The Quest for Gingerbread Mickey

[DisneyNutMary]

Let me preface by saying, I truly enjoy writing trip reports, but I hardly ever post them here. There are so many legendary TR wirters here, and I really enjoy reading them- but I am not the most eloquent writer, and I am not funny al all.
But since I finished this, and I am a little bored this morning, I am going to post.
Attn mods- this is a complete report, so you may have to move it to the completed TRs board.


The Quest for Gingerbread Mickey
4 Lit Up Parks
3 families
2 hotels
& 1 chance to see it all

Lucy turns 40, so instead of the surprise party she has been asking for, her husband gave her a weekend trip to WDW to see the Christmas decorations. This was to be a family trip, just the four of them, until…. 4 APs and 61 points burning a hole in my pocket, I cut a deal with my sister- join us in August and we’ll join you in December. Then our friend Lucille got wind of my plan to join them, and booked a trip of her own.
Does anyone, besides me, see the value of this birthday present dropping?

Lucy’s birthday present included a 1-bedroom villa at OKW, Lucille booked the same, but my 61 points were not stretching so far, and I was stuck with a studio at the less popular SSR.

I am an uber-planner, which irks my BiL Frank to no end, so I kept it cool for this trip, and did nothing more than book a CandleLight Processional Dinner Package- which I must mention was extremely hard to plan with Frank’s pickiness over food. Poor Lucy, it’s so hard to please him, she’s earned her halo over this one, but more on that later.

Nov 30- the departure- I had to work in the morning, so did Jimmy, so we kept the boys out of school to get their homework done, and eliminate the stress of signing them out, and rushing to the airport.
I left work at 11:30, was home by noon, and got the house closed down for the weekend. We were on the road by 12:45 and in the Economy Parking Lot by 1:00. Waiting for the bus, thinking we were way ahead of the curve, who pulls up? Lucy and family! Yikes, now I am thinking I didn’t get here early enough to get Bobby cleared with the TSA, and still make my plane.

Fortunately, we have gotten used to the TSA thing, and we got a veteran at the check-in counter, so we had no troubles getting our reservations unlocked, and our boarding passes issued.

As we were walking toward the Security checkpoint, we came upon Lucille and family at the food court, so we plopped down with them for a Burger King lunch.

We proceeded to our gate to wait out our delayed plane with the herd. If the gate area was any indication, the plane would be packed to the gills- and it was. Thank God it’s not Southwest or we would have been trampled in the stampede when boarding started. With assigned seating we were able to wait out the crowd, board at last call, and not deal with the cranky, pushy herd.
The flight was mostly uneventful, I got my blue potato chips and Tommy got his Doritos Munchies, so we were happy. Even with the delay, we landed pretty close to our scheduled time- made a quick potty break, and headed to DME via monorail and escalator. I just love bypassing the crowds at the baggage claim.

SSR and OKW are on the same loop, so Lucy and I got to ride the same DME bus. At OKW we said goodbye, and made plans to meet on the DTD ferry.

Check-in at SSR was a breeze; Si Ming checked us in and asked if we have a floor preference. We didn’t- so we wound up in a 2nd floor room in the Paddock, with a view of the Congress Park bus stop. We were right across the street from the room we stayed in on our last SSR stay.

After checking out the room, we headed out to walk over to the Downtown Disney ferry. On the way, I called Lucy and found out they were already on the ferry with the Woods.
By the time we reached the dock, we realized it would have been quicker if we walked to DTD and met them at the dock there.

We had a short wait, and then the ferry pulled in, so we hopped aboard.
Once we hit the wide-open area of DTD, the driver called Anthony over and let him drive the boat… pretty cool.

We headed over to Earl of Sandwich for some grub. On the way in, we saw carolers outside by the tree, but hunger called so we walked right on by.

I like to try something new each trip here, so I went for the Full Montagu, Jimmy had the Original 1860, and Bobby had a grilled cheese, plus Tommy’s pizza sandwich- Tommy ate chips. As usual, the sandwiches are YUM-O!

