Mikeyto_96
OKraysDisneySon
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2007
- Messages
- 131
I just came back from a dream vacation of being in Walt Disney World for Christmas. 
December 23rd: My day started with a flight out of my hometown in West Central Georgia. From there it was onto Atlanta for what should've been a 2.5 hour layover, which quickly turned into almost 3.5 hours thanks to maintenance issues and a gate change. I finally arrived at MCO about 4:30pm. I rushed to DME check-in and was pleasantly surprised by the small line. 20 min later, I was on the bus with only a family of 4 and headed to Bay Lake Towers were I would meet up with my parents. I arrived just in time for 5:30 dinner reservations at The Wave inside the Contemporary Resort. We waited only about 5 min before being seated. The atmosphere was very nice, contemporary like you would expect from the resort. I ordered apple-brin pork tenderloin w/ mashed potatoes and spinach. It was very good! The pork was nice and tender. My parents both ordered the grilled beef tenderloin and remarked how good it was. Dessert was also excellent. We each ordered a trio of different desserts to sample. Mine included Coffee Creme brulee, chocolate mousse and New York Cheesecake. Each was very good. Afterwards we headed to the room for a quick minute as I hadn't seen it yet and wanted to put my bags down before we headed to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom and were greeted by snow on Main Street U.S.A. What an awesome sight! We had photopass take pictures in several areas all the way down to the castle. We stood around in the circle in front of the castle finally taking in Disneys Main Street Electrical Parade. It was really awesome to see it again. I had seen it many times as a youngster and was thrilled when Disney announced it would be back. After the parade my parents left but I hung around to watch the fireworks. I moved up as close to the castle as I could and stood in amazement at the fireworks. I took the monorail back to BLT.
December 24th - Christmas Eve - I woke up early, about 7am and was out the door by 7:30 to head to Animal Kingdom. I arrived just after park opening. I stopped at the Pizzeria for breakfast. I had scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuit and oj. Was very good. After breakfast I went to get in line for the Safari. I had been on it the year before and was excited to see it again. From entrance to the bus was about 10 min. Although it was a cold morning we were not disappointed as the animals were out. We even came across a baby giraffe that had been born recently. After the safari I strolled around AK some more before boarding the bus to Disney Studios. I didn't hang around very long as it was extremely crowded and the rides I tend to enjoy had long wait times. But I did manage to get my picture with Mickey and ended up seeing Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto as well. After DS I headed back to BLT for about an hour then headed back to the Magic Kingdom to meet up with my parents. I hung around with them for a few minutes before staying about another hour just strolling around, looking at the decorations and riding the Liberty Bell ferry boat. After I went back to BLT to get ready for Christmas Eve dinner at O'Hana inside the Polynesian Village. We arrived at Poly early to check out the shops. We checked in around 4:15 and ordered some drinks from the Tambu Lounge. It wasn't long when we were called for dinner, in fact we were the first seated dinner that night. If you've never eaten at O'Hana it is a very unique experience in that you get a lot of food during several courses and the meat is brought to you on skewers and it is all-you-can-eat. Dessert was bread-pudding. I had never eaten it before but it was excellent, especially with the caramel sauce they give you. After dinner we rode the monorail to the Grand Floridian. WOW, what an amazing place at Christmas (or any other time for that matter). Inside the main building is the Gingerbread house and a tree that has to be well over 60ft tall. Mom did a little shopping and we spotted Mickey and Minnie dressed in their best "Christmas Carol" outfits taking pics with guests. Of course we could not resist this opportunity so we stood in line for about 45 min before finally out turn came up to have our pics taken. I should point out, Santa was there as well but his line wasn't 1/4 the size of Mickey and Minnies. My parents did give some love to Santa prior to my meeting up with them on the main floor. After this we headed back to BLT, checked in to the Top of the World Lounge for some after dinner drinks. It was nice up there, not sure it was what I expected but still very nice. After drinks we headed back to the room for presents, cookies and bedtime. Magic Kingdom was at 80% capacity today.
