Trip Number 9 ~ It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year ~ Christmastime at the GF & Poly

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hmm...I'm thinking that is a great way to save on snack credits - just pretend I don't speak English at every snack cart and just take everyone else's! Only kidding, of course

I have actually seen the parade at AK once a few years ago, DH doesn't care for it at all and we always seem to ready to leave AK around 2pm, in fact I don't think we have ever done a full day there.

I love your DS's interest in Pochahontas, I seem to remember that exact same one catching my husbands eye last trip!!

My DH doesn't care for the entire AK park. He thinks it's hot and smelly! He could skip it every trip. I have a feeling that is the last time we will see the AK parade for a long time.

Well Pocahontas was a very pretty girl. I guess you can't blame a guy for looking!

Well Shelly.....DH had his interview yesterday. He said it went well. He was there from 8:30-5:00!!!! With breaks in between but My God!!! That would be to stressful for me.

Unfortunately we don't really know much more than we did before. Very frustrating!

He went to Fulton's Crab House for dinner last night and shopping in DTD. I was so jealous!!! He better have gotten me something GOOD!!! LOL

He'll be home tonight. He's having lunch with the boss today so maybe he'll get some more info. Like the timeframe of when the decision will be made. That would be nice to know.... ya think???!!!!

That is awesome!! Wow that was a LONG interview!! Holy cow!

I sure hope it all works out for him. I bet you are super jealous that he is down there!! I would be!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

We spend lots of time in AK, but have never seen the parade! I've seen pieces of the parade, but would rather ride while everyone else is watching the parade.

BTW, I'm a mother of four boys, but they are all grown & on their own. It sure was fun with those boys as I'm sure you know!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

We spend lots of time in AK, but have never seen the parade! I've seen pieces of the parade, but would rather ride while everyone else is watching the parade.

BTW, I'm a mother of four boys, but they are all grown & on their own. It sure was fun with those boys as I'm sure you know!

Welcome!

Wow I guess the AK parade is not high on anyone's list!!

Oh yes, life in a house full of boys is always fun and adventurous!!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great update!

Thank you!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I've seen the parade!!!! I didn't get to see the Christmas time one, but we didn't go to AK on that short trip. It's a fun parade, I like how the puppeteers are so active and the people/characters are so interactive. The music is good too! I have it on my 4 parks one world CD I think. I know I have the Christmas one on another holiday CD.

I honestly don't remember, but I think we saw it on our March 2011 trip, but not this last one in October. Too soon again maybe?

Love the DS and Pocahontas pic!! Atta Boy!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I've seen the parade!!!! I didn't get to see the Christmas time one, but we didn't go to AK on that short trip. It's a fun parade, I like how the puppeteers are so active and the people/characters are so interactive. The music is good too! I have it on my 4 parks one world CD I think. I know I have the Christmas one on another holiday CD.

I honestly don't remember, but I think we saw it on our March 2011 trip, but not this last one in October. Too soon again maybe?

Love the DS and Pocahontas pic!! Atta Boy!

Finally someone who has seen the parade!! It is cute and you are right -- the CM's and characters are very interactive.

Too soon - yeah, probably. But that's just my opinion!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

That is awesome!! Wow that was a LONG interview!! Holy cow!

I sure hope it all works out for him. I bet you are super jealous that he is down there!! I would be!

Yeah a little jealous. He just texted me a pic to guess where they are. He's at Bubba Gump Shrimp at Universal. I guess he is enjoying torturing me. lol

They're having a drink at that Jimmy Buffet bar right now!!! UGH!!! I hate him right now.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Yeah a little jealous. He just texted me a pic to guess where they are. He's at Bubba Gump Shrimp at Universal. I guess he is enjoying torturing me. lol

They're having a drink at that Jimmy Buffet bar right now!!! UGH!!! I hate him right now.

I think I hate him right now too!!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

i think i hate him right now too!!

lol

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

As soon as the AK parade was over we headed out to the bus stop. It wasn't long until a bus pulled up. Too bad it was a bus for the CR, Poly, and the GF. Not to mention a stop at Blizzard Beach in there. Good grief I think we were on that bus forever.

When we got back to the GF it was already after 5:00 and the SL lounge was serving their evening appetizers. So we went up to the room to get washed up a bit before heading back downstairs to get something to eat. But, our first set of room keys didn't work. So back downstairs we headed to tell them and get a new set. They said this had been happening and was a computer glitch. The second set worked and we peeked in our room and saw that our checked luggage was already there, washed our hands, and headed back downstairs.

