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

[lala3291]

Finally all caught up!

Love all of the pictures of the kids! They look like they were having the best time together! How fun. And you and Jodi look like you were having a great time too!

The fog looks wild! I remember when we were in WDW this past July...since it was so humid, the fog usually didn't burn off until around 11AM during the time we were there. Not good for my hair!

Looking forward to seeing where you ended up that day!

 

[hebbynan]

HI!!

Yay for a trip in September!

Looks like we are a couple of weeks apart-- We check in on August 30, and we are staying at the Grand again.


James Island---- awwww. I miss my home.

What part of PA are you from? We lived there for a bit- near PGH.

Aww we're going to miss each other . Sorry I didn' t mean to make you home sick .
I'm from south central PA. York county more specifically. We're about 20 minutes south of Harrisburg.

I am loving this review!!!

 

[murmkc]

The GF looks great with all the decorations up! Great photos and fun TR!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

What fun pictures of the kids! Glad they had such fun being "on their own" together.
Too bad about the fog - it would have been a fun morning to see the show from there.

Hi Rinky!

The curling iron - that story makes me glad I have really short hair. But I'm happy you were able to find a replacement fairly easily.

Epcot? Maybe? Hmmmmm...

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Hi Rinky!

Hello long lost friend! I bet you've already made it back across the pond since the last time I was on the DIS. I hope you and your girls are doing well. I didn't even notice if you had a ticker. I need to go back and snoop b/c I know you must have some fabulous trip on the horizon! I think you need to go to Aulani next and give us a full report!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Wow, I have missed a lot over the past few days! I have been super busy with work, and we had a party at our house for the Patriots game on Sunday, so I've been swamped! Sorry Shelly!

Off to read now!!

Hey Lauren I wondered where you had been!!

Just found your report aqnd looking forward to what you say about the time of year as we are going Dec 7-14,2013. I have read your other Tr and I feel like I have watched your boys growing up. Love the tree picture

Welcome!

So glad you are joining us for another TR! Yes, the boys are growing up. Wish I knew how to stop that!!

Overall I would say the second week of December is a good time to go. It's value season, so it's cheaper. It's not terribly crowded. More crowded than our late August trip, but less crowded than the beginning of May. The weather was decent and we got to see tons of Christmas decorations!!

Finally all caught up!

Love all of the pictures of the kids! They look like they were having the best time together! How fun. And you and Jodi look like you were having a great time too!

The fog looks wild! I remember when we were in WDW this past July...since it was so humid, the fog usually didn't burn off until around 11AM during the time we were there. Not good for my hair!

Looking forward to seeing where you ended up that day!

Thanks Lauren! Yes, it was a great morning for all of us. So fun!

The fog was crazy. And so was my hair!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

The GF looks great with all the decorations up! Great photos and fun TR!

Thanks, glad you are enjoying the TR and pics!

What fun pictures of the kids! Glad they had such fun being "on their own" together.
Too bad about the fog - it would have been a fun morning to see the show from there.

Hi Rinky!

The curling iron - that story makes me glad I have really short hair. But I'm happy you were able to find a replacement fairly easily.

Epcot? Maybe? Hmmmmm...

They really did. They felt so grown up!

Yeah, the fog was kind of a bummer. At least we could still hear the show though!

I'm usually wishing I had short hair when I'm at WDW!!

 

[monica23535]

Great pics Shelly!


Love how grown up the kids were going off on their own like that.

Must have been great to be able to hear the opening ceremony at MK from your resort

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great pics Shelly!


Love how grown up the kids were going off on their own like that.

Must have been great to be able to hear the opening ceremony at MK from your resort

Thanks Monica!

It was a great morning for all of us!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I know, it is the best!

Yeah, I know what you mean. We felt totally safe letting the kids roam the resort. And they really loved their parent free time!

Well that will sure be nice to get away from this nasty cold and go to Florida next month! Will you take the kids? Will you make it to WDW at all? Maybe DTD?

No we are not taking kids, b/c we'll be looking at condos. We're just going for 3 days.

He got the ok today. Someone's calling later w/ the package details. I can't believe this is actually happening!! I am so nervous and excited.

We will definately get to DTD for dinner and shopping!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

No we are not taking kids, b/c we'll be looking at condos. We're just going for 3 days.

He got the ok today. Someone's calling later w/ the package details. I can't believe this is actually happening!! I am so nervous and excited.

We will definately get to DTD for dinner and shopping!!

I'm so excited for you!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I'm so excited for you!

Thanks Shelly!!!!

He is now starting his job on Feb.18 UGH!!!!! Now we need to switch the flights. He's been in contact with a realtor and we may fly down next weekend instead.

I am a little stressed with the change of date I thought I had a good month left.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Thanks Shelly!!!!

He is now starting his job on Feb.18 UGH!!!!! Now we need to switch the flights. He's been in contact with a realtor and we may fly down next weekend instead.

