kangaand2roos
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 16, 2005
Disclaimer: I started writing this Trip report nearly two years ago, following our Christmas 2012 trip. I quit for some reason and picked it up today (August 2014). I took pretty thorough notes, so I think I can finish the last three days, with less detail, but still respectably! I have noted in the report where I left off the initial writing!
When: December 19, 2012-January 1, 2013
Where: Dad's condo in Highland Beach, Maingate Lakeside Resort Hotel, Saratoga Springs Resort-Deluxe Studio
Why: Disney Math
Who: Stacey-46-WDW veteran-35+ trips, DVC member
Annika-9-WDW veteran-24th trip
Charlie-7-WDW veteran-16th trip
Annika's Stitch- About the size of Duffy, so he has a very large Duffy wardrobe
With guest appearances by:
John- DH 48
Dad and Carol- my father and his new bride
Various extended family members
Susan- CM friend
Isabel and Mia- high school/college friend and her daughter
This trip was born of Disney Math. You know the what I'm talking about, right?
We had gone to WDW the previous Christmas break and it had been better than I expected, but I hadn't planned to do it again so soon. We were just going to take a more relaxing trip and visit my father and his new wife, Carol, in their rented Highland Beach Condo.
Then, in July, we went to Disneyland and decided to buy Premier Passports. We would use them for Disneyland trips in the summers of 2012 and 2013 as well as an October trip to WDW. I started thinking. We would be in Florida anyway (we were driving.) We would have APs. We had DVC points. This trip was practically free!
I made some calls and was able to get us a reservation at Saratoga Springs Resort for December 26-31. Our plan was to leave for Florida on Thursday morning, December 20 and get to Dad's place on the 21st. We would stay there until the 26th when we would leave for WDW. Our drive home would be on the 31st and 1st.
Then, John (who generally doesn't do Disney with us and couldn't take off as much time either) decided that instead of going right to Highland Beach with us, he wanted to fly to Western Fl. with Annika for a few days to look for seashells and then meet us at my dad's condo.
I decided that with the holiday crowds, I wanted to have at least on ADR on at least most of the days, so I set about making some. It was also going to be Annika's 10th birthday during our stay, so I wanted to make a special ADR that day. I tried for Be Our Guest on several occasions, but had no luck.
A couple of months out, I decided that since John was leaving Fl. On the 25th and because Dad and Carol had plans in the PM that day, I would see if I could get something cheap on Hotwire for the night of the 25th. That way we would have the whole day on the 26th.
About a month later, I decided that since Annika and John were flying out on the 19th, Charlie and I would also leave that day, right after school. We would drive a few hours, spend the night somewhere, drive most of the day on Thursday and get to somewhere in Florida. Finally, we would complete our journey on Friday.
When the plans were made, remade, and tweaked, they looked like this:
Wednesday, December 19- John and Annika will leave for the airport at about 4:30 while Charlie and I will leave immediately when we get home from school. Drive to just south of Richmond.
Thursday, December 20- Get up as early as possible and head south. Go as far into Florida as we can, maybe Daytona. It would be great if we only had a couple of hours to go on Friday
Friday, December 21- Finish our drive to Highland Beach and spend the day relaxing.
Saturday, December 22- Relax, maybe go to Animal Jungle in Miami. Really, whatever Charlie would like.
Sunday, December 23- Hang out, do laundry, and wait for Annika and John to join us. Dinner with extended family.
Monday, December 24- No plans. Hang out with the family.
Tuesday, December 25, Christmas Day- Spend the morning with the family in the condo. Around noon, John heads back to Fort Myers and we head to Orlando. Check in to Maingate Lakeside Resort Hotel. ADR at Paradiso 37.
Wednesday, December 26- Check into Saratoga Springs. Magic Kingdom at opening. Chef Mickey's ADR for dinner.
Thursday, December 27- Magic Kingdom again. Lunch ADR at Crystal Palace.
Friday, December 28, Annika's 10th birthday!- Epcot day. ADR at Akershus for lunch so my princess can celebrate her 10th birthday with other princesses
Saturday, December 29- Animal Kingdom. No ADRs today.
Sunday, December 30- Disney's Hollywood Studios. ADR at 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch
Monday, December 31- Animal Kingdom or Epcot. ADR at Tusker House for breakfast, but will cancel it if we go to Epcot.
Tuesday, January 1- Finish drive home
I also, want to mention that in September I had given up eating gluten and most sugar. I do not have celiac, but so many people have just plain felt better from giving up gluten that I thought I'd give it a try. I try to avoid it, but am not concerned by minor contamination. Giving up sugar was also to feel better. I eat a small amount of fruit, usually in the form of a green smoothie each day, but rarely eat it otherwise. I have reached a point where I no longer crave sugar and am generally happy to do without. I have also reached the point that I think I can cheat a little bit with this without falling completely off the wagon. It's amazing how good and satisfying just a little bit of sweet is when you routinely abstain!
So here we go with what actually happened...
Wednesday, December 19:
The Plan: John and Annika will leave for the airport at about 4:30 while Charlie and I will leave immediately when we get home form school. Drive to just south of Richmond.
Actual: I work for our school district. My official title is "Adult Patrol," but what I really am is a bus driver, but without a bus. I walk a route each morning, picking up kids, grades K-4, at designated stops along the way and taking them to school. In the afternoon, I do the reverse.
We all got up and did our normal routine for school. I got the kids at school and walked home as usual. I loaded up the car and then napped for a couple of hours. I did my normal walking line, getting home at around 3:25. Charlie went in, used the bathroom, kissed John and Annika good-bye, and headed out.
The drive was boring but uneventful. I had been curious as to how it would work with Charlie in the car with no Annika. On the plus side, there would be no fighting! On the minus, I was afraid he would get easily bored. He was great. He played video games the whole time and barely complained. We went around the DC area right at rush hour, so going was slow at points, but it was never terrible. We made one stop at a McDonalds for food and bathroom.
We arrived at our hotel at a little after 8:00. I had packed a separate overnight bag, so we grabbed it and went to check-in. I went to check in and the front desk attendant asked for my photo ID. I pulled out my wallet to give her my driver's license and it wasn't there. I looked all through my wallet. It wasn't. I looked through my backpack. Nope. I panicked!
Luckily, the woman was very nice and let us check in. I called our house sitter to see if she could find it. She wasn't at the house, so I panicked some more!
We went to our room and settled in. I figured that I'd make some calls the next day to see what I could do, and hoped I would not be pulled over or need ID for any other reason.
I was very glad that night that I take Ambien, because I was so agitated about the driver's license that I would NEVER have fallen asleep without it! I showered and climbed into bed. I snuggled with Charlie, listened to an audio book, and fell asleep.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Plan: Get up as early as possible and head south. Go as far into Florida as we can, maybe Daytona. It would be great if we only had a couple of hours to go on Friday.
Actual: I woke up early, packed up our few things, and loaded the car. I threw a pair of pants on Charlie over his PJs and tried to carry him out to the car. He woke up and walked on his own at about 5:15.
Charlie fell right back to sleep. I listened to a book. While he was asleep, I stopped once to get gas and once to get coffee. I ordered a latte with no sweetener from McDonalds. As I drove away, I realized that it was sweetened, so I got back in the drive through to get a regular coffee. McDonalds' coffee is usually very good, but this was terrible. Undrinkable, really! I would have to do without.
Charlie slept until after 9:00. When he woke up, we stopped at Burger King. He got French Toast Sticks. I got COFFEE! Caffeine and a bathroom break make mommy a very happy girl!
I made a series of phone calls, each one directing me to someone else, and I finally found out what I needed to do concerning my missing DL. I finally connected with Tasha from PennDOT. She was going to fax a form to the condo for me to fill out. I would then fax it back with a copy of a check for $10.00, and they would then fax me a document that said that my DL was current. They would also send a copy of the photo. Tasha said that rental car agencies and the TSA accepted these documents as valid ID. I didn't need it for any of this, but that was nice to know. I just hoped Disney would accept it to give us our 20% merchandise discount for our Premier Passports!
Much relieved that I wouldn't be without ID for two weeks, I kept on trucking! I listened to my audio book. Charlie was happily playing video games. Then I noticed that my phone wasn't charging. I really flipped out. I had no license and was going to run out of power for my phone! I stopped the car to try to figure out what was wrong or to get an alternate charger. I picked up my backpack to look for it, and it was covered in maple syrup. Charlie had just dropped his open package on the floor. I wanted to cry!
I cleaned the mess as much as I could, got my phone charging, and got back on the road.
We made a stop at Wendy's for lunch and a couple of gas/bathroom breaks. At some point, we decided that rather than deal with the hassle of not having ID at an other hotel check-in, we would finish our drive to Dad and Carol's place that evening.
We made a final stop at McDonalds for food and bathroom. I had no problem with fatigue (except that my knees and butt were killing me) until dark, the last two hours. With about an hour to go, my brother called from his car in Los Angeles, which helped me stay alert. I had about 60 miles to go. He had 10. I got where I was going before he did. Ya gotta love LA traffic!
At about 8:15 we pulled into Dad's parking lot. I said good-bye to my brother (who had driven 9 miles in that hour,) gathered up as much of our stuff as I could drag, and took the elevator up to the condo. Phew!
We exchanged hugs and spent a few minutes settling in. I unpacked only what needed to be unpacked right away. I took a very welcome hot shower and then sat on the balcony, overlooking the ocean, and chatted with Dad and Carol for a while. Everyone was very tired, and we all decided to go to bed. I listened to Sherlock Holmes, and fell asleep in minutes!
Friday, December 21, 2012
The Plan: Finish our drive to Highland Beach and spend the day relaxing.
Actual: I can't begin to describe how amazing it was to wake up and not have to drive anymore. We had no firm plans for the next several days, and I was good with that! I woke up at 5:07, rolled over, and went back to sleep for two more hours. I rolled out of bed and sat with Dad, Carol, and Charlie for a little while. I wanted to pick up some groceries, so I headed to a nearby Publix. I got a few things to have in the condo and stopped in a nearby Panera Bread for a latte.
Dad wanted to take us to see a store that he thought we would love. There is a market called "The Boys" that he had taken me to the year before. It's a like hybrid Jewish/Italian New York City market. For you New Yorkers, it reminds me a little of Fairway. It's a great place and I wanted to return, but where we headed first was the sister store "The Girls." Dad didn't discover this place until after we had departed last year.
How to describe the girls...? Inside the store it's sort of an old fashioned candy shop/ice cream parlor with a little bit of general store thrown in. If that's all there was to it, it would be worth a visit, but when you step out the back door it's a whole 'nother bunch off bananas...or should I say "patch of strawberries?"
Step outside of the shop and first you will notice a zoo-like area with paths winding past a variety of cages with rescued birds, mostly parrot species. Many moons ago, I owned a pet store that specialized in hand raised baby birds, so this was very cool for me. Charlie is also a big fan of parrots. The first two birds we passed were a Blue and Gold Macaw and a Green Wing Macaw. Both flirted with me and tried to get my attention. I talked to both of them a bit (and they talked back!) and then we moved on. I kept my fingers out of the cages because macaws are notorious for pretending to be nice, and then BAM! They aren't anymore.
To one side of the bird area is a huge hydroponic strawberry garden. You can go in and pick berries. Charlie is a big fan of both picking and eating Strawberries, so we grabbed a small bucket and filled it. There are also a variety of other pick-your-own fruits and veggies, available at different times, but we just did the berries. We also visited with a bunch of other birds.
Inside the shop, we paid for our berries and I bought an inexpensive milk frother for my coffee. We then went over to "The Boys" so dad could pick up some groceries. Next, we went over to Target to pick up some things that Carol needed. On the way over there, my phone rang and it was my friend Beth from home. She had accidentally butt dialed me, so we chatted a few minutes.
Our main topic of conversation was the total lack of Mayan Apocalypse!
Wow! I had totally forgotten! The world was supposed to end that morning and there I was, picking strawberries!
We finished up our errands and headed back to the condo. Charlie just wanted to hang out, so I spent some time on the balcony, just relaxing. We called my Aunt Millie to make arrangements for dinner on Sunday. Carol had to go visit her mother, and Dad went somewhere. I don't remember.
I took care of my driver's license and then Charlie wanted to go to Barnes and Noble. Dad asked me to pick up gift cards from him for Annika, Charlie and my cousin Neil's three kids Jessica, Camryn, and Tyler who we would see on Sunday.
We didn't get anything at B&N except the gift cards, but we had fun looking. Next, I took Charlie to 16 Handles, a self-serve, pay-by-the-pound yogurt place in the same shopping center. I behaved myself and just had a teeny taste of Charlie's.
We headed back to our home-away-from-home to just chill out for a while before going to dinner at the Melting Pot. We had eaten here the year before and Charlie loved it! His quote had been "Mom! This place is great! Even better than Subway!"
Well, hey! If it's even better than Subway, then we needed to go back!
We left for the restaurant at about 5:45 and we were seated right away. If you have never eaten at a Melting Pot before, you should. It's a fondue restaurant and it's a lot of fun!
We started with the Traditional Swiss Fondue, which they made with corn starch (this used to be by request only, but was now standard!) It was delicious, but really, how can you go wrong with melted cheese mixed with wine
Dad, Carol, and I each had a salad. Charlie passed on this course. We chose bouillon-style entrees. Dad had the Filet Mignon. Carol chose the vegetarian, and I had the sirloin and shrimp. Charlie shared with all of us. We all really liked the food. Charlie and Carol especially liked the cheese raviolis.
