The Disney Grump & Family Take on the World-Our '09 Christmas w/ the Mouse, COMPLETE

[MaryAz]

Great updates. Such great pics you got. Yay for some alone shopping time!

 

[ladybugmom]

Another great update!! Ya'll got A LOT done in a little amount of time!! I can't believe that man jumped right in front of you like that--how RUDE!! You were the bigger person by leaving! He needs to learn some respect! Your boys are the cutest posing for all those pics! What sweet memories!! And those cinnamon almonds look sooo yummy! Where did you get them?!

 

[KathyRN137]

And the yummy almonds

Those are my DH's absolute favorite things to snack on at WDW!!

Fantastic line mojo so far!!!


Kathy

 

[hsmamato2]

so entertaining! when I saw your title,I was hooked,it could be the title for our TR too! (except I didn't write one) Glad to see it's fairly 'normal' to be married to a Disney grump and still have fun in WDW!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I was a couple updates behind! Mega-comment!!!!

I can't believe you actually walked into Liberty Inn and missed the Gingerbread House! It was right when you walked in the door.

Okay, I don't feel so stupid now we didn't go into the Liberty Inn, just into the American Adventure building. Whew!!!!!

Such a cute pic!!! Great family pictures in front of the castle too. The one time we have walked into an empty MK, I just loved it (even though we were basically RUNNING down the street ), it's so quiet and peaceful!

I love the character topiaries in their winter gear!

They are adorable in their little scarves and hats!

I on the other hand, looked up and down and all around for the French toast puffs and there were NONE! Oh no!

At this point I decided to go back up to the buffet and get some fruit, and as I approached I saw them, the yummy, puffy, cinnamony (yep, that’s a word ) French toast puffs. HORRAY!! I was happy now.

My heart sank a bit about the French Toast Puffs since I made a CP pre-RD ADR a requirement for the next trip....but glad they are still there!!! And cinnamony is a word. Just like monorailing.

I'm in mourning, my Viks just lost the NFC Championship Game They just gave the game away, 3 turnovers when they were in scoring position and 1 that gave the Saints the ball on like the 10 yard line

Only thing to make me feel a little bit better about it is that a former Sooner kicked the game winning field goal for the Saints - but I'm still NOT happy!!!!

OK, I'm done whining now.....

We are so not football people. Yet, we were watching the last bit of the game! Joe and I trying to figure out what was going on was a RIOT though! But, we were both very upset at all the stupid fumbles AND the fake touchdown that the Saints got! His knee hit the ground before the touchdown! I really wish the Vikings had challenged that one....

Oh man, last night was a sad night in this house too. Poor Brett and the rest of the Vikes. They had it too. So close, yet so, so far away from the Super Bowl. This was supposed to be our year too! My son, wearing his Jared Allen jersey, cried after they lost. Poor kid.

I felt scared for Brett Farve getting hit so much! When they played all the replays of him being hit OVER AND OVER that game... Do you think the Saints were doing that on purpose? To me that is just playing dirty!

I stepped back so that Jared could get in front of me and be able to see. Well, as soon as I stepped back this full grown man jumped in front of me. Don made a comment that that was rude. And I said, plenty loud enough for him to hear, that I was just moving so that my kid could move closer and be able to see. But this guy wasn’t budging – he had seen his opening and he had taken it. Don was ticked, I could see it in his face that things were about to get ugly, so I just removed us from the situation. I told them we had seen it before, that it wasn’t a big deal and we should just move on. So, on we went.

3 times in a row for BTMRR!!! Love that!

This kind of stuff drives me nuts when adults do that. And to know he had to have heard you...and really, it's fairly obvious when people are trying to allow their children to see, so they move back. We had someone do that to us a few trips back at the AK parade. I was going to put Henry right up front so he could see, and some woman and her kid squeeze through a giant crowd, step over the front of the stroller and sit down. It's just not worth an argument...but seriously...

First we got a FP for Buzz, and then rode the Carousel of Progress. I know this attraction is dated, but I still love it and hope they continue to keep it around!

Me too!

While we were up there we got to see the flag retreat.

Wow! The flag retreat sounds awesome! I've heard of it, but haven't ever read what it all was in detail. I'm such a sap, I would be crying I'm sure during it...!

 

[stace208]

I think if I do an early ADR like that again that I'll try for just a bit later. They let everyone with breakfast ressies in at the same time, so if we had had just a few more minutes before we checked in it would have been perfect!

We did this last trip with BBB and it worked great. We had an 8:30 reservation and they let us in around 7:55. Most folks rushed off to CP and CRT. We walked around and by 8:05 the street was pretty empty!

