12/23...This was the only day we got up early...had an 8am ADR at Donald's Breakfastosaurus. 
I don't know what I was thinking when I planned this part of the trip. Well, yeah I do. I was getting in touch with the kid in me and thinking that DS would still wanna see the characters. 
Well, I promise I have learned my lesson and happy that I didn't have to learn it at WCC...another day's story.
So, we get up at 6am...at least I did then the boys grumbled out of bed and into the shower...such drudgery it was.
We headed to the bus stop since I know from the DIS that if I wanted to get into AK for the ADR I'd better be on a bus since no cars seem to get thru the gate. We had the whole bus to ourselves. When we got to AK, I saw very few people until we rounded the ticket booths and saw the line...WOW! And we were all headed to Donald's. A CM walked down the line, asked each groups name and ADR time, checked us off the list and then just like the rope drop...let us all in together. It was quite chilly that morning...able to see your breath 
so DH and DS weren't any happier with mom especially when I wanted to stop for that shot of the Tree of Life with not a soul around. The CM was shaking his head at me I swear. 
Here's that prized shot...
We finally arrived at Donald's, which seemed to take forever, and sign in at the podium, are herded to the photo line...were next...take the photo and were rushed inside. Okay, yes there is a pattern here, but I'll save that for the dining report.
I will note that they did scan our photopass card. When the girl came around to see if we wanted to buy the photos...I did, but really did not want to carry them all day so I asked if they would be available with the photopass online. Certainly, you can purchase them there...I was told. Well, WRONG!! That photo has made it's way to file 13 already and I can't get it now...boohoo! It was pretty good and of all 3 of us...ah, well experience and learn.
So, we finished eating and walked outside to wait the 5 mins. till the rope dropped at Primevil Whirl. We'd never ridden it and I wasn't sure since I didn't want to be the first to hurl on Primevil Whirl...I'd forgotten my dramamine. (Normally it's a must on the trips, but since we weren't doing any big rides so far I'd gotten out of the habit of taking it.) Well, we walked over and were the first to ride it that morning...and I didn't hurl.
But I didn't want to ride it again and got off while the boys took another spin.
We walked to Bugs Life, waited about 5 mins. and went in...love this show and we hadn't seen it since 1999.
Note on the 3D shows: I'd never paid much attention before since we were never lucky enough to sit in the front rows of any of these shows, but this trip we were. We've decided there really are some not so good seats...not bad...just not the best. This trip we learned to avoid...the very front few rows as our necks started to hurt from looking up so much...and avoid the very edges of the rows as the 3D effects just didn't seem to be quite as good there. We actually decided we like to sit about 2/3 of the way back to be able to take in the whole screen or atmosphere.
After this we walked straight onto Kilamanjaro Safaris...which wasn't as great as an experience as it was the last time. We unfortunately were seated in front of a family who knew very little about the species they were looking at, but the mom insisted on telling the kid (about 2) all the wrong names...ex. ankole cattle are not buffalo... It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been so loud about it...even her husband told her the kid really didn't care...was just looking at animals. No, I didn't speak up and ask them to be quiet...not worth it...I just was there to take photos and I know what the animals are...just didn't see too many. I think it actually may have been a bit too chilly even for them that morning.
Well, next we went to Festival of the Lion King....great show and we really like it! I am always fasinated with those Tumble Monkeys and how they stay in character thru the whole show...I just expect them to start picking off the vermin from each other...
We headed for Tarzan Rocks since we'd never seen it and walked right in and were seated...about 3/4 the way back...fine. Okay, I thought DS would really like this, but he didn't and neither did DH or me. DS noted that who ever was mixing the sound board that day wasn't doing a good job. DH noted that the singers voices were just not the right range for the Phil Collins numbers and the music director should have transposed the songs for the singers or found some who could sing in the right range.
Ah, did I say they were both musicians and singers, my DH and DS... Well, I really thought DS would like it for all the skating stunts...wow! what a let down...there were hardly any. 
Well, now that I've seen it I can say that I'm not gonna miss it when it's gone.
Well, that was what we'd planned to do so we headed for the gate, via the Petrifries stand for a little snack and then by the gift shops in search of the new AK park shirt that has Expedition Everest on it. DH saw it, but only in sweatshirt and he really wanted it in a tshirt.
We left AK at 12:30 and headed to the Beach Club for our most unhealthy lunch...the kitchen sink. This was so much fun!!! They do make a big fuss about it...flashing the lights and announcing there were 3 little piggies in the house... I think the people who were around us had almost as much fun as we did. Here's the before shot...
And the after...
Then it was back to SSR to come down from the sugar high, and change clothes before we headed to Grand Floridian and dinner at Citricos at 7.
We grabbed the bus to MK, then took the boat over to GF...a nice ride. There is just something about the place that makes ya feel like you're walking into pure grandeur...like
Jackie Kennedy Onasis should be there waiting to greet you...I don't know, but I always feel that way. We had our meal at Cirticos, which was eh...again, our opinions. If you want to read all about it, then you'll have to read the dining report. After dinner we stuck around to listen to the band playing Christmas carols, check out the Gingerbread house, which I could tell had been there a while since I didn't smell the aroma of gingerbread like I had the last time we saw it Thanksgiving week 2003. After a while we decided to get going and grabbed a bus to DTD, then SSR.
