There's a First Time for Everything! A Christmas In November TR

[MeMom]

Beautiful! I can picture myself there right now.

I think this is one of my favorite pictures ever of your daughter. Her hair looks so pretty in the sunlight and her face is so sweet. It is precious.

 

[jenseib]

I love your family shots. I was just reading about this the other day. I think it's now $50 to get a package of prints and $100 to get prints and a CD...but I don't think they can be added to photopass Cd anymore. I think it's it's own CD. I am really considering it for whenever we do go again.

 

[stace208]

Your family pictures are wonderful!!! Absolutely beautiful. Too many great ones to pick a fave...but I'm with MeMom on that one of your DD!

Oh, guess what we had for dinner tonight? Your secret recipe! It was very good. DD ate the turkey smoked sausage plain but DS wouldn't touch any of it. Oh well-leftovers for me!!

 

[cdotla]

I can't believe how long it has taken me to find your wonderful report! What a thoroughly enjoyable read!

So much to comment on!

Great summary of the Pirates Fireworks Cruise. That was definitely the most descriptive summary complete with photos that I have come across.

Love your daughter's Tink outfit that she wore in Epcot. She is quite the fashionista, isn't she?

Loved hearing her reaction to Remy at Chefs de France - too funny!

Absolutely hysterical story about your little "helper" on your Kim Possible mission.

Too funny as well about the refusal of the gingerbread snack credit!

What a fabulous idea for those carriage pendants for your pearls. I immediately linked to your seller and bought 2 myself. You should be getting commissions!

What a touching story about your O'Hana experience! Memories like that really make the trip, don't they?

Can't believe your ordeal with the Osborne Lights two trips in a row! That goodness you got to see them! And what a sweet CM to add a day on the house!

Loved hearing about your DD's 1st haircut at 5yrs old. I actually had my DD's 1st haircut there too at age 4. Unlike you, I had never even so much as trimmed her ends...it literally was the 1st time scissors had ever touched her hair. Because she was 4 yrs old, I thought we had to be literally the only ones who had lasted that long without a 1st haircut - guess not! You had a whole extra year on us - LOL!

Oh, and that photo of your family on Dinosaur - OMG, so funny!!!

Finally, I love the photos of your family from the GF photo session on your 2008 trip - they turned out great!!!

 

[sharonW]

WOW...the pics are absolutely AWESOME!!!!
I love all of them, and yes it is definitely worth
the $25 you paid, you really got a bargain!!!
If we get there, this is definitely going to be
on my list. I have heard so much about photo
pass but have never seen any samples! Thanks
for sharing!!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

The characters are definitely wonderful at Chef Mickey's! We had dinner there in 2008 and had a lot of fun with them.

Great pictures from the Grand photo shoot!!!

 

[momsavealot]

Okay, it has taken me 3 days to catch up to the end! I found this TR b/c I had googled for photos of Mickey's Backyard BBQ. Once I got here, I couldn't leave until I had read the whole thing. And two reports for the price of one? What a bargain! Your family is beautiful and my hat's off to you for preparing two wonderful vacations. I have learned a lot from this TR and am off to Ebay to see about those carriage necklaces. It looks like there are a lot of "firsts" out for us to do on our next trip. Congratulations on two great trip reports!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I agree with MeMom too! That picture of your DD by the tree was stunning! So cute!
I also am a big fan of Chef Mickey's. I'd like to get back there before too long!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Early November is on my Radar ... One of these days !!!

You will love it! The weather and crowds have been perfect for us both times.

I;ve been MIA here lately but all caught up now...great updates! Cool to have empty streets!

Is there anything prettier than that castle with no bodies standing in front of it? It is just magical! I wish I could see it right now!

Sorry but I couldn't resist I hope you get to see my country for yourself one day

Me too. As soon as they invent a transatlantic railroad, tunnel or highway, I AM THERE!!!

Lovely update!!
I was reading up about the Photopass Private Sessions recently, I'd love to do one with during our honeymoon (June/July 2011!) and use a photo on our wedding thankyou cards... after seeing your pictures, I think we definitely will! I'm planning to stay at the Grand Floridian too ... never stayed there before and it really is my 'dream resort' !!

Emma x

Oh my, it would be the PERFECT thing to do for honeymoon pictures! Yes, you must put that on your list. You will not regret it. You can get the pictures taken at the Poly and other places, but I love the GF backdrop. It is perfect for portraits.

