Our Very Merry USO, DCL, and WDW Christmas Break!

[PlutosRHM55]

What a lovely last little morning in MK! I'm sorry to hear about Chef Mickey's. I really got lucky with my experience back in March since it was so empty, but gosh... a meal not nearly worth waiting an hour to be seated. Nuh-uh.

How nice of that girl to let Jimmy go ahead of her for his haircut. Also, can totally relate to not enjoying haircuts. I hated it as a kid and while I do have fun with my hair choices and such as an adult, I still get very anxious when I go. There are just some types of people I guess lol

It's definitely hard to look back on what we thought 2020 was gonna be and knowing what it became, but at least we're almost through it and things seem to be looking up. Fingers crossed 2021 will be the return to form we've all been patiently quarantining and waiting for. Hopefully I'll finally run into you in the parks then.

Thank you as always for sharing more of your adventures with your family! I look forward to the next.

 

[Jeepdisney]

I love Jimmys St. Louis Blues shirt! Great choice in teams!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I'll join @Jenny Sanders in skipping out on this one for another decade or so

There are just so many better places to eat, lol.
I am so sorry about your nephew Jackie. That is so heartbreaking.

 

[pkondz]

I had purchased tickets for Rob and Jimmy for the NBA Experience at noon,

Ah! I don't know anyone that's done that, so was curious to hear about it.

It's always a good day when you get picked up by the Mickey bus!!

PS Jimmy's Michael Jordan jersey is actually Rob's from when he was about Jimmy's age.

Love that. I always like when things get handed down through the generations.

Growing up, we were pretty lucky to experience 6 NBA championships and watch the amazing #23 play for our Chicago Bulls!

You got to see him live???

We tried a new to us lunch at Blaze Pizza, and were incredibly impressed!!

Good to know! Was wondering if it was worth the trip.

meeting up with my childhood friend, Nicole.

Nice to have a meet up at Disney. Was this the first time you guys had met in person since reconnecting?

I couldn't believe how she had spent her post-college years--WORKING AT DISNEY WORLD!

oooohhh... That's what my DD wanted to do. Life took her in another direction though.

I was hoping they would have had a fun time at the NBA Experience....well, in the poetic words of my husband, they "enjoyed the hell out of it!"

That's a cool shot! Hoist that trophy, Jimmy!

But in any case, we eventually arrived and got this picture taken, one of my favorites from the trip!

You guys look so happy. Love the framing and the frame too!

we stopped off for a Mickey pretzel

mmmm... pretzel...

Hmm...it seems from my pictures we also rode Spaceship Earth. I'm betting we did that before the pretzel, but who really cares, amiright!?

It's this kind of crack, highly-detailed reporting that keeps bringing us back to read.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out how come I couldn't remember those rings in the water. Then I noticed the dolphin at the top of the photo. (We weren't allowed in there.)

Jimmy finished up his Arcade credits and Rob and I finished up our Miller Lites

hmmm... who's the real winner here?

Jimmy's newfound favorite movie, Happy Gilmore!

Really!

Love this!

On most trips, I try to plan for our final day to be spent at MK.

Me too. Often doesn't work out that way, though.

We walked straight to It's a Small World.

Heh. This is the opposite of what I'd do on my last day.

After checking in, we headed to the waiting area figuring we'd be seated in just a few minutes. I couldn't have been more wrong. It took ALMOST AN HOUR to get seated.

It's not great food... and you had to wait an hour for it???

When almost an hour had passed, I walked up for the third time, ready to tell her we'd be leaving and better not be charged the $10 per person fee for not keeping our reservation. Well, isn't it something that suddenly our table was ready!? :eyeroll:

Chef Mickey's is definitely not my favorite place

Nor mine. Went when the girls were little once and that was enough.

and we did get to take advantage of both breakfast and lunch menus, as they switched one side of the buffet over to lunch while we were dining.

Good thing you had that one hour wait!!!!!

When we walked back into the park, we went immediately to the Harmony Barber Shop to check in for Jimmy's reservation. He is the worst haircut client in the world anywhere else, but here is a model citizen!

