Well, just back from a 6 night trip to WDW. So, children, pull up a chair, and I'll tell you about it.
The flight went fine. Up before 5am for a 645 flight. Luckily, at that time of night/day, we are 15 mins from the airport. We were in Orlando by about 1015am and in our rental car about 15 mins later. We were staying the first night at the Marriott Sabal Palms instead of using our points at DVC for a Saturday stay. We checked in, then headed right over to OKW, parked the car, and were off to the MK. We were in about 1215, then roamed around for about a half hour till our ps at Tonys. This has become not only one of our very favorites, but also a tradition to eat there first thing. Though it was pretty chilly last Saturday, we asked for and got a porch table. We were also very fortunate to get "George" as our waiter. If anyone has ever had him, then you know that he may well be the best waiter in all of WDW. For those who don't know who he is,, given that it is "Tonys", George is also Italian. My wife thinks he reminds her of Tony himself, though I think more Stanley Tucci. Since we were there last in August, they have changed the menu some. Still very very good.
Anyhow, at 2, we were able to see Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade from the porch. Always a good parade to see.
After lunch we roamed around for a few hours, did Splash, and a few others, then headed back to the hotel to actually get in to our room.
Now, maybe we are spoiled, but we didn't think much of the resort. It was okay, rooms were clean, etc, (more about that in a minute) but the decor was very generic. Could have been anywhere, not just central Fla.
Anyhow, after a rest, we stopped at Port Orlean for din-din, then back to the MK. The kids went to Space Mt. while me and DW roamed around somemore, checked out the shops, and watched the fireworks from the castle. We couldn't quite make out what was said, but it appeared that rather than tinkerbell coming down the wire, they had Rudolph.
Anyhow, next morn, we were up early, but in our room there was a noticable lack of hot water. This was about 8am on Sunday. I mentioned it casually when we checked out, but wasn't all that concerned about it. The clerk was very nice and said she'd see if she could make an adjustment for us to our bill. So, to jump ahead a week, when we got home yesterday, there was a statement from them that they comped the room for that nite.
Anyhow, to the Kona cafe for breakfast, which was the best Tonga Toast we ever had. Must have upgraded the recipe. Very very good. Then a bit more MK till we headed over to Epcot in the afternoon. We had ps at the Beer Garden for lunch. We had the last seating before dinner hour, so got the same meal as those coming in minutes after us, for $5 less a person.
Did a bit of roaming around afterwords, but left before the fireworks show (illuminations) though we did see the Christmas tree lighting. Tried to do Test Track, but wait time was over 2 hours. By then, about 9, it was getting cold again, so we stopped in the Rose and Crown for a hot toddy before heading out.
Monday was a surprise day for Emmy. I booked horseback riding for her and I for first thing in the am. It was fun, but horses were real boring. Not a lot of pep. Must be putting traqs in their oats.
Anyhow, after that, got the rest of the group and headed over to MGM for the day. We went to Ohana for dinner as was another tradition, and had a rather disappointing meal. We seem to get rather uninspired waiters there, and the food selection was way down from previous trips. I talked to the manager on the way out and told him how disappointed we were, and if that was the first time we were at Ohana we would not come back. We went back to MGM for the evening, checking out the Osborne lights. Sort of disappointed, I thought Ozzy could have been a bit weirder. Bit tame for my taste, I thought.
The next day, NYE, started with me taking the boys to the airport so they could come home for a big party. Then we went to the outlet mall, checked the Disney outlet and bought a few things, then headed over to Celebration. We are looking to move sometime this year, and would like to build our own place. So, we checked out some of the models for ideas, and floor plans. I think we found one. It's a great looking community, and has a lot going for it in many aspects, but there have been real problems with their school system. As much as it is a very nice area in a lot of ways, we would not consider living there. We did have a very nice lunch at a cafe in downtown Celbration. It was great to sit at an outdoor cafe on December 31st. Something you can't, opr wouldn't want to do, in Chicago.
After that, back to OKW. Emmy and I played tennis, and basketball. By then, the clouds were rolling in, so we headed back to the room for a while.
