I've read numerous posts here about setting one day aside just to relax and regenerate, but we'd never done so until this trip. 
Now that we've tried, I've been forbidden to plan another trip without it... 
Since Day 4 was a late night (not as late as I thought it would have been though) because of MVMCP, I scheduled our "do nothing day" for Day 5. We didn't have anyplace to be as a family until 5:30pm, but DH and I did have spa treatments scheduled for 1pm so we slept late...till about 10am. I always get up before the boys, but not by much this day.
We had some coffee and light breakfast as we lazed around the room. Unfortunately this was also our trash and towel day, but we just left the privacy sign on the door till we were all ready to face the world.
About 12:30 DH and I took a nice leisurely walk over to the spa, which I must say is one of the things I really enjoyed at SSR. The walk from our room to the main area was lovely...the lake with the fountain, the new landscaping that is gonna be absolutely gorgeous in a couple of years (not that it didn't look great now, cause it did...just new). I'd scheduled one of the SSR's Peppermint Pedicures for me and a swedish massage for DH. I wasn't sure how DH would do with the spa thing...oh, sure he's had massages at home, but they were at the chiropractor's office. He was really surprised when we were shown to the quiet lounge, then each taken to the separate locker rooms. After I changed into a pair of shorts and spa sandals I headed back to the lounge. DH showed up soon wearing one of the nice white spa robes and sandals. I could tell that he was feeling a wee bit out of sorts, given there were 3 women (WDW CMs) all in business clothes, who I think were getting manicures from the look of it. So, we sat there a bit and DH was called back first. The CM who did my pedicure was Helen, a very nice young lady who did a great job...it's been 2 weeks an my piggies are still pretty and soft, though not as soft as when Helen finished, but that is to be expected.
I've had pedicures at home, but oh, this one was nice...
SSR Spa uses real maple and brown sugar as an exfoliant...kept wondering why I smelled pancakes...lol Helen explained that sea salts (what is used here) is more drying than the sugar...ah! Then I had my legs lathered in clay with peppermint, foil wrapped like a couple of those turkey legs in the parks, and wrapped in hot damp towels. My feet would have been done the same, except Helen suggested a paraffin dip for my extremely dry feet, so I went for it. WOW! 
That wax is hot the first dip!! After 3 dips, they were wrapped in foil and the towels and I sat there for about 10 mins...that is when the peppermint kicks in and my legs got all tingly...reminded me of a lotion my mom used when I was a kid. 
Then all the wax and clay was rinsed off and Helen applied a nice moisturizing lotion as she massaged my legs....oh, mommy! Did I need that after a couple days of hoofing it around the parks. Then she applied the polish I had chosen...called something like "it's all Greek to me"...I just love the names OPI gives their polishes.
Well, back to DH...who was still not returned to the lounge when I did. I couldn't help but snicker at him when he did though...he looked like a giant marshmallow man...he was so relaxed looking! He sat with me while my toes finished drying and told me what a great massage it was. Natalie was the CM who took care of him and was great according to DH. She apparently found kinks that even he didn't realize were there, including one on his left thigh that may be the result of a childhood injury and causing most of his hip trouble...he's gonna follow up with a doc in the next month or so. DH normally doesn't like the deeper massage, prefering strictly relaxation style, but Natalie went deeper and he said he never felt better...loosened up and just great. 
Now, DH said there will be a trip to the spa on every trip...I knew there was a reason I married that man... 
Since we hadn't eaten much DH and I stopped by Artist Palette for a bite. I called DS to see if he wanted to join us, but he'd already walked over and eaten lunch. We had a great sandwich here and decided we really liked the place despite it being counter service. We were going to try the Turf Club, but they were closed still.