The photo session was great , love the one where the 3 of you are pokeing out from behind the tree with the water in the background

I like that one too. I think the lady we had did a fantastic job. She came up with all the poses. She was a great CM.

I am LOVING your flashback pics!!! You got to see lots more Christmas decorations than I did! How great is it to swim in December

I love all of your MK pics with the park so empty!!! Beautiful! I wanted to ask if you found Crystal Palace to be loud? My in laws may be coming with us in December, and they are a quiet restaurant type people who like to linger and talk when they eat. I was thinking LTT again, but your Crystal pics are so pretty

Swimming in the fall/winter is wonderful, isn't it? Makes it hard to come back home though!

Hmmm, I don't remember CP being loud, but it could have been. Most buffets are louder than service type restaurants. And they do a parade for the kids every so often and I'm sure that isn't very quiet. CP might not be your best bet. Have you considered The Plaza? I've read very good things about their food. It is on the lighter side like soups, salads, and sandwiches..... no characters though. There's also Tony's, but most of the reviews I've read aren't very good. Maybe you could eat at a resort before or after your day at MK. Sorry I didn't have a better answer, but I hope that helps a little.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Beautiful! I can picture myself there right now.

ME TOO! I'll take the little striped cabana and you can have the hammock. Deal?

I think this is one of my favorite pictures ever of your daughter. Her hair looks so pretty in the sunlight and her face is so sweet. It is precious.

Aww, thank you! Didn't the CM do a great job. I don't even think she was a real photographer, but she really did great. She came up with all those poses. I was very pleased.

replies in red

I love your family shots. I was just reading about this the other day. I think it's now $50 to get a package of prints and $100 to get prints and a CD...but I don't think they can be added to photopass Cd anymore. I think it's it's own CD. I am really considering it for whenever we do go again.

That's too bad that they don't put them on the PP CD anymore. It was nice being able to add the borders. Oh well, I would still do it even with the cost increase and taking away the PP. Where else can you get those kinds of beautiful backdrops for your portraits? I think you would really enjoy it too since you are a shutterbug as well.

Your family pictures are wonderful!!! Absolutely beautiful. Too many great ones to pick a fave...but I'm with MeMom on that one of your DD!

Oh, guess what we had for dinner tonight? Your secret recipe! It was very good. DD ate the turkey smoked sausage plain but DS wouldn't touch any of it. Oh well-leftovers for me!!

Thank you! I was very happy with the CM. She did a wonderful job.

My "secret recipe"....... I'm glad you liked it. That's an odd meal for most kids. DD thinks the rice is too spicy so I either add a little sugar to it to tame it down a bit or I just make her a "hot dog" with the sausage and fix her some mac and cheese to go with it. But she is not a picky eater at all, thank goodness! I can see how your kids might not like it. It probably is more of an adult meal.

I can't believe how long it has taken me to find your wonderful report! What a thoroughly enjoyable read!

So much to comment on!

I'm always so glad to get new readers! I have seen you around the Dis for a long time! So happy you are joining in!

Great summary of the Pirates Fireworks Cruise. That was definitely the most descriptive summary complete with photos that I have come across.

Thanks. I hope there's enough info there to help you and everyone else plan your activities. I think you would love the Pirate Cruise. I hope you will try it out.

Love your daughter's Tink outfit that she wore in Epcot. She is quite the fashionista, isn't she?

Yes, she put that little ensemble together herself!

Loved hearing her reaction to Remy at Chefs de France - too funny!

It is kind of disturbing to think of a rat preparing your food even if it is make believe!

Absolutely hysterical story about your little "helper" on your Kim Possible mission.

Yeah, it's funny, NOW.

Too funny as well about the refusal of the gingerbread snack credit!

Wasn't that rediculous? That guy was WAY too uptight!

What a fabulous idea for those carriage pendants for your pearls. I immediately linked to your seller and bought 2 myself. You should be getting commissions!

Yay! I hope you like them. Everyone who has ordered them so far on here has been very pleased. You'll have to let me know what you think when you get them.

What a touching story about your O'Hana experience! Memories like that really make the trip, don't they?

Yes they do! That's the kind of stuff that I will never forget.

Can't believe your ordeal with the Osborne Lights two trips in a row! That goodness you got to see them! And what a sweet CM to add a day on the house!

