A bit of Disney Christmas Magic - Dec 11 - 27th

[Melcatfish]

Loving your trip report. Sorry you got sick at the end of your cruise but it looks like you all had a wonderful time overall.

Also, just so you know, I love the fact that you don't gloss over the fact that sometimes things can get a bit tough when you have little children in tow who get tired and cranky. It is great to know I am not the only one who sometimes has to cut dinner short or change plans due to tired kids!

Looking forward to the rest of the TR.

Mel
x

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Loving your trip report. Sorry you got sick at the end of your cruise but it looks like you all had a wonderful time overall.

Also, just so you know, I love the fact that you don't gloss over the fact that sometimes things can get a bit tough when you have little children in tow who get tired and cranky. It is great to know I am not the only one who sometimes has to cut dinner short or change plans due to tired kids!

Looking forward to the rest of the TR.

Mel
x

I'm so glad you are enjoying my trip report. No, I give it all in the details...the good, the bad and the ugly. Kids are kids and it's so important when away from home and away from normal routine to try to keep things moving as close as possible to what they are able to handle. You can have a ton of fun with kids but you are correct in that you have to expect to make a change of plans many times.

I should have more up today or tomorrow.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Saturday – December 25 – Day 15
There might not be too much to tell about today other than how much we ate. It was a day of gluttony to say the least.

Around 5am I awoke and turned on the tree and our balcony lights so it looked more magical when the kids woke up. Santa had indeed arrived to our home away from home.

I crawled back into the sofa bed with Amelia and lay there until she awoke around 6:00am. She then ran into the master bedroom to wake Ernie up and let him know that Santa had been here and there were presents under the tree for them. They were both pretty psyched and all at once I felt the hard work at making Christmas happen here had been well worth it. Neither EB nor I were sorry we were not home for this day as it was already starting off as a very special day for our family.

The kids ripped through their presents and had a blast playing with them for the next couple of hours. I made hot cinnamon rolls (thanks Pillsbury) and they enjoyed that special treat. Those, along with coffee for the adults and milk for the kids, held us over nicely until our 10:30am Ohana breakfast reservation at the Polynesian Resort.

We got ourselves ready and out the door by about 10am and made our way to the Polynesian Resort. It was a beautiful day out – not hot but not freezing cold, either. We easily found a parking spot in the self-parking lot and checked in to Ohana (which was a very long line) by 10:25am. We no more than sat down into the cushy chairs in the lobby area of Ohana than our buzzer had gone off.

We were seated quickly and greeted by our server. We quickly explained that we were not meat-eaters so that they’d fix our family-style platter accordingly. Well, our platter arrived covered in bacon. We explained again and they brought us a new platter. We enjoyed hot cinnamon bread, fresh fruit (which we had a couple refills of), pineapple bread (so yummy), potatoes, scrambled eggs, Mickey waffles, and juice. I must say, this is the first time I have ever felt that the activities they had for the kids were a bit distracting for young ones. We wanted them to eat before partaking in the activities but they just didn’t understand it. I wasn’t in the mood to argue or punish today so we had a very broken up breakfast. The food was good but the characters didn’t come through our table in good time. We ended up hanging out for a bit at the end waiting for Stitch. It took quite a while after we paid our check but he did finally come. We got our pictures, he played with Ernie’s monster trucks (as most of the characters do) and we left Ohana. We were hoping this brunch would become our Christmas Day breakfast tradition but we think we’ll try something else next year as it didn’t meet our expectations.

We decided that since we had time and no real plans we’d walk around the grounds of the Polynesian Resort. It is a gorgeous resort and we’d love to stay here someday.

Continued on next post...

 

[CRSNDSNY]

After perusing the resort, we went back to our villa so the kids could play for a while with their new toys. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable day overall.

Around 4:30pm we got ourselves back out the door and drove over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our Jiko dinner reservation wasn’t until 5:45 but we wanted to walk around the Lodge and see their decorations and perhaps sneak a peek at some of the animals from the viewing platforms.

We arrived and quickly found a good parking spot in the self-park lot. We had our picture taken in the lobby by a Photopass Photographer, viewed the decorations and walked to two different viewing platforms. The kids enjoyed the few animals we did see and we also enjoyed asking questions of the Cast Member stationed at the viewing area behind the main pool’s hot tub area.

At about 5:30 we checked into Jiko just as their desk was opening up. We waited only 10 minutes before being seated near the kitchen. Whenever we’re here with the kids it seems we’re seated either right next to the server station in the far corner or next to the kitchen. That’s fine with us as I know our kids might get a tad loud at any moment. I’m just thankful we’re there enjoying our favorite restaurant.

