The Yuletide Hypothesis // Stuffed & Joyful! **NEW 10/16**

[PryncessChrysty]

I don't think you can be a true DISer if you don't plan, plan, plan!

I've had the Red Velvet Cupcake from Starry Rolls... I agree with you, it's deee-lish! I really want to try their Chocolate Peanut Butter one. That's on the "must try" list for a future trip!

Mmmmm.....chocolate peanut butter cupcake.

Yep I'm pretty sure it is a requirement of DIS to be a plan-aholic. Although, I will admit that I do not go to the lengths of planning a detailed daily itinerary... mostly because my family would kill me

Oh and the picture of you mom running towards you is too cute!!

LOL - I totally get it. The hour-by-hour plan isn't for everyone, I think some people feel too tied down. For us, it really just gives us an excuse to think Disney 24/7 months beforehand.

That stinkin' cold! That was like the longest day we had there, maybe setting my watch wrong had something to do with that

Well done and can't wait for more

That was seriously hilarious!!

Thanks, Mama!

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Yaaaaay! I am LOVING this trip report so far!

Disney World & Christmas are my favorites, too So spending that season at Disney is just pure magic.

We stayed at OKW last June and fell in love with it. I can only imagine how cute it was in December.

Boooo for being sick on your trip! I hope you started feeling better fast!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Yaaaaay! I am LOVING this trip report so far!

Disney World & Christmas are my favorites, too So spending that season at Disney is just pure magic.

We stayed at OKW last June and fell in love with it. I can only imagine how cute it was in December.

Boooo for being sick on your trip! I hope you started feeling better fast!

Hi there! Thanks for joining in!

Pure magic - that's a great way to put it!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

After lots & lots of hugs and hellos, we decided to ride Toy Story Midway Mania. Not surprisingly, all of the FP’s were already gone, but the stand-by line was only about 40 minutes long (not bad in the world of TSM) so we waited it out.

We chatted & chatted (well, I more crackled than chatted) while in line and before we knew it, it was time to board. Since this was my brother's first time on the ride, he & I we went together so I could show him some of the tricks and DH rode by himself.


DISCLAIMER: Any of the fuzzy pics came from my phone.



My baby brother & I in line.

So if you know any of the secrets to TSMM, you know that it really takes two people to open up the higher point targets. That is, unless you’re my hubby. He not only got the best score out of all 4 vehicles, he got the best of the hour! Go, Honey!! I s'pose my brother probably should've gone with him...

Afterward, we decided to pick up FP’s for Tower of Terror, stopping in the shops along the way.

I loved this window display!

FP’s in hand and window shopping done, we headed over to the Great Movie Ride.

I was hoping to finally get the cowboy scene, but alas we got the gangster yet again.

For our anniversary in October, DH bought me a 50mm lens and I couldn’t wait to play with it on this trip! The GMR was the perfect place to try it out, so I took lots of photos here. I'm still very much a novice when it comes to my DSLR, but I’m having a lot of fun learning how to use it.

Representin’

Right about the time we got off the ride, Mulch, Sweat & Shears were scheduled to perform on the Streets of America. None of us had ever seen them before, but I’ve read so many rave reviews that I really wanted to catch them this time.

On our way there we passed by Star Tours and it was practically a walk on, so we decided to hop in line.

I was SO glad we did! DH & I have been on it several times since the refurb at both WDW & DL, but we’ve never been able to catch the Naboo scene. Well, this time we got it!! I’m not a die-hard Star Wars fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I was so excited! We all loved it.


Silly boys in silly glasses

 

[PryncessChrysty]

When we came out of Star Tours, we could hear Mulch, Sweat & Shears performing. We hadn’t missed the show! Yay!! We simply followed the sound of the music until we saw this…

Enjoying the show!

One of the singers came into the crowd and asked us some questions

It was a FANTASTIC show and we all loved it! They played a mix of classic rock & holiday songs, and they were high-larious to boot! This will definitely be a must-do for us on future trips, Christmas time or not.

