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

[PryncessChrysty]

Breakfast looks yummy! I had thought about eating there when we stayed in December... but never did. Now I regret that..

Love the pics! makes me want to go back NOW!

No regrets, just reason to go back!

 

[PixieMama]

I've been out of town for the last few days, but am now caught up on your TR!

I've been to the WL once... and that was to have dinner at WCC. Love love love the look of that resort. I think I'd like to stay there one day!

 

[annmarieda]

No regrets, just reason to go back!

good point!

 

[heaven2dc]

I can't believe I just found your TR! I am having a blast reading all about it I love your pics esp of HS and ToT

I am hoping to move down to the LA area this summer with my 2 youngest sons (I had applied to several internships for Disney but so far haven't been accepted) and we are excited to see DL and take some tours. Just today my oldest son said they were moving out here to Oregon so now I'm not so sure we will still move to CA. I really enjoyed seeing your pics of some of the sights down near Disneyland (it's been 29 years since we last visited DL). Thanks for sharing!

Your family looks like so much fun to travel with

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I've been out of town for the last few days, but am now caught up on your TR!

I've been to the WL once... and that was to have dinner at WCC. Love love love the look of that resort. I think I'd like to stay there one day!

It's definitely worth a stay!

I can't believe I just found your TR! I am having a blast reading all about it I love your pics esp of HS and ToT

I am hoping to move down to the LA area this summer with my 2 youngest sons (I had applied to several internships for Disney but so far haven't been accepted) and we are excited to see DL and take some tours. Just today my oldest son said they were moving out here to Oregon so now I'm not so sure we will still move to CA. I really enjoyed seeing your pics of some of the sights down near Disneyland (it's been 29 years since we last visited DL). Thanks for sharing!

Your family looks like so much fun to travel with

Thanks for following along!

Even if you aren't able to move out here, I hope you're able to make it out to DL in the near future. There are so many new things to see and do, especially after this summer!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

After breakfast, DH & I had tickets to one of the Allears.net’s December to Remember events, and my family was heading over to AK before checking into the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal. Since this was my brother’s last day at WDW, we all decided that we’d rather spend more time together instead of splitting up, so we opted to take the boat over to MK. First, they helped us lug our bags to our room.

In planning for the trip, I read that certain rooms have an ever-so-slight possibility of being able to see the MK fireworks from the balcony, and an even slighter chance of having a view of Cinderella Castle - all at the price of a woods view! Normally I like to leave the possibility of a great view up to those that dole out the pixie dust, but this was too good to pass up. I decided to try and take control of our fate and asked our TA to request a room with a king bed, on a high floor, overlooking Otter Pond. I reminded myself not to expect that any of the requests would actually be granted, but seriously, how awesome would that be?!?

What we were given was a room with a king bed, on the first floor, overlooking the DVC pool, which is on the opposite side of the resort. Maybe by requesting Otter Pond, they just thought we wanted a water view? lol

Truthfully, neither one of us really cared all that much about having the king bed, we have a queen at home and it’s perfectly fine. I’m not even sure why I ever request it if the other option is a queen. The floor/location wasn’t a shock since the CM showed us where our room was on the map at check-in, and even though I was prepared to not have our requests granted, I was bummed that the room was on the first floor. When we walked inside, we found that it was a handicap accessible room. Something I didn’t discover in all my research beforehand was that most of the king bed rooms at WL are HA rooms. We had one at Pop on a previous trip and the tub-less shower made for a big mess in the bathroom, which made it difficult when getting ready. I certainly understand why they’re set up that way, and by no means do I mean to come across as insensitive to those that need it. I’m also not crazy about being in one of the HA rooms because I feel like we could be taking it away from someone that needs it. I’m sure Disney is careful about this when assigning rooms, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty.


Since the room had 2 strikes against it, everyone agreed that I should call the front desk and see if they could move us to another room. An hour and a few confused-but-helpful CM’s later, we ended up in a room on the 4th floor with 2 queen beds and the same view of the DVC pool. We were much happier with this room. Next time, I’ll leave the view up to fate.


Looking straight out of our balcony to the DVC Pool.

Are there any otters in that pond?

Out to the right. That cement cover in the grass is right outside the patio of the room we had on the 1st floor.

We could kinda see Bay Lake looking out to the left.

Some shots of our room (if you notice that it’s dark outside, it’s because I took these later that night):

Lots of cute hidden Mickey details in the comforter:

Now that we were happy with our room, we all walked out to the dock and hopped on the boat to the Magic Kingdom. When we passed the Contemporary, I was explaining some of the things we learned about the resort at D23’s Destination D event earlier that year. Like how the rooms were constructed the same as they would be for a cruise ship; all built individually and fully furnished (even down to the colored toiled paper!), then stacked in one-by-one with a crane. There was a CM on board who overheard me and chimed in telling us all sorts of things. Like how the water bridge we were crossing, which goes over a roadway, is 1 of 3 like it on property. I never even noticed we were floating OVER cars until he mentioned it. So neat.

