Ho! Ho! Ho! Away we go - A Disney Christmas - 2/15 Dec TR final thoughts and FEB TR!

[Charleston Princess]

Hi, Happydog!!! I am rolling over here in Georgia with laughter over the "highly scandulous" photo of the drinks being doctored! Who knew you could get a flask that looks like a camera??? I am such a lightweight!

You got to meet Anita! Hurray! Isn't she awesome? I can't wait until our trips coincide again!

I got the BEST package in the mail today! No wonder you said I shouldn't have shingle envy! The kids both love their pens! Connor already left me a note beside the computer with his! Chelsea was tickled pink with hers! Thank you so much! It was so sweet of you! I can't wait to eat my gingerbread although it is so cute, I almost hate to -- but I know I will tonight because I made tea to go with it.

 

[Happydog]

We had never stayed at the Beach Club before this trip, but we had heard plenty about it! The pool area really looked great, and it seemed very practical for us, with two kids who were not strong solo swimmers, and who could certainly find play time, while we were able to lounge and keep an eye on them. We really enjoyed the Caribbean Beach Resort for this reason, as the pool area (the kids area specifically) was great for idle play without me worrying they were going under somewhere.

SO true to form the Beach Club did NOT disappoint. My DBIL and Christine, had brought their suits with them, so we all met at the BCV, and they got changed at our place, and we all went down to the pool. We ate lunch at Hurricane Hannahs. Knowing that dinner at the Cali was coming upon us, DH and I split a CS meal, and the boys each ate burgers in the cute little sand pails. I knew if I could get them to eat that would help me later on… SO both ate a good lunch, but my DS4 ended up sharing the remains of his hamburger with a local duck… KID you not. He had his hand down by his side and the next thing we knew, a duck was eating his burger in one bite… now I hope that duck wasn’t faced with a bad case of indigestion, but there it is…

Anyhow, we were very leisurely hanging out for a few hours and had a great time. We had prepared a pitcher of margaritas up in the room, so our refillable mugs were very handy …. Here are some photos I took while we were lounging at a table.

They would have spent HOURS here.

After this leisurely afternoon, we came back upstairs and got cleaned up for dinner. My DBIL and Christine drove back to Riverside to get ready, and they met us at the Cali Grill at 6:15.

Here are a few photos from outside the Contemporary.

As well as the Contemporary tree inside…

And the “largest wreath” on Disney property apparently:

Photos don't do it justice, I thought it was really cool!

Now this night was a bit of a blur…. We really took our time and had a fabulous dinner, the kids were compliant, and for the last half hour we let them play their leapster’s so we could continue to enjoy our wine and dessert.
I didn't take many photos of this meal, but Christine did, I think she has a few table photos. I will try to get them. Anyway, her is one photo I took of my DS...

From the window we watched the castle light up and change colors many times (so beautiful!). The view at Cali Grill is really too good to be true. Our dinner that started at 6:30 ended around 9:00 or something like that... We had planned for a leisurely dinner, but now we were not sure about our plans for the MK that night. We decided to go anyway, to at least see the fireworks, and maybe catch a ride or two… so over we went. It was very crowded. But we hopped on the railroad straight for Toontown to avoid the Spectro crowds that were accumulating. We walked over to see Phillharmagic, and after Phillharmagic made our way towards Tomorrow land. We road Buzz with no line -- a great surprise, then did the Laugh floor. Christine was a selected audience member! She got to play the telepathy game with one of the monsters and was on camera. Our DS was beside himself, because he was sitting right next to her and was on the screen as well!At that point we were hearing the beginning of Wishes, so rather than try and navigate through the crowds, we stood and watched on the bridge between tomorrow land and the Main Street area. We were on the bridge just as tinkerbell flew above us. That was a sight I had never seen before. Very cool! She is really close! It looks very small from a Main Street vantage, but from where we were she was the full sized CM she is!

Holiday Wishes was very cool. I didn’t take a photo this time, just enjoyed it, because I would be coming back later in the week and would try to get a few photos then. The boys were captivated as always.

