(Mostly?) Live! from WDW, it's my trip report....

Seems totally surreal that I'm about to start this trip report! My Grand Gathering Christmas 2010 report! :xmas:

First things first, and I must thank the person who made this trip possible, kept my sanity, survived nearly 18 months of emails with yours truly AND my immediate family.......... Marie from Kingdom Konsultants.

I can't say enough good things about Marie and all the help she has provided my family over the last year and a half. From the '500 days out room only reservation' to now, she has stuck with us through some very tedious changes. First we were a group of 12, then 14, then (sadly) 12 again. We got pin codes, promotional emails and bounceback offers - one at a time, Marie made all those changes with never any complaint.

Then came the Free Dining promotion, oh so close to our travel dates, but just not in our arrival range. It was Marie who pointed out that we could go for 10 days and still pay less than it would cost us to go for 7 days! :sohappy::sohappy: And it was Marie who manged to get us FIVE rooms at Pop DAYS after the promotion had been released (I thought she couldn't do it, but I now know never to doubt Marie! )

Anyway, I am sure that the other travel agents and support staff at Kingdom Konsultants helped out along the way too, so a big thank you to them as well. And my point is, if you have a Grand Gathering to plan, I HIGHLY recommend Marie (marie@kingdomkonsultant.com) and the Kingdom Konsultants! Thank you so much for making this planning process so easy!!

Up next: Roll Call

 

[becanya]

First of all, I'm impressed by your kids! They are such troopers and have great stamina. I don't know if I could keep up with them.

Second...we love to save our snack credits then go to the WL store right before we leave and buy out all their snacks! Then we get to take a little disney home with us. Makes it last longer.

Great trip report!

 

[stefan74]

That was a great idea to take a picture of the menu. I will have to do that when I go in March.

 

[erstwo]

Love your TR!!! Looks like we were in AK on the same day. I also saw you mention the monorail breakdown issues the previous nt...we were caught in that mess, but weren't sure how widespread the problem was. I guess we now know it was a pretty far reaching issue. Can't wait to see more of your TR!

NO way! Were your girls wearing their flowers in their hair? I looked the whole trip, but never saw any flowers.

That monorail thing was crazy. I was just glad I didn't work in Disney transportation that day!

First of all, I'm impressed by your kids! They are such troopers and have great stamina. I don't know if I could keep up with them.

Second...we love to save our snack credits then go to the WL store right before we leave and buy out all their snacks! Then we get to take a little disney home with us. Makes it last longer.

Great trip report!

They really are troopers! The "bigs" actually pulled us along. They were always ready to go. They would get frustrated with all of the adults "discussing" where to go next, etc.

You know, we had just enough snack credits left the last night to bring home Mickey Mouse rice crispies for all of our neighbor friends, and we forgot to stop by the food court and get them! How terrible is that? Oh, well, next time!

Thanks so much for reading!

That was a great idea to take a picture of the menu. I will have to do that when I go in March.

Thanks! I took a few other menu photos, but haven't posted them since I usually have food pictures that look much better.

 

[erstwo]

It was getting to be late afternoon. Animal Kingdom didn't close until 6, but it was getting colder too (this was Thursday, December 9) and by now, the cold made me feel tired - mostly because I was TIRED OF THE COLD! :lol:

I checked in with my husband and all was well at the hotel, so I gave into my daughter's request to see Minnie Mouse. She had the cutest decorations!

Which led to meeting Thumper. My daughter really only wanted to meet Miss Bunny, but she went inside right before we got to her. Never to return.

(actually, Miss Bunny might have returned. The CM I asked said, "No. She won't be back out, ma'am. We close in less than 10 minutes." Later I would realize that she must have had her days confused and thought the AK was closing at 5, not 6.

We also saw Pocahontas, in long sleeves, standing all by herself, so we went over to say hello!

On our way out we saw Lilo and Stich

Finally, it was time to say "Goodbye Animal Kingdom!"

I had a feeling my family would be back on Saturday, because my son had missed his favorite ride, Expedition Everest due to being sick. That feeling turned out to be right! But more on that on Saturday.