Wonder why that is? All of that.

Well, when we checked in, they were running behind and it seemed like we would have to cancel altogether. Well, another guest (a teenage girl) waiting for her turn chimed in and said he could have her spot (she was up next!)

Disney magic. How nice of her!

Doesn't he look thrilled??

we headed for the Peoplemover! Imagine our surprise when we saw a CM standing FAR AWAY at the end of a huge line with the line starts here sign

Good grief! That's... a bit shocking, actually. Up until recently (well, over a year ago, but still) you could just about always walk right on that ride. No one rode it. It was common to see lots of empty cars. I wonder what's changed??

When I was posing Jimmy for a pic with the sign, the CM offered it to Jimmy instead.

Okay, now that's cool!!

20200102_150945

Oh dear...

Back home, Jimmy was excited to see that Santa hadn't forgotten to stop at our house!

Yay!
Was that waiting for him when he walked in? Or the next morning?

10 days after coming home from this trip, my nephew Liam was born nearly three months early. We were blessed to have him with us for 12 days, but no amount of time will ever have been enough.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Thanks for reading along on our trip!!

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us. Very much enjoyed coming along for the read.

 

[missjackiemcg]

That was an amazing amount of characters that you guys could meet!

The characters are definitely what made the price tag worth it for us!! Even though we could have met a few of them in the parks, we skipped those lines since we knew we'd be seeing them at the party, and the interactions were top notch! Especially because we could hop back in to see our favorites and if there was no one waiting, they had extra fun with us.

For some reason, this picture looks like he is ready for college.

I said the same thing!! I'm keeping it for his 21st birthday to do a comparison shot for sure

I love Jimmy's baby! Glad to see it made the trip!

Oh, yes, Buddy had to join us

It's definitely hard to look back on what we thought 2020 was gonna be and knowing what it became, but at least we're almost through it and things seem to be looking up. Fingers crossed 2021 will be the return to form we've all been patiently quarantining and waiting for. Hopefully I'll finally run into you in the parks then.

I have high hopes for 2021!!! Looking forward to that day!!!!!

Thank you as always for sharing more of your adventures with your family! I look forward to the next.

Thank YOU for reading along Hopefully I'll keep the momentum and get going on the July trip we took!

I love Jimmys St. Louis Blues shirt! Great choice in teams!

LOL, he gets a lot of flack for his love of the Blues, here in Chicago! But, it's all to do with Jordan Binnington and Vince Dunn. Before they made it up to the NHL, they played here on our AHL team, the Chicago Wolves. He has loved them for as long as he can remember, so when they made it onto the Blues and won the Stanley Cup, it was a win for him, too. Santa even brought a Binnington jersey last Christmas.

I am so sorry about your nephew Jackie. That is so heartbreaking.

Thanks, Jenny. It really is just the hardest thing to come to terms with.

You got to see him live???

Sure did! We saw him play with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. It was amazing!

Nice to have a meet up at Disney. Was this the first time you guys had met in person since reconnecting?

Yes! We had not seen each other since our high school graduation in 2000!!

It's this kind of crack, highly-detailed reporting that keeps bringing us back to read.

You're so welcome!

Good thing you had that one hour wait!!!!!

Good thing!!!!! Plenty of time to work up an appetite for a meal or three!

Yay!
Was that waiting for him when he walked in? Or the next morning?

It was all there when we walked in! Santa always finds his way to our house, even when we're on vacation. Lucky Jimmy gets Santa presents at the hotel and his larger presents get left by our tree at home. (He always wants to leave cookies out when we are leaving for the airport, too, so we have a friend drop by to assist with leaving only crumbs behind!)

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us. Very much enjoyed coming along for the read.

Thank YOU for reading along!! Hopefully I'll get started on the July report soon!

 

[rdkeim]

Love your TR's! It was so fun following along on your Christmas/New Years trip. The NYE party looked wonderful and a good time! So many great pictures. We have a trip planned for March 1. I'm so looking forward to it but am expecting more of a crowd - hoping we will still feel safe. I'll watch for your July TR!

