Melissa Szydlek - December 2005 - Pop Century, Port Orleans French Quarter

Time of Year: Holiday
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: PCR, POFQ
Accommodations: Standard rooms
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Infrequent
Comments: A year and a half after learning she had cancer and surviving all that followed it was time for Melissa and her husband to relax with a long Walt Disney World vacation.

Melissa Szydlek -- December 2005 - Walt Disney World (PCR, POFQ)

Who

Melissa, age 30, cancer survivor, diabetic, super-secretary and trip writer
Nick, age 35, Melissa’s very kind and patient hubby, architect and keeper of the sugar free treats

Previous Trips

Once each when we were kids, but neither of us remembers anything, so does that still count? WDW 1999 (Honeymoon Trip - All Star Music) and 2002 (Port Orleans Riverside)

Background (Or, "The phone rang, and it was cancer.")

I was diagnosed with diabetes in July, 2003. I never realized how funny diabetes was until I was diagnosed. I have type 2, which is the more "popular" of the two forms. There must be a reason type 2 is so popular. The millions of type 2 diabetics can’t be wrong. We planned a trip to WDW for early 2004, then, the phone rang…

…and it was cancer. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer in April, 2004. I was 29 years old. It was devastating; I’ll be honest with you. My chance to have a baby was gone with the utterance of one word, and on top of that, I had lost my mom four years earlier to breast cancer. My mom was only 47 when she died. I was pretty tore up the first week after my diagnosis. Even though I was diabetic, I decided to walk on the dangerous side of the street that week and I ate a lot of real candy bars. My sugar shot up, I felt really sick, and after a week I decided to pick myself up and fight. My husband, Nick, had to hide the sugar free treats and dole them out when I needed chocolate. I went through some of those "stages" of dealing with a stressful situation that people talk about sometimes – you know, anger, denial, acceptance, etc. Mostly, though, I stayed ANGRY. Angry and crazy. I thought that if I stayed insane enough, the cancer wouldn’t take me seriously and would leave me alone.

The thing that helped me the most was TUMOR HUMOR. Laughing about it and making fun of it got me through a lot of lonely and scary days and nights. When you have a disease, you automatically have the right to make fun of it. One good thing about cancer was that it made my diabetes less scary.

I am a year past surgery and treatments. I am still here. Wow. I even went back to school to finish my degree. I know I’ve survived cancer because I’m back in the family rotation for taking out the garbage. Yeah, things are getting back to normal. I constantly have the "what-if" syndrome, like "what if the cancer comes back" but I’m really trying hard to get my life back together. My biggest problem is losing weight. I dropped fifty pounds, that’s Five-Oh pounds, like it was nothing before the hysterectomy. Now, I’m stumped. I walk, I try to eat right, I take the stairs and not the elevator, I park a million miles away from anywhere, and I’m still a very big girl. But that’s another story. Let’s get to the Disney stuff.

Planning: "Here's something we can see in Disney World. They got an all bear band."
–Archie Bunker, All In The Family (1971)

Part of the planning involves preparing myself for all that walking I will be doing, so I’m doing about two miles a day right now – a mile throughout the work day and another mile at home on the treadmill. I may be big, but I’m pretty darn agile for a big girl.

Since I have been able to keep up the exercise, I started my planning. I really, really, really wanted to stay at Wilderness Lodge. Really. I called Disney and they didn’t have a standard view room available for our dates. No fair. I put the deposit down on the courtyard view anyway and felt guilty about it because of the amount of money we would have to spend to stay there. Our original plan was to get the room only reservation and then buy annual passes as December got closer. Then, Disney announced their wacky new AP booking policy, with the one nights non-refundable deposit requirement and I said…well, let’s just say I was not happy. Stupid rules anyway. Then, I got to thinking about Disney’s Dining Plan and how it really looked like a great deal. Since I am the cancer survivor here, I decided to have a travel agent take care of all of our reservations so I wouldn’t have to worry about packages and reservation numbers and making Priority Seating, I mean Advanced Seating reservations, etc., etc., etc. I called up Mouse Ear Vacations and Sandy was on the job right away. She cancelled my previous reservations and booked December 19-27 at Port Orleans, French Quarter with a Magic Your Way Package, 8-day tickets, with Park Hopper option and the Disney Dining plan.

Even though Nick and I will be driving down from Detroit, we decided to get travel insurance anyway. It was for just in case we got sick before or during the trip, had to see a doctor while there, etc. etc. Disney’s vacation travel plan, for those who do not know, does NOT cover pre-existing conditions. There go those silly rules again. So, with Sandy’s help, we contacted CSA Travel Insurance and got their gold plan, which covers both Nick and I and our pre-existing conditions.

I’m just waiting and hoping for a Christmas miracle that Disney will give some sort of discount on something, on anything, before we go. Right now they have specials where if you go before early October, the Dining Plan is free. FREE! Disney, can you hear me? Give the big girl something for free, please?

Nick and I fully understand that Disney will most likely be packed when we go. We will take things in stride and enjoy the parks despite the crowds. So, now the hard part begins. Waiting. And Waiting. And reading everyone else’s trip reports and constantly repeating, "no fair" as I read. As I write this, Sandy my travel agent is at Disney. Someone send me some Pixie Dust. I am in withdrawal. I have my Passporter book by the Marx family and the Bob Sehlinger book and I’m planning away. Nick and I fully expect there to be huge amounts of people there, but that is ok by us. I think when I get there I will probably just break down and cry. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see the most magical place on earth again, and it will be a privilege that God blessed me with another chance. Who needs to worry about rushing to the next ride? I’m just happy to be ALIVE!

Since we are on the dining plan, I have all ready emailed Sandy our preferences for table service restaurants and she will make those arrangements for us when we are 90 days out, which is sometime in September I think. Nick and I have decided to eat at the following table service restaurants, one for each night of our stay:

Tony’s Town Square/Magic Kingdom
Teppanyaki Dining/Epcot – Japan
Boma/Animal Kingdom Lodge
Le Cellier/Epcot – Canada
Biergarten/Epcot – Germany
Whispering Canyon Café/Wilderness Lodge (because I need an excuse to go there and visit the most coveted resort on property, well, for me at least)
Hollywood and Vine/MGM
O’hana/Polynesian

Let the countdown begin…

Random Thought #1 (July 31, 2005): "I have this condition; the doctors call it Crap Intolerance, I can only take so much BS before I explode." - Early Edition (1996)

I read a disturbing post on a popular Disney World discussion board today. Some moron posted a site by another moron that contained pictures and degrading passages about "obese people at Disney". I am just disgusted by this post and the lack of human compassion and respect. I would feel the same way if this was a site that bashed any human being (or animal for that matter). Why is society so against people who are perceived to be "different"? It really bothers me. Why can’t a human being go anywhere in the world that they want to go and just enjoy themselves without fear of humiliation or taunts by uneducated and heartless people? If all you can do on your Disney vacation is take pictures of people you don’t even know just to make fun of them, shame on you and your heartlessness and cruelty. You know, I’m a fat girl. I am fat because I love to eat. But you know what; no one has the right to judge me or hurt me in any way. I also have cancer. Does that make me worthy of some moronic taunts as well? What has become of society and our respect for each other? Needless to say, this fat girl is still going to Disney World and I am going to have a grand time of it. I applaud anyone who overcomes their fear of anything to enjoy their life. Don’t let idiots distract you from your life. It’s just not worth it. Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of my mother’s death. She died at age 47 from breast cancer. Maybe that is why this post caught my eye and my anger. Life is just too short, people. You really have no idea. Now get out there and enjoy yourselves. Peace.