When we got back to Pop, I was supposed to get ready and go out to eat with my family in Kissimmee, where my uncle lives, but I had missed my son and he wanted me to stay with him. So we ate dinner in our rooms. My husband and my daughter fell asleep in one room pretty early. My son had slept most of the day, so he was wide awake. We watched the Disney Channel until I couldn't take it any more - around 1:30 or 2:00 am- and went to bed.

Day 8 (December 9) - Done with a capital "D."

 

[HouCuseChickie]

NO way! Were your girls wearing their flowers in their hair? I looked the whole trip, but never saw any flowers.

That monorail thing was crazy. I was just glad I didn't work in Disney transportation that day!

DD4 was wearing a kufi hat with a green flower that day, but DD2 opted for a green bow. We looked for you guys on the 7th b/c I think you were probably leaving Chef Mickey's around the time we got to the CR, but no such luck.

Yeah- the monorail issues cost us dinner at 'Ohana. I was not happy, but I guess it could have been worse. Oh well.

 

[erstwo]

Day 9 - Friday, December 10

I let my sister choose the park for our last full day of touring. She chose MK. Good choice in my opinion! Nothing says Disney more than walking down Main Street.

My sister and parents were at the rope drop for Toon Town and made it through Minnie's house, Mickey's house, and the Barnstormer in short order.

My husband and I stayed behind a little longer with our kids, trying to observe that "24 hour rule" with our son. By about 10:30 (that's about 23 1/2 hours ) we were on a bus to the MK.

When we walked in, Main Street seemed crowded.

We saw the barber shop quartet serenading this lady:

So sweet!

It was almost lunchtime, and I was already hungry, so I decided to stop by the Main Street bakery for a snack. It was busy, busy.

My husband and son went on ahead and joined my sister and parents at the Teacups.

By the time my daughter and I caught up with them, they were already inside Pooh:

It took forever for them to exit Pooh. After about 10 minutes, I went into the exit/ gift shop and noticed it wasn't just our party. No one was getting off of the ride. Evidently, they were stopped for quite a while. Eventually, they were able to exit and we headed for Frontierland. First we rode Splash, which had little to no wait and then we went to meet Woody and Jesse.

 

[erstwo]

I think I've mentioned before that my younger niece is a huge Toy Story fan.

There was quite the line!

Never noticed this sign before - love those Disney firsts!

A little in line entertainment:

Our turn!

Next, we decided to split up. I can't for the life of me remember where/ what my sister and the rest of my family did. Maybe Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then shopping on Main Street?

ETA- I think they/ we ate at Casey's during that time too:

I wanted my daughter to see Minnie's house one last time. She talks about it all the time. So we went to say goodbye.

On our way through Fantasyland, we rode the Carousel:

 

[erstwo]

It was so sad to see how much Disney had let "the houses" go. I know there's not much reason to keep them up when you're going to tear them down, but so many things, like the floor in Minnie's sunroom were just terrible. The paint was completely worn away.

I bet 95% of the people there with me that day (and over the busy holiday season) have no idea that they are tearing the houses down and will just think that Disney has gotten a little shabby in the upkeep department.

I love these curtains. I think they might fit in my daughter's room. Do you think they'd sell them to me? Wouldn't it be SO cool to say - "Oh those? Those were in Minnie's house at WDW."

Closet left open in the middle of the day. :-(

 

[erstwo]

We walked slowly out of Toon Town, saying goodbye to everything -

And made our way toward Main Street. After the transportation debacle Wednesday night, my sister didn't want to take any chances with our Hoop De Doo reservation. We were headed for Ft. Wilderness by 3:15.

I think the Plaza is my favorite refurb on Main Street!

After checking in for the HDD, we rode the ponies:

And horsed around in other ways:

And finally it was time for the food & fun!

Seated upstairs, but we loved it!

 

[becanya]

I'm so sad that we won't get another chance to see Mickey's house...my mom wanted to see it so bad this time but I put her off because we had done it earlier in the week. So sad.

You guys like Casey's, don't you? Wasn't that the second time you had eaten there?

