The Slonecker’s Holiday Trip to Disney-MK, Princesses, SOB, Spectro(Part 6 of 10)

[Obsessed w/Disney in OH]

The Slonecker’s Holiday Trip to Disney-Early arrival at MK, breakfast with the princesses, SOB, and Spectro(Part 6 of 10)

Slonecker Family:

Lisa-Obsessed w/Disney crazed planner; been planning this trip since last Christmas

Russ-DH, is a converted Disney-fan; read the Passporter this time

Holly-DD-15, even admits to her teenage friends that she loves Disney; future goal is to work at Disney as an architect and Imagineer

Emily-DD-12, spirited & creative–energy galore, happy to be out of school

Jana-DD-8, nothing holds her back–keepin’ up with the sisters; roller coaster rider

Trip:: 7 nights at Beach Club for our third family trip to WDW-first trip for Christmas activities. November 29-December 6

We rolled out of bed early this morning. We had done some research with various CMs at BC about how to arrive at MK early enough for our 8:00 p.s. at Cinderella’s Castle.(The confirmation said to arrive at the front gates 20 minutes prior to our p.s. so we figured we should be at MK no later than 7:30) Since MK was not the early entry park, they all advised waiting to see if a bus came and if not--catch a taxi. A couple of the CMs thought a bus might come early because they know people have p.s. before the park opens. So, we headed to the bus stop about 6:45 a.m. Just as we walked up, a bus arrived! We got on and were the only ones on it to MK! Of course, we were the only crazy people at MK at 7 a.m. Do we look like commando tourists or what!!?? We had no idea it would go that smoothly with the buses and we were following others advise...

Actually, it was rather grand being the only ones at MK! The CMs were hosing the drives, others were just arriving, we could see the inspections happening on the train, etc. etc. We watched the sun rising and it actually was pretty awesome! We also got a chance to view the Mickeys that were outside of the gates and they are so interesting.

However, we waited and waited and waited. They do not let anyone in the park until 8:00 a.m. exactly, so we really did not need to be there 20 minutes prior except to get near the front of the line.We were the first through the turnstiles and we zipped ahead to get some pictures of us alone in MK. That was fun and our pictures were fantastic! There is nothing like early morning at MK. The walks are freshly cleaned and wet. The flowers have dew on them and it smells like Disney!

We were the first ones to arrive at the castle and were escorted up immediately to our table. We just love this place! The characters must start at the table where they seated us, because before we could even begin to eat, we saw Belle, Princess Aurora, Mary Poppins, Snow White and Cinderella. Their interactions were OK, but not as impressive as in the past. It was quick and routine. The girls(and Russ!) were disappointed that Jasmine was not there! We enjoy this breakfast and the food, as always, was delicious!! I know there has been debate lately on DIS about the food here, but we all felt like this was better than before. I absolutely love that cream cheese french toast. Russ and I ordered seconds(without the fruit topping) and enjoyed every bite.

We got the bill, and that was confusing since the deposit does not show up subtracted from the total. For those of you that go in the future, here’s the scoop. They show you the total amount on the bill, so you can add the tip based on the total amount. Then, when they process your credit card or room card, they subtract the deposit. So, when you sign your charge slip–it is actually for more than what it ends up to be. Then, they come back and give you the final copy with the deposit subtracted. This is a crazy way to do the bill, I think!! I understand why, but they must have to explain it many times throughout the day.

We went downstairs and the Fairy Godmother was there so Jana joined the line to see her. We did convince Holly and Emily to join also so we could get a picture of the three of them by the Christmas tree with Fairy Godmother. The tree was really pretty in the lobby waiting area.

We headed to Fantasyland and there really was minimal crowds. We did Dumbo, Snow White, Small World, and Pooh in a small amount of time. We did Philharmagic again and just loved it, loved it. Our seats were much better and we really enjoyed this show. I would encourage everyone to see it several times. We headed over to Toontown and the girls rode Barnstormer and we went through Mickey and Minnie’s house. While we were there, we noticed people in line to see Goofy and we were first going to skip it, but Jana noticed that Max was there also. Now, I did not know that Goofy had a son–did you?–but Max is Goofy’s son. (Your Disney trivia for today!) Apparently, this is a real treat to catch Goofy and Max so Jana waited in line and was thrilled to get a picture and autograph.

