I'm Dreaming of a WDW Family Christmas...

[PNO4TE]

I went into the MK early this morning (EMH) to soak up the atmosphere one can only find there. I was there at opening with only a cup of coffee under my belt. We had an 11:55 ADR at Tusker House so I didn’t want to spoil my appetite for that new adventure.

I enjoyed watching people see this park in all its holiday glory and made my way up Main Street taking photos and having mine done by the ever-present PhotoPass photographers. What did we ever do without them before? None of us were ever in any shots at WDW! I got to the castle and went around the roadway there, heading back out the way I had come in. I was on a mission that no one knew about.

I made my way from MK to AK with little to no trouble. Went in and met almost no crowds. I grabbed a FP at the Safari and then rode one of the first ones of the day. When I came out I was a little hungry so I went to that little window by Tusker House and got a small cup of coffee and a HUGE cinnamon roll. I finished the coffee but not the cinnamon roll while sitting in the sun near the outdoor seating area there. I realized I could get another FP for the Safari and did so. I knew Bob would want to ride it when he met me for lunch. And not having to wait in line would be the best Christmas present I could give him!!

Now it was time to screw my courage to the sticking point and gird my loins. I WAS GOING TO RIDE EXPEDITION EVEREST!! I am not a roller coaster fan. I don’t like heights. But this ride has fascinated me since it opened. No one in my family will ride it so I figured it was Kismet that I was here in the AK, during the Christmas holiday season, with few crowds. I got over there and found the standby line to be only a 15 minute wait. I figured I couldn’t back out now. I was fortunate to be in line with 2 young couples who were very supportive. One of the wives had been a CM when EE opened and explained to me what was going to happen so I would have no surprises. They talked to me to pass the time and were very encouraging. When it came time to ride one of the young men stepped out of line and told me that he had never intended to ride the ride but stayed in line to keep me there! He took the chicken exit and I got to ride with the ex-CM! Needless to say that is one heckuva ride. The detail in the queue and in throughout the attraction is exemplary. There was only one part of the ride itself that I wasn’t too sure of, but I can’t tell you now what it was. I guess I will have to ride it again so I can find out where it was!

As I exited EE I got a call from Bob letting me know he had just gotten on the bus at POFQ. NINETY MINUTES later he arrived! Apparently the holiday crowds have arrived but they were sleeping in this morning. Boy am I glad I rode EE today.

We were about 15 minutes late for our ADR at Tusker House but were seated within 5 minutes. This was really a great meal! One of the best of our trip, as it sadly turns out (yes, this is foreshadowing…). We ate, rode the Safari (he loved the FPs) and went back to POFQ. I wanted to see if I could get to both the MK and HS that night to see the castle lighting and the Osborne Lights.

After a short “I am NOT sleeping I am just putting my feet up” nap I grabbed a bus to the MK. I got to see the Celebrate the Season show before the Cinderella’s Holiday Wish Castle Lighting. I loved them both but… OH, MY… the iced castle cannot be described in words or pictures by me. I am sure there is a fabulous writer out there (maybe even my older DD) who could do it justice, but not me! It was amazing. About that time I realized that I was not going to be able to get to HS to see the Osborne Lights because they were closing at 8:00. That was probably the most disappointing part of the trip for me because I love those lights and HS was closing at 8:00 every night until the girls got there and we were otherwise occupied. I have a DIS friend who made a special trip back to WDW just to see the Lights. I might have to consider that some day…

I called Bob and told him I was coming back to the resort and he said I sounded tired. I denied that. I got back to the room and he looked at me and said I looked tired. I denied that. I went into the bathroom area and looked at myself and saw what he saw. We decided to go back to the food court for dinner and a beer. We also planned to stop in at Scat Cat’s for a drink after dinner to celebrate the arrival tomorrow of our DDs!

We both said as we were walking over to dinner that we were hungry for pizza so we ordered one as well as a beer. It was actually pretty good! And I was actually very tired. I started to fall asleep while we were sitting there eating. Bob packed up the remaining pizza and threw away my beer. Took me by the hand and said it was time for me to go to bed. I finally agreed. Besides, the sooner I go to sleep I figured, the sooner my daughters will be there!!