 

[erstwo]

I'm so sad that we won't get another chance to see Mickey's house...my mom wanted to see it so bad this time but I put her off because we had done it earlier in the week. So sad.

You guys like Casey's, don't you? Wasn't that the second time you had eaten there?

I know. I understand why some people are glad to see it go and I'm excited about progress, but it's always hard to accept change that has warm, fuzzy memories attached to it!

I *think* this was the only time we ate at Casey's this trip. We ate at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe the first two days at MK, and the third "supposed to be MK" day we ate at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We did eat at Casey's in October. Maybe that was it?

 

[erstwo]

The Hoop De Doo was amazing.

I had forgotten until we were seated that we were supposed to text a good friend and see if their friends were performing in the HDD that night. So I texted and when the "Sixpence" (or whatever his name is ......) character came by I asked him if our 'friends of friends' were there that night. Turns out they were not. I guess the husband in our 'friends of friends' duo plays Ryan Seacrest at American Idol most days now, and his wife does a couple of different performance jobs at the MK.

But even with no one we knew in the show, it was still spectacular! I honestly didn't expect much. My sister was the one who insisted on the Hoop De Doo and since it was 'her trip,' I went along with it. She made a great choice. I love to laugh, and this performance made me laugh - a lot! :xmas:

After the show was over, we made our way back to the boat launch and back toward the MK. There was quite a long wait for a boat. It was a MVMCP, and lots of people were headed there!

Once off the boat, we had quite a long wait for a bus back to Pop. I don't know if it was because we had missed the park closing crowd or what, but the 15 or so of us waiting had to shiver in the cold for about 45 minutes.

Finally home, we packed and cleaned up and got ready for our final day! Departure Day!!! :xmas:

 

[erstwo]

Day 10 - The Final Day - Saturday, December 11, 2010

Well, that dreaded day finally dawned. Honestly, it wasn't too dreaded, as I was REALLY, REALLY ready to sleep in my own bed and be at my own house at this point.

My parents stopped by early to say they wouldn't be going to a park with us. They had decided to stop in Atlanta to visit the American Girl store to pick up some Christmas gifts for the granddaughters. We shared a few favorite memories from the trip, wished them safe travels and sent them on their way.

We packed, and packed, and packed the car (and by we, I mean me :lookaroun:), returned our rented stroller (Orlando Stroller Rentals - once again, I highly recommend them!) to Luggage Services.

My sister called to say that they were packed and headed to Epcot. After asking what their favorite rides were of the whole trip, my youngest niece answered, "Test Track." And my oldest niece answered, "Soarin." So off they went.

My brother and his girlfriend didn't have to be back at Pop for the Magical Express until 12 noon, so they decided to spend the morning at Magic Kingdom.

True to my predictions, my son was dying to get his chance to conquer Everest, so we headed to Animal Kingdom.

When we got there, my husband and son ran straight for Everest, while my daughter and I stopped at the tea stand for a drink and a snack. We found a great table where we could eat and watch the - very active- monkeys.

After riding twice, once in Standby and once on Fastpass, my husband and son returned to inform me that my son wanted me to ride with him on his last trip on Everest. Ummmmmmm.......... let's remember, I'm the chicken who kept my eyes closed the whole time the first time!

But who am I to turn down my son, so off we went!

Using the Fastpasses, my husband and son had gotten with my daughter and my tickets.

I kept my eyes open this time. Much better that way. Saw the Yeti. He didn't move. Not one little bit.

My husband took a little trip on one of the trails with my daughter while we were on the ride. I called him and we were on our way out of the gates around 11.

Good bye Animal Kingdom! Good bye Disney!

Sad to leave, but excited to get home! We were able to make the return trip in one day. We arrived home about midnight, but it was soooooo worth it when I got into MY bed that night! Best sleep I had in a long time.

All in all it was a trip filled with joy, magic, and fabulous memories! Don't think I'll ever do 10 days again. I think 6 nights is about my limit, but I'm a bit of a homebody that way.

Thanks for coming on this memory filled trip report with me everybody! :wave:

Merry Christmas to all! And to all A Magical, Disney filled night!!!!
:wave:

 

[LeafsFanNL]

Day 7 was Wednesday, December 8 - the day before your arrival right? Or did you arrive on Friday? I've forgotten now too!

