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

[Happydog]

Stuff. Ok. I'm going to use that one next time! So jealous about being able to just toss everything in the car, that would be heavenly. If they had autotrain to LA from here I'd be all over it! But 21 hours of driving isn't worth it.

Oh dear, it is 21 hours from Washington State??!! IT has to be more than that isn't it?? Wow I am impressed -- to me coast to coast 21 hours from one end literally to the other!!! I'd think it would be longer! NO I am not feeling that either!!! The drive wasn't too bad (the snow was the unexpected wrench) the time of day is the key.

I LOVE your tree! It makes it so special when you add those special touches! Im sure your adorable boys loved it too! Im soo excited to hear all about Christmas day at Disney.

Having the Christmas spirit in the villa was great fun! I am going to update a day tonight, It has been a busy few days...

 

[Happydog]

I'm here FINALLY on page 14 HOLY COW I'm so late to this party!! Okay well I'm going back to catch up on all the Holiday goodness just wanted you to know I showed up fashionably late LOL!!

I am so glad! It isn't like you are planning a trip or anything in a few days... hope you don't have frozen oranges!!!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I can totally relate to wanting your own tree...I'd have wanted own too...you were there for Christmas after all...

I have those Target stockings too...I actually think I saw them on your or Wigd's PTR...

So much fun seeing the decorations in the different resorts...I think that that gingerbread carousel is pretty charming...I think I read somewhere that one of the resorts doesn't something made out of chocolate...or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part...

 

[Happydog]

So Tuesday was our Animal Kingdom day, but we started this day with a leisurely morning and a drive to DTD first! SO not much of an AK day!! Well that is what we planned anyhow. My DBIL was due to arrive today, along with his “gal pal” whom he often travels with. They were scheduled to arrive about 2pm. We had dinner reservations at Sanaa (which we LOVE) that evening. Rather than go to and from the AK, we decided instead to take our time, and show up after lunch. We figured we would hang out until just before our ADR time of 7pm, and then head to Sanaa to meet my DBIL and his friend Christine, there. They were renting a car and were going to check into their rooms at Port Orleans Riverside get settled and meet us about 6:30. I had booked my DBIL a room at POR with my AP discount. He wanted to keep the trip in a reasonable budget since he had just been down that October for a stay/cruise... He was not really that happy with POR, having stayed at the BCV in October. I said, "well DUH..."

Because we were not in a hurry to get to the AK, we were able to scoot around DTD for a bit. Seems EVERYONE had that idea – it was PACKED. But we got a parking spot finally and headed to my DH’s favorite stop there – Wolfgang Puck Express! Well it is a family favorite, frankly, and it didn’t disappoint! We split Pizza and a salad, the boys had alfredo noodles. Not quite full we hopped over to Goofy’s and then headed over to the AK… We bought marshmallows on a stick, and two very tasty cookies.. WAY good.... BUT we were excited to get to AK, where I had a date with a LOST on Safari… and DH a date with a Jalepeno pretzel!

True to form, after one drink I tend to take random photos... this roof line struck my fancy for some reason...

The boys liked the dinosaur that you can climb on in Dinoland... Not sure when we took this picture (but it must have been earlier.)

I took photos of a few events this afternoon but the big highlight was the parade… it was wonderful and so fun to see it with all the Christmas bits!


We had a round of drinks, snacks, and pretzels waiting for the parade, and the boys had fun playing drums…

Here are some of the pictures I took of the Parade …

More pictures are in the next post!

 

[Happydog]

Some more photos of the Jingle Jungle Parade! A few are blurry, sorry about that! Notice the detail that is all about Christmas -- the raindeer crocodile, and the mittens on the lion!!! There were so many fun details on this parade!

I loved how they had this “Happy New Year” Farewell to 2009 on the final float…

After the parade made its first turn past, DH and DS7 went to ride Everest. I agreed to take DS4 to the Boneyard and we agreed to meet there… well they did, but in the process, made a detour to Kali Rapids River Ride… guess what. They got wet. WET wet. Ooooo WHAT a shocker. NOT WigD’s Shocker… Of course at that point we had to go back to the resort because NO way was DS going to be in wet clothes all night. So we made our way out of the park, back to BCV and then over to Kidani Village for dinner and our meet with my DBIL and Christine … Who found something to do waiting for us in the bar!! Because of this I ran out of time to take photos at AKL. I was bummed by this, and am looking for holiday photos from AKL if anyone has any!!!! I did get these of the Christmas tree at the Animal Kingdom, though.

