2belles'mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2000
- Messages
- 406
Cast:
Me--Disney Addict
David, DH--Disney Addict NOT!
Katja, DD 7
Annika, DD 4
PART SIX--Mad Hatters and Mice (December 29 continued)
As we waited to check the kids in for the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party, we spent some time exploring the Grand Floridian. We have never stayed here, but very much enjoy the property. The giant gingerbread house/candy store is always a draw. After watching Walt Disney World Holidays (and oh yes, we watched this one over and over in anticipation of our trip!) on the Travel Channel, Katja had a deep appreciation of how the gingerbread house had been built, and so particularly enjoyed looking at it.
At 1:30, it was time to check the girls in. They got nametags and the parents got a beeper, to reach us in the unlikely event of an emergency (read: child meltdown). Annika was very excited since this would be her first tea party. Last year, all of the kids did the Pirate Cruise, but we had skipped the tea party since I thought my 9 year old nephew probably wouldnt be up to it. And previous to that, she had been too young. This would be Katjas THIRD tea party, and she was also looking very much forward to it. We snapped some quick pics of the adorable table before they kicked the adults out, and then left the kids to themselves (ah, sweet solitude!).
I had thought David and I might get a drink while we were waiting for the party to end, but DH was plain pooped. So I sent him back to Wilderness Lodge and I headed to the GF pool--why not get a little REAL solitude in the bargain? No kids, no DH... I got a beer at the pool-side grill, then I settled in with my book . Again it was a warm, beautiful and sunny day
(I cant believe how lucky we were with the weather--considering absolutely FREEZING weather we have experienced this time of year in the past! With the exception of our Luau night--which wasnt all THAT cold, it turned out to be quite a warm trip).
I re-joined the tea party at parent pick-up time. A great time was had by all. The girls presented me with my flowers, (more like weeds, but still pretty!), and also with the their pictures--two folios of the girls posing with Alice and the Mad Hatter. I was glad the pictures had been taken by the staff this time; the first time Katja had done the Tea Party we got the folios, but two years ago they had the parents LEAVE OUR CAMERAS for the kids, and said they would help them take the pictures! Yikes! AS IF I was going to leave my 5megapixel digital camera...the same one the girls were always begging to borrow and Mom was guarding with a death grip...
Anyway, both girls were all a-gibber telling me of the great fun they had. They were especially impressed by the fact that, in Wonderland, you ALWAYS eat dessert before lunch. And so they had. And they played Follow The Weed (Alice was the weed...)
We left the GF and took the Monorail to MK, thinking we would get the ferry to WL. However, we had just missed the boat, so we scurried back up to Monorail and went to the Contemporary, and caught the boat to WL from there. I must confess that going to the Contemporary had been Katjas plan the entire time, so she relished the fact that she had been right. Total travel time: ½ hour. I thought we had done pretty well, considering--especially when David informed us that it had taken him a FULL HOUR to get back from the Grand Floridian. Apparently, his timing had been "just off" at ever turn.
Our next move was to hit the pool. The girls decided they wanted to hit the main pool with the slide! first, and then go to our quiet pool. They considered the quiet pool as ours since it was just outside the slider to our room. Annika was determined to try the big slide at the main pool, and (with her water wings on) did just fine. She is a complete little daredevil--a miniature 4-year old Evil Kneival. Katja was very sweet and accompanied her to the top, giving her words of encouragement the entire time--although the words of encouragement were not really needed. In fact, Annika loved it so much that she went over, and over, and over again--all by herself, long after Katja had moved on to other things. After awhile, we moved back to the quiet pool. We got in about 2 ½ hours of pool time before it was time to get ready for dinner.
At six, we hopped the boat again, this time headed for Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary. The girls had been looking forward to this for quite awhile. Our table was visited by Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Mickey Mouse. The Genie from Aladdin was the greeter, so the girls got to visit with him as well. The buffet dinner was good as usual.
We took the boat back to the WL. It was a beautiful night. Again, I was grateful for the mild weather. Katja and Annika wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks, but we explained that the next morning was an EARLY one, as we needed to catch the bus at 6:15 in order to be at MGM Studios for the 7:00a.m. early entry. Both girls were chomping at the bit to get to MGM--Katja was finally tall enough to ride Rock-n-Roller Coaster, and Annika was tall enough to ride Tower of Terror. So, with the whining shut down, we returned to WL and hit the sack.
