Christmas Time with the Family at Disney World

[Angelrose]

CHRISTMAS TIME WITH THE FAMILY AT DISNEY WORLD


This is my third trip report. My DH Ron and I went every year to DW since 1982. I found the DIS and just a few years ago I decided to give writing a TR a try. I hope you will enjoy reading.

This will be my first trip to DW without my darling Ron. He passed away on June 16th and I miss him terribly. This year I will be going with my DS Chuck and DIL Karen and DGS Jesse who will be 2 in November.

July 23, 2009 I got my plane reservations this morning. I also got my Tiffany towncar reservations and my local shuttle service to get me to my airport and back home again. Last night the kids got our hotel reservations at All Star Movies preferred rooms and free dining. I was very happy.

Then the phone rang this afternoon from the fraud dept at Chase. EEKKKK! There was a fraudulent charge which they declined and while I was checking that one out, there was another attempt for $250 for some charity. They immediately shut down my account. The man was very nice and helpful and said they would investigate and I didn’t have to do anything more. They will be sending me something for me to sign. But even though I knew everything was fine, I broke down in tears. I know it’s because I lost my DH. Everything seems to make me cry. This trip will be good for me. I will be able to see my DGS in his first trip to DW. That will bring smiles for sure.

September 1 I ordered my rewards card. I wanted to get it so I can use whatever points I have on it towards my hotel room. Then when I get there I can start charging and getting more points for the next time we go.

September 6 I spent the day with the kids and we got our dining reservations sorted out. Some nights I will watch Jesse while Chuck and Karen have a date night. The rest of the time we will all be together except for a couple of nights when we will get a baby sitter for Jesse so we can all go out together. I am getting very excited. Only 97 days to go. It’s getting closer.


September 21 Well, the plans are all made. December 11 is our arrival day. We will go to DTD for a few hours and then have our dinner at Kona at 6:30. December 12 is MK day with breakfast at CP and we’ll stay for SpectroMagic and maybe have lunch at CHH. The 13th is Epcot day and we’ll see the CP and have dinner at Marrakesh. The 14th is MGM day. Yes I know it’s DHS now, but I still call it MGM. We’ll have lunch at PTC and stay to see Fantasmic. The 15th is AK day with lunch at Pizzafari and Boma for dinner. I’m looking forward to that. The 16th is a split day. MK in the morning and breakfast at CM and then Karen and I will have the Grand Tea at the GF. We’ll spend the evening at Epcot. The 17th is AK in the morning and I will be babysitting Jesse for the evening so the kids can have a date night. The 18th is MK in the morning and Karen will take care of Jesse in the evening so Chuck and I can have a mother/son dinner at Tutto Italia. I looked at the menu and I already know what I’m going to order! The 19th is MK and Kona for breakfast. Karen is getting the Tonga toast and I’m getting those Macadamia nut pancakes. Then we’ll do halvies. MGM at night. Our last day is the 20th. MK in the morning and I’ll take care of Jesse in the evening so the kids can have dinner at Mexico for Chuck’s birthday. I’ll be up bright and early on the 21st to catch my plane home. I have to be at the airport by 6:30am so I am going to ask for a 5am wake up call. I may grab a bite to go and leave my scooter to be picked up. Then wait for Tiffany to pick me up. I can’t wait to see how Jesse reacts to everything. Only 80 days to go.


October 13, 2009 Our trip is now paid in full and my scooter has been rented for the stay. Chuck and Karen booked a new Segway tour of Epcot and backstage Epcot. They will get a Disney babysitter for Jesse for that morning and I will have a free morning at MK. They wanted to know if I wanted them to get the babysitter for the two nights that we had planned. I said I could probably use the rest for an early night. I will love putting Jesse to bed. I am getting so excited now. Only 58 more days to go.

November 22, 2009 It’s almost Thanksgiving. Time is getting close. I know my Ron will be with me the whole time. He would love to see the World through Jesse’s eyes. Only 18 more days to go.