For dessert we had the Yin Yang chocolate. It is a mixture of white and milk chocolate presented in a Yin Yang shape. I would have preferred White and dark, but we let Charlie choose. I actually ate more than a bite of this dessert. It was the first real indulgence in sweets in over three months, and it was worth EVERY BITE! Mmmmm! If I am going to cheat, I am going to make it worthwhile!
Back at the condo, Charlie was very tired and he climbed right into bed, without me even having to bug him about it! I showered and then climbed as anxiously into my bed. I listened to a few more minutes of Sherlock Holmes, and I was out like a light!
Saturday, December 22
The Plan: Relax, maybe go to Animal Jungle in Miami. Really, whatever Charlie would like.
What happened: I woke up at 5 o'something and decided to go out on the balcony, listen to the waves, and watch the sun rise. It was COLD out there. I brought out one of the sleeping bags we had brought from home. It was a kid-sized bag, and I didn't fit well, but it kept me warm. I dozed on and off while I watched the sun come up.
Eventually Dad woke up followed soon after by Carol and then Charlie. I had my coffee and we discussed what to do with our day. I suggested Jungle Island in Miami. Charlie didn't want to make the drive. I searched for a few more options. We talked about the Science Explorium. He wasn't interested in that either. I asked if he wanted to go to a mall. BINGO!
Dad told us about Town Center in Boca and that's where we decided to go. Charlie's favorite stores were Brookstone and the Apple Store. In Brookstone he tried out a variety of massage chairs and bought these thingies that you use to replace shoelaces. We still haven't used them, by the way...
In the Apple Store, I bought a car charger for my iPhone to replace the one that wasn't working. Charlie played with iPads! We went to LUSH where I bought Toothy Tabs and some lotion. I was starving, so we went to the food court.
They had an Earl of Sandwich! Yea! That's where we went. Charlie wasn't hungry. I got the Earl's Cobb. It was really yummy!
Charlie wanted to go back to the Apple Store to play with gadgets, and we didn't have anywhere we needed to be. I stayed there as long as I could stand just standing around while Charlie played with various devices.
We went back to the condo where Carol was waiting for the cable guy to come and turn on the wifi. If you read my TR from last December's trip, you'll know that this had been a huge ordeal last year. Broken appointments, forgotten equipment...This time was not promising to be much better.
It was 1:30. Comcast was supposed to be there between 1:00 and 3:00 and they were to call 1/2 hour before they arrived.
I told Carol I would wait for him while she and Charlie went downstairs to have a shuffleboard tournament.
2:45 came, and no word.
Comcast called to say that that the guy was running late so they would send someone else. He would be there at 3:15.
At 3:45, Carol called to ask what was going on. The woman on the phone gave her a total run-around. She asked to speak to a supervisor. They just put her on hold. Finally, at about 4:30, the doorbell finally rang.
Dad came home with a bunch of prepared foods while the guy was still there. In about 1/2 hour, everything was up and running. They had wifi! At about 5:30 we heated up all of the foods and sat down to eat.
Dad had a cold and I felt like I might be getting one as well, so I showered and crawled into bed.
Charlie stayed in the living room with Carol, "helping" her pick out apps for her iPad. After a while, he came into the room and we cuddled for a few minutes. At about 8:30 I sent him to bed and at 9:00 it was lights out!
Sunday, December 23
The Plan: Hang out, do laundry, and wait for Annika and John to join us. Dinner with extended family.
Actual: I slept well until after 7:00. For me, that is practically unheard of!! Charlie actually got up before I did. That never happens! Soon after, I got up as well. I felt better. Unfortunately, Dad didn't. John called us and said he and Annika were on their way. They'd be there at around 11:00.
I got some laundry going and when Carol woke up, she said she wanted to go for a walk. I asked if she would like some company. We got ready and went out front to walk. We did about 3 miles in total and it felt good.
It was also very nice to have some time with my new stepmom! I feel so lucky to have her in our lives. We lost my mom (and best friend) eight years ago. She died of lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking. She died 11 days after Charlie was born and I miss her every day. No one could ever replace her, but Carol is closer than I could ever have wished for. When she and dad had been together for a few months, I told her that the best compliment I could give her is that my mother would have loved her. And she would have. The really great thing about Carol is that she makes my dad really happy. He had a wonderful marriage for nearly 40 years. Now he has another and here's hoping he can squeeze out another 40!
Anyway...
Back at the condo, I had another cup of coffee out on the balcony and attended the laundry.
A little before 11:00 John called and said he would be pulling in in a few minutes. I went down to great them and Annika didn't want to come up because she was listening to the end of a countdown show on the radio. We left her in the car and carried up their stuff. Eventually she came up and hugs were exchanged. I even think she and Charlie were happy to see each other. We did some catching up and I got the laundry to fold.
I took a shower while John put a load in the washer, and somehow broke the machine! Because it was Sunday, no one was around to look at it, so he had to go to one downstairs while the kids took a swim.
I watched the three of them from the balcony, and then went down to watch them from poolside. Dad had been gone for ages and we were starting to worry. My relatives were coming at around three. It turns out he had a flat tire. The kids swam a while and played shuffleboard.
Carol went to visit her mom. She would meet us at the restaurant. At about 2:15 the kids came in from the pool and got changed. At 2:30 my cousin Louise (Neil's wife) called. They were about 15 minutes away. They called again when they arrived and I met them outside of the condo. Our guests were my Aunt Millie, her son Neil, his wife Louise, and their three children. Louise gave my kids each a Disney gift card from all of them. The kids were very excited! Dad gave the B&N gift cards to all of the kids and so did Millie! Annika, Tyler (12) and Charlie went out to play shuffleboard. John and Neil stayed out on the balcony talking and keeping an eye on the kids. Dad, Millie, Louise, Jessica, Camryn and I just sat around chatting until it was time to leave for dinner.
We were eating at a restaurant called Seasons 52. Its thing is that they offer a seasonal menu that changes from week to week. We were to be seated out on the patio. We were also being joined by my Uncle Sam and his daughter Tina, so there would be 13 of us.
We had a lovely meal. The weather was perfect, and the company even more so! During the meal, we found out that Neil's family was planning on going to the beach near Tina's hotel the next day. We decided that we would join them and get to spend some more time with them.
We exchanged lots of hugs and promises to meet up the next day. John left to take the kids to the car while I finished my goodbyes. I walked out to meet them at the car, and when I got there, Annika was no where around. I asked John where she was. He didn't know. I was wearing uncomfortable shoes, so I sent him back the the restaurant to find her. I was panicking and a little concerned at his LACK of concern as he strolled back in search of our missing child.
He found her in Dad's car. She had decided to ride back with him, but no one bothered to tell us! I think I lost a couple of years off of my life! Our family back in tact, we headed back to the condo where we went to sleep.
Monday, December 24
The Plan: No plans. Hang out with the family.
Actual: Our plan today was to take John and Annika to see "The Girls," go to Barnes and Noble so the kids could spend some of their gift cards, and go to the beach to meet with the cousins.
We got up, had some breakfast and got ready for the beach. We piled into the car and headed over to "The Girls." We looked for a few minutes inside the store and then went out to see the birds. Walter, the Green Wing macaw who had flirted with me a couple of days earlier was being all flirty again. He was rubbing his head up against the bars wanting me to rub him.
The spaces between the bars were very thin, so I put my right pinky in to scratch his head.
You know what's coming...right?
Walter was totally loving my scratching...until he wasn't any more. He grabbed my finger and he wouldn't let go. Luckily, I remained calm and and didn't pull back. Eventually, he let go. I could see and feel that it was pretty bad, but I didn't want to ruin things for the kids, so I wrapped my finger in my t-shirt and held pressure on it while they looked at the birds and picked some berries.
I had to sit down because I was feeling a bit light headed. I looked at the wound (which did nothing to help my light headedness) and realized that the bleeding was not really slowing down. I told John that I needed to get to a pharmacy so I could get some supplies to clean and bandage the wound. I went out to the car to wait while John paid for the berries.
Looking at the wound again, I decided that I needed an urgent care facility, not a pharmacy. I googled one and when John and the kids got to the car, I told them that. John thought I was totally overreacting and that I needed a bandaid. He took me anyway. Then, I realized that my photo ID was back in my car at the condo. Uggghh!
We went to Dr. G's clinic, and luckily they didn't need my ID because the coverage is in John's name. I signed in, filled out the paperwork, and told John to take the kids to B&N while I was being seen. He said they would wait. They took me back pretty quickly and put me in an exam room.
It was a bit of a wait until I was seen, and then they soaked my hand in some combination of disinfectants for about 45 minutes. I called Dad and he said that if John wanted to take the kids to the beach, he or Carol could come pick me up. I called John to suggest this and he said they would wait for me. While they waited, they had some pizza nearby.
I was back there for ages, but finally they came back and gave me two shots of lidocaine. Two, because the first didn't work! The first shot was, by far, the most painful part of the whole experience. It hurt so much that I nearly passed out. They laid me back and put a cold compress on my head to keep me conscious. I ended up getting one stitch. It probably could have used 3, but they didn't want it to be too closed up and get infected.
I was able to fill two prescriptions, one for an antibiotic and one for naproxen, right there, and finally I was released. I had been in touch with Louise during my wait and told her that, unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to join them. We went back to the condo and I really felt crappy. I think it was an adrenaline crash. I took a nap for a few hours while John finally took the kids to Barnes and Noble.
I felt somewhat better when I woke up. It hurt a fair amount, but it wasn't horrible. It was awkward and inconvenient, but it could have been much worse! Dad decided that because it was Christmas Eve and most of the area restaurants were closed, he and John would go to a local kosher deli and bring back food to the condo. He phoned in the order and about 1/2 hour later he and John went to pick it up. It took ages because we were apparently not the only Jews in the area to have this plan! Dad said that there were probably 80 customers in front of them!
In spite of the delay, this was a perfect meal for us. It was nice and relaxing. The food was terrific. The kids didn't have to sit for ages and wait like they surely would have, had we gone out. After gorging ourselves, we all decided to hit the hay early.
Tuesday, December 25
The Plan: Spend the morning with the family in the condo. Around noon, John heads back to Fort Myers and we head to Orlando. Check in to Maingate Lakeside Resort Hotel. ADR at Paradiso 37.
Actual: Christmas morning! So, I should explain. The kids and I are Jewish, but John was raised Catholic, and we live in a very non-Jewish area. So although we do not celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas, we still get Santa. Charlie still believes, so we still have Christmas presents. I, however, had no interest in schlepping Christmas presents to Florida, trying to keep them hidden, and then schlepping them home. Therefore, as we did last year, we asked Santa to deliver our gifts home. This also served as a bit of a carrot, something to look forward to on the ride home from Florida. I did bring one gift for each kid, from Mommy and Daddy though. Another Disney gift card! They were going to be loaded for bear!
I woke up first, followed by Annika. John got up, but Charlie wanted to sleep. Eventually he rolled out of bed and I gave the kids their gifts. I had my coffee and finished last minute packing. I also did a final load of laundry.
Carol woke up and was not feeling well. She had gotten Dad's cold :-( I took my medications and cleaned my wound. We all had some breakfast, and then John helped me load the car. We spent a little more time just hanging around, but Carol wasn't feeling well, so we figured we would just get out of their hair.
John was headed back to Ft. Myers to fly home, so we said our goodbyes to him and to Dad and Carol and headed out at about 11:00. I needed to fill the car with gas, but didn't pass any stations on the way to 95, so I hopped on the highway and got off a couple of exits later to fill 'er up!
As I pulled into the gas station, the phone rang and it was my 10YO niece from LA. I wished her a Merry Christmas and passed the phone to the kids. They spoke excitedly to her and when they got off, I found out that she had called to tell the kids what Santa had brought them for Christmas...
...a toilet!
But not just any toilet...
...a Toto Washlet!
I don't think I mentioned the Toto Washlet in this report. Dad and Carol's condo has them in both bathrooms and we all love them. Toto is a Japanese company, and their toilets rock! The Washlet has a built in bidet, with a dryer, heated seats and the works.
Well, the cousins had gotten one and everyone was excited. LOL!
Tank full, we motored on. It was Christmas Day, so the roads were pretty clear and we made good time. About 75 minutes from Orlando, we stopped at a rest stop and got lunch from Cheeburger, Cheeburger. Annika had a chicken tenders sandwich, Charlie and I had cheeseburgers, mine with no bun.
The rest of the ride was uneventful and we arrived at our hotel at about 2:15. I got us checked in and we went back to our room which was a DUMP. Oh well, it was just one night and we would only be sleeping there.
We got our stuff together and hopped into the car to drive to DTD. We arrived at DTD at 3:05 and didn't park the car until 3:30. I used some not-so-nice language as I fruitlessly drove through every nook and cranny of the parking lot. I was about to give up when I FINALLY found a spot.
We got out of the car, I took a deep breath, and finally, I was at Disney!
Our first destination was D-Street. On the way there we stopped in front of Candy Cauldron to watch them make caramel apples. Annika has just recently started to eat apples and said maybe she would get one this trip.
In D-Street, we saw a bunch of new Vinylmation series including a new Parks set, Classics, and Pixar. I bought one from each of those three sets. Charlie made a couple of vinyl trades, and then I traded for him too. He also bought one from the Classic set. I also noticed that they still had the Sorcerer Mickey/Yensid set available, so I bought one.
I thought about making a reservation to do Characters in Flight, but it was closed due to winds. Oh well! That's the great thing about being regular visitors. We know there will always be a next time!
