Our Holiday Trip to WDW

[Camster0307]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!

And thanks, once again, to all of you for your good wishes and prayers for Amanda. She's not quite 100% yet but is feeling better and better with each passing day. I'm the one who's now sick. Nothing as serious as her illness but enough to keep me curled up on the couch for the past few days.

Family from NJ has left; the girls are off to their dad's for the weekend; and we've got a big ol' snowstorm going on outside so - perfect time to finally put up another post!

But first, I wanted to get back to some of you.............

I loved the video and now I can't wait for the real thing. Are you guys going to any of Nick's solo shows? He is just so darn adorable!

No, we didn't get tix to Nick's show. We were in WDW when they went on sale and he sold out his two shows in Boston very quickly. Lauren is disappointed because she realizes he's playing in very small venues and she probably could have been up close. Oh well. There's always the summer concert tour!

hey!!! im just jumping on your trip report train now! I have to say..with all the times i have been to Disney, i've never been there during Christmas and am sooooo jealous lol. How great that you got the tickets last min. and Lauren got to see the jonas bros...Im 25 yrs old and I have to admit..a closet fan my little cousins love them and they are such good role models. So sorry Lauren was sick but Im sure the a dose of the JoBro's was just what the dr. ordered

***Looking forward to reading more about you & your girls' trip..they are so cute

Christmas at WDW is my absolute favorite time! It's so beautiful. I hope you get to experience it at least once. And I, too, am now a JB fan. Lauren and I got the chance to meet them this past summer and I was so impressed with just how nice and down to earth they are. And of course, they are from my homestate - New Jersey - so I know they're good people. Plus their shows are really fun.

I'm here! I can't believe I missed this thread!

1) What's up with Joe's hair?!

2) I wish I were Lauren.

3) Can't wait for more!

Hey Meg! Don't worry, you haven't missed much!
1) - Joe's hair has apparently been all cut off. But he's still a cutie, don't you think?
2). I wish I was Lauren too.
3). More coming up!

Yum! Lauren makes that pretzel look really good! I would never think to have a pretzel at WDW because it seems that they are such a ubiquitous snack. But I've never seen the pretzel from Germany before, and it does look very good!

It's so cool that you were able to go to the taping! Haha, so does that mean if we watch the parade, we might be able to spot you 3 lovely ladies? Looking forward to seeing if I can find you and your hats!

I don't really know about the Jonas Brothers except from what I hear from my students. However, I admit ... after looking at all your pictures, they are very cute! Last I saw, they looked extremely young, but here they look quite handsome!

The pretzels in Germany are very different from the rest of the pretzels sold at WDW. A little "sweeter", maybe? Trust me, Lauren has tried them all and just LOVES the german ones.

Yes, the Jonas Brothers are very cute. So I don't mind being dragged by my daughter to see them. Not sure if you watched the parade or not, but while there were no close-up shots of us, we could spot ourselves when they did a wide pan of the audience. We were easy to spot because there was slight "hole" in the crowd where we stood - Amanda in her wheelchair.

They were looking right at you guys!!! I know they meet a lot of people, but don't you just wonder "Did they recognize us from somewhere?" Love Lauren's words during the show.



In 6th grade I had those same pants as the dancer is wearing. The 80s are WAY back in, aren't they?!

That is a lot of takes, those boys and dancers must have been pooped!

Great pictures! What an awesome way to start the trip.

Thanks brook. Lauren likes to think Joe recognized her because, you know, they became so close during the meet & greet. And don't feel sorry for JB or those dancers; feel sorry for us in the audience. They had us rehearse that dance for 2 hours!

Wow...amazing pictures.
That's awesome you guys got so close! It's good to see that Amanda had plenty of room for her wheelchair. I was there also and I thought they were going to pack us as close as they could but they actually spread it out pretty nicely. That little wave that Joe gave her is so sweet. How lucky is she?
Lauren's dialogue while they were waving for pictures is hilarious.
Once again, loved all the pictures! Curious to see how the rest of your day went!

