A Holly Jolly Surprise Christmas at Disney! Disney College Program Pics!!! 10/22

[DisneyCP08]

Hey everyone and for stopping by at my very first trip report!!!! I hope I do this right and hope that you enjoy reading it. We are going to Disney at the busiest time of the year….CHRISTMAS! We are going December 23-29th, which means we have exactly 3 months and 3 weeks! Since school has just started I didn’t think I would have anytime until fall break to start this trip report. But, thanks to Hurricane Earl, school has cancelled the rest of the classes for the day!! (I’m keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow too)

Of course as I sit on the porch with my laptop and watch as the winds slowly begin to pick up, naturally instead of starting my 4 page paper or making flashcards for my test next week, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to start this pretrip report


So why don’t we hop on the monorail to meet our cast of characters. Just remember one thing as we board…..


Please Stand Clear of the Doors, Por Favor Mantenganse Alejado de las Puertas

 

[DisneyCP08]

Ladies and Gentleman, please collect your belongings and watch your head and step as you disembark. Please assist small children by the hand. Once again, we hope you enjoy the Magic Kingdom.

Now introducing our characters

Me, Katie: Born into the Disney fanatic lifestyle, thanks to my mommyWas determine to go to Disney at the age of 4, when I was given a Disneyland Sing-a-long (sometimes I still watch it). Went to Disney World for the first time at the age of 16. On that trip I became determined to one day be a cast member and also promised my daddy I would get married there. One of my dreams came true when I became a cast member as a part of the Disney College Program. I am student at UNC-W at the beach.

DBF, Jon: Also a student a UNC-W. Was never introduced into the Disney lifestyle until we began dating and he met my family. His first trip was in December 2007 and has been hooked ever since. Also did the College Program in 2008 and worked in Epcot.

Here is a pic of Jon and me at Downtown Disney

ooopppsss........that's only when he's angry

The folks who started this Disney addiction:O …..DM and DD. DM(Clara) is a lover of anything with Belle or . Broke her ankle in the Animal Kingdom in 2006 coming off of the safari ride, and has refused to go back on ever since. DD (Paul) is Grumpy and combined. Loves riding the rides at Disney and hunting for hidden Mickey’s. Has been picked as “That Guy” several times at the Laugh Floor in Tomorrowland (and is proud of his stickers from it).

DS (Britt), is a freshman in high school. Loves NC State and can’t live without talking about Horses. Wants to become a Vet and work for the SPCA to save as many horses as she can. Acts more mature than her age (sometimes more mature than me). Half the time she gets embarrassed by my silliness at Disney and the other half she joins right in being silly. Favorite Disney character is Marie, and Jack Skellington. We will be celebrating her 15th birthday while we are there. Since her birthday is only a few days after Christmas, we try to make sure her bday is special

DB (PJ), The youngest of the group and the true definition of and ! He is an eighth grader in middle school and loves playing sports. Gets his clumsy trait from DM and has been to the emergency room twice this year. Loves cars, sports, racing, and doing tricks on his bike.



Here is a pic of us being silly with our parents old sunglasses.

Up next....Why Christmas at Disney and ADR's

Update 10-23: We are now going from a party of 6 to a party of 9, possibly 10. My grandparents are meeting up with us on Christmas Day (not the biggest Disney fans). And Dm's friend will also be coming and her husband may be coming (depending if he will be deployed).

 

[Cherry Limeade]

Your dates overlap ours. So on board to hear your plans cause I need to follow another glutton for punishment!! Can you believe only three months and three weeks left!??!?

 

[DisneyCP08]

Your dates overlap ours. So on board to hear your plans cause I need to follow another glutton for punishment!! Can you believe only three months and three weeks left!??!?

Yay!! we will be there at the same time No, I can not believe that the date is only 3 months away. It makes me realize that I still have sooo much to do! Will you be getting there on the same day?

 

[evan.orwin]

I am in!

 

[princesshannahsmom]

Just hopping on over from my pre-trip to follow along and say HI!

May I say what a COMPLETELY adorable family you have! You all look like a lively bunch!

We have been to Disney numerous times in December, but NEVER that close to Christmas! I can't wait to follow along and see what the crowds are like that time of year!

 

[DisneyCP08]

I am in!

and for stopping by!

Just hopping on over from my pre-trip to follow along and say HI!

May I say what a COMPLETELY adorable family you have! You all look like a lively bunch!

We have been to Disney numerous times in December, but NEVER that close to Christmas! I can't wait to follow along and see what the crowds are like that time of year!

and thanks for stopping by. Yea, we are a pretty lively group. I am alittle nervous about being there on Christmas, since it will be pretty crazy. But this is the one year we would be able to do it with my discount, so we decided to go for it. I'm hoping with all the planning, really taking advantage of emh, and all the festivities at the resorts, we will be okay. ......We'll of course we will be okay, we will be at Disney. Thanks again for stopping by.