 

[pkondz]

Sure did! We saw him play with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. It was amazing!

Yes! We had not seen each other since our high school graduation in 2000!!

Great place to find each other again.

Good thing!!!!! Plenty of time to work up an appetite for a meal or three!

Or six.

It was all there when we walked in! Santa always finds his way to our house, even when we're on vacation. Lucky Jimmy gets Santa presents at the hotel and his larger presents get left by our tree at home. (He always wants to leave cookies out when we are leaving for the airport, too, so we have a friend drop by to assist with leaving only crumbs behind!)

Thank YOU for reading along!! Hopefully I'll get started on the July report soon!

Looking forward to it.

 

[CruellaNY]

Just finished this up and of course LOVED it ❤ ❤ ❤ I have seen 0 reviews of the NBA Experience and as you know we are HUGE NBA peeps here! Unfortunately it opened about a month after our trip with the boys in July of 2019; their first time back since was in June and well, yeah, no NBA Experience They actually asked about it again a few days ago when we were there, I do hope it opens again at some point! And yay for #23

Such a nice last full day and half day of the trip! Makes me sad seeing the picture of Jimmy in Bruce's mouth though because I started at that closed area for a few minutes last week. So many memories of my boys' heads in there lol, hopefully I can have them do it as big kids again some day!

Love your reflecting back on past trips and 2020. I agree this year has taught us all so much, taught each of us different things, and I agree family is everything and it's also furthered my belief that you should not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. I look forward to your next TR and as always send love to you and the family!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Love your TR's! It was so fun following along on your Christmas/New Years trip.

Thanks so much for reading along!! It may have taken me forever to get it done, but I really enjoyed being able to look back at our amazing trip and share it here. It definitely got me through some of the bumpier parts of 2020, that's for sure!

We have a trip planned for March 1. I'm so looking forward to it but am expecting more of a crowd - hoping we will still feel safe. I'll watch for your July TR!

YAY!!!! I'm sure it will be more "crowded" as there seem to be more and more people who are feeling comfortable traveling there. My mom, aunt and I went in July, the day after the parks reopened and were very impressed with the way Disney handled all of the safety protocols. I hope you'll have a worry-free visit!!

Just finished this up and of course LOVED it ❤ ❤ ❤

Thanks for reading I'm glad I finally got it finished!! Time to get moving on July now...I should at least START before the year is over, LOL!

They actually asked about it again a few days ago when we were there, I do hope it opens again at some point! And yay for #23

Such a bummer that it hasn't opened yet, but I know your boys would LOVE it!! Jimmy is much more into hockey than basketball, and he had the best time, so your b-ball loving crew would have a blast!

Makes me sad seeing the picture of Jimmy in Bruce's mouth though because I started at that closed area for a few minutes last week. So many memories of my boys' heads in there lol, hopefully I can have them do it as big kids again some day!

It looks SOOOOO sad roped off, doesn't it?! Even in July when it was just us grown up gals, it made me sad not to be able to take that picture!

Love your reflecting back on past trips and 2020. I agree this year has taught us all so much, taught each of us different things, and I agree family is everything and it's also furthered my belief that you should not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. I look forward to your next TR and as always send love to you and the family!

Most definitely agree! Which is why we did WDW and USO in July, and why we are planning full-steam ahead for our anniversary cruise and magical Christmas next year. No putting off the magic til later!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Ahh Jackie, I loved reading your report. What a fun NYE party! It looks like such a blast with all the characters and activities! Perfect way to spend that evening with awesome fireworks at the end.
We really like Blaze Pizza, wish we had them around here.
I would love to experience the Holiday overlay at LwtL it looks so festive!

Jimmy sure looks happy in the pictures. It is hard to believe how carefree we all had been then.

