PIRATEGIRL007
DIS Cast Member<br><font color=purple>OMG! I am ab
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2005
- Messages
- 13,779
Who: me 
24, self proclaimed Disney addict who does not want treatment and scrapbook diva
my fiancé
33, loves Mission Space, tolerates everything else Disney, puts up with my Disney obsession b/c he loves me 
What: Our first trip to Disney during the Christmas Festivities
When: Reservations dates 12/4-12/14, actual days 12/4-12/10
Where: stayed on property at POFQ, Building #1
Why: After how everything worked out, I am still asking myself this! But just like a true Cinderella story there is a happy ending after all (although that didn't happen until a few days ago!).
The Details: Here we go, sorry if I make any mistakes, it's my first TR!
Pre-trip: I started planning our Dec 05 trip in late Sept 04 when we returned from our last Disney trip. I always wanted to go to WDW at Christmas and couldn't wait.
We both got AP's this year as we plan on going at least twice. Narrowed down definite dates in Jan 05, made hotel ressies in August 05, tour and dinner ressies in Sept 05. Obsessively called dining from Sept 05- late Nov 05 to get an ADR for Cindy's breakfast (it worked, don't ever give up). Worked overtime like crazy for extra Disney money for months, agonizingly watched my ticker count down the days, and just plain drove everyone around me crazy chattering about Disney nonstop.
Day 1: Sunday, December 4th- The waiting is finally over!
Reviews of DME, POFQ, and MGM~ Osbourne Family Lights
I woke up bright and early at 8 am (for a night owl like me, this is the crack of dawn!), but didnt feel well. I had obsessively washed my hands, stayed away from sick people, took my vitamins, etc. for weeks so that I would not get sick before our trip. I chalked it up to anxiety and a minor sinus infection. Packed some sinus tablets and had some orange juice and kept telling myself I was just imagining it. We arrived at the airport after lunch for our 4:40 flight at 2:00. A little early considering the tiny airport here, but wanted to give extra time for any problems. I got super excited when we checked in for our flight b/c I noticed the family in line next to me also had Disneys Magical Express luggage tags. As we sat across from them and waited I tried to be good and not run over to them to talk Disney. That lasted all of about 20 min. I chatted to the mom of the family for a few minutes, it was their first trip, they were staying at All Stars Sports, and she was a Disney planning virgin. Didnt know Pop Werner was going to be there, had the dining plan and only one ADR, didnt know the hours to the parks, etc. We didnt chat too long cause I didnt want to burst her bubble with the impending doom they were facing. Our flight arrived on time, but sat at the terminal forever, we finally were boarded at 5:15 and the pilot kindly tells us that the computer on the plane went haywire and had to be rebooted. This was not what a first time flyer like me wanted to here while sitting in that iddy bitty tin can they called a plane. I had a window seat and the under 2 hour flight flew by. We did have some minor turbulence and passed over some thunderstorms which to me were beautiful. We landed in O-town at 6:50 only 10 min late. Now how they did that considering we left over 30 min late is beyond me but I wont ask.
Upon arriving we walked thru the terminal caught the airport tram right away, came out on the other side and went down the elevator and ended up right in front of DME counter. I was so happy we found it without problems that the huge line didnt faze me. When we walked toward the ropes and waving Mickey hands and attendant asked us if we had a reservation and escorted us to a second line with no wait! Talk about pixie dust already!
The DME rep was friendly and helpful, quickly checked us in and directed us into the great rope maze, as we were nearing the end of our maze, the attendant was closing the gate for that round of passengers on the bus. She saw us coming and waved us on, took us right to the bus, and we hoped on and took off. No wait whatsoever, the pixie dust was really snowing down on us! Our bus serviced both Port Orleans resorts, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs. After a short stop at Saratoga Springs were off the bus at POFQ.
We checked in and were assigned a room in building #1. I requested #4, but what can you do, its always luck of the draw.