All boats were running, but because of the monorail situation, it was a long line to get on the boat!

I was sad about the WL thing too, but that's on our "next time" list!

ETA- I DO plan to get back to this trip report soon! I have Day 8 uploaded, now to just find the time to type it up!

Day before my arrival. Thursday was our first day.

 

[LeafsFanNL]

You know, we had just enough snack credits left the last night to bring home Mickey Mouse rice crispies for all of our neighbor friends, and we forgot to stop by the food court and get them! How terrible is that? Oh, well, next time!

This is where Disney makes a fortune off the DDP. This coming from a recent convert into not having the dining plan, if we have to pay for it at least.

 

[erstwo]

This is where Disney makes a fortune off the DDP. This coming from a recent convert into not having the dining plan, if we have to pay for it at least.

Yes, I somewhat agree. But we didn't pay this time, Free Dining. Although, we still paid in the form of 25% more for our value room....... the math came out really close for us. For my sister and parents, and brother (who only had 1 room each), it was a deal for sure.

 

[LeafsFanNL]

When we next stay at a mod, we'll make sure it is during free dining. Then we'll probably spend the extra to upgrade to DDP. Paying the whole shot for the DDP is out for us.

 

[LeafsFanNL]

I just added some thoughts to my TR if you get a chance to look.

 

[erstwo]

I meant to add this to my Trip Report, but forgot.

We were there during the dreaded Pop Warner Week.

For those who told me that the Pop Warner folks don't show up at the parks, all I have to say is........ "Somebody lied to me!" :lol: (This will only be funny if you read the whole trip report..... and even then.....:lookaroun)

They were everywhere. They had matching EVERYTHING. Tshirts, sweatshirts, and rather expensive looking jackets. The cheer groups had matching everything too; besides the tops there were matching flip flops, matching sweatpants, and some excessively large, over layered hairbows (and let's consider the source on this one:

(excuse the mess and focus on the hairbow. )

Never once did I have a problem with any of them. NO rudeness. No cheering in unwanted places. No problems on the buses. Nothing. Nadda. Zilch.

Just felt I should add that in. I'm sure I was lucky, but I bet I saw between 200 - 300 different Pop Warner participants, mostly in groups of 6 or 7 with 1 or 2 adults (for football groups) or groups of 10 to 15 with 3 or 4 adults (for cheer groups) and had no problems.

Just didn't want everyone to worry about it as much as I did. Turns out you can go during Pop Warner and still have a great week! :xmas:

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I meant to add this to my Trip Report, but forgot.

We were there during the dreaded Pop Warner Week.

For those who told me that the Pop Warner folks don't show up at the parks, all I have to say is........ "Somebody lied to me!" :lol: (This will only be funny if you read the whole trip report..... and even then.....:lookaroun)

They were everywhere. They had matching EVERYTHING. Tshirts, sweatshirts, and rather expensive looking jackets. The cheer groups had matching everything too; besides the tops there were matching flip flops, matching sweatpants, and some excessively large, over layered hairbows (and let's consider the source on this one:

(excuse the mess and focus on the hairbow. )

Never once did I have a problem with any of them. NO rudeness. No cheering in unwanted places. No problems on the buses. Nothing. Nadda. Zilch.

Just felt I should add that in. I'm sure I was lucky, but I bet I saw between 200 - 300 different Pop Warner participants, mostly in groups of 6 or 7 with 1 or 2 adults (for football groups) or groups of 10 to 15 with 3 or 4 adults (for cheer groups) and had no problems.

Just didn't want everyone to worry about it as much as I did. Turns out you can go during Pop Warner and still have a great week! :xmas:

Interesting that you bring this up. We didn't see a ton of Pop Warner kids...in fact, I think we saw more parents than kids. Either way, the ones we did see were VERY well behaved. There was only one group that caught my attention - b/c they were cheering on their way to the bus - but even then, the cheering was being done in normal speaking volumes and not full on cheer volumes. In any event- I totally agree about going during Pop Warner week and being able to have a great time.