Here’s a photo from Destination D of them lowering the first room into the Contemporary, presented by Disney Legend Dave Smith.

As soon as we passed through the gates, we decided to take a train ride around the park and then exited back at Main St. station. We saw a Photopass photographer and asked him to take our picture. We set our bags at our feet and lined up in front of the tree, to which the CM promptly responded “I’m not going to be able to get the whole tree in the shot”. Well, I kinda figured that considering the tree is about 65 feet tall and we’re standing right in front of it. Poor guy, he was just trying to be nice, but it cracked me up. What really didn’t make sense to me though, was that he made sure to get all of our feet and our bags in the shot. Had he not captured our feet and the road, he couldve fit more of the tree in the shot.

Thank goodness I’ll be able to remember what shoes I wore that day…

Much better

Now with the castle (feet already cut out, for your enjoyment)

My mom had a HORRIBLE blister right in the middle of her foot, so she and I decided to hang out on Main St. for a bit and sent the boys off to hit the rides. While they made a bee-line for Space Mountain, we meandered through the shops. She wanted a pair of the pink sequin Minnie ears, so we hopped into the Chapeau.

I loved the decorations in this shop!

When we came out, we spotted Mary Poppins and she wasn’t hearing her Jolly Holiday dress! While I do love that dress, I was so excited to see her in this outfit. Her line was already closed so I was only able to snap a pic in passing. Apparently, the dude on the right was confused as to why I was taking a picture of random people.

Score! We found the ears.

We stopped in the Main St. Bakery to share a treat. Check out that cupcake in the back!!

We didn’t end up trying one of the mile-high Christmas tree cupcakes, and decided on a banana bread pudding. We weren’t really paying attention to the time, so it was a nice surprise when the 3:00 parade made its way down Main St., especially since we had a nice view from our table inside the bakery. Afterward, we shopped a bit more and stopped by the Confectionary so my mom could use up the rest of their snack credits.

Now THIS is a turkey leg I would actually eat!

At this point, my mom’s poor foot was getting worse, so we decided to head back to WL and wait for the guys who were still running around the park.


Getting off the boat, we spotted this mama duck and her babies. So cute.

We found a couple of rocking chairs in the lobby to relax in.

Our view while we waited:

By the time the guys showed up, they had to hit the road to get checked into HRH, and DH & I needed to take the boat over to Ft. Wilderness for our 7pm dinner ressie at Trails End. We said our goodbyes since we wouldn’t be seeing my brother again on the trip, and we wouldn’t see my parents again until later in the week.


Next up: I thought the Festival of Dancing Lights was at DHS….

 

[Disneysnel]

What a nice relaxing day! I am Freecycling ALL my Crocs today - they have ruined my last 3 trips, funny how in denial I was

It all worked out for the best though because I loved having the time with just the 2 of us, enjoying the bakery, parade and Main Street.

Great report and pics
Can't WAIT to do it all again

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I just started reading but wanted to stop by and say hi before I get all caught up.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

What a nice relaxing day! I am Freecycling ALL my Crocs today - they have ruined my last 3 trips, funny how in denial I was

It all worked out for the best though because I loved having the time with just the 2 of us, enjoying the bakery, parade and Main Street.

Great report and pics
Can't WAIT to do it all again

Thank goodness! Your poor feeties!

It did all work out nicely, it was a really nice afternoon.

I can't wait either!!!

I just started reading but wanted to stop by and say hi before I get all caught up.

Thanks so much for joining in!

 

[PixieMama]

Oh, all the pics of the WL, decorations, sweets... they make me want to plan a Christmas trip NOW!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Oh, all the pics of the WL, decorations, sweets... they make me want to plan a Christmas trip NOW!

We were really excited to stay at WL for the first time during the holidays. It was really - I'll post more photos around the lobby in another update. As pretty as it was, it wasn't our favorite resort for Christmas. I'll be posting that one later, too.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Hi everyone!

I don't have a new update for the TR just yet, BUT, we went to an Annual Passholder preview of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street yesterday. It was AHHH-MAZING!! If you're interested, I posted of ton of photos and a few videos on my Twitter feed - you can find the link in my signature.

The DCA project is something that I've followed very closely over the years and I am so excited to finally see it all come to fruition. WDI did not disappoint!

 

[annmarieda]

Hi everyone!

I don't have a new update for the TR just yet, BUT, we went to an Annual Passholder preview of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street yesterday. It was AHHH-MAZING!! If you're interested, I posted of ton of photos and a few videos on my Twitter feed - you can find the link in my signature.