 

[PNO4TE]

When I woke up this morning I was so excited. Kathrin and Kristin were coming!! It is Christmas Eve!

Bob and I were at breakfast by 7:00 and then got phone calls from both girls. The towncar service had come early to get Kristin and had gotten her to Dulles in record time. Kathrin had decided to try flying AirTran standby out of Boston like we had done earlier in the week. For some reason they didn’t charge her the $40 dollars!

Since the girls were now coming into MCO in the afternoon I called the towncar company (whose name I cannot type on here ) and left a message for theirBob. I asked if he would be able to get both girls from their flights or if Kathrin should wait the hour or so until Kristin’s flight arrived. He said he would see what he could arrange and before we had finished breakfast it was a done deal!

We had a lovely few hours ahead of us and decided to spend it by the pool. So, we put on our suits and made the short walk over there. It wasn’t long before we got a phone call from Kathrin letting us know she was in Orlando and the towncar driver was putting her luggage in the trunk of the car. I swear it was only 20 minutes or so and she was calling again to tell us she was pulling up to the port cochere at POFQ! We went back to the pool and she told us how cold it had been in Boston and how much snow was there when she left this morning. She was reveling in the warm Florida sun. We ordered a beer from Mardi Grog’s pool bar and soon we got another phone call. Kristin had arrived and was getting in the towncar now too! I cannot say enough about Towncar Service. They went above and beyond on a very busy day and got our DDs to us in record time and with a smile. We will definitely use them again and highly recommend them to anyone!

We all sat around the pool talking and drinking for a little while longer and then decided we needed something to eat. Food Court here we come… again! The girls split a chicken taco salad and Bob and I split the beef taco salad again.

The girls’ room was ready and it was the one connected to ours! So we went back so they could freshen up and rest a bit. The three of us were going to go to the MK for the Castle Lighting that night and Bob would meet us at Cape May for dinner. Well, as soon as we got into the rooms the two of them decided that time was a’wastin’ and we needed to go to Epcot. So, we did! The only rides we did were Spaceship Earth and Nemo but it was nice just to be back there together. We hopped the monorail over to the MK and watched the Castle Lighting again. I insisted on PhotoPass which they HATE but you would never know if from all the smiles in our pictures. We called Bob and told him we were leaving the MK and he left POFQ to drive over to the BC. We got there at the same time and checked in a little early for our 8:45 ADR. We knew it would be a while so we went to Martha’s Vineyard Lounge for a drink. There was no one there but us so we had a lovely time talking and relaxing. In about 15 minutes or so the buzzer went off and we were seated. It was a decent meal. Our server was horrible. But we had a good time despite his lack of attention.

After dinner we went back to POFQ and opened a bottle of wine for the girls and me and a couple of beers for Bob and just enjoyed being together. They were running out of steam and begged off doing anything else that night. We made an early night of it because Santa Claus is coming tonight and he knows when you’re awake!

 

[PNO4TE]

Merry Christmas! We were going to Boma for breakfast this morning at 10:00. Bob and I were up early but the girls are slug-a-beds. I went and got us coffee and by the time I got back they were up and taking showers.

They decided that as long as it was Christmas they had better decorate their poor tree (they had put it up the night before, but it had no decorations on it). Hilarity ensued and it was finally… decorated. So we were free to go to AKL for some sustenance. We had barely a wait before being seated for our favorite breakfast on all WDW property. We managed to eat plenty of food and drink plenty of Fruunch and Kenyan pressed coffee.

We spent quite a bit of time around the resort taking pictures and enjoying the atmosphere there before going back to POFQ. We had no plans for the day until dinner at Jiko that night. The girls decided they were brave enough to try a park on Christmas Day and we were lucky. Epcot was open and we were able to ride Nemo again and spend some time watching people as well as the fountain. We walked the whole way around the World Showcase and stopped for Grey Goose Slushes in France and Gleuhwein in Germany. We had a wonderful day and didn’t think the crowds were nearly as bad as they have been in previous holiday trips. They also both bemoaned the fact that we weren’t eating at the Coral Seas on this trip so we stopped at Guest Services on our way out of the park to see if there were any ADRs available for the 26th or 27th but we had no luck. They were booked solid through the first of the year.