We walked past our restaurant, Paradiso 37, on our way over to the Marketplace. There were some carolers singing and we stopped to watch them for a while. Annika jumped in next to them for a picture.
We walked to the kiosk that sells the iPhone cases and stopped to look a little bit. We talked to a very nice Cast Member, Robert who wished Annika a Happy Birthday. My brother, Drew, called and I was talking to him as we walked. We were walking past the DVC stand and I noticed a familiar DVC CM. His name is Joe and he's from Hawaii. I had talked to him before at Epcot. He overheard me talking to Drew about the cousins getting a toilet for Christmas and said "What a crappy gift!" LOL. I got off the phone and chatted with Joe for a bit. He gave each of the kids some stickers and made a couple of pin trades. He told us a little bit about his time in Japan and wished us a good vacation.
I called Drew back and talked to him while the kids got in line for a frozen lemonade and a bottle of water. We also walked into Ghiradelli and got a sample of Peppermint Bark. We walked over to Mickey Mart and Annika bought a grab bag. She had had very good luck with one of these in October and was excited to try another.
Next we went into Pin Traders so Charlie could trade a Vinyl. The CM let him try a bunch of times, but he had all of the ones he found, so he kept his. I was really disappointed with the pin selection. There were almost no Limited Edition pins, and very little new. I didn't buy a single pin! We slogged back through the sea of people to Paradiso 37 for our ADR.
We had never tried this restaurant before and I was really looking forward to trying it. We checked in and they asked if we wanted to eat inside or out. We looked at each other and all said "out!" It was a beautiful evening. Not too cold. Not at all hot.
We were seated right away outside overlooking the water. Our server was Rashid from Morocco and he did an excellent job! I ordered water and the kids each got a drink in a light-up cup. Annika ordered the Cookies and Cream Milkshake and Charlie got the Tropical Tango which is a mango, orange, and pineapple drink. Both of them loved their drinks. Annika also loved Charlie's!
For dinner, Annika ordered mac and cheese. Charlie ordered the beef tacos for kids. I got two appetizers instead of an entree, shrimp ceviche and guacamole. We waited a little while for our meals, but that was fine. We were really enjoying this place and we used the time for Annika to open her grab bag and for me to open my Vinyls.
In her bag, Annika got Nightmare Before Christmas hair clips, a mobile phone stand, a little padlock, and washcloth. I got Flik from the Pixar series, a guy from Cars in the Parks 11, and in the Classic set, I got Pluto. We were both pleased!
Dinner was very enjoyable! Characters in Flight was running again and we could see it going up and down from our seats. It was swinging back and forth a bit and I thought they might stop running again, but it kept going. Annika ate every bite of her dinner. Charlie did a good job but his was huge! I loved mine, but it was also A LOT of food. I did my best, but left some guacamole and chips behind. Paradiso 37 is a three thumbs up place for us! We all loved it and will definitely return!
We enjoyed the music that they played here. Charlie hoped that they would play Gangnam Style. We were ready to go, and I asked Rashid where the bathrooms were so I could rinse out the light-up cups. He took them and rinsed them for us! As we were walking out, Gangnam Style started playing. The kids started dancing, and we noticed that everyone walking by was also dancing. It was very funny!
We walked back toward our car and stopped in D-Street again for one more trade. We made a man very happy by leaving and letting him have our parking spot. We drove back to our hotel, stopping briefly at the Walgreens in the parking lot to get some water and Tylenol. Charlie also got a Rice Crispy Treat.
Back in the room, I showered, changed my bandages and organized things a bit. I also noticed that the room was even dirtier than I had thought. There were several of what seemed to be blood stains on the floor, and the bedspreads smelled musty. Ick! The kids played a Fishhooks App and Annika took some notes in her journal for school. I dictated notes to Siri for this report. She came up with at least 5 different ways to write Annika's name, including Monica, Onoko, Honicutt, Anacada, and Anaca! Hilarious! We were getting up at O'Dark thirty and we called it a night.
Wednesday, December 26
The Plan: Check into Saratoga Springs. Magic Kingdom at opening. Chef Mickey's ADR for dinner.
Actual: I woke up really early, about 4:30. I think I was anxious to get out of the dump and also, I really wanted to make it to MK for rope drop. I knew that this week was going to be very crowded and that getting there early was the best way to enjoy the parks without shoulder-shoulder crowds.
At around 5:00 I got up and loaded the car. I had put the kids to bed in their clothes for today so they were ready to roll. I got them up at 5:45 and loaded them into the car.
Because it was so early, it took us no time to get to Saratoga Springs Resort. My photo ID was fine with security and we parked in the lot to walk to check-in. We got there just after 6:00 and there was actually someone else checking in! We waited only minutes and were given our packet. Our room wasn't ready, but they had given me the two requests I had made. Grandstand, near transportation! It was the same building we had been in the year before and I knew it was the perfect location. First on the busses in the morning, and first off when we returned later in the day. It was also an easy walk to the Carriage House.
I drove our car over and parked in the correct lot. We unloaded what we needed for the park that day, and headed for the bus stop. We only waited about 5 minutes for a bus. We boarded and the kids sat together and I was a little further back. I spoke to a family from Texas with a son, Grayson. My kids looked like they were going to fall asleep!
We could hear the welcome show going on as we walked to the front gate. They were asking people as they walked in whether their tickets were on their room keys or separate. I wasn't sure why, but whatever. The line we were in was much shorter! By the time we got in, the park was open and we had a leisurely stroll down Main Street and over to Space Mountain. It was still sort of dark, and the park was deserted! We stopped to take a picture with the Minnie and Mickey topiaries on our way into Tomorrowland.
The kids went straight onto Space Mountain and I used the facilities and picked up FP's for Buzz, which we never ended up using. While I waited for the kids, I noticed a massage chair in the gift shop. I paid for 2 minutes, and after about 1, they came off!
We headed right out and over to Fantasyland. Pooh was a walk-on, so we jumped in the queue. While we were on the ride, I wrote on the kids faces with invisible ink that shows up under UV light!
We walked to check out the wait times for Story Time With Belle and Little Mermaid. On the way over, we took some pictures with the great artwork they had up advertising the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The posters featured the Dwarfs with Characters featured in nearby attractions. Belle was already up to about 45 minutes, but Little Mermaid empty, so we rode. It's almost a shame to ride this with no wait, because the queue is so fantastic!
After our trip Under Da Sea, we stopped at Gaston''s for a snack. We got one Le Fou Brew for Annika, one chocolate croissant for Charlie, and one much needed coffee for me. I drank my coffee with relish and had a big gulp of Annika's brew for good measure. OMG! Those things are awesome! If I want to cheat, this is very cheat-worthy!
From Gaston's, we walked to the Haunted Mansion. We decided to walk through the cemetery and play a little. We had just enough time to catch Leota moving her eyes once before we were brought into a stretch room. We had a good ride, and loved our Hitchhiking ghost effect at the end. We had Phineas and he took off our heads and switched them around! Very cool!
Next we grabbed snacks and went over to the Jungle Cruise. There was no one in the queue, but we had to finish the ice creams, so we waited. A bunch of people got in front of us, but even still, we only had to wait for one boat. This turned out to be a great thing because we had the very best cruise I've ever had. Our captain was Tad, and he was just great. He delivered all of the puns and jokes beautifully. We got all of the old standbys as well as some that I had never heard before. On the ride I noticed, for the first time, that there are monkeys in Shirley's Temple!
I wondered if we had enough time to ride It's a Small World before trying to get into Be Our Guest for lunch. There was a short wait, but I thought we could do it. We hopped in line and took a boat trip around the world.
When we were done with our ride we hoofed it over to Be Our Guest. It was about 10 minutes before the doors were to open and the line was out past the drawbridge. No matter. I knew the initial influx would be handled quickly, and I wanted to eat here! We were right in front of a nice family and we chatted with them the whole time we waited.
All in all, I think it was handled quite well. There were CMs on the bridge with printed menus. We were able to peruse the menu and make our decisions before we got into the building.
And the building...WOW!
It was amazing! The entryway was gorgeous. I was actually happy that it took a little while because it gave us time to really look around! After the entryway, we walked into a room with suits of armor in it. The suits were chatting amongst themselves. Very cool!
We made it into the room where you place your order. The self ordering stations weren't functioning and we were directed to a podium where two CMs (one in training) who took our orders. Annika and I ordered a bowl of French Onion soup to share. Annika had the Mahi Mahi and the Chocolate Cream Puff. Charlie had the Pasta Marinara and the Triple Chocolate Cupcake. I had the Tuna Nicoise. All in all it took about 40 minutes. I wouldn't normally wait so long, but it was worth it this first time!
We were giving a rose that would direct our server to our table to deliver our food. The hostess that was to seat us greeted us with "Bonjour!" She asked how many people. I responded "trois!" She looked at me with total confusion on her face. I asked her if she addressed us in French, shouldn't we respond in French?
We were seated at the very back of the ballroom next to one of the windows. It was very pretty watching the snow. I excused myself to use the bathroom and by the time I returned our food was being served. Very fast service. We all thought the cart they used to serve the food was very cool. I went to the beverage station and got our drinks. Water for me, Coke for Annika and lemonade for Charlie.
The food was excellent. I sort of ate around the crouton in the soup. It was very good. Both kids cleaned their plates and so did I! I had a little bit of the chocolate cream from Annika's Cream Puff, and tasted the frosting from Charlie's cupcake. Both were great! When we left, I left a small tip for the CM's. As we walked away, the young lady who cleared our table brought it back to me and said it wasn't necessary because it was counter service.
We had to see the West Wing, so we walked in there. WOW! I think that next time we will request a table in there. So cool! You really feel like you are right in the middle of the movie!
It took us a little time to find our way out of the restaurant, but we eventually did. Oh my goodness, had it gotten crowded! It had been dead all morning, and was just starting to get more crowded as we got in line for lunch. Now you could tell that it was Christmas week!
We walked over to Tomorrowland to experience Stitch's Great Escape. If you've read my reports before, You know that we like this attraction in spite of its bad press. The kids wouldn't dream of missing it. It was quite crowded, but we did make it in with the first group.
We looked around the gift shop where Charlie bought and traded a Vinylmation. Annika wanted a pen for her journal and they had some on sale buy-one-get-one, so she got a Tinkerbell and a Sorcerer Mickey. They were the short fat ones with hair.
Our friend, CM Susan was supposed to be working in Tomorrowland that day. We had originally met her there, in the Space Mountain dump shop a year before, but she had since gone to work at Fort Wilderness. But, she sometimes filled in in Tomorrowland and this was one of those times. She had messaged me on Facebook a couple of days before to tell me she would be at one of the outdoor carts. We started looking for her, and after a couple of carts, I asked. She was definitely working, but the CM didn't know exactly where. We circled Tomorrowland and didn't see her. I was getting confused, and then I realized that there was one more cart, all the way past the Tomorrowland Speedway on the way toward the Mad Tea Party.
We walked over there and as we approached, I saw Susan!! The kids took off running to her and there were lots of hugs!! We had a very nice time visiting with Susan, but it was getting really crowded and we didn't want to keep her from her work. We said our goodbyes and headed out.
I had gotten the text from SSR that our room was ready and I had thought that after seeing Susan we would head back to the resort and check in before returning for our ADR at Chef Mickey's. I was thinking the reservation was for 5:00 but when I looked at my list, I realized that it was 4:10. No sense in going to the resort to just turn around and return. We would enjoy a few more attractions and then take a trip on the monorail to see the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian.
It had started to rain a little bit so we went to the TTA. It was down for a few minutes but then it started running. When we were finished it was raining quite a bit harder. We went over to Carousel of Progress and it was down.
We decided to try Monsters Inc.. It was really raining so we half ran over there. There was quite a long wait, but we didn't have anywhere else we needed to be. For part of our wait we were getting hit by rain, but eventually we got to a dry spot. We had to wait through two cycles before we got inside. We waited a total of about 30 minutes, but we were out of the rain!
We got to see the show from the front row. This show is always very funny, and the audience members they chose this time were really good, especially "That Guy!" By the time we left, the rain had mostly stopped, so we went over to Carousel of Progress. Charlie was a little bit whiny because he thinks this is a boring attraction. He may not like it, but Annika and I do!
OK I have a question. Let's see who can answer it first. Why is it that when John, the father, said "Sasparilla" did the Evil Queen pop into my head? It took me a second to figure it out myself, and perhaps it is only my weird brain that makes connections like this. Let's see if anyone else is as weird as I am!
It was time to head out. On our way down Main Street we got to see part of the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade. We stopped into the Main Street Confectionary where Annika got a red velvet pop with purple sprinkles and Charlie got a marshmallow thingy with milk chocolate and M&Ms.
Charlie was getting very whiny. We headed to the Monorail and boarded a waiting train. We traveled along the rail, stopping at the Contemporary, TTC and the Polynesian before getting to the Grand Floridian. We disembarked and took the elevator down to the gingerbread house. Charlie sat down to rest and Annika searched the house to look for the Hidden Mickeys. Eventually Charlie and I joined her and we found them all.
I bought a gluten free gingerbread man. It was ridiculously expensive, nearly $6.00, but it was worth it. It was SO good! I love cookies, and this was the first one I had had in months! It was very spicy and gingery and completely delicious!
We took a quick spin around the gift shop before going back to the monorail. We re-boarded and headed over to the Contemporary. We were early for our ADR, so we looked around. Charlie browsed the gift shop and bought a couple of Vinylmations while Annika looked for Hidden Mickeys on the Christmas display.