December 11, 2009 Well, here it is. The day has finally arrived. I didn’t sleep too well last night, but I did get a few hours of good sleep. My driver came around 8:10am and we were at the airport in half an hour. Then you wait. And wait. When they say boarding at a certain time, that doesn’t mean a thing. That’s the time they deplane others. Finally we boarded and I was in the next to last row. That’s what I wanted and I got a window seat. That way there is no one kicking your seat or sneezing on your neck the whole way. Next to me was a little boy 2 ½ and his mom. He was very good, but at the end he was fussy. He was so tired. When it was my turn to get out a nice gentleman got my cane and two bags down and said, “Merry Christmas!” I thanked him and got off the plane. I made a mad dash for the rest room and changed into shorts. My Tiffany car was waiting for me. Poor Steve was waiting a long time since I was the last to deplane. One half hour later I checked into the All Star Movies and got my scooter. I told the woman at the desk I would need someone to lead me to my room, since I get lost in a closet. She came right away and was very nice. She opened the door for me and the scooter just fit in the room. I didn’t know where the kids were, so I had to make a long distance call to get Chuck’s cell. He said he’d pick me up and then someone was knocking on my door. I told him to hang on and opened the door to find………Chuck! We didn’t get connecting rooms like we had requested and my king sized bed turned in two twin beds. I hope I don’t fall off. Karen told me when they checked in, they had put her and Chuck in a different building than me! She told them that was not acceptable. I was handicapped and they needed to be close to help me. They finally found a king size bed room a few doors down from me which was fine.

We all piled in the car and took off for DTD. We each bought stuff. Jesse was so happy to see me. Chuck and I each picked out two Vinylmation boxes. You never know which color you are going to get. We chose the clear series. I got a red one and an aqua one. Chuck got orange and yellow I think.

We had dinner reservations at Kona for 6:20 and got there in plenty of time to look around. We had a wonderful dinner at Kona. Chuck had shrimp, Karen had the coconut almond chicken, Jesse had ravioli which he devoured and I had the strip steak. I substituted mashed potatoes for the sticky rice. We demolished the bread and macadamia nut butter. We had dessert too. White chocolate cheesecake for me, Kilauea tort for Chuck and Karen had the sugar free apple stacker. They were all delicious.

We were all beyond tired so we went right to our rooms. I unpacked a bit and had a nice bubble bath. Where do they get these tubs?? I felt like I was in a tight coffin when I laid down. EEEKK But it does the job. There was plenty of hot water, so I was happy.

 

[Angelrose]

December 12, 2009, Day two

This morning we were up bright an early for our breakfast at CP. We first got our picture taken in front of the castle. I can’t wait to get our pictures back. We had purchased the Photopass CD before we left, so we got a good deal. We entered the CP. It really is pretty in there. I was impressed with the selections. I know there have been a lot of bad reviews, but everything tasted good to us. I had the scrambled eggs and veggie frittata, which was mostly onion and chives, bacon, Puffed French toast, donut holes, breakfast pizza and strawberries. Karen had the sausage gravy and biscuits and scrambled eggs which she said was outstanding. Chuck, being Chuck had scrambled eggs, bacon and donut holes. Jesse had pancakes which he loved. Then came the characters. First was Piglet. Jesse loved him. Then came Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore. Jesse gave them all a big hug and got his picture taken and their autographs. After breakfast we went to Adventureland. I did Buzz Lightyear with Chuck and Karen took Jesse. Chuck’s score was 226,000. My score was the amazing 3,600. Oh well, at least I did better than Jesse. We did the Monster Laugh Factory next. What fun that is. I was voted, “Most Likely to Kiss a Monster” and my picture was up on the screen. They picked on one poor man the whole show. He took it very well. Then Chuck was picked to “Get down and dance and some music started to play. Karen made him move around, but he wouldn’t get up off his seat. When he finished they said, “he got down, sitting down” and got a big laugh. This is a “Must Do”. I was laughing the whole time. Chuck and I did COP while Karen walked around with Jesse. We love COP, as old as it is. The CM there was thrilled because he had a new microphone. He couldn’t believe it. He said they never give them ANYTHING new. LOL Next was my favorite thing. SHOPPING! Chuck and I each picked out two more of the Vynalmation boxes. I really wanted the pink one. Chuck let Jesse pick out his two. He got the green one he wanted and the purple one. I got another red one and an orange one. Jesse spied the speedway and said. “ride that”. Chuck took him on that and Karen took pictures of them. Jesse really loved it. I waited in the shade. I really wanted to meet Tinkerbell and the fairies. It was a 60 minute wait, so Karen took Jesse for a walk and I went in. When it was my turn Rosetta came and got me and called me “Buttercup”. After I told her I was from NJ, she said that was her favorite state. I laughed because I thought she said that to everyone. But I was wrong. She asked me what our state nickname was. It is “The Garden State”. So of course that is her favorite state because that is her talent. Next Tink came and got me. After pictures and autographs, I asked her for a little extra pixie dust because I lost my Ron this summer. I figured she would wave her hands or something. She called for Terrance, I think it was either the handler or photopass guy and he actually sprinkled some glitter on my head! Silvermist was my last fairy. They were all so sweet and fun. Chuck was waiting outside for me. Jesse saw Uncle Scrooge and called him Donald. He got a picture and autograph. We did WTP and had lunch at the CHH. They were very nice and took me up in the elevator where I found a table and the CM went down to get Chuck and Jesse who was out like a light. We had our lunch and lingered while Jesse slept. He woke for a second and then went right back to sleep. We went to HM for Chuck and me and then went back to Adventure land for the kids to ride SM. I stayed with Jesse and he ate his chicken nuggets and French fries. Jesse was still in a good mood so we went back to MK and rode SW. He loved it. He was clapping to the music and laughing. We saw Mickey and Minnie and Jesse was over the moon. When it was his turn he almost bowled over Mickey with a big hug. Then we went over to Minnie and gave her a big hug. Then he touched her face very gently and patted her. Then he grabbed her nose! He didn’t want to leave them. So cute! But I am not at all prejudiced. I can’t wait to see those pictures. It was dark by now, so we went back to ride POC. Jesse was a bit scared at first, but loved it later. Since it was around 7. I got a space for Spectro and they left the stroller and walked around. By the time it started Jesse was very fussy, so I let him hold my light stick. He was fascinated with the lights and waved at every float. We stayed for Wishes and then joined the hoard leaving.