We arrived in our room by 7:30pm, upon first impression of the POFQ resort I was not thrilled. I think the fact that our room was furthest from the bus stop instead of closest had something to do with it, but POFQ is such a compact resort that it turned out to not really be too much of an issue. We had a lovely view of the parking lot! But I cant ever bring myself to pay for preferred or water view rooms because we dont look out the windows too much, so it was no big deal. There were also several trees blocking a lot of the view so I really didnt notice the lot too much. We noticed some random trash in the landscaping and a lovely baggie full of water hanging in the tree directly outside our door. I really liked the décor of our room, it was much better than any other Disney resort we had stayed in. I thought the bathroom area was great b/c the addition of the curtain that makes it a separate area, Chad can sleep in while I get ready. Our room was dusty, the dresser had visible dust on the top and in the cubby hole and the shelf above the coat rack was very dusty. I have never had a room that wasnt immaculately cleaned. That was unexpected, but I guess Disney cant be perfect.
We left the room and went to MGM as they were having Extra Magic Hours that night and we needed to exchange our AP vouchers for our passes. We arrived at MGM at 8pm and had no problems exchanging passes at guest services. Since we were there, we went on in to walk around for a while since we didnt have our luggage to unpack anyway. We were a little taken aback by the crowds
we found in MGM since this week of December was supposed to be a slow week. But since I had read several horror stories about crowds on EMH nights we just brushed it off as crowds due to that. We didnt do much that night, but did check the wait for RnR 
(35 min, way to long for me!), went to see if our favorite restaurant, Mama Melrose was open (it wasnt), and then walked thru the Osborne Lights. I was a little disappointed in the lights. I really liked them and thought they were great but I guess I was expecting more since it was at Disney. But it did put me in the Christmas spirit right away with the snow falling and the carols playing. After walking thru the display and snapping some pictures, we decided to catch our favorite show at MGM, Muppetvision 3D. There wasnt a wait and we only had to watch the preshow commercial once! 
The show as usual was hysterical with great 3D effects and after leaving we decided to head back to the hotel and see if our luggage had arrived.
When we entered our room our luggage was waiting on the beds. I was really pleased with DME services, we got back to our room at 9:30, so in less than 3 hours from the time our planed landed at Orlando-International we had our luggage. I would definitely use the services again in the future.
We went back down to Sassalousa Floatworks for dinner and ended up with only one choice, the pasta counter. We love Italian food so we didnt mind. Chad and I both got spaghetti and meatballs with a small salad. We were both starved but the sauce was less than desirable. Almost tasted like plain tomato paste with no seasoning. I guess our first clue should have been that they had shakers of garlic and oregano on the counter. The breadsticks were awesome, though and I wish I would have just got those. I figured we would have better luck with food tomorrow, as our first stop in the morning was breakfast with Pooh.
Day 2: Monday, December 5th Excited to meet Eyeore!
MK & more MK & EPCOT
24, self proclaimed Disney addict who does not want treatment and scrapbook divamy fiancé
33, loves Mission Space, tolerates everything else Disney, puts up with my Disney obsession b/c he loves me What: Our first trip to Disney during the Christmas Festivities
When: Reservations dates 12/4-12/14, actual days 12/4-12/10
Where: stayed on property at POFQ, Building #1
Why: After how everything worked out, I am still asking myself this! But just like a true Cinderella story there is a happy ending after all (although that didn't happen until a few days ago!).
The Details: Here we go, sorry if I make any mistakes, it's my first TR!
Pre-trip: I started planning our Dec 05 trip in late Sept 04 when we returned from our last Disney trip. I always wanted to go to WDW at Christmas and couldn't wait.
We both got AP's this year as we plan on going at least twice. Narrowed down definite dates in Jan 05, made hotel ressies in August 05, tour and dinner ressies in Sept 05. Obsessively called dining from Sept 05- late Nov 05 to get an ADR for Cindy's breakfast (it worked, don't ever give up). Worked overtime like crazy for extra Disney money for months, agonizingly watched my ticker count down the days, and just plain drove everyone around me crazy chattering about Disney nonstop. Day 1: Sunday, December 4th- The waiting is finally over!