 

[TheDisneyGirl]

Oh yeaaaa! Disney at Christmastime is magical.. second to Halloween. Hectic for sure, but you will enjoy it!
I'm in for following you on this.. good luck!!

 

[DisneyCP08]

Okay so I forgot to explain why we chose to go to Disney at this time. Pretty simple…..Disney+ Christmas= AWESOME!!!!!!!!
So even though I think that is an awesome reason to go at Christmas, there is a more realistic reason. DDad and DB have not been to Disney since May 2008. DM and DS have not been since my birthday in 2009 and DBF and I had to get our Disney fix this May.
So over Spring Break, I was goofing around on the computer and decided to see how much it would be for Disney. But it wasn’t cheap. I am a Campus Representative at my school for Disney, so I checked to see how much of a discount I would get. I showed my mom the price difference, and we decided we were going. Since I am not sure if I will be a Campus Representative next fall, this may be the only time I get a discount. So this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and we decided to take it.

 

[DisneyCP08]

December 22 and December 23 (Day 1 of the trip)


Well still no readers, but I will continue writing. It is helping me not wait until the last minute to plan.


Like I said in one of my last post, my brother and sister do not know we are going. So we are not 100% sure how we are going to tell them. Option 1: We are thinking about giving them a gift on the 22nd ( the night before we leave). We thought about having two boxes that they can unwrap. Inside of them will either be a riddle, puzzle, or invitation. Just something that lets them know where we are going and maybe some Disney money in it. We will have most of their clothes together, but this way they can pick out anything they want to bring. Option 2: We would tell them we are going to my grandparents for Christmas because they live about 1-2hrs away from Disney. We will pack there Disney stuff in a surprise bag that way they don’t see them. And then pull up to Disney. We are leaning more towards option 1. Just so that we can see some of their excitement. My mom and I are having a hard time keeping our excitement to ourselves. If they find out the night before we will be able to share our excitement while we are on our way. What do you guys think?


Here is our plan for Day 1:

December 23rd
-Leave for Disney
-Arrive around at the Contemporary around 4
-Downtown Disney for Dinner and some Christmas shopping
-Enjoy the decorations and have fun
-Get a good night’s sleep to prepare for Epcot

 

[TheDisneyGirl]

Option 1 sounds so perfect! You are so sweet!! Though option 2 also has an
element of dumbfounded surprise too. Which I love seeing on people's faces.

I was at WDW at Christmas in 2003, and it was fantastic. I AM SURE things have changed drastically in 7 yrs.

 

[DisneyCP08]

Option 1 sounds so perfect! You are so sweet!! Though option 2 also has an
element of dumbfounded surprise too. Which I love seeing on people's faces.

I was at WDW at Christmas in 2003, and it was fantastic. I AM SURE things have changed drastically in 7 yrs.

Thanks, I think we will be going for option 1 too. Did you love it when u were there? I am sure we will Thanks for stopping by my trip report

 

[DisneyCP08]

I have been gone for a while due to test and papers due at school, but I am trying to make sure I save some time for the Disboard atleast 1 or 2 times a week. Like I said in my last post, it helps me plan ahead and not wait to the last minute. Plus, hopefully I will get some more readers.
So it is 3 months and 2 days away from our awesome Christmas and I can’t wait. Although it feels like a long time away, the date is slowly getting closer and closer. We have added one more (possibly two more) people to our group. So as of right now, I am planning a trip for 7 possibly 8. I have also started getting my planning binder together and will probably post some pics of it some time this weekend. I also have to start working on the shirts and sweaters that I am making for everyone as a gift. Hopefully, I will get started on that soon.



I would love to hear back from anyone reading my ptr. Whether its what you think on how to tell my DB and DS the surprise, or any tips you have. I would love to hear about it

 

[DisneyCP08]

December 24th Christmas Eve:




I am sure the parks will start to be pretty busy by this day, so I want to give everyone a chance to relax and enjoy the morning. I also want to make sure everyone eats a little something before we leave each day, that way we have no Grumpy’s with us.


So after a slow morning hanging out at the resort, looking at décor, etc we will be going to Epcot for the night since they have extra magic hours. We will be having lunch at Biergarten at around 1:45, after our meal we will be walking around and enjoying our time in World Showcase seeing more Christmas décor, shopping, and see all the different countries special traditions. We will do this until it is time to get in line for the 5 pm Candlelight Processional (which I have a story about booking that later). With this package comes an area to see Illuminations. This is DBF favorite night time event out of all the parks, so I want to make sure we see it. I am not sure if we will go to the reserved area or just try to find our own spot. Epcot does not close that night until 12:30 am, but I don’t think we will stay that late since we have to make sure we make emh for MK the next day. When we get home (can’t wait to say that the Contemporary is our homeJ), we will get our gifts together under our little tree and call it a night.
The next day is CHRISTMAS DAY!!and I am sure it will be a magical day since we will spend it at Disney!