Back outside, the carolers were gone, but a magician was performing, so we stopped to watch for a bit. I got my “Welcome to WDW” here. I am quite short, 5’1” on a good day- but not short enough not to be seen by an average person. Anyway, I was standing, watching, when the woman next to me lifted her arm for whatever reason and jabbed me HARD with her elbow. Then stared at me like I had no right to be in her way- then she let out a huff… I just love people at WDW.

We were beat from our long day so we hopped the ferry back home. Imagine who is sitting across from me on the ferry- Elbow Lady, and her man friend. When we got back to SSR, they hopped up the be first off the boat, and Elbow Lady’s man friend smacked me with his bags as he turned…. But continued on without a word. Wow- it’s good to be home, don’t forget to check you manners at the door sir.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Hello Yeti and Free Hot Cocoa

Fri Dec 1
We were up bright and early, in true Walsh fashion. Lucy called and suggested we come up to OKW for breakfast at Olivia’s. We walked over to DTD and caught a bus.
We had a big table for the 11 of us in the back corner. Breakfast was yummy, but those breakfast potatoes served at Olivia’s kept revisiting me all day.

Off to Animal Kingdom because the Woods have not ridden EE yet. After a torturously long bus ride, we arrive, snap a few pics of the Christmas tree and head in. Wade and Anthony run ahead for FPs, and when we catch up, we hop in the standby line with 30 minute wait posted. I nearly chickened out- as I always get nervous the first time I ride this per trip. I got to ride with Lucy, and we spent the early part of the ride trying to scare Lucille with stories of loops, and big drops- she was not amused.
Everyone say Hello Yeti!

We had a while before the FP window opened, so we headed over to DinoLand… as we passed the Theater in the Wild, a Nemo show was in progress.
We went right to Dinosaur, where I showed Anthony the CTX on the side of the vehicles, and told him that’s from when the attraction was named Countdown to Extinction, a cool bit of trivia that he appreciated. I did a Steve for the picture- I wish I had taken a redneck ride photo to show you all, but I didn’t think to do it.

Next Wade and the kids went on Primeval Hurl- I refuse to ride this and part with my breakfast.

Back the way we came, Nemo had let out, and there were people everywhere, not moving, and it was hard to get by. We squeezed through- thank goodness we have no strollers or wheelchairs or we never would have made it.

We sat on a bench for a while and watched the FP Return clock tick slowly to our time, then we queued up. I rode with Lucille this time, and even having ridden once, I was still able to fake her out about the loops and big drops.

After our second round with the Yeti, we started back towards the front of the park, but not before stopping the feed the hungry beasts- the kids. Ice cream, frozen bananas and drinks, refreshing and satisfying, ahhhh!

An afternoon rest was in order before MVMCP tonight, so back to our resort we went.

Other than Jimmy, the Walshs are not afternoon nappers, so we were anxious to be on the move after a short rest. We walked over to DTD and visited WoD for some hats for MVMCP- Bobby and I got Santa Mickey ears, and Tommy got Santa Stitch ears- we went here specifically to use the 10% AP discount- but the long lines were not worth the savings.

We hopped a bus from DTD to the GF- quick run through the lobby, and onto the waiting monorail. As we entered MK Lucy, Frank and the kids were waiting for us just beyond the turnstiles. We tried to take the train to Frontierland and Pecos Bill’s, but the train was not running, so we walked up Main Street and right into TomorrowLand for the next best thing, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café.

After a yummy meal, and some cosmic entertainment, we headed back out into the kingdom. The kids wanted to ride the Speedway, so while they went with Jimmy and Wade, the rest of us waited and caught Wishes. I don’t recommend watching from Tomorrowland- it’s just not as good.

With the park now closing, we went to Main Street and snagged some Primo curb seats in the Hub. We were able to see the Castle Forecourt Show and the parade without leaving our spots. Some of us took turns going for cocoa and cookies- Tommy’s favorite treat is hot cocoa, so that was the best part of MVMCP for him.