So dinner at Sanaa was great as before! And we had fun visiting around the table. Both DS’s fell asleep on the booth of the table, so we adults had time to enjoy our wine…

Since we were getting up early the next morning – rope drop at DHS! We said goodnight, and made a plan to meet at the turnstiles in the am.

We got back to the BC, the boys in bed, we caught up on another video and then hit the pillows!

Coming up this weekend, DHS and a DIS meet!

 

[DisMomAmy]

The details are amazing - from the parade to the Christmas tree decorations!

 

[stace208]

Great update! I loved your parade pictures. Your boys are just cute as buttons!
Looking forward to your weekend update

 

[jenjolt]

Awww...Animal Kingdom at Christmas time looks amazing!!! I would love to see all of that!! Once again your boys are cute as buttons!! That parade looks like so much fun!!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

We missed the AK parade - it looks so cute!

I agree with your DH, those jalapeno pretzels are yummy.

And, I see that we will have crossed paths again - we were at DHS on Wednesday too. Too bad we didn't discuss all of these plans before we left!

 

[eandesmom]

I LOVE the parade pics. Especially the naughty and nice lists on the jeep!

BRRRRR Kali in December....BRRRRR

Kali was a huge debate for us last time, we were deathly afraid of being wet and cold and of course it was nice and warm that day but by the time we could get on, it was starting to cool down!

YAY for ponchos but they only help so much.

Glad you had the car and could dry them out before dinner

 

[Charlefours]

Finally caught up! Great TR thus far--love the photos of all the Christmas decorations. I would love to be there someday when it is decorated for the holidays! Looking forward for the next post...

 

[eandesmom]

Oh dear, it is 21 hours from Washington State??!! IT has to be more than that isn't it?? Wow I am impressed -- to me coast to coast 21 hours from one end literally to the other!!! I'd think it would be longer! NO I am not feeling that either!!! The drive wasn't too bad (the snow was the unexpected wrench) the time of day is the key.

Having the Christmas spirit in the villa was great fun! I am going to update a day tonight, It has been a busy few days...

21 hours to LA, not to Florida! No idea on Florida, the furthest I've driven from here is to Chicago (43 hours) and to the Grand Canyon via Denver which was a bajillion miles and took 2 weeks!

According to mapquest it'd take 46 hours to get to Orlando but I'm not buying it! I think it would be longer. For me, more than about 14 hours TOPS means flying or you are just using up too much vacation time in the car!

 

[Happydog]

I can totally relate to wanting your own tree...I'd have wanted own too...you were there for Christmas after all...

I have those Target stockings too...I actually think I saw them on your or Wigd's PTR...

So much fun seeing the decorations in the different resorts...I think that that gingerbread carousel is pretty charming...I think I read somewhere that one of the resorts doesn't something made out of chocolate...or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part...

Well I have to say I think I was the Stocking fiend... having found them oh, the day after Halloween I put the pic on my PTR. Then in TRUE WigD fashion, she was off to buyout every Target in her area!!! Wait till ya see what she bought at Disney Queen of a Disney Bargain! Though I have to say that the stockings at the Disney Store were marked down CONSIDERABLY as we drew closer.. these were $9.99 each, so I bought them right away, the ones at the Disney Store discounted to $5.99!!! But these were not my traditional decorations, just some Disney FUN, so I didn't want to pay the retail $ at the time... STILL I love these that I got, they were great goodie bags!

YES, I believe the carousel HORSES are chocolate... look at the photos I posted, I think you can tell... the carousel itself was Gbread.

The details are amazing - from the parade to the Christmas tree decorations!

This is why I love Disney! The attention to the detail is really special.

Great update! I loved your parade pictures. Your boys are just cute as buttons!
Looking forward to your weekend update

Gee, thanks! They are sweet MOSTLY! Yes, will update this weekend for sure!

Awww...Animal Kingdom at Christmas time looks amazing!!! I would love to see all of that!! Once again your boys are cute as buttons!! That parade looks like so much fun!!!

The parade was really festive! And FUN! I loved being so close to it and watching it when I wasn't sweating to death in the sun!!!

We missed the AK parade - it looks so cute!

I agree with your DH, those jalapeno pretzels are yummy.

And, I see that we will have crossed paths again - we were at DHS on Wednesday too. Too bad we didn't discuss all of these plans before we left!

Oh man that is too funny! Ah well! Maybe you are in my photos and I in yours! I met Anita there that day!

He ate four of them... the only park that sells them!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE the parade pics. Especially the naughty and nice lists on the jeep!

BRRRRR Kali in December....BRRRRR

Kali was a huge debate for us last time, we were deathly afraid of being wet and cold and of course it was nice and warm that day but by the time we could get on, it was starting to cool down!