Well this is where it gets interesting. Normally DH and I are well positioned on Main Street back by the shops, so we can make a quick exit after the fireworks. However with our new traveling partners, and the late evening start, we ended later than we expected and of course were up close to the castle. So as the mass exodus began we really couldn’t go anywhere but with the crowd… as we were getting next to the Plaza Ice Cream shop, a CM was guiding traffic through a quick exit, which she said paralleled Main Street, so willing to try it out, we followed her guidance -- we were ready to get out of that crowd anyhow, so we followed that side path, which basically took you in the BACK of Main Street, where the CMs and the characters pop in and out – the CM only entrance and exit areas… It wasn’t anything to look at,obviously, no music or snow!, but it got us all the way down mainstreet in ½ the time, and we exited right next to the candy shoppe. We had seen Mainstreet already, and Christine just went up a little way and took some pictures.This is another example of how they manage the crowds in advance I guess, because I have never seen CM’s offering an exit like that before. Has anyone else?

Coming up... a "flash back!" Then later this week CHristmas EVE!

 

[Happydog]

Hi, Happydog!!! I am rolling over here in Georgia with laughter over the "highly scandulous" photo of the drinks being doctored! Who knew you could get a flask that looks like a camera??? I am such a lightweight!

I know isn't it funny!!! My DBIL ... ALL class, let me tell you...

You got to meet Anita! Hurray! Isn't she awesome? I can't wait until our trips coincide again!

Oh yes! WE had so much fun chatting... she was just starting to share her "Pill of a daughter" stories... But she was laughing so I knew it wasn't too bad! We really had fun at Epcot with them!

I got the BEST package in the mail today! No wonder you said I shouldn't have shingle envy! The kids both love their pens! Connor already left me a note beside the computer with his! Chelsea was tickled pink with hers! Thank you so much! It was so sweet of you! I can't wait to eat my gingerbread although it is so cute, I almost hate to -- but I know I will tonight because I made tea to go with it.

Oh! I am so glad you got yours!!! Consider it a belatated "thank you" for sending off that post card to my boys last summer! I was worried it wouldn't travel well, I hope it did reasonably well and I hoped it tastes okay!

 

[Happydog]

SO if you remember, I described the scrabble piece puzzle "reveal" we did with our boys before we left. Well, hours before we left as it turns out! SO here they are. I had to pull them off of my old camera with the SAB photos, so I thought I would share them as well...

Also here is the goodie bag that I put their stockings in and the balloons. It is nice to see them blown up and not is the Woopie Cushion form that Shocker was admiring...

We gave these to them right before we left on the road!

Okay, DAY five CHRISTMAS eve, coming at ya later this week...

 

[Happydog]

Just catching up after a hectic and cold (for us) first week back at work/school and a busy birthday weekend.

Great pics of the parade - I didn't notice the Happy New Year on the last float when we were there.

Lost on Safari....mmmm I will add that to my list of eating/drinking around the world next time. I swear we plan our vacation on what we're eating/drinking!

Kali River Rapids! We've been to AK only twice - once in Feb and once in Dec now and we've NEVER ridden it because I was afraid we'd end up soaked and cold and someone would end up with pnuemonia. I look forward to our next trip (hopefully in Oct '11) when it should be warmer so we can finally experience it!

We were at DHS Wednesday also. Going back to read your update!

That is so funny that you were there too!

Oh Kali is fun, but not cold! I agree.. They were nuts. But that is my DH and son for you... "IT SOUNDED like a good idea at the time...."

Definitely try that Lost on Safari. Way good!

Can you believe we were in the TSM line at the same time and didn't even know it! It was our first time and we LOVED it!

Oh I am so glad! It is a great ride. What is not to like, right??!!

What a Great day!! Your boys are just so adorable.

I hate that we missed our meet-up on Sunday night. The picture of you & Anita is too cute!!

OH I know it is a drag. But at least we both still got a DIS meet in with WigD!

 

[eandesmom]

What a lovely afternoon and evening! Love the wreath at the Contemporary. Very smart with the pitcher of margarita's

Not only did you save $$, your DBIL was able to have it just the way he liked it!