Random Thought #2 (August 26, 2005): "You can’t always get what you want." – The Rolling Stones

Sandy, our travel agent at Mouse Ear Vacations, called me today in response to an email I sent her. I saw on www.allearsnet.com that they are now allowing people on the Dining Plan to use the plan and book a seat for the Candlelight Processional show (instead of having to book the reservation with a credit card). We had planned on going on Christmas Day to see one of my favorite people, Gary Sinise, narrate. Sandy had some bad news. Gary Sinise’s bosses at CSI: New York would not give him the time or allow him to do it or some such thing, and now he won’t be there at all this year. I’m totally bummed. The narrator for Christmas Day is now showing as TBD and I was so looking forward to seeing Gary Sinise. Oh well. Anyway, we have a Candlelight Processional package booked at Teppanyaki Dining. We wanted Le Cellier, but it was all gone. Sandy was shocked that she couldn’t even find any time the whole day for just two people. Packages must be going fast.

Random Thought #3 (September 20, 2005): "I’m not really hungry. I just need to have reservations somewhere." – American Psycho (2000)

90 Days and Counting! Sandy made our PS/Advance Seating (what is the official name of that now anyway?) today. We got everything we wanted in our time frame. The Candlelight Processional package is still in place. John Stamos is slated to be the narrator during our show. Forgive me for not being too hyped. That was a snotty thing to say, I’m sorry. I’m just happy that we’re going. I also added a "super secret surprise" to our package as a Christmas gift to Nick. I can’t type what it is yet in case Nick reads this before the scheduled surprise on Christmas Eve. I’m getting very excited. Our new total due with the added "surprise" is about $2,398.06.

Random Thought #4 (September 29, 2005): "They better give us a discount!" –Lilo & Stitch, the Series (2003)

WOO HOO! Disney released package discount codes and Sandy, our ever terrific travel agent, saved us almost $400!!! I am so excited! Sandy once again checked availability at Wilderness Lodge for me, but there are no standard view rooms available. A courtyard view is almost $1,100 more, so we will stay at French Quarter as planned. I am so happy we got a discount. Thank You, God.

The Drive To See Mickey (and Donald and Eeyore too!)
"We’re goin’ on a road trip! We’re goin’ on a road trip!"

We leave tomorrow, December 17th. We celebrated Christmas early with my sister, Bridgett, who will be staying behind to dog-sit our dogs, Ashe and Sophie. She seems sad that we are leaving and that she will be alone on Christmas. Great. Now I feel guilty, but I’m still going.

Drive Day One - Saturday, December 17, 2005: "You shouldn't be staying in no hotel, you should be staying here." – The Drew Carey Show (1995)

Nick got very ill prior to our trip. He has a very bad cold, but we managed to get up at 3:15 a.m. and got dressed and then loaded up Stella (my beautiful Ford Explorer). I don’t know how long or far we will go today, but I hope to drive at least 10-12 hours and see how we feel after that. We are not in any rush, and with Nick not feeling well, I don’t want to push him. Nick and I said a prayer for God to watch over our home and our family, and to take us round trip on our journey safely. Then, we were on the road by 4:45 a.m. and left Detroit for I-75 South all the way to Florida. I drove first, for the first 5 hours or so and then Nick took over. I got us almost into Kentucky.

(later)…We ended up driving about 14 hours. We drove about 750 miles, so we are more than half way there! I am not excited yet. I’m worried about Nick’s cold, but he’s been a real trooper, and we stopped along the way to get him Dayquil and orange juice. Gas is cheaper here in the south, as we stopped for gas three times and only paid about $2.00/gallon, which is not bad considering we are paying about $2.30 in Detroit. A grizzled looking guy at a gas station in Tennessee told Nick that, "You know it’s Christmas, gas prices are up," but I was thrilled to be saving the thirty cents. We only made one major stop somewhere in Kentucky to have sandwiches for lunch that I had packed. We rested about a half an hour, and then pretty much drove through.

Outside of Atlanta, which is where I believe we are now, we stopped at a place called AmeriHost Inn. They wanted $70 for a room for the night, but I passed. I just didn’t want to spend too much for this brief stop, so we drove on to Exit #218 and finally got a room at the Econo Lodge just off the highway. I am afraid to touch any surfaces in here. My review of this hotel would be "ewww". But the price was right, and I really can’t complain I suppose.

Our trip was pretty uneventful. We went at a steady pace, did not hit any construction, and had very little traffic issues. Thank you God for getting us this far.

Since we will be getting into Orlando, God willing of course, a day early, I called Disney Reservations and asked about a room at a value resort for one night. Since tomorrow is my anniversary, I thought we’d splurge. At least with Disney I know I’m safe and the room is clean, and the Disney magic can begin a whole day earlier for us. Besides, we deserve it. All three of the All-Star Resorts were booked for tomorrow, but they had a preferred view room available at Pop Century. It was more than I wanted to spend, but at just under $100, it was worth it. Nick’s parents had given us money for the trip, and it was exactly what we needed to pay for this extra day at Pop Century, so it was a nice treat! Since we are on the dining plan, our expenses this trip are mainly gas, so I booked it. I have been kind of down, it was hard leaving my sister and my dogs – how silly is that, right? But I do feel kind of down not being with my family for Christmas.

Nick and I ate a light dinner of lunchmeat, no bread, and apples in our room at the Econo Lodge, I worked on the trip report, and we and watched Cops on TV until we fell asleep. I will be very glad to see morning and get back on the road.

I have to add this note in: Thank God for Sirius Satellite Radio! I bought one and subscribed to it for Nick back in August on his birthday, and it was an absolute gem on this long drive. With so many channels, basically no commercials, lots of comedy and TV shows available on radio as well as all kinds of Christmas music and movies-on-radio, driving was not boring. I have to recommend satellite radio for any long drives, it is absolutely worth the money. Having a remote control to change radio stations was great too!

Drive Day Two - Sunday, December 18, 2005: "And our anniversary will happily be on the days we both remember." – Charly (1968)

Today is our anniversary. Happy 7th Anniversary, Nick. I truly love you. We got married seven years ago? Wow. Gosh, I sure do love you Nick. Have I said that all ready? Are we there yet? Sigh.

I didn’t sleep one wink at the flea bag hotel, I mean the Econo Lodge. We were up at around 5:30 a.m. and hit the road at 6:30 a.m. It was cold and rainy all of the way. We stopped at a rest stop and had a lunch of sandwiches again. It was at this rest stop that I realized that I had lost my pedometer. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to tracking my miles while at Disney. I know I had it at the Econo Lodge, but I don’t know what happened to it after that. Oh well.

