brazen wench
12-10-2005, 04:08 PM
Some WDW trips just seem better than others, and this was a great one. Some of that was due to comfortable weather and low crowds, and some was because, for the first time, I didn't feel like I had to be a commando. I've wondered about what makes someone cross into veteran status, and I've decided that that change in attitude is it. I did have advance plans, but we changed many things depending on our mood, and I really enjoyed touring that way. So, here's my first trip report for me and my 15-year-old son.
Friday, Dec. 2
Left NC at 7 am and drove 9 hours to WDW. Because of the BRP, we stayed at Caribbean Beach for the first time. Check-in at Custom House was fast and easy. We unloaded the car, but when I got to the room in Aruba 51, I noticed a few things wrong, such as badly scratched furniture and a dirty faucet. Still, we thought we could live with it, and drove to MGM to exchange our AP vouchers and pick up MVMCP tix. The guest relations line was long; it took 25 min to finish. Went on ToT and had one of the best rides ever. We had five drops, and each view was of the beautiful sunset. Next was RnRC, great as always. Shared chicken strips from Rosie's while waiting for 7 pm Fantasmic. I thought this would be fairly empty, but by the time we walked in, it was standing-room only. Son didn't want to see it that way, so headed to Pin Station to buy MGM/AP and Osbourne Spectacle of Lights pins and drove to DTD, where we got sundaes at Ghiarardelli with a 2-for-1 coupon. Went to Lego, where son found the Ferrari Racing Set of his dreams. When I paid, as a bonus they gave us a free box to fill off the Lego wall. We took our time and had a lot of fun filling it to the max, using the Potato Head strategy :). Returned to room at 11, and realized it was worse than we thought, and actually, was unacceptable. The chairs had chunks of wood missing from the arms, and when we went to move one, it completely fell apart. So I called the front desk, and was offered a preferred location room in Trinidad North. I accepted even though we were very tired, but asked for Bell Services so I wouldn't have to repack my small car; bellman arrived within minutes and even brought new room keys. We quickly moved to building 33, which was a great location for bus stop and Old Port Royale access. I understand the additional charge for this type of room, but wouldn't like having to fork over extra bucks for it. CB is a nice resort, but I definitely prefer POR and hope that with the BRP, CB isn't my only future option.
Saturday, Dec. 3
Got to MK at 8 for our Crystal Palace ADR. CMs were setting up for the taping of the ABC Christmas Day parade, but we had no trouble getting through Main Street. Great breakfast. Went to Frontierland and walked onto Splash. BTMRR had a posted wait of 20 min, but both sides were running and we walked on twice. Walking over to Tomorrowland, there were a few parade detours, and we ran into a bunch of Disney Channel and movie characters heading toward the taping. Took pics of the Christmas Tree, which was temporarily located near the Rose Garden b/c of the taping. Got Space FP and goofed around in arcade 'til ride time. Headed out of MK, stopping in Uptown Jewelers. The stage for Regis and Kelly was well-hidden behind equipment and evergreen trees, but we caught a glimpse of them. Took a break at resort before heading to Epcot by 4:30. Walked around WS to the Schocolate Moussse meet. Having never met anyone from the internet before, I was nervous for this :D! But, it was fun for son and I to meet Mark, Drince88, Kevin, Mike, WillCad, and Gary. There was another couple there also (sorry, I'm unsure of their names; maybe Kathy?). Mark kindly treated us to the famous mousse, we made a toast and took pics, Kevin gave us a copy of his new Disneyland book, and I got a MousePlanet button :). We next went to watch some of Candlelight Processional from outside the theater. Leaving, the standby line for the next show stretched about 1/4 mile. Continued around WS to Mexico, where we ate dinner at the Cantina; shopped in the pavilion, where I found some cool earrings for my daughter; and rode Rio. At 8 pm, people were already claiming Illuminations spots, so we found a great one on the fence by Mexico to wait. I bought a blanket in the outdoor gift shop for us to sit on while we relaxed and talked with some other guests. The holiday Illuminations was amazing. A young man standing near us was on his first trip to WDW, and he was so awed that when it was over, he called out, "Thank you, Walt!" Cute to see. After, we took lots of pictures of the Arch and tree, bought Epcot Holidays Around the World pins, and watched the fountains. Went to DTD and had some fun shopping at World of Disney.