 

[klacey1]

Awesome update! I must admit, though, it's crazy to see everyone all bundled up in your pictures-- I've never been at Disney when it's been more than shorts weather!
Your boys really are too cute-- seems like you guys had the perfect MK day!

 

[stace208]

Great update! Sounds like a great day so far

Did your boys like Swiss Family Treehouse? We have never done that, or Tom Sawyer Island, and I am wondering if I need to make sure to do them on an upcoming trip. Not sure if they would be a reprieve from a crowded park or if they get crowded too.

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[praisehisname]

Wow, 3 walk-ons for BTMR! Woo hoo!

What's up with the rude people? Don't they know this is the happiest place on earth???

I'm sorry you had to miss out on the Christmas parade; it was so good!

Yay for alone shopping time!

The flag-lowering ceremony sounds cool; I would like to see that!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Wow, what a great morning at MK! You got a ton done at such a busy time of the year. Nice! It stinks when you run into rude people at Disney. Ugh. I had a couple encounters too and it wasn't fun. HoP is one we haven't done. Hopefully next time! Did the boys like it or were they bored?

 

[SoonerGirl]

WOW, what an update! And what a great day at MK, you guys did a ton and sounds like you had a lot of fun! And snacks..yummo!! Those almonds looked delish!!! I know I said this before but you have such a beautiful faimly and you really got some nice pictures of the four of you!! Looking forward to hearing more!!

ps- hoping to get my DIS groove on soon too so I can finish my TR....so much to do, so little time!!!

Thanks for the compliment on my family, that's very sweet of you to say

Those almonds were really good, I don't know how long they've had them, but this was the first trip that I noticed them. They are definitely on my must have list from now on!

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip. I understand it's hard to find time to DIS sometimes, especially with little ones at home!

Wow!!! Those are wonderful updates!!! Great photos and sounds like you had a great time at the MK! Nice nice family photos... and it sounds like you got plenty of attractions in during the day! We really enjoyed HOP, did you all?

We did have a really good day. The morning was very productive, and when the crowds moved in in the afternoon we just slowed down and took in the park.

We did really like HoP, we thought it was very well done. It was just one of those things that we always skipped over before, but I'm glad we made time for it this time around!

The red poinsettas and the Castle are such a pretty combination!

What a great day at the Magic Kingdom! Sounds like you got almost all of my favorites in!!!

Shopping by yourself is always nice!!!

I love the red poinsettas against the muted colors of the castle - they just added a really pretty pop to the area.

Yes, shopping alone was great - no one sighing over my shoulder that I needed to hurry up!

I think it's so cute that Disney would bother to put bubbles in a trash can! I mean, they could have easily just left it for garbage and no one would have known any better! Love the attention to the little details.

Isn't that fun! We turned to walk towards Frontierland and I was so surprised to see bubbles everywhere. They were coming out of both trashcans on either side of the walkway.

WOW! I think I need to follow your plan of attack and go somewhere other than Fantasyland/Tomorrowland! I'd love to do Thunder Mountain so many times in a row!

I expected that side of the park to be less crowded but was really shocked that there was next to no one over there! I bet we could have ridden at least 2 more times before we had any kind of real wait.

Every time someone watches the Pirate Tutorial and I see pictures of Jack, I always have to think about the person playing the character. I mean, it's one thing to be a princess with the sweet voice because it's imitating an animated character that really doesn't have many idiosyncrasies. But Jack? Wow, that takes some skill!

Jack does have so many personality quirks, it would take a lot of practice to get it all down I would think!

Mmm, those almonds look delish! Do you know if they're a year round thing?

I don't know if they were a holiday thing or if they are always there. It was the first time I noticed them. I hope they are still there in May cause I want more!!

That stuffed bear under the tree looks really comfortable. I could take a break from a day and nap on top of it!

I was trying to figure out the thing with the bear - he looks like he just fell over, I'm not sure if he was supposed to be that way or if he was supposed to be sitting up!

Great update---sounds like you all had a wonderful day at MK. We've never seen the flag retreat either. I'm sure DH would cry, because he gets choked up at all things patriotic.


Beautiful family photos. From being around middle-schoolers all day ( and having one at home), I love that Justin always looks like he's having fun in all the photos. He doesn't seem to "act like he's too cool" for family photos. That's a good thing!

I can relate to your DH, we have alot of military history in our family, all 4 branches are represented, so we love things like the flag retreat.

Justin has always been photogenic, he can turn on the charm in an instant - sometimes he's faking it and sometimes it's genuine. I don't really care which one it is as long as he doesn't tell me. Trust me, when we are in a situation where alot of his friends are around, his family isn't nearly as cool to be around. When we go to local Jr High or HS sporting events we are ditched at the door and we don't see him again until it's time to go to the car!