Thanks Mandy. I just wish I could have gotten the pic of Joe waving. We really lucked out with our placement and it was alot of fun. Are you from Florida? Have you been to the taping before? It was not what I expected and we had a blast. Not sure if it would have been as fun without the Jonas Brothers though.

joining in, i love your TRs!!

Thanks for joining in!

I followed a link from another TR and now I'm hooked! I love that your girls had such a great time seeing the Jonas Brothers. I'm not familiar with them, but I've been a Hanson fan for the past 12 years, so I have some idea what it's like to see them live & freak out! Lauren's comments while watching them perform & Joe's wave to Amanda were just too cute. I'm glad y'all were able to go to the taping. We avoided it as best we could!

Sorry to hear that Amanda is in the hospital. I hope she gets better & gets home soon!

Thanks. Amanda is doing much better! And it's so funny - everyone always seems to compare the Jonas obsession to the Hanson obsession years ago. Yes, it is very much like that. I can see why you would avoid the taping; we usually do too. And probably will in the future; unless of course, those boys are performing again.

Nice vacation! I love it!

Thanks! It started off great.

 

[Camster0307]

Since we had been there for almost four hours and the only thing we had to eat was some dry Fruit Loops, I decided to put some real food into our systems. Lucky for us, our favorite CS place in MK was right behind us.....

CASEY'S!!!!!!!!

We got our usual - two hot dogs, fries, and cheese sauce. Lots and lots of cheese sauce.

Yes, thank you Casey's for introducing my daughter to the fine art of dipping french fries into hot, melted cheese.

Growing up in NJ and frequenting the Jersey shore and it's boardwalks every summer, I am well aware of this delicacy.

But in WDW, she goes cheese-dipping crazy!

Once lunch was done, we headed into Fantasyland. I was really surprised at how crowded MK was. I had thought with the parade taping, people would have stayed away. But that was not the case at all. Plus, with it being a Sunday, the park was packed!

Fortunately, we get the "Guest-Assistance Card" for Amanda which allows us to access the rides through the fast pass entrance, if there is one. Thank goodness for that!

We were able to get on the Pooh ride and Dumbo with a minimal wait.

Amanda on Pooh:

With her nurse:

Then it was off to It's a Small World.

Yes, this ride drives me crazy. But it's a classic; easy to get Amanda on; very visual; and I insist we do it at least once every trip. For reasons I can't quite understand, Lauren took a ton of pix. I'll post just a few of them:

After that, we headed over to ride the Haunted Mansion (my fave!) and POTC. I was so happy to have a nurse along to help me get Amanda on these rides. Since both are "transfer" rides, it means I have to carry Amanda on myself, which is fine. It's all the "stuff" she travels with. As the CMs always tells me - "take everything your daughter would need if, god forbid, you were stuck on the ride for an hour." Which means: her suction; oxygen tank; and emergency bag. It's funny to have to lug all of that with you for a ride that lasts about five minutes, but better safe than sorry I guess. It was nice to have a nurse be responsible for carrying all that and allowing Lauren to just sit back and enjoy. A LOT less stressful for all of us!

After POTC, Lauren and I had hoped to jump on BTMRR for a quick ride, but unfortunately the ride was not working. We decided, since it was approaching 3pm, to hightail it out of MK before the afternoon parade started. We had dinner ADRs at the Grand Floridian for 7pm that night, and I wanted to go back to our room for a little while to give Amanda a chance to get out of her chair and stretch a bit.

On our way out, we took some more pix of the castle, still with the stage set-up....................

So pretty.

Next up..............dinner with Cindy's and her family

 

[Mysteria]

Happy to hear Amanda is feeling better. What another thrill for Lauren! I think she has a Jonas bros. angel on her shoulder.

I just had a chance to catch up with your report now. Did you guys end up being on camera for the parade?

