The trip of firsts is over

[mom0299]

It was not our first trip, but we did many things for the first time on this trip.

Cast:
Me - mom (34)
DH (36)
DS (9)
DD (7)

When: Dec. 19-23, 2006
Where: All-Star Sports

Firsts:

First time surprising the kids with a trip to WDW: DH and I were so excited we couldn't stand it any longer. About two weeks before our trip we told the kids. We all got to spend the next two weeks anticipating the Magic.

First time flying/using Disney's Magical Express: It was DD's first time on a plane. She loved it. Our plane arrived at 6:15 pm (about 30 minutes late. We went straight to the Disney Welcome Center and checked in. There was only one person in our line and I saw about three families in the other lines waiting for the DME buses. It wasn't very busy and we didn't have to wait long for a bus. We let DME get out luggage and were told it would take about three hours to get it to our room. Six hours later a CM knocked on our door with our luggage. Yes, that's right it was 12:15 am when we got our luggage. My kids slept in their clothes that night. If we do DME again I think we will be sure to get an earlier flight or get our luggage ourselves. We did miss having our car since we had so many meals at resorts. It's difficult to travel on Disney transportation from resort to resort.

First time staying in a Value Resort: My kids liked the themeing at Sports. We were in the Tennis building #4. The room itself was not bad. The bathroom was noticeably smaller than a moderate or deluxe. The rooms had double beds, TV, dresser, and table with two chairs. It was a smaller room, but we seemed to have plently of room with our family. We saw several groups of teenagers (a wrestling team, and a basketball team). They were a bit loud on the bus in the evening and pretty much took over the pool. The buildings are all very close together. It isn't nearly as spread out as CSR where we stayed this summer. I didn't like that we had to pull our luggage through the pool area on the day we left. There was no way around it. The food court was a mad-house during meal times. The transportation from the All-Stars was fine. During busy times Sports had it's own bus, and there were a few times that all the All-Stars shared a bus. Each resort only has one stop and they are close together so I didn't see that it was any different that the 3-4 bus stops at CSR. Overall it was an okay resort. We probably won't stay in a value again, but I'm glad we gave it a try at least once. It is a good value, is very neat and clean.

First time at WDW since I became at DISer: I didn't see any other DISers while I was there, and I had my LGMH on my bag the whole time.

First time to WDW at Christmas time: The parks had minimal decorations, but what they did have were very pretty. I think most of the decorations were at the resorts, especially the deluxes. We saw AKL, WL, CR, and GF. They all had beautiful trees and other decorations. We enjoyed the chocolate Pinnochio display at CR and the gingerbread house at GF. I knew better than to think there wouldn't be any crowds and I was right. The parks were very crowded, but since we're used to going in June it wasn't much different than what we've seen before. With the exception of the rain on Friday night, the weather was PERFECT. It was in the 70s during the day and 60s at night. If I'm going to have to fight the crowds anyway, I'd rather not have to fight the heat.

First time going without Park Hoppers: We were only able to go to the parks for three days so we just got MYW base tickets. We went to MK, AK, and Epcot. We did't have time to see MGM. The base tickets worked for our short trip, but we missed having the flexibility to go from park to park or change our plans and do something different.

To be continued with details from each day, including meals.....

 

[Cass]

Your surprise to your kids was so much fun

Sorry about the less than magical express, I didn't use it on my trip last week because I just don't like my luggage out of my sight.

Sorry you didn't see any other DIS'ers, I ran into 2 and it was great to say hi.

I agree about the park decorations, there was definately less than 2 years ago when I was there the same week. We had light crowds though, I must have lucked out and picked the right park on the right day.

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip

 

[mom0299]

Day one / Dec. 19th

We had half a day of school (I work there). DH took the day off and got everything ready. He picked us up at school and we went straight to the airport - a two hour drive. We made it in plenty of time for our 4:10 flight that ended up leaving almost an hour late. DS had flown before, but DD hadn't. She loved it except for the landing when her ears hurt.
Once we got checked in to the resort we took a bus to MK and took the monorail to CR. We enjoyed finding the Hidden Mickeys in the Pinnochio chocolate display. We then wandered outside to see the large Christmas tree. Just as we got out there the Wishes fireworks started. We sat beside the large tree and watched the show. It was a magical evening.