Sunday, 12-4
Got to MGM by 10 and got FPs for RnRC and the 1:15 LMA. Son wanted to take Backlot Tour b/c he knew that Herbie the Love Bug was on display. Of course, it was a walk-on and there were only eight of us in total on the ride. I hadn't been on this in over 10 years, but without a wait, it was actually enjoyable, and we got some great pics of Herbie, including a surprise few of the LMA Herbie car as it was about to head out; Earful Tower; and Walt's plane. Walked up Streets of America for our lunch ADR at Sci-Fi Dine-In. Shared the BLT soup, which was excellent. I had a great Reuben, and loved it. I'd heard that the ribs were good, so on my misguided advice, son tried them and they were awful; that's what North Carolinians get for trying 'cue in a theme park, lol. After lunch, had a 10-min wait for GMR, and then went into LMA and had very good seats. Returned to room to recharge camera battery and relax before MVMCP. Got to MK by 4:40 and got wristbands at the special MVMCP entrance. Watched the Dapper Dans Christmas set. Went on BTMRR, and then Splash twice without getting off. By 6:15, went to Pecos Bill's for burgers while waiting for MVMCP to start. Walked through Adventureland, where a great brass band was playing, and had a 10-min wait for our photo. We split up for a short while so I could go to Exposition Hall to get our MVMCP and AP pins, and then to Uptown Jewelers to buy the previous nights' MVMCP pins. That took about an hour, so by then, we found a great parade spot near the Plaza restaurant. Got cookies and cocoa while waiting. We'd seen the Christmas parade last year, but it was still outstanding. After, we moved to the curb opposite the Castle to wait for Holiday Wishes, which was incredible. The lights on the castle were wonderful and the fireworks were breathtaking. Went to Galaxy Theater and saw Mickey's 'Twas The Night Before Christmas Show, which was just okay, imo. The Celebrate The Season Show at the Castle, which I saw at the end of the night, had all the same characters plus more, and was much better overall. After 'Twas, we split up b/c son wanted to go on rides and I wanted to see the 2nd parade, which I watched from almost the same spot. He hooked up with a hippie family and rode Space three times, Splash twice, and BTMRR twice. We got a last cocoa and left MK at 12:30 am.
Monday, Dec. 5
Last night, we didn't get to bed 'til 2 am, so when I woke at 9, I rethought the day and decided we needed to take it easy. We drove to ASMo resort to visit Herbie, and then went to Premium (Premier?) Outlets, where I got a few holiday gifts at Fendi and Adidas. Went to Boardwalk to see the decorations; they have a beautiful gingerbread toy shop with a train there. Went back to room to change for Boma dinner, and drove to AKL. Boma was crowded, probably due to the dining plan, and we waited 35 min for a table. I was feeling flu-ish, so dinner wasn't as great as usual for me, but we still left very full. Had planned on going to Adventurers tonite, but couldn't summon the energy, so walked off some food at DTD, browsed, and were back in room by 11.
Tuesday, 12/6
Originally, we planned to go to MK, and when it closed at 6, head to the Grand Floridian for dinner at Park Fare. Then, it dawned on me to buy tix for that night's MVMCP, so I walked over to Old Port Royale and bought a little extra magic. Later that morning, we drove over to the GF to see their gingerbread house and tree. Luckily, the guard at the booth was unaware of my cancelled ADR b/c they were only allowing resort guests and ADR holders to park there, and I was still on the list. The gingerbread house is just incredibly beautiful, with numerous chocolate figures and scenes on the outside. Inside is a store selling gingerbread houses, ornaments, and chocolates. I bought a huge poinsetta-decorated chocolate thingy that's really a display piece. The GF tree is absolutely outstanding. Went back to resort to catch bus to MK for MVMCP. Walking down Main Street, we stopped to listen to the Dapper Dans and I made a reluctant son dance with me. The Photopass guy took lots of pics, but I haven't looked at them yet. Went to Fantasyland and shared a panini from Pinochio's. Walked onto Philharmagic, and then over to BTMRR. Went to Rose Garden to get wristbands. Stitch was a 5-min wait, and since son had never been on, we did it; now he understands ;). Space was a walk-on, so we rode right and left sides. Indy had almost no wait, so we drove. Walked through Fantasyland and Donald was just coming out to his tree lot for pics, so we got some with no wait. It was cold, so bought son a sweatshirt at Sir Mickey's. Walked onto HM. Then, we basically did the same MVMCP routine as the other night, but skipped the shows. After Wishes, we walked onto Snow White, IASW, and PoTC. We watched the 2nd parade in Frontierland, which is a nice view. Then we went on Splash and had our own car, so while I bought our pic, son rode the last ride of the night.