December 25th - Christmas Day - Well, we had reservations for 8:10 at Crystal Palace but we ended up over-sleeping. So we cancelled those, got dressed and went down to the Contempo Cafe for a nice Quick Service breakfast. Afterwards we hopped a bus over to Downtown Disney for a day of shopping and more eating. We had lunch at Woflgang Puck Express. Very very good food, I do recommend this place. My dad and I both had half rotisserie chicken, which was very good, and my mom had bacon-wrapped meatloaf which I also tasted and found it to be the best I have ever tried. After lunch we walked around some more and found the new bakery which caters to those with food allergies. We picked up a few items as my mom has a gluten allergy and I wanted to try somethings as well. I do recommend this bakery as well. I don't recall the name but it is in the same area where McDonalds use to be(thankfully this is gone, never belonged in WDW) right next to T-Rex. After the bakery we went to Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop which is a family must anytime we are in WDW. I had a peppermint stick sundae with Hot Milk Fudge and Caramel, my mom had vanilla with Hot Dark Fudge and Caramel, while dad had the same as mom but with Hot Milk Fudge. After DTD we headed back to BLT. Upon arrival mom/dad went up to the room while I did one of my musts, rented SeaRaycers from the marina. If you are not familiar with them, they are two seater speed boats. I suggest if you ever rent them, go to one of the MK resorts as you have access to Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon which allows the boat to obtain speeds up to 35mph. I spent an hour just riding around both lakes. Later in the evening/night we went back to Magic Kingdom, where we heard the parking lot closed for 4hrs but the park itself was open to WDW resort guests only but almost did close due to capacity. We had at Caseys Corner and rested before heading to the Tomorrowland Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party which was a Christmas gift to me from my parents. What a great time we had! The view of the fireworks and castle was spectacular. Tinker Bell did not get to fly as the winds were too heavy for her but it was still a great time.
December 26th - Moving Day - We moved from BLT to Disney Boardwalk Villas. It was also a rainy and windy day, so we spent the day at the ESPN Club watching the Bears/Jets game and our beloved Green Bay Packers play the New York football Giants. We had great seats to see both games on the big screen. Next to us were some "interesting" Giants fans that I and some Packer fans next to me shared friendly "jabs" with during the game. Needless to say the Giants fans were pretty quiet toward the end of the 3rd qtr. We had late reservations at the Captains Grille in the Yacht Club. A very good place to eat. I had the fish of the day with was Pan-seared Mahi-Mahi. Mom/dad both had crab-legs which they were both kind enough to share with me since you get at least a pound of them. No parks today.
December 27th - Last Day at Disney - We had breakfast back at the Captains Grille. All three of us had the buffet which was really good, even though they didn't have an omlet station, something I really enjoy. After breakfast I headed over to EPCOT. My first order of business was to try and get on Soarin', lol, no luck at all. Stand-by was already at an hour with fast pass for 3pm. So, I decided no Soarin' this trip. Instead I went over to The Seas With Nemo and Friends to ride the Clam Shells and then over to Journey To Imagination. I was able to get on both rides within 10 min of arrival. After both of those rides World Showcase was open so I headed to Mexico and the ride they have. Here I was also able to board within 5 min of arriving. After Mexico I worked my way to the American Adventure where it was 20 min until the next show. I stuck around and was able to hear the 'Voices of Liberty' singers prior to the show. I always enjoy this show. Once the show was over I had a little time to kill before meeting mom/dad in Germany for dinner at Biergarten. This was a dinner I was looking forward too as some of my heritage goes back to Germany. Mmmm, excellent food and service. The show put on is also wonderful. I was amazed by the Alpine Horns they played at one point. The sound and shear length of them is something to experience. After dinner my mom and I had to check out the new Caramel store while dad went back to the Photo Center to pick up a picture he and mom had done with Mickey and Minnie. After mom/I found our favorites at the caramel store we strolled toward the American Adventure where we caught the start of the Candlelight Processional which was being guest hosted by Edward James Olmos. What an amazing performance and display of the true meaning of Christmas. Mr. Olmos did a wonderful job receiting the Christmas Story. This truely was a wonderful way to end my Christmas vacation in Walt Disney World.
December 28th - Today we left all of our wonderful friends at Walt Disney World. We take with us more great memories and experiences to last us a lifetime. It is always sad to say goodbye to this magical place but we have our next vacation to look forward to. We will be back the end of May for a 2-night stay at Old Key West prior to boarding the Disney Dream for what will be my very first cruise and her first Double-Dip! I can not wait!!!