Day two / Dec. 20th

We were at MK for rope drop. The crowds that morning were very light. In an hour and a half we rode POTC, small world, Mickey's Philharmagic, Snow White, Big Thunder, and got FP for Space Mtn. We spent a little time in Tomorrowland and rode Buzz and Space Mtn. Lunch at Cosmic Ray's Starlight cafe was good and we met up with some friends of our who were there that day too. DD didn't eat the applesauce that came with her meal so I saved it and she ate it for breakfast in the room the next morning. After lunch we rode Peter Pan and then noticed the crowds getting thicker. I got FP's to ride Big Thunder again, but it was down at the time. We rode Jungle Cruise and Splash Mtn.,then went over to the CoP. After riding that we went back to the hotel for a short rest. After our rest we went to GF for our dinner at 1900 Park Fare. The meal was great! We saw Fairy Godmother, Prunella (?), Suzy, Cinderella, and Prince Charming. DD loved when Prince Charming called her a little princess. I think she's in love. After dinner we got to get a good look at the resort and the gingerbread house. We even bought a shingle for a late night snack. We went back to MK to Big Thunder in the dark. We rode Goofy's Barn Stormer and checked out the Christmas decorations at Mickey and Minnie's houses. By this time we were ready to leave. On the way out we saw the SpectroMagic parade. We were in bed a little after 11:00 for the second night in a row.

.....to be continued.....

 

[OhMari]

Where did you eat your first nite, or did I miss reading it.

 

[byoung]

Thanks for reporting.

 

[swankybeth]

Enjoying your report, thanks for posting.

 

[mom0299]

Where did you eat your first nite, or did I miss reading it.

We were not on the DDP the first night because we added that night through Expedia about a week before we left. We ate at the food court at All-Star Sports. It was very loud, busy, and not very enjoyable. It did, however, serve its purpose and get us fed before we headed out to look at the other resorts.

 

[mom0299]

Day three/ Dec. 21

This is the day we went to AK. We were there for rope drop. Before we were able to go through the gates we saw the talking palm tree. My kids thought it was really neat. I was amazed at how it could do the things it did until I figured it out (I won't spoil it for those who still want the magic). As soon as we got through the gates DH took our tickets and he went ahead with DS to get near the rope to go get FP for EE. DD and I took it our time walking down the path. We saw several animals and then we found a little alcove beside the character greeting place to get out of the crowd while we waited for Mickey to welcome us. Once the rope dropped we let most of the crowd get ahead of us and then I had to find her a bathroom. Just as we came out of the bathroom we saw Winnie the Pooh getting ready to greet guest. DD was first in line. Thank goodness for PhotoPass because DH had the camera. However, I just went online to look at the picture and it cost me $12.95 for a 5x7 which was the smallest size they had. Disney is making a fortune on those pictures. But DD was so excited to see Pooh in his Christmas outfit that I just had to get the picture.
We met DH and DS in Dinoland and rode PW twice. By this time we were able to get another FP so DH went ahead to grab them for the Safari and then we rode EE. This is a fantastic ride. Kudos to CM Sidney who was taking FP on EE that day. My DD looked at her nametag and told her that it was her name too. When she realized they we spelled it the same way she gave her a big hug and said "I love you". It made DD very happy. She very rarely sees her name spelled that way and to have someone at WDW with the same name was really neat for her.
After EE we went back to Dinoland. DD and I rode Triceratop Spin and went to the Boneyard while DS and DH rode Dinosaur. We then wandered over to the Safari. We did not ride this during our trip last summer, but had done it two years ago. It was so much better this time. The animals were a lot closer and we got a good look at zebras, elephants, and even a baby giraffe.
Now it was time for lunch. Tusker House was great. I had the turkey wrap with corn chowder. DH had a chicken sand (I think) and the kids had chicken nuggets. The weather was absolutely perfect that day so we sat outside. I let DS eat my cake and I ate his SF jello. It was a good lunch and a perfect place to rest our feet.
After eating we took the train to Rafiki's place. We had never been there before and it was a lot of fun. The kids listened to a presentation about a chinchila rabbit and saw a very large python. They spent some time in the petting zoo and then we took the train back.
Next we headed to the Finding Nemo musical. Our whole family loves this cute movie and the musical was nicely done. We then hopped over to Dinoland again and rode PW twice more before leaving the park.