We will likely be doing the same thing....

I am SOOOO excited for SAB!

 

[manntra]

Hmmmm you mentioned the dinner at Cali Grill was a blur..does that have anything to do with the pitcher of margaritas?
Love the picture of the wreath at the Contemporary! It looks so pretty lit up..I remember seeing it on the HGTV special
Adorable pictures of your boys in deep thought figuring out the Scrabble message

Tracy

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Woo Hoo! Our shingle arrived today and I'm proud to say I shared, a little! It was very good!
The boys look really cute on the floor, all three of them! Especially the "karate kid"!

 

[Happydog]

Woo Hoo! Our shingle arrived today and I'm proud to say I shared, a little! It was very good!
The boys look really cute on the floor, all three of them! Especially the "karate kid"!

Oh I am so glad you got it! I just thought I better share them since I bought so many!!! I know that they are pretty tasty -- I ate a few! Hope it wasn't worse for wear... I figured well you could either eat it (which they still seemed to hold up fine) or throw it at Keeley...

HA! On the Karate Kid, I know!!! Well we had a schedule to keep never mind beating the snow!!

 

[Happydog]

What a lovely afternoon and evening! Love the wreath at the Contemporary. Very smart with the pitcher of margarita's

Not only did you save $$, your DBIL was able to have it just the way he liked it!

We will likely be doing the same thing....

I am SOOOO excited for SAB!

THanks! It was wonderful.. the guys had fun, and we could all chill together! Sans the duck, of course!!!! We do get cocktails at the Pool too, but on this day we were mixing our own.. I did have a Mango Mojito btw -- very very good!!!! Highly recommended! Hurricane Hannahs has a bar too...

Hmmmm you mentioned the dinner at Cali Grill was a blur..does that have anything to do with the pitcher of margaritas?

NO, more like the wine and drinks at dinner... I am not a lush, but I like to have a good time! Needless to say the stroll over to MK from the Contemporary was very easy!

Love the picture of the wreath at the Contemporary! It looks so pretty lit up..I remember seeing it on the HGTV special
Adorable pictures of your boys in deep thought figuring out the Scrabble message
Tracy

There are so many things to take pictures of!!! I am a bad TR photo taker because I just get involved in exploring everything. There were several things I wanted to catch with a photo but I kept forgetting or not being around it when I remembered!!!! OH well... that is why we always want to go back!!!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I thought the Mickey wreath at the Contemporary was awesome too, and you're right, pictures just don't do it justice!

Sounds like you had a very fun & relaxing afternoon @ SAB. Mmmmmm, margaritas!

 

[IluvXU]

glad you found Stormalong Bay easy to manage the kids at. I am a bit nervous about it.... and your pictures make it look so wonderful. Again your boys are darling. The Cali Grille sounds wonderful too... and a behind the scenes exit... heard about it, but never seen it.

 

[Charlefours]

great updates as usual! I love the pool area at the BCV--it looks fabulous!!

 

[Native NYer]

SAB looks fantastic!

Love the scrabble reveal.

 

[ladybugmom]

Yay for DIS meets!! Aren't they fun?! I was able to meetup with several DISers on my last trip!! Oooh--your pool looks so nice and your boys seemed to be having a wonderful time!! Cali Grill sounds amazing!! And we love watching Wishes from the walkway from Tomorrowland to Main Street! No people obstructing your view!! And a private exit?! I've never heard of that before--awesome!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Kids' meals in sandpails? How cute!!! Too funny about the greedy duck though -- I bet DS was surprised!

Another plus to having a one-bedroom: the ability to make a pitcher of margaritas. Did DBIL mix those with his penchant for tequila?

The Contemporary wreath is very pretty! After a delicious dinner at Cali Grill, how wonderful to end the night watching fireworks. I have actually seen that secret exit -- when we went to Disney for Christmas in 2004, they used it at night. It was kind of weird to see the back of Main Street -- not quite as themed as the front of it.

My shingle traveled very well, but, unlike Anita, I wasn't quite as good at sharing -- well, I shared a little, but it was too delicious to be overly generous with it.