That little old man made my day. He was a sweetheart! That is the kind of stuff that really sets Disney apart!

Loved hearing about your DD's 1st haircut at 5yrs old. I actually had my DD's 1st haircut there too at age 4. Unlike you, I had never even so much as trimmed her ends...it literally was the 1st time scissors had ever touched her hair. Because she was 4 yrs old, I thought we had to be literally the only ones who had lasted that long without a 1st haircut - guess not! You had a whole extra year on us - LOL!

I am so glad to hear that I am not weird! I felt very odd telling the lady that it was her first haircut. I don't think it is really that strange though. Every kid has different hair. Some are born with barrels of it and some aren't. Obvioulsy the kid who has tons of it at birth is going to need a haircut first. Besides, if you have a girl, you want them to grow their hair out some, not just cut it all off as soon as it starts to grow. That's my logic anyway.

Oh, and that photo of your family on Dinosaur - OMG, so funny!!!

That is another case of it being funny NOW, but no so much then!

Finally, I love the photos of your family from the GF photo session on your 2008 trip - they turned out great!!!

I think the CM did a great job. She really took her time and made sure we got everything we wanted and she came up with some cute poses too. I was very happy with it.

replies in red

WOW...the pics are absolutely AWESOME!!!!
I love all of them, and yes it is definitely worth
the $25 you paid, you really got a bargain!!!
If we get there, this is definitely going to be
on my list. I have heard so much about photo
pass but have never seen any samples! Thanks
for sharing!!!

Yes, $25 was a major bargain! I can't imagine what a photographer here at home would charge for something like that.

You should check out photo pass if you've never done it. It's a great way to get some good professional pictures (although some of the PP photographers are far from pros, most of them are good.)

The characters are definitely wonderful at Chef Mickey's! We had dinner there in 2008 and had a lot of fun with them.

Great pictures from the Grand photo shoot!!!

I thought about you when I was posting those pictures. I'm sure that doens't make you feel one bit better to know that, but I thought I'd tell you anyway!

Okay, it has taken me 3 days to catch up to the end! I found this TR b/c I had googled for photos of Mickey's Backyard BBQ. Once I got here, I couldn't leave until I had read the whole thing. And two reports for the price of one? What a bargain! Your family is beautiful and my hat's off to you for preparing two wonderful vacations. I have learned a lot from this TR and am off to Ebay to see about those carriage necklaces. It looks like there are a lot of "firsts" out for us to do on our next trip. Congratulations on two great trip reports!

Yay! I am so glad you found me! I had never thought about the fact that I could be googled! I'm glad you got all caught up and I hope you found the info you were looking for on the BBQ. I had a hard time finding anything on it myself. I really wonder why that is, b/c we really loved it. So glad you ordered the necklaces too. You'll have to report back here when you get them and let me know what you think. I hope you like them! Thanks for posting and make sure you stick around until the end. I've still got a little bit left before this is over!

I agree with MeMom too! That picture of your DD by the tree was stunning! So cute!
I also am a big fan of Chef Mickey's. I'd like to get back there before too long!

Thank you! We were very pleased with the CM who took our pictures. She did a great job!

We really enjoyed the breakfast at CM. I've read mixed reviews on lunch and dinner, but I'd still like to try it for myself sometime.

 

[lexmas]

Aww, I have such a fondness for those characters in their big floppy chef hats.

Everything from the photo session is beautiful! And $25? Holy Cow! That's so amazing!

I love that tree one. I wouldn't think you could hide three people behind a slender palm tree, but I would be wrong!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I thought about you when I was posting those pictures. I'm sure that doens't make you feel one bit better to know that, but I thought I'd tell you anyway!

That's so sweet of you! Believe it or not, I am okay with not staying at the Grand now. When I think about the fact that we are saving $700 by staying at CBR instead, I realize that the Grand is just really overpriced. I plan on thoroughly enjoying our tea and exploring the grounds. Much cheaper to do it that way!

 

[englishrose47]

When doing Photopass they can also add some MAGIC with such things a holding Tink etc , makes for really cute pix !!!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Aww, I have such a fondness for those characters in their big floppy chef hats.

Everything from the photo session is beautiful! And $25? Holy Cow! That's so amazing!

I love that tree one. I wouldn't think you could hide three people behind a slender palm tree, but I would be wrong!