 

[subtchr]

Great report, Cammie! We were also at MK that Sunday, although we had originally planned to be there that day because it was NOT supposed to be the parade taping! We were not involved in the taping, but I still got some good pics of the JoBros. My trip report is linked in my signature, if you are interested.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[MaryAz]

Glad Amanda is feeling better. Sorry the park was so busy-looks like a fun morning though.

 

[RachelNinja]

There is one TERRIBLE thing about the cheese sauce in Disney though ... why do they give such small containers to put the cheese in?!? Haha, I can use one of those mini-cups for just a few fries before I need another!

I'm glad that Amanda's nurse was with you guys. I'm sure your entire vacation was a lot easier to manage with her there.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great update! Casey's is so good. Gotta love sitting outside with the castle as the backdrop.

I was going to ask too since you were at the parade taping...how much of the crowd dancing for the Jonas Brothers performance was rehearsed or was everyone given stage directions? That was quite the performance! LOL. I was just curious as to how they did that.

ETA: OK, never mind I just went back and reread that part about the taping. Even if it was tiresome after a while it looked pretty cool!

 

[ScotsMinnie]

So glad to hear that Amanda is feeling a bit better. Really enjoying your trip report! I love Caseys too but I have never dipped in cheese. Must try it next time!

 

[AmandaSparks730]

We've never eaten at Casey's

But! Mom's talking about taking a summer '10 trip!

Continue! I love 1900 Park Faire

 

[debdebdebby13]

This is the first time I've been on Disboards in about 7 months. I had the post-trip blues and couldn't stand to looks at TR's for a while. Now that I'm back you are the first person I decided to check out, since I loved your TRs back before we went on our first trip...and I was sure you would have been at least once in the last 7 months, haha!

 

[Camster0307]

Happy to hear Amanda is feeling better. What another thrill for Lauren! I think she has a Jonas bros. angel on her shoulder.

I just had a chance to catch up with your report now. Did you guys end up being on camera for the parade?

Thanks for reading, Mysteria. Yes, we seem to have crazy luck where the Jonas Brothers are concerned. I swear, we're not stalking them. As for the parade, while we didn't have a "close-up", we did see ourselves when they did a scan of the crowd. We were easy to find because of Amanda in her wheelchair - it created a "hole" in a see of people.

Great report, Cammie! We were also at MK that Sunday, although we had originally planned to be there that day because it was NOT supposed to be the parade taping! We were not involved in the taping, but I still got some good pics of the JoBros. My trip report is linked in my signature, if you are interested.

Can't wait to read more!

I'll definitely check it out! We also had that Sunday scheduled as our MK day and I probably would not have gone if not for getting those parade taping passes. We left at three, and they were still taping the parade sequence. It was crazy.

Glad Amanda is feeling better. Sorry the park was so busy-looks like a fun morning though.

It was a really fun morning and I'm glad we got to experience it at least once.

There is one TERRIBLE thing about the cheese sauce in Disney though ... why do they give such small containers to put the cheese in?!? Haha, I can use one of those mini-cups for just a few fries before I need another!

I'm glad that Amanda's nurse was with you guys. I'm sure your entire vacation was a lot easier to manage with her there.

LOL about the cheese sauce containers. FYI - the family sitting next to us outside had asked for an empty plastic dessert container - and filled it with cheese sauce! We're keeping that tip in mind for next time.

Great update! Casey's is so good. Gotta love sitting outside with the castle as the backdrop.

I was going to ask too since you were at the parade taping...how much of the crowd dancing for the Jonas Brothers performance was rehearsed or was everyone given stage directions? That was quite the performance! LOL. I was just curious as to how they did that.

ETA: OK, never mind I just went back and reread that part about the taping. Even if it was tiresome after a while it looked pretty cool!

We rehearsed that darn dance for TWO HOURS! I STILL can do it! I thought it looked good on TV though. The people in the crowd were really into it - people of all ages. Very fun.

So glad to hear that Amanda is feeling a bit better. Really enjoying your trip report! I love Caseys too but I have never dipped in cheese. Must try it next time!

Be prepared to become addicted to fries dipped in cheese sauce.

