There and Back Again: A Land and Sea Disney Christmas Tale! *DECEMBER TRIP - UPDATED 2/18*

VIDEO: Grand Floridian Jazz Orchestra!

Here is a video of the Grand Floridian Jazz Orchestra performing “Carol of the Bells!”

Make sure you watch my video in HD!

Grand Floridian Jazz Orchestra - “Carol of the Bells!”


I hope that you enjoyed the video!

Stay tuned for more updates from my Walt Disney World adventure!
 
A great evening!! That GF Christmas tree is just stunning! I love just sitting in the lobby and taking it all in, plus the gingerbread house, and the jazz band, which we saw for the first time on our visit last year. It would be incredible to stay here, but at the same time I think it might be too fancy for us...I feel a tiny bit out of place!

Living with the Land at night is one of my favorites to do on an evening in Epcot! It really does change the ambiance compared to the glaring sunlight during the day!
 
A great evening!! That GF Christmas tree is just stunning! I love just sitting in the lobby and taking it all in, plus the gingerbread house, and the jazz band, which we saw for the first time on our visit last year. It would be incredible to stay here, but at the same time I think it might be too fancy for us...I feel a tiny bit out of place!

Living with the Land at night is one of my favorites to do on an evening in Epcot! It really does change the ambiance compared to the glaring sunlight during the day!
The jazz orchestra is really good. I have mainly gone to the Grand Floridian lately to listen to the piano player. Both are great though!
 
Looks like a fun evening for you and your friend. You hit many of my favorite spots. I really agree with the food at Captain Cooks, it is good and some unique choices. My favorite is the shredded pork nachos, yummy!

Epcot is very lovely in the evening and a plus when not to busy!
 


Looks like a fun evening for you and your friend. You hit many of my favorite spots. I really agree with the food at Captain Cooks, it is good and some unique choices. My favorite is the shredded pork nachos, yummy!

Epcot is very lovely in the evening and a plus when not to busy!
It was definitely a very nice and relaxing evening. I've been trying to not be a traveler that is always "go go go" while at Walt Disney World. I've been really starting to find different ways to relax. So, it was nice to slow down for an evening.
 
Day 5: Walt Disney’s Birthday - Part 1!

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 5 of my trip to Walt Disney World!!!

My Dad and his friend would be coming into town on this day, and I would be switching resorts to be close to them. So, I was off to a new resort that I have never stayed at and have never been to. That resort would be Port Orleans - French Quarter!

I would take a Lyft from All-Star Music to Port Orleans - French Quarter!

On my way, I would catch a glimpse of the Riviera Resort construction.



I would arrive at my resort, put my bags in bell services, and walk around for a little bit.





Since I am a saxophone player, I had to take a picture with my new favorite saxophone player! :D



I would find out that my Dad got delayed for a very long time. For that reason, I had no idea what I was going to do. I had plans to go to the Magic Kingdom all day, but it was a special day in Disney History. So, I decided to do something that would be a great way to celebrate. So, I was off to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.



Construction of the new bus loop:



After a long walk to the front, I would arrive inside the park!



Today was Walt Disney’s Birthday. So, I would make my way to Walt Disney Presents. The Cast Member really wanted to be in my picture.



I don’t know anything better to do on Walt Disney’s Birthday than see the film, One Man’s Dream!



I got a picture with one of my favorite pictures of Walt Disney.



It was time to go into the theater.



I would then leave Disney’s Hollywood Studios and walk to EPCOT.



When I got to the Boardwalk, the boat to EPCOT was parked there. So, instead of walking the rest of the way, I would rest for a few minutes on a Friendship Boat.



I would arrive in EPCOT and enter the park through the International Gateway.



I was on my way to the American Adventure for an afternoon with the Voices of Liberty.





I would get some lunch at Liberty Inn.



I ended up getting a chicken sandwich. It was good but a typical chicken sandwich.



I would head back inside the American Adventure to listen to some more Voices of Liberty shows. While in there, I would take a picture of the Walt Disney quote since it was his Birthday.



On Walt Disney’s Birthday, I would buy the new magicband that was released with the Railroad on one side and Walt Disney in his train outfit on the other.





The Voices of Liberty during the Christmas season are awesome!



It was time to leave EPCOT and make my way to the Magic Kingdom!



I would take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.



More in my next post!
 
VIDEOS: Voices of Liberty Dickens Carolers!

The Voices of Liberty during this time of the year turn into the Voices of Liberty Dickens Carolers where they sing some of our favorite Christmas Carols and songs from other Holidays.

Make sure you watch my videos in HD.

Voices of Liberty - “Christmas Canon!”


Voices of Liberty - “Carol of the Bells/Ukranian Medley!”

*MUST WATCH!*



Voices of Liberty - “Silent Night!”


Voices of Liberty - “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas!”


I hope that you enjoyed the videos!

More in my next post!
 


Day 5: Walt Disney’s Birthday - Part 2!

Another great thing to do on Walt Disney’s Birthday is to go into the Magic Kingdom!









On Walt Disney’s Birthday, I would get a picture with the Partner Statue.





As I was waiting for my Dad to and his friend to come to the Magic Kingdom, I would decide to ride the PeopleMover!







Then I would head back to Main Street to stop by Starbucks since it was getting a little chilly.



I would then make my way to City Hall, because I had some last minute questions about something I would be dealing with for the first time. That is my Dad’s friend would be in a scooter. I have never had to deal with someone in a wheelchair or a scooter at a Disney Theme Park. So, I just wanted to get some info that way I knew what to do.

Finally, my Dad and his friend would arrive and join me! It was great to see my Dad since I hadn’t seen him in a couple days since flying to Florida.