Reviews of DME, POFQ, and MGM~ Osbourne Family Lights
I woke up bright and early at 8 am (for a night owl like me, this is the crack of dawn!), but didnt feel well. I had obsessively washed my hands, stayed away from sick people, took my vitamins, etc. for weeks so that I would not get sick before our trip. I chalked it up to anxiety and a minor sinus infection. Packed some sinus tablets and had some orange juice and kept telling myself I was just imagining it. We arrived at the airport after lunch for our 4:40 flight at 2:00. A little early considering the tiny airport here, but wanted to give extra time for any problems. I got super excited when we checked in for our flight b/c I noticed the family in line next to me also had Disneys Magical Express luggage tags. As we sat across from them and waited I tried to be good and not run over to them to talk Disney. That lasted all of about 20 min. I chatted to the mom of the family for a few minutes, it was their first trip, they were staying at All Stars Sports, and she was a Disney planning virgin. Didnt know Pop Werner was going to be there, had the dining plan and only one ADR, didnt know the hours to the parks, etc. We didnt chat too long cause I didnt want to burst her bubble with the impending doom they were facing. Our flight arrived on time, but sat at the terminal forever, we finally were boarded at 5:15 and the pilot kindly tells us that the computer on the plane went haywire and had to be rebooted. This was not what a first time flyer like me wanted to here while sitting in that iddy bitty tin can they called a plane. I had a window seat and the under 2 hour flight flew by. We did have some minor turbulence and passed over some thunderstorms which to me were beautiful. We landed in O-town at 6:50 only 10 min late. Now how they did that considering we left over 30 min late is beyond me but I wont ask.
Upon arriving we walked thru the terminal caught the airport tram right away, came out on the other side and went down the elevator and ended up right in front of DME counter. I was so happy we found it without problems that the huge line didnt faze me. When we walked toward the ropes and waving Mickey hands and attendant asked us if we had a reservation and escorted us to a second line with no wait! Talk about pixie dust already!
The DME rep was friendly and helpful, quickly checked us in and directed us into the great rope maze, as we were nearing the end of our maze, the attendant was closing the gate for that round of passengers on the bus. She saw us coming and waved us on, took us right to the bus, and we hoped on and took off. No wait whatsoever, the pixie dust was really snowing down on us! Our bus serviced both Port Orleans resorts, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs. After a short stop at Saratoga Springs were off the bus at POFQ. We checked in and were assigned a room in building #1. I requested #4, but what can you do, its always luck of the draw.
We arrived in our room by 7:30pm, upon first impression of the POFQ resort I was not thrilled. I think the fact that our room was furthest from the bus stop instead of closest had something to do with it, but POFQ is such a compact resort that it turned out to not really be too much of an issue. We had a lovely view of the parking lot! But I cant ever bring myself to pay for preferred or water view rooms because we dont look out the windows too much, so it was no big deal. There were also several trees blocking a lot of the view so I really didnt notice the lot too much. We noticed some random trash in the landscaping and a lovely baggie full of water hanging in the tree directly outside our door. I really liked the décor of our room, it was much better than any other Disney resort we had stayed in. I thought the bathroom area was great b/c the addition of the curtain that makes it a separate area, Chad can sleep in while I get ready. Our room was dusty, the dresser had visible dust on the top and in the cubby hole and the shelf above the coat rack was very dusty. I have never had a room that wasnt immaculately cleaned. That was unexpected, but I guess Disney cant be perfect. We left the room and went to MGM as they were having Extra Magic Hours that night and we needed to exchange our AP vouchers for our passes. We arrived at MGM at 8pm and had no problems exchanging passes at guest services. Since we were there, we went on in to walk around for a while since we didnt have our luggage to unpack anyway. We were a little taken aback by the crowds
we found in MGM since this week of December was supposed to be a slow week. But since I had read several horror stories about crowds on EMH nights we just brushed it off as crowds due to that. We didnt do much that night, but did check the wait for RnR (35 min, way to long for me!), went to see if our favorite restaurant, Mama Melrose was open (it wasnt), and then walked thru the Osborne Lights. I was a little disappointed in the lights. I really liked them and thought they were great but I guess I was expecting more since it was at Disney. But it did put me in the Christmas spirit right away with the snow falling and the carols playing. After walking thru the display and snapping some pictures, we decided to catch our favorite show at MGM, Muppetvision 3D. There wasnt a wait and we only had to watch the preshow commercial once! The show as usual was hysterical with great 3D effects and after leaving we decided to head back to the hotel and see if our luggage had arrived. When we entered our room our luggage was waiting on the beds. I was really pleased with DME services, we got back to our room at 9:30, so in less than 3 hours from the time our planed landed at Orlando-International we had our luggage. I would definitely use the services again in the future.