Over by the big window, we noticed that some kids' activities were going on. Charlie played with some giant stacking cups along with a couple of CMs. Annika colored. The CMs there were great. I got a bottle of water from the nearby shop and relaxed while the kids did their activities. We stayed there until about 10 minutes before our ADR time.
We walked over and checked into Chef Mickey's and were taken to the giant plate to have our picture taken. We were given our flatware wrapped in cloth napkins. The hostess asked which of us was celebrating. We told her it was Annika and she got a different colored napkin than we did. She said that it was so everyone would know who was celebrating when the time came for the surprise.
Before we got our food, Mickey came over for pictures and an autograph. Then we got our food. I had salad, veggies and chicken. The kids had nuggets and Mac and Cheese. Donald came over and I asked him why the restaurant wasn't called Chef Donald's. He gave me a thumbs-up!
Minnie joined us next followed by Pluto. Pluto had fun playing with Annika's Stitch toy. It was very cute! The kids got dessert and got back to the table in time for the napkin waving. Our server brought a cupcake and candle for Annika and then our last visitor was Goofy.
When we finished with dinner, we decided to walk back to the Magic Kingdom to catch our bus back to SSR. We unloaded the car and brought it to our room on the 3rd floor. I spent some time unpacking. The kids wanted to go to the main building. Charlie remembered that they had Vinyl trading and he wanted to take every opportunity he could to trade.
In the Artist Palette, I gathered a few groceries to have in the room for breakfast while Charlie traded with CM Jim. He remembered Jim from a previous trip and Jim was a very nice guy! This was to become a habit throughout our stay.
With our goods in hand, we headed back to the room where I made the sofa bed and finished unpacking. We had another early morning the next day so after showers, we went right to bed.
Thursday, December 27
The Plan: Magic Kingdom again. Lunch ADR at Crystal Palace.
Actual: I was up early and checked the weather forecast. Yesterday's rain had led a cold front into the area, and it was going to be chilly. So, I went back out to our car to gather our winter coats that we had left in there the day before. I let the kids sleep for as long as I could and then I got them up and dressed. Charlie didn't put on socks which he would later come to regret.
We went out to the bus stop and waited only about 10 minutes for a Magic Kingdom bus to arrive. At first we were the only ones on the bus, but we were joined by a family from Delaware and spoke to them during our ride.
We got to the MK around 7:00 again, and again they divided guests based on whether their tickets were on their room keys or not. We were headed to Story Time With Belle, but I couldn't resist taking some pictures in front of the castle. It was completely deserted and in the semi-dark, it was gorgeous!
We went right away to Belle and the posted time was 20 minutes. From the time we got in the line, we were the second group in. Annika was chosen to be Maurice. It was very neat. She held bars in front of her face as if she was in a prison cell. Charlie was....
...The Beast!!
So cool!
The show was very good! At the end, Charlie got to dance with Belle. She kissed him and he was kind of embarrassed. I told him that one day he would love it when pretty girls kissed him!
When we left, we headed to Storybook Circus so the kids could ride Goofy's Barnstormer. The kids rode twice while I used the facilities. They didn't even have to get off of the ride. It was so quick that I didn't even realize they had had two rides until they got off!
We went into Big Top Souvenirs to see the sweet shop. Nigel from Oxford England was giving out samples. Annika chose a marshmallow and charlie a chocolate covered strawberry. We discussed Oxford University and how it has separate houses, like Hogwarts!
Next, we went over to the Mad Tea Party. The kids rode, but I didn't. This ride is just not my cup of tea! It is a lot of fun to watch the kiddos on this ride though. So simple, but it creates so much joy!
Our next stop was the Carrousel. While the kids rode, I picked up FPs for Peter Pan.
Everyone was feeling a bit peckish, and I needed caffeine, so we headed over to Gaston's. I got a pork shank and coffee. Odd breakfast, I know, but I had to try it! The kids had chocolate croissants and we shared a Le Fou's Brew. We got the big table in the turret which was pretty cool! I really love that place. Le Fou's Brew will be a necessary part of future trips. And I understand I can get it, by another name, at Carsland in California, so, YEA!
By the time we were finished, our Peter Pan FP window had opened, and we went over to ride. Then we saw Mickey's Philharmagic with only a few minute wait. I wanted to ride IASW again, and the queue wasn't too bad, so we hopped in. I discovered that the panoramic picture feature of my iPhone 5 was pretty awesome. I could get a whole side of a room in one shot. Pretty cool!
We wanted to have one more go on Haunted Mansion, but it was already a pretty long line, so we passed. The kids wanted to have their picture taken in the stocks, in Liberty Square, so we did that. Annika is studying Pennsylvania history this year, so we also took a picture of the Liberty Bell. We also noticed that there was a sleigh outside the Christmas shoppe and I took a picture of the kids in it, also using the panorama feature.
We rarely bother seeing Country Bear Jamboree, and it was just a few minutes until show time, so we went on in. We all really enjoyed it! Even Charlie! I didn't mind the editing. It still felt like a complete show, and was easier for a squirmy almost-eight-year-old boy to sit through!
We went into the Trading Post where I bought the only 3 pins of the trip. This is, by miles, the fewest I have purchased on a trip since I started collecting in 2004! Charlie bought and traded some Vinyls, and we talked to a married CM couple in the shop. They were Vinyl collectors themselves and very, very nice. I didn't note their names.
Outside of the Trading Post, there was a quartet singing Christmas Music, so we listened to them for a while before going to pick up our SOTMK cards. On our way to the fire station, we passed a completely deserted Aloha Isle! I guess the cold weather deters even the most enthusiastic fans from getting their beloved Dole Whips! If we weren't so close to our lunch time, we would have stopped, in spite of the cold!
We walked through the Emporium. We were on a mission for something particular. Annika is a HUGE fan of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and we had been seeing people wearing Oswald ears throughout the park. She wanted a pair! We asked a CM and were pointed toward the front of the store. SCORE! They had them, and I told her I would buy them for her. Happy Birthday!
We picked up our cards and walked over to Exposition Hall. It had been years since we looked around in there. We noticed that people were getting seated for a parade. Oh yeah! There was a 12:30 parade in addition to the regular 3:00! And there were curbside seats available! I asked a CM what time the parade would be hitting that area and she said it was actually starting earlier and would be getting to Main Street right about 12:30. That would give us just enough time to see it and still make our 1:00 ADR for Crystal Palace! Yea!
We sat on the curb and waited. We talked to a family from Montreal for a while until they decided to move across the street into the sun.
The parade was great! I especially liked the flat backs on the gingerbread men! We hadn't planned to do this, and it just worked out perfectly!
When the parade had passed, we had just enough time to head over to Crystal Palace for our ADR. We only had to wait about 10 minutes to be seated, which in my experience at CP is pretty good! When we checked in, I told them that we were celebrating a birthday, and when we got to the table, it was decorated with streamers and confetti!
Before we got our food, we saw Piglet, Pooh, and Eeyore in quick succession. A guest seated next to us took some pictures of us to prove that I had actually been on the vacation with the kids!
The guests left and another family was seated next to us. It was a couple with a toddler with them. The child proceeded to pick up a pack of Equal and eat the entire thing. Paper and all! The parents didn't notice or, they didn't care. Then she picked up a knife, put it in her mouth and chewed on it. Dad (mom had gone to get food) didn't say a word. I never know what to do in situations like this. Do I say something and appear really nosey or do I ignore it and assume the parents are OK with their 2 year old eating artificial sweeteners, paper and knives. Maybe she's in training to be a knife swallower? She didn't appear to be in immediate mortal danger, so I didn't say anything.
I took no photos of the food so I don't remember what we ate. I do remember that they brought a birthday cupcake for Annika and that I had a very small amount of soft serve ice cream.
Our server seemed sort of harassed. I noticed this in all three of our character meals. They have so many tables and so many things going on. They just seem very harried!
We had to wait a while to see Tigger and we ended up seeing the character parade twice because of that. Even though they are growing up, they still think this is fun!
After we got to see Tigger, we were finished with lunch. The kids agreed that we wouldn't do SOTMK this trip. I remembered that we had passed the dance party in Tomorrowland the day the day before and I had told the kids we could come back. Chip, Dale and some dudes on stilts were dancing when we got there. The kids joined in and I took pictures. They did a conga line/limbo combination thing and the kids had a blast! I even joined in and danced a little! We really love these things, and they are a definite perk of coming during the crowded part of the year.
We walked over to Storybook Circus to see how long the line was for the Walt Disney Railroad. It was HUGE, so we decided that it could wait until the next trip. We went into the gift shop for a minute, and there was a CM in there dressed like the popcorn hawkers you see at the circus. The tray of "popcorn" that he carried was really a very cool pin trading board that looked like a tray of popcorn.
It was time to go. We walked out through New Fantasyland. Gaston was out posing for photos and Annika wanted one with him. Surprisingly, the line wasn't long so we did. It was funny listening to the things he said to guests about how pleased they must be to meet him! Very in character!
On the way out, we stopped in to Sir Mickey's where Annika bought a Dinglehopper to use to brush her hair! It was a large golden fork, maybe two feet long, and if you flipped it over, there was a hairbrush! Very cute!
Out to the bus stop, we caught a bus back to SSR. We had decided to spend a little time at Community Hall that evening, so we dropped our things in the room and walked over. Before we walked through the Carriage House the kids posed with the race horse out in front, and we spotted a few Hidden Mickeys. Charlie wanted to stop in at the Artist Palette to trade Vinyls, so we walked in through the lobby.
The young man at the DVC pedestal commented on Annika's Oswald ears and asked if she knew Oswald's story. This led to a long conversation about Disney animation history. The guy sure knew his stuff, and my daughter was pretty impressive as well! He told us (I can't believe I never noticed it before myself!) that the villain in the movie UP!, Charles Muntz, was named after the guy, Charles Mintz, who stole Oswald from Walt Disney. Pretty cool! He also told us that to get Oswald back, Disney had to trade sportscaster Al Michaels for him. I think he and Annika really impressed each other!
While all of this was going on, Charlie was in the Artist Palette trading Vinylmations with his new best buddy, Jim! He was very excited because Jim let him peek and see which vinyl he wanted to trade for!
(OK, here is where I stopped writing nearly two years ago, so forgive me if there isn't as much detail!)
After Charlie's trades, we walked over to Community Hall. The kids have always enjoyed spending time there, and it was perfect for this time of year when the parks were very crowded. Charlie headed right into the room with the Wii and started playing while Annika started to color. Eventually Charlie came back into the craft room. I saw a CM, Sundee, that I recognized from several years earlier. Just as I was about to say that I recognized her, she said "Charlie! I still have the Stitch you colored for me hanging on my wall!" It had been nearly 3 years before and I couldn't believe that she not only remembered him, but also his name!
I love Disney CMs!
We also met another very nice CM, Debbie from NJ, that night. She and I talked a bit while the kids colored. Annika went outside to roast marshmallows and I picked up a schedule for the week. It was a really nice time and very relaxing! We would probably be back on Sunday. We headed back to Artist Palette to pick up some food which we ate back at the room. Then, we went to bed.
Friday, December 28
The plan: Epcot day. ADR at Akershus for lunch so my princess can celebrate her 10th birthday with other princesses
Actual: My first thought when I opened my eyes was "I have a TEN YEAR OLD!" How does time fly by so quickly?! I woke up my little (big) girl and wished her a happy birthday! I woke Charlie and we got dressed and were at the Carriage House at 6:55. We waited for AP to open and were the first in line for breakfast. The birthday girl got Mickey Waffles and bacon while the little man got a PB&J Uncrustable. I just got a couple of cheese sticks.
We headed over to the bus stop and waited about 20 minutes for an Epcot bus. On the bus we talked to another family about our plan for the day. Security was very easy and then we noticed that there was a huge queue for the first turnstile, but the others were empty. I was very confused. A couple of the queues were only open for guests with their tickets on their room keys. AHA! That's why they split the guests at the MK! The new RFID scanners! I got it!
We headed over to Test Track to try the newly rehabbed attraction. On the way over there, we saw our bus buddies who warned us that TT was down :-( I checked with a CM and he wasn't sure how long it would be down. I decided to run and get Soarin' FP's while the kids rode Mission Space (green). We probably should have gotten TT FPs and ridden Soarin', but live and learn!
While I waited for the children, I spoke to a CM who was filling the fill-a-tube-with-colored-sugar dispenser and he showed me two really cool Hidden Mickeys (which I no longer remember, so I'll have to find them again!) The kids had a great ride and had the same positions they had had on our previous trip.
We walked over to Spaceship Earth. Annika rode in the front with Charlie and me in the back. Next, we went to. Future World West to ride Living With The Land. Before we got there, Annika asked if we could stop at the Character Connection. I told her that we could if the wait wasn't too long. The regular area was under construction so it was moved back, and there was no line at all! Happy Birthday to Annika!! We got to see Mickey, Pluto, and Minnie. The characters liked Annika's Oswald ears and tried to wear them!
It was time for our Soarin' FPs and we rode with a really short wait. We spoke to a little boy and his dad in line. They had never ridden before and afterward, they both said they loved it! When the ride ended, Annika was the first to applaud! The kids each got a croissant at Sunshine and Seasons and then we got in line for LWTL. This ride never gets old for me. I had fun using the panoramic feature on my phone!
We walked over to The Seas. Outside was a woman with a Mad Hatter style Stitch hat. She was carrying a lot of Stitch toys. She was there with her family and we talked with her about our mutual love of Stitch. Annika and her plush Stitch posed for a picture with the lady and then we went our separate ways. The seagulls did their Mine, Mine, Mine shtick right before we walked into the building. We rode Nemo, but it was too dark to take panoramic photos.