Having lunch proved to be a mistake. Nick didn’t get sick from the lunchmeat, but I sure did. I needed a bathroom very quickly and very badly when we hit Gainesville. Nick pulled into a Cracker Barrel, which was packed to the gills. I went into the very small bathroom (only three stalls) and a ton of women piled in after me. I think some of them were making comments about having to wait, but at that point, what did I care? I said a little prayer for healing and was okay the rest of the drive. We hit the Orlando area around 1:30 p.m. We got a little bit turned around and ended up going to a mall at the end of International Drive, turned around again and passed by Wet N’ Wild, etc. etc., but we finally got to where we had to be, only to find that there had been a horrible accident right on the ramp that leads to Disney World on I-4, I believe. God works in mysterious ways, and those little delays we experienced may have saved us some problems. The accident really looked bad, and the firemen were trying to extract someone trapped in a car that had flipped upside down. I said a prayer that everyone involved was okay, and we drove slowly on.

We found the Pop Century Resort without further incident and checked in. As we walked into Exposition Hall to check-in, we saw the resort Christmas Tree. It was very pretty, and the whole resort was so clean and inviting. I really liked it. We got a room in the 60’s section, Building 4, Room #4349. We parked Stella in 60’s parking, and took up enough stuff to get us through to the next morning, when we would be checking out and then checking in to the French Quarter. We saw a bunny rabbit in some bushes on one of the paths, and Nick said it was a good start to our vacation and I agreed. We were very close to Mr. Bunny, who was chewing on some leaves and didn’t seem bothered by us at all.

The room was so darn cute. Nick and I were very impressed, and it felt so nice to be back "home" and in a clean, welcoming room. It was equipped with an iron and ironing board as well as a hair dryer, which tickled me because I had forgotten to pack mine. This room did not have a coffee maker, not that Nick and I drink coffee, but I was hoping for one to have hot water for tea and hot oatmeal. I don’t plan on buying any breakfasts during this trip (unless we use dining plan credits), and the rest of our food will be on the dining plan starting tomorrow. My travel agent told me the rooms at French Quarter do have the coffee makers, so we’ll see. No big deal. I brought other breakfast stuff too just in case.

Nick and I immediately took showers to refresh ourselves. We then walked around the resort a little bit taking pictures. Nick got a new memory card for our digital camera, so he has room for about 1,000 pictures and he’s very excited, so I let him snap away to his hearts content. Afterwards, we got in line for the Downtown Disney Bus and we were on our way. I really liked the Disney transportation, though I know people can get rude, but that’s anywhere and it’s not Disney’s fault.

Once at Downtown Disney Marketplace, we enjoyed the decorations, most especially some white and blue statues of Pluto and gang, I think they were either "winter" versions of the characters, or maybe something that was reminiscent of Charles Dickens, but either way it was very neat. We were going to take a picture, but this very nice family who had six very small children wanted to play on them, and that was fine. We said we would come back.

We went into Days of Christmas and browsed. Very cute stuff, but we were not really shopping for Christmas items. I bought my sister an antenna topper that is the vampire bat from A Nightmare Before Christmas, which is the absolute favorite movie in our house. We browsed the marketplace, going into Once Upon a Toy and some store that I think was called Sand and Surf. At World of Disney, I picked up a photo album, a hooded sweatshirt for Nick (It had the WDW logo in an American Flag motif on the front), and a hat that matched the sweatshirt. I also picked up a tropical Mickey keychain for my sister. I used my Disney Rewards card to pay for the purchases, and that drained my rewards. Since I have a Disney Visa, I got 10% off of my purchases, and I thought that was very nice of the cashier because I had read, at least I had thought, that the discount could only be used on purchases that were paid for with our Disney Visa. But I was not going to complain. With my rewards card and the discount, the $150 shopping trip only cost me about $20.

We only spent about two hours at the Marketplace, as we were tired from driving for the past two days. We went back to a very crowded Pop Century bus stop, where everyone was sitting down, so we got in line. The bus came and the people that were sitting down immediately pushed Nick and me aside to get on. Talk about impatience. I just laughed it off, but when an older couple, who looked very tired, tried to get on the bus and were also pushed aside, I got in front of them, stopped, much to everyone’s impatient dismay, and told the older couple to please go ahead. Then I got on the bus. Geez, what is it with people? It’s called common courtesy people, please try it sometime.

Back at Pop Century, we looked over the food court and got dinner. Nick and I both got the chicken finger and fries meal, making our fry’s chili cheese fries, and it was very yummy. We both got diet cokes in a bottle because I was not going to buy the Pop Century refillable mugs for one night. We got a package of grapes as well to share later in the room. Total cost for the meal was about $22. As Nick and I sat and smiled and laughed in the food court, we saw many weary parents with screaming kids rubbing their temples and screaming back. I don’t get it. This is supposed to be fun! I know it can be harder with little ones, but I think people get too stressed about things.

The food court was clean and very large, very crowded as well, but it didn’t bother me. After dinner, we returned to our room and watched TV and read until we fell asleep. Just before falling asleep, I broke down and told Nick what his Christmas Eve surprise was – Tier 2 tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil. He was speechless and so happy. It was priceless seeing him that happy.

The weather today was cool, with a light mist since we had been at Disney. I think it was in the mid or lower 60’s temperature wise, and I was thrilled after leaving about 8 inches of snow on the ground back in Detroit. Nick and I took our jackets, but we grew hot at the Marketplace and took them off. All in all, it was a good day. We were very impressed with Pop Century and would absolutely stay here again. Our room overlooked the lake, and it was just great. I am so thrilled to be back at Disney, and very blessed that I have lived to see it once again. I’m just thankful to be here.

Day One – Monday, December 19, 2005: "We’re getting the Disney Channel now. Merry Christmas." – Tim Allen, The Santa Clause (1994)

Today, we plan to check out of Pop Century early and check into French Quarter. I know the room probably won’t be ready, and that’s ok, but we can get our tickets and meal plan started on our key card as soon as we get over there in the morning. Nick is kind of sad to leave Pop Century, but we will be back, even if it is in another three years. Our trips always seem to fall in the three year range – 1999, 2002, and now 2005.

We hope to go to Magic Kingdom today as well as do some resort hopping to see the Christmas decorations and to pick up some gingerbread for my sister at the Grand Floridian.