We went back down to Sassalousa Floatworks for dinner and ended up with only one choice, the pasta counter. We love Italian food so we didnt mind. Chad and I both got spaghetti and meatballs with a small salad. We were both starved but the sauce was less than desirable. Almost tasted like plain tomato paste with no seasoning. I guess our first clue should have been that they had shakers of garlic and oregano on the counter. The breadsticks were awesome, though and I wish I would have just got those. I figured we would have better luck with food tomorrow, as our first stop in the morning was breakfast with Pooh. Day 2: Monday, December 5th Excited to meet Eyeore!
MK & more MK & EPCOT
). We headed over to CP to eat. I had read such good things about the breakfast here, I figured it would be one of our best ever. Boy was CP really crowded and LOUD! 
We were seated within 5 minutes and Chad went to get some food. The line was backed up to the door on both buffet lines. Not a good start to the meal. About 10 min later he returned and I went to get some food. While I was gone, who comes to the table, but Eyeore! I missed him; I was so disappointed. 
And I had worn my shirt and everything just for him. Chad did get his autograph for me, and when one of the CMs walked by I asked how long it would take for him to come back. She said he should work his way around within 30-45 minutes. Chad is not an adventurous eater, so it was normal breakfast food for him. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and some pancakes. I had the same with the breakfast casserole, hash browns, a chocolate pastry, and a Pooh Waffle. Piglet and Pooh came by while we were eating and stopped for autographs and photos. I did go back and get an omelet made to order and it was great although I had to wait quite a while in line for it. Tigger was almost at the table so I hurried back, he got to the table behind us and then walked away! The kids at the table next to me and myself were both about to burst into tears. 
So we went over and rode Peter Pans Flight and caught a performance of Mickeys Phillharmagic, my all time favorite 3D show, while we were in FL. We didnt have to wait more than 5 minutes for either attraction. After we got out of Phillharmagic the crowds decided to quite wondering and all got in line. Peter Pan shot up to 35 min, IASW 20, Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin was at 35, so we decided to head to Epcot. When we walked by Stitchs Great Escape there was a 10 min wait, and since we have never been on this, we decided to give it a try. I have heard such bad things about SGE on the Dis I wasnt expecting too much, but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved Alien Encounter and wish they would have left it, but Stitch was pretty cute, except for the chili dog thing. I have a really weak stomach that is very sensitive to bad smells, thanks to the Dis I was wise on this and knew it was coming so I covered my nose and only got a small whiff. 
Chad unexpectedly got the full effect. We still miss AE, but Stitch was not really that bad. I thought it was cute. I wouldnt want to experience it several times in a row, but once a trip wouldnt be bad. The one thing that Chad and I both wondered was: why it took so long to get SGE open? 
His wife was disappointed, but said she knew it would happen. We told her about the last trip when we got in the simulator with a couple and the mans wife had the seat closest to the exit, well she walked in and right on out without stopping, leaving her husband to sit down and strap in then realize she was gone! It was so funny. We left MS to walk around Future World and saw that Universe of Energy was starting in 10 minutes. I have never have done UoE, so we gave it a shot. I really like it, thought it was a cute show and loved the effect of the moving theater seats. Chad and I both agreed that UoE would have been a wonderful attraction to do in the summer to cool off and rest your tired feet. We then headed back to the hotel for our afternoon break.
After COP we hopped on the monorail again to Epcot. (We are major park hoppers 
if you cant tell). 