When: December 19, 2012-January 1, 2013
Where: Dad's condo in Highland Beach, Maingate Lakeside Resort Hotel, Saratoga Springs Resort-Deluxe Studio
Why: Disney Math
Who: Stacey-46-WDW veteran-35+ trips, DVC member
Annika-9-WDW veteran-24th trip
Charlie-7-WDW veteran-16th trip
Annika's Stitch- About the size of Duffy, so he has a very large Duffy wardrobe
With guest appearances by:
John- DH 48
Dad and Carol- my father and his new bride
Various extended family members
Susan- CM friend
Isabel and Mia- high school/college friend and her daughter
This trip was born of Disney Math. You know the what I'm talking about, right?
We had gone to WDW the previous Christmas break and it had been better than I expected, but I hadn't planned to do it again so soon. We were just going to take a more relaxing trip and visit my father and his new wife, Carol, in their rented Highland Beach Condo.
Then, in July, we went to Disneyland and decided to buy Premier Passports. We would use them for Disneyland trips in the summers of 2012 and 2013 as well as an October trip to WDW. I started thinking. We would be in Florida anyway (we were driving.) We would have APs. We had DVC points. This trip was practically free!
I made some calls and was able to get us a reservation at Saratoga Springs Resort for December 26-31. Our plan was to leave for Florida on Thursday morning, December 20 and get to Dad's place on the 21st. We would stay there until the 26th when we would leave for WDW. Our drive home would be on the 31st and 1st.
Then, John (who generally doesn't do Disney with us and couldn't take off as much time either) decided that instead of going right to Highland Beach with us, he wanted to fly to Western Fl. with Annika for a few days to look for seashells and then meet us at my dad's condo.
I decided that with the holiday crowds, I wanted to have at least on ADR on at least most of the days, so I set about making some. It was also going to be Annika's 10th birthday during our stay, so I wanted to make a special ADR that day. I tried for Be Our Guest on several occasions, but had no luck.
A couple of months out, I decided that since John was leaving Fl. On the 25th and because Dad and Carol had plans in the PM that day, I would see if I could get something cheap on Hotwire for the night of the 25th. That way we would have the whole day on the 26th.
About a month later, I decided that since Annika and John were flying out on the 19th, Charlie and I would also leave that day, right after school. We would drive a few hours, spend the night somewhere, drive most of the day on Thursday and get to somewhere in Florida. Finally, we would complete our journey on Friday.
When the plans were made, remade, and tweaked, they looked like this:
Wednesday, December 19- John and Annika will leave for the airport at about 4:30 while Charlie and I will leave immediately when we get home from school. Drive to just south of Richmond.
Thursday, December 20- Get up as early as possible and head south. Go as far into Florida as we can, maybe Daytona. It would be great if we only had a couple of hours to go on Friday
Friday, December 21- Finish our drive to Highland Beach and spend the day relaxing.
Saturday, December 22- Relax, maybe go to Animal Jungle in Miami. Really, whatever Charlie would like.
Sunday, December 23- Hang out, do laundry, and wait for Annika and John to join us. Dinner with extended family.
Monday, December 24- No plans. Hang out with the family.
Tuesday, December 25, Christmas Day- Spend the morning with the family in the condo. Around noon, John heads back to Fort Myers and we head to Orlando. Check in to Maingate Lakeside Resort Hotel. ADR at Paradiso 37.
Wednesday, December 26- Check into Saratoga Springs. Magic Kingdom at opening. Chef Mickey's ADR for dinner.
Thursday, December 27- Magic Kingdom again. Lunch ADR at Crystal Palace.
Friday, December 28, Annika's 10th birthday!- Epcot day. ADR at Akershus for lunch so my princess can celebrate her 10th birthday with other princesses
Saturday, December 29- Animal Kingdom. No ADRs today.
Sunday, December 30- Disney's Hollywood Studios. ADR at 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch
Monday, December 31- Animal Kingdom or Epcot. ADR at Tusker House for breakfast, but will cancel it if we go to Epcot.
Tuesday, January 1- Finish drive home
I also, want to mention that in September I had given up eating gluten and most sugar. I do not have celiac, but so many people have just plain felt better from giving up gluten that I thought I'd give it a try. I try to avoid it, but am not concerned by minor contamination. Giving up sugar was also to feel better. I eat a small amount of fruit, usually in the form of a green smoothie each day, but rarely eat it otherwise. I have reached a point where I no longer crave sugar and am generally happy to do without. I have also reached the point that I think I can cheat a little bit with this without falling completely off the wagon. It's amazing how good and satisfying just a little bit of sweet is when you routinely abstain!
So here we go with what actually happened...
Wednesday, December 19:
The Plan: John and Annika will leave for the airport at about 4:30 while Charlie and I will leave immediately when we get home form school. Drive to just south of Richmond.
Actual: I work for our school district. My official title is "Adult Patrol," but what I really am is a bus driver, but without a bus. I walk a route each morning, picking up kids, grades K-4, at designated stops along the way and taking them to school. In the afternoon, I do the reverse.
We all got up and did our normal routine for school. I got the kids at school and walked home as usual. I loaded up the car and then napped for a couple of hours. I did my normal walking line, getting home at around 3:25. Charlie went in, used the bathroom, kissed John and Annika good-bye, and headed out.
The drive was boring but uneventful. I had been curious as to how it would work with Charlie in the car with no Annika. On the plus side, there would be no fighting! On the minus, I was afraid he would get easily bored. He was great. He played video games the whole time and barely complained. We went around the DC area right at rush hour, so going was slow at points, but it was never terrible. We made one stop at a McDonalds for food and bathroom.
We arrived at our hotel at a little after 8:00. I had packed a separate overnight bag, so we grabbed it and went to check-in. I went to check in and the front desk attendant asked for my photo ID. I pulled out my wallet to give her my driver's license and it wasn't there. I looked all through my wallet. It wasn't. I looked through my backpack. Nope. I panicked!
Luckily, the woman was very nice and let us check in. I called our house sitter to see if she could find it. She wasn't at the house, so I panicked some more!
We went to our room and settled in. I figured that I'd make some calls the next day to see what I could do, and hoped I would not be pulled over or need ID for any other reason.
I was very glad that night that I take Ambien, because I was so agitated about the driver's license that I would NEVER have fallen asleep without it! I showered and climbed into bed. I snuggled with Charlie, listened to an audio book, and fell asleep.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Plan: Get up as early as possible and head south. Go as far into Florida as we can, maybe Daytona. It would be great if we only had a couple of hours to go on Friday.
Actual: I woke up early, packed up our few things, and loaded the car. I threw a pair of pants on Charlie over his PJs and tried to carry him out to the car. He woke up and walked on his own at about 5:15.
Charlie fell right back to sleep. I listened to a book. While he was asleep, I stopped once to get gas and once to get coffee. I ordered a latte with no sweetener from McDonalds. As I drove away, I realized that it was sweetened, so I got back in the drive through to get a regular coffee. McDonalds' coffee is usually very good, but this was terrible. Undrinkable, really! I would have to do without.
Charlie slept until after 9:00. When he woke up, we stopped at Burger King. He got French Toast Sticks. I got COFFEE! Caffeine and a bathroom break make mommy a very happy girl!
I made a series of phone calls, each one directing me to someone else, and I finally found out what I needed to do concerning my missing DL. I finally connected with Tasha from PennDOT. She was going to fax a form to the condo for me to fill out. I would then fax it back with a copy of a check for $10.00, and they would then fax me a document that said that my DL was current. They would also send a copy of the photo. Tasha said that rental car agencies and the TSA accepted these documents as valid ID. I didn't need it for any of this, but that was nice to know. I just hoped Disney would accept it to give us our 20% merchandise discount for our Premier Passports!
Much relieved that I wouldn't be without ID for two weeks, I kept on trucking! I listened to my audio book. Charlie was happily playing video games. Then I noticed that my phone wasn't charging. I really flipped out. I had no license and was going to run out of power for my phone! I stopped the car to try to figure out what was wrong or to get an alternate charger. I picked up my backpack to look for it, and it was covered in maple syrup. Charlie had just dropped his open package on the floor. I wanted to cry!
I cleaned the mess as much as I could, got my phone charging, and got back on the road.
We made a stop at Wendy's for lunch and a couple of gas/bathroom breaks. At some point, we decided that rather than deal with the hassle of not having ID at an other hotel check-in, we would finish our drive to Dad and Carol's place that evening.
We made a final stop at McDonalds for food and bathroom. I had no problem with fatigue (except that my knees and butt were killing me) until dark, the last two hours. With about an hour to go, my brother called from his car in Los Angeles, which helped me stay alert. I had about 60 miles to go. He had 10. I got where I was going before he did. Ya gotta love LA traffic!
At about 8:15 we pulled into Dad's parking lot. I said good-bye to my brother (who had driven 9 miles in that hour,) gathered up as much of our stuff as I could drag, and took the elevator up to the condo. Phew!
We exchanged hugs and spent a few minutes settling in. I unpacked only what needed to be unpacked right away. I took a very welcome hot shower and then sat on the balcony, overlooking the ocean, and chatted with Dad and Carol for a while. Everyone was very tired, and we all decided to go to bed. I listened to Sherlock Holmes, and fell asleep in minutes!
Friday, December 21, 2012
The Plan: Finish our drive to Highland Beach and spend the day relaxing.
Actual: I can't begin to describe how amazing it was to wake up and not have to drive anymore. We had no firm plans for the next several days, and I was good with that! I woke up at 5:07, rolled over, and went back to sleep for two more hours. I rolled out of bed and sat with Dad, Carol, and Charlie for a little while. I wanted to pick up some groceries, so I headed to a nearby Publix. I got a few things to have in the condo and stopped in a nearby Panera Bread for a latte.
Dad wanted to take us to see a store that he thought we would love. There is a market called "The Boys" that he had taken me to the year before. It's a like hybrid Jewish/Italian New York City market. For you New Yorkers, it reminds me a little of Fairway. It's a great place and I wanted to return, but where we headed first was the sister store "The Girls." Dad didn't discover this place until after we had departed last year.
How to describe the girls...? Inside the store it's sort of an old fashioned candy shop/ice cream parlor with a little bit of general store thrown in. If that's all there was to it, it would be worth a visit, but when you step out the back door it's a whole 'nother bunch off bananas...or should I say "patch of strawberries?"
Step outside of the shop and first you will notice a zoo-like area with paths winding past a variety of cages with rescued birds, mostly parrot species. Many moons ago, I owned a pet store that specialized in hand raised baby birds, so this was very cool for me. Charlie is also a big fan of parrots. The first two birds we passed were a Blue and Gold Macaw and a Green Wing Macaw. Both flirted with me and tried to get my attention. I talked to both of them a bit (and they talked back!) and then we moved on. I kept my fingers out of the cages because macaws are notorious for pretending to be nice, and then BAM! They aren't anymore.
To one side of the bird area is a huge hydroponic strawberry garden. You can go in and pick berries. Charlie is a big fan of both picking and eating Strawberries, so we grabbed a small bucket and filled it. There are also a variety of other pick-your-own fruits and veggies, available at different times, but we just did the berries. We also visited with a bunch of other birds.
Inside the shop, we paid for our berries and I bought an inexpensive milk frother for my coffee. We then went over to "The Boys" so dad could pick up some groceries. Next, we went over to Target to pick up some things that Carol needed. On the way over there, my phone rang and it was my friend Beth from home. She had accidentally butt dialed me, so we chatted a few minutes.
Our main topic of conversation was the total lack of Mayan Apocalypse!
Wow! I had totally forgotten! The world was supposed to end that morning and there I was, picking strawberries!
We finished up our errands and headed back to the condo. Charlie just wanted to hang out, so I spent some time on the balcony, just relaxing. We called my Aunt Millie to make arrangements for dinner on Sunday. Carol had to go visit her mother, and Dad went somewhere. I don't remember.
I took care of my driver's license and then Charlie wanted to go to Barnes and Noble. Dad asked me to pick up gift cards from him for Annika, Charlie and my cousin Neil's three kids Jessica, Camryn, and Tyler who we would see on Sunday.
We didn't get anything at B&N except the gift cards, but we had fun looking. Next, I took Charlie to 16 Handles, a self-serve, pay-by-the-pound yogurt place in the same shopping center. I behaved myself and just had a teeny taste of Charlie's.
We headed back to our home-away-from-home to just chill out for a while before going to dinner at the Melting Pot. We had eaten here the year before and Charlie loved it! His quote had been "Mom! This place is great! Even better than Subway!"
Well, hey! If it's even better than Subway, then we needed to go back!
We left for the restaurant at about 5:45 and we were seated right away. If you have never eaten at a Melting Pot before, you should. It's a fondue restaurant and it's a lot of fun!
We started with the Traditional Swiss Fondue, which they made with corn starch (this used to be by request only, but was now standard!) It was delicious, but really, how can you go wrong with melted cheese mixed with wine
Dad, Carol, and I each had a salad. Charlie passed on this course. We chose bouillon-style entrees. Dad had the Filet Mignon. Carol chose the vegetarian, and I had the sirloin and shrimp. Charlie shared with all of us. We all really liked the food. Charlie and Carol especially liked the cheese raviolis.
For dessert we had the Yin Yang chocolate. It is a mixture of white and milk chocolate presented in a Yin Yang shape. I would have preferred White and dark, but we let Charlie choose. I actually ate more than a bite of this dessert. It was the first real indulgence in sweets in over three months, and it was worth EVERY BITE! Mmmmm! If I am going to cheat, I am going to make it worthwhile!
