Third Trip of a Lifetime!...2 TR and a PTR for the price of one!

[tarak]

Such beautiful photos! We didn't really take advantage of the holiday season when we were there before - I'm looking forward to my kids being older and able to stay for the late fireworks.
I know what you mean about the crowds - we went the first week in December thinking it wouldn't be crowded at all. It was crowded, just not crazy crowded.
I'm glad you got a different room - I always wonder when they upgrade someone to a room with a lousy view if it's because someone who booked LV to begin with saw the view and got out of Dodge, so they try to pass it on to someone else as an "upgrade." That view from Figi is wonderful!

 

[Stefy]

All of Figi is GV!

I would say in the grand scheme of things, it was not that crowded, not like spring break or Christmas itself, but after 15 months of reading how quiet it was I was shocked to see the large number of people that were there. The time we went there was this vortex of Pop football/cheerleading, Mousefest and I guess a lot of South American's, not tour groups but large families vacationing at Disney. After the third day or so, we adapted to the "crowds". DH was hava a coronary if we went dury "busy" season.

It was just quite a contrast to our first trip which was after free dining ended in early October and we literally walked on everything, got great parade, firework spots and never waited for than 5 minutes to be seated for a meal. I really think that there is no "slow" time at Disney anymore. Certainly some times will be better than others.

Thanks for reading my TRs!

Uh Oh looks like Figi is going on the list now

When I get the CM to put notes on my booking should I request Marina view with balcony?

I agree with you Re: crowds. Our first trip to WDW was in September 2007 crowd levels were pretty good, busy but not overly so that you felt like there were too many people there. Comparing that to Dec last year, man that was just unbearable, all resorts were full to capacity and the parks were just heaving, which I found unbelieveable as when we researched what dates to go we were told Dec was a great time to Think everyone else must have caught onto the same idea as us

Looking forward to reading more

 

[BreezysMom]

PTR info!!
Today I made the cutest find at my local Walgreens!

First of all, let me preface by saying that I ordered DD the Minnie Pumpkin from the Disney Florist. I added on an Autograph book and balloon and the total cost was almost $90 with Delivery

I usually like to surprise her with something in the room upon arrival. The Disney Florist pumpkin is filled with candy and cookies and such.

So today I go to Walgreens and browsing down the Halloween aisle and find this!

It was only $4.99!

So I continued looking and I found Minnie and Mickey Halloween buttons, light up pumpkin and ghost necklaces, and Disney Halloween stickers! I also have put away some light up sticks and other surprises like Disney tattos.

I came home and went online and ordered an autograph book and plush Halloween Minnie from Disney.com. I am going to make up my own Mickey filled pumpkin head and I am going to ship it all to the resort. It all cost about HALF of the Disney Florist cost.

Beleive me when I say I am not this creative at all! So I am fairly impressed with my idea

I also got these that I will ship in the box too!

They are light up Minnie Pumpkin and Ghost! I could not resist!


I shipped a box our last trip before Christmas and shipped stuff home and it is not that big of deal. I am planning on putting a lot of our toiletries and stuff in the box as well and then we won't need to bring as much in our luggage. It is a win win for me

Now if only DH would appreciate my frugal idea But instead he just thinks I am nuts!

I also talked to the Poly IPO today to confirm so plans and ask some questions. They are so super nice. I can imagine why people like staying CL! I hope it is just as wonderful when we get there. Only 40 days now

 

[tarak]

I love the light up pumpkin and ghost! I don't think there's a walgreens near me, but I'll check out the riteaid and see if they have them.

 

[BreezysMom]

Dec 2009 TR

After a wonderful day of enjoying the Polynesian we took the boat over to the MK for Breezy's BBB appointment which would be followed by dinner at CRT than MVMCP!

We got there a bit before 3 and were able to position ourselves near the castle hub for the Dreams Come True Parade.

After the parade we headed through the castle to BBB.

DD had her own Cinderella dress on. This is the same dress she wore on our trip just 14 months prior. I could not believe how much she had grown since our first trip. The first time the gown almost touched the ground! Of course I was having just as much fun as DD. This time our FGM in training was not really talkative or engaging but she did a wonderful job as you will see DD's hair held up all night long. While she was getting her hair done she noticed another little girl wearing the Belle Christmas gown. All it took was one little look to Daddy and he said OK, she could get one. The great thing was that it was only $30 which surprised me because it is a nice quality costume. So keep that in mind, you do not have to do the whole package for $150, you can just do the hair and makeup package and buy the gown seperate. Frankly, I have learned the hard way that those costume shoes are not comfortable and DD does not wear them for more than 5 minutes.