We woke up at Pop Century at 5:30 a.m. We had a kind of weird breakfast of apples and a pop tart. We loaded up the car and pulled into French Quarter at 7:30 a.m. No one was in line at the registration desk. I asked the Cast Member behind the desk if my Cirque Du Soleil Tickets (Nick’s Christmas Eve surprise) were available. My travel agent had said they would be at the resort. The Cast Member seemed a little put out and told me to go the box office at Cirque. I said "ok". We got our room keys, which was also our park hopper tickets and our dining plan cards. We left our luggage in the car since our room was not ready and caught a bus to Magic Kingdom at 8:00 a.m. At MK, the lines were moderate. They were not letting people through yet. Nick strolled around and took pictures, then re-joined me in line, where we were let in about 6 feet at 8:30. Then, we saw the opening show above us at Main Street station, then they let us in. I was promptly elbowed in the chest by a very rude young woman, who proceeded to push and elbow and run ahead of everyone. Nick and I just do not understand why people are in such a rush. What is the use? No one seemed to even care that they were blessed enough to be at such a wonderful place as MK. No one stopped to look at decorations or the MK Christmas tree. They just ran and/or power walked down Main Street in a mad rush. I was in awe of the MK tree. It was beautiful. Nick took a lot of pictures. We stayed in that area for a good 15 minutes or so, just soaking it all in. When we stepped passed the tree and onto Main Street and I saw the castle, Nick and I truly were moved. I know we both had a tear in our eye, not because we were in MK necessarily, but because I was still here on this earth to share this moment with Nick. I know I might be repeating myself, but we just feel so blessed to even be here, and we don’t take any moment for granted. We walked down Main Street and saw the new Photopass people, so we got a card from one of the photographers, and he took a bunch of shots of us in front of the castle. We will most likely wait until we get home to view these photos online. We then walked around the castle and into Fantasy Land.

Our first ride was Snow White. It was a walk on. Nick commented that the ride seemed very sped up, like we had no time at all to take in each scene. I wondered if they sped things up for the crowded holiday times? Maybe we are just insane, but the ride really did seem faster than we remember. Mickey’s Philharmagic was next, and it was also a walk on. I got to be the official "timekeeper" where I got a red card from the entrance CM and took it to the CM at the end once I entered the queuing area near the "auto-magic" doors. The show was very cute, and I enjoyed it very much, but I noticed that my eyes were going a tad bit wacky. I am prone to terrible migraines that happen quite a bit. I started to get a bit nervous, but didn’t say anything to Nick. Our next stop was It’s A Small World, where, somehow, Nick led us down a queuing area that was a dead end. A family behind us followed us, and when we turned around, I told the wife to never follow Nick. She laughed and said, "I know, I have one too." We both laughed. The ride looks very nice now that it has been all spiffed up. One thing I missed was near the end, I seem to remember a clown in a hot air balloon that held a sign that said "Help" on it. I saw a clown at the end, but he did not appear to be any mortal danger and did not have the "Help" sign. I was kind of disappointed.

Next stop was Peter Pan, which had a posted wait time of 20 minutes, but we were on the ride in about five minutes. Next stop was Pooh, which also had a posted wait of 20 minutes, but we were on in less than 15. We then made our way over to Tomorrow Land, where we went on our very first ever Carousel of Progress ride. I knew I was in trouble when the very first scene came up. I don’t know if it was the lighting or what, but my eyes started going nuts, I got the aura around my vision that I get when a migraine is coming, and I got exceedingly hot. I wanted to see the show so badly, but I kept my eyes closed for most of it, I had no other choice. My migraines are violent things that make one side of my head hurt horribly and I often, excuse the language, vomit quite a bit due to the pain in my head. I have been checked by doctors and specialists, and they say nothing is wrong, and despite me being diabetic, the disease has not yet affected my eyes. The specialist told me that I was just "unlucky". My migraine triggers are generally light and some smells. It must have been the light. I told Nick what was happening, but we were trapped until the show ended. It felt like forever. Once out, in the cool air, I started to feel slightly better. I sat on a bench outside of COP and just closed my eyes. I prayed very, very hard for God to please spare me and heal me while on vacation. I was so mad at myself because I left my migraine medication back in the car. (For the rest of the trip, it never left my pocket.) Nick called to see if the room was ready, but it was not. We sat there a few moments more and I felt better. We took a relaxing and cooling spin on the Transit Authority. I felt pretty good. Thank You, God. Afterwards, Nick said he was hungry, and I thought I could eat too. It was the worst time to pick to eat, around Noon, but we didn’t care. We hopped on the train at Toon Town and rode it to Frontier Land, where we walked over to Peco’s Bill’s. We used our Dining Plan for the first time here. I will detail the dining plan at the end of each day, so see below for costs. I ordered a burger, fries, and diet coke. The cashier told me that I also got a dessert with that. I want to limit my sweets, for obvious diabetic reasons, so I passed. She said I could get another side, so I ordered a half order of the baked beans. I put some cheese sauce on my fries at the Fixin’s Bar, and some pickles and mustard on my burger. It was actually very good. The fixings at the bar looked fresh and the pickles were good. Nick got onions and mushrooms and said everything "hit the spot". He opted for the brownie for dessert. It had peanut butter mousse on it, but he took one bite and pushed it aside. He didn’t like it. He was too stuffed to finish his fries.

After lunch, we walked around a bit while Nick took more pictures. We decided to go back to French Quarter, where I would sit on a bench and relax with my eyes closed until the room was ready. It was my own stupid fault for not taking my migraine medicine with me, and I wanted to take some of that. At the FQ bus stop, we got off and sat down. Nick went out to Stella and got my medicine, which I took right away. Nick then called again about the room, and it was ready. This was at about 1:30 p.m. We went to the room, and all I can say is "wow"!! FQ is much prettier than Pop Century and even much prettier than Riverside, where we stayed three years ago. It was just gorgeous. I soon went to bed and just dozed. Nick went to get a luggage cart, but the bellman said he came with the cart, which I thought was stupid. At Pop Century, Nick borrowed one and did it himself. I told Nick to do it since we had a bunch of stuff, but only tip him a buck. Yes, fine, I’m cheap. I didn’t want the guy’s help anyway. We were in Building 2, very close to the food court. We were upgraded to a pool view at no extra charge, and I didn’t even have to ask. We are on the first floor in room #2135.

Once the bags were in the room, Nick and I unpacked. I’m here for 9 days and was not going to live out of my luggage. We put some diet Pepsi and bottles of water as well as our apples in the fridge in the room. I was so pleased to see the fridge, as well as a hair dryer and a coffee pot. I brought along a red tablecloth and draped it over the table in our room, and set up a small Christmas tree that lights up, a mini-Nativity scene, and a Hallmark ornament that has a scene of Lady and the Tramp at Christmas. It was very sweet, and it makes the room feel like home. We napped for a few hours, and I woke up at 5:00, when we took the bus back to MK.

