Toystoryduo and Family.... The Trip Report: 12/4/05-12/16/05

[toystoryduo]

Sunday, December 4th: Now, it's time to say goodbye.... to cold and snowy Ohio! Woohoo! We are on our way to Disney World! We picked up our rental car at Hopkins airport (Pontiac G6: love it! ) come home, pack the car, and we are on our way!

Monday, December 5, 2005: We arrive in Florida and head for St. Petersburg to see family. The weather is warm and . We are on ! We spend several hours in St. Pete visiting with family members and around 8:00 p.m., we head for Orlando and !

We arrive at our timeshare, The Fountains, (on I-drive near Sea World) and check-in. We walk around a bit and check out their indoor/outdoor pool (very cool! ), the H2O lounge, the arcade, and the lobby before heading to our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom (with super loud flushing toilets! ) villa. Very cool. After getting settled, we head for Sonic for a late night snack. Best cheeseburger my DH has ever had!

Tuesday, December 6, 2005: MVMCP! We decided to give this a try this year and we are sooooo glad that we did! We got to the Magic Kingdom around 4:30 p.m. and started getting character photos and autographs right away. Then, we decided to go to the Hall of Presidents because we have never seen it before. Okay.... been there done that; probably won't do that again. Then, we head off to Splash Mountain.... It's my DD3's first time on Splash Mountain and we are all eagerly anticipating her reaction..... Well, I think she was more wet from her tears than from the ride itself. The problem? She did NOT like getting wet! So, after mopping up some tears, we decide to head towards the front of the park and see if those free cookies and cocoa are ready yet.... Wait a minute! The line for the free family photo isn't very long so we get sidetracked from our free food and drink voyage to get our free family photo taken. I am loving this event! How many times can you say "free" at WDW?

After our "glamour shot" ( ), we find the free food and drink, fill up on provisions and head into Tomorrowland. As the evening progresses, we ride every ride possible with very little or no waits. We stop only to watch the fireworks (AMAZING! ) and the Christmas parade. We leave the Magic Kingdom a little before midnight, tired, but very happy campers. Will we do MVMCP again next year? You bet! Free food+ free cocoa+ free photo+ AMAZING fireworks+ a wonderful Christmas parade+ little or no waiting to get on our favorite rides+ Santa+ snow on Main Street= and on You just gotta love the Disney math!

 

[toystoryduo]

Wednesday, December 7, 2005: WISH Meet at Earl of Sandwich: DTD... For the past few months, a few of us WISHers have decided to get together since we will all be at WDW at the same time. Can I say that I had a blast? It was so much fun getting to meet everyone and talk with those who love Disney as much as I do! Here's a link to the original thread with a picture:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=910106&page=4

After the WISH meet, it hits me... I am extremely tired. The 20 hour road trip is finally catching up with me! We decide to check out the Boardwalk before heading back to the Fountains to relax and then end up eating at Outback for dinner.

Thursday, December 8, 2005: Today, we decide to use the gift certificate from Restaurant.com that we got for breakfast at Le Peep's. Good food. We decide to head to the mall and shop and we find ourselves at a store called Steve and Barry's. What a great store! Everything and I mean everything is under $10! We shop and get quite a few Christmas gifts here and decide to head back to the villa.

That evening, the rain lets up and we eat at Red Lobster. My MIL wants to watch a Christmas movie on Liftetime, so we take her back to the villa and we then head to Downtown Disney. When we arrive, we see a crowd starting to form and being the curious (nosy ) people that we are, decide that we must find out what is going on. As we close in on the crowd, we see John the Juggler wowing the crowd with his amazing juggling skills and his witty sense of humor. We stay for the show and laugh a lot! Good times! I do a bit of Christmas shopping and we call it a night. We have BIG plans for tomorrow and we need to get a good night's sleep!