YAY for ponchos but they only help so much.

Glad you had the car and could dry them out before dinner

Yeah, we had ponchos. Would have loved to use them. GUESS who didn't tell me he was taking DS7 on Kali... NOT going to ride that in the cold, no way, but you are right the ponchos do do the trick more or less... We used them in November when were were there and it was fine, but that was about a month and 1/2 earlier!

Finally caught up! Great TR thus far--love the photos of all the Christmas decorations. I would love to be there someday when it is decorated for the holidays! Looking forward for the next post...

Thanks! I was so excited for the decorations and the feel of Christmas at Disney no question. That is what I was waiting for... it was my favorite part.

21 hours to LA, not to Florida! No idea on Florida, the furthest I've driven from here is to Chicago (43 hours) and to the Grand Canyon via Denver which was a bajillion miles and took 2 weeks!

According to mapquest it'd take 46 hours to get to Orlando but I'm not buying it! I think it would be longer. For me, more than about 14 hours TOPS means flying or you are just using up too much vacation time in the car!

GADS!!!! Yeah I was thinking I was missing something!! We used to drive from NM to MD on 40 when we were in our twenties and it took two days, so I was thinking "am I missing something??!!" THAT is a summer take your time roadtrip kind of drive, NOT a DISNEY or BUST... I agree about the wasted time! That is why I was resistant to driving even to Florida. BUT DH was pretty convincing b/c we would have been taking the train anyhow, so it was fine. I just didn't expect the snow...

 

[Charleston Princess]

Another fun update! Did you buy anything at Downtown Disney besides Goofy treats? Now that I have seen some of Anita's souvenir posts, I am wondering if you bought as much as she did.

Ah, Lost on Safari! Love it! Can't wait to have another one in July! Even without that drink in me, I am always drawn to things like the rooflines in Africa! That picture is right up my alley!

The boys look like they are having a blast with the drums! So cute!

The Christmas details for the parade are awesome! I had a good chuckle over the reindeer croc and the lion with the mittens. I wonder how the animals are faring on the safari with this cold snap in Florida right now. They are probably thinking, "This doesn't feel like Africa!"

The Animal Kingdom tree is just fantastic -- I think that one and the one at DHS are my favorite park trees! It always makes me want an AK tree at home when I see it!

Dinner sounds lovely. Too bad that DBIL didn't like Riverside so much. Was it just too big and crowded?

 

[shannn]

Oooh, AK was beautiful at Christmas time. I'm glad to see it, since it's the one park that we didn't make. How cute were all those winter-y Christmas-y details in the parade!! I love all the attention that Disney puts into things.

I'm glad you enjoyed Saana again. I keep trying to convince Sam, but he's not interested. Maybe next time I take a girls trip!!

 

[praisehisname]

I had fallen behind (life is getting in the way of my DISing...), but I'm caught up now. Looking forward to reading more!

 

[raider97]

Love your tree so pretty! We didn't make it over to see the carousel. Love the pictures.

So cute how DS 4 tried to eat the gingerbread fence. Sounds like something my little guy would do. Have I told you yet that your boys are simply adorable -- you have a beautiful family!

We were at the Hollywood Studios on Tuesday with all the crowds! It was packed that day. I remember the afternoon being warm so I could see why DH and DS7 would attempt Kali, but you are right you would have to change before dinner because it was mighty chilly once the sun set.

I was reading some of your trip report from your 4th of July trip as well. I have to admit I am astonished at your DH's ability to find a great deal on the DVC properties. I was hoping you might be able to point me in a few directions for places I could keep my eye on. We won't be back for a few years, and we would need a 2 bedroom at most places so I'm not sure it is in our budget. But the pictures of BCV and OKW got me thinking....

Can't wait to hear how the rest of your trip went. We missed the parade at AK this time. I was kind of bummed since I heard it was really good!

Did you guys get much snow?

Stephanie

 

[Native NYer]

I love the parade photos. The characters look so great decked out in their festive attire.

What do you recommend at Sanaa? I'm considering it for August.

 

[Happydog]

Another fun update! Did you buy anything at Downtown Disney besides Goofy treats? Now that I have seen some of Anita's souvenir posts, I am wondering if you bought as much as she did.

NO not me! I don't know why but I dont seem to buy a great deal on Disney Vacations. Once we got our 100 Acre Wood clan of stuffies, I think our major purchases have been monorail train cars, lightsabers, DISracers, and a few Tshirts... oh and an Iguana! I think if I had a girl we would buy more stuff... weaponry, remember? It is all about the things that shoot or have blades...