At this point, MK was packed. We walked the whole park and almost every ride had waits of 50 minutes or more. People were smoking all over the place, which was making me sick. I thought there was no smoking allowed at the Theme Parks, or at least in designated areas? Did they change that rule? Anyway, I didn’t feel the need to get a FastPass for anything at this point, so we went to Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, where we had reservations. People were coming in that did not have reservations and all were turned away. The hostess told everyone that they were booked for the night. I was so glad Sandy had made all of our dining plans for every night of our stay. We checked in at 6:15 for a 7:00 reservation and were seated five minutes later. Our table was decorated with Mickey confetti and swirly bits of paper. It was for our anniversary! Sandy, our travel agent, must have told them our anniversary was yesterday. I was so touched. We were seated right next to the Lady and the Tramp fountain. It was just beautiful. The restaurant is nice without feeling stuffy at all. Mark was our server. He was very nice and very attentive. The way the dining plan works, each person on the plan gets an appetizer, entrée, non-alcoholic drink and dessert for dinner. Tax and tip are included. All this at dinner, plus a complete lunch and a snack per day were an awesome deal. I don’t understand all the people I see online who say the dining plan is not a good idea. It’s an awesome idea and it will save you money in the end. Did I mention tax and 15%-18% tip for your server is included? Anyway, Nick ordered the artichoke dip for his appetizer, while I ordered the goat cheese. They also serve free bread and dipping sauce before you order, which was good, but we limited the bread. Both of our appetizers were very good, but the goat cheese was the best. I have never had goat’s milk cheese before. It was very different, but very good. My entrée was the spaghetti with meatballs and Nick got the seafood pasta. We both got water to drink. The meatballs were good , the spaghetti was, well, spaghetti. Nothing special. Not bad, but not the best spaghetti that I’ve ever had. Nick said his seafood pasta was very good. It had muscles, shrimp, white fish, pasta, a tomato sauce, and calamari in it. I don’t think I would have liked it. For dessert, I ordered the pumpkin crème brulee and Nick had the caramelized apple cake. Both were ok. Again, nothing spectacular. When Mark served our dessert, he announced to the whole restaurant that it was our 7th wedding anniversary, and everyone there yelled out "That’s Amore!" and blew us a kiss. It was very sweet. Nick was very impressed by the atmosphere and the food, and we both really enjoyed ourselves.

After dinner, Nick took more pictures everywhere, and we caught the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center, then hopped on the Epcot monorail. While waiting for the Epcot monorail, some woman and her family kept inching in front of us in line. I don’t know what she thought she would accomplish, but the impatience of some people was driving me nuts today. It was very amusing to watch her inch closer and closer to Nick. I stepped back when the Monorail came and, with a kid in her arms, she tried to barrel through us. Nick just got on the monorail and saved me a seat. This woman was nuts. She finally got in and sat down, and I guess she was happy then.

We took the Epcot loop and circled back, then got on the resort monorail. We got off at the Grand Floridian. Nick and I have never even visited this resort, but I wanted to see the Gingerbread House. I told Nick to follow what Patrick Starfish (from Spongebob Squarepants) says when faced with posh-type situations. "When it doubt, pinkies out." We promptly stuck up our pinkies and entered the Grand Floridian. People kind of looked at us funny, but I was speaking their language, so I know that they knew that I was speaking their language. I stopped into the hoity toity gift shop and bought my sister and her friend Kenden a pin each – both of them Lilo and Stitch themed pins. Nick took pictures of the Christmas Tree and we walked downstairs to the Gingerbread House. The smell was wonderful, but I hate gingerbread and don’t eat it. We got in line at the house to buy some gingerbread shingles for my sister. Man, this hotel was hot and stuffy. I was dying in line at the gingerbread house. The guy working behind the counter was less than jolly, and appeared to be having a less than magical day. I smiled at him, said hello, and tried my best to make him happy. I got nothing. We bought two gingerbread shingles, which were totally overpriced at about $6.00 each. (By the way, when we got home, we tried a piece of the gingerbread. None of us liked it.) Then, we set out in search of the dock to take the boat back to the MK busses. Well, we were turned around, and finally figured it out, and went past the pool area and Narcoosee’s to the GF Docks. First, though, Nick and I took pictures of each other, pinkies out, at the GF. Well, I thought it was hilarious. The Grand Floridian is very beautiful, but the atmosphere is just beyond me I guess, because I could not wait to get out of that hotel, and if I never see it again, I will be a happy woman. It was the absolute most uptight and pretentious Disney hotel I have ever seen. I do not want to stay there, no thanks. I don’t feel that way at any other resort, not the Polynesian or the Contemporary or anywhere. I don’t know what the deal is at the GF.

The boat came and stopped at the Polynesian first. We were the only ones on the boat at this point, and all I can say about the ending to our evening is that God has truly blessed us. As we made our way towards MK we got to watch all of the Wishes Fireworks from the boat. It was just amazing. The boat driver was great. He talked about the fireworks and how much they use in each show, and how we were getting a real treat because there are people who spent hundreds of dollars renting boats to watch the fireworks, and we just happened to be in the right place. It was not luck, but a true gift, and again, we are just blessed to have seen it. It was too amazing.

We walked to the bus stops, where people were making a mad dash to be first in line. At the French Quarter bus, some ignorant woman with a stroller bypassed the line and asked the driver if she could get on. I was dumbfounded that the driver even let her get on, but then this inconsiderate piece of trash got on the bus, with this big stroller, and did not fold the stroller. I could not believe it. I was kind of mad about that. She was so arrogant about it too. Then, this crazy old guy driving a cart went to the handicap lift, which was fine, but what happened next had everyone in line cracking up. The driver told him to drive it up the bus ramp gently, and this old guy gunned it and went up that ramp at warp speed, hitting the inside of the bus with a very loud "whack" and then he turned the wheel, and he went crazy on the bus. His electric cart was out of control, and he kept going forward and back on the bus. I thought my stomach was going to explode from laughing so hard. Then the old guy gets off the cart, looking angry like it was someone else’s fault. He must have been related to the ignorant stroller woman. Nick and I stood on the ride back to the resort, but it was fine.

Back at the resort, I had to go the concierge desk because we had gotten a message on our resort phone that they had a package for us. It turned out to be my Cirque tickets that I was told were not there that morning. Oh well. I also had to take care of a dining plan issue. Tony’s Town Square Restaurant had somehow put on our bill that there were 3 guests, instead of 2, and 3 of our table service meals were used. We had 13 credits left, when it should have been 14. I don’t know how it happened. I mean, sure, I’m a big girl, but certainly I don’t qualify for two people. Concierge said that the problem had been caught at Tony’s and was all ready fixed. I was impressed with our server, Mark, for catching the error and fixing it before I even realized it happened. Pretty cool.

All in all, today was truly a magical day.

12/19 Dining Plan Summary: Nick and I are paying $70/day for the two of us on the dining plan. Today, for the two of us, we spent as follows (taxes and tips included):

-Lunch at Peco’s Bill’s: $21.20

-Dinner at Tony’s: $86.14

-Snack (2 bags of chips) at resort food court: $5.10

Total for today was $112.44, a savings for us of $42.44.

Day Two – Tuesday, December 20, 2005: "Now, I wanna remind everyone of the House of Mouse rules-no smoking, no villainous schemes and no guests eating other guests." – Mickey, House of Mouse (2001)

We were up at 6:30 a.m. and had another odd breakfast of peanut butter and low sugar jelly sandwiches. We caught the fist bus to MK, where we caught the pre-opening show again. More people pushed to get as close to the ropes as they could. I guess they thought that if they pushed real hard on the ropes, the ropes would give way and everyone could escape into Main Street. I sat on a bench with Nick and took it easy. Once the rope dropped, people literally ran as fast as they could. I know it is just not worth me wasting two breaths on, but it annoyed me. Nick and I strolled hand in hand down Main Street, slowly taking it all in again. We made our way to Tomorrow Land and oh boy, look at that, a rope. So, all of those idiots who ran like nut bags to get there first still had to wait. It was complete chaos when the rope dropped. People hit the Fast Pass machines like they were going to close in five seconds. One woman with a stroller was crisscrossing between Stitch’s Great Escape and Buzz, and I’m not sure what she was doing, but she cut me off like three times and I finally told her to stop using her stroller like a tank or me and my big body would assume tank position as well. I was down right tired of being bullied by idiots. After that, she backed off. Thank God.