On the way out of the area, I spotted this balcony. For some reason, it made me super excited for our upcoming visit to the Osborne Family Lights planned for later that week.

By this time, the bright blue skies of the morning had turned into a cloudy shade of gray, and as soon as the show was over it started to rain. The timing actually worked out well for us cuz my brother needed some food, so we ducked into the ABC Commissary. Daniel & I wanted a carrot cake cookie, so he & I went into the Writer’s Stop to pick up one for us & another for my DM & DSD to share. We met back up with them in the Commissary and just relaxed & chitchatted for awhile, waiting for the rain to subside. Just in case you were wondering, the cookie was delicious as usual!


Apparently I turn into a pirate when enjoying a yummy treat

Not quite sure what DH turns into…

Ham.

After about 30 minutes, the rain had turned into a light drizzle, so we made our way toward Sunset Blvd to use our RnR & ToT Fastpasses.

My family picked up FP’s for RnR earlier that day too, so we were able to ride it together. Woohoo! As soon as we got into the FP line, a HUGE tour group came up behind us. Talk about timing! I wish I had taken a pic to share with you, but there were at least 75 people.

My mom sat this one out, so we met up with her at the exit then made our way to Tower of Terror. It’s always fun to ride Disney’s thrill rides with my mama. She loves them, but DH & I love to put our arms up and she HATES that we do it. This provides lots of opportunities for me to give her a hard time, as any good daughter would.

This is a TERRIBLE picture, but I have to share it. You’ll notice DH & I have our arms up high in the sky, but my mom has a death grip on my other arm. Nothing unusual for a ride on ToT, really. But on this trip, she NEEDED to hold my arm extra tight because I kept coming OUT of my seat. It was so crazy! I thought my seatbelt was tight enough, but when we the zero gravity would hit, I would go STRAIGHT UP out of my seat. I’ve been on this ride TONS of times, and it’s never been that drastic before. Since my mom was holding on to me so tightly, she was being pulled up too. Both she & Daniel were trying to pull me down. It made an already thrilling ride that much more exciting.

Once we were all safely back on our two feet, we parted ways to rest a bit at our resorts before meeting back up again later that night for dinner.


DH & I took our time leaving so that I could take some pictures of Hollywood Blvd. Normally, dusk is a great time to take photos at DHS and being that it was decorated so fabulously, I couldn't wait to snap away! Too bad the clouds didn't get the memo that I was there. lol

When we walked out to our car, there was a family in front of us ogling at an adorably decorated car in the parking lot. Guess who’s car they were ogling at?!?


Yep! It was OURS!!

Isn’t it cute? It really added an extra touch of magic throughout the entire trip.


Next up: Our waiter decides Daniel needs a bath.

 

[CarolynK]

Really nice pictures! Especially with the gray sky in the background, the colors of the Christmas decorations really pop!

 

[ForeverDance]

I often find I fly up in the air on ToT. Maybe I don't ever put the belt tight enough. I think it just adds to the fun anyway.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Really nice pictures! Especially with the gray sky in the background, the colors of the Christmas decorations really pop!

Thank you!! I was actually bummed about the sky because it was such a nice bright blue in the morning, but now that you say it, I think you're right. The gray does help the lights pop a little more.

I often find I fly up in the air on ToT. Maybe I don't ever put the belt tight enough. I think it just adds to the fun anyway.

Oh yeah, I usually do lift out of my seat when I ride it cuz of the zero gravity - and you're right, it definitely adds to the fun of it! It was just that this time, my head was almost touching the ceiling. Like, my booty was next to my hubby's head, and he's 6'4" & all torso. I've never experienced anything quite like that before!

 

[PixieMama]

Love all your pics!

