============
edited to add:
We did the princess breakfast at epcot - it was very nice to be able to walk there - I was a little surprised that Disney didn't have a very organzied way to get pictures with the princesses, and we really didn't get to eat much of our food (our girls were too excited), but it was a nice time, and the princesses took their time talking and posing for pictures. Aurora wasn't there (a favorite), but Mulan gave us a tip about when to catch her at France that day, and our girls' all-time favorite, Snow White, took a lot of time to chat with our daughter who was wearing her Snow White costume, and listened patiently while our other daughter insisted on telling her the (abbreviated) story of Sleeping Beauty.
I should also note that for the MVMCP we did have to adjust our expectations while we were there - we went in thinking it would be a great chance to do the rides without lines, but left realizing that for us it turned out to be an excellent way to see some really neat shows and parades. The lines for rides were longer than during the day, but the crowds at shows and parades seemed smaller & the parade was really, really neat.
============================
We had the best vacation of our lives last week!
Flew down Sunday 12/12, flight arrived early, picked up by FL Tours to go to the BWV. FL Tours had a really nice van ready to go with 2 carseats for our DDs & "Brother Bear" already playing inside the van - the dvd player was a nice touch & made the ride to the Boardwalk go quickly for our girls.
Arrived around 1pm with lots & lots of others, but the staff handled everything very well.
We were very happily suprised to be able to check in right away to a dedicated 1BR, preferred view of the canal/Swan/quiet pool. Our girls fell asleep in the strollers during check-in - the day couldn't have been going better. Arrived in the room, took a few minutes to enjoy that beautiful FL sunshine when a call came that our grocery order from WeGoShop had already arrived - they came early & we just missed them at check-in, so they left everything with bell services. A few minutes later, and our luggage & groceries were up in the room - LOVED the grocery service. Since the kids had gotten a nice nap in already, we decided to splurge & go to the MVMCP that night.
Arrived at the MK around 7 & our DDs were bursting with excitement that Mickey invited us to his Christmas party
I will never forget the way their eyes lit up as they saw the MK at night for the 1st time & enjoyed their first fireworks & nighttime parade. It was more crowded than I expected, but for us the evening turned out to be more about seeing the parade, shows, and decorations, which were all just terrific.
The rest of the trip was equally special - highlights included a very fun princess breakfast on Tuesday, an unbelievably empty MK on Wed am when we got to ride every single ride in fantasyland as a walkon, being able to meet all of our favorite characters between visits to Epcot and AK, & those Osborne lights in MGM just knocked our socks off. The fact that it was chilly, wintery weather for a few days actually added to the great Christmas feeling for us (but we were very glad to have brought our winter jackets).
We had only been to VWL, but just loved the BWV & we're beginning to wish we had points there, too - the location is just fabulous. We've never spent so much time out of the room - being able to walk over to Epcot or MGM for an hour or 2 was wonderful.
It was also very sobering to better realize how devastating the hurricanes must have been - when our flight was landing, it took a moment for me to realize that the blue things I saw out the window were tarps on roofs. Even with all of the news coverage, I don't think I had really appreciated how widespread the damage had been and how long the cleanup would take until I saw it. This trip was a rescheduled trip because of Jeanne, and I felt fairly foolish & embarrased that it took us as long as it did to decide about cancelling in Sept.
We are still "feeling the magic" after a few days at home. We are so lucky to have been able to spend such a special vacation together away from the hustle & bustle of normal life, and we are already beginning to plan the next trip down. The great thing about DVC is that we know we'll be back!
edited to add:
We did the princess breakfast at epcot - it was very nice to be able to walk there - I was a little surprised that Disney didn't have a very organzied way to get pictures with the princesses, and we really didn't get to eat much of our food (our girls were too excited), but it was a nice time, and the princesses took their time talking and posing for pictures. Aurora wasn't there (a favorite), but Mulan gave us a tip about when to catch her at France that day, and our girls' all-time favorite, Snow White, took a lot of time to chat with our daughter who was wearing her Snow White costume, and listened patiently while our other daughter insisted on telling her the (abbreviated) story of Sleeping Beauty.
I should also note that for the MVMCP we did have to adjust our expectations while we were there - we went in thinking it would be a great chance to do the rides without lines, but left realizing that for us it turned out to be an excellent way to see some really neat shows and parades. The lines for rides were longer than during the day, but the crowds at shows and parades seemed smaller & the parade was really, really neat.
============================
We had the best vacation of our lives last week!
Flew down Sunday 12/12, flight arrived early, picked up by FL Tours to go to the BWV. FL Tours had a really nice van ready to go with 2 carseats for our DDs & "Brother Bear" already playing inside the van - the dvd player was a nice touch & made the ride to the Boardwalk go quickly for our girls.
Arrived around 1pm with lots & lots of others, but the staff handled everything very well.
We were very happily suprised to be able to check in right away to a dedicated 1BR, preferred view of the canal/Swan/quiet pool. Our girls fell asleep in the strollers during check-in - the day couldn't have been going better. Arrived in the room, took a few minutes to enjoy that beautiful FL sunshine when a call came that our grocery order from WeGoShop had already arrived - they came early & we just missed them at check-in, so they left everything with bell services. A few minutes later, and our luggage & groceries were up in the room - LOVED the grocery service. Since the kids had gotten a nice nap in already, we decided to splurge & go to the MVMCP that night.
Arrived at the MK around 7 & our DDs were bursting with excitement that Mickey invited us to his Christmas party
I will never forget the way their eyes lit up as they saw the MK at night for the 1st time & enjoyed their first fireworks & nighttime parade. It was more crowded than I expected, but for us the evening turned out to be more about seeing the parade, shows, and decorations, which were all just terrific.The rest of the trip was equally special - highlights included a very fun princess breakfast on Tuesday, an unbelievably empty MK on Wed am when we got to ride every single ride in fantasyland as a walkon, being able to meet all of our favorite characters between visits to Epcot and AK, & those Osborne lights in MGM just knocked our socks off. The fact that it was chilly, wintery weather for a few days actually added to the great Christmas feeling for us (but we were very glad to have brought our winter jackets).
We had only been to VWL, but just loved the BWV & we're beginning to wish we had points there, too - the location is just fabulous. We've never spent so much time out of the room - being able to walk over to Epcot or MGM for an hour or 2 was wonderful.
It was also very sobering to better realize how devastating the hurricanes must have been - when our flight was landing, it took a moment for me to realize that the blue things I saw out the window were tarps on roofs. Even with all of the news coverage, I don't think I had really appreciated how widespread the damage had been and how long the cleanup would take until I saw it. This trip was a rescheduled trip because of Jeanne, and I felt fairly foolish & embarrased that it took us as long as it did to decide about cancelling in Sept.
We are still "feeling the magic" after a few days at home. We are so lucky to have been able to spend such a special vacation together away from the hustle & bustle of normal life, and we are already beginning to plan the next trip down. The great thing about DVC is that we know we'll be back!