I have had a dream the last few nights that Andi and I are at MK and we are the only two without masks on and I am freaking out, lol! My how times have changed.
Here is to carefree and happy times in our future!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Ahh Jackie, I loved reading your report. What a fun NYE party! It looks like such a blast with all the characters and activities! Perfect way to spend that evening with awesome fireworks at the end.
We really like Blaze Pizza, wish we had them around here.
I would love to experience the Holiday overlay at LwtL it looks so festive!

Thanks so much, Caroline! The party was SUPER fun!

We just discovered that there is a Blaze Pizza near my parents' house! It is definitely on my list to visit soon.

LOVE the holiday overlays on some of the rides. I really hope they do even more!!

Here is to carefree and happy times in our future!

YES!!!!! I'm wishing the same for you!!

 

[missangelalexis]

So awesome to meet up with a childhood friend!!

And sounds like the boys had a good time together too!

Sounds like a fun night at Epcot! And a nice final morning in MK!

Wow that's crazy that you had to wait so long for your table at CMs!

Sounds like it was an awesome trip, with memories you will always cherish! And I'm sure nice to look back on as we endure this especially hard year I'm also very sorry about your nephew

Thanks for sharing! I loved reading along!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Sounds like it was an awesome trip, with memories you will always cherish! And I'm sure nice to look back on as we endure this especially hard year I'm also very sorry about your nephew

Thanks for sharing! I loved reading along!

Thanks for reading along!! It was SUCH an awesome trip; one that will be hard to top, that's for sure! Next Christmas, we are planning to go back to WDW for the holiday--let the planning begin! (I'll have to see what kind of ears I need to order!)

 

[Chicago Mo]

OK I just saw this lmao and after quickly scrolling by it I had to scroll back I love horror movies and I love ones about dolls!

Hi!
Yes dolls made of nightmares!!!
i just saw your post today...
Bad dis'er.

 

[Steppesister]

I reached out to my DIS friend, @ariane37 for some information and quotes, and before I knew it we were booked!

YAY!!! So great how that magically happens!!

Beer at 8:30! LOL!! That's' vacation!

I expected a shrink wrapped bus like the one on their website that has Harry Potter and Minions, etc. on it...we were actually called over to board an old, white, short motor coach looking thing that had the ricketiest windows and doors I've ever heard! They rattled and shook so hard the entire way to Cabana Bay Beach...I was really glad the ride was short LOL But it was quick and convenient, though noisy!

Yuck, but as you say, quick and easy so there's that.

My Mom and Dad were really impressed with the one security station for all incoming park guests versus some of the park security lines we have been faced with at WDW!

I was too, TBH. WDW should take a lesson in this area.

There were Green Eggs and Ham, of course, ON PIZZA!! Sounds disgusting...was pretty delicious. They also had a potato dish with some clever name I can't remember that was sliced potatoes with onions and all kinds of peppers baked with cheese on top. I am drooling now thinking about that, too. However, the only thing you will get to see is the Grinch cookie (note the little heart before it grew 3 sizes!) and the Grinch punch, which was so disgustingly sweet I couldn't drink it, but made for a really cute Instagram pic!

Sounds amazing!! I'd eat that. And no, sweet drinks are gross.

1

How fun is this one!!!! Such great smiles! Even on Grinch!

The two guys who would share our row were ticked off when they were asked to remove their ponchos before riding.

Yeah, I can see that. Not sure what the reason is. I'm sure there may have been one, but...?

Mickey took excellent care of us, so we tipped him well, and he was SO appreciative. He mentioned we wouldn't believe how little, if any, tip many people leave, like they forget this isn't a cartoon world, it's a real bar. I was disappointed to hear that, but thought he provided amazing customer service in spite of that sad truth!

Glad you could bring some magic to his day!!!

This was a really tricky spell that he FINALLY got to work in the window of Honeydukes! When you got it just right, the giant box of chocolate frogs opened up.

Next time I got to US, I'm totally getting a wand and spending time doing this. Last time (first time) was a good overview, ride the rides trip, next time it's a slow down and enjoy the details trip!

Who knew that it would be my last croque monsieur lunch in the castle!?