Great updates. Such great pics you got. Yay for some alone shopping time!

Thanks. I really enjoyed the time by myself to shop!

Another great update!! Ya'll got A LOT done in a little amount of time!! I can't believe that man jumped right in front of you like that--how RUDE!! You were the bigger person by leaving! He needs to learn some respect! Your boys are the cutest posing for all those pics! What sweet memories!! And those cinnamon almonds look sooo yummy! Where did you get them?!

Our morning was crazy productive, I'm totally sold on rope drops!

The man at the tutorial really irritated me, but I just refused to let it get to me. He didn't care and I didn't want that one moment to spoil the day, so we just moved on. I thought about you when I was writing that part, I've been slowly working my way through your last TR and our situation reminded me of the RUDE guy that criticized you for having the leash for Claire.

We got the almonds from a snack cart in Adventureland, but I saw them all over while we were there. I hope it's a snack that they keep around!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Those are my DH's absolute favorite things to snack on at WDW!!

Kathy

This was the first time I ever noticed the almonds, so are you saying that they have been there for awhile?? I'm so excited to hear that, that means they should be there when we go in May!

so entertaining! when I saw your title,I was hooked,it could be the title for our TR too! (except I didn't write one) Glad to see it's fairly 'normal' to be married to a Disney grump and still have fun in WDW!

Hi there and

So you've got a Disney Grump too? Mine isn't so bad once we actually get him there - it's getting him there thats the problem.......

I was a couple updates behind! Mega-comment!!!!

Okay, I don't feel so stupid now we didn't go into the Liberty Inn, just into the American Adventure building. Whew!!!!!

Oh good! At least you know you aren't going crazy!!

Such a cute pic!!! Great family pictures in front of the castle too. The one time we have walked into an empty MK, I just loved it (even though we were basically RUNNING down the street), it's so quiet and peaceful!

I remember you running a bit late for you ADR and pulling out the camera and rushing a few pics!! In fact, it was your CP breakfast review that convinced me to make that ADR!! It took me awhile to get it, it was way past my opening window, but I was persistant and someone finally canceled and I was able to get in!

My heart sank a bit about the French Toast Puffs since I made a CP pre-RD ADR a requirement for the next trip....but glad they are still there!!! And cinnamony is a word. Just like monorailing.

DIS words, thats what they are

We are so not football people. Yet, we were watching the last bit of the game! Joe and I trying to figure out what was going on was a RIOT though! But, we were both very upset at all the stupid fumbles AND the fake touchdown that the Saints got! His knee hit the ground before the touchdown! I really wish the Vikings had challenged that one....

I felt scared for Brett Farve getting hit so much! When they played all the replays of him being hit OVER AND OVER that game... Do you think the Saints were doing that on purpose? To me that is just playing dirty!

Oh man, the game

I'm not usually one to think that quarterbacks should be babied, BUT I really thought that the refs did a poor job of getting that under control. It was a bit much!

This kind of stuff drives me nuts when adults do that. And to know he had to have heard you...and really, it's fairly obvious when people are trying to allow their children to see, so they move back. We had someone do that to us a few trips back at the AK parade. I was going to put Henry right up front so he could see, and some woman and her kid squeeze through a giant crowd, step over the front of the stroller and sit down. It's just not worth an argument...but seriously...

Geez, I really don't understand what drives people to think that they can just do whatever they want. It's people like this that make Don not like going to WDW - I just wish they would go away!!

Wow! The flag retreat sounds awesome! I've heard of it, but haven't ever read what it all was in detail. I'm such a sap, I would be crying I'm sure during it...!

The flag retreat was really nice - try and catch it sometime

We did this last trip with BBB and it worked great. We had an 8:30 reservation and they let us in around 7:55. Most folks rushed off to CP and CRT. We walked around and by 8:05 the street was pretty empty!

That's what I kinda figured, thanks for confirming!

Awesome update! I must admit, though, it's crazy to see everyone all bundled up in your pictures-- I've never been at Disney when it's been more than shorts weather!
Your boys really are too cute-- seems like you guys had the perfect MK day!

Yeah, wearing all the winter gear at WDW felt pretty weird to us too! We usually go when it's much warmer. This trip was way more difficult to pack for that's for sure!

Great update! Sounds like a great day so far

Did your boys like Swiss Family Treehouse? We have never done that, or Tom Sawyer Island, and I am wondering if I need to make sure to do them on an upcoming trip. Not sure if they would be a reprieve from a crowded park or if they get crowded too.

Can't wait to hear more!