Back at the condo, Charlie was very tired and he climbed right into bed, without me even having to bug him about it! I showered and then climbed as anxiously into my bed. I listened to a few more minutes of Sherlock Holmes, and I was out like a light!
Saturday, December 22
The Plan: Relax, maybe go to Animal Jungle in Miami. Really, whatever Charlie would like.
What happened: I woke up at 5 o'something and decided to go out on the balcony, listen to the waves, and watch the sun rise. It was COLD out there. I brought out one of the sleeping bags we had brought from home. It was a kid-sized bag, and I didn't fit well, but it kept me warm. I dozed on and off while I watched the sun come up.
Eventually Dad woke up followed soon after by Carol and then Charlie. I had my coffee and we discussed what to do with our day. I suggested Jungle Island in Miami. Charlie didn't want to make the drive. I searched for a few more options. We talked about the Science Explorium. He wasn't interested in that either. I asked if he wanted to go to a mall. BINGO!
Dad told us about Town Center in Boca and that's where we decided to go. Charlie's favorite stores were Brookstone and the Apple Store. In Brookstone he tried out a variety of massage chairs and bought these thingies that you use to replace shoelaces. We still haven't used them, by the way...
In the Apple Store, I bought a car charger for my iPhone to replace the one that wasn't working. Charlie played with iPads! We went to LUSH where I bought Toothy Tabs and some lotion. I was starving, so we went to the food court.
They had an Earl of Sandwich! Yea! That's where we went. Charlie wasn't hungry. I got the Earl's Cobb. It was really yummy!
Charlie wanted to go back to the Apple Store to play with gadgets, and we didn't have anywhere we needed to be. I stayed there as long as I could stand just standing around while Charlie played with various devices.
We went back to the condo where Carol was waiting for the cable guy to come and turn on the wifi. If you read my TR from last December's trip, you'll know that this had been a huge ordeal last year. Broken appointments, forgotten equipment...This time was not promising to be much better.
It was 1:30. Comcast was supposed to be there between 1:00 and 3:00 and they were to call 1/2 hour before they arrived.
I told Carol I would wait for him while she and Charlie went downstairs to have a shuffleboard tournament.
2:45 came, and no word.
Comcast called to say that that the guy was running late so they would send someone else. He would be there at 3:15.
At 3:45, Carol called to ask what was going on. The woman on the phone gave her a total run-around. She asked to speak to a supervisor. They just put her on hold. Finally, at about 4:30, the doorbell finally rang.
Dad came home with a bunch of prepared foods while the guy was still there. In about 1/2 hour, everything was up and running. They had wifi! At about 5:30 we heated up all of the foods and sat down to eat.
Dad had a cold and I felt like I might be getting one as well, so I showered and crawled into bed.
Charlie stayed in the living room with Carol, "helping" her pick out apps for her iPad. After a while, he came into the room and we cuddled for a few minutes. At about 8:30 I sent him to bed and at 9:00 it was lights out!
Sunday, December 23
The Plan: Hang out, do laundry, and wait for Annika and John to join us. Dinner with extended family.
Actual: I slept well until after 7:00. For me, that is practically unheard of!! Charlie actually got up before I did. That never happens! Soon after, I got up as well. I felt better. Unfortunately, Dad didn't. John called us and said he and Annika were on their way. They'd be there at around 11:00.
I got some laundry going and when Carol woke up, she said she wanted to go for a walk. I asked if she would like some company. We got ready and went out front to walk. We did about 3 miles in total and it felt good.
It was also very nice to have some time with my new stepmom! I feel so lucky to have her in our lives. We lost my mom (and best friend) eight years ago. She died of lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking. She died 11 days after Charlie was born and I miss her every day. No one could ever replace her, but Carol is closer than I could ever have wished for. When she and dad had been together for a few months, I told her that the best compliment I could give her is that my mother would have loved her. And she would have. The really great thing about Carol is that she makes my dad really happy. He had a wonderful marriage for nearly 40 years. Now he has another and here's hoping he can squeeze out another 40!
Anyway...
Back at the condo, I had another cup of coffee out on the balcony and attended the laundry.
A little before 11:00 John called and said he would be pulling in in a few minutes. I went down to great them and Annika didn't want to come up because she was listening to the end of a countdown show on the radio. We left her in the car and carried up their stuff. Eventually she came up and hugs were exchanged. I even think she and Charlie were happy to see each other. We did some catching up and I got the laundry to fold.
I took a shower while John put a load in the washer, and somehow broke the machine! Because it was Sunday, no one was around to look at it, so he had to go to one downstairs while the kids took a swim.
I watched the three of them from the balcony, and then went down to watch them from poolside. Dad had been gone for ages and we were starting to worry. My relatives were coming at around three. It turns out he had a flat tire. The kids swam a while and played shuffleboard.
Carol went to visit her mom. She would meet us at the restaurant. At about 2:15 the kids came in from the pool and got changed. At 2:30 my cousin Louise (Neil's wife) called. They were about 15 minutes away. They called again when they arrived and I met them outside of the condo. Our guests were my Aunt Millie, her son Neil, his wife Louise, and their three children. Louise gave my kids each a Disney gift card from all of them. The kids were very excited! Dad gave the B&N gift cards to all of the kids and so did Millie! Annika, Tyler (12) and Charlie went out to play shuffleboard. John and Neil stayed out on the balcony talking and keeping an eye on the kids. Dad, Millie, Louise, Jessica, Camryn and I just sat around chatting until it was time to leave for dinner.
We were eating at a restaurant called Seasons 52. Its thing is that they offer a seasonal menu that changes from week to week. We were to be seated out on the patio. We were also being joined by my Uncle Sam and his daughter Tina, so there would be 13 of us.
We had a lovely meal. The weather was perfect, and the company even more so! During the meal, we found out that Neil's family was planning on going to the beach near Tina's hotel the next day. We decided that we would join them and get to spend some more time with them.
We exchanged lots of hugs and promises to meet up the next day. John left to take the kids to the car while I finished my goodbyes. I walked out to meet them at the car, and when I got there, Annika was no where around. I asked John where she was. He didn't know. I was wearing uncomfortable shoes, so I sent him back the the restaurant to find her. I was panicking and a little concerned at his LACK of concern as he strolled back in search of our missing child.
He found her in Dad's car. She had decided to ride back with him, but no one bothered to tell us! I think I lost a couple of years off of my life! Our family back in tact, we headed back to the condo where we went to sleep.
Monday, December 24
The Plan: No plans. Hang out with the family.
Actual: Our plan today was to take John and Annika to see "The Girls," go to Barnes and Noble so the kids could spend some of their gift cards, and go to the beach to meet with the cousins.
We got up, had some breakfast and got ready for the beach. We piled into the car and headed over to "The Girls." We looked for a few minutes inside the store and then went out to see the birds. Walter, the Green Wing macaw who had flirted with me a couple of days earlier was being all flirty again. He was rubbing his head up against the bars wanting me to rub him.
The spaces between the bars were very thin, so I put my right pinky in to scratch his head.
You know what's coming...right?
Walter was totally loving my scratching...until he wasn't any more. He grabbed my finger and he wouldn't let go. Luckily, I remained calm and and didn't pull back. Eventually, he let go. I could see and feel that it was pretty bad, but I didn't want to ruin things for the kids, so I wrapped my finger in my t-shirt and held pressure on it while they looked at the birds and picked some berries.
I had to sit down because I was feeling a bit light headed. I looked at the wound (which did nothing to help my light headedness) and realized that the bleeding was not really slowing down. I told John that I needed to get to a pharmacy so I could get some supplies to clean and bandage the wound. I went out to the car to wait while John paid for the berries.
Looking at the wound again, I decided that I needed an urgent care facility, not a pharmacy. I googled one and when John and the kids got to the car, I told them that. John thought I was totally overreacting and that I needed a bandaid. He took me anyway. Then, I realized that my photo ID was back in my car at the condo. Uggghh!
We went to Dr. G's clinic, and luckily they didn't need my ID because the coverage is in John's name. I signed in, filled out the paperwork, and told John to take the kids to B&N while I was being seen. He said they would wait. They took me back pretty quickly and put me in an exam room.
It was a bit of a wait until I was seen, and then they soaked my hand in some combination of disinfectants for about 45 minutes. I called Dad and he said that if John wanted to take the kids to the beach, he or Carol could come pick me up. I called John to suggest this and he said they would wait for me. While they waited, they had some pizza nearby.
I was back there for ages, but finally they came back and gave me two shots of lidocaine. Two, because the first didn't work! The first shot was, by far, the most painful part of the whole experience. It hurt so much that I nearly passed out. They laid me back and put a cold compress on my head to keep me conscious. I ended up getting one stitch. It probably could have used 3, but they didn't want it to be too closed up and get infected.
I was able to fill two prescriptions, one for an antibiotic and one for naproxen, right there, and finally I was released. I had been in touch with Louise during my wait and told her that, unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to join them. We went back to the condo and I really felt crappy. I think it was an adrenaline crash. I took a nap for a few hours while John finally took the kids to Barnes and Noble.
I felt somewhat better when I woke up. It hurt a fair amount, but it wasn't horrible. It was awkward and inconvenient, but it could have been much worse! Dad decided that because it was Christmas Eve and most of the area restaurants were closed, he and John would go to a local kosher deli and bring back food to the condo. He phoned in the order and about 1/2 hour later he and John went to pick it up. It took ages because we were apparently not the only Jews in the area to have this plan! Dad said that there were probably 80 customers in front of them!
In spite of the delay, this was a perfect meal for us. It was nice and relaxing. The food was terrific. The kids didn't have to sit for ages and wait like they surely would have, had we gone out. After gorging ourselves, we all decided to hit the hay early.
Tuesday, December 25
The Plan: Spend the morning with the family in the condo. Around noon, John heads back to Fort Myers and we head to Orlando. Check in to Maingate Lakeside Resort Hotel. ADR at Paradiso 37.
Actual: Christmas morning! So, I should explain. The kids and I are Jewish, but John was raised Catholic, and we live in a very non-Jewish area. So although we do not celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas, we still get Santa. Charlie still believes, so we still have Christmas presents. I, however, had no interest in schlepping Christmas presents to Florida, trying to keep them hidden, and then schlepping them home. Therefore, as we did last year, we asked Santa to deliver our gifts home. This also served as a bit of a carrot, something to look forward to on the ride home from Florida. I did bring one gift for each kid, from Mommy and Daddy though. Another Disney gift card! They were going to be loaded for bear!
I woke up first, followed by Annika. John got up, but Charlie wanted to sleep. Eventually he rolled out of bed and I gave the kids their gifts. I had my coffee and finished last minute packing. I also did a final load of laundry.
Carol woke up and was not feeling well. She had gotten Dad's cold :-( I took my medications and cleaned my wound. We all had some breakfast, and then John helped me load the car. We spent a little more time just hanging around, but Carol wasn't feeling well, so we figured we would just get out of their hair.
John was headed back to Ft. Myers to fly home, so we said our goodbyes to him and to Dad and Carol and headed out at about 11:00. I needed to fill the car with gas, but didn't pass any stations on the way to 95, so I hopped on the highway and got off a couple of exits later to fill 'er up!
As I pulled into the gas station, the phone rang and it was my 10YO niece from LA. I wished her a Merry Christmas and passed the phone to the kids. They spoke excitedly to her and when they got off, I found out that she had called to tell the kids what Santa had brought them for Christmas...
...a toilet!
But not just any toilet...
...a Toto Washlet!
I don't think I mentioned the Toto Washlet in this report. Dad and Carol's condo has them in both bathrooms and we all love them. Toto is a Japanese company, and their toilets rock! The Washlet has a built in bidet, with a dryer, heated seats and the works.
Well, the cousins had gotten one and everyone was excited. LOL!
Tank full, we motored on. It was Christmas Day, so the roads were pretty clear and we made good time. About 75 minutes from Orlando, we stopped at a rest stop and got lunch from Cheeburger, Cheeburger. Annika had a chicken tenders sandwich, Charlie and I had cheeseburgers, mine with no bun.
The rest of the ride was uneventful and we arrived at our hotel at about 2:15. I got us checked in and we went back to our room which was a DUMP. Oh well, it was just one night and we would only be sleeping there.
We got our stuff together and hopped into the car to drive to DTD. We arrived at DTD at 3:05 and didn't park the car until 3:30. I used some not-so-nice language as I fruitlessly drove through every nook and cranny of the parking lot. I was about to give up when I FINALLY found a spot.
We got out of the car, I took a deep breath, and finally, I was at Disney!
Our first destination was D-Street. On the way there we stopped in front of Candy Cauldron to watch them make caramel apples. Annika has just recently started to eat apples and said maybe she would get one this trip.
In D-Street, we saw a bunch of new Vinylmation series including a new Parks set, Classics, and Pixar. I bought one from each of those three sets. Charlie made a couple of vinyl trades, and then I traded for him too. He also bought one from the Classic set. I also noticed that they still had the Sorcerer Mickey/Yensid set available, so I bought one.
I thought about making a reservation to do Characters in Flight, but it was closed due to winds. Oh well! That's the great thing about being regular visitors. We know there will always be a next time!
We walked past our restaurant, Paradiso 37, on our way over to the Marketplace. There were some carolers singing and we stopped to watch them for a while. Annika jumped in next to them for a picture.