The CP dinner package line was backed up from America halfway thru Japan (literally). I couldnt believe it. Chad already was not wanting to do the CP dinner. I had selected Garden Grill b/c of the characters, of course, but seeing this line was twice as long as the standby line didnt help. We continued on our trip around the world and then we stopped in Future World for a Mickey Bar. My first of the trip, I cant believe I had made it this long without one. Then we went in MouseGears and window shopped. I just 
that store, could spend hours in there. Then we checked the wait for Soarin again, wow only 60 minutes 
Chad and I had worked up an appetite walking around the world so we stopped by the food court for a bite to eat. Chad had a hamburger and fries and I decided to try of the taco salads (beef). Chad had to wait on his hamburger but it was worth it, as it was hot and fresh. My taco salad was huge. As I was watching the CM make it I kept thinking she is putting an awful lot of stuff in there. It was more than enough for 2 people to eat much less one and every bite was delicious. Chad and I both rate this meal 4x 
. We both decided on shorts and t-shirts. We got at AK right after the rope drop and it was crowded. After we got in the park, we decided to tackled Its Tough To be a Bug first. Bugs life is one of my all time favorite movies and I just love this show. The show itself was great. The children screaming in que, and all the way thru the show were not. I just dont get it, there are several warnings that the show has dark moments and the CM in que and before the show repeated these, but still the screamers stayed and tried to ruin the show for everyone. The lady sitting next to me speaking a foreign language to her whole family throughout the show was not great. 
At first I thought she was translating Im not even sure if they knew the show was going on, they sure werent watching. But despite the rudeness from others, I still enjoyed the show and all of its effects. Chad and I love to walk the trails at AK so we headed to Maharajah Jungle Trek to see the Tigers. Last year Chad got some great pics of the tigers and I wanted to see if my new camera was up to the task. We did get to see quite a few sleepy cats, but there were some active ones, too. One part of the tiger habitat was walled off and there were several AK CMs around. We were wondering if one of the tigers was sick or hurt, but didnt ask. After we left the Jungle Trek, I stopped to get some picture of Asia and Expedition Everest. It looks great, pretty much done, and I really wanted to ride, but maybe next time. 
On our way to Kilamanjaro Chad spotted DeVine coming down the path. I had never knew about her until the Dis and wanted to see her. She really is amazing, what a talented performer. I got to snap a few pictures of her and she was off. Chad and I also happened upon a great scenic overlook of the Tree of Life and got some unobstructed pictures. Kilimanjaro had a 35 minutes wait by the time we got there so we grabbed some FPs and went off to check out the rest of the park. We walked by the Tarzan Show 10 minutes before it started. Since this too is soon to be a thing of the past and we had never seen it, we went in. Chad is not into shows and such as much as I am, but he is always a sweetie and sits thru them. We got great seats and were ready to see the show. It was ok. I can see why it is going to be replaced, but I am glad that I got a chance to see it, too. The rock concert part was an interesting take on any Disney movie/show . I was amazed by the rollerbladers and acrobats, but could have done with a little more Tarzan/ a little less singing. 
We left and went in search of something to eat. I have always wanted to eat at FlameTree and we were headed there, but when we got there, Mr. Picky backed out on me. Chad is not into vegetables much at all and I kept promising I would get him fries with his BBQ, but the baked beans on the plate were enough to scare him away. 
He HATES any type of bean. We have already ate at Donalds before and I vowed to never eat there again, so we decided to go on the Panangi Trails and then use our FP for Kilomanjaro and leave. I got some great pictures on the trails of everything except the meerkats, it must have been too cold for those guys and they were hiding. We were starting to think that wasnt such a bad idea, as it was getting cooler and cooler. When we got done it was time for our FPs so we hoped in line. The standby was at 30 minutes, the FP line took us about 15. Chad and I got lucky and were able to get on the front row of the jeep before the one we were in line for. The CM counted wrong and they had an open seat so we hopped in. Our guide was Jason and he did a great job with pointing out the various animals and keeping to the story. The advantage of sitting in the front was Jason had the heat cranked up and we could feel it blowing back on us every once in a while. I was next to the side of the Jeep taking pictures, but halfway thru I was so cold, I joined Chad in the middle of the seat to try to warm up. We were putting our freezing hands out toward the heat to try to warm them up like a campfire. By the time we were done with our safari, my teeth were chattering and Chad was freezing. 