We still haven't made it over to Tom Sawyer Island, I'm afraid my boys are getting a bit too old for it! They liked the Treehouse okay, they enjoyed it more when they were younger. It is a great thing to walk through if everything else is packed, gives you something to do anyway

Wow, 3 walk-ons for BTMR! Woo hoo!

What's up with the rude people? Don't they know this is the happiest place on earth???

I'm sorry you had to miss out on the Christmas parade; it was so good!

Yay for alone shopping time!

The flag-lowering ceremony sounds cool; I would like to see that!

It was fun riding BTMRR so many times, and we easily could have ridden a couple more!

Rude people just need to go away

I'm bummed about missing the parade. Maybe I'll get another chance in the future - one can hope!!

The flag ceremony was very nice

Wow, what a great morning at MK! You got a ton done at such a busy time of the year. Nice! It stinks when you run into rude people at Disney. Ugh. I had a couple encounters too and it wasn't fun. HoP is one we haven't done. Hopefully next time! Did the boys like it or were they bored?

Arriving early during the busy times is key to being able to get stuff done, but even we were surprised at how productive that morning was!

To my surprise the boys did like the HoP

 

[TinkyCheeks]

What a day! I can't believe how much you all were able to get done so far that day. Those almonds look sooooo good. That's pretty neat that you were able to see the flag ceremony. I've heard about it but never had seen any pictures.

Oh, and the poinsettias and the castle...

 

[MHTeacher]

Trust me, when we are in a situation where alot of his friends are around, his family isn't nearly as cool to be around. When we go to local Jr High or HS sporting events we are ditched at the door and we don't see him again until it's time to go to the car!

I know the feeling.........Imagine teaching in the same school where your darling teenagers attend--- I try not to be offended when they walk by me in the hall and don't speak!

 

[ladybugmom]

Our morning was crazy productive, I'm totally sold on rope drops!

The man at the tutorial really irritated me, but I just refused to let it get to me. He didn't care and I didn't want that one moment to spoil the day, so we just moved on. I thought about you when I was writing that part, I've been slowly working my way through your last TR and our situation reminded me of the RUDE guy that criticized you for having the leash for Claire.

We got the almonds from a snack cart in Adventureland, but I saw them all over while we were there. I hope it's a snack that they keep around!

I'm with you on the rope drops!! I like to be there as soon as the park opens! I've warned my parents that that was the plan for May!!

Yeah--some people think only of themselves--it's sad really. That guy that made the comment about Claire's leash was a younger guy that definitely had no children of his own! And he was sure to make his comments loud enough for me to hear! Uggh!

Oooh--thanks for letting me know about the almonds!! I hope they're there in May!! YUM!

 

[SoonerGirl]

What a day! I can't believe how much you all were able to get done so far that day. Those almonds look sooooo good. That's pretty neat that you were able to see the flag ceremony. I've heard about it but never had seen any pictures.

Oh, and the poinsettias and the castle...

It was a good day, and my favorite part is still to come!

I know the feeling.........Imagine teaching in the same school where your darling teenagers attend--- I try not to be offended when they walk by me in the hall and don't speak!

I know, I try not to let it get to me too. I just think back to when I was his age and how I didn't want to be seen hanging around with my parents either! It's funny though, all of his friends will come up and say hi to me.

I'm with you on the rope drops!! I like to be there as soon as the park opens! I've warned my parents that that was the plan for May!!

Yeah--some people think only of themselves--it's sad really. That guy that made the comment about Claire's leash was a younger guy that definitely had no children of his own! And he was sure to make his comments loud enough for me to hear! Uggh!

Oooh--thanks for letting me know about the almonds!! I hope they're there in May!! YUM!

Park opening is my favorite part of the day, everything is fresh and clean. Walkways can be navigated with ease - it's great!

Maybe karma will come back to get that guy - I bet some day he'll have a child that likes to take off in crowded places and he'll eat those words!


I'm getting ready to head to the grocery store to stock up on things we may need over the next few days, we're supposed to be getting a big winter storm here tomorrow (1/2" of ice followed by several inches of snow ). If the forecast is correct then this town will SHUT DOWN, so I'm getting prepared today. Once I get back I hope to finish up day 4.

 

[ladybugmom]

Park opening is my favorite part of the day, everything is fresh and clean. Walkways can be navigated with ease - it's great!

Maybe karma will come back to get that guy - I bet some day he'll have a child that likes to take off in crowded places and he'll eat those words!

I agree!! He will probably eat his words when he has kids!