Our first ride today was Buzz. It was so much fun. It was a walk on. I got like 414, 300 points, which made me a Space Ace. Nick was very upset because he only got about 31,400 and his rank was something less than Space Ace. It was funny. After that, we rode Stitch, which was a first for both of us. It was also a walk on. It was ok, Stitch was very cute, but the flashing lights bothered my eyes, but it was a cute ride. Nick said Alien Encounter was much better. We then made our way over to my very favorite ride in the entire World, The Haunted Mansion. The Mansion was a walk on. I could ride the doom buggies for hours and never get tired of that ride. I adore it. Nick snapped lots of pictures and we had a Cast Member take our picture in front of the hearse buggy out front. Our next ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, another walk on. When Nick was four years old, his parents took him on Pirates of the Caribbean, and little Nick was scared to death once the shooting started. Back then, Nick spent the entire ride at the bottom of the boat, and nothing that his parents said to him could make him come up. I am proud to report to his parents that he rode Pirates, and only ducked once when the shooting started, for sentimental purposes of course.

Jungle Cruise was next. It had a posted wait of 20 minutes, but it was only about ten. Nick needed something to eat at this point, so we went over to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café. I got the turkey wrap with grapes and instead of a dessert I got a small cup of vegetable soup, with a diet coke to drink. Nick got a hot dog, French fries, a diet coke and carrot cake. The wrap was fresh and delicious. There was not mayo on the wrap, thank God, but more of a hummus type dressing. It was good and was light. Nick and I shared the grapes. Nick liked his food, but he’s sick of fries. I told him he should have gotten carrot sticks. We sat in the lounge and watched Sunny Eclipse play a whole loop, and when he started to repeat himself, we left. It’s the little things like Sunny that make it special for us at Disney. Those little touches do a lot for me and I enjoyed his lounge lizard type songs. My sister would have loved him.

After our lunch, we took another spin on the Tomorrow Land Transit Authority and then left the park. I realized at lunch time that the cashier Nick had gone to had charged his lunch to our room and not to the dining plan, even though Nick told her he was on the plan. I went to the Concierge desk at French Quarter and had it corrected. It took a long time for them to correct, which was not a problem. What was a problem was the stupid woman waiting in line behind us. There were two Cast Members working the desk, and the other CM had been talking to a family of newly arrived guests for a long time, I admit, but they had a lot of questions and she was doing a good job of helping them. Our CM was doing her best, but the codes were not working for her and I told her it was okay and not to worry. The woman behind us kept making comments loudly for all to hear such as, "This is ridiculous. This is a waste of time. I could be in line for a ride instead of this." And she huffed and puffed a whole lot, like the Big Bad Bleached Blonde that she was. I told her to have some patience. She told the lady waiting in line behind her that she needed to hurry up and add an extra day to their tickets because, and I swear this is a direct quote from the lady, "They did not have enough time to have enough fun." I was just floored. If she had a better attitude, perhaps she would have felt that she had had "enough fun." I was just disgusted by how self-centered she was being. Other guests were in line too, and they were rolling their eyes at this lady. We had waited in line just as she was doing, and she could have made it more pleasant on everyone by shutting her big mouth. I think I’m beginning to sound hostile, so I’ll stop talking about Huffy the Blonde now.

Once our charges and dining plan credits were squared away, Nick and I went to the food court and got one scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream to share. We used a snack credit for it and we shared it since it was, after all, full of sugar and I didn’t need a whole scoop for myself. My sugars have been running along good levels so far with this trip, so I didn’t think it would hurt.

We went back to our room at around 1:00 p.m. for our afternoon break. At around 4:00 we went to Epcot. We stopped at the Holiday Station just outside the Epcot entrance to pick up our Candlelight Processional tickets and dinner voucher for Christmas Day. Once inside, Nick took more pictures and then we rode Spaceship Earth, which was a walk on. Afterwards, we walked around a bit and then rode Journey Into Imagination, which was also a walk-on. We tried going to The Living Seas next, but it was packed. I bought a shell necklace for my sister while there and then we left. I wanted to ride Soarin’ at some point during this trip, but this late in the day, the Fast Passes were all gone and the wait time was 150 minutes. We walked over to Canada in World Showcase and looked at the gardens. At 5:45 we sat outside Le Cellier, but we were told that we could not check in for our 6:30 reservation until 6:10. We sat on a bench outside the restaurant and enjoyed some quiet time together. We checked in and were seated by about 6:20. Claude was our server and he was great. He was very nice and attentive. He brought us our bread and described the three different areas of Canada that each bread represented. For appetizers, Nick ordered the cheese soup and I ordered the beef kabob with polenta and chili oil. Nick enjoyed his soup, but I thought the beer taste was too strong. My beef was delicious, as was the polenta. Nick said I was "stingy" in sharing my appetizer with him. I probably was, because it was very good. For dinner Nick ordered the herb crusted prime rib and I ordered the 7 ounce filet mignon with cream cheese mashed potatoes. My food was delicious. Nick was disappointed in the prime rib, and he kept trying to steal my filet. I threatened him with a fork at one point, but he said we were in an "upscale restaurant" and I had to stop. For dessert, Nick and I shared the dessert sampler that had raspberry sorbet, a chocolate/mousse type cake and maple crème brulee. I did not try the brulee. I had two bites of the cake, which had a hint of orange and it was great. I had a few bites of the sorbet, but I am not a big fan of raspberry. Claude also brought us out a special dessert for our anniversary – a big plate with a cup in the middle made out of chocolate and filled with dark chocolate mousse. Hearts were drawn all around the plate, and at the top was written "Happy Anniversary". A little Mickey head made from chocolate was drawn on the bottom of the plate. It was probably the best of the four small desserts, and it was very sweet. I didn’t think we’d get so much attention for our anniversary! I hadn’t said anything to them at all, but I guess Sandy, our travel agent, used her Pixie Dust to get us some very cute anniversary congratulations. I was very touched, and Claude was so sweet. The bill arrived and we paid using the dining plan. I noticed that yesterday at Tony’s, the server got 18% gratuity, but today, Claude had only gotten 15%. I left an additional $10 tip because he was very sweet.

After dinner, we walked around the park, enjoying the lit up Christmas tree, decorations and holiday music. The past two days, Nick and I have not felt like it was Christmas. The Magic Kingdom just did not seem very "Christmas-y", but Epcot was much, much better. I also think the Epcot tree was the most beautiful Christmas tree that I have seen thus far. It was really spectacular.

We want back to the resort at around 8:30 and did some laundry. We went swimming for a half hour, and it was very chilly. Getting out of the pool was very, very cold. We watched Law and Order: SVU and then went to sleep.

