"Having a GRAND time - The Official GF Chat Thread"

[praline3001]

Two great ideas! thanks I think i like the evening one more since I assume it will be packed everywhere else. Might be a great way to end the day If we can convince the kids to wait until evening.

They dont call me the room service queen for nuttin

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I guess I am the only one on this thread who HATES CP!!!

I mean when I walk past it I get a full body shutter

We went for dinner for DN's 3rd bday in 2006 and it was almost inedible!! Thank goodness it was the end of the trip and we were stuffed from a whole week of the DDP!!!

I guess I figure breakfast buffets can't be too bad... how hard is it to screw up pancakes??

 

[praline3001]

BF is right there with you. He thinks that "there is something disturbing about eating with Pooh"

Funny you should say that.... the last time I actually ate there Savannah had just turned 3 and was a huge pooh fan. Well again my smart mouth boys thought it would be soooooo funny if they taught her a NEW winnie the pooh song before we went in there (of course I didnt hear them teaching it to her....) so we are sitting at our table and my little cherub starts singing EXTREMELY loudly..... "Winnie the poop, Winnie the poop... where is that toliet paper.. winnie the poop winnie the poop...."

DH and I both spit our drinks out and grabbed her mouth as fast as we could... it was hysterical but not one of my more proud parental moments.... of course I was kicking my other two cherubs under the table while they were ROLLING

 

[mr.mike]

Hello Mr. Mike!!! I never been there at Christmas either, but I would love to. Its just too hard with School and family for the holidays!!

I mentioned this to someone but it is because of the extended family and the nonsense that (somtimes) occurs that Mrs.mike and I decided to a holiday just the six of us for once. My family is fine with. Mrs. Mike's family will be 'upset' once she works up the nerve to tell them.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I mentioned this to someone but it is because of extended and the nonsense that (somtimes) occurs that Mrs.mike and I decided to a holiday just the six of us for once. My family is fine with. Mrs. Mike's family will be 'upset' once she works up the nerve to tell them.

Mrs.Mike

My family would be the same way!!!! I love the idea of WDW at Christmas, but 1) I am too cheap to pay the premium and 2) I am SO spoiled at going in the off season that the crowds would KILL ME!!! I am already trying to figure out how I will manage when DS gets older and we can't pull him out of school easily to do off season and we have to travel in the summer value season....

 

[vbarry]

I mentioned this to someone but it is because of extended and the nonsense that (somtimes) occurs that Mrs.mike and I decided to a holiday just the six of us for once. My family is fine with. Mrs. Mike's family will be 'upset' once she works up the nerve to tell them.

She sounds like me. I do not at all have the nerve to tell my in-laws. I have the HUGE family thing at my house each year and I am completely burnt out on it so I wanted to try something different. My MIL is not going to be very happy with me. I have tried to find the right time to tell her but it hasnot happened yet!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

She sounds like me. I do not at all have the nerve to tell my in-laws. I have the HUGE family thing at my house each year and I am completely burnt out on it so I wanted to try something different. My MIL is not going to be very happy with me. I have tried to find the right time to tell her but it hasnot happened yet!

nothing like waiting until Thanksgving to ensure you don't get any tagalongs

 

[praline3001]

nothing like waiting until Thanksgving to ensure you don't get any tagalongs

That would soooooo be my luck!
Don't get me wrong I love my in laws... but ..errrr.... maybe wait until the second week in Dec to tell them you WON A TRIP to Disney for Christmas... yeah thats it

 

[vbarry]

nothing like waiting until Thanksgving to ensure you don't get any tagalongs

AMEN to that! I do not even know if I will have the nerve to tell them then! My dd's usually blurt my secrets out to her and then I get the "Lily told me that you are....." Gotta love it.

I love my MIL but she is a total control freak. I am scared to tell her anything. The worst of it is that we built a house a mile down the road from them because they are getting older and we knew we would eventually have to help them out with things around their house etc. She calls me at night to tell me that my porch light is on and "You do not want to be paying the light company any more than you have to" That kind of stuff all of the time.

I am hoping we get to enjoy some time with just our family over Xmas. We shall see.

 

[vbarry]

That would soooooo be my luck!
Don't get me wrong I love my in laws... but ..errrr.... maybe wait until the second week in Dec to tell them you WON A TRIP to Disney for Christmas... yeah thats it

Good plan. I have a sister who lives in Jacksonville, Fl. I was going to tell MIL that we are going to have Xmas this year with my sis instead of staying home but sis has already told me she is coming here for Xmas. My luck...they would run into her.