Ah, Lost on Safari! Love it! Can't wait to have another one in July! Even without that drink in me, I am always drawn to things like the rooflines in Africa! That picture is right up my alley!

Don't forget you are the one who got me HOOKED on that drink! I had two in October and two this past trip! VERY good! We'll glad my photo was okay! I took a few others while there on our second day...

The boys look like they are having a blast with the drums! So cute!

The Christmas details for the parade are awesome! I had a good chuckle over the reindeer croc and the lion with the mittens. I wonder how the animals are faring on the safari with this cold snap in Florida right now. They are probably thinking, "This doesn't feel like Africa!"

The Animal Kingdom tree is just fantastic -- I think that one and the one at DHS are my favorite park trees! It always makes me want an AK tree at home when I see it!

Dinner sounds lovely. Too bad that DBIL didn't like Riverside so much. Was it just too big and crowded?

the boys did have a great time, and yes the parade was really neat. Did you hear about the Iguanas falling out of the trees all over Orlando b/c of the cold? They go numb apparently!!!!! I would FREAK if an Iguana fell out of a tree in front of me! Yeah I am sure some of them were wondering what was up with the temperature!! I wonder if there are things done for them... maybe they do wear mittens and earmuffs!

The tree was very pretty -- I don't think it was that Riverside was crowded, I think it wasn't well kept. He said his room was not as clean as he would have expected... that surprised me. So too did his friend (she had her own room, I think she took a picture... They did agree the grounds were nice.

 

[Happydog]

Oooh, AK was beautiful at Christmas time. I'm glad to see it, since it's the one park that we didn't make. How cute were all those winter-y Christmas-y details in the parade!! I love all the attention that Disney puts into things.

I'm glad you enjoyed Saana again. I keep trying to convince Sam, but he's not interested. Maybe next time I take a girls trip!!

It was fun for certain, but I will say if you have been to DIsney before, or would be coming back again soon, going to AK in the winter is fine, but definitely doesnt require a great deal of time. Maybe I personally liked it better in the summer, but the water ride, the fountains to play in, the safari, these feel more summery to me, than December...

Sanaa is great. I think after three visits we are going to try a different restaurant this time, but it is a favorite no question!

I had fallen behind (life is getting in the way of my DISing...), but I'm caught up now. Looking forward to reading more!

Thanks! I am glad you are reading along with me!

Love your tree so pretty! We didn't make it over to see the carousel. Love the pictures.

So cute how DS 4 tried to eat the gingerbread fence. Sounds like something my little guy would do. Have I told you yet that your boys are simply adorable -- you have a beautiful family!

Thank you! Yeah, it was pretty funny...

We were at the Hollywood Studios on Tuesday with all the crowds! It was packed that day. I remember the afternoon being warm so I could see why DH and DS7 would attempt Kali, but you are right you would have to change before dinner because it was mighty chilly once the sun set.

well frankly I don't know that it was all that warm when they decided too... it was about 5pm b/c it was after the parade and it started a little later than normally, I think by an hour...

I was reading some of your trip report from your 4th of July trip as well. I have to admit I am astonished at your DH's ability to find a great deal on the DVC properties. I was hoping you might be able to point me in a few directions for places I could keep my eye on. We won't be back for a few years, and we would need a 2 bedroom at most places so I'm not sure it is in our budget. But the pictures of BCV and OKW got me thinking....

Can't wait to hear how the rest of your trip went. We missed the parade at AK this time. I was kind of bummed since I heard it was really good!

Did you guys get much snow?

Stephanie

He does a great job of surfing for deals. I agree. We have lucked out in a few cases, and we got a great deal for this summer, too.

Yes, I can send you an email -- had you PM'd me about this before? Someone had... I'll send you that response b/c there are some great options!

WE didn't get much snow this time, just two-three inches. major roads clear. But we got our 2hr delay, so that was a plus!

I love the parade photos. The characters look so great decked out in their festive attire.

What do you recommend at Sanaa? I'm considering it for August.

Yes! I agree, they did look very festive. RE Sanaa, if you like Indian cuisine, you will LOVE Sanaa! If you like Thai food, you will like Sanaa as well... it isn't Thai, but the curries are similar. We have eaten there three times and it never has disappointed us. ALTHOUGH, for the kids menu I was disappointed that they removed mashed potatoes of the menu -- now it is grilled chicken breast with rice... I got them to eat most of their food... I was able to get white rice with the chicken vs. the pilaf they were serving with the kids menu... They do give them the ap and dessert for the kids meal so for that it is a good choice.