I must say I am quite proud of myself. I didn’t run over, bump into or maim anyone in those tight quarters. Why do people walk directly in front of a moving scooter?? Do they not see it or me? I’m certainly big enough. We got to the cut off to Tomorrow Land and they told us that was the best way to get out of the park. They brought us backstage. We did get out faster and toke the ferry to the parking lot. Jesse was fast asleep. We got to our rooms and I was in bed by 12:30. We’ll sleep in tomorrow morning.

 

[Angelrose]

Day two continued

 

[Angelrose]

December 13, 2009 Day three


Remember when I said we were all going to sleep in? I was awakened at 6:15am by a Spanish voice in my ear. Somehow the alarm was set to go off in Spanish. LOL
I got up and washed my hair and caught up on my trip report.

We had a late breakfast at the hotel. I had the veggie omelet and bacon with potatoes and OJ. Very good.

We loaded up the van. When I say we, I mean, Chuck and Karen. I just sat in my seat. It was 86 degrees and very humid. Our first stop at Epcot was at Club Cool. I had the Vegetibeta from Japan. This is my favorite. I wish I could buy it locally. I was unable to find anyone who didn’t know the Beverly was Nasty. Everyone had already tried it. Darn! We thought Jesse would like to see Nemo. I mistakenly stood where we were to meet since I went in the handicap entrance. But I was in the line to see Crush. Duhhhhhhhhh Oh well, it was very cute and I caught up with the kids later after the went on the ride. Jesse was not at all interested in seeing the fish, so we left. The line for the Character spot was too bad, so we waited. Jesse couldn’t wait to give Mickey a hug. We also got family pictures. Chuck had gone on MS and he met up with us while we were in line to see Minnie, Pluto and Goofy. Jesse couldn’t wait to give each of them a hug and he knew all their names. It was still so hot that we let Jesse play in the little fountains along with a few other kids. They were having a ball. He had such a big smile on his face.

We had dinner reservations at Marrakesh at 4, but we wanted a snack. We stopped in the Electric Umbrella and got some chicken nuggets and fries to share. We went into Mousegears and I bought a few toys for Jesse for Christmas (and a few for me). Chuck wanted to hear Off Kilter for a few minutes. My, but they are so loud!