I'm amazed that we all fit back there too, especially my behind! More proof that she was a very good photographer!

I have gotten so far behind on all my TRs after my busy weekend. I am getting caught up one by one though and yours is on my list. I promise I'll get over there and get up to date this week. It is so much easier to keep up with everyone else's TRs when I am not doing one of my own.

That's so sweet of you! Believe it or not, I am okay with not staying at the Grand now. When I think about the fact that we are saving $700 by staying at CBR instead, I realize that the Grand is just really overpriced. I plan on thoroughly enjoying our tea and exploring the grounds. Much cheaper to do it that way!

I totally agree. But you know I am the queen of cheap, so that isn't saying much. I think ALL the deluxe resorts are overpriced except for maybe Beach Club (because of the awesome pool) and AKL (because of the animals). All the others are really beautiful, don't get me wrong, but just seem extremely expensive for what you get. I priced out all of the deluxe places on our first trip, just out of curiousity. One night at GF was around $600, I think. I just kept thinking............... that is what my mortgage is and I get to live here for a whole month for that price! I can't help it, that is just how my thrifty mind works!

But CBR has an awesome pool, a beautiful beach and very cute theming. I am a BIG fan of visiting the pricey places and enjoying all they have to offer without paying to stay there. I love that about Disney. You can do almost everything at any of the resorts that you want to (except swim) just as if you paid to be there. It's great for families like mine who will probably never be able to afford the GF or Poly, etc. I really don't feel like I am missing out on anything. In fact, I think the pools at CBR and Coronado Springs are two of the best ones at Disney. I think you made a great choice and I cannot wait to see all your pictures.

When doing Photopass they can also add some MAGIC with such things a holding Tink etc , makes for really cute pix !!!

Yes the magic effects and the borders are great on photo pass. It was well worth $100 on our first trip to do that. We really got our money's worth from it with the BBB pics and the GF photo session added as well. We didn't use PP on our '09 trip since we had just done that in '08, but we may do it again in the future. The new PP pics at Hollywood Studios with Mickey and Minnie sitting on the bench with you are just precious! And they add new stuff all the time.

 

[mermaid764]

Your trip report was absolutely amazing. Wow your family pics from that photoshoot turned out awesome and you sure have a beautiful daughter. I really enjoyed your descriptions of everything and I too am definetely gonna order one of those carriage pendents.

 

[DisneyJo]

Your photoshoot photos are gorgeous, especially the palm tree ones! We did a shoot at the Poly when it was the $25 deal too and ours came out fantastic

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I'm sorry I've been scarce and missed your wonderful flashbacks. Chef Mickey's looks like so much fun!! I cancelled a dinner ADR there on our trip but plan to make breakfast a priority next time. It sounds yummy! I adore the photo shoot pictures! What a wonderful deal and you got soooo many great ones.

 

[exwdwcm]

what gorgeous pics! love the ones in the hammock! what a great deal!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Your trip report was absolutely amazing. Wow your family pics from that photoshoot turned out awesome and you sure have a beautiful daughter. I really enjoyed your descriptions of everything and I too am definetely gonna order one of those carriage pendents.

Thank you so much! You are too sweet! I am so glad you liked the necklace and I hope you are pleased when it arrives. Make sure you come back here and let me know what you think of it!

Your photoshoot photos are gorgeous, especially the palm tree ones! We did a shoot at the Poly when it was the $25 deal too and ours came out fantastic

Thank you! Wasn't that a great deal? I could hardly believe it. I'm so glad we got it while it was so cheap.

I'm sorry I've been scarce and missed your wonderful flashbacks. Chef Mickey's looks like so much fun!! I cancelled a dinner ADR there on our trip but plan to make breakfast a priority next time. It sounds yummy! I adore the photo shoot pictures! What a wonderful deal and you got soooo many great ones.

Don't worry about it. It's been crazy lately for me too. I'm glad you got caught up.

CM is a great place for breakfast. I've heard the other meals are not as good. I think it's hard to mess up breakfast though. I hope you guys can squeeze it in on your next trip.

what gorgeous pics! love the ones in the hammock! what a great deal!

Thank you! I really like the hammock pics too. She did a great job, and it was a great deal for sure!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I think your photo shoot pics are just awesome! Do you think you will do another next time you go?
I agree, it does seem to be well worth the cost!