12/20 Dining Plan Summary:

-Lunch at Cosmic Ray’s: $21.76

-Ice cream snack at Food Court: $2.55

-Dinner at Le Cellier: $93.50

Total for today was $117.81, a savings for us of $37.81. (The savings is minus the $10 extra tip I left at Le Cellier.)

Day Three – Wednesday, December 21, 2005: "Mickey is a mouse, Donald is a duck, Pluto is a dog. What's Goofy?" - Stand By Me (1986)

We got up later today, around 8:00 a.m. We had a quick breakfast of a pop tart and a bottle of water each and waited for the bus to Animal Kingdom. The bus was packed, as was AK itself. Once at the park (just before 10:00 a.m.), we took pictures of the beautiful AK tree just outside of the entrance. So far, the Epcot tree has most impressed me, but the AK tree was a close second. It was very nice. We took our time when we got through the front gates and took pictures and chatted. We made our way past huge crowds to Harambe in Africa and got Fast Passes for the safari. We bought a pretzel and a bottle of water (snack credit used for the water) at a stand outside of the safari and sat at the Harambe School and ate. We then made our way to the Tree of Life and took a lot of pictures and just enjoyed the gardens, the animals, the water, and the tree itself. We took our time. We watched the lemurs for a while, they were so funny. They were playing and having fun. We then walked to It’s Tough To Be A Bug and walked the long queue, snapping more pictures. It was about a 10 minute wait, but it wasn’t bad. The show was great, as we had remembered. When the show let out, we walked the Tree of Life paths some more, taking more pictures and chatting. At 11:05 a.m., it was time for our Fast Pass return to Kilimanjaro Safari. We walked in and things were fine, until the kid, who was about 15, who was in front of us with his family made the most uncalled for and rudest comment that almost ruined my day. This curly headed kid in a baseball cap turned around to his dad and said, "We’ll have to sit next to fat people." I couldn’t believe that this kid was so ignorant and elitist to make such a hurtful and hateful comment. I was just shocked. I stared right at him, and he looked at me briefly and turned back around. I asked Nick if he heard what the kid said, and Nick said he had not. I told him what the kid said, and then, in a loud voice I said, "I guess fat people aren’t allowed to pay the same money as everyone else to come and enjoy themselves at Disney." I then said, still looking at the kid, "It’s really sad to see that someone has to take time out of their day to hurt someone they don’t even know." The dad turned around slightly, and I don’t know if he was mad, embarrassed or annoyed, and I really don’t care. I couldn’t imagine saying something to hurt someone like that, especially when Nick and I weren’t doing anything, not even talking, as the Fast Pass line moved ahead. I am shocked that people can raise a kid that was that insensitive. It really scares me. Granted, at this point, I said what I had to say and should have shut up, but I was really upset. When the Fast Pass line split, one side to the left and one to the right, I turned to Nick and said, "Should we make them suffer being around fat people or should we go sit somewhere else?" The dad immediately moved his family to the left, and Nick subtly steered me to the right. It was a very stupid situation all around. But I was really feeling crappy after that. Irregardless, the safari was really nice. We saw so many more animals than we had seen before, pretty much every type of animal was out. I think it was due to the cool weather. The lions were both out, but they were asleep and hard to see. After saving Little Red, Nick and I walked towards Asia. We saw De-Vine (not sure if that is spelled correctly) walking around in and out of the greenery. She was amazing. I have read about her, but had never seen her. Nick snapped some pictures. She was very cool.

Nick and I have never seen Flights of Wonder, so that was our next stop. We sat on a bench outside of the theater so I could make notes for my trip report, and a very sweet CM named Lillie talked to us. It was about 45 minutes until the next show at 1:00 p.m., but Nick and I wanted to chat and just take in the atmosphere. AK is Nick’s favorite park, and he loves just looking around and listening to the music. It was a very nice time. Lillie was funny and very sweet. We chatted back and forth, and I was starting to feel better. A gentleman sitting next to me on the bench saw me taking notes and asked if I was writing an article. I said, "sort of" and explained the online WDW trip reports and told him that Nick and I were here for our Anniversary and because I survived cancer last year. He was so sweet. I didn’t ask his name, but I should have. He was at Disney for Christmas with his wife, kids and grand-kids. He said he was from Mississippi and we discussed how blessed we all are to be alive and be able to be at WDW with people that we love. When the pre-show for Flights of Wonder started, we all stood up. The man from Mississippi patted my shoulder and said, "I hope you continue in good health." He surely was a real gentleman, and I was very touched by him taking the time to say that to me. He really made my day.

Then, we had another magical moment. CM Lillie waded through the thick crowd and said to me, "You and your husband come with me. You are my magical guests for the day." I grabbed Nick, who was watching the owl that had been brought out for the pre-show, and giggled into his ear, "We are magical guests!" He looked confused, but he followed. Lillie took us past the crowd and into the empty Flights of Wonder theater. She said, "Go sit all the way up front and in the center. I have reserved that spot for you. And remember, when you come back to Florida, come see me." I was almost in tears because this was so sweet. I gave her a big hug and said thank you. Taking the time to relax and getting to know someone new, like Lillie in this case, had blessed us with another moment that we will never forget. Birds of all types were flying freely through the theater. It was great. It was a good five minutes before everyone else came into the theater, and the show was great. The birds were amazing and so beautiful. They flew right over our heads, and Nick got some great shots. When they brought the Eagle out, Nick was blown away. He loves Eagles, and he is very much into patriotic images of the American flag and Eagles, and he was able to get a gorgeous shot of the Eagle. I am so glad that this show was still here for us to see. I can’t believe we never took the time before – it is truly worth it.

By this time I was feeling great. Nick and I walked over to Flame Tree BBQ, another first for us, and had lunch. We both ordered the smoked beef sandwich, which came with baked beans and a small ear of corn. For dessert, which as we know is included with the dining plan, Nick got the key lime pie, but I did not want dessert. I have been very good so far about afternoon sweets, and I substituted no sugar added applesauce. For drinks, Nick got a bottle of water and I got the light/low carb lemonade. The food was very good for counter fare, and we sat in the Flame Tree seating area, where three little ducks hopped up into and begged for food. Despite signs all over the park saying to not feed the animals, people (adults too) threw food to the ducks. Then, when the food stopped, the ducks kind of got mad and started poking at this little girl, who then started screaming in terror. Well, duhhh people, don’t feed the animals and they won’t bug you for more food.

