~A XMAS STORY~decorations, crowds, pixies..AND A BLOODY NOSE~ACTUAL UPDATE 11/9 p190

[punkin413]

I enjoyed your GF pictures. That tree is HUGE! I am glad that other people visit different resorts and take pictures that I can see. We never seem to make time for anything like that. Maybe when my kids are older.

thanks! yes, that tree was SO BIG! we usually don't go to all the resorts on purpose but i really wanted to see the christmas decorations this trip. i think next trip we aren't going to do as many parks and are just going to enjoy the resorts more, especially if we have a tiny little one because i can't imagine being in a park all day long with a little baby. now once that baby gets older, of course i know i'm gonna be wishing i could see more of the resorts!

Look he's smelling it



So cool. I hope I get to meet people from the DIS boards, this way DH won't think I have imaginary friends anymore

I so want to stay at the GF even if it is too fancy for me too. I love Victorian so I guess that's why. I can't wait too see all the Christmas decorations and that Gingerbread house.

i didn't even notice that person smelling the house! ray still thinks i'm weird because i have online friends. but the ones he's met have been really nice so he doesn't think they're psycho or anything. just a little disney crazy is all.

Another great update.
I am glad that my dd (3) is not the only child who does not like to have their picture taken. I have a lot of pictures of Lexi when she is moving like Luke.

thanks! luke really hates having his picture made. anna has tainted him because she ALWAYS has a camera!

Great pictures! That gingerbread house was gorgeous. I'd be like the guy smelling it too!

thanks! it was so cool. and it smelled SO good!

Seeing all these Christmas pictures in May is making me want it to be Christmas time again! The gingerbread house in the GF is soooo cool, I hope its up by the time we go this November. We visited the GF and while its beautiful in there, I agree with you and don't really have any urge to stay there because its too fancy for me! The Poly on the other hand, my favorite resort and I will save and save until I can afford to stay there!

That was pretty cool that you met Scott, I've still yet to meet ANYONE from the Dis!

i won't be missing christmas until around september. i love it but i hate cold weather so once christmas is over i'm usually ready for spring again! i love the poly too! the WL is my favorite but the poly is a close second. i bet you'll meet a diser someday! i've met lots and some of them were unplanned meetings.

I LOVE the GF!!! It's where I want to stay, someday. That's great that you took some random guys picture! I love people like that! I had someone ask me at work today, how to get upstairs. After I told them the real answer, I then told them that a beam of light would come down from the ceiling and Scotty would be waiting for them on the second floor. It's just such a nice change from a lot of crabby people you come in contact with at Disney. Let's have fun people! (Like that crabby old lady in the wheelchair beeping her way through the mob of people on mainstreet)
How exciting that you got to meet Scott! My luck, I would be down there and then not be observant enough to recognize a DISer.

so funny about scotty! i love the GF too! but it's just not "me" as far as staying there. don't get me wrong - if i got to stay there for free or at a rate that i could afford i'd be all over it!

Another fantastic update! Love all the pictures as usual! Don't we wish every place got all decorated like WDW at Christmas!

thanks! i know - it was so beautiful! everything about it was just gorgeous.

I wish that gingerbread house pic on my screen could be scratch n' sniff.
I wish I were there to enjoy all of it.

The tree is so huge, it must be a brilliant sight! So pretty.

I havn't been to GF since I was a kid, I plan to check it out this trip when we eat at 1900 Park Fare. Can't wait!

I laughed at the pic of Chris hugging "imaginary" Luke....
They are a fun family.

One day I will have a DIS meet.

oh, what a good idea!!!!! i'd SO love to be able to smell that gingerbread house right now! we need to get willy wonka to invent cybersmell or something. i mean, he did invent smell-a-vision, right? 1900 park fare is sooooooo fun! you'll love it. are you going for dinner? dinner was a BLAST when erica and i went. the stepsisters were so funny! anna and company are definitely a fun family. we always have a good time with them!

 

[punkin413]

I love the GF pictures!!!!!!

I also wish the pic of the gingerbread could be scratch n sniff!!!

thanks! wouldn't that be SO COOL if we could smell that gingerbread house???