It was time for our reservations and we were seated immediately. Jesse was sound asleep all through our wonderful dinner. First came piping hot, crusty bread and butter. I could have made a meal of just that, but only took a few small pieces. Karen and I each got a different feast. I got the Marraksh feast, which was Harira soup, lemon chicken, roast lamb Meshoui and couscous with 7 vegetables. Oh that soup was WONDERFUL! I made the kids taste it. I couldn’t eat the seafood so they substituted a salad. It was very good. Next came the platter of food which was the size of New Jersey. The lemon chicken was so moist and flavorful and the lamb, mmmmmmmmmmm off was falling off the bone tender. Karen got the Berber feast. It was Jasmina salad first. I tasted it and the dressing was delicious. Then came the platter of roast Meshoui lamb, lemon chicken, lamb sausage and couscous with 7 vegetables. Karen gave Chuck the lamb sausage because it was very spicy. Chuck had the couscous with Lamb. OMG that was the most delicious dinner I ever had. We all got the iced mint tea which was so refreshing on a hot day. We all shared our meals with Chuck. Chuck, however, didn’t share. LOL Karen and I had the Bastilla for dessert. It was flaky pastry covered in sweet cream and dusted with cinnamon and sliced almonds. Neither of us could finish it, but we sure tried. Chuck couldn’t help us out either. Jesse woke up just as we finished. He was so good all day, but I think between the heat and not much to entertain him, he got very fussy. I got a good viewing spot outside the American theater to hear the CP. Karen tried to stay with me, but Jesse was crying. She walked him around and picked me up after. Chita Revera was the narrator and I hate to say it, but she SUCKED BIG TIME. Chuck had gone on to ride MS again. It was time to leave. We were all exhausted. I even got some sunburn. Why, you ask? Because I forgot to pack sunblock that I bought especially for the trip. That’s why!

We got to our rooms around 9. I wrote in my trip report, got a nice bubble bath and turned in for the night.

 

[Angelrose]

Day 3 continued

 

[snapppyd]

I'm loving this so far!! We were at the Beach Club from 12/11-12/15!

We saw Chita Rivera last year and she was very good. This year we saw Andy Garcia, and I didn't think he was that good.

Can you believe how hot it was? We went swimming every day!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

I'm on board!!

What a wonderful TR! Every picture is a treasure...be still my heart!!

(we really must get Jesse and Sophia together!)

 

[loveysbydesign]

great report. love the pix of you dgs loving the characters...so cute!

 

[ksumn1]

Gret TR, Angelrose. Little Jesse sure does love Minnie. Looks like ya'll had a great time. can't wait to read more.

 

[Angelrose]

Thank you snappyd. I was afraid nobody would read this. Yes, it was so hot and humid the first few days we were there. I'm glad we did get a nice morning in the pool and then again at night. It really hit the spot.

Thank you Minnie&Nana. Yes we must get them together. They will make the perfect pair.

Thank you loveysbydesign. I love how Jesse loves all the characters. I think he wanted to take them home!

Thank you ksumn1. We had a great time and I will try and get another section up on Wednesday. I'm going to do a bit of shopping tomorrow and may not get a chance to add.

 

[reelmom]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Life creeps up on you and then it goes by fast. I think of you often and pray that God gives you daily strength. I'm so happy for Karen and Chuck. I will be praying for them also. Loving the TR. Jesse is just too cute. You can tell he was truly excited to meet everybody.

 

[Angelrose]

Glad to see you reelmom. I appreciate the prayers. So many times a day I think of what Ron would say or do. I know he would be over the moon with Jesse. I remember him playing with Jesse Thanksgiving a year ago. He was having the time of his life playing catch with Jesse. Good memories.

You know sometimes it feels like he's been gone for so long and other times, it all seems so fresh, like it just happened. I still keep thinking he will come in to see me before going to bed at night.

 

[minniecarousel]

Love your TR, Angelrose! Great pix too.

The weather sure was strange. I was not expecting the humidity. There was even fog a couple of mornings. Being from near San Francisco, we felt right at home!

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[jackemail]

Enjoying the report, and especially the pictures. It is so evident in everyone's faces what a great time is being had by all!

 

[Angelrose]

Thanks jackemail. We did have a wonderful time there. I think I had the most fun just watching Jesse. He was just so thrilled to see his favorite characters.

 

[Rozz]

Fabulous trip report! Your writing just draws me in. Your grandson's exuberance and joy at seeing the characters just leaps out of the photos. Very heart warming!

 

[Angelrose]

Thank you Rozz. I'm so glad you are enjoying my report. I promise to have some new postings tomorrow.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

I am amazed how excited Jesse is to see the characters - and he had just turned 2!!

Sophia will be 2 in September, but she has absolutely no interest in Mickey. I bought her one of the better old Disney Sing-a-Long videos for Christmas, but she has no interest even though she loves music. This video was one of the favorites of my even youngest preschoolers.

Sophia is on the go all day, does not stop to watch the video for even a minute! I'm hoping we can take her the Fall after her 3rd birthday - when the weather cools down a bit. Right now she is terribly shy - if she remains shy, she'll not interact with the characters at all. My kids were so outgoing and friendly...but I was very shy and still am. Her dad is shy too.
I just can hardly wait to take her though!

