Our 2008 grand, GRAND FLORIDIAN Christmas trip 12/6-12/14

[ProudMommyof2]

Oh I can't wait to see the BBB pictures.

 

[MelissaFromRI]

Can't wait for more and for the BBB pics

 

[princess&her4princes]

What an awesome update!!! I can't wait to see the pics from BBB, I actually have goose bumps from reading your description of it all, and can honestly say, I was tearing up reading about how excited she was!!!! How cute, you've got to take advantage of these special moments because before you know it, she'll think it's soo babyish to do things like this...how sweet!!! I'm SO glad you got in!!!!! Can't wait to read/see more!!!!!

 

[princess&her4princes]

ps-- your breakfast sounds delish!! could go for that now!! yum!!!!!

 

[scottny]

that is great they were able to squeeze you in.

Looking forward to the pics.

 

[Lcaemom]

Proudmommyof2, MelissafromRI, ScottyNY thanks for reading along...my DD is so excited to tell everyone the story of her magical day.

Kristen I am sooooo excited to get my Disney fix...it will be a short one...but, a completely unexpected one none the less...and one that I am soooo grateful for. I am so excited for you that you got free dining!!! When do you get to start your ressies?

Ok...here the rest of the BBB pics!!! There are many but, each one is part of the experience...

 

[NotSoEvilStepmother]

I'm subbing and coming back to read more later. I'm loving it so far.

 

[Lcaemom]

It's our turn!!! Ashley, who would be my DD's hairdresser came out to request "Princess _____." She led us over to her chair...with a bench right across...for all the camera-toting mothers. Ashley is sweet and so pretty...my DD is just starstruck...I have tears in my eyes because this just keeps getting better and better. Ashley can see that my DD is dressed as Sleeping Beauty so, she tells her that this is the chair where Sleeping Beauty sat to have her hair done this morning...to get ready for "their lunch, together." Of course, my DD believes every word...and this adds to her excitement. She kept repeating all day..."I got to sit in Sleeping Beauty's chair!!!"
During our stay, up til this point, not only had my DD been checking out all of the "princesses" she had apparently been studying them...she knew exactly which hairstyle she wanted right down to the exact barrette. Ashley took out some crowns and barrettes to show her what her choices were...which was not necessary...my DD told Ashley EXACTLY what she was looking for..."a tiara and a Minnie Mouse barrette with rainbow rhinestones in the back!"

So, they begin...on goes "Sleeping Beauty's cape." As I looked around I could not believe how beautiful it was...so royal, with big velvet drapes and wall sconces...it was just beautiful!!!

Ashley started by combing all of her hair into a high ponytail...I tried to memorize what she did so, that maybe someday if one of my DDs had any reason to wear a tiara, I'd know exactly how to repeat this...a good skill to have in the back of my brain?!?

Next she wrapped the ponytail with a large strand of hair and pinned that underneath. Then she took elastics and sectioned off the ponytail into 1-2 inch sections. Here she is sliding the tiara on, around the front of the pontail.

She rolled the ponytail down...

...and pinned it to the top of her head...then she pinned down the sides of the bun...it was perfect...Last but, not least...she clipped the Minnie barrette onto the back of the bun. I should also add that she really slathered on LOTS of gel...to keep flyaway hairs from sticking out...I really learned alot...lol!!!

Next...my DD got to pick some sparkles to put on her face...she picked a crown...

...then came the makeup...everything was pink...with sparkles!!!

When all was finished...we were still not done...there was pixie dust!!! My DD was told to make a wish...as Ashley walked around the chair sprinkling the pixie dust...she said "Bippity Boppity Boo..." According to my DD, this was to scare away the pirates so, that they couldn't come in and steal all the jewels and crowns...she can still tell you in detail, the story Ashley told her about the pirates and the princesses.

Now...she was ready to present Princess ____!!!

She added a sash...and did a countdown...and spun her around...I'll never forget the look on her face...when she saw herself in the mirror...

I may have forgotten to mention that there were Photopass people in the Boutique. Before they turned my DD around...they made sure the Photopass person was in position to capture the moment...they actually told me where to stand so, that I could see my DD's face...and they could get us both in the mirror at that exact moment!!! Those pictures are priceless, to me!!! I think this is one of MOST favorite pictures of our trip!!!

Ashley then got a large mirror and held it to the back of my DD's head so, that she could see her most coveted item...the Minnie Barrette!!!

We were both beaming...we had such a GREAT experience!!! When we got to the register...there was a problem with how they charged us...rung us up twice or something...we had to wait...for maybe 5 minutes. They had the manager come out to apologize...and then...THEY GAVE HER A BRACELET!!! I was shocked...I told them it was not necessary but, they insisted. They let her pick from the display of Mickey head elastic bracelets...she of course, picked pink! THEN...they gave her a pink giftbag with the extra makeup, the extra stickers for her face, a comb and a brush...WOW!!! is all I could say! I just couldn't capture the moment with enough pictures...lol...here we are leaving the BBB...

...now we're out the door and in the foyer of the castle between the BBB and CRT...