Here are some pics of her experience

BBB is such a wonderful experience for little girls. I am glad DD has been able to do it twice now. Sadly (for me), she does not want to do it again this trip. However, she is going to do the Pirate League which actually looks like great fun! They grow up too quickly

After BBB was headed to the wrist distribution area for the party since we had a bit of time before we could check in at CRT. I just love how the CMs interact with the little girls after they get all done up! She was called "princess" everywhere we went and her demeanor was priceless! What a little actress!

After a bit we were able to check in for dinner and were escorted right into the castle lobby. I really love this part the most. If you have a meal in CRT, while you are waiting to meet with Cindy, really examine the room. It is wonderfully detailed with the sweetest details.

The tree in the lobby was beautiful. We were the first in line to see Cinderella so I was able to snag some pics in front of the tree! I love the socks with crocs look!

Then Cindy finally came out to greet us. DD was so excited to be first!

After that we headed up the stairs to dinner...the castle is just so beautiful

Dinner at CRT features the Fairy Godmother and the mice. DD tells me their names our Gus and Jaq, but they wore dresses, so I am thinking not Some of these details do escape me, but it was a cute show and of you are celebrating something the FGM will honor it...it is very funny too!

Dinner was pretty good. I know the meal gets mixed reviews but as I have said before, the Castle experience is so wonderful!

After dinner DD had to change into her Belle gown for MVMCP! I felt like we were at an awards ceremony, as it was the night of many gown changes...wait until you see how she ended up looking at the end of the night!

Coming next.....MVMCP

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I loved the pics you posted of her first experience with BBB but I have to say I like this hairstyle better with the added curls. How much fun! At least you got to do it twice with her and you definitely have to post the pirate league photos!!!

 

[BreezysMom]

I loved the pics you posted of her first experience with BBB but I have to say I like this hairstyle better with the added curls. How much fun! At least you got to do it twice with her and you definitely have to post the pirate league photos!!!

I agree with you on the hair. I cherish those experiences so much!

 

[Stefy]

Aww bless she looks every inch the little princess. Loving the sound of the Belle Costume, the red one is v cool. Dinner looks like fun, I like the mice and have never seen the FGM. Forgive me again for asking but are these the only characters at dinner?

 

[BreezysMom]

Aww bless she looks every inch the little princess. Loving the sound of the Belle Costume, the red one is v cool. Dinner looks like fun, I like the mice and have never seen the FGM. Forgive me again for asking but are these the only characters at dinner?

Yes, the Princesses are at breakfast and lunch and the FGM and mice for dinner. It actually is an entertaining show they put on!

 

[BreezysMom]

DEC 2008 TR

After dinner at CRT it was time to party We had so much fun at MNSSHP we would not wait for MVMCP Now I will say that Disney does Christmas well. Everywhere you go it is decorated. It is truly amazing how crazy they go!

We had a fun time at the party, but I have to say we like the Halloween party better. I don't want to come off as a whiner but I feel like Disney sells too many tickets for these parties. I think in the beginning it was a great concept but due to being so popular, Disney has become a bit "greedy" maybe? The party was crowded and of course out of all the nights for it to be actually hot and muggy, that was the one. Not that I minded warmer weather in December.

We hung out at the Dance Party at Ariel's Grotto for a bit and DD danced with the Step Sisters. They were hysterical! I was of course dancing around with DD and totally missed the WET FLOOR sign and totally fell into this puddle of the most nasty smelling water! UGH! My jeans were soaked and I smelled! It was early in the night so I just had to suck it up and deal. We literally had to drag DD away from the dance floor but there are few precious hours and we had lots to do and see. So we decided to wait for the second parade and rode some rides during the first parade and watch the fireworks then make our way to a location for the second parade. We took in everything there was to do, but again it was so crowded so I felt a little put off.

We staked out our parade spot about a half an hour before it was to start. We had a great view and just sat there and rested a bit while we waited. It was a wonderful parade. The toy soldiers are incredible! What was really fun was on Christmas Day to watch the parade on TV and see all the things we got to see in real life!

Costume Change! She transformed from Cinderella to Belle!