Wednesday, 12/7
It looked like rain, so after driving to AK, we rethought our plans and instead went to Epcot, where we had some lunch at the Cantina and leisurely walked WS, stopping for holiday storytelling and browsing the stores. Drove to MGM and rode RnRC twice before heading for the Osbourne lights, which were amazing. Son was thrilled when I went to get a soda and found a Herbie: Fully Loaded souvenier cup; no one wants these but us, lol. Left at 7:30 to go back to room to pick up some trading pins, and went to DTD, where son made some good trades and was happy. I was thrilled when I scored a cast lanyard Pirate Mickey pin in a trade; I've seen that one on ebay, but pins don't mean anything to me unless I get them onsite. Had dinner at Wolfgang Puck's in DTD Marketplace, which was very good; they now have waiters to bring the food to your table, so it's a little easier to eat there.
Thursday, 12/8
Drove to Whispering Canyon Cafe for 10 am ADR. We had the all-you-can-eat skillets and Sheriff shakes, which is our traditional last-day breakfast; our waitress was very good and everything was great as usual. Back to the Caribbean to pack up the car. Made one last stop at DTD's Days of Christmas for some holiday Eeyore's as gifts. This year's holiday plushes are really cute and have very detailed, beautiful costumes along with music and/or lights. Finally, left WDW at 2 pm and drove home through 11 hours of rain and fog. That was the 2nd wildest ride in the wilderness :D.
Well, if you've stayed with me this long, I hope you enjoyed it!
Friday, Dec. 2
Left NC at 7 am and drove 9 hours to WDW. Because of the BRP, we stayed at Caribbean Beach for the first time. Check-in at Custom House was fast and easy. We unloaded the car, but when I got to the room in Aruba 51, I noticed a few things wrong, such as badly scratched furniture and a dirty faucet. Still, we thought we could live with it, and drove to MGM to exchange our AP vouchers and pick up MVMCP tix. The guest relations line was long; it took 25 min to finish. Went on ToT and had one of the best rides ever. We had five drops, and each view was of the beautiful sunset. Next was RnRC, great as always. Shared chicken strips from Rosie's while waiting for 7 pm Fantasmic. I thought this would be fairly empty, but by the time we walked in, it was standing-room only. Son didn't want to see it that way, so headed to Pin Station to buy MGM/AP and Osbourne Spectacle of Lights pins and drove to DTD, where we got sundaes at Ghiarardelli with a 2-for-1 coupon. Went to Lego, where son found the Ferrari Racing Set of his dreams. When I paid, as a bonus they gave us a free box to fill off the Lego wall. We took our time and had a lot of fun filling it to the max, using the Potato Head strategy :). Returned to room at 11, and realized it was worse than we thought, and actually, was unacceptable. The chairs had chunks of wood missing from the arms, and when we went to move one, it completely fell apart. So I called the front desk, and was offered a preferred location room in Trinidad North. I accepted even though we were very tired, but asked for Bell Services so I wouldn't have to repack my small car; bellman arrived within minutes and even brought new room keys. We quickly moved to building 33, which was a great location for bus stop and Old Port Royale access. I understand the additional charge for this type of room, but wouldn't like having to fork over extra bucks for it. CB is a nice resort, but I definitely prefer POR and hope that with the BRP, CB isn't my only future option.