Twilight Refreshers (served 5-7pm).

After we got our bellies full we headed upstairs to check out our room! And called bell services to have our carry-ons that they had been storing delivered. They came within about 10 minutes. Third floor – room 6315.

Continued in next post.....

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Balcony and view ~

Everything was just perfect! The room and balcony were pretty clean and everything appeared to be in order. We were very pleased with our room!

There was even a little welcome chocolate ~

This is from the 3rd floor elevator, looking down at the lounge ~

After we got all unpacked and settled we decided to go outside and take a look around.

We could see there was a big movie screen set up and something going on right outside the construction walls that surrounded the courtyard pool, so the kids had to hurry over and see what was going on!

The CM's came over and told them that from 6-7 every night was Mario Cart and Pin Trading. And at 7:00 they would be showing a movie. It was just now right about 7:00, so they had missed the Mario Cart, but they let them do some pin trading before they took the board down.

The kids weren't too interested in the movie they were showing, so we headed on. They wanted to be sure to be back there for Mario Cart the next night though!!

Next we headed into the main lobby to get a better look at the Gingerbread House and the decorations in there!

They had a photopass photographer set up by the big tree in the center of the lobby. I just had to have a family picture there!

Too bad we weren't in nicer clothes. I told DH we would have to put on something a little nicer and come back the next evening for a picture!



Up Next: More GF

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Ahhh, the GF! It is the most beautiful place ever, and your pictures have me all nostalgic lol I don't remember us having to share buses with Poly and CR, is this new? I think there were a few times that we shared with WL, but that was it.

 

[monica23535]

The rooms and lounge look nice!


We got to see the gingerbread house on our November 2009 trip, it is very special

I love the family photo, my son would have been dying to play Mario too lol

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Ahhh, the GF! It is the most beautiful place ever, and your pictures have me all nostalgic lol I don't remember us having to share buses with Poly and CR, is this new? I think there were a few times that we shared with WL, but that was it.

It is a beautiful resort.

We always shared with the Poly. And sometimes the CR was thrown in there too. Crazy! I don't remember going to the WL, other than on the ME bus. But then we only stayed at the GF for a few days...

The rooms and lounge look nice!


We got to see the gingerbread house on our November 2009 trip, it is very special

I love the family photo, my son would have been dying to play Mario too lol

The room was really nice!

The gingerbread house is a pretty awesome site to see! I thought it was pretty neat how they had the photopass photographer set up in the lobby.

We definitely had to go back the next night for Mario Cart!!

 

[JoBird]

I can't help it-- I love the Grand so much still, even with all the ugliness they've thrown at it these days.




Your view looks eerily familiar. Such a great spot I think. I love to sit out there and hear the train whistle and see the monorail go by. So nice.


IDK what the heck was up with the bus ride that we took that one night from the MK (monorail was down, boats had a huuuuuuuuuuuge behind line)-- but it took us over an hour and a half to wait for a bus (took forever!!!), get loaded onto the bus after they let all the scooters on, go to the CR, go to the parking lot in the TTC, we left out of there and then circled back thru to another stopping point in the same parking lot about 5 feet from the original stopping point-- what the heck?-- and then to the Poly where we had dinner reservations.

It was sincerely ridiculous and it was my last time ever being on a bus in WDW. Next time I don't care --- I'll swim it before I ride another bus. They had so many people crammed on there that people had to get off of the bus in order to let people off and then get back on. I've never seen anything like it. Stupid doesn't even begin to explain it and I wish you could have seen my In laws faces! It was hysterical. Drew had a man's butt and backpack in his face and practically had to sit in my lap to get away from it. OMG, it was awful. Sorry for the rant---- I have PTSD from it every time someone mentions bus. People were yelling and screaming at the Bus driver. I thought it was going to turn into a riot it was so bad.


Anyway---- so Sunday night was sushi night!! Mark was wondering why he didn't get any. Will have to remember that for next time.
Was that the same night as uncrustables?? Thought I remembered you saying the kids had them on that night.

Last but not least-- I love seeing the castle past the boat dock like in that one pic you have of it. First time we stayed there and got in around 1 am we walked outside of the Main bldg to go to SL and saw that and we all just stood there in awe. So pretty.

Great update!

 

[lala3291]

I agree- the bus rides (especially from Animal Kingdom and DTD) seem to take forever at the GF! We gave up on the buses on our Christmas trip and ended up taking taxis a lot. Costly, but worth it because we got places much quicker!

