main Street USA and went towards Tomorrowland. After the Plaza and before the Noodle Station, they directed us out of the park. They sent us through that parking lot that I learned about on the Yuletide Fantasy Tour! It was all lined with rolling hedges, like James said.

That was PERFECT because it gave me so much room to move… AND DANCE!

I skipped through the open space and sang all of the songs! I literally haven’t had that much fun since like…. ever. And yes, I was dancing by myself. It was a “me” party if I have ever seen one.

We were dumped into the back entrance on Tomorrowland which was MUCH less congested than Main Street. I just kept dancing and singing. It was like clubbing… IN DISNEY! But MUCH classier and 5 MILLION times better!!

I literally had no intended destination. I just had 30-45 minutes to run around and go crazy! We walked in front of the teacups and went into Fantasyland. It was strangely not crowded.

For some reason, at this point, I just remember them playing “Baby” by Justin Beiber and I started singing it at the top of my lungs! Even though my voice was pretty much gone and I'm not the biggest Justin Beiber fan, I was just in my own little world having the time of my life!

We made it into Frontierland and pretty much had to make our way out of the park. LOL Jonathan just followed me on this little adventure. I’m sure he was amused.

We cut through the parade route and followed the path to the exit. It was just CLOGGED with people. We went by the pathway in front of Crystal Palace, and there were CM’s EVERYWHERE trying to direct traffic. There were big arrows made out of tape on the ground telling us which way to go.

There was a HUGE standstill in front of Casey’s. It was so bad. This Asian CM in between the two directions of traffic was swaying robotically back and forth to the beat of the music. He was like a performer.. he had a totally straight face. It was the funniest thing.

Jon and I squeezed into Casey’s, walked through the stores, got to the one before the Emporium, and went back outside. I had to take a few Main Street pictures so I could attempt to portray the craziness of the crowds:

Continued in Next Post
​

 

[Z28KatCar]

Subscribed! It took me 2 days to get though the TR so far, amazing! Sounds like you all had an wonderful time.......so jealous!! We are going back next year but I wish we could go more often!! So has your family used the other time share since you have now had 2 awful experiences? Can't to wait to hear more and I'm checking out your other trip reports.

 

[flyergrad09]

You and your family are so cute!

That is a crazy amount of food, but it all looks so tasty! I'm trying to convince my parents to branch out and try TS restaurants at the resorts on their upcoming trip in April (my aunt and uncle won a trip that includes the deluxe dining plan, and they're taking my parents!) so I'm slowly stockpiling info on all of the restaurants at the resorts. Ohana will definitely be on my list!

I've never been at MK on New Year's Eve, but man, that looks so crazy! That's weird that Fantasyland was empty.

Have fun at school and good luck with your auditions!

 

[heathsf]

Oh my Gosh how awesome!! I just picture the dance party from Tomorrowland...except bigger and better and everywhere!!! Sounds like so much fun!

OT- I heard "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" on the radio for the first time last night and I thought of you! Maybe I'm spending too much time on the Disboards reading your TRs

 

[RachelCheyenne]

Oh my goodness, that looks insane but extremely awesome. My brother would probably do the same thing as yours. Just stand there at pretend not to know me, or if it was a good night - he may or may not join in sporadically.

But good luck with first week back and (break a leg?) with auditions! My first week back was two weeks ago and it's going to be an insane semester!