We walked to the kiosk that sells the iPhone cases and stopped to look a little bit. We talked to a very nice Cast Member, Robert who wished Annika a Happy Birthday. My brother, Drew, called and I was talking to him as we walked. We were walking past the DVC stand and I noticed a familiar DVC CM. His name is Joe and he's from Hawaii. I had talked to him before at Epcot. He overheard me talking to Drew about the cousins getting a toilet for Christmas and said "What a crappy gift!" LOL. I got off the phone and chatted with Joe for a bit. He gave each of the kids some stickers and made a couple of pin trades. He told us a little bit about his time in Japan and wished us a good vacation.
I called Drew back and talked to him while the kids got in line for a frozen lemonade and a bottle of water. We also walked into Ghiradelli and got a sample of Peppermint Bark. We walked over to Mickey Mart and Annika bought a grab bag. She had had very good luck with one of these in October and was excited to try another.
Next we went into Pin Traders so Charlie could trade a Vinyl. The CM let him try a bunch of times, but he had all of the ones he found, so he kept his. I was really disappointed with the pin selection. There were almost no Limited Edition pins, and very little new. I didn't buy a single pin! We slogged back through the sea of people to Paradiso 37 for our ADR.
We had never tried this restaurant before and I was really looking forward to trying it. We checked in and they asked if we wanted to eat inside or out. We looked at each other and all said "out!" It was a beautiful evening. Not too cold. Not at all hot.
We were seated right away outside overlooking the water. Our server was Rashid from Morocco and he did an excellent job! I ordered water and the kids each got a drink in a light-up cup. Annika ordered the Cookies and Cream Milkshake and Charlie got the Tropical Tango which is a mango, orange, and pineapple drink. Both of them loved their drinks. Annika also loved Charlie's!
For dinner, Annika ordered mac and cheese. Charlie ordered the beef tacos for kids. I got two appetizers instead of an entree, shrimp ceviche and guacamole. We waited a little while for our meals, but that was fine. We were really enjoying this place and we used the time for Annika to open her grab bag and for me to open my Vinyls.
In her bag, Annika got Nightmare Before Christmas hair clips, a mobile phone stand, a little padlock, and washcloth. I got Flik from the Pixar series, a guy from Cars in the Parks 11, and in the Classic set, I got Pluto. We were both pleased!
Dinner was very enjoyable! Characters in Flight was running again and we could see it going up and down from our seats. It was swinging back and forth a bit and I thought they might stop running again, but it kept going. Annika ate every bite of her dinner. Charlie did a good job but his was huge! I loved mine, but it was also A LOT of food. I did my best, but left some guacamole and chips behind. Paradiso 37 is a three thumbs up place for us! We all loved it and will definitely return!
We enjoyed the music that they played here. Charlie hoped that they would play Gangnam Style. We were ready to go, and I asked Rashid where the bathrooms were so I could rinse out the light-up cups. He took them and rinsed them for us! As we were walking out, Gangnam Style started playing. The kids started dancing, and we noticed that everyone walking by was also dancing. It was very funny!
We walked back toward our car and stopped in D-Street again for one more trade. We made a man very happy by leaving and letting him have our parking spot. We drove back to our hotel, stopping briefly at the Walgreens in the parking lot to get some water and Tylenol. Charlie also got a Rice Crispy Treat.
Back in the room, I showered, changed my bandages and organized things a bit. I also noticed that the room was even dirtier than I had thought. There were several of what seemed to be blood stains on the floor, and the bedspreads smelled musty. Ick! The kids played a Fishhooks App and Annika took some notes in her journal for school. I dictated notes to Siri for this report. She came up with at least 5 different ways to write Annika's name, including Monica, Onoko, Honicutt, Anacada, and Anaca! Hilarious! We were getting up at O'Dark thirty and we called it a night.
Wednesday, December 26
The Plan: Check into Saratoga Springs. Magic Kingdom at opening. Chef Mickey's ADR for dinner.
Actual: I woke up really early, about 4:30. I think I was anxious to get out of the dump and also, I really wanted to make it to MK for rope drop. I knew that this week was going to be very crowded and that getting there early was the best way to enjoy the parks without shoulder-shoulder crowds.
At around 5:00 I got up and loaded the car. I had put the kids to bed in their clothes for today so they were ready to roll. I got them up at 5:45 and loaded them into the car.
Because it was so early, it took us no time to get to Saratoga Springs Resort. My photo ID was fine with security and we parked in the lot to walk to check-in. We got there just after 6:00 and there was actually someone else checking in! We waited only minutes and were given our packet. Our room wasn't ready, but they had given me the two requests I had made. Grandstand, near transportation! It was the same building we had been in the year before and I knew it was the perfect location. First on the busses in the morning, and first off when we returned later in the day. It was also an easy walk to the Carriage House.
I drove our car over and parked in the correct lot. We unloaded what we needed for the park that day, and headed for the bus stop. We only waited about 5 minutes for a bus. We boarded and the kids sat together and I was a little further back. I spoke to a family from Texas with a son, Grayson. My kids looked like they were going to fall asleep!
We could hear the welcome show going on as we walked to the front gate. They were asking people as they walked in whether their tickets were on their room keys or separate. I wasn't sure why, but whatever. The line we were in was much shorter! By the time we got in, the park was open and we had a leisurely stroll down Main Street and over to Space Mountain. It was still sort of dark, and the park was deserted! We stopped to take a picture with the Minnie and Mickey topiaries on our way into Tomorrowland.
The kids went straight onto Space Mountain and I used the facilities and picked up FP's for Buzz, which we never ended up using. While I waited for the kids, I noticed a massage chair in the gift shop. I paid for 2 minutes, and after about 1, they came off!
We headed right out and over to Fantasyland. Pooh was a walk-on, so we jumped in the queue. While we were on the ride, I wrote on the kids faces with invisible ink that shows up under UV light!
We walked to check out the wait times for Story Time With Belle and Little Mermaid. On the way over, we took some pictures with the great artwork they had up advertising the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The posters featured the Dwarfs with Characters featured in nearby attractions. Belle was already up to about 45 minutes, but Little Mermaid empty, so we rode. It's almost a shame to ride this with no wait, because the queue is so fantastic!
After our trip Under Da Sea, we stopped at Gaston''s for a snack. We got one Le Fou Brew for Annika, one chocolate croissant for Charlie, and one much needed coffee for me. I drank my coffee with relish and had a big gulp of Annika's brew for good measure. OMG! Those things are awesome! If I want to cheat, this is very cheat-worthy!
From Gaston's, we walked to the Haunted Mansion. We decided to walk through the cemetery and play a little. We had just enough time to catch Leota moving her eyes once before we were brought into a stretch room. We had a good ride, and loved our Hitchhiking ghost effect at the end. We had Phineas and he took off our heads and switched them around! Very cool!
Next we grabbed snacks and went over to the Jungle Cruise. There was no one in the queue, but we had to finish the ice creams, so we waited. A bunch of people got in front of us, but even still, we only had to wait for one boat. This turned out to be a great thing because we had the very best cruise I've ever had. Our captain was Tad, and he was just great. He delivered all of the puns and jokes beautifully. We got all of the old standbys as well as some that I had never heard before. On the ride I noticed, for the first time, that there are monkeys in Shirley's Temple!
I wondered if we had enough time to ride It's a Small World before trying to get into Be Our Guest for lunch. There was a short wait, but I thought we could do it. We hopped in line and took a boat trip around the world.
When we were done with our ride we hoofed it over to Be Our Guest. It was about 10 minutes before the doors were to open and the line was out past the drawbridge. No matter. I knew the initial influx would be handled quickly, and I wanted to eat here! We were right in front of a nice family and we chatted with them the whole time we waited.
All in all, I think it was handled quite well. There were CMs on the bridge with printed menus. We were able to peruse the menu and make our decisions before we got into the building.
And the building...WOW!
It was amazing! The entryway was gorgeous. I was actually happy that it took a little while because it gave us time to really look around! After the entryway, we walked into a room with suits of armor in it. The suits were chatting amongst themselves. Very cool!
We made it into the room where you place your order. The self ordering stations weren't functioning and we were directed to a podium where two CMs (one in training) who took our orders. Annika and I ordered a bowl of French Onion soup to share. Annika had the Mahi Mahi and the Chocolate Cream Puff. Charlie had the Pasta Marinara and the Triple Chocolate Cupcake. I had the Tuna Nicoise. All in all it took about 40 minutes. I wouldn't normally wait so long, but it was worth it this first time!
We were giving a rose that would direct our server to our table to deliver our food. The hostess that was to seat us greeted us with "Bonjour!" She asked how many people. I responded "trois!" She looked at me with total confusion on her face. I asked her if she addressed us in French, shouldn't we respond in French?
We were seated at the very back of the ballroom next to one of the windows. It was very pretty watching the snow. I excused myself to use the bathroom and by the time I returned our food was being served. Very fast service. We all thought the cart they used to serve the food was very cool. I went to the beverage station and got our drinks. Water for me, Coke for Annika and lemonade for Charlie.
The food was excellent. I sort of ate around the crouton in the soup. It was very good. Both kids cleaned their plates and so did I! I had a little bit of the chocolate cream from Annika's Cream Puff, and tasted the frosting from Charlie's cupcake. Both were great! When we left, I left a small tip for the CM's. As we walked away, the young lady who cleared our table brought it back to me and said it wasn't necessary because it was counter service.
We had to see the West Wing, so we walked in there. WOW! I think that next time we will request a table in there. So cool! You really feel like you are right in the middle of the movie!
It took us a little time to find our way out of the restaurant, but we eventually did. Oh my goodness, had it gotten crowded! It had been dead all morning, and was just starting to get more crowded as we got in line for lunch. Now you could tell that it was Christmas week!
We walked over to Tomorrowland to experience Stitch's Great Escape. If you've read my reports before, You know that we like this attraction in spite of its bad press. The kids wouldn't dream of missing it. It was quite crowded, but we did make it in with the first group.
We looked around the gift shop where Charlie bought and traded a Vinylmation. Annika wanted a pen for her journal and they had some on sale buy-one-get-one, so she got a Tinkerbell and a Sorcerer Mickey. They were the short fat ones with hair.
Our friend, CM Susan was supposed to be working in Tomorrowland that day. We had originally met her there, in the Space Mountain dump shop a year before, but she had since gone to work at Fort Wilderness. But, she sometimes filled in in Tomorrowland and this was one of those times. She had messaged me on Facebook a couple of days before to tell me she would be at one of the outdoor carts. We started looking for her, and after a couple of carts, I asked. She was definitely working, but the CM didn't know exactly where. We circled Tomorrowland and didn't see her. I was getting confused, and then I realized that there was one more cart, all the way past the Tomorrowland Speedway on the way toward the Mad Tea Party.
We walked over there and as we approached, I saw Susan!! The kids took off running to her and there were lots of hugs!! We had a very nice time visiting with Susan, but it was getting really crowded and we didn't want to keep her from her work. We said our goodbyes and headed out.
I had gotten the text from SSR that our room was ready and I had thought that after seeing Susan we would head back to the resort and check in before returning for our ADR at Chef Mickey's. I was thinking the reservation was for 5:00 but when I looked at my list, I realized that it was 4:10. No sense in going to the resort to just turn around and return. We would enjoy a few more attractions and then take a trip on the monorail to see the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian.
It had started to rain a little bit so we went to the TTA. It was down for a few minutes but then it started running. When we were finished it was raining quite a bit harder. We went over to Carousel of Progress and it was down.
We decided to try Monsters Inc.. It was really raining so we half ran over there. There was quite a long wait, but we didn't have anywhere else we needed to be. For part of our wait we were getting hit by rain, but eventually we got to a dry spot. We had to wait through two cycles before we got inside. We waited a total of about 30 minutes, but we were out of the rain!
We got to see the show from the front row. This show is always very funny, and the audience members they chose this time were really good, especially "That Guy!" By the time we left, the rain had mostly stopped, so we went over to Carousel of Progress. Charlie was a little bit whiny because he thinks this is a boring attraction. He may not like it, but Annika and I do!
OK I have a question. Let's see who can answer it first. Why is it that when John, the father, said "Sasparilla" did the Evil Queen pop into my head? It took me a second to figure it out myself, and perhaps it is only my weird brain that makes connections like this. Let's see if anyone else is as weird as I am!
It was time to head out. On our way down Main Street we got to see part of the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade. We stopped into the Main Street Confectionary where Annika got a red velvet pop with purple sprinkles and Charlie got a marshmallow thingy with milk chocolate and M&Ms.
Charlie was getting very whiny. We headed to the Monorail and boarded a waiting train. We traveled along the rail, stopping at the Contemporary, TTC and the Polynesian before getting to the Grand Floridian. We disembarked and took the elevator down to the gingerbread house. Charlie sat down to rest and Annika searched the house to look for the Hidden Mickeys. Eventually Charlie and I joined her and we found them all.
I bought a gluten free gingerbread man. It was ridiculously expensive, nearly $6.00, but it was worth it. It was SO good! I love cookies, and this was the first one I had had in months! It was very spicy and gingery and completely delicious!
We took a quick spin around the gift shop before going back to the monorail. We re-boarded and headed over to the Contemporary. We were early for our ADR, so we looked around. Charlie browsed the gift shop and bought a couple of Vinylmations while Annika looked for Hidden Mickeys on the Christmas display.
Over by the big window, we noticed that some kids' activities were going on. Charlie played with some giant stacking cups along with a couple of CMs. Annika colored. The CMs there were great. I got a bottle of water from the nearby shop and relaxed while the kids did their activities. We stayed there until about 10 minutes before our ADR time.