The parade was great- better than I imagined it would be.

After the parade, we walked to Cosmic Ray’s for more hot cocoa and cookies, then on to the bridge between Tomorrowland and Main Street to watch the fireworks. Magical is all I have to say about that.

With the fireworks done, my sainted sister handed her husband his KTTW and sent him back to the resort- before he could try her patience any more- and we all went to Space Mountain without him.

Next, we crossed the park to ride BTMRR, where Amanda insisted on having the front seat- so she and Wade went on ahead, while the rest of us waited for the next train, and the best seat on the train, the last car. Anthony and I rode the very last seat- woohoo!

The kids went on Splash Mountain with Jimmy and Wade; Lucy, Lucille and I didn’t want to get wet… so Lucille went shopping, and Lucy and I watched the parade again- from the Bridge over Splash Mountain. The smell of Gingerbread is just as yummy the 2nd time around.

After forever, the guys and kids finally found us outside the Briar Patch, and we hoofed it over to PotC for one last ride before saying goodnight.
After we boarded, we were sitting in the load area, and the ride stopped completely- for about 10 minutes, and we just sat there. So I took this time to lean forward to Anthony, in the row in front of me, and tell him about George- the ghost of PotC. A big trivia nut, I thought he’d get a kick out of that story- but he actually doubted me, as if I’d make something like that up to scare the kids!!

It was after midnight now, so we made our way to the front of the park. Main Street was crowded with partygoers exiting- so we made our way slowly through the beautiful soapy snowfall (ask me how I know the snow was soap) stopping for pictures on the way.

I thought of stopping in the Confectionary to look for a Gingerbread Mickey, but it was late, and we were all tired, so I skipped it.

Before long we were home, and asleep shortly.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

A World of Holidays and Rita Moreno

Sat Dec 2

We slept in, so for us Walshs, that meant 8:00am.
When I spoke to Lucy, she said the Woods family went to MGM for the morning, so she and I made plans to meet at Epcot.

We headed over there, and stopped in the Fountainview Bakery for breakfast- a first for us. YUM!
The Staches still had not arrived when we were done, so we walked toward TT, and stopped outside MouseGear so Tommy could buy a Balzac, he’s wanted it for a while, and was spending his own money and was willing to carry it all day- so we weren’t going to argue.

Lucy called to say they had arrived, and were at the ECV rental, so we headed toward the Land to meet there.
When we caught up to each other, we decided to head to The Seas with Nemo first. The line there moved quickly, and we were soon aboard our Clammobile. I think it was a cute addition to the pavilion- nothing spectacular, but cute. We skipped Turtle Talk, and the rest of the Pavilion, and went over to the Land to grab FPs for Soarin for later.

By now, it was past eleven o’clock, and I was anxious to get to World Showcase. So we all headed that way, and started at Canada.
We had just missed Papa Noel, so we browsed the pavilion a bit, and Tommy bought/adopted a stuffed husky dog, and named him Sparky. He had a Magical Moment with the CM who rang us up, she logged Sparky’s name in their book, and gave Tommy a Magical Moments/Adoption Certificate for Sparky.

We moved on into the UK. We caught the World Showcase Players- and Jimmy, who has PICK ME tattooed on his forehead, was picked to be Sir Galahad. This was the first time I had seen the World Showcase Players- the show was hysterical, even the kids loved it.

We continued onto France, where we saw Père Noel and heard his story about Babette’s Christmas letter, and we learned to say Joyeux Noel.
After France, we back tracked to Canada to see Papa Noel, who told us about Canada’s Christmas traditions, which seem to be a mix of French and English- with maybe a hint of American thrown in.
We got back on track, and headed into Morocco, to see their Storyteller, who described a holiday traditions in Morocco.
Santa was scheduled to appear in the USA pavilion soon, so we went there next. As we waited for the famous couple to arrive (Mr & Mrs Claus) we were able to see the Kwanzaa storyteller.
The kids hopped on Santa’s lap when it was their turn- Tommy all of a sudden got amnesia- he had no idea what to tell Santa that he would like for Christmas, so I guess Santa will have to choose for himself.