It looks like you got a lovely room with a great view! We were not so lucky in November- we had a view of the lovely construction! Oh well, at least we were not in the room much!

Love that family picture in front of the tree! I cannot believe that we did not get a family picture in front of the tree ourselves! It would have been a nice Christmas card.

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I can't help it-- I love the Grand so much still, even with all the ugliness they've thrown at it these days.




Your view looks eerily familiar. Such a great spot I think. I love to sit out there and hear the train whistle and see the monorail go by. So nice.


IDK what the heck was up with the bus ride that we took that one night from the MK (monorail was down, boats had a huuuuuuuuuuuge behind line)-- but it took us over an hour and a half to wait for a bus (took forever!!!), get loaded onto the bus after they let all the scooters on, go to the CR, go to the parking lot in the TTC, we left out of there and then circled back thru to another stopping point in the same parking lot about 5 feet from the original stopping point-- what the heck?-- and then to the Poly where we had dinner reservations.

It was sincerely ridiculous and it was my last time ever being on a bus in WDW. Next time I don't care --- I'll swim it before I ride another bus. They had so many people crammed on there that people had to get off of the bus in order to let people off and then get back on. I've never seen anything like it. Stupid doesn't even begin to explain it and I wish you could have seen my In laws faces! It was hysterical. Drew had a man's butt and backpack in his face and practically had to sit in my lap to get away from it. OMG, it was awful. Sorry for the rant---- I have PTSD from it every time someone mentions bus. People were yelling and screaming at the Bus driver. I thought it was going to turn into a riot it was so bad.


Anyway---- so Sunday night was sushi night!! Mark was wondering why he didn't get any. Will have to remember that for next time.
Was that the same night as uncrustables?? Thought I remembered you saying the kids had them on that night.

Last but not least-- I love seeing the castle past the boat dock like in that one pic you have of it. First time we stayed there and got in around 1 am we walked outside of the Main bldg to go to SL and saw that and we all just stood there in awe. So pretty.

Great update!

OMG why don't you tell us how you really feel about the buses???

It really truly isn't usually that bad. I can't believe it took you that long to get from MK to the Poly. I guess they aren't really prepared for the buses to take that route. Good grief.

Between the AK trip and the trip back from DTD and one very bad trip back to the Poly from DHS, we had enough of the buses this time!! Ridiculous.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was the same night they had the uncrustables. See -- you should have had your behind at the GF with us instead of at the party!!!


That is a nice view of the castle at night right there, between the buildings and past the boat dock.

I agree- the bus rides (especially from Animal Kingdom and DTD) seem to take forever at the GF! We gave up on the buses on our Christmas trip and ended up taking taxis a lot. Costly, but worth it because we got places much quicker!

It looks like you got a lovely room with a great view! We were not so lucky in November- we had a view of the lovely construction! Oh well, at least we were not in the room much!

Love that family picture in front of the tree! I cannot believe that we did not get a family picture in front of the tree ourselves! It would have been a nice Christmas card.

Looking forward to reading more!

We ended up taking a cab one night on the way back from DTD. But we didn't have such a good experience. Our driver took the long way around and drove super slow, as we watched the meter go up and up and up. It was ridiculous. I don't think we made it back much faster than the bus.

I remember you getting that construction view. That stinks. Good thing you were busy that trip and weren't in the room a lot.

Thanks!

 

[JoBird]

It was bad. I swear I've never been thru anything like it before.

Maybe if I hadn't been trying to just get to the Poly from the MK it wouldn't have been so bad, but when we circled back thru the parking lot and people started screaming at the top of their lungs at the bus driver------ it was awful. I was a bit scared.

There was a family on there that missed an ADR at the GF because of how long it took. I'm pretty sure they ended up with something free-- they were quite vocal about their displeasure.
I'm sure it was just that the monorail was down and it was a party night in the MK and they didn't have the buses to pick up all the extra people.


OMG so I just looked back at our text conversation ab the busses. So funny!

And as far as being at the resort instead of the dang party..... yeah should've listened to your experience with it. Don't even get me started on how I feel about that waste of time and money.

Wow I am a PEACH today I tell ya! A PEACH!!!!!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Honestly I think sharing a bus when you are staying at a nice deluxe, is kind of lame.

Your GF room is very pretty though! I like the view that you had.

Question for you Shelly. When is your favorite summer or holiday time to visit? I'm trying to mentally plan our next trip. Morghan will also be a freshman next year so the less school missed, the better.