When we got back to the resort Kristin and Bob decided they needed a nap and Kathrin and I decided we needed time at the pool, and maybe a drink. We still had three bottles of wine I had shipped to myself that were unopened. Kathrin opened a nice little bottle of 20 Bench Cab and divided it evenly into three refillable mugs! She and I took ours to the pool and Kristin’s was waiting for her when she decided to wake up. We sat around and talked a lot, mainly about her job hunt and how she was doing. Kristin joined us with a little more wine for each of us and we stayed at the pool until it was dark.

Back in the rooms the girls discovered that Santa had arrived and they had missed his giftings that morning! Then we got dressed for dinner and drove over to AKL for our much-anticipated Christmas dinner at Jiko. As usual we arrived a little early and I decided we needed a family photo session. My unenthusiastic family cooperated as you can see by the photo in my siggy! We decided to check in and then stop at Victoria Falls while we waited for our ADR at 9:00. Well, no sooner had we sat down at the bar than our buzzer went off! Getting into a WDW Signature Restaurant EARLY on Christmas night? Unheard of! But, off we went and were immediately seated in a noticeably un-full dining room. Bob and I love Jiko and could not wait for our DDs to have an extraordinary meal with us. Our server came and asked what we would like to drink, but we had not been given a wine menu. One was brought and Bob ordered a beer and the girls and I decided on a wine. When our server returned we were informed that they were out of Tusker House beer and the bottle of Pinotage we ordered. So we tried again. Bob got his beer but it took three choices before we got a wine. We also ordered the Spiced Briouats and the Taste of Africa to share. When our server came back Kathrin asked what the “vegetable of the moment” was and was told (and I kid you not…) “It changes every day. We never know.” Ummmm… it was 8:00 on Christmas night…. I would think she should have known what the vegetable was by then! But, it took two trips to the table and two follow-up requests for the status of the vegetable (it was Brussels Sprouts ). So that let Kathrin know what she wanted for dinner – the shrimp special. Kristin chose the Nantucket Scallops. Bob asked for the Kenyan Coffee BBQ Beef Short Ribs and I ordered their signature Filet. Our server didn’t even come back to tell us the news; she left it to another server to let us know that they were “out” of short ribs AND the filet. By 8:00. On Christmas night. Two entrees they are known for. The one reason Bob couldn’t wait to return. I think if it had been any other night he would have asked if we could leave. He was upset. But we knew there would be no other place to get seated this late on Christmas night. He finally settled on the chicken and I ordered the appetizer mussels and the Cheese Plate. Kristin loved her scallops. Kathrin said her shrimp was good. Bob’s chicken was OK. My mussels were full of grit! I am not a complainer when we are out. I figure than any restaurant on any given night can make a mistake. But, especially because we spent over $250.00 that night, the service and the food at Jiko were unacceptable. We didn’t even bother to order dessert. They probably wouldn’t have had any left anyway. I was very glad that this was the only restaurant all week that refused to accept our Tables in Wonderland card (their choice… it was Christmas). That meant no automatic 18% gratuity!! I left a 15% tip. I usually tip 20% or more. Our server, who will remain nameless, was atrocious. She left us sitting without attention for 15 minutes at a time. We had to ask twice for our bill. And they were not busy. There were lots of empty tables. It will be a while before we go back.

Undaunted, the ever-determined foursome returned to their rooms, opened more liquid refreshments and settled in for a dessert of Milk Chocolate Peppermint Bark (I told you I would go back and get it!). Tomorrow we go to Tea.

 

[PNO4TE]

Once again Bob and I were awake first so we went over to the food court for breakfast. It was gorgeous outside so we took our food out to the tables there. It was packed inside anyway. We were about done eating when a lovely young Mom from Alabama bravely approached us and asked if she could join us since there were no other seats anywhere. We had a lovely talk with her. She and her DH and DD were there for their first Christmas trip and were just enthralled. And we heard all about it. Bob really enjoyed talking to her but did mention (more than once) that she talked even more than I do!