Hi. Love your GF and Poly pictures. We stayed at the GF in Dec 2007 and we spent sooo much time sitting in they lobby enjoying the tree, gingerbread house, and decorations! Can't wait to hear about your Kona dinner, we've gone to the Kona tons of times for breakfast but not dinner.

thanks! dinner at kona is a must-do for us. we love it! i've had breakfast there twice and both times it was sooooo good. such a good place all around!

I just got all caught up again and loved all the pictures! The resort decorations are gorgeous : And how funny that you ran into Scott! Looking forward to more

thanks! it was so fun to run into scott randomly like that!

MMM...Kona bread/butter!!

i hear ya!!!!

Okay guys, really, don't you think we Disers take enough abuse, ribbing, kidding, teasing already from our non-Disney friends???

It's not going to help us out at all for them to catch us sniffing our computer screens!!!

The 'ski slope' cracks me up!!!

Little did he know he would be Dis'ing later!!!

That Tiki bar is AWESOME!!!!!

I really don't think you told me you met Scott!!!!! You keep good secrets.....HOW COOL!!!

i love the ski slope, too! that guy was funny. he wanted to be on camera and that's the risk you take posing for a random girl at disney world! i thought i texted you that night and told you we met scott but i could very well have started a text and got distracted and never sent it, especially with the way i was feeling. my head was kinda focused on my icky tummy!

Hi! Just jumping into your TR a little late! We always have to do the loop on the monorail and visit all of those hotels. The GF is usually where we just sit in the lobby and soak it all in. I love when the band is playing on the second floor and the music is drifting down... It's so great. I think the Christmas season just makes it that much more special.

welcome!!!! thanks for reading. i love visiting all the resorts, too! and christmas there is just like nothing else.

 

[punkin413]

We havent even gone on our first trip yet and I already told Mike that I want to go at Christmas time. The pictures are beautiful! The GF looks so pretty but I agree with you I think it is too fancy for me to stay at.

Can't wait for the Kona update.

thanks! christmas at disney is just so magical! you guys would love it.

All caught up on your report now too! Sorry you felt so sick that day - that stinks! How cool to meet a Diser and recognize them too!

yeah, it stinks being sick at disney. but you just have to keep on keepin on!

How fun to meet ScottNY! That gingerbread house looks amazing! I love the tree pic - Chris with "pretend Luke" is so funny! I can tell Chris and Anna are so fun! I can't wait to hear about pineapple envy!

it was so cool to have met him! chris is just silly sometimes! check these out. i took these at a friend's christmas party in 2007. first anna and chris.....

and next is chris......minus anna........

if you flip them back and forth really quickly it's funny!

i also have to include this one. it's from that same set of pictures and it's too funny not to share. it's me and anna doing our "posh spice" impersonation!

HAPPY FURBABIES MOMMIES DAY PUNKIN!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ANNA!!!

thank you so much!

Happy Mother's Day to you as well!

thanks!

You ladies and your fabulous trip reports inspired me - I started a pre-trip report See my siggy.

i'm on my way over!

Happy Mothers day to all. Just seeing the pictures of the GF makes me excited to be leaving for the YC this Sat 5/16. We are staying 1 week, me, DH, 2 boys and 1 girl (12,10,7). Anyway have a great trip to NYC. My DH grew up right outside of there in Northern NJ. If you need any info about the city, send a pm.

wow....this saturday? i'm so super jealous!!! i bet you'll have a blast. i will be doing a NYC TR and i'll post the link here.

I've had a little more luck with kids than plants. Plants know that my house is a mortuary for greenery. I could be imagining, but I really do think I've seen vines clinging to the doorways to keep from coming in here!!!

I hope you guys had a great day down there in Georgia!

you are so silly! ray has the green thumb here. mine is just slightly tinted green. it was beautiful here today!

 

[VandyFan10]

i thought i texted you that night and told you we met scott but i could very well have started a text and got distracted and never sent it, especially with the way i was feeling. my head was kinda focused on my icky tummy!

Well you very well could have....I'm not so good at remembering things sometimes and other times I'm fine

But if you did or didn't it was a great surprise again!!

 

[punkin413]

Well you very well could have....I'm not so good at remembering things sometimes and other times I'm fine

But if you did or didn't it was a great surprise again!!

you're just getting old. i can say that because you're only a few months older than me.