Here’s where it gets a bit embarrassing. We ate a…….lot…….yes, probably too much but it was so good! We enjoyed sharing the Taste of Africa, Kalamata Olive Flatbread, soup (for me), salad and the cheese sampler (for EB); the kids enjoyed pizza and grilled cheese with celery and peanut butter. Ernie loved the celery and peanut butter so much we kindly asked for another serving of it. For my main course, I ordered the tofu dish which was just a bit different than how it was last time I ordered it and EB had a tuna dish (I think).We even all had desserts! Ernie had a sundae with sprinkles, Amelia had the smores, I had the coffee ice cream with fried pastry and EB skipped dessert. The entire meal was outstanding! This is our favorite restaurant and it was such a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas Day. The kids were well-behaved through the entire meal and everyone ate without us having to beg, plead, bargain, etc.

After dinner we rolled ourselves to the gift shop as we had promised Amelia she and Ernie could play the instruments.

By 9pm the kids were bathed and in bed. I believe we probably passed out shortly after, as well. It was a great day and a very memorable Christmas for us. I’m afraid we set a pretty high bar for future Christmases!

Up next: Our last park day – Epcot; dinner at Ohana.

 

[Queenofallthings]

Love the Christmas morning shots....I can't even imagine the excitement of waking up on Christmas morning in WDW....wow!!!

That's too bad about O'Hana, it is one of our favorites for dinner but we have never had breakfast there! The meal did look delicious though

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Sunday – December 26 – Day 16

Today would be our last full day at WDW and originally we planned a full day at the Magic Kingdom. But since we felt we had done everything we wanted to there (multiple times), we thought we’d head back to Epcot.

We awoke quite early and made it to the gate by about 7:30 for the 8am opening. We drove and parked in nearly the same spot as we did our last visit there a few days prior. Not too many cars in the lot just yet.

When we got through security and were ready to head toward the turnstiles, a Cast Member stopped us and we had a bit of an odd conversation that went something like this:

CM: So tell me, when you get through the turnstiles the first ride you’re heading to is Soarin’. Tell me that.
Me: Um, yes. Actually that is where we’d be heading.
CM: Great to hear! Come with me, please!
​

The CM took only handful of park-goers through the turnstiles and we were all taken directly to Soarin. He let us know that we can get right on Soarin now and go on as many times as we’d like until the park officially opened. SCORE!!!

I sat with Ernie (he’s still a few inches off the 40” requirement) and we played while Amelia and EB rode. Ernie and I enjoyed a treat from Sunshine Seasons, too. I need to remember to come back there again as we've never had their counter service.

When they got off we immediately exchanged Ernie-watching position and I headed on with Amelia. In the meantime, the Fastpass machines were also opened and we acquired Fastpasses for later. That was really neat to be able to beat the crowds like that because believe me, the crowds were rushing once the park officially opened at 8am.

After Soarin we headed to the Seas with Nemo and Friends and then Spaceship Earth by Amelia’s request.

The World Showcase was opening an hour earlier at 10am so we then started a slow walk around the World Showcase taking in the decorations, very low crowds, shops, etc. We had a lunch reservation at San Angel Inn which ended up being a huge mistake. EB and I really used to enjoy eating here but it has gone way downhill in our opinion. This was easily the worst service and food we had the entire vacation. It was just plain terrible and we are pretty easy to please. Unsatisfied, we continued our trek around the World Showcase, I got a rice cream in Norway and we headed out of the park by 2pm.

(bugs kept landing here and there on this display and it reminded me of Beetlejuice)

Back at the villa we began packing and taking down our Christmas decorations. We were sad our vacation was coming to an end but being gone over two weeks, it wasn’t too sad.

To end our great vacation we had planned a celebration dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian.

Our reservation was for 5pm so we headed over around 4:30pm, parked in the self-park lot and headed inside to this beautiful resort. We received our pager after waiting in an incredibly long line and were seated about 10 minutes afterwards.

Our seat was across the aisle from our seat at breakfast the day prior and the indulgence began. As a vegetarian I didn’t want the meats and the rest of our party wasn’t going to eat any of the pork, beef or chicken-based foods so we let our waitress know our diet preferences. I was brought a decent tofu meal – nothing like the vegetarian selections I received back in September – but it was good. Our waitress was great at bringing EB several helpings of the shrimp so that made him happy. She also brought Ernie a peanut butter and jelly kids platter and he happily ate that. Amelia was just fine with the salad, vegetable and shrimp. Overall, it was a very good meal and we hope to come back here again on our next trip.