...and now we're in front of the castle...actually in front of the back of the castle...

...and a full length shot...almost done...lol!!!

We had plenty of time before our reservation and the rest of the family called my cell phone to say that they were just coming through the front gates of MK to meet us...I told them to meet us in the back of the castle...which they did. My DD had to take my other girls...who were completely NOT interested in any of this for themselves...back into the BBB to show them all the crowns and jewels...and tell them the story of the Pirates and the Princesses.

My youngest DD was so proud to tell her older sisters all about her experience...and they really listened to everything she had to say. My oldest DD even took close up pictures of her hair...and they came out great!!! The final products...

Next Up: We get stuck in A Small World...REALLY!!! LOL!!! It's funny now...but, was soooooo NOT funny at the time!

 

[A's Princess]

All I can say is WOW! She really did transform into a princess! TFS!

 

[MelissaFromRI]

Great update
Your DD looks like a lovely little princess

 

[SoonerGirl]

Awwww, I had to come out of lurkdom to tell you how much I loved this update! What a very special treat for your DD, I had a big smile on my face the entire time I was reading all about it. Being the mother of two boys, I'll never get the chance to have girly moments so I just wanted to say thanks for sharing!

 

[tinkerbells mum]

just found your trip report and i'm loving it, the pictures are brilliant, thanks for sharing, can't wait to hear more xx

 

[pezaddict231]

I'm loving your trip report! You have such a lovely family and what a great day your youngest DD had! I wish they had had BBB when I was little! We're staying at the GF in June and are so excited, I love all the pictures you have taken, it really feels like being there! Did you get to see the film in One Man's Dream? We stumbled upon it on our last trip and it was really great, it's inspiring when you see all the setbacks that Walt faced but he never let it stop him. It's really nicely done.

 

[Lcaemom]

A's Princess: Yes, she certainly did turn into a princess...she thought so, anyways!!! She loved every minute of it!!!

MelissafromRI: Thank you!!! Very sweet of you to say so!

SoonerGirl: So, great to have you reading along!!! Thank you so much for your kind words!

Tinkerbells mum: Thank you...so sweet of you! Can't wait to write more!

Pezaddict231: Love your name...just bought my DD, the Sleeping Beauty Pez dispenser...for being so good while grocery shopping...she is now loving Pez! Thank you for all your kind words! I hope you LOVE the GF...although, what's not to love?!? I know you will have a great time! I did not get to see the movie in "One Man's Dream" I wish I had...just love the history of WDW!

Good evening to all of you lurkers...hoping to add some more tomorrow night. We'll be leaving again for Disney on Thursday night...not really, just LOVE the sound of that! We'll be driving to FL...ughhh...hopefully, stopping at WDW, on our way by it...boy, is that going to be hard!!! Our hope is to be at WDW by 9am, Sat AM...hopefully, go to Typhoon Lagoon. It will all depend on timing...crossing ALL my fingers!!! Not sure if we'll have internet while we're away...I'd love to be able to update while I'll have all this time on my hands, next week.

 

[princess&her4princes]

Oh, I LOVE the latest update!! DD looks beautiful and soooo excited!! Thanks for sharing those moments with us....and I just love the pic of you looking in the mirror back at her, what a great memory that will always be for you as her mother!!

I can't believe that you're on your way to Orlando tomorrow!! Soooo jealous...think you could fit one more in the car? I'll meet you somewhere on 95....lol!! Have a great time and a safe trip! Can't wait to hear all about it when you come home!!!

 

[Lcaemom]

We had all met up and were now all together inside MK...with 45 minutes until our lunch at CRT. We decided that we'd take a walk and see if there were any rides we could fit in, in that amount of time. Small World is usually a sure thing...the line time was 10 minutes...so, we thought "Let's get in line!" I can see some of you cringing now...CRT is THE hardest reservation to get. I called exactly 180 days out, back in June of 08...at 6:59am...I dialed in exactly 15 seconds before 7am...I memorized all the prompts...I got right through!!! I got this reservation...and then planned the rest of THE WHOLE trip around it. Just keep that in mind, as you read on! Hmmmm...look at all those people ahead of us!?!

Small World has always been one of my most favorite rides...my first experience with "It's a Small World..." was singing that song in a play in first grade...at the time, I had no idea where that song was from...I just liked singing it when I was 6. The first time, I went to WDW, was 1989...I was 19...I took two rolls of film, in that ride with my Fuji Discman camera. I just loved it!!! It was one of the "must-dos" in 07 and 08. The apple does not fall far from the tree...my daughter took almost 100 pictures of this ride in 08...with her own camera. I'll only torture you with a few...for some of us, these are painful!

Once we finally got on...it had been more like 20 minutes...than 10...I still thought we're fine...all is good. My girls are happy...we riding along in a Small World...what could possibly be wrong in the world. However, as we're riding along...I start to notice that every time we go around a corner...there are more and more boats ahead of us...