We headed back to Tomorrowland and I insisted we see Carousel of Progress. The last 2 trips, it has not been running and I have heard so much about this, I just needed to do it. It was not like I expected and I kept thinking, “The girls are going to think this is really corny.” It is corny, but it actually got good reviews from my family. I probably will not absolutely need to see it again, but I’m glad we did it.

We headed to Adventureland to ride Aladdin carpets and we saw Genie–the usual pictures and autograph. Our big debate was whether the camel that spits on the sidewalk right outside of Aladdin carpet ride is manned by a camera. It sure seems to choose it’s targets and I enjoyed watching the surprised victims while the girls rode.

The girls were determined to do Splash Mountain and since we were nearing the end of our touring day at MK, Russ went over to SM to check wait times. The girls and I headed over and they decided to just do stand-by since FP was not for a while. They probably waited ½ hour, but Russ and I sat and relaxed, if you can call it relaxing in Frontierland! This area is crazy!! People are coming and going on SM and BTMRR and the sidewalks are so narrow. It is so congested with people and strollers and there’s no where to go with them. Just as the girls got off(not too wet!), a train pulled up and we made a quick decision to save our feet and zipped up the stairs and jumped on. We rode to the entrance and caught a bus back to BC.

We got our suits on and headed to Storm Along Bay. It was definitely more crowded today and the sun was great. The girls jumped in and Russ, Holly and I napped in the sun. Jana and Emily rented a double tube and had a good time with that. We had some snacks and just relaxed. It was great! We loved SOB, but it sure is hard to keep track of the kids here. It winds and winds and there’s not a great way to survey the entire scene. I was glad our kids were old enough to be safe and independent.

We showered and headed back to MK. We wanted to catch the Spectomagic Parade. It was starting to look cloudy as we staked out our spot in Frontierland. Russ went for food from Pecos Bills and we sat and waited for the parade time. We love to watch the parades from Frontier land–it is so much less crowded than Main Street, but the birds are a nuisance! And WHY do people insist on feeding them?? Don’t they realize that the more you feed them, the peskier they become?? They are aggressive birds and we had some near dive bombs for our food as we ate.

It did start to rain a little and the skies looked ominous so we got on our ponchos and stood under the building for a while. As the rain let up, we headed back to our spots. As we were arranging our ponchos so we could sit on them and not the wet pavement, some people that were walking down the street, ducked under the ropes and stood there. Some people are so inconsiderate. We scooted down to another available spot, but were right beside some kids whose parents allowed them to hang on the ropes and lean out into the street. This caused the ropes to constantly bang on our heads as we tried to lean out around them to see the parade. I didn’t want to stand up because people were standing behind us, but that was annoying! GRRR–I sound like a whiner, but I just think people should be considerate of others and at that point, I didn’t see many examples of that!

The Spectromagic parade was awesome as always. Just love the music and lights!! We walked to Main Street as the parade finishing there. We stood in the middle of Main Street to watch Wishes for the second time. We loved this show! Calling it fireworks or a show really does not describe this–it truly is an experience. The music and songs are awesome and the fireworks and special effects are amazing.

We decided to skip the whole bus ordeal to get back to BC. We just were not in the mood for a crowded bus. Since our kids are older, they usually join us in giving up seats on the bus for young families or older people. It’s a long way from MK to BC and we knew it would be standing room only. So, we monorailed to TTC and then to Epcot. We entered Epcot and saw the lights in the Future World. We made a stop to see the lighted sidewalk which is always amazing and we leisurely walked through the World Showcase and back to BC. Lights out and dreams of a day of rest and relaxation for tomorrow.

Stay tuned for: “Kona Café, Typhoon Lagoon, Kitchen Sink, Downtown Disney”

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks for taking the time to post your trip reports, I'm really enjoying them!

 

[bjakmom]

Thanks for sharing another wonderful day - I'm really loving your reports!