Saturday, Dec. 3
Got to MK at 8 for our Crystal Palace ADR. CMs were setting up for the taping of the ABC Christmas Day parade, but we had no trouble getting through Main Street. Great breakfast. Went to Frontierland and walked onto Splash. BTMRR had a posted wait of 20 min, but both sides were running and we walked on twice. Walking over to Tomorrowland, there were a few parade detours, and we ran into a bunch of Disney Channel and movie characters heading toward the taping. Took pics of the Christmas Tree, which was temporarily located near the Rose Garden b/c of the taping. Got Space FP and goofed around in arcade 'til ride time. Headed out of MK, stopping in Uptown Jewelers. The stage for Regis and Kelly was well-hidden behind equipment and evergreen trees, but we caught a glimpse of them. Took a break at resort before heading to Epcot by 4:30. Walked around WS to the Schocolate Moussse meet. Having never met anyone from the internet before, I was nervous for this :D! But, it was fun for son and I to meet Mark, Drince88, Kevin, Mike, WillCad, and Gary. There was another couple there also (sorry, I'm unsure of their names; maybe Kathy?). Mark kindly treated us to the famous mousse, we made a toast and took pics, Kevin gave us a copy of his new Disneyland book, and I got a MousePlanet button :). We next went to watch some of Candlelight Processional from outside the theater. Leaving, the standby line for the next show stretched about 1/4 mile. Continued around WS to Mexico, where we ate dinner at the Cantina; shopped in the pavilion, where I found some cool earrings for my daughter; and rode Rio. At 8 pm, people were already claiming Illuminations spots, so we found a great one on the fence by Mexico to wait. I bought a blanket in the outdoor gift shop for us to sit on while we relaxed and talked with some other guests. The holiday Illuminations was amazing. A young man standing near us was on his first trip to WDW, and he was so awed that when it was over, he called out, "Thank you, Walt!" Cute to see. After, we took lots of pictures of the Arch and tree, bought Epcot Holidays Around the World pins, and watched the fountains. Went to DTD and had some fun shopping at World of Disney.
Sunday, 12-4
Got to MGM by 10 and got FPs for RnRC and the 1:15 LMA. Son wanted to take Backlot Tour b/c he knew that Herbie the Love Bug was on display. Of course, it was a walk-on and there were only eight of us in total on the ride. I hadn't been on this in over 10 years, but without a wait, it was actually enjoyable, and we got some great pics of Herbie, including a surprise few of the LMA Herbie car as it was about to head out; Earful Tower; and Walt's plane. Walked up Streets of America for our lunch ADR at Sci-Fi Dine-In. Shared the BLT soup, which was excellent. I had a great Reuben, and loved it. I'd heard that the ribs were good, so on my misguided advice, son tried them and they were awful; that's what North Carolinians get for trying 'cue in a theme park, lol. After lunch, had a 10-min wait for GMR, and then went into LMA and had very good seats. Returned to room to recharge camera battery and relax before MVMCP. Got to MK by 4:40 and got wristbands at the special MVMCP entrance. Watched the Dapper Dans Christmas set. Went on BTMRR, and then Splash twice without getting off. By 6:15, went to Pecos Bill's for burgers while waiting for MVMCP to start. Walked through Adventureland, where a great brass band was playing, and had a 10-min wait for our photo. We split up for a short while so I could go to Exposition Hall to get our MVMCP and AP pins, and then to Uptown Jewelers to buy the previous nights' MVMCP pins. That took about an hour, so by then, we found a great parade spot near the Plaza restaurant. Got cookies and cocoa while waiting. We'd seen the Christmas parade last year, but it was still outstanding. After, we moved to the curb opposite the Castle to wait for Holiday Wishes, which was incredible. The lights on the castle were wonderful and the fireworks were breathtaking. Went to Galaxy Theater and saw Mickey's 'Twas The Night Before Christmas Show, which was just okay, imo. The Celebrate The Season Show at the Castle, which I saw at the end of the night, had all the same characters plus more, and was much better overall. After 'Twas, we split up b/c son wanted to go on rides and I wanted to see the 2nd parade, which I watched from almost the same spot. He hooked up with a hippie family and rode Space three times, Splash twice, and BTMRR twice. We got a last cocoa and left MK at 12:30 am.