We had avoided the parks for NYE because we figured, rightly, that everyone and his brother would be doing them. So, we had decided that we would at least have a fun dinner and catch some fireworks from somewhere. We had ps at Whispering Canyon for 830 that night. By the time we left our resort at about 745 it was pouring. And, people were leaving the park, coming in to the restaurant on their ps, and not leaving. We didn't get seated till almost 10pm. At least we had a good waitress. It was interesting to see that not many around us were doing the big skillet dinner, and most were ordering off the menu.
Anyhow, we were back at our room by 1130, and were able to see fireworks from both Epcot and MGM from our room at midnight. Emmy, however, was more interested in watching them from Time Square on the TV.
Next day we met one of Emmy's friends at the GF, then took her to the MK. We left Emmy and her there about 3 while dw and I went back to GF for tea. Very very nice.
Then back to the park till 7pm ps at Crystal Palace. Also very nice, but not a lot of face time with the characters.
Next day we decided to do something we had planned on for some time and had never done: go to Vero Beach. We were amazed at how nice it was, and will certainly go there for a stay one of these times soon.
Our last night we met a friend of ours for dinner at Boma. I know many of you have been there before, but this was our first time. Boy, is it great. This certainly beats out Ohana. The group sitting next to us had eaten dinner there 3 nights in a row.
So, anyhow, given the crowds, and the fact that it was cold a few days, and rained heavily the one evening, it was still pretty much a great trip. For DVC members, we were interested in doing the dude ranch out in Arizona. Sounds like it may be something we do in the next year or so.
Oh, as far as the quiz as who is the rudest: I'd say the prize goes to New Yorkers. There were a few incidents were you could easily tell, but the classic was this scene around the carousel where some fellow acidently cut in line ahead of this New Yorker and his group. The fellow appologized for the accident, but the NY not only continued yelling at him, but was actually using the foulest of obsenities, in a loud voice, at him. In front of his family and others around him. I kept moving so I don't know how it turned out. d Hard to top that one. Anyhow, glad to be home, in civl Chicago. Don't know when our next trip will be, but our eldest ds wants to use the points from DVC for a trip with his college friends. We'll see.
The flight went fine. Up before 5am for a 645 flight. Luckily, at that time of night/day, we are 15 mins from the airport. We were in Orlando by about 1015am and in our rental car about 15 mins later. We were staying the first night at the Marriott Sabal Palms instead of using our points at DVC for a Saturday stay. We checked in, then headed right over to OKW, parked the car, and were off to the MK. We were in about 1215, then roamed around for about a half hour till our ps at Tonys. This has become not only one of our very favorites, but also a tradition to eat there first thing. Though it was pretty chilly last Saturday, we asked for and got a porch table. We were also very fortunate to get "George" as our waiter. If anyone has ever had him, then you know that he may well be the best waiter in all of WDW. For those who don't know who he is,, given that it is "Tonys", George is also Italian. My wife thinks he reminds her of Tony himself, though I think more Stanley Tucci. Since we were there last in August, they have changed the menu some. Still very very good.
Anyhow, at 2, we were able to see Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade from the porch. Always a good parade to see.
After lunch we roamed around for a few hours, did Splash, and a few others, then headed back to the hotel to actually get in to our room.
Now, maybe we are spoiled, but we didn't think much of the resort. It was okay, rooms were clean, etc, (more about that in a minute) but the decor was very generic. Could have been anywhere, not just central Fla.
Anyhow, after a rest, we stopped at Port Orlean for din-din, then back to the MK. The kids went to Space Mt. while me and DW roamed around somemore, checked out the shops, and watched the fireworks from the castle. We couldn't quite make out what was said, but it appeared that rather than tinkerbell coming down the wire, they had Rudolph.
Anyhow, next morn, we were up early, but in our room there was a noticable lack of hot water. This was about 8am on Sunday. I mentioned it casually when we checked out, but wasn't all that concerned about it. The clerk was very nice and said she'd see if she could make an adjustment for us to our bill. So, to jump ahead a week, when we got home yesterday, there was a statement from them that they comped the room for that nite.
Anyhow, to the Kona cafe for breakfast, which was the best Tonga Toast we ever had. Must have upgraded the recipe. Very very good. Then a bit more MK till we headed over to Epcot in the afternoon. We had ps at the Beer Garden for lunch. We had the last seating before dinner hour, so got the same meal as those coming in minutes after us, for $5 less a person.
