Now I know how those frozen Mickey ice cream bars feel… A December 2010 TR!

Welcome to my long overdue December 2010 Trip Report! Click on the link below to check out my pre-trip report and see how well we stuck to our proposed schedule…

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=542663

First off, let me explain my title. The average temperature for Orlando, FL in December is 62.1 degrees. The average temperature for the week we were there was in the 40’s and it was so windy, it seemed WAY colder than that! We literally froze our rear ends off, but we still had a great time even in spite of the frost bite!

The Trip Details:
When: December 3-11, 2010
Where: Fort Wilderness Campground
Who: Here is the cast…

My sister-in-law (Brooke), me (Jon) and my wife (Brittany)

My father-in-law (Scott) and mother-in-law (Pam)

Friday December 3, 2010

We departed the great state of North Carolina Friday afternoon and drove down to St. Augustine, FL where we stopped for the night at this lovely little campground.

Saturday December 4, 2010

We were up bright and early and on the road. We would be at Walt Disney World in just a couple of hours! Before we knew it we saw this beautiful sight…

We’re there!!
Oh, what a feeling to be in Disney World! We proceeded to drive over toward the Fort Wilderness area to check in!

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Saturday December 4 continued...

After we got checked in and set up the camper, we were off to do a little resort hopping before our 5:00pm ADR’s that we had for that night.

We headed toward the Fort Wilderness dock to hop a boat over to our first stop…

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

We explored the beautiful Wilderness Lodge for a while and took lots of pictures (especially in the lobby) before heading back out to the dock to catch another boat to our next resort.

We got a nice view of Bay Lake Tower on the way to…

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

We checked out the Comtemporary and it’s decorations and then we headed upstairs to catch the monorail to our next stop…

Disney’s Polynesian Resort

This has to be one of our favorite resorts on property! Our goal is to try to stay here one day…

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Saturday December 4 continued...

Still at the Polynesian...
Here is a shot of Brittany and I in the lobby…

After we spent some time at the Polynesian, it was time to get back on the monorail...

and head over to the last resort on our tour for this day...

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

This resort is really nice and it was cool to see the huge Christmas tree and gingerbread house in the lobby, but the place is just a bit too fancy for my taste. I happened to check my iPhone and saw that it was about 4:15 so we high tailed it back over to the Fort Wilderness campground to change clothes for our 5:00 ADR at…

The Hoop Dee Doo Revue!

This is always a great time! Great food and a funny show! Just the perfect way to start off our week at the most magical place on earth!

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Saturday December 4 continued...

After the Hoop Dee Doo, there was only one place we wanted to go… This is the place that any good Disney vacation must start at…

The Magic Kingdom!

We got to Main Street, USA just before the Main Street Electrical Parade was about to start. We wanted to ride some attractions, but we were in no hurry because the Magic Kingdom had Extra Magic Hours that night until 12:00am!

After the Main Street Electrical Parade, we started heading with the herd of people toward the castle to get ready for Wishes! The castle and Main Street looked awesome all lit up and decorated for Christmas! Here are some of shots of the castle and some highlights from Wishes!

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Saturday December 4 continued...

After the fireworks were over, we were freezing, but we didn't want to leave the Magic Kingdom! We headed toward Tomorrowland and to our first and what turned out to be our only attraction of the night...

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin!

Me doing work on Buzz Lightyear!

After Buzz, we walked over to Space Mountain where we saw that there was a 120 minute wait! What?!? It was the most crowded I had ever seen the Magic Kingdom. We could hardly move in Tomorrowland and it was freezing so we decided to call it a night and rest up for our first full day in the parks the next day. We fought our way back down Main Street and through the exit. We hopped the boat back to Fort Wilderness and got back to the camper just in time to hit the sack four minutes before midnight...

 

[erstwo]

Looking forward to the rest! We were there the same time as you - December 2 - 10, so I'll be looking for us in the background of your pictures!

 

[Dianarella]

Why is it that when I'm in Florida during the winter, it never seems to be freezing? :shrug:

I wish I would go there and it would be in the 40's. What's your secret?

Really beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sarabell]

can't wait for the rest! looks like it's gonna be a good report!

 

[ladycameron]

What a great picture!

 

[blackthidot]

Great pics so far man. Looking forward to more!