We would have a fastpass for the Jingle Cruise. So, that is where we would be off to!



After a cruise around the jungle, we would have a fastpass to visit some ghosts in the Haunted Mansion.



Uh oh! The clock struck the 13th hour!



After the ride, we would have enough time to make it to the Hub to see Cinderella Castle light up with thousands of lights!





We would then backtrack and grab some dinner at Columbia Harbour House! This is my favorite quick service location in the Magic Kingdom.



My Dad’s friend had one request to do in the Magic Kingdom. That is ride It’s A Small World. So, that is what we would do after dinner. We would have a fastpass for this attraction.













It was time for one of my Dad’s favorite attractions. That is the Country Bear Jamboree!







We would then have a fastpass for Big Thunder Railroad. This attraction is so much better at night, but I like it at any point during the day. That is since it is my favorite attraction in the Magic Kingdom.



It’s a long story how we ended up with so many fast passes. I will say that it was really nice guest recovery by Disney due to my Dad and his friend’s situation with getting to Florida today.

We would then make our way to the Hub and get one of the final spots in the wheelchair viewing area for Happily Ever After. I was very surprised with how good of a view this was. If you aren’t a big party, you are able to stay with your party member that is in a wheelchair/scooter.





The show would begin shortly.

Stay tuned for more updates from my Walt Disney World adventure!
 
Hello everyone! I am here announcing my next Trip Report! My next Trip Report is going to be a Trip Report that lasts the entire year of 2019!!!

:dogdance: :cool1: :jumping1:

If you would like to follow along on my entire year of new Walt Disney World adventures, click the title of my new Trip Report below:

When A Tourist Becomes A Local!

I hope to see all of you following along on my new Trip Report, and I can’t wait to share many more Disney adventures with all of you! :)
 
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Today was Walt Disney’s Birthday. So, I would make my way to Walt Disney Presents. The Cast Member really wanted to be in my picture.

I love that friendly wave :) Great idea for Walt's birthday!

I got a picture with one of my favorite pictures of Walt Disney.

YES! That's my favorite picture :)

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This is one of my very favorite quotes. As a Kindergarten teacher, I have it displayed in my classroom because it is SO true!
 
I still say D-Luxe Burger has the best burgers on Disney property.
Man, I really need to eat here!

We would actually get to ride Slinky Dog Dash 2 times thanks to a Cast Member that Lesley knew
Ahh the perks of knowing people on the inside :P

We would then take some time to listen to the Grand Floridian Jazz Orchestra!
Hm never heard of them but sounds like something fun to watch on a resort day or something!

get one of the final spots in the wheelchair viewing area for Happily Ever Afte
Honestly I didn't even realize there was a reserved spot for wheelchair viewing but it's a pretty good view!
 
I love that friendly wave :) Great idea for Walt's birthday!


YES! That's my favorite picture :)


This is one of my very favorite quotes. As a Kindergarten teacher, I have it displayed in my classroom because it is SO true!
That is really neat that you have that quote in your classroom!

Man, I really need to eat here!


Ahh the perks of knowing people on the inside :P


Hm never heard of them but sounds like something fun to watch on a resort day or something!


Honestly I didn't even realize there was a reserved spot for wheelchair viewing but it's a pretty good view!
Yes you do need to eat there. Make it a priority for your next trip. :)

I do know people that work there, but I never ask for anything. It's always nice when special things happen though.

They have been around for years. I'm surprised you haven't heard of them. They usually perform every evening.

I figured their was a reserved viewing area for wheelchairs. I'm just happy that it was a great view!
 
I have to agree with you! I love the Tuna sandwich!!
I don't like Tuna, but I have always had good seafood at Columbia Harbour House.

I guess I just don't spend enough time at the GF! I think I've been there twice...once to see the Christmas tree/gingerbread house and once to have tea.
It's definitely a nice resort to go and relax at during the evening. The band plays in the evening.
 
Day 5: Happily Ever After - Part 1!

It was finally time for Happily Ever After to begin. It was a really nice show, and it was nice that my Dad’s friend was able to stay seated in the scooter and watch the show.

Here are some a lot of pictures of Happily Ever After from the wheelchair access area:







































































More in my next post!
 
Day 5: Happily Ever After - Part 2!

Pictures of Happily Ever After (cont.):

















































The wheelchair viewing area is a really nice area. it can be found on one of the paths behind the main circle of the hub. I believe it was in front of the grassy area that is reserved for people to view the show.

This was my Dad’s friends first time viewing the show. She thought that it was absolutely awesome! She really liked the lasers and the projections mixed with the fireworks.

More in my next post!
 
Day 5: Walt Disney’s Birthday - Part 3!

My Dad and his friend would leave the Magic Kingdom, but I decided to use a few more fastpasses that I had booked.

So, I was off to explorer more of the Magic Kingdom!



I would have a fastpass for Peter Pan’s Flight.



I would get to fly through Neverland on a pirate ship with my favorite color, yellow!



I would then have a fastpass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!



I would get a spot in the back of the train. This is where I think the best spot to sit in on this ride if you want a little bit more thrill. You could miss some of sound cues in the mine section of the ride though if you are sitting in the back.



I would then get in line for the Little Mermaid attraction as the park was getting ready to close.



It was time to head out of the Magic Kingdom. So, I would take some time and take some pictures.







It was a great day celebrating Walt Disney's Birthday at Walt Disney World!

It was time to head to Port Orleans - French Quarter for my first evening staying at this resort! :)



Stay tuned for more updates from my Walt Disney World adventure!
 
A perfect ending to Walt's birthday! Love the picture with the castle and the wreath, as well as the one from the monorail with the Mickey balloon peeking in.
 

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