 

[punkin413]

so after our meeting and visit with scott and biff, we were buzzed and it was time to eat. kona is one of my favorite places to eat at disney and i was so looking forward to this meal. it figures i would be feeling really bad when it was time to eat!

our destination......

we were sat next to the railing which is kinda cool because you can enjoy the views in the lobby as well as in the restaurant. first came the bread. oh, how i LOVE kona's bread and macadamia nut butter. that butter is the perfect whipped consistency and it goes SO GOOD with the bread

we ordered drinks and luke got a pirate's punch because he wanted the lighted tinkerbell that ray and i have.

now everyone (or mostly everyone) knows how i LOVE the lapu lapu drink at the poly. any chance to get one and i'll be there! it's my FAVORITE drink in all of disney world. so this is definitely a highlight of every trip for me. well, i was afraid of getting a lapu lapu that night. my stomach was not getting any better and i knew alcohol wouldn't help anything. so i played it smart and decided against it. soooooooooooo disappointing!

and to make matters worse, ray AND chris decided to order one. thus.....my pineapple envy.

the object of my desire....

chris enjoying his heaven in a pineapple. darn him.

on the plus side i'm glad ray did order one. i took a few sips of his. i knew a few sips wouldn't hurt anything. i just didn't want a whole pineapple to myself because that much alcohol wouldn't have been good for my tummy!

for appetizers ray and i got the crab cakes and anna and chris decided on the wings. we all shared with each other. i'm not a big wings girl because chicken on a bone grosses me out. but i pulled some of the meat off just to try them and they were really good! and the crab cakes were SO YUMMY as always.

during dinner you could tell that everyone was just completely drained. we were on our 3rd full disney day of fighting crowds and it was taking its toll. usually i'm good at disney world no matter what. for some reason i can just go and go and go there and not feel anything other than excitement. but because my stomach was feeling crappy i was feeling the effects of vacation overload too. this is anna trying to get luke to calm down. he was tired and grumpy and being a little loud and difficult, so she was telling him to do what she was doing and hoping he would get sleepy and fall asleep in her lap. but of course it was a no-go!

also, as we were sitting there we were talking about how yucky i was feeling and as i was sipping my water i noticed it smelled weird. i made ray smell it and he thought it smelled like sewer! so i'm wondering if the water at disney world was making me sick? i drink pretty much nothing but water so i had definitely drank a lot of it. i tend to carry a water bottle but i do drink water out of the fountains and i always order water at the restaurants. i had a small water bottle in our bag that i hadn't opened and i decided to drink from that instead of drinking the water the server had brought me!

anna and i ended up ordering the same thing - the tuna oscar. i got this back in april of last year and it was the best meal i've ever had at disney world! so i was really looking forward to it again. but alas, i was worried about my stomach issues so i asked the server to tell the chef to make mine not-so rare. i still wanted it seared and served rare, just not completely pink. i wasn't sure how my stomach would take it.

it was good but definitely not as good and flavorful as it is rare, like it's supposed to be served. anna said hers was yummy, too.

chris and ray also ordered the same thing, the teriyaki strip. they both said it was excellent.

luke got the grilled chicken strips with pasta, green beans and fruit. he said it was good but i don't think he ate much of it. you know how kids can do that sometimes!

ray and chris also ordered another drink with their meals - the year of a million dreams glowtini. i didn't take a drink of this one. i had it last year at sci-fi and i thought it was too sweet.

i thought this picture turned out cool!

luke had fun with the glow cubes.

for dessert ray and i got the banana chocolate creme brulee and anna, chris and luke got the kilauea torte. of course we all shared!

before we destroyed it.....

and after......

they both were really good. i love anything with white chocolate and raspberries so that kilauea torte was awesome.

at some point during dinner monica (monymony) called me. we had planned to meet up at MK to watch wishes together that night. i told her i was feeling really bad and as of right now i was thinking i might skip spectro and wishes. i just didn't feel like doing anything but going to bed! plus ray had drove our car to MK that morning so we could leave and not have to make anna and company leave, too. i knew i had MVMCP tomorrow so i wanted to get some rest that evening. i felt awful but i just couldn't promise her i'd be there. i told her i'd call her if i changed my mind. she was really sweet and understanding and said that her DS was feeling icky too.