 

[praline3001]

AMEN to that! I do not even know if I will have the nerve to tell them then! My dd's usually blurt my secrets out to her and then I get the "Lily told me that you are....." Gotta love it.

I love my MIL but she is a total control freak. I am scared to tell her anything. The worst of it is that we built a house a mile down the road from them because they are getting older and we knew we would eventually have to help them out with things around their house etc. She calls me at night to tell me that my porch light is on and "You do not want to be paying the light company any more than you have to" That kind of stuff all of the time.

I am hoping we get to enjoy some time with just our family over Xmas. We shall see.

You must be my long lost SIL
Sounds just like what my MIL would do.... but she would have come over..walked in the house and woke me up just to tell me

 

[vbarry]

You must be my long lost SIL
Sounds just like what my MIL would do.... but she would have come over..walked in the house and woke me up just to tell me

Isn't it fun!!

 

[praline3001]

Isn't it fun!!

But I can probably 1 up you...

See if we left for Disney instead of staying here for Xmas.. I would get a bawling crying MIL... and major guilt trip. My DH is her ONLY child... and my kids her ONLY grandkids... and she is a cancer survivor but we just dont know for how long she will still be with us (she has been cancer free for almost 20 years now...) and she is *sniff sniff* happy for us to get away and understands HOW important family is... because she LOVES her family so much... but she just doesn't know how she is going to live without seeing her grandbabies during Jesus' birthday

 

[mr.mike]

Mrs.Mike

My family would be the same way!!!! I love the idea of WDW at Christmas, but 1) I am too cheap to pay the premium and 2) I am SO spoiled at going in the off season that the crowds would KILL ME!!!

I'm cheap too..i'm just refusing to look or even think about the cost for december. I keep telling the kids if they want to see disney world turn off the lights... watch tv in the dark...in fact don't even watch tv..,go play with the dog!

I'm afraid of what those crowds will look like too, but since we are going next week and in the summer I'm trying to think of December as a resort vacation instead of a park one.

 

[SleepingUgly]

This is my daughter's favorite for the character interaction but the food was GROSS! I did not even know what some of it was and refused to try it!

I've been hearing some really negative things about food at Norway. Is it really that bad? Would a European enjoy the fare there? I swear, my husband will eat things that I had no idea existed.

I vote for 1900 PF so the girls can see Cinderella right away! I have never been Christmas week, so I can't comment on the water. I just know those sleigh rides book FAST, so if you want one, book it as soon as they are available!!!

We are doing 1900 PF for dinner on our arrival day. Has anyone done that? We wanted to see Cinderella right away as well, for my younger daughter. I'm not so sure how she would take to the step-sisters, though.

The characters were rude when we were there.... so they weren't even worth braving the bad food

I have heard the breakfast is much better but I am not running all the way to Norway that early in the morning to find out

Rude characters?!?! That is worse than nasty food. Now I am really starting to get scared about Norway ... But where else can we dine with princesses, besides CRT?

But I can probably 1 up you...

See if we left for Disney instead of staying here for Xmas.. I would get a bawling crying MIL... and major guilt trip. My DH is her ONLY child... and my kids her ONLY grandkids... and she is a cancer survivor but we just dont know for how long she will still be with us (she has been cancer free for almost 20 years now...) and she is *sniff sniff* happy for us to get away and understands HOW important family is... because she LOVES her family so much... but she just doesn't know how she is going to live without seeing her grandbabies during Jesus' birthday

I think I am going to make all you ladies jealous. My in-laws live on an entirely different continent, and they don't understand me and I don't understand them. Well, my SILs can speak English, but since I see them maybe once every couple of years, it's not so bad. And my MIL speaks no English at all so she'll just ramble at me in her language and I just sit and smile and she just plies me with food. I love visiting them -- I don't have to socialize with anyone, dh takes care of pretty much everything, and I really get to catch up on my reading. Next time we visit, I may have to take along a cabana boy with me, to keep me company, you know.

Linda

 

[WishesQueen]

But I can probably 1 up you...