 

[disneygirl1]

Hey Jon! I will be looking for me in the background of your pics! Glad you had a great time!!! OMG the cold weather totally ed me off this trip! I was not a happy camper, but we made the best of it! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Awesome TR and photos so far-can't wait for more!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We too will be looking for ourselves ... we were there Dec 7-13. Love it so far! :wave:

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Sunday December 5, 2010

We woke up bright and early and quickly got ready to head over to the bus stop for our loop to wait for the bus to come and take us to the main campground bus stop. If I have one complaint about the Fort Wilderness Campground, it's the bus system. We waited for over 30 minutes on several occasions at one of the bus stops, if not both, before we actually got on the bus for our park for that particular day. Oh well, I'm just impatient I guess.
Anyway, we waited at the bus stop for our loop for the bus to arrive to take us to the main bus stop...

Once we got to the main stop, bus after bus came... but not we one we wanted...

Finally, our bus came and we were in route to our first full day in the parks! Much like the monorail system, I love being on Disney buses! I love the music and the voice that plays over the speaker. Something about that makes using public transportation not so bad because you are in WDW! After a fairly long commute, we arrived at our destination for the day...

Disney's Animal Kingdom!

This park takes a lot of heat on these boards, but really like DAK. I know there is not an overwhelming amount of things to do here, but to me, this is a park to take your time and walk around in because there are so many details to take in. The theming in Animal Kingdom is truly unmatched not to mention it has one of my favorite attractions in WDW. So, into the park we went...
Upon entering the park, we decided to head toward Africa...

We always have a hard time deciding which way to go when we first enter Animal Kingdom, Africa or Asia. Ultimately we chose Africa because we wanted to take an early morning journey on...

Kilimangaro Safaris!

I'll save you from the customary Kilimangaro Safaris pictures of the the same animals you've seen a millions times but please click on the link to my youtube videos at the bottom of my posts to view my videos of KS among other attractions and shows.
I love this attraction! I love seeing the animals up close and I don't even mind the story line... Simba One!

After our journey through the African outback, we took a stroll through the Pangnai Forest to get a close up look at some wild animals we didn't get to see on our safari... The Go-ril-a!

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Sunday December 5 continued...

After we spent some time with the gorillas, it was almost time for our first show of the day. Actually, it would be our first show of the trip! As we walked, we took the time to look around and take in all of the details that make Animal Kingdom so great. There were also subtle Christmas decorations throughout the park, which mixed the magic of Disney with the spirit of Christmas.

It wasn't long before we had made our way over to Camp Minnie Mickey - the location of the show.

When we got to the Camp Minnie Mickey area, we still had a few minutes before the show was to start. We had just enough time to take part in a tradition Scott and I have each time we visit Walt Disney World. This is something that we enjoy not only in Animal Kingdom but in all of the Disney parks...

Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches!

Us making a wise investment.

The money shot.

After our delicious treat, it was finally time for the show to start! This is one of our favorite shows at WDW and it is a must see every time we go to Animal Kingdom. That show, of course, is...

The Festival of the Lion King!

We love this show! So much action and energy!
After the show was over, we headed out to explore the rest of the park. We passed these guys on the way...

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Sunday December 5 continued...

These guys weren't far behind their uncle Donald...

We made our way out of Africa and toward the center of the park to see what was going on around the park's icon, the Tree of Life. In the distance loomed my favorite attraction at Animal Kingdom and my second favorite overall in Walt Disney World...

We checked things out around the Tree of Life and then headed toward the base of the tree for another great show that we never miss... It's Tough to be a Bug!

Whenever we do It's Tough to be a Bug, I always love to take my time going through the queue so I can try to find as many animals as I can carved into the Tree of Life. It is really amazing how much time and effort was put in to the design of the tree.

Everyone in my group kept telling me to "come on" and "quit taking pictures" because the show was about to begin! I snapped a couple more shots and made my way in to the pre show area to meet up with my party. If you never have, take the time to check out the posters in the pre show area. They are hilarious! We only had a wait a couple of minutes before the doors opened for the show. We took the customary bug eye shot while we waited...

Britt, me & Scott

After It's Tough to be a Bug, we decided it was time to make our way toward the other side of the park. We walked for a little while and before long we were entering...

Asia!

I love all the theming in Animal Kingdom, but I especially love Asia. Disney uses SO much detail here. I can only say so much, pictures do the talking so much better than I ever could...

That's just a taste. I took more pictures than I'm willing to admit. I think I could do an entire trip report with typing a word and everyone would know exactly what I did while I was at WDW. Haha.
If you are familiar with Animal Kingdom at all, by my pictures, you know exactly where we are heading next...

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Sunday December 5 continued...

As we continued to make our way through Asia, our destination towered over the park in the distance...

I've mentioned many times already the incredible theming in Animal Kingdom and especially in Asia... well, this only becomes more evident as you approach the forbidden mountain...