We've never eaten at Casey's

But! Mom's talking about taking a summer '10 trip!

Continue! I love 1900 Park Faire

Oh, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you for that summer trip!

This is the first time I've been on Disboards in about 7 months. I had the post-trip blues and couldn't stand to looks at TR's for a while. Now that I'm back you are the first person I decided to check out, since I loved your TRs back before we went on our first trip...and I was sure you would have been at least once in the last 7 months, haha!

Haha. Thanks for remembering and checking back in. I know all about those post-trip blues! I thought coming back and having Christmas to look forward to would make things easier. But it didn't. So I just had to book my yearly mother/daughter trip and our annual trip to get me excited again.

 

[brookelizabeth]

So glad to read Amanda is on the mend! I hope you are feeling better by now as well.

What a great day at MK!! I can only imagine how it must be to be carrying Amanda AND all that gear. That's a lot of work for a short ride!

Small World drives me nuts as well, but I love going on it. It's a classic! And, I always see something new it seems. But, it's never allowed to be the last ride of the day otherwise the song will be stuck in my head.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

We're planning for the end of August, before I start my *gulp* Senior Year.

Speaking of which (and I hope I'm not hijacking the thread by stating this), but we filled out our (potential & tentative) schedules for next year (already? We haven't even taken midterms yet!). I'm signed up for English IV Honors, Computer Science (which counts as my last math requirement), Human Geography AP, Spanish V AP
. And those are just the full-year classes! For electives, I decided on American Legal, Contemporary Issues, Film & Literature, and Intro Pyschology. Whoa! Crazy I'm so excited, though!

Long story short, I'ma need that trip to WDW

P.S. Like my new tags? The blessed TF hit up the Teen Boards this week!

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Loved all the MK pics. Looks like you guys had a great time. And... those cheese fries are making me hungry!

 

[praisehisname]

Yum!!!

Awesome update!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Happy New Year Cammie! I've had a hard time catching up this week. Glad to hear Amanda is doing better. I'm surprised Lauren had an appetite, being so love-struck after the JB concert! We haven't tried Casey's yet - will have to put it on the list - I'm sure the little ones will like it. Nice you had help with you on this trip. I imagine as Amanda grows, it will be good to have help lifting her for sure. Looking forward to more - your pics are great!

 

[Camster0307]

Yeah, I'm a loser. Haven't been on the DIS in over a week.

Sorry for the lack of updates but I'll get to it today!

So glad to read Amanda is on the mend! I hope you are feeling better by now as well.

What a great day at MK!! I can only imagine how it must be to be carrying Amanda AND all that gear. That's a lot of work for a short ride!

Small World drives me nuts as well, but I love going on it. It's a classic! And, I always see something new it seems. But, it's never allowed to be the last ride of the day otherwise the song will be stuck in my head.

LOL Brook. You're so right about not letting IASW not be the last ride. I like to get over to Mickey's Philharmagic right after so I can fill my brain with some classic Disney movie music.

And I'm anxious to read about your adventures during Christmas week at the World. Will head over to your TR ASAP!

We're planning for the end of August, before I start my *gulp* Senior Year.

Speaking of which (and I hope I'm not hijacking the thread by stating this), but we filled out our (potential & tentative) schedules for next year (already? We haven't even taken midterms yet!). I'm signed up for English IV Honors, Computer Science (which counts as my last math requirement), Human Geography AP, Spanish V AP
. And those are just the full-year classes! For electives, I decided on American Legal, Contemporary Issues, Film & Literature, and Intro Pyschology. Whoa! Crazy I'm so excited, though!

Long story short, I'ma need that trip to WDW

P.S. Like my new tags? The blessed TF hit up the Teen Boards this week!

Wow Meg! That's quite a work load you're aiming for next year! You must be very smart. You'll definitely need that WDW vacation before you dive in! I'm so dreading Lauren being in high school next year. I know her school work load will increase dramatically and it will be hard to pull her out for our annual Disney vacations. I have our trip scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving this year; but after that, I don't know if she'll be able to miss school anymore for us to go. You darn kids. Can't you all just stay the same age for a couple of years?