I felt totally fine except for that. It felt like I needed to clear my throat or as I kept saying, "I feel like I need to take a shot or something." Well, in the morning I had a sniffly nose, and by this time of the night, my nose was SO stuffed up, and runny at the same time! I was starting to feel downright miserable. I had been so looking forward to eating at The Plaza, and I ended up just getting a plate of fries to nibble on while everyone else ate. What I really wanted most at that moment was to go to bed!

The worst!! That makes for a super frustrating trip!!!

3653

Aww, I love this shot!

I beat Rob, which is all I cared about, LOL, but I still bow down to the Galactic Heroes among us

I am not one. I detest that ride cuz I can never find my laser thing and am just shooting at nothing most of the time. UGH.

20191228_19405

Gorgeous! Another area I've never once seen at night. So sad.

Vader replied with an emphatic, "NO." Jimmy laughed as we exited and said, "That's gonna be the funniest part of your report, Mommy!"

Jimmy was not so sure about his hamburger pods!

I want to give them another try. I had one when they first opened but not since. I'm always stuck on the grilled chicken kids' salad.

It's be AGES since I've gotten to be in or see AK at night. And there's little hope of it happening any time soon either. Makes me VERY sad. The park hours are so short now that all the night time beauty is just wasted.

 

[Steppesister]

Totally forgot to sub in!!! Crap. But I made it through pg 6 and will keep o truckin' soon. Sorry, Jackie!!

 

[emily nicole]

Hi Jackie. I binge read your whole TR and your cruise one too. I got tickled every time Miller Lite appeared in the story. Lol! Your son is possibly one of the cutest kids I've ever seen. Just wanted to say thanks for writing it out, I enjoyed it very much! Makes me want to do a Disney cruise too.

I'm so sorry about the loss of your nephew.

 

[Steppesister]

Coming in through the International Gateway to a not yet open World Showcase, we felt like we had the park to ourselves!

YAY!!! A whole park to yourselves for a short time. Great photo ops!

LOVE this attraction at Christmas time!

I think this is one of my faves!

WHoA!! Mad skilz!

We had such high hopes for this year...sigh.

Sigh.... Such a loss of humankind.

Awww, how fun to reconnect! Love this picture!

but who really cares, amiright!?

That's why I TR like I do.... no one super pays attention to the time line.

I miss thatphoto op!

When almost an hour had passed, I walked up for the third time, ready to tell her we'd be leaving and better not be charged the $10 per person fee for not keeping our reservation. Well, isn't it something that suddenly our table was ready!? :eyeroll:

Just like magic!

Chef Mickey's is definitely not my favorite place, but we hadn't been since Jimmy's 2nd birthday, and since he asked, I figured we'd give it another try. I'll join @Jenny Sanders in skipping out on this one for another decade or so,

I've never been at all. No hurry at all to get there.

the CM offered it to Jimmy instead.
2020

What a cool photo op!! Nice!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Totally forgot to sub in!!! Crap. But I made it through pg 6 and will keep o truckin' soon. Sorry, Jackie!!

Better late than never, right?! I'm glad you're enjoying reading, and I'm loving reliving our moments and memories, too!

Hi Jackie. I binge read your whole TR and your cruise one too. I got tickled every time Miller Lite appeared in the story. Lol! Your son is possibly one of the cutest kids I've ever seen. Just wanted to say thanks for writing it out, I enjoyed it very much! Makes me want to do a Disney cruise too.

I'm so sorry about the loss of your nephew.

Hi, Emily
I do love my Miller Lite, LOL. Thanks so much for your kind words about my Jimmy! We think he's pretty terrific, too, and sure are lucky he's such a great kid! I can't wait to get back to cruising! We had our anniversary cruise canceled for this year, so we've bumped it to June 2022. Less than 365 to go

Thank you so much

 

[Steppesister]

Better late than never, right?! I'm glad you're enjoying reading, and I'm loving reliving our moments and memories, too!

But I did it!! And I'm all caught up! Happy 4th Jackie!! Enjoy!!