 

[Happydog]

I thought the Mickey wreath at the Contemporary was awesome too, and you're right, pictures just don't do it justice!

Sounds like you had a very fun & relaxing afternoon @ SAB. Mmmmmm, margaritas!

It was a great afternoon! Having been to WDW in October allowed us to not feel too much pressure to get all the rides in each time we were in a park, and I am grateful for that since it was the Holiday season. There is so much to enjoy in addition to the rides...

glad you found Stormalong Bay easy to manage the kids at. I am a bit nervous about it.... and your pictures make it look so wonderful. Again your boys are darling. The Cali Grille sounds wonderful too... and a behind the scenes exit... heard about it, but never seen it.

Yes, we really did enjoy it! They have those vests you can check out too.... I did for them one day because they wanted to go one the side where the water is a little deeper, but by that I mean 3.5 feet...

Cali Grill was wonderful, I know that is what everyone says but it is true!!!

Yeah it was weird, but I appreciated their effort to aid the flow and crush of people, it was the only time we saw that or did it.

great updates as usual! I love the pool area at the BCV--it looks fabulous!!

Thanks!!!!

SAB looks fantastic!

Love the scrabble reveal.

It was a fun way to let them know!

Yay for DIS meets!! Aren't they fun?! I was able to meetup with several DISers on my last trip!! Oooh--your pool looks so nice and your boys seemed to be having a wonderful time!! Cali Grill sounds amazing!! And we love watching Wishes from the walkway from Tomorrowland to Main Street! No people obstructing your view!! And a private exit?! I've never heard of that before--awesome!!

YES it was great fun, and we had more fun at Epcot. We all had a great time at the pool, just hanging out in the nice weather -- not lots of sun some overcast, but still warm enough to just be outside!

Yes it was a good viewing spot, but I like mainstreet head on best!

Kids' meals in sandpails? How cute!!! Too funny about the greedy duck though -- I bet DS was surprised!

Another plus to having a one-bedroom: the ability to make a pitcher of margaritas. Did DBIL mix those with his penchant for tequila?

The Contemporary wreath is very pretty! After a delicious dinner at Cali Grill, how wonderful to end the night watching fireworks. I have actually seen that secret exit -- when we went to Disney for Christmas in 2004, they used it at night. It was kind of weird to see the back of Main Street -- not quite as themed as the front of it.

My shingle traveled very well, but, unlike Anita, I wasn't quite as good at sharing -- well, I shared a little, but it was too delicious to be overly generous with it.

Oh it was nice to have the villa for things like that! We had egg nog the next morning!!! And we all had so much fun -- that duck was crazy! A hamburger??!!

I didn't care for the exit, obviously it isn't very "magical" but after being in the crush by the castle, we just took it as a way to get some breathing room!! And I have never seen them use it before -- it is probably "operation Holiday" for them!!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

I'm amazed at how Disney does crowd control sometimes.

SAB does look great but the weather didn't look very good in your pics. I guess you had your drinks to keep you warm.

 

[Happydog]

I'm amazed at how Disney does crowd control sometimes.

SAB does look great but the weather didn't look very good in your pics. I guess you had your drinks to keep you warm.

It actually was warm outside, despite the clouds... wasn't swim weather for ME, but the sun was in and out. We were pool side on the 23rd and 24th... more sun on the 23rd (we did the jacuzzi) my DBIL got in the regular pool and my DH took the boys down the slide (water was plenty warm). On Christmas eve it was cooler -- well not as much sun -- I guess, but both day time highs were 70s so it was pretty decent. I didn't do anything else but the jacuzzi and sit in a lounge chair with my drink! It was nice to enjoy the sun for a bit.

 

[Happydog]

Will probably update tomorrow evening, but wanted to at least mention that we are 40 days til our cruise! AND how exciting, they upgraded us! So now we have a cat 9 room with porthole! We are very excited. Basically Disney gave us a $600.00 upgrade... Which is huge for us, considering we booked the cheapest cruise cat we could get!

Oh, and I LOVE that I can now see Mickey's Bon Voyage! on my Ticker!!!