During the meal, the entertainer had the kids learning to dance, parading around the room, etc. She also informed us of a tiki lighting ceremony at 6:30 in the front of the resort. Amelia really wanted to attend that so we finished our great meal, paid the bill and made our way downstairs for 6:30pm.

At 6:30 the tiki torches outside were not lit, but a young man who performs in the WDW Luau was present. He started a small ceremony with some of his fire and baton tricks that had the crowd ooh-ing and ahh-ing. It was really neat, actually, and I’m glad she mentioned it to us.

The kids were thrilled but now very tired.

We made our way back to SSR in good time, did some more packing, gave the kids a bath and everyone was in bed.

Tomorrow: Heading home!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Love the Christmas morning shots....I can't even imagine the excitement of waking up on Christmas morning in WDW....wow!!!

That's too bad about O'Hana, it is one of our favorites for dinner but we have never had breakfast there! The meal did look delicious though

Yeah, we've had breakfast at Ohana before and enjoyed it but it just didn't meet our special-feel requirement for a holiday breakfast. Check out the installment I posted after your post and you'll see the next day, including Ohana dinner.

Thanks for reading!!!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Monday – December 27 – Day 17

Today we’d be headed home. We didn’t have to be at the airport until about 1:30 so we had some time to kill in the morning. We all slowly awoke on this morning, tried to eat what we had left in the refrigerator for breakfast and finished packing. We had our bags to the airport desk at SSR by 9am, I believe, and I remember that we didn’t have to rush too much in doing anything. Time was working out nicely.

We still had to take our tree box to the Carriage House desk so they could make arrangements for shipping it back home to us. We finished packing up our car and drove over to the Carriage House. The kids watched cartoons while EB waited in a long line at the desk to have that taken care of.

Afterwards we needed lunch so we decided one last stop at Beaches and Cream was in order. We made it there and were the second family in line to be seated. The first family being seated was celebrated as the first patrons of the day with some hoopla and a certificate. It was neat to see.

We immediately ordered our lunch because we knew we didn’t have a ton of time to waste and we also knew it generally takes some time to get food at Beaches and Cream. We ordered our usual round of veggie burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches and waited about 20 minutes before receiving any food. It was fine, though, and everyone ate well. Amelia had a strawberry Mickeylodeon and EB, Ernie and I shared the No Way Jose (again).

All was well and we left for the airport, first stopping at the Hess near the Boardwalk Resort to fill up the tank.

The rest of the day is uneventful. Our flight was on time. It was freezing in Allentown when we returned, but we noted that it was not much warmer in Orlando. Overall we had a really great trip and loved SSR and Disney Cruise Line. We hope to be able to do something like this again someday but it was a bit of an extravagance of a vacation for us - cruising is not cheap. For 2010 I took Amelia on a Mommy and Daughter trip in May and we stayed for three nights at Coronado Springs Resort. We had a lot of fun! In December we're planning another Disney Christmas - we'll be 3 nights at AKV and then 10 nights at SSR.

Below are some SSR pics. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions!

The view of and from our balcony:

Here you can see the bus stop:

Some pics of our messy villa as we were packing (poor Amelia doesn't look like she's too happy):

The entrance to our building and path up to the Carriage House:

The view of our building from the parking lot:

The Carriage House:

The kids patiently waiting and watching cartoons:

 

[kellyb2000]

It sounds like you had such a wonderful trip! I would LOVE to get away like that during Christmas! I always enjoy your reports and this one was no exception. So are you going to tell us about your mother/daughter trip???

 

[CRSNDSNY]

It sounds like you had such a wonderful trip! I would LOVE to get away like that during Christmas! I always enjoy your reports and this one was no exception. So are you going to tell us about your mother/daughter trip???

Actually, I really wanted to but I have just been too busy to do that one. When I get my pictures uploaded on Webshots I'll post a link here for you to see. I'll try to get captions on the pics to help describe the trip.

I'm glad you enjoyed the TR. Can't wait to go again this year!!!

 

[tgropp]

Great Report. It so reminds me of our Christmas family vacations to Disney. Since we are Canadians and our dollar was almost half of what the US dollar was, we could only afford to go every second year, but ny children, who are now grown up remember those times as the best Christmases ever. This year we are going from the 19'th of Dec trough the 28'th. My son and spouse, daughter and spouse, and my wife and myself. Its been 5 years since we have been there as a family at Christmas time. Thanks for the the great report and pictures. Enjoy your visits there. They grow up quickly!!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

It's great to hear that you've also done this as a family for so many years. I hope we'll be able to take the Christmas trips like this for many years to come. Thanks for reading!