Monday, Dec. 5
Last night, we didn't get to bed 'til 2 am, so when I woke at 9, I rethought the day and decided we needed to take it easy. We drove to ASMo resort to visit Herbie, and then went to Premium (Premier?) Outlets, where I got a few holiday gifts at Fendi and Adidas. Went to Boardwalk to see the decorations; they have a beautiful gingerbread toy shop with a train there. Went back to room to change for Boma dinner, and drove to AKL. Boma was crowded, probably due to the dining plan, and we waited 35 min for a table. I was feeling flu-ish, so dinner wasn't as great as usual for me, but we still left very full. Had planned on going to Adventurers tonite, but couldn't summon the energy, so walked off some food at DTD, browsed, and were back in room by 11.
Tuesday, 12/6
Originally, we planned to go to MK, and when it closed at 6, head to the Grand Floridian for dinner at Park Fare. Then, it dawned on me to buy tix for that night's MVMCP, so I walked over to Old Port Royale and bought a little extra magic. Later that morning, we drove over to the GF to see their gingerbread house and tree. Luckily, the guard at the booth was unaware of my cancelled ADR b/c they were only allowing resort guests and ADR holders to park there, and I was still on the list. The gingerbread house is just incredibly beautiful, with numerous chocolate figures and scenes on the outside. Inside is a store selling gingerbread houses, ornaments, and chocolates. I bought a huge poinsetta-decorated chocolate thingy that's really a display piece. The GF tree is absolutely outstanding. Went back to resort to catch bus to MK for MVMCP. Walking down Main Street, we stopped to listen to the Dapper Dans and I made a reluctant son dance with me. The Photopass guy took lots of pics, but I haven't looked at them yet. Went to Fantasyland and shared a panini from Pinochio's. Walked onto Philharmagic, and then over to BTMRR. Went to Rose Garden to get wristbands. Stitch was a 5-min wait, and since son had never been on, we did it; now he understands ;). Space was a walk-on, so we rode right and left sides. Indy had almost no wait, so we drove. Walked through Fantasyland and Donald was just coming out to his tree lot for pics, so we got some with no wait. It was cold, so bought son a sweatshirt at Sir Mickey's. Walked onto HM. Then, we basically did the same MVMCP routine as the other night, but skipped the shows. After Wishes, we walked onto Snow White, IASW, and PoTC. We watched the 2nd parade in Frontierland, which is a nice view. Then we went on Splash and had our own car, so while I bought our pic, son rode the last ride of the night.
Wednesday, 12/7
It looked like rain, so after driving to AK, we rethought our plans and instead went to Epcot, where we had some lunch at the Cantina and leisurely walked WS, stopping for holiday storytelling and browsing the stores. Drove to MGM and rode RnRC twice before heading for the Osbourne lights, which were amazing. Son was thrilled when I went to get a soda and found a Herbie: Fully Loaded souvenier cup; no one wants these but us, lol. Left at 7:30 to go back to room to pick up some trading pins, and went to DTD, where son made some good trades and was happy. I was thrilled when I scored a cast lanyard Pirate Mickey pin in a trade; I've seen that one on ebay, but pins don't mean anything to me unless I get them onsite. Had dinner at Wolfgang Puck's in DTD Marketplace, which was very good; they now have waiters to bring the food to your table, so it's a little easier to eat there.
Thursday, 12/8
Drove to Whispering Canyon Cafe for 10 am ADR. We had the all-you-can-eat skillets and Sheriff shakes, which is our traditional last-day breakfast; our waitress was very good and everything was great as usual. Back to the Caribbean to pack up the car. Made one last stop at DTD's Days of Christmas for some holiday Eeyore's as gifts. This year's holiday plushes are really cute and have very detailed, beautiful costumes along with music and/or lights. Finally, left WDW at 2 pm and drove home through 11 hours of rain and fog. That was the 2nd wildest ride in the wilderness :D.
Well, if you've stayed with me this long, I hope you enjoyed it!