After we visited the Clauses, we checked out the Gingerbread House in the Liberty Inn- alas, no Gingerbread Mickey’s here.

We took a mad dash for Mexico to snack on nachos, and Lucille and Amanda finally met up with us. After our snack, we proceeded to Norway to hear the story teller there- a playful Gnome delivers presents to good boys and girls in Norway, and the way to say Merry Christmas is Goyule- or something like that.

We skipped ahead to Italy, where La Befana was schedule to appear soon... we heard the story of how the Magi stopped at her hut and invited her to join them in visiting the newborn king, but she declined. On Jan 6, she changed her mind, she made a doll for the baby, and went looking for the star to lead her to Him, but the star was gone. So every year, she rides her broomstick looking for the child, she leaves presents for good little girls and boys, hoping one of them is the newborn king she heard of.

It was getting late, and we had ADRs for the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package at Garden Grill, so we took the boat to the front of World Showcase, and went over to the Land.
We checked in at the podium, and used our Soarin FPs while we waited.

When we cme back from riding- Frank decided that he hadn’t tortured Lucy enough, and gave her a hard time about the menu at Garden Grill. He and Wade took their kids and left, Lucy and Lucille decided to stay. Jimmy and I stayed, as did my kids- though I think they would have liked to go with Frank, Wade and the other kids, they weren’t asked, so they stayed with us.
Here is one of the reasons why my sister is sainted- this trip was her 40th birthday present (even though she really wanted a party for her 40th) and the CP Dinner Package was one of the things she really wanted to do on her trip. She planned it, and looked forward to it, then when it came time, Frank, as usual, had to make it stressful for her...and uncomfortable for the rest of us.

We were called in, Lucy and Lucille were on a different reservation, so they were at a different table. The food was great, even my kids enjoyed their meal. At the end, we were given stickers to put on our shirts to get into the CP.
We left The Land, and headed through the beautiful lighted archway into World Showcase. The line was just past Japan when we arrived.

We were let into the theater, and found seats near the front, on the left side. The CP was everything I expected and more. It was moving, touching and beautiful. Rita Moreno narrated, and she did more than just narrate, she was so into the performance, that her emotion was passed on to us.
After we left, Jimmy told me that was worth every penny we spent for the meal, and was his favorite part of the trip so far.

We didn’t stay for Illuminations (though now I wish we had) we were tired, so we headed back to our resort, and to bed.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

What a Spectacle of Lights

We slept in again, ummm, 8:00am again.
Lucy called, we were planning to go to MGM today- but Frank missed PotC, so they wanted to go there first. This trip was for Lucy, so I didn’t mind heading to MK first. We got on a bus, and met lucy and family just inside the turnstiles. We headed to The Main Street Bakery, while Frank picked up an ECV.
After we got our goodies (sadly, no Gingerbread Mickeys here, and it was starting to depress me) we sat at tables outside and ate while we enjoyed the sights of a morning on Main Street.

We headed directly to Pirates without stopping, and the line moved wuickly, so we were soon on a boat. George was not causing trouble today, so there was no waiting. We waved to the CM in the window, as we always do, and got no wave back- as usual.

We headed out, back towards Main Street, because we had done what we came here to do. One quick stop- Lucy was craving that Dole Whip, and it was her trip, so we stopped long enough for her to enjoy her treat.... no Gingerbread Mickeys here either.

We left MK, in search of a way to MGM, so we hopped on the boat to GF. We would stop at the Gingerbread house, then bus it to MGM from there.
The boatride was nice, and we made our way to the lobby.
We took tons of pictures, from every angle.
I went to the counter, but would you believe it? NO GINGERBREAD MICKEYS HERE!!!!