We didn't have a lot of time once we got back to the resort before we had to head out to dinner. We rested and got ourselves freshened up and went to WL to eat at WCC. That was such a fun meal. DS needed ketchup and the waiter took the microphone and hollered for ketchup. Six kids each brought him a bottle of ketchup. The kids took part in a sticky pony ride and got a wooden nickel. They took a pledge to "stay up late, get up early, and never ever go to Universal". It was very cute. We had the skillet and it was good. The decorations at WL were beautiful. DH and I had seen that resort being built on our honeymoon, but we had never been inside. We loved the inside and the areas outside. I think this will be the next resort we stay in.
We made the mistake of taking the boat to MK thinking we could catch a bus back to the resort from there. Once we got to MK we remembered that it was MVMCP and it was park closing and party starting time. There wasn't room to move. We walked to CR and got a bus to DTD and then a bus to our resort from there. It took a long time and made us realize again why we like to have our car when we are at Disney.

It was another great day.

...Days 4 and 5 coming soon.

 

[mom0299]

Day four/ Dec. 22:

This is our Epcot day. Epcot is the favorite park of everyone in my family. Unfortunately the night before my DD started a fever and horrible cough. I sent DH and DS on to the park while I stayed in the room with her to let her rest. The boys were at the park from rope drop and went straight to M:S. They headed to Soarin' for FP but DH's card wouldn't work. He had to go to guest services to get a new card and was given a FP for the four of us for any ride we wanted to use that day since he had to wait.
In the meantime DD perked up and said "I'm ready to go to Epcot". She and I got ready and hopped on the bus. We met the boys in front of Spaceship Earth (what did we ever do before cell phones?).
The four of us went to The Land for Soarin' FP then rode The Land. We spent some time in the Living Seas with Nemo and Friends. The new Nemo ride was very cute. It is a kids' ride, but we enjoyed it. I thought it was interesting how they put animated images of Nemo and some of the others in the tank with real fish at the end. The line was too long for Turtle Talk but we had fun watching the dolphins and other fish in the tanks. We walked over to ride Figment and ended up getting a really cute Christmas picture of our family. We are all around the tree with Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Minnie.
By this time it was time to ride Soarin'. This has to be our favorite ride in Epcot, although M:S and TT come in a close 2nd and 3rd. Then it was lunch time. We decided to eat at the Electric Umbrella instead of going all the way to World Showcase and then back. It wasn't busy yet so it was easy to get a table. This restaurant has basic fare. If you get a burger there is a good toppings bar.
Since we were half-way there we walked over to TT to see the wait time. Surprise, surprise the ride was down at the moment. We got FP to use later. DH and I had done Body Wars on our Honeymoon in '93, but it hadn't been open on any of our trips with the kids until this time. That pavilion was pretty much deserted. There were about 5 other people on the ride with us and the CM said if we wanted a rougher ride to sit in the back row so we moved back there. She was right! It was a rough ride, but a lot of fun. After coming out of Body Wars we let the kids explore a little bit with the different exhibits. I wish more people would wander over there and that Disney would keep it open all the time. We enjoyed it.
It was now time to go to World Showcase. DS is a fanatic about geography. For his 6th birthday he asked for wall maps. Since then his favorite gifts have been atlases and globes. He must have five different atlases. DH and I have been to some of the countries in WS and like to show the kids around while we remember our trips.
DD loves the ride in Mexico. We rode it twice in a row and again later that evening. I was glad we got to ride it again before they refurbish it in Jan. I wonder what they plan to do with it? We were fortunate to catch the storytellers in Mexico. On our way past Norway we stopped for FP for Maelstrom and then wandered past China and on to Germany. The kids love to watch the miniature train. It was fun to see the small village decorated for Christmas. We took a break on a bench and just watched the people go by. We were trying to go slow for DD who still wasn't feeling great.
We left our comfy seat on the bench and explored the shops in Germany before going back to use our FP on Maelstrom. I think that is the shortest ride ever created. I do like the backwards drop, though.
We had 5:00 ADRs at Coral Reef with a CP dinner package for the 8:15 show. I was really looking forward to this. We tried to get into Coral Reef early, but they were booked. We had about an hour to kill before dinner and all the FP for Soarin' were gone for the day. We found another bench beside Innoventions and listened to "Cyber Groove" perform songs from the 80s. It was great. DH and DS went to taste the different Coke's from around the world and when they got back we went in Innoventions which we had never done before. We loved it! There were so many interesting things to do in there, I can't believe we had passed by it so many times before. We played the Great American Pizza Game and DS did very well. I recommend this pavillion to everyone. We were glad to find this treasure and will be sure to visit it again on a future trip.
Dinner at Coral Reef was a neat experience. We had a good view of the tanks and there were several divers in there. DS ordered lobster soup and Mahi Mahi. We were proud of him for trying something different, but he didn't care much for it. I think he wished he had ordered the pizza like his sister. My lobster soup and salmon were good, but I've had better salmon. DH got steak and it was fine. Our meal wasn't bad, but it could have been better. The best thing about the meal was getting a surprise Wish. A CM stopped at our table and asked if we'd like a FP for any ride in the park. Of course we said yes! When we left the restaurant it was raining. We took our new FP and rode Soarin' again. The line for the ride at that time was two hours.
It was then time to wander over to WS for the CP. It was really raining hard by this point so we took the boat. We got to the American Pavillion 45 min. before the 8:15 show and the line for ticket holders was already very long. We stood to the side and watched the end of the previous performance in the rain. With one sick child and pouring rain we decided it wasn't worth waiting for the next show. I was going to take DD back to the hotel and let the boys stay a little while. We missed the last boat back to FW so we had to walk. They boys were behind us and we were all drenched! They decided to come back to the hotel with us. I had to stop at the front gate to pick up our picture and then we waited for the bus. The line was huge and we finally made it on the third bus that came.
It was EMH night and we had our wrist bands and everything. It was very sad to have to leave our favorite park, but we were all so wet and miserable. DD even asked if she could stop and pour out her shoes. When we finally made it back to our room I had to use the blow dryer on DS's shoes and mine because we didn't have another pair and they were soaked through. After warm showers for everyone we went to bed hoping the next day (our last) would be better.