Great Report. It so reminds me of our Christmas family vacations to Disney. Since we are Canadians and our dollar was almost half of what the US dollar was, we could only afford to go every second year, but ny children, who are now grown up remember those times as the best Christmases ever. This year we are going from the 19'th of Dec trough the 28'th. My son and spouse, daughter and spouse, and my wife and myself. Its been 5 years since we have been there as a family at Christmas time. Thanks for the the great report and pictures. Enjoy your visits there. They grow up quickly!!

 

[Melcatfish]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post this - it has been lovely to read.
I hope you go on to have many many wonderful family Christmas trips to wDW.
Mel
x

 

[Timon]

Melody,

Thanks for sharing your Christmas vacation with us! You are brave to go at xmas time, I don't think I would ever do it

I loved all the photos and enjoyed reading about all your experiences, good and bad.

Sad that it's over though

 

[princessnpirate]

I loved reading your report! I am intrigued at the idea of staying at Disney over Christmas but almost chicken to do it. Cannot wait to read next years!!!

 

[Tab2Disney]

Your trip report continues to brighten an otherwise dim time...

By the way did you have annual passes?

 

[jenshell75]

Hi Melody,

I just loved your trip report and photos

My hubby and I are taking our children DD4 and DS3 on their first trip to WDW and Disney Cruise, we are going for Christmas 2011. I know it's 18 months away but I am so excited and love the planning. We are looking at doing a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas from December 11-15 and then staying at All Star Movies for 12 days. Then we will go off site and check out Universal and Miami. Then we are off to NY for a week. So we have lots of planning to do.

I have a few questions,

What was the weather like on the cruise and what clothing should I be packing for the children.

I am not sure if my children will suffer sea sickness however if they do what should I do and what medication should I ask for. Being an Australian I am not sure of the brand names in the US.

Can you also tell me of any must do's when on the ship.

Thanks Jen

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post this - it has been lovely to read.
I hope you go on to have many many wonderful family Christmas trips to wDW.
Mel
x

You are so welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!!!

Melody,

Thanks for sharing your Christmas vacation with us! You are brave to go at xmas time, I don't think I would ever do it

I loved all the photos and enjoyed reading about all your experiences, good and bad.

Sad that it's over though

Yes, WDW at Christmas can be quite a challenge, but we really enjoyed it and look forward to doing it all over again this year! Glad you read and enjoyed my TR, Cass!

I loved reading your report! I am intrigued at the idea of staying at Disney over Christmas but almost chicken to do it. Cannot wait to read next years!!!

Yes, it definitely takes a lot of pre-planning and understanding from family. They weren't happy about it but they got over it. I'm already hearing about it for this coming year! Oh well!
Hope I'm able to get another one written for this year's trip. Thanks for reading!

Your trip report continues to brighten an otherwise dim time...

By the way did you have annual passes?

Thanks for reading! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

Yes, we have APs. They need to be renewed this year.....saving up my pennies (tons of them ha ha)!!!!

Hi Melody,

I just loved your trip report and photos

My hubby and I are taking our children DD4 and DS3 on their first trip to WDW and Disney Cruise, we are going for Christmas 2011. I know it's 18 months away but I am so excited and love the planning. We are looking at doing a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas from December 11-15 and then staying at All Star Movies for 12 days. Then we will go off site and check out Universal and Miami. Then we are off to NY for a week. So we have lots of planning to do.

I have a few questions,

What was the weather like on the cruise and what clothing should I be packing for the children.

I am not sure if my children will suffer sea sickness however if they do what should I do and what medication should I ask for. Being an Australian I am not sure of the brand names in the US.

Can you also tell me of any must do's when on the ship.

Thanks Jen

Wow! The trip sounds wonderful!!!

Weather for us this year was chilly. On the cruise it was nice but by the time we got back to FL it was freezing again. We wore hats, gloves and scarves in the morning. With FL weather, though, you can never quite predict what you'll get. We've been there in December and had wonderful sunny weather. I would just watch the forcasts until right before you leave.

I'm not sure about the seasick meds for kids...I think they have children's versions of bonine, though. They sell it at any drug or grocery store. If you have a car for the cruise, there is a Publix in Cocoa Beach you can go to right before the cruise.

My kids really liked the play areas. They are also early risers, so swimming first thing in the morning was great...it got SO crowded around lunch and later into the day. They had some great kid activities starting around 9 and 10am for them each day. They had a great time!

Happy planning!

 

[MZPRIYA]

As a vegetarian it feels great to see food that makes my mouth water! Thank you for sharing.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

As a vegetarian it feels great to see food that makes my mouth water! Thank you for sharing.

You are so welcome! Can you tell we like to eat?