Dance Party!

Costume change number 3! It was hot that night so we had to buy a t-shirt for DD. This was Minnie's house.

Stitch was in love with DD. He was smitten.

DD was determined to stay until midnight and we did! But at some point all princesses and their parents need to go back to their castles and go to sleep!

So the best thing about MVMCP? When it snowed on Main Street! It was really cool. So my suggestion for the parties is don't waste time with table service meals. There is so many things to see and do. We took the precious advice of resting during the day and that really helped to make it through the party without any whining, especially from DH .

So up next...we stray from the MK and head to Epcot for breakfast with the Princesses at Akerhaus and a trip around the world!

 

[Stefy]

Yes, the Princesses are at breakfast and lunch and the FGM and mice for dinner. It actually is an entertaining show they put on!

Thank you

Breezy looks v cute in her Belle Costume, love the third costume change, lil diva

Sorry it was crowded, it was the same for us last year and there were non wrist band guests wandering around too, which annoyed me a bit. After a while we had to leave because it was so busy.

Sounds like you had a great time though, the Stitch pic is v cute. I love Breezy's Minnie jacket, is really cool

Can't wait to read more

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I love the Xmas Belle Costume!! I had no idea she had a red costume (I liked that you posted her on the float too!) Ok, I want that minnie jacket...

 

[BreezysMom]

I love the Xmas Belle Costume!! I had no idea she had a red costume (I liked that you posted her on the float too!) Ok, I want that minnie jacket...

Isn't that Minnie Jacket great? The Disney Store does not have those wonderful jackets anymore I have to see if it still fits her?

 

[BreezysMom]

Dec 2008 TR

OK, I need to get on with this because our trip is coming quickly! I have been working on the Poly FAQ thread so I got a little behind!

I consider our party day a total success! We slept in that day, rested at the Poly and headed out to the park later. We all had a wonderful evening at MVMCP and stayed until mindnight!

The next morning we woke up and headed to Epcot for our ADR at Akershus for the Storybook Princess Breakfast. We had a later ADR so we were able to take our time getting there. We took the Monorail from the Poly to the TTC and transferred there. When we got to the TTC this very nice older gentleman asked Breezy if she wanted to sit up front? She politely said that she had already got to once this trip and the gentleman told her that was ok, she could experience it again. I was proud of my child that morning. As a matter of fact, I really enjoy her behavior at Disney World. She is truly smitten by the happiest place on earth and we hardly ever hear griping or attitude during our stay. I hope this will be the same for our upcoming trip!

We arrived at Epcot and it was a spectacular day! The sun was out, the temperature was perfect with no humidity! Epcot was decorated just as wonderful as the MK!

Princess Breezy had to slip into her Belle costume for our breakfast! We love Akershus!

Again, if you cannot get a reservation for CRT for breakfast, this is a great alternative. It is basic breakfast foods of scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. They have a nice buffet with breakfast pastries and fruit. But this meal is only 1 TS for the dining plan. The service had always been excellent and the Princesses are wonderful and of course, DH has his little crush on Belle (in her gold gown) so he had to get his pic with her He would kill me if he knew I posted this

After a wonderful breakfast it was time for our trip around the world! Princess removed her gown and off we were to Canada to start our exploration.

Coming up...Around the world with Kidcot! A must do

 

[Stefy]

Great update, bless DH thats so sweet that he wanted his pic with Belle

Akershus is still a should we/shouldn't we reservation. I keep hearing mixed reviews that you are quite rushed and that the Princesses are not that interactive with you, but then reading your report, it sounds like it would be fun to do.

Can't wait to read more

 

[BreezysMom]

After a wonderful breakfast we decided to tour the World. This is something that we did not do on our previous trip and now that DD was a year older, I think it was perfect for her. She really got into going to all the Kidcot stations and getting her Passport stamped. She learned a lot and was able to go back to school and tell her class all that she learned!

One thing DD did was keep a journal of our trip. It was somewhat of a "homework" assignment but has proved to be a wonderful keepsake! She would look at the park map at the end of the day and write down all that we saw and did.

After our wonderful afternoon around the world we headed back to the Poly. We were pretty tired from our late evening the night before. When we got back to the resort Breezy was determined to get her hairwrap!