December 23rd: My day started with a flight out of my hometown in West Central Georgia. From there it was onto Atlanta for what should've been a 2.5 hour layover, which quickly turned into almost 3.5 hours thanks to maintenance issues and a gate change. I finally arrived at MCO about 4:30pm. I rushed to DME check-in and was pleasantly surprised by the small line. 20 min later, I was on the bus with only a family of 4 and headed to Bay Lake Towers were I would meet up with my parents. I arrived just in time for 5:30 dinner reservations at The Wave inside the Contemporary Resort. We waited only about 5 min before being seated. The atmosphere was very nice, contemporary like you would expect from the resort. I ordered apple-brin pork tenderloin w/ mashed potatoes and spinach. It was very good! The pork was nice and tender. My parents both ordered the grilled beef tenderloin and remarked how good it was. Dessert was also excellent. We each ordered a trio of different desserts to sample. Mine included Coffee Creme brulee, chocolate mousse and New York Cheesecake. Each was very good. Afterwards we headed to the room for a quick minute as I hadn't seen it yet and wanted to put my bags down before we headed to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom and were greeted by snow on Main Street U.S.A. What an awesome sight! We had photopass take pictures in several areas all the way down to the castle. We stood around in the circle in front of the castle finally taking in Disneys Main Street Electrical Parade. It was really awesome to see it again. I had seen it many times as a youngster and was thrilled when Disney announced it would be back. After the parade my parents left but I hung around to watch the fireworks. I moved up as close to the castle as I could and stood in amazement at the fireworks. I took the monorail back to BLT.
December 24th - Christmas Eve - I woke up early, about 7am and was out the door by 7:30 to head to Animal Kingdom. I arrived just after park opening. I stopped at the Pizzeria for breakfast. I had scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuit and oj. Was very good. After breakfast I went to get in line for the Safari. I had been on it the year before and was excited to see it again. From entrance to the bus was about 10 min. Although it was a cold morning we were not disappointed as the animals were out. We even came across a baby giraffe that had been born recently. After the safari I strolled around AK some more before boarding the bus to Disney Studios. I didn't hang around very long as it was extremely crowded and the rides I tend to enjoy had long wait times. But I did manage to get my picture with Mickey and ended up seeing Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto as well. After DS I headed back to BLT for about an hour then headed back to the Magic Kingdom to meet up with my parents. I hung around with them for a few minutes before staying about another hour just strolling around, looking at the decorations and riding the Liberty Bell ferry boat. After I went back to BLT to get ready for Christmas Eve dinner at O'Hana inside the Polynesian Village. We arrived at Poly early to check out the shops. We checked in around 4:15 and ordered some drinks from the Tambu Lounge. It wasn't long when we were called for dinner, in fact we were the first seated dinner that night. If you've never eaten at O'Hana it is a very unique experience in that you get a lot of food during several courses and the meat is brought to you on skewers and it is all-you-can-eat. Dessert was bread-pudding. I had never eaten it before but it was excellent, especially with the caramel sauce they give you. After dinner we rode the monorail to the Grand Floridian. WOW, what an amazing place at Christmas (or any other time for that matter). Inside the main building is the Gingerbread house and a tree that has to be well over 60ft tall. Mom did a little shopping and we spotted Mickey and Minnie dressed in their best "Christmas Carol" outfits taking pics with guests. Of course we could not resist this opportunity so we stood in line for about 45 min before finally out turn came up to have our pics taken. I should point out, Santa was there as well but his line wasn't 1/4 the size of Mickey and Minnies. My parents did give some love to Santa prior to my meeting up with them on the main floor. After this we headed back to BLT, checked in to the Top of the World Lounge for some after dinner drinks. It was nice up there, not sure it was what I expected but still very nice. After drinks we headed back to the room for presents, cookies and bedtime. Magic Kingdom was at 80% capacity today.
