2belles'mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2000
- Messages
- 406
The Cast:
Me, 36, Disney Addict
David, DH, 36 Disney Addict NOT
Katja, DD, 7
Annika, DD 4
Mumu, Mom of DH
Tuta, Dad of DH
Part One: Christmas Night, December 25 and Arrival, December 26
For the past few years, we have gone to Walt Disney World at some point over Christmas break. Last year, we spent the entire two weeks in Florida, and celebrated Christmas Day at the Wilderness Lodge with extended family. It worked well, and we were able to go light on gifts, as the girls had been given strict instructions to only ask Santa for things that would fit into the suitcase for the return trip. Alas, our oldest, Katja, under the guise of being sentimental and wanting to have Christmas at home--HA! We realized too late that this was simply a ploy to get bigger gifts! --contributed to our decision to have Christmas at our house and then fly to Orlando Christmas night. So, with heaps of Christmas day wreckage in our wake, we prepared to leave our home.
My father showed up at our house at 7p.m. to take us to the airport. We were headed for at 7:40 ferry from our island, in order to get to SeaTac airport in plenty of time for our 11 p.m. flight. My Dad helped load the van as David and I did our last minute check of lights (do we leave our Christmas lights on??? If we turn them off will it look as if we are out town???). As we piled into the van, David commented on how cold it was in our normally mild Northwest clime. We all murmured our agreement. We pulled out of the drive and started down the road. Disney World, here we come!!! It WAS cold in the van. The girls requested that the heat puullleeez, puullleeeeeeeez be turned up. Annika, our four year old, whined for a heavier coat. I turned back to grab her coat from the cargo area. Jeez, it WAS cold. Suddenly I realized .the back hatch to the van was completely up and open!!!! My Dad, always calm under stress (NOT!!!!), let loose with a couple of choice expletives and stopped the van. I checked and counted bags--yikes!--we were missing one. Boy oh boy, THAT must have been the thunk I thought I had heard earlier . David and I added our own choice expletives to my Dad's commentary. We turned around as quickly as we could on the narrow road, and slowly retraced our steps, our eyes peeled for a pink Disney Princess suitcase. I looked at my watch. Still time. We simply COULDNT miss the ferry as the next one was an hour later and would put us in jeopardy of missing our flight. Finally, there!--in front of our house--a pink princess roller-case dumped unceremoniously in the middle of the road. David jumped out, grabbed the bag and threw it in the front, and we made tracks for the ferry terminal. Katja then admonished us, Mom and Daddy, just because a suitcase falls out of the car onto the road doesnt mean you can use bad words. And right she was.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and caught our on-time flight. Christmas night was a good time to fly--no crowds, no lines. We managed to sleep some on the first leg to Charlotte (whew! Fourteen degrees and ccccoooolddd in Charlotte!), then continued awake and eager on the second leg to Orlando. We arrived at MCO at about 11:00, grabbed our luggage and met our Tiffany Town Car driver who zipped us to the Marriott Orlando World Center, where we would be staying for our first two nights (a Priceline deal donchaknow ). I requested a Disney view and we were assigned to a room on the 7th floor in the North Tower. Our room had a view of Downtown Disney, Epcot, the golf course and we could also see the Contemporary and Space Mountain in the distance. Great--we would be able to enjoy the MK fireworks.
While David settled in, the girls and I went on a quick exploratory walk around the property. We have stayed here several times in the past, but Annika has no memory of it and Katja was excited to ride the glass elevator, really the only thing she remembered from her previous stay. David and I stayed here last January, but it was a sans-children trip. Indeed, both girls delighted in the rapid ascent to the 28th floor in the external glass elevator, and squealed with delight as we seemingly dropped through the air on the return trip to the ground. On our way back to the room, the girls ooohhed and ahhed at the pool, and begged to go for a swim. I promised them a swim, but only AFTER a nice cozy nap. Reluctantly, and with some degree of whining (have I mentioned that I think my girls would win any World Wide Whining Competition, hands down?), they agreed. We returned to the room, drew the drapes against the strong Florida sunshine, and settled in for some much needed sleep.