After the hairwrap I needed to wash my nasty smelling jeans and some other items so I did some laundry while DH and DD hung out at the pool. After some swimming we had dinner at Kona Cafe. We really have enjoyed our meals and Kona and this trip was no exception. Our server was wonderful and then we found our she was from Chicagoland too! We chatted with her alot and it was a pleasure having her wait on us! Of course we were stuffed to the gills after dinner and the delicious Kona dessert After dinner we found two lounge chairs on the beach and relaxed while watching Wishes So you can see that we a truly Resort Commandos. While we love experiencing the parks and all that Disney has to offer, we really enjoy our down time at the Poly. It is truly the best of both worlds!

After Wishes, we retired to our room for a good night sleep. Our plan was to go to DHS the next day. We were going to take our time getting there because we wanted to see the Osborn Family Spectacle of lights which would not start until 5pm...little did we know that a boat would have come in handy the next day

It was the perfect ending to a wonderrful day!

 

[BreezysMom]

The next day...day 5 of our trip, we decided to finally check out DHS. Our plan was to take our time getting there...I was not sure if DD would do well on RNRC and knew TOT was not going to happen! When we woke up it looked really ominous out. We ordered some breakfast to the room and had a nice slow morning. Our past experience was that these rainstorms usually came through quickly...

This day was not the case! After waiting a while in our room for the storm to pass we decided to put our raingear on and head to the bus stop. With any luck the rain would stop and the park may have fewer crowds! Oh boy...we were soooo wrong While on the bus the rain shower turned into a monsoon! The poor bus driver could hardly see.

So here we are, a horrible rain shower and had no clue about how DHS was laid out or where to go. We were soaking despite our ponchos because the rain literally was coming back at us from the cement! To sum it up we were soaked down to our underwear and miserable!

We decided to check out some of the stores and figure out where we were at and how to get where we wanted to go. Our plan was to try and get to TSM, but really, it was like noon at this point. The Fast passes were most likely gone two hours before! This plan was seemingly not working as we flet like we were going in circles!

We ended up starting to chat with a CM at one of the shops. This is one CM I wish I would have remembered her name because she was a doll. We were telling her that we were planning on bailing on DHS, the rain was too much and we had no clue where to go and so forth. She begged us not to leave and gave us some advice...she gave us directions to the Great Movie Ride and a CS place for lunch. We followed her instructions, we ate some lunch, I don't really remember the name of the CS place, and then headed to the great movie ride. It was still pouring when we entered the ride! But magically, to our delight as we walked out after the Great Movie Ride, the sun started to fight its way through the clouds and almost instantly it turned into a beautiful day!

So after seeing Lights, Motor, Action...which DD and DH loved. I enjoyed soaking up some sun to try and dry off! I thankfully had my ShamWow sheets to dry off the bleachers! I strongly suggest one in your backpack for situations like this

Finally, DD decided she wants to ride RNRC! Oh yea! Mom is so excited ...not really into looping coasters, but hey...it is Disney World. I don't want DD to miss a thing!

She LOVED it and so did I!

It was a great coaster...so great that we rode it three times that day!

We throughly enjoyed our day and as I expected DD was not interested into riding TOT! Mom was happy We saw Indiana Jones and rode Star Tours...all the things DH loves. DHS was a hit!

After all these wonderful things it was time to get a snack and head to The Streets of America so we can see the lighting of the Osbourn Lights!

Up next...one of the most magical site I have ever seen!

 

[BreezysMom]

WOW, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights is truly amazing. Yes, it is a crowded mess but really, for someone who hates crowds, I felt it was well worth it. First of all, we found a great spot near the light switch which was an excellent place to be because it really added to the show. It was amazing when they flipped that switch and the lights went on!

The pictures do not do it justice but here are a few! This is a must see while at Disney during the holidays

After taking in the lights and enjoying the music it was time for us to leave DHS. We headed back to the bus stop! It ended up being a great day at DHS despite the wet start!

We lucked out and walked right on a waiting bus and headed back to the Poly. Our trip was half over and it so far was beyond magical!

The next day it was back to Epcot for a late lunch at LeCellier and the Candelight Processional...

 

[Stefy]

Wow great update Osborne lights looks awesome and you sound like you had the perfect spot

Love the pic of Breezy outside RnRC, v rockstar

A bummer about the rain, but at least it let up after TGMR, what did you think of that ride?

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Wow! I love the lights! I've never been to Disney during Christmas, it is so beautiful!