Boy was I excited. The first time I meet Hook, he and Smee robbed me and pulled my hair riffled thru my backpack, we had a great time. At that time I wasnt collecting autographs so this was my #1 most important signature to get. A few pictures later and we were happily off. We rode POTC again and then decided to scope out a spot for Wishes. We got on the Adventureland side of the castle with a great view and a bench seat! We only had about 20 minutes until the show started so we sat and waited. Holiday Wishes was fabulous. I loved every second of it, the fireworks were bright and beautiful and even better the firework setting on my digital camera worked pretty good, too. (I cant help it, the scrapbooker in my comes out often! 
decided to follow so we time it just perfect. I got another autograph and Chad took some more pictures and we were on to get our picture made. We went to the photographers set up in the Timekeeper. I have never been in the Timekeeper and I would love to experience it, so I was amazed at the size of the screen, but it looks like the semi-permanent cuing set up for pictures means the Timekeeper is going to be closed for quite a while! 
Great detail in your report..I can truly tell you are a scrapbooker 
Decision made, we headed over to Star Tours. Chad is a huge Star Wars fan and loves this ride. This is the only ride that has ever made me sick, so I decided first thing in the morning on an empty stomach may not be ideal, so we opted out and browsed thru the Star Traders shop for a minute. As we headed past Lights, Motors, Action it was seemed it was getting ready to start so we joined the masses and went on in. Unfortunately they were stopping us at the back gates and we were going to have to wait for another 20 minutes before we could get our seats. While standing there, Chad mentioned that he didnt have his camera with him and it might be better to come back another time. He has a SLR that takes great action shots, my digital camera tends to blur them, so for the sake of my scrapbook 
we hopped out line and headed back out. By now we were starved and decided to go eat some lunch. Mama Melrose was just opening when we arrived and we were seated within 10 minutes with no ADR. Chad and I both love their pizzas so were ready to order without looking at the rest of the menu. Chad had pepperoni and I had pepperoni, mushroom, and onion. As usual the pizzas were great. Chad finished his in no time, but I started to have problems swallowing, so I only ate about ½ of mine. I still wrote it off as sinus drainage and went on. Chad and I give Mama Melrose' 
It was a little chilly that night, so we decided that before I got completely sick we would head to the room. On the bus ride home, I got struck by sudden inspiration 
to get rid of my cold/illness. Liquor. I have always heard my grandparents and other people say that if you drank a bottle of Jack Daniels the next day your cold would be gone. Since a whole bottle of JD in me would not have been a pretty site, we stopped by the Scat Club at POFQ for a few drinks. The bar area was really nice and Chad and I enjoyed our drinks and talked. There was a one man band getting ready to warm up for the evening and we planned on sticking around to hear some of his music, but I was feeling worse. Dang it, the booze was supposed to help! I was able to get down one frozen drink, but I was having difficulty with that. We headed to the room and I hoped in the bath tub again to see if it would make me sleepy, while Chad decided to head back to the bar to check out the music. The warm bath worked and I felt a tiny bit better as I climbed into bed and turned on my favorite thing to watch at Disney. The I Love Appliances guy. 
I figured that we could take a cab to an Urgent Care facility, but I didnt know where one was close by. We considered renting a car and going to look for a place. I searched the phonebook for doctors nearby, but the phonebook was huge and I had no idea what was near. I finally had a sudden inspiration 
My throat was so bad that I couldnt swallow at all, not even normal salavia, so I had to get an empty bottle and spit in it. Gross! Defeated I finally told Chad that I thought I needed to sit down for a few minutes. We went outside and found a bench, but after a few minutes I was steadily feeling worse and worse, so Chad convinced me to head to the room as we had a lot planned for the morning and I needed to rest. I felt so bad leaving the park, this was the only time we would have ever been in Epcot past normal closing of 9:30 and I was looking forward to hitting some rides and seeing World Showcase. The bus ride home that night was horrid, I was so exhausted I couldnt keep my head up, and my neck and back were aching, so I rested my head on Chads shoulder and counted the minutes until we were back in the room. Another hot bath and off to bed for me, hoping I would feel better in the morning as we had the Segway Tour booked at 8:30.