Looking forward to another update tomorrow, my friend!!

 

[xDisneyAngelx]

Great photos. I cant wait to read and see more about your Trip

 

[Angelrose]

December 14, 2009 Day 4


We had breakfast in our rooms and left around 8:30. We got a very close parking spot in the handicapped parking lot. That was very good fortune. My rented scooter was wonderful. I couldn’t have done the trip without it.

Our first stop at MCM was TOT. Yes I know it is DHS now, but to me it is still MGM. TOT was a walk on. Karen walked with Jesse because she doesn’t like TOT while Chuck and I went on. We loved it as usual. Then I watched Jesse while they did RR. Jesse was fine. I got him out of the stroller and he played on my scooter. He loves to press the buttons. I had the key of course. They we played “where’s the seat”? He would put the back of my seat down and would raise his hands and I would say “where’s the seat?” Then he would raise the back and say “seat”. We did this for a good 10 minutes. Over and over and over again. LOL Then he got a little restless and ran away from me over to the RR entrance. The CM was ready to stop him, but Grandma yelled “JESSE” in THAT tone and he turned around. I told him to come right back NOW. He must have heard “spanking” in my voice because he came running back. Strap in the stroller time. Just them Momma and Daddy came back.

Let me tell you it was HOT and HUMID again today. We were all suffering with it. We went into the Stores and I bought a Sorcerer Mickey t shirt and a large “Magic Bag of Carp” tote. (Apologies to Winkers here) I used this bag everyday to put in all our purchases, and to put in the pins I traded for. It’s a good thing I had the scooter because I could never have carried that thing. Like Dr. Who’s Tardis, I think it was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. We went into the Hat and I bought a Limited Edition Tink pin on a Christmas bulb.

It was time for our reservation at Prime Time Café and our server was Aunt Teresa. She was very funny and picked on Chuck the whole time. Since it was close to his birthday she told him he was “Older than dirt”. She made him set the table and threw the straws at us. I got a raspberry smoothie and Chuck got a vanilla milkshake and Karen got some iced tea. Chuck and I got Dad’s meatloaf and Karen got the chicken pot pie. Since I knew that we would be getting green beans, I came prepared. We both hate them so I brought along a ziplock bag and when Aunt Teresa wasn’t looking, we put them all in there and I put the bag in my purse. Since we cleaned out plates, we were allowed dessert. Karen and I got the dessert view master. Chuck didn’t. He was still being picked on. I got Dad’s brownie sundae, Karen got the Boston Cream cupcake and Chuck got the s’mores. Everything was really delicious.

Now when I told this story to my cousin, she told me I should have waited until we started eating our desserts and then showed the bag to our Aunt. Now THAT would have been funny.

We went into another store and I got a big peppermint sucker and a Mickey Mouse racer for Jesse. Poor baby was so hot and fussy. Karen got him to take a short nap while Chuck and I went on the GMR. I love that. When we got back, Jesse woke up and we were first in line for pictures with Woody and Buzz. Woody took my arm and walked me back to my scooter. Wasn’t that nice of him? We were still hot and thirsty so we got raspberry lemonade in Buzz and Woody cups. Jesse couldn’t decide which one he wanted so I got them both. Then it was time for Playhouse Disney. Jesse was so happy. He was singing and clapping the whole time. He cried when it was over and wanted to see it again.

We stopped in the Star Wars store and Jesse picked out a soccer ball that was all sparkly. We walked over to the Muppets fountain and Karen got a cute shot of Chuck and Jesse. I needed something to eat and got a pretzel with mustard. I shared with Chuck and Karen. It hit the spot. We had to stop at Pizza Planet. Jesse had a great time running around looking at all the games and climbing on the rides. Chuck took Jesse and walked around while Karen and I went to see Fantasmic. I hated the crowds leaving. Karen just took hold of my basket so we wouldn’t lose each other and we made it out without any problems. Chuck took Jesse to see the Little Mermaid and he loved that too. Since the sun went down and it was cooler, Jesse was much better. The also saw the end of Indiana Jones which Jesse loved also.

Our last thing to do was the Osbourne Lights. They were so beautiful, but I still miss when they were on the backlot. I said Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus and then we headed back to our rooms.

Waiting for the Playhouse Disney Show

Very Interested in Show

Not happy about the end

I want more NOW

Muppets Fountain