Did a bit of roaming around afterwords, but left before the fireworks show (illuminations) though we did see the Christmas tree lighting. Tried to do Test Track, but wait time was over 2 hours. By then, about 9, it was getting cold again, so we stopped in the Rose and Crown for a hot toddy before heading out.
Monday was a surprise day for Emmy. I booked horseback riding for her and I for first thing in the am. It was fun, but horses were real boring. Not a lot of pep. Must be putting traqs in their oats.
Anyhow, after that, got the rest of the group and headed over to MGM for the day. We went to Ohana for dinner as was another tradition, and had a rather disappointing meal. We seem to get rather uninspired waiters there, and the food selection was way down from previous trips. I talked to the manager on the way out and told him how disappointed we were, and if that was the first time we were at Ohana we would not come back. We went back to MGM for the evening, checking out the Osborne lights. Sort of disappointed, I thought Ozzy could have been a bit weirder. Bit tame for my taste, I thought.
The next day, NYE, started with me taking the boys to the airport so they could come home for a big party. Then we went to the outlet mall, checked the Disney outlet and bought a few things, then headed over to Celebration. We are looking to move sometime this year, and would like to build our own place. So, we checked out some of the models for ideas, and floor plans. I think we found one. It's a great looking community, and has a lot going for it in many aspects, but there have been real problems with their school system. As much as it is a very nice area in a lot of ways, we would not consider living there. We did have a very nice lunch at a cafe in downtown Celbration. It was great to sit at an outdoor cafe on December 31st. Something you can't, opr wouldn't want to do, in Chicago.
After that, back to OKW. Emmy and I played tennis, and basketball. By then, the clouds were rolling in, so we headed back to the room for a while.
We had avoided the parks for NYE because we figured, rightly, that everyone and his brother would be doing them. So, we had decided that we would at least have a fun dinner and catch some fireworks from somewhere. We had ps at Whispering Canyon for 830 that night. By the time we left our resort at about 745 it was pouring. And, people were leaving the park, coming in to the restaurant on their ps, and not leaving. We didn't get seated till almost 10pm. At least we had a good waitress. It was interesting to see that not many around us were doing the big skillet dinner, and most were ordering off the menu.
Anyhow, we were back at our room by 1130, and were able to see fireworks from both Epcot and MGM from our room at midnight. Emmy, however, was more interested in watching them from Time Square on the TV.
Next day we met one of Emmy's friends at the GF, then took her to the MK. We left Emmy and her there about 3 while dw and I went back to GF for tea. Very very nice.
Then back to the park till 7pm ps at Crystal Palace. Also very nice, but not a lot of face time with the characters.
Next day we decided to do something we had planned on for some time and had never done: go to Vero Beach. We were amazed at how nice it was, and will certainly go there for a stay one of these times soon.
Our last night we met a friend of ours for dinner at Boma. I know many of you have been there before, but this was our first time. Boy, is it great. This certainly beats out Ohana. The group sitting next to us had eaten dinner there 3 nights in a row.
So, anyhow, given the crowds, and the fact that it was cold a few days, and rained heavily the one evening, it was still pretty much a great trip. For DVC members, we were interested in doing the dude ranch out in Arizona. Sounds like it may be something we do in the next year or so.
Oh, as far as the quiz as who is the rudest: I'd say the prize goes to New Yorkers. There were a few incidents were you could easily tell, but the classic was this scene around the carousel where some fellow acidently cut in line ahead of this New Yorker and his group. The fellow appologized for the accident, but the NY not only continued yelling at him, but was actually using the foulest of obsenities, in a loud voice, at him. In front of his family and others around him. I kept moving so I don't know how it turned out. d Hard to top that one. Anyhow, glad to be home, in civl Chicago. Don't know when our next trip will be, but our eldest ds wants to use the points from DVC for a trip with his college friends. We'll see.
I'd hoped it wasn't the British and when I was in New York a few weeks back I was surprised at how pleasant the people we encountered out there were so I'd plumped for teen Brazillians!! 
, but never a rude one. 