I am a little stressed with the change of date I thought I had a good month left.

Congrats!!

I'm sure it will be stressful for awhile, but it will all work out in the end.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Congrats!!

I'm sure it will be stressful for awhile, but it will all work out in the end.

That's what I'm hoping!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

That's what I'm hoping!

Good luck with everything!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

We hopped on the monorail and started making our way to the TTC to change to the Epcot monorail. The monorail stopped at MK and then was on its way to the CR. And I got to thinking......We had missed rope drop by a few hours, we weren't planning to stay too late, the kids wanted to get to swim at the GF before we had to check out the next day, what if the lines at Epcot were huge and the day was wasted, what if it was too cold to swim by the time we got back to the GF, blah, blah, blah.....So I shared my thoughts with the family and they agreed. The kids were worried about not getting to see Jodi's kids if we skipped Epcot this day, but I explained to them that they were spending the day at Epcot with their grandparents and we might not see them much anyway, so they were good with skipping Epcot for swimming. But, it was nearly 11am now and I thought – let's just go to DTD for some lunch and shopping for a few hours and then head back to the GF for swimming. By now the monorail was at the TTC. I wasn't sure if you could get a bus to DTD from the TTC or not. I knew you could get park buses there, but wasn't sure about DTD. Well, wouldn't you know it, you can't get a bus to DTD from there. So we walked over to the Poly and waited on a bus.

Once on the bus I decided to call T-Rex and see if we could get in there for lunch. Fat chance since you can never get much with them through the WDW ADR's, right? Yeah, not really the case – they got us in within 15 minutes!! Definitely call them directly for ADR's, don't go through Disney!

And pretty soon we were pulling up to the DTD Marketplace! We quickly made our way to T-Rex, stopping for a few pics along the way.

And pretty soon we arrived at our destination – T-Rex!! We walked in, gave them our name, and were seated right away. I didn't take a ton of pics in there this time since we have been there 2-3X before.

And our first real meal of the trip was finally here!!

DH got the Bronto Burger and chips.

I got the Supersauras Sampler appetizer as my meal.

So good, but so much food!

The kids both ordered from the kid's menu and both got mini corndogs.

Everything was very good as usual. We usually get dessert here – the donut holes with chocolate and caramel dipping sauce, but we decided to pass this time since we could get plenty of snacks/desserts at the CL lounge at the GF.

Total Bill: $50.01
Rating: 9 out of 10



Up Next: DTD Shopping!

 

[monica23535]

I agree about calling TREX directly, we did the same thing a couple of years ago after trying and failing to score an ADR through Disney.


Wow, that food looks amazing, could go for that burger right now even though it's after midnight here

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I didn't realize that was an issue with T-rex. The only ADR I could get with them on our last trip was for almost 9:00 at night. I usually like to eat dinner around 5:00 so that was SUPER late for us. I wish I had known that I could get a better time calling direct. I don't guess it really matters though b/c DD and DH didn't like it at all. We all thought the food was good but they both hated how loud it was in there. And it was PACKED with people! It really wasn't a very pleasant experience. I did expect it to be a little loud since we had been to RC before, but the number of people in there was crazy! So I don't think I'll get my family back to either of those restaurants. It is a really cool looking place though and I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. All of your food looks so good! And $50 isn't bad for a TS meal at Disney. Makes me realize that maybe I really could afford to do Disney without my beloved free dining!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I agree about calling TREX directly, we did the same thing a couple of years ago after trying and failing to score an ADR through Disney.


Wow, that food looks amazing, could go for that burger right now even though it's after midnight here

It was awesome! We love that place. It's a nice change from all the Disney food that sometimes all starts to taste the same.

I didn't realize that was an issue with T-rex. The only ADR I could get with them on our last trip was for almost 9:00 at night. I usually like to eat dinner around 5:00 so that was SUPER late for us. I wish I had known that I could get a better time calling direct. I don't guess it really matters though b/c DD and DH didn't like it at all. We all thought the food was good but they both hated how loud it was in there. And it was PACKED with people! It really wasn't a very pleasant experience. I did expect it to be a little loud since we had been to RC before, but the number of people in there was crazy! So I don't think I'll get my family back to either of those restaurants. It is a really cool looking place though and I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. All of your food looks so good! And $50 isn't bad for a TS meal at Disney. Makes me realize that maybe I really could afford to do Disney without my beloved free dining!

Oh yes, all you can ever get for dinner at T-Rex (through WDW) is 4pm or 9pm. We usually end up going at 4, which is too early. We are like you and we like to eat around 5-5:30. Maybe it was so packed because it was so late when you went. IDK. It is a little less noisy when it is not as crowded. You should try it for lunch sometime, maybe your family would like it better!

Yep - I think you could totally do it without the DDP!! We love it, we feel so free!

 

[mickeystoontown]

It sounds like the change of plans worked out for the best. Your food looks so good. I always get the sampler platter like you ordered. Like you said, it's so good but it is so much food.