Friday, December 9, 2005: Today starts off with a very nice wake-up call (insert sarcasm ) from our timeshare representative. "Please remember that you have an update meeting scheduled for today. Thank you." Click. What? Huh? What time is it? 7:15 a.m. What time is our presentation? 10:30! Did they think we weren't going to wake up in time and make it? DH is not a happy camper and proceeds to call them back to explain that you have the wrong time. Oh... okay... sorry... That's it??!?!?!? Your sorry? Fine! I am going to stay here approximately 2 more days and then I am leaving! Mickey would never do this to us! (Of course, we were scheduled to leave 2 days later, but they didn't need to know that. ) Oh well.... we're up now. We check the weather forecast and there's an 80% chance of rain. What?!?!? This day is not turning out as planned.....

So, we decide to decide what to do with our day after the update meeting with our timeshare rep. Our BIG plan? We're supposed to go to Epcot and eat our way around the world, but do we want to do that in the rain?

We head to our presentation and it goes smoothly until we say no we don't want to upgrade. Timeshare rep: " What?!?!? You don't want to upgrade? You don't want to go another $8000 into debt? You don't want to vacation more? Do you know that statistics show that if you don't go on vacation more your health will diminish and you could get a divorce?" The answer is still no, thank you. We'll take our chances that the world will not end if we don't upgrade our timeshare. Whew! I wonder how hard the sell is for non-members?

So, we decide after that great bit of fun , that we will go to DTD and eat at the Rainforest Cafe and get a sundae at Ghirardellis. All, I can say is yummy yum yum!

It's still raining and Epcot now appears out of the question. None of us are in the mood to dodge the raindrops that keep falling on our head (insert music here ) and so we decide to go to the AMC and see Narnia. We get to the movie theater and there is quite a line, but we decide to get tickets anyway. We get our tickets, make our way in, and find our seats. Just as I am getting settled in, my DD says, " Mom, I've gotta go to the bathroom." So, we trek down the stairs, around the corner, and go to the bathroom. In the meantime, the theater is filling up and fast. My DH has to "rope off" our seats because everybody wants them. He thought about auctioning them off to the highest bidder, but he knew that Momma would be mad. So, he just kept telling people, "I'm sorry these seats are taken, I'm sorry these seats are taken, I'm sorry these seats are taken." Finally, we finally show up with popcorn and pop in hand (and DH has lost his voice ) and we proceed to hurry up and watch about 30 minutes of previews. Finally, the movie is showing! It is an amazing film! So, amazing that my DD falls asleep and wouldn't ya know it? She wakes up during a scary part and starts crying. Ahhhh! Daddy gives her some pop and she quiets down to watch the rest of the movie. It really is an amazing movie and to have watched it in WDW on the first day it was open, was magic.

Finally, we cap the day off with a visit to Raglan Road at DTD. The food was okay, the music was very, very loud and my kids were hungry after leaving. Been there, done that, probably not going back for awhile.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Tracy--i just happened to see you posted so i came to read it right away--sounds like you had fun--i had a blast at the christmas party as well!

 

[toystoryduo]

Saturday, December 10, 2005 My DH wakes up early to take his mom and brother to the airport. In the meantime, I start straightening up and washing clothes. I can barely contain my excitement because tomorrow, we are beginning our stay at the Beach Club Villas! Woohoo! We spend the day visiting with family and stay up until 3:00 a.m. having a great time!

Sunday, December 11, 2005: Today's the day! Today's the day! Beach Club: Here we Come! We pack up the rental car wondering how we fit all this stuff in before , hand in our room keys, and head for the Beach Club! On our way, we decide to stop at Golden Corral for breakfast. OOPS! BIG MISTAKE! We had to wait in line for 20 minutes just to get food! I got pushed around, my kids got pushed around... it was not a pleasant experience. (Side note: The wait for food at Golden Corral was longer than the wait for any ride at WDW. I love going in December! ) So, we ate and then checked in at the Beach Club early. Went to our room and love, love, loved it! DH's family came for a visit and we decided to go walk the Boardwalk... Then, it hits me! We are at the Beach Club! We can go to Beaches and Cream and get a Kitchen Sink! There are 11 people here visiting! We can polish it off with no problem! Insert CM here... "Excuse me mam.... I'm realy sorry, but Beaches and Cream is closed for refurbishment. I'm sorry." What? I don't understand.... I just got everyone excited about the Kitchen Sink and now we can't get one? Oh no!