December 25th - Christmas Day - Well, we had reservations for 8:10 at Crystal Palace but we ended up over-sleeping. So we cancelled those, got dressed and went down to the Contempo Cafe for a nice Quick Service breakfast. Afterwards we hopped a bus over to Downtown Disney for a day of shopping and more eating. We had lunch at Woflgang Puck Express. Very very good food, I do recommend this place. My dad and I both had half rotisserie chicken, which was very good, and my mom had bacon-wrapped meatloaf which I also tasted and found it to be the best I have ever tried. After lunch we walked around some more and found the new bakery which caters to those with food allergies. We picked up a few items as my mom has a gluten allergy and I wanted to try somethings as well. I do recommend this bakery as well. I don't recall the name but it is in the same area where McDonalds use to be(thankfully this is gone, never belonged in WDW) right next to T-Rex. After the bakery we went to Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop which is a family must anytime we are in WDW. I had a peppermint stick sundae with Hot Milk Fudge and Caramel, my mom had vanilla with Hot Dark Fudge and Caramel, while dad had the same as mom but with Hot Milk Fudge. After DTD we headed back to BLT. Upon arrival mom/dad went up to the room while I did one of my musts, rented SeaRaycers from the marina. If you are not familiar with them, they are two seater speed boats. I suggest if you ever rent them, go to one of the MK resorts as you have access to Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon which allows the boat to obtain speeds up to 35mph. I spent an hour just riding around both lakes. Later in the evening/night we went back to Magic Kingdom, where we heard the parking lot closed for 4hrs but the park itself was open to WDW resort guests only but almost did close due to capacity. We had at Caseys Corner and rested before heading to the Tomorrowland Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party which was a Christmas gift to me from my parents. What a great time we had! The view of the fireworks and castle was spectacular. Tinker Bell did not get to fly as the winds were too heavy for her but it was still a great time.
December 26th - Moving Day - We moved from BLT to Disney Boardwalk Villas. It was also a rainy and windy day, so we spent the day at the ESPN Club watching the Bears/Jets game and our beloved Green Bay Packers play the New York football Giants. We had great seats to see both games on the big screen. Next to us were some "interesting" Giants fans that I and some Packer fans next to me shared friendly "jabs" with during the game. Needless to say the Giants fans were pretty quiet toward the end of the 3rd qtr. We had late reservations at the Captains Grille in the Yacht Club. A very good place to eat. I had the fish of the day with was Pan-seared Mahi-Mahi. Mom/dad both had crab-legs which they were both kind enough to share with me since you get at least a pound of them. No parks today.
December 27th - Last Day at Disney - We had breakfast back at the Captains Grille. All three of us had the buffet which was really good, even though they didn't have an omlet station, something I really enjoy. After breakfast I headed over to EPCOT. My first order of business was to try and get on Soarin', lol, no luck at all. Stand-by was already at an hour with fast pass for 3pm. So, I decided no Soarin' this trip. Instead I went over to The Seas With Nemo and Friends to ride the Clam Shells and then over to Journey To Imagination. I was able to get on both rides within 10 min of arrival. After both of those rides World Showcase was open so I headed to Mexico and the ride they have. Here I was also able to board within 5 min of arriving. After Mexico I worked my way to the American Adventure where it was 20 min until the next show. I stuck around and was able to hear the 'Voices of Liberty' singers prior to the show. I always enjoy this show. Once the show was over I had a little time to kill before meeting mom/dad in Germany for dinner at Biergarten. This was a dinner I was looking forward too as some of my heritage goes back to Germany. Mmmm, excellent food and service. The show put on is also wonderful. I was amazed by the Alpine Horns they played at one point. The sound and shear length of them is something to experience. After dinner my mom and I had to check out the new Caramel store while dad went back to the Photo Center to pick up a picture he and mom had done with Mickey and Minnie. After mom/I found our favorites at the caramel store we strolled toward the American Adventure where we caught the start of the Candlelight Processional which was being guest hosted by Edward James Olmos. What an amazing performance and display of the true meaning of Christmas. Mr. Olmos did a wonderful job receiting the Christmas Story. This truely was a wonderful way to end my Christmas vacation in Walt Disney World.
December 28th - Today we left all of our wonderful friends at Walt Disney World. We take with us more great memories and experiences to last us a lifetime. It is always sad to say goodbye to this magical place but we have our next vacation to look forward to. We will be back the end of May for a 2-night stay at Old Key West prior to boarding the Disney Dream for what will be my very first cruise and her first Double-Dip! I can not wait!!!