See if we left for Disney instead of staying here for Xmas.. I would get a bawling crying MIL... and major guilt trip. My DH is her ONLY child... and my kids her ONLY grandkids... and she is a cancer survivor but we just dont know for how long she will still be with us (she has been cancer free for almost 20 years now...) and she is *sniff sniff* happy for us to get away and understands HOW important family is... because she LOVES her family so much... but she just doesn't know how she is going to live without seeing her grandbabies during Jesus' birthday

I'm cheap too..i'm just refusing to look or even think about the cost for december. I keep telling the kids if they want to see disney world turn off the lights... watch tv in the dark...in fact don't even watch tv..,go play with the dog!

I'm afraid of what those crowds will look like too, but since we are going next week and in the summer I'm trying to think of December as a resort vacation instead of a park one.

Don't get me wrong!! I would LOVE to ditch the whole holiday thing. Other then shopping for my kids, the holidays are just tons of work!!! I do ALL the cooking on the eve (all fish) and some of the cooking on the day. Then my DH's birthday is New Years Days so the funs not over yet!!!! A trip to Disney sounds like the best present I could get.

But my family and his family would probably disown us!! Who would cook for them while I was gone???

 

[mr.mike]

She sounds like me. I do not at all have the nerve to tell my in-laws. I have the HUGE family thing at my house each year and I am completely burnt out on it so I wanted to try something different. My MIL is not going to be very happy with me. I have tried to find the right time to tell her but it hasnot happened yet!

Mrs.Mike knows to put any blame on me.

Some ideas she has had are

1. We won a trip back in the YOAM dreams.

2. I booked everything as a surprise and I didn't tell her until late in the year. Her family knows I love pulling surprises and her parents are still mad at me (sort of) that I told no one about the vow renewal a few years ago and they didn't come as much as i begged them to. My family needs little prodding to agree to a vacation.

3. She tells them she has had enough of their nonsense. I don't think so.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Too funny about your IL's!!!

I did 1900PF last year during the refurb when it was preplated at the GFC. It wasn't bad at all! We are going for CRT for MVMCP night this year since DS still is enchanted by the castle and Cindy is in the lobby. It is a win-win for all of us 1) I get to eat in MK before the party, 2) DS gets to eat in the castel and see his girlfriend 3) DH doesn't get dragged to a REAL princess meal

 

[Lives4Disney]

We were there at the GF for Xmas in 2006. I loved it myself, but my girls made me promise never again - or at least for a long time. We don't have any family here in IL, so that issue isn't a problem....it's all on ME to make the family Xms special and it turns out I've been doing a great job, because they prefer our own little family Christmas here at home and our own traditions vs. the magic of WDW and the GF....can you believe it? I guess for kids there is something to be said for a Christmas at home. Having Christmas away was a nice break for me & this past year I was all gungho and stoked to go all out once again and it was enjoyable for me once more.

The crowds are insane. We checked into the GF on 12/19 and out 12/27 and as much as I love the place I was so ready to leave. Three parks were closed on 12/27 due to crowds....we had ventured into MK that morn before the limo pickup and it was unreal. It made leaving & going home that much easier.

The decorations are beautiful and it feels festive. The Osborne lights are neat and the Xmas party is fun. We also enjoyed the Epcot Christmas around the world displays/shows. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but I have to wait until my kids are older so they will enjoy it, too. The GF was the perfect retreat & the CMs there made our stay special. I can't imagine doing a WDW Xmas anywhere else. We did wind up spending a lot more resort time during that stay.

Vanessa - I think the carriage ride would be better actually.....when the sun sets it gets cold FAST. The weather can be really funky though, so I don't want to make a broad statement, but we were hit with 40 and 50 degree temps in the evenings for the most part...there were a couple nights that were warm - like 60-70s, but I think that's unusual. Dec weather is all over the place.

Mr. Mike - welcome to this chatty thread. Sorry work has you down.....sounds like you will be leaving soon - so have a great time & enjoy the break. That is creepy about the possible shooting.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Mrs.Mike knows to put any blame on me.

Some ideas she has had are

1. We won a trip back in the YOAM dreams.

2. I booked everything as a surprise and I didn't tell her until late in the year. Her family knows I love pulling surprises and her parents are still mad at me (sort of) that I told no one about the vow renewal a few years ago and they didn't come as much as i begged them to. My family needs little prodding to agree to a vacation.

3. She tells them she has had enough of their nonsense. I don't think so.

To be a fly on the wall if she goes this route!!!