Dejected, I joined the family, and we went out to the bus stop.
Anyone ever stay at GF? That has to be the nicest bus stop I’ve been at- I must be weird or something, admiring a bus stop.

Anyway, the bus came shortly, and we were soon at MGM.
We stopped just inside the gates and picked up an ECV for Frank, then it was down Sunset Blvd for ToT and RnR. ToT had a short wait, and RnR was a long wait- so I sent everyone ahead to ToT, while I picked up FPs for RnR for later.
I had a splitting headache, so while I waited I got some Advil and a Diet Coke. The others were off the ride quick- so they decided to go again- but this time it was just Jimmy and the 4 kids.

We had some time before our FP, so we headed over to Star Tours. Again, just Jimmy and the kids rode, while Lucy, Frank and I waited. We went over to Muppet Vision next- always a cool show, but we were 2nd from the last row, so we couldn’t see the Swedish Chef.

By now we were a bit hungry- so after some hemming and hawing on where to go eat, we wound up in ABC Commissary. Bobby and Victoria both ordered Chicken Curry, and I was sure they would hate it- but they both actually liked it—and it was a good thing, because I didn’t like it, and I would have hated to have to trade.

It was time to head back to RnR to use our fastpasses. And I nearly chickened out... but I rode, and I loved it. Excpet that it wasn’t as smooth as usual, and my head got banged around a little bit. We let the kids go on again by themselves- and they had a blast.

We slowly made our way over to Streets of America, stopping briefly to watch a street performance on Sunset Blvd. We took our time, and by the time we reached the Streets of America, it was only a short wait until 6:00pm and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. So we got some ice cream, popcorn and soda, and enjoyed our snacks while we waited.

Promptly at 6pm, it started, the music came on, and announcements like a redio broadcast started, and the street came alive with lights and colors and music and SNOW!!!!
It was fabulous, great, I really enjoyed it- so did Jimmy. He said this and the CP were worth every penny we spent for this trip.
After we had looked around, and taken lots of pictures, we headed out to the boat dock, and ferried over to the Boardwalk to check out the lobby display.

I was expecting a boardwalk and rides, but found a living room with Mickey and Minnie decorating a tree instead.... it was nice, but not what I expected. There was a magician in the lobby doing card tricks, and we all watched him for a while- the kids got to participate in a few of his tricks.

Afterward we took a bus to DTD and stopped in Ghiradelli for ice cream- YUM!
Then it was a ferry ride home for a rest after a long full day.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Shopping and Heading Home

We took our time about getting up and ready the next morning. Got our bags packed, and took a last look around the room. Sure that we had everything, we walked up to the Carriage House with our bags. Today had gotten cooler, so we were all comfortable in out long sleeves and pants for travelling home.
We checked in for our flight, and left our carry-ons with Bell Services, then walked to the nearest bus stop.

We got to DTD quickly, and were waiting at the dock when Lucy, Frank and the kids arrived in the first ferry of the day.

We did a ton of shopping, and I was able to order a Jedi Mickey statue to be shipped home for Jimmy’s Christmas present.

Then we put our names on the list at Rainforest Cafe for lunch, and I took the kids into Goofy’s Candy Co- where I proceeded to spend my usual $56.00 in candy.... and I found them, finally... 2 Gingerbread Mickey’s YAY! I was so happy!

We were called in as I was paying, and we followed the gorilla trail to our table. We had a nice view of the elephants butt, ewwww.
I had Mamba’s Chicken Wrap again, Yummy, and we ordered a plate of nachos as an appetizer. The food was really good. I always like it here, though I know not a lot of people are fans.

After lunch, we caught a ferry back to our resort, picked up our carry-on and boarded the Magical Express back to the airport.

We got to the airport, met Lucy’s family, and headed to our gate- where we enjoyed shakes from Ben & Jerry’s.
Our flight was delayed, as were a few others- and our plane, when it did finally take off- was packed to the gills.

We arrived home late and tired, but happy we had such a great trip.

 

[Disney owl]

Great report thanks