We finally made our way to the base of Everest! The build up and the excitement of seeing the mountain in the background as we worked our way toward it had us ready to explode. It was time to face the yeti and ride Expedition Everest!

I love the queue for Expedition Everest. I think it is the best at Walt Disney World (followed closely by TOT). I could post a dozen pictures of the queue alone, but I'll spare you by just posting a few...

This is one queue I actually LIKE waiting in because of all the detail! There is so much to look at and discover. I love the Fast Pass, but if you've never been through the regular queue for Expedition Everest, you're really missing out!
After making our way through the queue, we turned the corner and saw this wonderful sight...

We boarded our trains and were ready to roll. I turned around to get a quick shot of Brooke and Brittany... It looks like they are ready to face the yeti!

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Sunday December 5 continued...

We were on Expedition Everest and heading up the mountain to face the mythical beast, when suddenly the track in front of us stopped! It had been destroyed by... something...

You'll either have to go to WDW or click on my youtube link at the bottom of my posts to find out what happens next on Expedition Everest... but it goes a little something like this...

All I'll say is that somehow we made it out alive... I recommend going through the regular queue at least once per trip, but you can't go wrong with these...

Here are a couple of shots as we left the Everest area...

Upon leaving Asia, we passed by the Nemo show (which we decided not to do since we did it on our trip back in 2008 and the times were not going to work out with our plans) and we quickly got to our next destination...

Now, I will admit that Dinoland USA is pretty lame. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place for kids, but it reminds me a lot of the county/state fair back home. Kind of like the Tomorrowland Speedway in the Magic Kingdom. Just doesn't seem up to Disney standards... just my opinion. Anyway, there is not a lot for us to do in Dinoland. The only thing worth taking the time to ride is...

I actually really like Dinosaur and I think that even though it is rough and loud, it is an underrated attraction. However, after this there is absolutely nothing else for anyone over the age of 12 to do in Dinoland. So with that being said, we exited stage left. We headed back through the park the way we came to kill a little time before our ADR's for the evening and we also wanted to get a prime viewing spot for Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade! We headed back through Asia and I got a great shot that I had been wanting to get, but had forgotten earlier in the day...

 

[MEyeSeeKayEY]

Sunday December 5 continued...

We made our way back all the way through Asia and into Africa and I took a couple of good shots along the way...

When we finally got back to Africa, it was just about time for the parade to begin. I ran into one of the shops because I was looking for a camera strap. No luck with the camera strap but I found this shirt (which I didn't get, but thought it was funny)...

I met back up with my group just in time for the parade to start. It was a fun parade and I really liked all the floats, but all in all, I like the Magic Kingdom parades better. Here is a couple of shots from Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade...

After the parade we were all starving and it was just about time for our ADR's at this wild little place that we always love to eat at when we are at Animal Kingdom...

After our lovely meal, Animal Kingdom was closing so we headed toward the exit... It was a long yet fun day and it wasn't over yet... We still had two more stops before we called it a night. Our first stop after leaving Animal Kingdom was a quick trip to Downtown Disney. We always have to make a trip to the Christmas store and I was still on my mission to find that elusive camera strap! I figured if this place didn't have it, nobody would...

I was right! They had the strap I was looking for! I got it and a shirt and Brittany and I headed over to the park that was open late for Extra Magic Hours on this particular night...

Hollywood Studios!

The place was practically empty! It was great! We headed straight toward my favorite attraction in all of Walt Disney World...

The Tower of Terror!!

The Tower of Terror was a walk on, so we rode it 3 times in a row before we decided to go ride the Rock'n' Roller Coaster. It had a minimal wait also, so we rode it twice and then went back to the Tower of Terror. We walked around for a little while and made the Great Movie Ride our last attraction of the night. I love EMH at night when the park is almost empty!! It was a great night and more importantly, a great first full day at Disney! We headed back to Fort Wilderness to try and get some rest for another fun filled day on Monday.


Monday December 6, 2010


Today, we did the unthinkable... We cheated on Disney and went to Sea World. It is a tradition of ours when we go to Orlando, and even though we are not proud of our actions, we enjoy a good day at Sea World! I will not post any pictures from this day though out of respect for Disney.
Our original plan was to hit the Magic Kingdom that night for Extra Magic hours, but Orlando had like the coldest day in it's history that day and the wind chill was like 19 degrees, so we decided to call it an early night. It worked out well because we had a VERY early ADR on Tuesday morning... Sorry, Disney, we would be better tomorrow and the rest of the week; I promise.


.

 

[lisak09]

Loving the TR, great looking at all the photos. I also loved that Tigger t-shirt. How cute!