Just when we are getting ready to call the whole thing off, I decide to stop at Hurricane Hannah's and ask if they have a Kitchen Sink type dessert anywhere else. Insert wonderful CM here... "Why, yes mam. You can go to the Galley at the Yacht Club and order one." Yippee! We're off!

We arrive at the Galley and get a room off to the side of the restaurant. Remember, there are 11 of us total, including 6 kids under the age of 9. Everyone is getting excited. The moment finally arrives and we dig in. That is the most delicious dessert I have ever eaten. Ahhhh...

After saying goodbye to DH's family, we stroll around the lake and talk about our plans for the week. We cap off our evening by watching Illuminations from the bridge and relax knowing that we are home.

 

[toystoryduo]

Monday, December 12, 2005: Today is our chill out day. We explore the resort and walk the Boardwalk. We decide to try the ESPN Club for lunch. We sit down and check out all the memorabilia on the walls. We order our food. We start eating our food.... Yummy! This is delicious! The next thing I know, my DD is vomiting on my DH. Yikes! Where is the Disney magic when you need it? My DH takes my DD to the bathroom and I overhear the bartender say to our waiter, "Great way to start your shift, huh?" So, the manager at the ESPN Club sends over someone to clean up the mess and the waiter asks if we want to take our food to go. Sure, fine, whatever. We head back to the BCV, put DD in her pajamas and let her sleep for awhile. Bored, I decide to go do laundry. The girls watch the bedtime stories on TV and everyone goes to sleep. Tomorrow, EMH at MGM....

Tuesday, December 13, 2005: EMH @ MGM... DD is feeling much better and DH and I suspect she got sick because she overate. (The proof came in the form of an empty Cheetos bag that we found when we got back to the villa. ) DH rides Tower of Terror and Rock-n-Roller Coaster till his heart's content and then we head to Beauty and the Beast. We really enjoyed the show and I cried at the end. Head to Pizza Planet for lunch (Pizza was pretty good this time.) and then over to Muppets. We've seen all we wanted to at MGM and head back to the Beach Club for a few minutes before heading to Epcot. On our way into the Beach Club, a lady says, "You better hurry! Mickey and Pluto are in there!" My girls rush in and sure enough, there's Mickey and Pluto. Of course, we have no camera, but the girls had fun hanging out with them for a few minutes. Suddenly, I see him.... It's Art the Greeter from the Great Hotels episode of the Beach Club! How exciting! One of the things on my to do list was to meet Art and now, I have! He is a very, very nice man and he represents the Disney company very well.

We head to Epcot and our 2:00 p.m. ADR for the Biergarten. The food is wonderful and my DD gets to light the Christmas tree! What a special moment and this time, we got it on tape. We start out trek around the world with a full belly and the girls decide to stop at the Kidcot stops. So, we spend the rest of the day experiencing Epcot and at 9:25 p.m., my girls stop at the last Kidcot stop for their poster. Illuminations begins, we all watch in wonder, I cry a little , and we head home to BCV. A wonderful day!

Wednesday, December 14, 2005: Another chill day. Tomorrow is our last full day at WDW and we decide to take it easy. We enjoy watching the hilarious magician on the Boardwalk and watch Illuminations from the Yacht Club. Beautiful!

Thursday, December 15, 2005: This is the day I have been dreading... It's our last day at WDW. I want to savor every experience and every moment, but in the back of my head, I know that tomorrow we are leaving and that makes me more than a little sad. When we are at WDW, reality fades away and all the stress of life in Ohio is a thing of the past. It's Disney magic you know and I didn't want the magic to end.

We head to the MK and each choose a ride that we want to go on. Believe it or not, my DD3 goes on Splash Mountain again and kind of likes it. We finish our day at the MK, by taking the train from Frontierland to Main Street USA. My DD3 says, "Bye Cinderella. I hope we can live in your castle someday." I cried.