Eventually the girls showed up with a small breakfast to share and our guest vacated the table to the four of us. We took our time and enjoyed the warm sunshine again. Bob was ready to go back to the room to read and we three decided to go back to Epcot again. Off we went. We tried to get an ADR at Coral Reef for that night or any time the next day but there was still no availability. We didn’t do anything earth-shattering and I don’t think we even rode any rides… just had a great time at our favorite park. Soon it was time to ride the great monorail in the sky to the GF for tea. We arrived a little early and discovered that they did indeed have chestnuts roasting so Kristin grabbed one of her favorite holiday treats at WDW. We spent time just enjoying this beautiful resort and soon I was checking in for our tea. As is our norm, we had the cheese plate to share and each ordered the Grand Tea. I do have to mention the table next to us. There were two women seated there. One of them stared at Kathrin throughout the entire time we were in the Gardenview Lounge. Just STARED. Kristin and I even started looking over at her and she never stopped. It was very odd, to say the least! However, we love to do Tea here. It is one of the activities the three of us always try to do together when we are at WDW.

After tea we went back to the room and decided to spend some time around the pool. No swimming, just relaxing. We had a great time talking and laughing again. And when it was time to eat we opted for the food court once again! We got pot roast, roasted chicken, BBQ ribs and a Philly Cheesesteak and two beers to share. Again it was delicious! As you can tell we have become big fans of the POFQ food court. We had many good meals there. We had trees to undecorate and bags to pack and the crowds were large so we went back to the rooms at about 9:00 and got started. Tomorrow is our last day.

 

[PNO4TE]

Our last day. It is always hard and the circumstances that occur throughout this particular day made it even harder. We got up and finished packing. When we were done we planned to all do our airline check-in and get Kathrin settled with ME and then grab a bit of breakfast. While we were standing in line Bob and Kristin disappeared! Just when I was about to get angry that they weren’t there for check-in they came rushing up. Seems they decided to see if there were any lunch ADRs available for Coral Reef. And there was one!! Someone had just canceled an 11:35 reservation for 4 and it was ours as long as we could get there. It was now almost 11:00 but we knew we would make it.

We finished up, checked our carry-ons with bell services and jumped on the first bus bound for Epcot. We made it with 10 minutes to spare, so we took the time to call Bob’s parents. We talked to his Dad who let us know that his Mom (who had been in the hospital for a couple of days) had gotten out of surgery and was doing well. We went into lunch and had a terrific meal. We almost always get a table right at the windows and today was no exception. This was a great way to end our family holiday trip.

We returned to POFQ after lunch and headed to the pool to wait for Kathrin’s ME pick-up. Way too soon it was time to walk her out to catch her bus. I knew it would be a while before we would see her and it made it hard to say goodbye. She was off safely and we spent another hour or so at the pool before it was time for us to leave too. We stopped at the Hess station and filled up the car with gas, drove to the airport and turned in our car, all without incident.

By now we knew that Kathrin had taken off on time and was well on her way home. We stopped to change our clothes into long pants and grab our fleece out of our carry-ons because we knew it was much colder at home. While we were waiting for Bob to come out of the bathroom we heard him talking to someone in the men’s room. Kristin and I thought it was odd until we heard his tone of voice and realized he was on his cell phone. His aunt had called to tell him that his mother was not doing well at all.

We had major weather related delays and a security issue with an unhappy passenger from our flight who had to be removed form the airport by Security and some of Orlando’s finest. We were supposed to arrive in Baltimore at 10:30 p.m. but it was after 1:00 a.m. by the time we got in. We checked into our Park ‘n’ Fly hotel at 1:51 a.m. and Bob had heard nothing more definitive about his Mom except that she was in a coma. We slept a few hours and got ready to drive home in the morning. While we were at breakfast he called one of his brothers to see what was going on and was told that his mother had died at 4:30 a.m. We knew we had to get back to Virginia and get him unpacked, repacked and back on the road for the 6 hour drive to PA. This was not a good way to end a holiday family vacation, but it is the way this one ended. Enough said.