...Then...suddenly...we come around one corner...and hit the boat in front of us...we are now at a dead stop!!! We still have 10 minutes before our ressie...I don't panic...yet!!! The boat starts moving...slooooowly...we head around the next turn...and OMG!!! There is an endless trail of boats ahead of us...now there is one behind us!!! We are at a complete standstill!!! I now start to panic!!! However, being the seasoned DIS'er that I am...I have reservations programmed into my cell phone...so, fear not...we're in a broken down ride...there is no way they can not honor our reservation...right?!? Of course...my cell phone is almost dead because I forgot my charger!!! The woman who answers the phone tells me that she has no record of my ressie...now, I screaming into the almost dead phone..."WE'RE STUCK IN A SMALL WORLD AND WE CAN'T GET OUT!!!" She tells me she can't understand what I'm saying...now I am completely flipping out!!! So, my middle DD starts crying because she sees me getting upset...and she starts yelling "MOM...MOM...I CAN'T LISTEN TO THIS SONG ANYMORE...IT'S MAKING ME CRAZY!!!!" I am just in shock and so mad at myself for taking the chance of ruining that ADR...the one we planned our whole trip around! I was sick at the thought of ruining that...the whole family was about to commit mutiny on the SS Small World...listening to that song repeat and repeat...and repeat..."it's a world of laughter, a world of tears..." Yes, it sure was, at that moment...we had become the Griswold's again...and we were now going insane!!!
I was never so happy to see all the "good bye" signs and to get out of that boat...

I'm now assuming that the reservation is gone...that even if it wasn't missing...that we now have no chance of getting back something that we supposedly didn't have an ADR for...so, I run ahead...my DH walks with the girls...
I got to the podium and give them my name...our ressie was for 12:40...it's now 12:50! The girl says is "your whole party here?"...they walk up just at that moment...and she says "Right this way..." with no questions asked! WOWWWWW!!! I need a valium...or something frozen...with some fruit and an umbrella!!!
The whole family is still making fun of me screaming into my phone..."WE'RE STUCK IN A SMALL WORLD AND WE CAN'T GET OUT!!!"

UP NEXT: CRT...AND OUR FAVORITE PRINCESS...besides my dd's, of course...SLEEPING BEAUTY!!!

 

[Lcaemom]

Oh, I LOVE the latest update!! DD looks beautiful and soooo excited!! Thanks for sharing those moments with us....and I just love the pic of you looking in the mirror back at her, what a great memory that will always be for you as her mother!!

I can't believe that you're on your way to Orlando tomorrow!! Soooo jealous...think you could fit one more in the car? I'll meet you somewhere on 95....lol!! Have a great time and a safe trip! Can't wait to hear all about it when you come home!!!

I'm so excited!!! We should be in your area, around 2AM...just be ready to jump in!!! I'm hoping to have internet when we are there...we'll see!!! I'll have 5 days of nothing...it would sure be nice to be able to update and get some more of this TR done. Life is too crazy and busy while we're home!!!

 

[Lcaemom]

So, it looks like our little pass through might...MIGHT turn into an unexpected 2day thing...we're thinking we could be in Orlando by 9-10pm-ish tomorrow night. I'm thinking we could find somewhere to stay in WDW that night...go to a park, on Saturday...stay over on Sat nt...hang out at the pool Sunday...and then be at my parents by dinnertime Sun nt. I priced WL online...the only availibility is a suite...for almost $800/nt...the GF is $1000+...so, I'm going to give them a call and see if there is anything...much more reasonable?!? I know it is crazy busy there right now...but, you never know. I'll keep you posted...crossing all my fingers for something...anything...and that's it's reasonable...

 

[thechesters420]

Hi there, I just wanted to ask you a few questions about getting the best deal at the GF. I also have three daughters and sooo want to bring them to the GF at Christmas. When I priced the vaca to there it was nearly $7400(thats flight and food too). Anyway I would love some pointers on how to get the most for my money. It's so expensive that I'm saving 400 bucks a month til Dec 2010 to pay for it!

 

[Lcaemom]

We are officially going back to Disney!!! We are leaving in about 5 hours!!! Are we insane?!?
A friend of mine from high school...who used to work at Disney...was able to get us 3 park hopper tickets...I had two more, that we have from 2001. I have been waiting all day for this friend to email me the phone number of the contact person...which he just did so, I called WDW right away to see what they had available for a room only ressie...got POR for 2 nights, used a code I found on mousesavers...got a GREAT deal...I then made an ADR at Tony's Town Square, for lunch on Saturday...so, we're on our way!!! I can't even believe this!!!
My plan is to arrive at WDW, between 9pm and midnight tomorrow night...maybe go to MK or Epcot...just found out that MK has EMH that morning...definately won't want to be getting up too early...so, maybe we'll do Epcot...which I'll need to change my ADR...go back to the hotel...swim...then head to MK that night...it closes at midnight. We'll sleep late Sunday, have Mickey waffles for breakfast...swim for a good part of the day...maybe head to DTD...and then take off for my parent's house. I have been so excited for this trip but, now even more so...I can't believe how this has all turned out!!! Just need to pray now...for NOOOOOO traffic!