And I love your tags! I want the tag fairy to visit me!

Loved all the MK pics. Looks like you guys had a great time. And... those cheese fries are making me hungry!

Thanks Clare! Did you get to sample those cheese fries during your trip?

Yum!!!

Awesome update!

Thanks. Everything was very yum! So yum, that we visited Casey's again later in the week.

Happy New Year Cammie! I've had a hard time catching up this week. Glad to hear Amanda is doing better. I'm surprised Lauren had an appetite, being so love-struck after the JB concert! We haven't tried Casey's yet - will have to put it on the list - I'm sure the little ones will like it. Nice you had help with you on this trip. I imagine as Amanda grows, it will be good to have help lifting her for sure. Looking forward to more - your pics are great!

Happy New Year Tammie! I'm having a hard time catching up too! Very slow moving this week. The fact that it's 20 degrees and I have 8 inches of snow outside doesn't help either.

As for her appetite, I figured Lauren was already drooling from watching the Jonas Brothers, I might as well satisfy her with her favorite lunch place!

 

[Camster0307]

I last left off with us leaving MK, still walking on air after staring at the Jonas Brothers for over an hour and heading back to the Boardwalk to catch a break before dinner at the Grand Floridian.


But I usually make an exception for 1900PF. I think it's the best buffet on the property; the food is really good; and for what Lauren doesn't eat at dinner, she more than gets her money's worth out of dessert. As you'll see.

We got to the Grand Floridian in plenty of time before our ADR time and able to stroll the lobby. I just love how they decorate it for Christmas............

The life-size gingerbread house:

After a brief wait, we were led into the dining room. This was our first official sit down meal of our trip - and was also the start of our week of wonderful service and awesome CMs. Our waiter was Michael and he was a hoot! Usually my complaints at these buffets is that you can never find your waiter when you need something. Not only was our guy attentive and accessible, he was so personable - made fun of Lauren for texting during dinner; and told us a few hilarious stories about his own teenage daughters. Michael was just as entertaining as the characters at this meal!

Speaking of...............

The stepmother was especially hilarious.

Now, for some reason, I forgot to take pix of our dinner food. Probably because we were starving and just dug right in. Did remember to get a shot of my tasty drink - the Blue Glowtini:

And what Lauren consumed for dessert. First, her "Make Your Own Sundae" creation:

And samples of practically every other dessert:

She shared with me:

She's sooooo generous, isn't she?

After we were done with dinner, Amanda looked about ready for bed; so I had her nurse take her back to the Boardwalk while Lauren and I decided to hop over to the Wilderness Lodge to admire their Christmas decorations. I had never been over to that resort at holiday time and had heard how beautiful it was.

We were not disappointed..........................

It's been a long day. And my tired baby wants to go to bed...............

Since we had been up at un-godly hours the previous two mornings, my plan for our next day was to sleep in a little bit and then spend the whole day at DHS.

Next installment................our favorite WDW holiday attraction..........The Osbourne Festival of Lights!

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

No I didn't get to sample the cheese fries Hopefully next time! The stepmother just looks hilarious in your picture so I can only imagine what she was like in person!! I didn't care for the food at that dinner but the characters are so much fun that it is still worth going. WL decorations look gorgeous!

 

[RachelNinja]

FYI - the family sitting next to us outside had asked for an empty plastic dessert container - and filled it with cheese sauce! We're keeping that tip in mind for next time.

Haha, what a great idea! It's much easier and in the long run, probably more economical if it was for a family!

I agree with you about buffets. I would love love love to eat at the buffets, but I just can't see myself paying those prices. I don't mind paying a little more for a regular restaurant because I ALWAYS bring my leftovers back since I rarely finish anything. A buffet would actually get me all tense because I'd feel as if I have to get my money's worth! Of course, the interaction is most of the cost so it's debatable whether I'd do one!