The DCA project is something that I've followed very closely over the years and I am so excited to finally see it all come to fruition. WDI did not disappoint!

That is so cool!!! I am starting to get excited about going in a few weeks.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

That is so cool!!! I am starting to get excited about going in a few weeks.

I'm so excited for you! You're going to have a great trip!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Hello everyone! I’m sorry that I’ve been MIA for a while. Life has been craaaazy these days, but who doesn't feel that way?

So when we last left off, the guys met back up with my mom & I at Wilderness Lodge. It was time to bid farewell to my brother, and say au revoir to my mom & step-dad. They were all headed to the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal for the next few days, and my brother was flying home the next day.

After they left, Daniel ran up to the room so he could freshen up & grab our sweatshirts. Fifteen minutes later we were on a boat headed toward Ft. Wilderness. Sadly, I don’t have many photos from this night.

This was our first time visiting the resort (er….campground), and we had a dinner reservation at Trail’s End. Holy cheap buffet goodness, this was totally a guilty pleasure for us. By cheap, I don’t mean bad or low quality, it was a good price and it wasn’t fancy. It was just the yummy low-key meal that we needed. The restaurant was fairly quiet, the wait staff was super friendly, the food was plentiful and offered a decent variety. I was enjoying my meal so much that I don’t have any pictures of our plates. I couldn’t believe it when I was looking through our photos! So unlike me….

As a whole, the restaurant was very low key, and not quite what I was expecting. This was actually how I felt about the grounds as a whole. I’m not sure exactly what I had in mind, really. It was just sort of surreal to be somewhere that we’re so familiar with (WDW), but in an area that was so foreign to us (Ft. Wilderness). I used to go camping a lot in high school, and the campgrounds brought back a lot of fun memories from those days. I’m not sure if I’d be up for actually camping at WDW, not to sound like a snob, I just think I’d prefer a cabin if we’re making the pilgrimage all the way from CA. I need a real bed after that loooong flight from the west coast.

After dinner, we rolled ourselves outta Trail’s End and walked around to check out the holiday decorations. Apparently, some guests will camp out for the whole month of December and painstakingly decorate every last inch of their site. These folks seriously give the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights a run for their money. And you don’t even have to pay park admission to enjoy it!

These lights danced to Christmas music!

Here’s video of the dancing lights – don’t mind the dude next to me in awe of the peppermint lights.
(CLICK BELOW TO WATCH)



If you’re thinking of doing this on an upcoming trip, a word to the wise: Be weary of the horse drawn carriages & wagons. In my food-coma-like stupor, I found that I kept walking in their path as they made their way through the campsites. Because it’s so dark here, that’s not always easy. As they passed, it looked like a fun way to see the lights, so we might consider just booking this next time rather than risk being trampled. OK, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but you do need to be careful.

Another fun aspect of Ft. Wilderness during the holidays is the plethora of golf carts. These seem to be a must for most guests, and those that have them decorate them from top to bottom. There's even a parade each night during the holiday season. Sadly, we weren’t there to catch the parade, but we were able to snap a photo of one parked outside the restaurant.

After a few laps around the sites, we decided to make our way back to the Lodge. I read that Roaring Forks had some yummy new cupcakes on their menu so we decided to take a peek. What? We walked off the buffet checking out the holiday lights! When we arrived, we found that they were all sold out. Being so late, I wasn’t surprised, but as we left, I happened to look back and saw a CM carrying a tray of fresh cupcakes to the pastry cabinet! Hooray! We each picked one then shared them when we got back to the room - not sure if I mentioned this before, but we do that a lot. This way we get to taste everything!

We opted for the S’mores and Carrot Cake cupcakes. They were both good, but the carrot cake was definitely the winner. The marshmallow topping on the s'mores cupcake just wasn't enough to act as the frosting. I would've preferred chocolate frosting, topped with the toasted marshmallow fluff. It was all still yummy, though.

At this point, our food coma took over and we sacked O-U-T!



I promise to have a much more photo intensive update on the next round.

 

[PixieMama]

So sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but happy to know you're on the road to recovery! Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.


I've never been to the Ft. Wilderness area, but I agree with you... I don't think the cabins/campground would be someplace I'd want to stay while at WDW. But it sure looks like a lot of fun to explore during the holidays! Love the decorated golf cart... and how cool that there is a parade of those each night!

I cannot show my oldest DD a pic of that S'mores cupcake! S'mores are her absolute favorite... she'll be begging for one!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

So sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but happy to know you're on the road to recovery! Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.


I've never been to the Ft. Wilderness area, but I agree with you... I don't think the cabins/campground would be someplace I'd want to stay while at WDW. But it sure looks like a lot of fun to explore during the holidays! Love the decorated golf cart... and how cool that there is a parade of those each night!