Your story of your Mom on ToT reminds me of one about my mom during my family's first trip to WDW (this was waaaaay back in 1988!) Mom doesn't like heights at all, but we somehow talked her into going on BTMR. My brother and I were in one car, and Mom, Dad and Sis were in the car behind us. Bro and I spent the entire ride "Woohoo!"-ing and with our arms in the air... Mom spent the entire ride yelling at us to shut up and hold on!

 

[PixieMama]

Next up: Our waiter decides Daniel needs a bath.

Uh oh!

 

[ForeverDance]

Oh yeah, I usually do lift out of my seat when I ride it cuz of the zero gravity - and you're right, it definitely adds to the fun of it! It was just that this time, my head was almost touching the ceiling. Like, my booty was next to my hubby's head, and he's 6'4" & all torso. I've never experienced anything quite like that before!

Okay that is definitely a lot higher than I've ever gotten. That is a little crazy... I think I'd really enjoy it, though it would give my DH a heart attack... if I could even get him on it

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Love all your pics!

Your story of your Mom on ToT reminds me of one about my mom during my family's first trip to WDW (this was waaaaay back in 1988!) Mom doesn't like heights at all, but we somehow talked her into going on BTMR. My brother and I were in one car, and Mom, Dad and Sis were in the car behind us. Bro and I spent the entire ride "Woohoo!"-ing and with our arms in the air... Mom spent the entire ride yelling at us to shut up and hold on!

That's hilarious! I think our moms are two peas in a pod!

Okay that is definitely a lot higher than I've ever gotten. That is a little crazy... I think I'd really enjoy it, though it would give my DH a heart attack... if I could even get him on it

It was....crazy...and fun!

It's always more fun with hubby, I hope you can get him on with you next time!

 

[MrsDrewsky]

I'm kind of late to the party, but I am subscribing.

I love the pics so far, DHS looks amazing during Christmas time.

I was super bummed to read your review of Cookes, it's one of our favorites, but honestly we usually just stick with the scallops.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I'm kind of late to the party, but I am subscribing.

I love the pics so far, DHS looks amazing during Christmas time.

I was super bummed to read your review of Cookes, it's one of our favorites, but honestly we usually just stick with the scallops.

Not late at all! Thanks for joining in!

DHS really is beautiful at Christmas time!

Maybe Cookes was just a fluke for us. We were incredibly tired, and we were there later in the day.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Hi everyone! March has proven to be a C-R-A-Z-Y month for us, I'm sorry for my recent lack in updates. I'm hoping to post something new this week, so I hope you'll stay tuned.

 

[Disneysnel]

ZZZZzzzzz

 

[PryncessChrysty]

We left the Studios around 4:45 and the plan was to go back to our room and relax a bit before meeting up with the family again for dinner. Note the operative word here is PLAN.

I don’t know what it is, but whenever we stay in the DTD resort area, I have a tendency to get lost at least once on the way to our hotel. This was that time. What should’ve taken about 10 minutes ended up taking an HOUR because not only did I make not one, but TWO wrong turns, albeit in the general area of our resort, there was a MAJOR traffic jam. We finally got into our room a little before 6pm, which gave us enough time to sit down for a quick minute, change our clothes & freshen up. We were out the door by 6:30 to make our way over to the Poly.

After we parked, we made a mad dash for the 2nd floor to check-in for our 6:50 reservation at O’hana. When we got up there, though, I couldn’t find the check-in stand. I remember it being in the area between the Tambu Lounge and Kona Café, but there wasn’t anything there. It turned out they moved the check-in near the elevators and we had passed right by it when we first got up there. I clearly needed to slow down at this point.

When we found the line, my brother was already in it and almost to the front. My mom & step-dad were parking their car, so we waited for them over at the Tambu lounge. A few minutes later my parents came in, and our table was ready almost right away. Yay!

The host took us around to our table where it seemed we were going to have a perfect castle view. Until we actually sat down and found that the view was completely obstructed. It wasn’t a big deal, but it was just kind of weird to me – the restaurant has such great real estate, but it seemed like quite a few of the castle-facing tables would have an obstructed view.