Since it was Wednesday, there was a DVC member update planned at 3 and we decided to go...glad we did, too. I won a DVC ice scraper for knowing the names of all 5 Disney parks in the world...I'd like to thank the DIS board for all their help... Anyway, we did learn some new info, although for me I already knew most of it because the DIS family is in the know... The meeting ended around 4:45 and we were due at Artist Point for our dinner at 5:30, not wanting to chance it with WDW transportation, we decided to grab a taxi...DS and my first ride in one ever. We were lucky that a driver was trying to locate a family who'd used his taxi to go grocery shopping and left something in the car and so he was trying to get the item to the family. We got in and in about 10 minutes...maybe 15 at the very most we were at WL. The cab fare was $13.50, in part because we got stuck at a couple of red lights and the fare keeps ticking while you're stopped. We'd consider using a taxi again in the future when there' a crunch for time since we thought it was worth it.
Well, we were early for our ADR, but checked in and received one of those buzzer things and sat down at Territory Lounge for a drink and waited to be seated. We were seated exactly at 5:30 and had a really nice dinner. As part of this "do nothing day", I had scheduled a sleigh ride for us at 8pm since we'd be right there anyway. Here we are as we started our sleigh ride...
Okay, I'd read mixed reviews on this activity discussing before or after dark...was it worth it and such. Well, yes! We...at least DH and I think so. DS, well, how exciting is a horse drawn sleigh ride that's really a carriage with your mom and dad in the dark. Okay, his teenage point is taken. I think if we do this again, I might, as suggested here, do it around twilight...especially if it's for the family. Now, if it's just DH and I...night was just fine.
The path taken is from the main entrance of WL, toward the gate, across that road and onto a service road through the trees...can ya call that woods? I'm not sure. It does get pretty dark in there, but the haze of the city lights and what bit of moonlight made it okay to see each other and our driver, but we couldn't see anything past the carriage. Like I said...verra nice for DH and I, but with the kid along...well...we still had a nice ride. It was chilly enough that DH and I used the blanket to cover our legs, but not DS...he's a tough boy... I think it would have been nice to have some Christmas music along on the ride, but I didn't feel like packing a CD player just for this. It was fun as we passed the bus stops to see the kids get excited about the horse and carriage...we waved like Cinderella...elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist...
Now, I'm not a horse person and know very little about the animals, but this horse, Charlie, was beautiful and big! Our driver, Kelly, told us the name and all I can remember is that it's some kind of French work horse. Well, Charlie is 17 1/2 hands high and when I started looking closer, I could tell he was a work horse from the size of his hooves and the solid, broad build of his chest...is that what ya call that part of the horse? Anyway, he was a fine piece of horse flesh if ya ask me. When I told Kelly that Charlie reminded me of the Belgian work horses that lived near me in Holland and like a smaller cousin of the Clydsdales we have near home at the Busch Brewery, he was a bit impressed that I even knew that much. I'm learning though thanks to my nephew's wife, who is an equine study major. Anyway, here' a photo of Kelly and Charlie...remember Charlie is the horse...
Well, on this do nothing day we decided it was about time to do something so we headed to DTD for a little shopping. I grabbed some Christmas ornaments, the Holiday Wishes CD, and the Return to Zero Christmas CD at the Christmas shoppe, then my nose followed the strong scent of sugar to Goofy's Candy Co. Oh, momma what a rush!! DS got a Glacier cup...Goofy top and bottom with a pink cup...don't ask, but apparently "pink is the new black". DH and I did the make your own treats...a Mickey rice crispy with white and milk chocolate and pretzel rods with milk chocolate, pecans and caramel. I tell ya MJ, the CM who was making the treats is a real artist...she seems to love her job by the looks of it that night. Thank goodness she boxed them for us cause we were still so full we knew we couldn't eat them!
So we headed to Once Upon a Toy, where I had to get Dgreat-niece her box of Tater Head parts...I'd been wanting to do this for years, but DS hasn't played with the ol' spud since he was a toddler. I tell ya, DS is great at packing that box...we managed to fit Mouseketeer ears, Mickey's shoes, Minnie hat and shoes, Goofy hat, Donald's hat and bill, a Christmas tree, Mickey bar, pizza, autograph book, videocamera, trick-or-treat pumpkin, a pirate hat, 4 arms, a couple of ears and earrings, and a few more of the props. I was impressed...the box probably weighed a couple pounds. Well, all that work did us in so we headed back to SSR for the night.