Here is a question for anyone has been to Candlelight Processional:


What was your favorite part?
What time did you line up to be seated?
Did you go to the reserved area to see the fireworks?


I would love to hear back and see answers to any of these questions, they will help me plan our days events.

 

[DisneyCP08]

CHRISTMAS DAY AT DISNEY WORLD


I am so excited for this day and cannot wait!





EMH in the morning at MK at 8am and HS at night until 12am




We are getting up early this morning, which in our family is not much different from every Christmas morning. We usually wake up early out of excitement. I have noticed the older we get the later we wake up. We have not woken up later than 7am on a Christmas morning yet. Once we (all the kids) woke up at 4 am ready to open gifts and we were sent back to bed . It is amazing the things you remember as a kid and this would have to be one of my favorites (although it was probably one of the least favorites for the adults).


Sorry, got a little side tracked. Back on topic! We will probably start waking up around 6:30-6:45. We really want to make sure we make it early and take advantage of the EMH since it will be the busiest day of the year. I have read that it gets really crowded after a while and that they end up closing the park, even if you have a ticket!!!! I do not want that happening to us. We will do a couple of our favorite rides and try to get a cute family picture in front of the castle. Afterward we will watch the Christmas parade, which I was really bummed to find out that it is not the same parade they show on TV. That parade is done on one of the first weekends in December (so maybe next year we will see it). Either way we will enjoy watching the parade and seeing the toy soldiers (one of DSister and my favorites in the parade since we were little).



Hollywood Studios has EMH that night, so we will continue our rest of the day and night there. We have two dinner reservations that night and we haven’t decided which to keep. We will be eating at either Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano or Sci-Fi. We have eaten at Sci-fi before and it is one that we love going back to. We have never eaten at Mama Melrose, but thought it would be fun to try something new. Plus we usually have Italian on Christmas since my Grandpa is from Italy. He only makes lasagna once a year at that is for Christmas. He makes everything from scratch and I love his cherry covered cheese cake for desert. I am definitely going to miss that and we thought we could try to keep the Italian tradition alive while at Disney.



After dinner it will be EMH and we will go on some of our favorite rides, like Rockin’ Roller Coaster. After the crowds have died down a little we will walk over to see the Osborne of Spectacle lights. I can’t wait for my dad to see this and I know he will love it. DBF and I saw this on our first trip in 2007 and recorded parts of it for my dad to see. He hopes that one day he will be able to set up dancing lights like this at our home. As of right now, he is pretty close. Our lights are the brightest on our street and it takes us about 2 weekends to set up (DBF and I come home and help set the lights up). Sorry if this update was a little too wordy, I am just getting more and more excited the closer we get.





Here is my question for everyone:


Have you been to MK on Christmas Day? And if so, how bad was the crowd?
Has anyone ever eaten at Mama Melrose? If so, what do you think about it?
and finally:
What do you guys think? Sci-fi or Mama Melrose for dinner?

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Hi! Christmas in Disney World, sounds like a blast, I can't wait to hear all about it and see pictures!
We are not sure at all when we will be going back next year. December is one of my new options, so i'll be following along.

 

[disneydreamer1970]

Your plans sound great so far! We are suprising our kids with a trip a couple of weeks before Christmas. They are going to find out the morning of the day that we leave! I can't wait!

I am looking forward to hearing about more of your plans

Trish

 

[DisneyCP08]

Yay, readers!!!!!

Hi! Christmas in Disney World, sounds like a blast, I can't wait to hear all about it and see pictures!
We are not sure at all when we will be going back next year. December is one of my new options, so i'll be following along.

and so much for stopping by and commenting. I think December is a great time to go. DBF and I took our first trip to Disney in December 2007. I think it was around the 16 to the 22nd, but I don't remember. It was great. There were no crowds, the decorations were amazing, and the temperature was good. I know it will be a different and more crowded trip this year, but I'm still excited.

Your plans sound great so far! We are suprising our kids with a trip a couple of weeks before Christmas. They are going to find out the morning of the day that we leave! I can't wait!

I am looking forward to hearing about more of your plans

Trish

I think a surprise trip to Disney is the best Christmas gift ever. Doesn't make it a little harder to plan when you can not show your excitement. But I know it will def. be worth it to see the surprise on their faces

 

[DisneyCP08]

Hola from the lakes of UNCW. Here is a weather update from the past couple of days. I live by the beach and we were all looking forward for some rain. So we knew a storm was coming and didn’t realize it would keep raining. On Monday we had atleast 10 inches of rain and as of today we have had 24 inches since Monday. That’s the most rainfall in this area in a span of 4 days in 140 years. There have been a lot of road closures, flooding, and a LOT of accidents. Instead of driving to class, I can pretty much swim.






Here is a picture of our poor mail man on Tuesday, he missed judged the depth of the water and was stuck.

 

[MaryAz]

Joining in!! We are also going at CHristmas. Will be there DEc 16-26 at AKV Kidani. What a cute family you have!! That is a lot of weather going on. Stay safe!!