Well, the next day would be Christmas Eve...Epcot and the CP again with Jim Caviziel...
I don't know what I was thinking when I planned this part of the trip. Well, yeah I do. I was getting in touch with the kid in me and thinking that DS would still wanna see the characters. Well, I promise I have learned my lesson and happy that I didn't have to learn it at WCC...another day's story.So, we get up at 6am...at least I did then the boys grumbled out of bed and into the shower...such drudgery it was.
We headed to the bus stop since I know from the DIS that if I wanted to get into AK for the ADR I'd better be on a bus since no cars seem to get thru the gate. We had the whole bus to ourselves. When we got to AK, I saw very few people until we rounded the ticket booths and saw the line...WOW! And we were all headed to Donald's. A CM walked down the line, asked each groups name and ADR time, checked us off the list and then just like the rope drop...let us all in together. It was quite chilly that morning...able to see your breath so DH and DS weren't any happier with mom especially when I wanted to stop for that shot of the Tree of Life with not a soul around. The CM was shaking his head at me I swear. Here's that prized shot...
We finally arrived at Donald's, which seemed to take forever, and sign in at the podium, are herded to the photo line...were next...take the photo and were rushed inside. Okay, yes there is a pattern here, but I'll save that for the dining report.
I will note that they did scan our photopass card. When the girl came around to see if we wanted to buy the photos...I did, but really did not want to carry them all day so I asked if they would be available with the photopass online. Certainly, you can purchase them there...I was told. Well, WRONG!! That photo has made it's way to file 13 already and I can't get it now...boohoo! It was pretty good and of all 3 of us...ah, well experience and learn.
So, we finished eating and walked outside to wait the 5 mins. till the rope dropped at Primevil Whirl. We'd never ridden it and I wasn't sure since I didn't want to be the first to hurl on Primevil Whirl...I'd forgotten my dramamine. (Normally it's a must on the trips, but since we weren't doing any big rides so far I'd gotten out of the habit of taking it.) Well, we walked over and were the first to ride it that morning...and I didn't hurl.
But I didn't want to ride it again and got off while the boys took another spin.We walked to Bugs Life, waited about 5 mins. and went in...love this show and we hadn't seen it since 1999.
Note on the 3D shows: I'd never paid much attention before since we were never lucky enough to sit in the front rows of any of these shows, but this trip we were. We've decided there really are some not so good seats...not bad...just not the best. This trip we learned to avoid...the very front few rows as our necks started to hurt from looking up so much...and avoid the very edges of the rows as the 3D effects just didn't seem to be quite as good there. We actually decided we like to sit about 2/3 of the way back to be able to take in the whole screen or atmosphere.
After this we walked straight onto Kilamanjaro Safaris...which wasn't as great as an experience as it was the last time. We unfortunately were seated in front of a family who knew very little about the species they were looking at, but the mom insisted on telling the kid (about 2) all the wrong names...ex. ankole cattle are not buffalo...
It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been so loud about it...even her husband told her the kid really didn't care...was just looking at animals. No, I didn't speak up and ask them to be quiet...not worth it...I just was there to take photos and I know what the animals are...just didn't see too many. I think it actually may have been a bit too chilly even for them that morning. Well, next we went to Festival of the Lion King....great show and we really like it! I am always fasinated with those Tumble Monkeys and how they stay in character thru the whole show...I just expect them to start picking off the vermin from each other...
We headed for Tarzan Rocks since we'd never seen it and walked right in and were seated...about 3/4 the way back...fine. Okay, I thought DS would really like this, but he didn't and neither did DH or me. DS noted that who ever was mixing the sound board that day wasn't doing a good job. DH noted that the singers voices were just not the right range for the Phil Collins numbers and the music director should have transposed the songs for the singers or found some who could sing in the right range.
Ah, did I say they were both musicians and singers, my DH and DS... Well, I really thought DS would like it for all the skating stunts...wow! what a let down...there were hardly any. Well, now that I've seen it I can say that I'm not gonna miss it when it's gone. Well, that was what we'd planned to do so we headed for the gate, via the Petrifries stand for a little snack and then by the gift shops in search of the new AK park shirt that has Expedition Everest on it. DH saw it, but only in sweatshirt and he really wanted it in a tshirt.
We left AK at 12:30 and headed to the Beach Club for our most unhealthy lunch...the kitchen sink.
This was so much fun!!! They do make a big fuss about it...flashing the lights and announcing there were 3 little piggies in the house... I think the people who were around us had almost as much fun as we did. Here's the before shot...
And the after...
Then it was back to SSR to come down from the sugar high, and change clothes before we headed to Grand Floridian and dinner at Citricos at 7.
We grabbed the bus to MK, then took the boat over to GF...a nice ride. There is just something about the place that makes ya feel like you're walking into pure grandeur...like
Jackie Kennedy Onasis should be there waiting to greet you...I don't know, but I always feel that way. We had our meal at Cirticos, which was eh...again, our opinions. If you want to read all about it, then you'll have to read the dining report. After dinner we stuck around to listen to the band playing Christmas carols, check out the Gingerbread house, which I could tell had been there a while since I didn't smell the aroma of gingerbread like I had the last time we saw it Thanksgiving week 2003. After a while we decided to get going and grabbed a bus to DTD, then SSR. Well, the next day would be Christmas Eve...Epcot and the CP again with Jim Caviziel...