On the upside we discovered that Kathrin had a job offer on her voice mail at home when she arrived. She is now once again gainfully employed! I wonder if she had a guardian angel?

We had an amazing time in WDW. We love the holidays there, despite the crowds and craziness. We will go back… Every year, I hope. It is our family tradition, after all!

Thanks for reading and I will see you again when we begin planning our next WDW adventure!

 

[Tammi67]

Once again Bob and I were awake first so we went over to the food court for breakfast. It was gorgeous outside so we took our food out to the tables there. It was packed inside anyway. We were about done eating when a lovely young Mom from Alabama bravely approached us and asked if she could join us since there were no other seats anywhere. We had a lovely talk with her. She and her DH and DD were there for their first Christmas trip and were just enthralled. And we heard all about it. Bob really enjoyed talking to her but did mention (more than once) that she talked even more than I do!

Eventually the girls showed up with a small breakfast to share and our guest vacated the table to the four of us. We took our time and enjoyed the warm sunshine again. Bob was ready to go back to the room to read and we three decided to go back to Epcot again. Off we went. We tried to get an ADR at Coral Reef for that night or any time the next day but there was still no availability. We didn’t do anything earth-shattering and I don’t think we even rode any rides… just had a great time at our favorite park. Soon it was time to ride the great monorail in the sky to the GF for tea. We arrived a little early and discovered that they did indeed have chestnuts roasting so Kristin grabbed one of her favorite holiday treats at WDW. We spent time just enjoying this beautiful resort and soon I was checking in for our tea. As is our norm, we had the cheese plate to share and each ordered the Grand Tea. I do have to mention the table next to us. There were two women seated there. One of them stared at Kathrin throughout the entire time we were in the Gardenview Lounge. Just STARED. Kristin and I even started looking over at her and she never stopped. It was very odd, to say the least! However, we love to do Tea here. It is one of the activities the three of us always try to do together when we are at WDW.

After tea we went back to the room and decided to spend some time around the pool. No swimming, just relaxing. We had a great time talking and laughing again. And when it was time to eat we opted for the food court once again! We got pot roast, roasted chicken, BBQ ribs and a Philly Cheesesteak and two beers to share. Again it was delicious! As you can tell we have become big fans of the POFQ food court. We had many good meals there. We had trees to undecorate and bags to pack and the crowds were large so we went back to the rooms at about 9:00 and got started. Tomorrow is our last day.

I'm enjoying the entire report so far, but just had to stop and comment on this! Funny!

 

[Tammi67]

Excellent Elin! Thanks for sharing.

 

[PNO4TE]

I'm enjoying the entire report so far, but just had to stop and comment on this! Funny!

But oh, so true! Thanks for reading. I am glad you enjoyed it!

 

[John's Mom]

Thanks for sharing your WDW Christmas TR! What a great family picture in your siggie. Your trip slideshows are incredible!

I'm so glad that Kathrin got a new job.

Thanks for the camera info. I haven't been on the boards much recently; we're having computer problems.

 

[PNO4TE]

Thanks for sharing your WDW Christmas TR! What a great family picture in your siggie. Your trip slideshows are incredible!

I'm so glad that Kathrin got a new job.

Thanks for the camera info. I haven't been on the boards much recently; we're having computer problems.

Thanks for all the nice words, Kathy. I hope your computer situation improves soon. I miss you!

 

[CJsMom]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! I'm so sorry to hear about your DH's mom. I'm glad you had a nice few days with your daughters - I just love the picture in your siggie - you all look so happy to be together!

 

[DisneyBride'03]

Boy Elin, you have been busy!

Must go back and catch up

 

[PNO4TE]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! I'm so sorry to hear about your DH's mom. I'm glad you had a nice few days with your daughters - I just love the picture in your siggie - you all look so happy to be together!

Thank you! We really like one another and enjoy spending time together.

 

[PNO4TE]

Boy Elin, you have been busy!

Must go back and catch up

I had a snow day, Diana, and put it to good use!