At 3:00, the phone rang. I roused myself from a deep sleep and said hello to my mother-in-law, Taimi (Mumu to the kids). She and Tuta were in the lobby. They had driven up from West Palm Beach, where they reside. We had expected them earlier, but being Finns with a cautious streak, my Father-in-Law only does his most serious driving at 40 miles an hour, no matter the actual speed limit. I informed Mumu that the rest of the crew was still sleeping, but I would be down in a jiffy. I helped them unload their van and get settled in their room, only one away from ours. Taimi and I then set off in search of food. We went to the food court on the pool level and ordered pizza, philly cheesesteak sandwiches and kids meals. I returned to my room to tempt the sleeping beauties awake with the scent of food. Eventually, everyone was up/dressed/fed and the girls descended upon their grandparents in a hurricane of activity. Hugs, kisses, and Christmas presents were exchanged.
It was now time for the much anticipated trip to the pool. The men elected to stay in the room and catch a football game (surprise, surprise!). The rest of us headed to the pool. The weather was pleasantly warm, and the pool was delightful. It is HUGE, with several hot tubs, waterfalls, a sandy play-area for kids, and a slide. I relaxed in one of the hot tubs while the girls frolicked about. Alas, Mumu forgot her swimsuit and was forced to read in one of the lounge chairs--very hard work indeed. We stayed until it was time to get ready for our 7:30 dinner reservation at Mikados--the Japanese Steak House at the Marriott.
David and I had eaten at Mikados previously, and thought that it would be a fun experience for the kids and grandparents. It is the type of Japanese restaurant that entertains by preparing your food at your table (well, not really a table, since you are seated counter-style around the cooking stage). The girls were mesmerized by the chef---he sliced and diced, juggled shrimp with his knives, caught food on the top of his hat, built onion volcanoes that shot fire high into the air it was great fun. The food was delicious, although my two darlings declined to eat anything but rice. The rest of us enjoyed filet mignon, scallops, shrimp, fried rice, and salmon. Very yummy indeed!
After dinner, we were all pretty pooped, so we called it a night and returned to our rooms. As we were preparing for bed, the fireworks at Magic Kingdom started, so we all went out on the balcony to enjoy the show. I love the Marriott!
Me, 36, Disney Addict
David, DH, 36 Disney Addict NOT
Katja, DD, 7
Annika, DD 4
Mumu, Mom of DH
Tuta, Dad of DH
Part One: Christmas Night, December 25 and Arrival, December 26
For the past few years, we have gone to Walt Disney World at some point over Christmas break. Last year, we spent the entire two weeks in Florida, and celebrated Christmas Day at the Wilderness Lodge with extended family. It worked well, and we were able to go light on gifts, as the girls had been given strict instructions to only ask Santa for things that would fit into the suitcase for the return trip. Alas, our oldest, Katja, under the guise of being sentimental and wanting to have Christmas at home--HA! We realized too late that this was simply a ploy to get bigger gifts! --contributed to our decision to have Christmas at our house and then fly to Orlando Christmas night. So, with heaps of Christmas day wreckage in our wake, we prepared to leave our home.