...day 5/ final... coming soon...

 

[mom0299]

Day five/ Dec. 23

We had to catch DME at 3:30 this day, but had plans to site see before then. We did have ADRs for Boma that morning for breakfast, but we just couldn't get there in time. After getting ourselves ready we went to the All-Star Sports food court for breakfast and then checked out of our room, putting our bags in the holding room.
We hopped a bus from the hotel to AK where we planned to catch one to AKL. Between buses we ran into friends of our from home who were there that week as well. They had just had breakfast at 1900 Park Fare and were going to AK for the day. After visiting with them for a few minutes we got on the AKL bus. The lodge was beautiful. It was obvious to us that the architect was the same as the one who did WL. They are very similar. We didn't see any animals at first, but after walking out to the pool area we caught sight of a couple of giraffes and several flamingos. The hotel itself is very nice, but we found the grounds to be sort of depressing. I know it has to be that way because of the animals, but for a deluxe resort the grounds aren't very beautiful.
From AKL we went to DTD. We should have known it would be packed the Saturday before Christmas, but silly us, we walked right into the crowds. We bought a few things at the World of Disney Store and I couldn't wait to get out of there. It was shoulder to shoulder in that store. It was close to lunchtime by now so we walked down to the Italian place (Portabello's?). It was very good. I love Margherita pizza and there's was one of the best I've ever had.
We made stops in Legoland for DS and Mickey's Mart for DD and then headed back to the resort. While on the bus I overhead a conversation between two people who had never been to WDW before. One lady said the travel agent had suggested they make reservations ahead of time for their evening meals, but they didn't. Then she sounded surprised when commenting that they couldn't get in to one of the character meals they had wanted to go to. The other asked if Pleasure Island was part of Disney and was it near DTD (where she just got on the bus).
We got out bags from holding just as a DME bus arrived and we went straight to the airport. While in line for security I heard a small child behind ask his parents if they could get Fast Passes for this line.
Overall we had a great trip (what trip to WDW isn't great?) We learned a lot by doing some things differently. Now we just have to decide when we're going again.

 

[MomofCKJ]

Sounds like a fun trip! Thanks for sharing it! We were there the same time, the 15-22. Weather was perfect! And we were at AK the same day as you! I bet we passed you somewhere because we had a similar morning as what you describe too!

And when we rode Body Wars we just happened to be in the back row, I had no idea about that being a rougher ride but that explains it. We really got thrown around, so much so that none of us really enjoyed it much. The kids even commented that Star Tours was a smoother ride.

Allyson

 

[mom0299]

I'm sorry I missed you Allyson.

Yes, the Body Wars ride was quite rough. We kind of enjoyed it though.

Anne