We walked over and checked into Chef Mickey's and were taken to the giant plate to have our picture taken. We were given our flatware wrapped in cloth napkins. The hostess asked which of us was celebrating. We told her it was Annika and she got a different colored napkin than we did. She said that it was so everyone would know who was celebrating when the time came for the surprise.
Before we got our food, Mickey came over for pictures and an autograph. Then we got our food. I had salad, veggies and chicken. The kids had nuggets and Mac and Cheese. Donald came over and I asked him why the restaurant wasn't called Chef Donald's. He gave me a thumbs-up!
Minnie joined us next followed by Pluto. Pluto had fun playing with Annika's Stitch toy. It was very cute! The kids got dessert and got back to the table in time for the napkin waving. Our server brought a cupcake and candle for Annika and then our last visitor was Goofy.
When we finished with dinner, we decided to walk back to the Magic Kingdom to catch our bus back to SSR. We unloaded the car and brought it to our room on the 3rd floor. I spent some time unpacking. The kids wanted to go to the main building. Charlie remembered that they had Vinyl trading and he wanted to take every opportunity he could to trade.
In the Artist Palette, I gathered a few groceries to have in the room for breakfast while Charlie traded with CM Jim. He remembered Jim from a previous trip and Jim was a very nice guy! This was to become a habit throughout our stay.
With our goods in hand, we headed back to the room where I made the sofa bed and finished unpacking. We had another early morning the next day so after showers, we went right to bed.
Thursday, December 27
The Plan: Magic Kingdom again. Lunch ADR at Crystal Palace.
Actual: I was up early and checked the weather forecast. Yesterday's rain had led a cold front into the area, and it was going to be chilly. So, I went back out to our car to gather our winter coats that we had left in there the day before. I let the kids sleep for as long as I could and then I got them up and dressed. Charlie didn't put on socks which he would later come to regret.
We went out to the bus stop and waited only about 10 minutes for a Magic Kingdom bus to arrive. At first we were the only ones on the bus, but we were joined by a family from Delaware and spoke to them during our ride.
We got to the MK around 7:00 again, and again they divided guests based on whether their tickets were on their room keys or not. We were headed to Story Time With Belle, but I couldn't resist taking some pictures in front of the castle. It was completely deserted and in the semi-dark, it was gorgeous!
We went right away to Belle and the posted time was 20 minutes. From the time we got in the line, we were the second group in. Annika was chosen to be Maurice. It was very neat. She held bars in front of her face as if she was in a prison cell. Charlie was....
...The Beast!!
So cool!
The show was very good! At the end, Charlie got to dance with Belle. She kissed him and he was kind of embarrassed. I told him that one day he would love it when pretty girls kissed him!
When we left, we headed to Storybook Circus so the kids could ride Goofy's Barnstormer. The kids rode twice while I used the facilities. They didn't even have to get off of the ride. It was so quick that I didn't even realize they had had two rides until they got off!
We went into Big Top Souvenirs to see the sweet shop. Nigel from Oxford England was giving out samples. Annika chose a marshmallow and charlie a chocolate covered strawberry. We discussed Oxford University and how it has separate houses, like Hogwarts!
Next, we went over to the Mad Tea Party. The kids rode, but I didn't. This ride is just not my cup of tea! It is a lot of fun to watch the kiddos on this ride though. So simple, but it creates so much joy!
Our next stop was the Carrousel. While the kids rode, I picked up FPs for Peter Pan.
Everyone was feeling a bit peckish, and I needed caffeine, so we headed over to Gaston's. I got a pork shank and coffee. Odd breakfast, I know, but I had to try it! The kids had chocolate croissants and we shared a Le Fou's Brew. We got the big table in the turret which was pretty cool! I really love that place. Le Fou's Brew will be a necessary part of future trips. And I understand I can get it, by another name, at Carsland in California, so, YEA!
By the time we were finished, our Peter Pan FP window had opened, and we went over to ride. Then we saw Mickey's Philharmagic with only a few minute wait. I wanted to ride IASW again, and the queue wasn't too bad, so we hopped in. I discovered that the panoramic picture feature of my iPhone 5 was pretty awesome. I could get a whole side of a room in one shot. Pretty cool!
We wanted to have one more go on Haunted Mansion, but it was already a pretty long line, so we passed. The kids wanted to have their picture taken in the stocks, in Liberty Square, so we did that. Annika is studying Pennsylvania history this year, so we also took a picture of the Liberty Bell. We also noticed that there was a sleigh outside the Christmas shoppe and I took a picture of the kids in it, also using the panorama feature.
We rarely bother seeing Country Bear Jamboree, and it was just a few minutes until show time, so we went on in. We all really enjoyed it! Even Charlie! I didn't mind the editing. It still felt like a complete show, and was easier for a squirmy almost-eight-year-old boy to sit through!
We went into the Trading Post where I bought the only 3 pins of the trip. This is, by miles, the fewest I have purchased on a trip since I started collecting in 2004! Charlie bought and traded some Vinyls, and we talked to a married CM couple in the shop. They were Vinyl collectors themselves and very, very nice. I didn't note their names.
Outside of the Trading Post, there was a quartet singing Christmas Music, so we listened to them for a while before going to pick up our SOTMK cards. On our way to the fire station, we passed a completely deserted Aloha Isle! I guess the cold weather deters even the most enthusiastic fans from getting their beloved Dole Whips! If we weren't so close to our lunch time, we would have stopped, in spite of the cold!
We walked through the Emporium. We were on a mission for something particular. Annika is a HUGE fan of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and we had been seeing people wearing Oswald ears throughout the park. She wanted a pair! We asked a CM and were pointed toward the front of the store. SCORE! They had them, and I told her I would buy them for her. Happy Birthday!
We picked up our cards and walked over to Exposition Hall. It had been years since we looked around in there. We noticed that people were getting seated for a parade. Oh yeah! There was a 12:30 parade in addition to the regular 3:00! And there were curbside seats available! I asked a CM what time the parade would be hitting that area and she said it was actually starting earlier and would be getting to Main Street right about 12:30. That would give us just enough time to see it and still make our 1:00 ADR for Crystal Palace! Yea!
We sat on the curb and waited. We talked to a family from Montreal for a while until they decided to move across the street into the sun.
The parade was great! I especially liked the flat backs on the gingerbread men! We hadn't planned to do this, and it just worked out perfectly!
When the parade had passed, we had just enough time to head over to Crystal Palace for our ADR. We only had to wait about 10 minutes to be seated, which in my experience at CP is pretty good! When we checked in, I told them that we were celebrating a birthday, and when we got to the table, it was decorated with streamers and confetti!
Before we got our food, we saw Piglet, Pooh, and Eeyore in quick succession. A guest seated next to us took some pictures of us to prove that I had actually been on the vacation with the kids!
The guests left and another family was seated next to us. It was a couple with a toddler with them. The child proceeded to pick up a pack of Equal and eat the entire thing. Paper and all! The parents didn't notice or, they didn't care. Then she picked up a knife, put it in her mouth and chewed on it. Dad (mom had gone to get food) didn't say a word. I never know what to do in situations like this. Do I say something and appear really nosey or do I ignore it and assume the parents are OK with their 2 year old eating artificial sweeteners, paper and knives. Maybe she's in training to be a knife swallower? She didn't appear to be in immediate mortal danger, so I didn't say anything.
I took no photos of the food so I don't remember what we ate. I do remember that they brought a birthday cupcake for Annika and that I had a very small amount of soft serve ice cream.
Our server seemed sort of harassed. I noticed this in all three of our character meals. They have so many tables and so many things going on. They just seem very harried!
We had to wait a while to see Tigger and we ended up seeing the character parade twice because of that. Even though they are growing up, they still think this is fun!
After we got to see Tigger, we were finished with lunch. The kids agreed that we wouldn't do SOTMK this trip. I remembered that we had passed the dance party in Tomorrowland the day the day before and I had told the kids we could come back. Chip, Dale and some dudes on stilts were dancing when we got there. The kids joined in and I took pictures. They did a conga line/limbo combination thing and the kids had a blast! I even joined in and danced a little! We really love these things, and they are a definite perk of coming during the crowded part of the year.
We walked over to Storybook Circus to see how long the line was for the Walt Disney Railroad. It was HUGE, so we decided that it could wait until the next trip. We went into the gift shop for a minute, and there was a CM in there dressed like the popcorn hawkers you see at the circus. The tray of "popcorn" that he carried was really a very cool pin trading board that looked like a tray of popcorn.
It was time to go. We walked out through New Fantasyland. Gaston was out posing for photos and Annika wanted one with him. Surprisingly, the line wasn't long so we did. It was funny listening to the things he said to guests about how pleased they must be to meet him! Very in character!
On the way out, we stopped in to Sir Mickey's where Annika bought a Dinglehopper to use to brush her hair! It was a large golden fork, maybe two feet long, and if you flipped it over, there was a hairbrush! Very cute!
Out to the bus stop, we caught a bus back to SSR. We had decided to spend a little time at Community Hall that evening, so we dropped our things in the room and walked over. Before we walked through the Carriage House the kids posed with the race horse out in front, and we spotted a few Hidden Mickeys. Charlie wanted to stop in at the Artist Palette to trade Vinyls, so we walked in through the lobby.
The young man at the DVC pedestal commented on Annika's Oswald ears and asked if she knew Oswald's story. This led to a long conversation about Disney animation history. The guy sure knew his stuff, and my daughter was pretty impressive as well! He told us (I can't believe I never noticed it before myself!) that the villain in the movie UP!, Charles Muntz, was named after the guy, Charles Mintz, who stole Oswald from Walt Disney. Pretty cool! He also told us that to get Oswald back, Disney had to trade sportscaster Al Michaels for him. I think he and Annika really impressed each other!
While all of this was going on, Charlie was in the Artist Palette trading Vinylmations with his new best buddy, Jim! He was very excited because Jim let him peek and see which vinyl he wanted to trade for!
(OK, here is where I stopped writing nearly two years ago, so forgive me if there isn't as much detail!)
After Charlie's trades, we walked over to Community Hall. The kids have always enjoyed spending time there, and it was perfect for this time of year when the parks were very crowded. Charlie headed right into the room with the Wii and started playing while Annika started to color. Eventually Charlie came back into the craft room. I saw a CM, Sundee, that I recognized from several years earlier. Just as I was about to say that I recognized her, she said "Charlie! I still have the Stitch you colored for me hanging on my wall!" It had been nearly 3 years before and I couldn't believe that she not only remembered him, but also his name!
I love Disney CMs!
We also met another very nice CM, Debbie from NJ, that night. She and I talked a bit while the kids colored. Annika went outside to roast marshmallows and I picked up a schedule for the week. It was a really nice time and very relaxing! We would probably be back on Sunday. We headed back to Artist Palette to pick up some food which we ate back at the room. Then, we went to bed.
Friday, December 28
The plan: Epcot day. ADR at Akershus for lunch so my princess can celebrate her 10th birthday with other princesses
Actual: My first thought when I opened my eyes was "I have a TEN YEAR OLD!" How does time fly by so quickly?! I woke up my little (big) girl and wished her a happy birthday! I woke Charlie and we got dressed and were at the Carriage House at 6:55. We waited for AP to open and were the first in line for breakfast. The birthday girl got Mickey Waffles and bacon while the little man got a PB&J Uncrustable. I just got a couple of cheese sticks.
We headed over to the bus stop and waited about 20 minutes for an Epcot bus. On the bus we talked to another family about our plan for the day. Security was very easy and then we noticed that there was a huge queue for the first turnstile, but the others were empty. I was very confused. A couple of the queues were only open for guests with their tickets on their room keys. AHA! That's why they split the guests at the MK! The new RFID scanners! I got it!
We headed over to Test Track to try the newly rehabbed attraction. On the way over there, we saw our bus buddies who warned us that TT was down :-( I checked with a CM and he wasn't sure how long it would be down. I decided to run and get Soarin' FP's while the kids rode Mission Space (green). We probably should have gotten TT FPs and ridden Soarin', but live and learn!
While I waited for the children, I spoke to a CM who was filling the fill-a-tube-with-colored-sugar dispenser and he showed me two really cool Hidden Mickeys (which I no longer remember, so I'll have to find them again!) The kids had a great ride and had the same positions they had had on our previous trip.
We walked over to Spaceship Earth. Annika rode in the front with Charlie and me in the back. Next, we went to. Future World West to ride Living With The Land. Before we got there, Annika asked if we could stop at the Character Connection. I told her that we could if the wait wasn't too long. The regular area was under construction so it was moved back, and there was no line at all! Happy Birthday to Annika!! We got to see Mickey, Pluto, and Minnie. The characters liked Annika's Oswald ears and tried to wear them!
It was time for our Soarin' FPs and we rode with a really short wait. We spoke to a little boy and his dad in line. They had never ridden before and afterward, they both said they loved it! When the ride ended, Annika was the first to applaud! The kids each got a croissant at Sunshine and Seasons and then we got in line for LWTL. This ride never gets old for me. I had fun using the panoramic feature on my phone!
We walked over to The Seas. Outside was a woman with a Mad Hatter style Stitch hat. She was carrying a lot of Stitch toys. She was there with her family and we talked with her about our mutual love of Stitch. Annika and her plush Stitch posed for a picture with the lady and then we went our separate ways. The seagulls did their Mine, Mine, Mine shtick right before we walked into the building. We rode Nemo, but it was too dark to take panoramic photos.
It was really sweet. Jim was happy to pose for a photo and to sign Charlie's vinyl. 