Day 6 brings MGM and dinner at the Boardwalk...
Now that we've tried, I've been forbidden to plan another trip without it... Since Day 4 was a late night (not as late as I thought it would have been though) because of MVMCP, I scheduled our "do nothing day" for Day 5. We didn't have anyplace to be as a family until 5:30pm, but DH and I did have spa treatments scheduled for 1pm so we slept late...till about 10am. I always get up before the boys, but not by much this day.
We had some coffee and light breakfast as we lazed around the room. Unfortunately this was also our trash and towel day, but we just left the privacy sign on the door till we were all ready to face the world.About 12:30 DH and I took a nice leisurely walk over to the spa, which I must say is one of the things I really enjoyed at SSR. The walk from our room to the main area was lovely...the lake with the fountain, the new landscaping that is gonna be absolutely gorgeous in a couple of years (not that it didn't look great now, cause it did...just new). I'd scheduled one of the SSR's Peppermint Pedicures for me and a swedish massage for DH. I wasn't sure how DH would do with the spa thing...oh, sure he's had massages at home, but they were at the chiropractor's office. He was really surprised when we were shown to the quiet lounge, then each taken to the separate locker rooms. After I changed into a pair of shorts and spa sandals I headed back to the lounge. DH showed up soon wearing one of the nice white spa robes and sandals. I could tell that he was feeling a wee bit out of sorts, given there were 3 women (WDW CMs) all in business clothes, who I think were getting manicures from the look of it. So, we sat there a bit and DH was called back first. The CM who did my pedicure was Helen, a very nice young lady who did a great job...it's been 2 weeks an my piggies are still pretty and soft, though not as soft as when Helen finished, but that is to be expected.
I've had pedicures at home, but oh, this one was nice...
SSR Spa uses real maple and brown sugar as an exfoliant...kept wondering why I smelled pancakes...lol Helen explained that sea salts (what is used here) is more drying than the sugar...ah! Then I had my legs lathered in clay with peppermint, foil wrapped like a couple of those turkey legs in the parks, and wrapped in hot damp towels. My feet would have been done the same, except Helen suggested a paraffin dip for my extremely dry feet, so I went for it. WOW! That wax is hot the first dip!! After 3 dips, they were wrapped in foil and the towels and I sat there for about 10 mins...that is when the peppermint kicks in and my legs got all tingly...reminded me of a lotion my mom used when I was a kid. Then all the wax and clay was rinsed off and Helen applied a nice moisturizing lotion as she massaged my legs....oh, mommy! Did I need that after a couple days of hoofing it around the parks. Then she applied the polish I had chosen...called something like "it's all Greek to me"...I just love the names OPI gives their polishes.Well, back to DH...who was still not returned to the lounge when I did. I couldn't help but snicker at him when he did though...he looked like a giant marshmallow man...he was so relaxed looking!
He sat with me while my toes finished drying and told me what a great massage it was. Natalie was the CM who took care of him and was great according to DH. She apparently found kinks that even he didn't realize were there, including one on his left thigh that may be the result of a childhood injury and causing most of his hip trouble...he's gonna follow up with a doc in the next month or so. DH normally doesn't like the deeper massage, prefering strictly relaxation style, but Natalie went deeper and he said he never felt better...loosened up and just great. Now, DH said there will be a trip to the spa on every trip...I knew there was a reason I married that man... Since we hadn't eaten much DH and I stopped by Artist Palette for a bite. I called DS to see if he wanted to join us, but he'd already walked over and eaten lunch. We had a great sandwich here and decided we really liked the place despite it being counter service. We were going to try the Turf Club, but they were closed still.
Since it was Wednesday, there was a DVC member update planned at 3 and we decided to go...glad we did, too. I won a DVC ice scraper for knowing the names of all 5 Disney parks in the world...I'd like to thank the DIS board for all their help...