I'm getting ready to head to the grocery store to stock up on things we may need over the next few days, we're supposed to be getting a big winter storm here tomorrow (1/2" of ice followed by several inches of snow ). If the forecast is correct then this town will SHUT DOWN, so I'm getting prepared today. Once I get back I hope to finish up day 4.

We're supposed to get either ice or snow here on Thursday night--uggh! Around here everything shuts down with even the MENTION of winter weather!! They cancelled school a few weeks ago when we had a light dusting of snow--it was ridiculous! Stay safe!! Can't wait to read more later!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

When I last left you we had just finished watching the flag retreat ceremony and the boys were getting antsy to do something. Don & I weren’t really ready to get up and walk around again yet, so we pacified them with a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom on the train. After that we walked up Main Street to see if we could get a decent spot to watch the castle lighting. We couldn’t get too close, but got okay seats. We copped a squat on the curb and Don went in search of some hot chocolate. It was good, and it sure hit the spot as it was starting to get cool with the sun going down. While we were waiting we got to watch the little Celebrate parade. It was cute.

On their way up to the hub one of the dancers waved at us and said ‘hey, Boomer Sooner’. The boys loved that there was a Sooner fan in the parade! On the way back down Main Street the same dancer came over looking for us and gave us all high 5’s.

I took a few pictures while we waited for the castle lighting

I like this one

Soon it was time, and Mickey, Minnie, Goofy & Donald came on stage and started discussing how beautiful the Magic Kingdom was all dressed up for Christmas, but that the castle needed something too. Of course, they all had differing opinions on what should be done to decorate the castle and the arguing began. Just then the Fairy Godmother appeared to find out what all the fuss was about.

She wisely said that since Cinderella lived there, she should get to decide how the castle was decorated. Cinderella and Prince Charming appeared and Cinderella made her wish. Soon it was granted and the castle began to light up in sections

Until it was dripping with lights all over

All I can say is WOW!! It was amazing. Pictures just don’t do it justice; you have to see it with your own eyes. Even the Grump was impressed. It's simply breathtaking!

We were getting close to our dinner ADR time now, but still had a bit of time to kill, so we took the boys over and let them do the Shooting Gallery. As we were walking around we saw Princess Tiana & Prince Naveen out doing meet & greets, the line was CRAZY long! It was cute though, we passed by a family that had just met them and the little girls were just giddy, one was going on and on about how the prince kissed her hand and gave her a hug - she was so excited! This is what makes Walt Disney World so special!!

We then made our way over to Liberty Tree Tavern. We had to wait quite awhile to be seated, I didn’t look at my watch so I don’t know exactly how long it was, but it sure felt like a long time. Finally seated, it took a good 5 minutes for our server to come by and take our drink order. Then it took forever to get our food. I even heard the lady at the table next to us say that she was shocked that the service was so slow since it was a predetermined menu. You’d think they would want to move as many people through as possible! Our waiter was no where to be seen after the food came out, it was really frustrating. When he finally came back by to see if we needed anything, we just said, yeah, the check. He said, ‘you don’t want dessert’? We told him no, we didn’t want to wait for dessert, just to please bring our check. Then it took him another 10 minutes to come back with the bill! Needless to say, we aren't in a hurry to go back to LTT. Jared & I ate there once before, and I remember it being a bit slow, but it wasn’t that big of a deal because the characters were there and people lingered to see them all anyway. But, now that the characters are gone, the menu is set, there is no reason that service should be slow here. Just my two cents!

As we left, we saw that the Christmas stage show was going on at the castle, so we stopped to watch the rest of it. I wish we would have seen the entire thing, it was cute!

We took a walk down Main Street in the snow. Jared kept looking up wondering where they were blowing it out from. I told him it was coming from the sky – it was snow! We had a few photopass pictures taken on our way out of the park

Then made our way over to the bus. There was one waiting - Woo Hoo!

When we got back to the resort the boys wanted to go to the arcade. So they went to play a few games, and Don & I grabbed a beer and went back to the room to watch the Kansas/Cal basketball game on tv. We went to bed pretty early, didn’t even see the outcome of the game, so that we could be fully charged for DHS the next day!

 

[MHTeacher]

All I can say is WOW!! It was amazing. Pictures just don’t do it justice; you have to see it with your own eyes. Even the Grump was impressed. It's simply breathtaking!

WOW is right, isn't it? I had seen the pictures too, but you're right...seeing it in person is just amazing. In fact, the other night, my in-laws were over, so we watched the dvd we recorded of the castle lighting. I started crying....I am such a DisneyNerd!

 

[RachelNinja]

One day I'm going to take off from work during December so I can see the castle with lights with my own eyes!

Definitely looking forward to your DHS installment! I've been reading those and paying attention to them more carefully!