My mom & step-dad have been to O’hana several times and consider it a favorite, but Daniel and I had never been. So every time we take a family trip, my mom always has it on her must-do list, but we’ve just never been able to make it work. When planning this trip, I was finally able to score an ADR for a date/time that worked with our schedule and even better, it was when all of us would be together. O’hana with the o’hana….it was kismet!

I’ve read/heard a lot of mixed reviews over the years and it seems that most people either love it or hate it, so I tried to disregard the hype and go in with an open mind. I will say that DH & I enjoyed it much more than we expected to, but that was solely because of the food. Our waiter was very nice, but he was MIA most of the night and we were left without drinks throughout the majority of our meal. When he finally did bring out our beverages, he spilled a glass of ice water down DH’s back! Eek! I understand that accidents happen, but his first reaction was to dry off the chair and didn’t even offer DH a towel! Daniel finally had to ask the guy for a towel so he could try to dry himself off and I had to point out to him that the fabric chair was a lost cause and to just change it out. While he was never rude or anything, he was so oblivious that it was almost frustrating. We did joke about the mishap for the rest of the night though, so at least it gave us some comic relief. lol

Overall, even with DH’s impromptu bath, we really enjoyed the meal itself and it was so great to sit down to have a family dinner. I honestly can’t remember how many years it’s been since we’ve been able to do that. I don’t have a lot of pictures from this night because we were really just focused on being with the family, but here are a couple from my phone…

Jason & I with our cocktails! Pina Colava for me and a Lapu Lapu for him.

The only food photo I grabbed this meal, and I have NO idea why the noodles & veggies were what I decided to take a photo of...

After dinner we toured the lobby for a bit and then went outside to grab some beach chairs and watch the Electrical Water Pageant & Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party fireworks.


We LOVE the EWP, classic Disney at its best!

It was absolutely FREEZING this night - something we have never experienced at Disney. With the windchill it was 43 degrees and there was a big breeze coming off of Seven Seas Lagoon. We felt like popsicles, but we were determined to watch the fireworks from the beach and this would be my brother’s only opportunity to see them. We tried to huddle close together on our chairs to keep each other warm, and when the fireworks finally started, I think we all forgot about the cold. The Poly beach offers such a great vantage point, especially for the perimeter fireworks that go off during the MNSSHP & MVMCP shows.

The quality isn’t so great on these shots below because they’re from my phone, but I just LOVE those perimeter fireworks…and in Christmas colors to boot!

As soon as the show was over we BOLTED back into the lobby for warmth. It seems so weird even to say that, we’re usually in search of AC! We shopped in the BouTiki and found these guys...

I was excited to show them the decorations on our car and DH wanted to check out their rental so we headed out to the parking lot. They got a great deal on a “premium” with Alamo and picked a Taurus with all kinds of bells & whistles. After chatting for a little while longer, we finally said good night and headed back to our rooms. We were all moving resorts the next morning and needed to get packin’.


Our last trip through the OKW gate…

Next Up: We’re headed into the Wilderness…

 

[ForeverDance]

I've always wanted to watch the fireworks from the

poly beach but I've just never managed it. Your pictures make me more determined to do this on a future trip!

 

[Disneysnel]

That was a very fun night - a bit cold, especially for Daniel but still fun! Great trip addition and looking forward to the next!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I've always wanted to watch the fireworks from the

poly beach but I've just never managed it. Your pictures make me more determined to do this on a future trip!

If you're able to squeeze it into your plans, I highly recommend it! It can make for a very magical evening, minus the crowds of Main St.! A little tip - try to grab a chair closer to the concierge lounge of the Hawaii building so that you're really able to hear the audio track.

That was a very fun night - a bit cold, especially for Daniel but still fun! Great trip addition and looking forward to the next!

A "bit cold"?!? Oh yeah, YOU had a jacket!!!

It was a super fun night!