while we were settling the check we got all our glow cubes out we had accumulated over the trip and that kept luke entertained!

on the way out anna took some more gingerbread "house" pictures. these are so cute!

continued in next post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31763152&postcount=1847

 

[punkin413]

i still had to go back to MK because i had to pick up a couple of packages i had sent to the front of the park. so we headed towards the monorail. i asked if we could ride in the front but unfortunately someone was already up there. isn't this pretty? it was taken while we were waiting on the monorail....

i dropped my camera when we got on the monorail and the lense wouldn't open up all the way. i was freaking out!!!! i'm pretty sure anna took this while ray and i were trying to figure it out.

fortunately it started working right again. see?

i think luke took this one....

enjoying our monorail ride....

can you see the little bruise on luke's right cheek here? it's in the other pictures too but this one really shows it well. he fell getting out of the shower about 2 days before we left for the trip. his little face landed on the bar where the shower door shuts and so the bruise is like a straight line on his face. anna was SO worried that the teachers at his school would think it was a finger mark! poor little dude!!!

at some point anna and chris had decided to call it a night, too. i hated that they would miss spectro because they had never seen it before, but we were all DONE. the lack of sleep, fighting a monsoon and wintry weather and CROWDS was just getting to everyone. so instead of getting off at MK they rode the monorail to the TTC to head home.

ray and i headed for the entrance at MK so i could run in and get my packages. i took this on the way in....

ray stayed outside while i went in. we didn't want to both have to drag out our park tickets. the christmas tree was so pretty at night!

and then i saw it......the first time i saw the castle lights!!!! they were SO PRETTY!!!!!! i knew i'd see it closer the next night but i had to get a couple of pictures from the opposite end of main street. it was just breathtaking!!!!!!

i felt so bad that night because i was supposed to take a picture of the castle with ray's phone and send it to erica. but because ray didn't come in with me, i couldn't! sorry, erica!!!!

i got my packages and then i decided to go to the photography center (near tony's) and ask them if anna could somehow locate her pictures. the guy said if we could figure out within the hour what time the last picture was taken that was on that card, that he could probably find the card number for her. i was so happy to hear that because i knew she would be so disappointed if she lost those tinker bell pictures! he said just to have her come by the camera center the next night and someone would be happy to help her.

when i got back out to meet up with ray, wishes was just starting. we decided to stand there and watch it from in front of the train station. it's just impossible to walk away from wishes!!!!! i took some pictures which turned out really bad because i didn't have my tripod set up, but oh well!

after wishes we fast-walked to the monorail to try to beat the crowds. to the TTC and then the car for us and then we headed home to the condo. i took a nice, long, hot bath to try to help my stomach feel better and we got to bed early.

up next.......breakfast with some old friends!

 

[MaceysMom]

Too bad you weren't feeling well and couldn't get your Lapu Lapu.Other than that Kona looks yummy. That is a restaurant that we are for sure going to.

Great castle pics!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I"m First, I'm First! Oh Darn it - where did she come from?

Okay, since I'm editing:

"after meeting Scott and Biff we were buzzed" -

Too bad that stomach bug hung on so long I'm sorry.

I love your Kona pics! I've heard so much about breakfast there, which we loved - Dinner looks great - that's a "next time" for sure! I hope you start feeling better,

 

[joy13]

That terriaki filet looks so good! The castle looks so gorgeous!

 

[tinkgurl]

Whoa, that food looked yummy!

Honestly, I know what it feels like to be drained after the first few days of the trip. Sometimes it's just nice to head back to the room early and catch up on sleep. But, the castle with those lights looks beautiful! I hope to see it sometime in real life.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

It's funny that you said that about the water. I have felt that way many times when going to WDW, but not just at Disney. Sometimes at our hotels (we usually stay off-site) as soon as we would walk in, the rooms would smell bad and the bathrooms would be the worst. We realized that it was the water that smelled bad. I always thought that I was just over-sensitive, but everytime we go there throughout the years, that is one thing that still bothers me. Maybe they put chemicals in the water to purify it?? All I know is that I have a hard time re-filling my water bottles from the fountains because I know I won't like the way that it tastes. I think I'm going to try some Crystal Lite packets this time to see if it helps it taste better.