I cannot show my oldest DD a pic of that S'mores cupcake! S'mores are her absolute favorite... she'll be begging for one!

Thank you for the happy thoughts & prayers! They are truly appreciated!!


I would definitely at least walking around to check it out. Because it's more secluded, there's a different kind of serenity over there. I'd definitely recommend taking a boat over there, though. Much more fun than a bus ride through the grounds from the entrance.

LOL about the cupcake. Cupcakes are everywhere at WDW right now - I love it! And so many different flavors are offered everywhere you go. There's a new one at Pop! Century called "The King" that sounds soooooo good! I want to take a trip over there in December to try that one.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

We’ve had so many distractions over the last few months, making it hard to find time to update this trip report. Our next big plan is another family trip to WDW this December, and I finally have time to get into full pre-trip bliss mode. That should mean lots of TR updates to follow! So, let’s see…where were we? Oh yeah, the start of Day 4, Friday the 9th…

We woke up around 7:30 and it was clear that this head cold was going to put up a fight. My voice still hadn’t found its way back home, and my congestion was a bit heavier, but we had breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace – a must do on all of our trips (sometimes even twice, if our trips are long enough), so I wasn’t about to be holed up in our room for the day. I found some Theraflu in our toiletry bag, so I grabbed it on our way out and then we headed over to the boat dock.

I snapped some photos along the way. Walking the grounds, it’s easy to see why Wilderness Lodge is so popular. I wish we had taken time to enjoy more of the resort, especially the pool. Sadly, we never made it out there since I was Mrs. Sicky Sickerson during our whole stay.

Here comes our ride!

Almost there!

Once we arrived, we had to hustle a bit to make our reservation, so this was the only shot I nabbed (don’t worry, there will be MANY more after breakfast):

We booked it down Main St. and made it to our reservation just in time. Thank. Goodness.
I mentioned earlier that Crystal Palace is a must-do for us. For many guests, CP is all about the characters, which is understandable given that they’re all of the Winnie the Pooh variety. However, for, us, it’s all about the food. Pooh’s Puffed French Toast to be exact (or Pooh Chunks as we lovingly refer to them). For those that aren’t familiar, they take wedges of French toast, batter and deep fry them, and then roll them in delicious cinnamon sugar. Seriously, people – we’re talking insanely delicious. They also have this ridiculously tasty breakfast pizza and some yummy, cheesy potatoes. I could go on and on, but I think I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking … (Please don’t judge us by the mountain o’food)

My plate - veggie frittata on top, the cheesy potatoes, pile of sausages, biscuit w/gravy, and some breakfast pizza on the bottom.

Obligatory plate of Pooh Chunks for the table

Thanking Pooh for the tasty breakfast

"Hey! So, uh, youse guys gonna takes my picture or what?"

I was in hog heaven (no offense, Piglet) and almost forgot about the Theraflu, so before we were done I asked the server for a cup of hot water. I have to say, I was so not prepared for just how incredibly disgusting it tastes. It tastes like they actually melted down a handful of the most awful cough drops you can imagine, and then forced you to drink it. I’m not sure what I was expecting, maybe something closer to tea with lemon. I don’t know, but it was not at all what I wanted with my yummy breakfast, BUT, I did want to feel better so I powered through it.

Back to the good stuff.

After we were sufficiently stuffed, we ventured back out into the wild. Our friend Tom (ImTooExcitedToSleep) was in the park that day, so we met up with him for a bit. First stop: the PeopleMover (something sorely missed at home in DL).

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Then it was off to Infinity and Beyond, where I hit my highest score yet!! DH made it to 999,999 after, like, two seconds, just as he always does. That's why we ride in separate cars. Someday, Ill hit it&..someday. I think I'm the only one in my family that hasnt done it, though. Woe is me.

I'm getting closer

Whatever. Show off.

I think we also went into Carousel of Progress, but oddly, I don't have any photos. Afterward, Tom had to head out, and we moseyed around Main Street for a bit. Since we were going to be at the World for a while on this trip, we tried to just take it easy and soak it all in whenever we could.

We stumbled upon this lady, who asked if DH & I were newlyweds. She was so sweet.

The Dapper Dans! This was on my must-do list, and there they were! I just love it when stuff works out like that.

Look who we bumped into!

The holiday Christmas displays were adorable, especially the ones telling the story from Mickeys Christmas Carol

I tried to get this shot for what seemed like 10 minutes, but the glare would just not cooperate. You'll just have to imagine the Ghost of Christmas future looking down on poor Scrooge as he falls to his doom.

More window cuteness

Emporium Display

 

[PryncessChrysty]

The cuteness factor of the area for Santas meet & greet was off the charts!

One last shot before we head out of the Magic Kingdom

Next Up: Touring the Magic Kingdom Resorts!