My father showed up at our house at 7p.m. to take us to the airport. We were headed for at 7:40 ferry from our island, in order to get to SeaTac airport in plenty of time for our 11 p.m. flight. My Dad helped load the van as David and I did our last minute check of lights (do we leave our Christmas lights on??? If we turn them off will it look as if we are out town???). As we piled into the van, David commented on how cold it was in our normally mild Northwest clime. We all murmured our agreement. We pulled out of the drive and started down the road. Disney World, here we come!!! It WAS cold in the van. The girls requested that the heat puullleeez, puullleeeeeeeez be turned up. Annika, our four year old, whined for a heavier coat. I turned back to grab her coat from the cargo area. Jeez, it WAS cold. Suddenly I realized .the back hatch to the van was completely up and open!!!! My Dad, always calm under stress (NOT!!!!), let loose with a couple of choice expletives and stopped the van. I checked and counted bags--yikes!--we were missing one. Boy oh boy, THAT must have been the thunk I thought I had heard earlier . David and I added our own choice expletives to my Dad's commentary. We turned around as quickly as we could on the narrow road, and slowly retraced our steps, our eyes peeled for a pink Disney Princess suitcase. I looked at my watch. Still time. We simply COULDNT miss the ferry as the next one was an hour later and would put us in jeopardy of missing our flight. Finally, there!--in front of our house--a pink princess roller-case dumped unceremoniously in the middle of the road. David jumped out, grabbed the bag and threw it in the front, and we made tracks for the ferry terminal. Katja then admonished us, Mom and Daddy, just because a suitcase falls out of the car onto the road doesnt mean you can use bad words. And right she was.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and caught our on-time flight. Christmas night was a good time to fly--no crowds, no lines. We managed to sleep some on the first leg to Charlotte (whew! Fourteen degrees and ccccoooolddd in Charlotte!), then continued awake and eager on the second leg to Orlando. We arrived at MCO at about 11:00, grabbed our luggage and met our Tiffany Town Car driver who zipped us to the Marriott Orlando World Center, where we would be staying for our first two nights (a Priceline deal donchaknow ). I requested a Disney view and we were assigned to a room on the 7th floor in the North Tower. Our room had a view of Downtown Disney, Epcot, the golf course and we could also see the Contemporary and Space Mountain in the distance. Great--we would be able to enjoy the MK fireworks.
While David settled in, the girls and I went on a quick exploratory walk around the property. We have stayed here several times in the past, but Annika has no memory of it and Katja was excited to ride the glass elevator, really the only thing she remembered from her previous stay. David and I stayed here last January, but it was a sans-children trip. Indeed, both girls delighted in the rapid ascent to the 28th floor in the external glass elevator, and squealed with delight as we seemingly dropped through the air on the return trip to the ground. On our way back to the room, the girls ooohhed and ahhed at the pool, and begged to go for a swim. I promised them a swim, but only AFTER a nice cozy nap. Reluctantly, and with some degree of whining (have I mentioned that I think my girls would win any World Wide Whining Competition, hands down?), they agreed. We returned to the room, drew the drapes against the strong Florida sunshine, and settled in for some much needed sleep.
At 3:00, the phone rang. I roused myself from a deep sleep and said hello to my mother-in-law, Taimi (Mumu to the kids). She and Tuta were in the lobby. They had driven up from West Palm Beach, where they reside. We had expected them earlier, but being Finns with a cautious streak, my Father-in-Law only does his most serious driving at 40 miles an hour, no matter the actual speed limit. I informed Mumu that the rest of the crew was still sleeping, but I would be down in a jiffy. I helped them unload their van and get settled in their room, only one away from ours. Taimi and I then set off in search of food. We went to the food court on the pool level and ordered pizza, philly cheesesteak sandwiches and kids meals. I returned to my room to tempt the sleeping beauties awake with the scent of food. Eventually, everyone was up/dressed/fed and the girls descended upon their grandparents in a hurricane of activity. Hugs, kisses, and Christmas presents were exchanged.
It was now time for the much anticipated trip to the pool. The men elected to stay in the room and catch a football game (surprise, surprise!). The rest of us headed to the pool. The weather was pleasantly warm, and the pool was delightful. It is HUGE, with several hot tubs, waterfalls, a sandy play-area for kids, and a slide. I relaxed in one of the hot tubs while the girls frolicked about. Alas, Mumu forgot her swimsuit and was forced to read in one of the lounge chairs--very hard work indeed. We stayed until it was time to get ready for our 7:30 dinner reservation at Mikados--the Japanese Steak House at the Marriott.
David and I had eaten at Mikados previously, and thought that it would be a fun experience for the kids and grandparents. It is the type of Japanese restaurant that entertains by preparing your food at your table (well, not really a table, since you are seated counter-style around the cooking stage). The girls were mesmerized by the chef---he sliced and diced, juggled shrimp with his knives, caught food on the top of his hat, built onion volcanoes that shot fire high into the air it was great fun. The food was delicious, although my two darlings declined to eat anything but rice. The rest of us enjoyed filet mignon, scallops, shrimp, fried rice, and salmon. Very yummy indeed!
After dinner, we were all pretty pooped, so we called it a night and returned to our rooms. As we were preparing for bed, the fireworks at Magic Kingdom started, so we all went out on the balcony to enjoy the show. I love the Marriott!