So sorry you missed your pineapple! I have never tried one before so it is now on my list. The castle shot from the end of Main Street is fabulous!

 

[addictedtothemouse]

DH and I ate at Kona's during our trip in Dec. I really liked the food but DH not so much he doesn't like a lot of sauces and he likes his meat cooked really well. He did like dessert though.
Sorry about the tummy bug. I've heard a lot of people complain about the water, guess I'll stick to bottled.

 

[AussieAngel]

Yay! We love Kona too! Those chicken wings are so good! I really wanted Conan to try the Kilauea Torte (so I could have a try!) but he got the Kona Cone instead! Bummer!

Oooh, and I totally agree about the Kona bread and butter - I could have just eaten that for my meal and I would have been totally happy!! Delicious!

I think we've discussed it before on my trip report, but the water at the WL stank like a sewer too! Ewww! I reckon that's partly what gave me my stomach problems too. Weird!

What pretty photos of MK at night! You all look a bit exhausted on the monorail - it's awful feeling tired at Disney, isn't it!? You try and tell yourself to perk up because it's Disney World, but sometimes there comes a point when you just have to crash!

Great update Dawn... look forward to hearing more!

 

[MeMom]

Whenever we finally get to Kona, there is no doubt what I want - that teriyaki steak that always looks so good in everyone's pictures!

I am so sorry that you were feeling bad during the trip. It's just a 'bummer' to be in such a fun place for a short time and have any of the good times dampered by feeling bad. I've been there, and it's just annoying, but sometimes we just get the bad luck to have sick days and Disney days overlap. We can be thankful that those are few, though, and that most of our trip days we are feeling great and can go at full speed.

You came through even when sick, though, with lots of great pictures. Watching Wishes from the front ain't all bad sometimes, and you did get a head start on the traffic. We know what it is like to make the choice to give in and call it a night, especially with kids, even when we might want to keep going. It's usually best for all just to get on back and get the much needed rest. A comfortable bed feels really, really good at the end of a long Disney day!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I am coveting the teryaki steak and lapu lapu. It's on my must-do list. So sorry your stomach was still upset!

I think your Wishes pics turned out pretty darn good! And I totally agree - who can walk away from Wishes?

Good news about Anna's photos - hope they find them!

 

[DisneyLaura]

Kona always looks really good! That cream brulee is enough for me to go there.

You know right before you pointed out Luke's boo boo I noticed something was on his cheek but thought it was the camera angle, poor little guy. My DS7 went to school with a black eye the second day of school because he feel off monkey bars on school property the first day of school. When I picked up the kids from school we stayed to play outside for awhile and he was sweaty and slipped off and landed right on a rock or something. Of course two days later they had new mulch down to cover whatever he hit.

That castle looks awesome in pictures all lit up I could only imagine what it looks like in person - stunning I was guess.

 

[hlrababy]

Aw man, I know how bad you wanted a lapu lapu! I am sorry you didn't feel good down there!

Your wishes pictures still looked good without the tripod!

Kona looks sooooooooooo good! It is on my to-do list!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

i like how fireworks pics come out with out a tri pod, they look cool...high tech cameras make themlook to professional and store bought...ill stick with my mess up ones.

 

[MRNsMommy]

i'm not a big wings girl because chicken on a bone grosses me out. but i pulled some of the meat off just to try them and they were really good! and the crab cakes were SO YUMMY as always.

OMG! The food here looks delicious! I've never eaten there, so it looks like a must for the next trip! And I just have to add that I am the same way with chicken on a bone! It disgusts me! People have always made fun of me for that! But I don't care...I think it's just gross and I refuse to eat it!

i got my packages and then i decided to go to the photography center (near tony's) and ask them if anna could somehow locate her pictures. the guy said if we could figure out within the hour what time the last picture was taken that was on that card, that he could probably find the card number for her. i was so happy to hear that because i knew she would be so disappointed if she lost those tinker bell pictures! he said just to have her come by the camera center the next night and someone would be happy to help her.

Awesome! The same thing happened to us on our last trip and the photo CM was so helpful! I think I would've cried if I hadn't been able to get our pictures!