Anyway, we did learn some new info, although for me I already knew most of it because the DIS family is in the know... The meeting ended around 4:45 and we were due at Artist Point for our dinner at 5:30, not wanting to chance it with WDW transportation, we decided to grab a taxi...DS and my first ride in one ever. We were lucky that a driver was trying to locate a family who'd used his taxi to go grocery shopping and left something in the car and so he was trying to get the item to the family. We got in and in about 10 minutes...maybe 15 at the very most we were at WL. The cab fare was $13.50, in part because we got stuck at a couple of red lights and the fare keeps ticking while you're stopped. We'd consider using a taxi again in the future when there' a crunch for time since we thought it was worth it.Well, we were early for our ADR, but checked in and received one of those buzzer things and sat down at Territory Lounge for a drink and waited to be seated. We were seated exactly at 5:30 and had a really nice dinner. As part of this "do nothing day", I had scheduled a sleigh ride for us at 8pm since we'd be right there anyway. Here we are as we started our sleigh ride...
Okay, I'd read mixed reviews on this activity discussing before or after dark...was it worth it and such. Well, yes! We...at least DH and I think so. DS, well, how exciting is a horse drawn sleigh ride that's really a carriage with your mom and dad in the dark. Okay, his teenage point is taken. I think if we do this again, I might, as suggested here, do it around twilight...especially if it's for the family. Now, if it's just DH and I...night was just fine.
The path taken is from the main entrance of WL, toward the gate, across that road and onto a service road through the trees...can ya call that woods? I'm not sure. It does get pretty dark in there, but the haze of the city lights and what bit of moonlight made it okay to see each other and our driver, but we couldn't see anything past the carriage. Like I said...verra nice for DH and I, but with the kid along...well...we still had a nice ride. It was chilly enough that DH and I used the blanket to cover our legs, but not DS...he's a tough boy... I think it would have been nice to have some Christmas music along on the ride, but I didn't feel like packing a CD player just for this. It was fun as we passed the bus stops to see the kids get excited about the horse and carriage...we waved like Cinderella...elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist...Now, I'm not a horse person and know very little about the animals, but this horse, Charlie, was beautiful and big! Our driver, Kelly, told us the name and all I can remember is that it's some kind of French work horse. Well, Charlie is 17 1/2 hands high and when I started looking closer, I could tell he was a work horse from the size of his hooves and the solid, broad build of his chest...is that what ya call that part of the horse? Anyway, he was a fine piece of horse flesh if ya ask me. When I told Kelly that Charlie reminded me of the Belgian work horses that lived near me in Holland and like a smaller cousin of the Clydsdales we have near home at the Busch Brewery, he was a bit impressed that I even knew that much. I'm learning though thanks to my nephew's wife, who is an equine study major. Anyway, here' a photo of Kelly and Charlie...remember Charlie is the horse...
Well, on this do nothing day we decided it was about time to do something so we headed to DTD for a little shopping. I grabbed some Christmas ornaments, the Holiday Wishes CD, and the Return to Zero Christmas CD at the Christmas shoppe, then my nose followed the strong scent of sugar to Goofy's Candy Co. Oh, momma what a rush!! DS got a Glacier cup...Goofy top and bottom with a pink cup...don't ask, but apparently "pink is the new black". DH and I did the make your own treats...a Mickey rice crispy with white and milk chocolate and pretzel rods with milk chocolate, pecans and caramel. I tell ya MJ, the CM who was making the treats is a real artist...she seems to love her job by the looks of it that night. Thank goodness she boxed them for us cause we were still so full we knew we couldn't eat them!
So we headed to Once Upon a Toy, where I had to get Dgreat-niece her box of Tater Head parts...I'd been wanting to do this for years, but DS hasn't played with the ol' spud since he was a toddler. I tell ya, DS is great at packing that box...we managed to fit Mouseketeer ears, Mickey's shoes, Minnie hat and shoes, Goofy hat, Donald's hat and bill, a Christmas tree, Mickey bar, pizza, autograph book, videocamera, trick-or-treat pumpkin, a pirate hat, 4 arms, a couple of ears and earrings, and a few more of the props. I was impressed...the box probably weighed a couple pounds. Well, all that work did us in so we headed back to SSR for the night.
Day 6 brings MGM and dinner at the Boardwalk...