Me--Disney Addict
David, DH--Disney Addict NOT!
Katja, DD 7
Annika, DD 4
PART SIX--Mad Hatters and Mice (December 29 continued)
As we waited to check the kids in for the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party, we spent some time exploring the Grand Floridian. We have never stayed here, but very much enjoy the property. The giant gingerbread house/candy store is always a draw. After watching Walt Disney World Holidays (and oh yes, we watched this one over and over in anticipation of our trip!) on the Travel Channel, Katja had a deep appreciation of how the gingerbread house had been built, and so particularly enjoyed looking at it.
At 1:30, it was time to check the girls in. They got nametags and the parents got a beeper, to reach us in the unlikely event of an emergency (read: child meltdown). Annika was very excited since this would be her first tea party. Last year, all of the kids did the Pirate Cruise, but we had skipped the tea party since I thought my 9 year old nephew probably wouldnt be up to it. And previous to that, she had been too young. This would be Katjas THIRD tea party, and she was also looking very much forward to it. We snapped some quick pics of the adorable table before they kicked the adults out, and then left the kids to themselves (ah, sweet solitude!).
I had thought David and I might get a drink while we were waiting for the party to end, but DH was plain pooped. So I sent him back to Wilderness Lodge and I headed to the GF pool--why not get a little REAL solitude in the bargain? No kids, no DH... I got a beer at the pool-side grill, then I settled in with my book . Again it was a warm, beautiful and sunny day
(I cant believe how lucky we were with the weather--considering absolutely FREEZING weather we have experienced this time of year in the past! With the exception of our Luau night--which wasnt all THAT cold, it turned out to be quite a warm trip).
I re-joined the tea party at parent pick-up time. A great time was had by all. The girls presented me with my flowers, (more like weeds, but still pretty!), and also with the their pictures--two folios of the girls posing with Alice and the Mad Hatter. I was glad the pictures had been taken by the staff this time; the first time Katja had done the Tea Party we got the folios, but two years ago they had the parents LEAVE OUR CAMERAS for the kids, and said they would help them take the pictures! Yikes! AS IF I was going to leave my 5megapixel digital camera...the same one the girls were always begging to borrow and Mom was guarding with a death grip...
Anyway, both girls were all a-gibber telling me of the great fun they had. They were especially impressed by the fact that, in Wonderland, you ALWAYS eat dessert before lunch. And so they had. And they played Follow The Weed (Alice was the weed...)
We left the GF and took the Monorail to MK, thinking we would get the ferry to WL. However, we had just missed the boat, so we scurried back up to Monorail and went to the Contemporary, and caught the boat to WL from there. I must confess that going to the Contemporary had been Katjas plan the entire time, so she relished the fact that she had been right. Total travel time: ½ hour. I thought we had done pretty well, considering--especially when David informed us that it had taken him a FULL HOUR to get back from the Grand Floridian. Apparently, his timing had been "just off" at ever turn.
Our next move was to hit the pool. The girls decided they wanted to hit the main pool with the slide! first, and then go to our quiet pool. They considered the quiet pool as ours since it was just outside the slider to our room. Annika was determined to try the big slide at the main pool, and (with her water wings on) did just fine. She is a complete little daredevil--a miniature 4-year old Evil Kneival. Katja was very sweet and accompanied her to the top, giving her words of encouragement the entire time--although the words of encouragement were not really needed. In fact, Annika loved it so much that she went over, and over, and over again--all by herself, long after Katja had moved on to other things. After awhile, we moved back to the quiet pool. We got in about 2 ½ hours of pool time before it was time to get ready for dinner.
At six, we hopped the boat again, this time headed for Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary. The girls had been looking forward to this for quite awhile. Our table was visited by Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Mickey Mouse. The Genie from Aladdin was the greeter, so the girls got to visit with him as well. The buffet dinner was good as usual.
We took the boat back to the WL. It was a beautiful night. Again, I was grateful for the mild weather. Katja and Annika wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks, but we explained that the next morning was an EARLY one, as we needed to catch the bus at 6:15 in order to be at MGM Studios for the 7:00a.m. early entry. Both girls were chomping at the bit to get to MGM--Katja was finally tall enough to ride Rock-n-Roller Coaster, and Annika was tall enough to ride Tower of Terror. So, with the whining shut down, we returned to WL and hit the sack.