We "hop" on over to Epcot and just slowly take in all the sites. We are trying to savor each and every moment. DH goes to Le Cellier and gets us some cheese soup and pretzel bread. Yummy! We still walk around trying to savor every moment. We head to Test Track and ride it like a million times. Okay, it was 4 times, but who is counting? We stop at the Electric Umbrella for a quick bite to eat and get our wristbands for EMH. We want to stay as long as possible. We head back into World Showcase and wait for Illuminations to begin. It's lightning a bit and we decide to go near America because we want to go to the American Adventure after Illuminations. We watch Illuminations, I cry (see a pattern here? ) and we head to American Adventure only to find we must wait for the next show. We learn some interesting facts about the building and the show itself and then it's time for the show. Both of my girls fell fast asleep during the show and DH and I tried to savor each moment of the show. After the show, we stroll back to BCV and go to bed. Tomorrow, we leave for Ohio.

Friday, December 16, 2005: I stop one last time at the Marketplace to get a few stocking stuffers for the girls and we check out. Yes, I'm crying a bit. I don't wanna go home! We head out for Ohio and we make it home in record time... 16 hours! (It usually takes us 18.) We're glad to be home, but would rather be home with .

 

[toystoryduo]

Overall, we had an amazing vacation. We didn't do Disney as much as usual, but the time we spent relaxing and with family was well worth it. We came home refreshed and relaxed even though we were sad about leaving the .

Highlights: MVMCP, Beach Club Villas, Illuminations, Soarin (for DH and DD), Le Cellier, Kidcot Fun Stops, Meeting Art the Greeter at Beach Club, the Kitchen Sink, Narnia, Rest and Relaxation

Not So High-Lights: Raglan Road (was so-so), and Coming Home to Ohio

Thank you for reading and have a Happy Holiday season!

 

[toystoryduo]

Tracy--i just happened to see you posted so i came to read it right away--sounds like you had fun--i had a blast at the christmas party as well!

Thanks for reading Jen!

 

[DisDon]

Hi Tracy, great report! Sounds like you did a lot of savoring I've got to get to work on my report sometime, I think I've been avoiding it because I don't have another trip planned, not sure I see the possibility anytime soon. Funny that you all wimped out because of the rain. We were at MK on Friday and rode all our favorite rides over and over in the rain. Getting wet on splash mountain is no big deal when you're already wet from the rain!

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks for sharing your report, sounds like you had a nice vacation. Next trip DH and I are also planning to relax more, we'll see what happens.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

now i read the rest of it --sounds like a great trip!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks Don, swankybeth, and Jen for reading!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks for sharing your report, sounds like you had a nice vacation. Next trip DH and I are also planning to relax more, we'll see what happens.

I never thought that I would be okay with doing more relaxing on our vacation than going to Disney, but everything worked out well for us especially since we stayed on property. It was great! Thank you for reading!

 

[Jane E.]

Thanks for your trip report. I loved reading it. The Epcot resorts are the best. Just a quick question - Can you get cheese soup & pretzel bread 'to go' in Canada? Cheese soup is my absolute favorite food at Epcot. Whenever we go to the Wine Festival I grab a bowl; however, during the Flower Festival I always miss it.

I hope things improve at Raglan Road. I've been looking forward to trying it out.

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks for your trip report. I loved reading it. The Epcot resorts are the best. Just a quick question - Can you get cheese soup & pretzel bread 'to go' in Canada? Cheese soup is my absolute favorite food at Epcot. Whenever we go to the Wine Festival I grab a bowl; however, during the Flower Festival I always miss it.

I hope things improve at Raglan Road. I've been looking forward to trying it out.

Hi Jane E. !

We got our cheese soup and pretzel bread to go in Canada. They put the cheese soup in a styrofoam cup and they wrap up the pretzel bread. I think I read somewhere that they only do this at lunch time. It was delicious!

Thank you for reading my trip report!

 

[Jane E.]

Thank you, Tracy. I'll have to try it the next time we go.

 

[kathymc]

just finished your reports - we were there the same time - thanks for sharing!

 

[keenercam]

Tracy -- Your trip report was awesome! Thank you so much for sharing. Can't believe I'll be there in 9 days. Reading about your stay at BCV made me really homesick. So glad you all had time to relax and just spend quality family time together!

 

[pearlieq]

Sounds like you had a great time!!!

 

[byoung]

Good reports. Sounds like you had a great vacation.

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks everyone! I wish I was in WDW right now.