After lunch, we decided to forego the afternoon break and, at first, we said we would go to Epcot. However, when we got to the bust stop, the MGM bus was there, so Nick said, "Let’s get on." Once at MGM, we took a picture of the MGM tree, but then Nick changed his mind and wanted to go to Epcot after all. I laughed, and we walked to the boat outside of MGM that went to the resorts and then to Epcot. We took a leisurely ride and finally ended up at the International Gateway to Epcot. We walked passed the U.K. and Canada and, just for laughs, we went to Soarin’. Of course, all of the Fast Passes for the day were gone and the wait was 100 minutes. I was not going to wait, but we rode the Living With The Land ride, another first for us. Nick and I really enjoyed this. It was neat to see the Epcot greenhouses. Nick really loves Epcot – he is very much into the science behind everything, and we had fun. We then left this area and walked to Mission Space. We are not going to ride, but Nick wanted to see the building. He took several pictures of Mission Space and other areas of the park. I needed a drink at this point, so used 2 snack credits to get a bottle of water for Nick and a diet coke for me. I also bought another pretzel for us to share. I know it’s bad, 2 pretzels in one day, but I needed a snack. I can proudly report that my glucose levels have still been very good the three times per day I take my sugar, well below my target level. Plus, I am doing a lot of walking, and since I was not eating one of those giant pretzels by myself, I wasn’t going to dwell on it too much. You know us "fat" people, always having to eat. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I promise the Animal Kingdom kid from earlier today will not infiltrate my trip report again.

After our snack, we rode Universe of Energy, and I have to say, Nick and I really like this. It’s very cute and it’s neat, though I know there are a lot of people who dislike it. This is a long ride, at about 45 minutes, and when we got out it was 5:30 p.m. We had reservations at Whispering Canyon Café inside the Wilderness Lodge at 7:20, and I was really looking forward to visiting the Wilderness Lodge, so we decided to head over that way afterwards. Before exiting the park, we walked through Innoventions (is that spelled correctly?) and goofed around for a few minutes, stopped in a few shops, and made our way over to the surprisingly crowded Wilderness Lodge bus stop. We got to the Lodge at about 6:15 p.m. The second I stepped off the bus, I was in awe. The Wilderness Lodge is, by far, the absolute best resort on Disney property. It was beautiful. I was speechless. I loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I want to live there. I just loved it. Did I say I loved it? I did not feel all weird like I did at the Grand Floridian. We took some pictures and strolled around the pool and grounds. It was so pretty. We checked in early for our Whispering Canyon dinner and were seated in five minutes. The restaurant is very loud and noisy, and though I was not uncomfortable, it was a bit much. I can see how families with smaller children would get a kick out of this place. Kids have the chance to hoop and holler, as kids should be able to do at times, and have fun at dinner. It was cute what they did for the kids, but it was a little more attention than I normally like. Our server was okay, not great. He seemed a bit bored. Nick and I ordered the all you can eat skillet, with water to drink. The skillet came with all you can eat salad, cornbread, cole slaw, chicken, ribs, sausage, pulled pork, green bean salad, and baked beans. The food was just okay. I tried everything except the sausage. Nothing was spectacular. I would not go back. They did acknowledge our anniversary trip with a cute little chocolate cake covered in whipped cream and sprinkles. Nick had ordered apple pie for dessert and I had ordered a cup of vanilla ice cream. I didn’t feel like anything sweet, so I ended up not eating any desserts at all (all the better for me anyway). Nick said his apple pie was very good, but also said that he had eaten too much at this meal. Nick said he did not feel overly full with other meals that we have had so far, but that the food at Whispering Canyon was very heavy, and he should not have had seconds.

After dinner we made our way to the Wilderness Lodge docks and took the boat from WL to Magic Kingdom. From MK, we hopped a bus to the French Quarter. We were tired, Nick especially. I think afternoon breaks are a great idea. My goal for tomorrow is to experience Soarin’. I think that will take getting up very early and getting to Epcot very early and seeing what happens. We’ll have to see how it goes. Back in the room, Nick fell asleep right away. I don’t sleep very much at all anyway, so I worked on the trip report and watched the limited channels available here at Disney.

12/21 Dining Plan Summary:

-Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ: $23.98

-Snack at AK – Bottle of Water: $2.55

-Snack at Epcot (Diet Coke & Bottle of Water): $4.15

-Dinner at Whispering Canyon: $66.12

Total for today was $96.80, a savings of $26.80.

Day Four – Thursday, December 22, 2005: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is my honor to present to you... Mr. Mickey Mouse!" – Muppet Vision 3-D

Today was a bit weird. We got up at around 6:30 a.m., but I just felt awful. I have been fighting the cold that Nick had when we go there, plus I have not been sleeping well at all and it all just caught up with me. I just could not get up. Nick went to the Jackson Square gift shop and bought me some Nyquil, which I promptly took and fell asleep. Hours later, at around 1:30, I forced myself up. I was still very tired, but I wanted to get out there and have some fun, if I could. As it turned out, once I got going, I was fine. We took the bus to MGM and arrived at around 2:30 p.m. We were both hungry and went to the ABC Commissary for lunch. Nick got the Cuban sandwich with plantain chips. He was very unsure about the plantain chips (we thought they would taste sweet), but they turned out to be pretty good. Nick said his lunch was "ok", nothing spectacular. He got water to drink and opted for a fruit bowl for dessert instead of the sweet dessert. I had the tobouleh wrap, which was actually quite delicious. It was very light and refreshing. It came with black bean salad, which was also very light. I also did not want the dessert, so I got the fruit bowl as well. I had the light lemonade to drink. The fruit was good – fresh and firm, not old and soggy. After lunch, we rode the Great Movie Ride, which we really enjoyed. Second was the Muppets 4-D, a sentimental favorite for me. I just adore Bean Bunny. We looked around in a few shops after the show, and then Nick talked me into riding Star Tours. I know I rode it in 1999 when we were here, but not since then, so I could not remember much about it. I hate, no, I abhor sharp drops, and I was worried. He said I would be fine. I said I would hurt him if I got sick, and he said I wouldn’t hurt him because I would be too busy being sick. That’s Nick logic for you. Anyway, I got on and the first darned drop was sharp and yukky, but after that, it was fine. Next was Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carrey. We enjoy the show, but it’s showing its age. Everything we did was a complete walk-on with no waits. Finally, we walked through the Walt Disney – One Man’s Dream exhibit. Nick, being an architect, enjoyed the models and drawings very much. We stayed for the film at the end, and I’m glad we did. It was very sweet to hear Walt tell his story in his own words. Very enjoyable.

By this time, it was our advanced seating time for Hollywood and Vine at 6:00 p.m. We ate here in 2002, and we thought it was a really great meal. This time, however, was very disappointing. The food was bland, plain, and more limited in selections than we remembered. I don’t even remember what we tried, but it was nothing great. Nick tried a few small desserts, but none were great. I just had the vanilla soft serve, and I didn’t even like that. We had water to drink. We will not plan on Hollywood and Vine in any future trips.

After dinner, we took the boat outside of MGM over to Epcot. The boat was packed full. We got to Epcot at around 8:15 p.m. We got in line for our Extra Magic Hour wristbands and then walked around World Showcase. In France, I bought my sister a keychain and shirt, both with the Eiffel Tower on them. I hope she likes them. We walked around, and when we got to America, the Candlelight Processional show was going on. I didn’t want to watch too much of it since we will be going on Christmas Day, but I stayed around long enough to see Jim Caviesal. He’s awesome. He was so handsome and dignified. I enjoyed watching him. I wish I had gotten tickets for the show one day earlier. We get to hear John Stamos read the story. Not one of my favorite celebrities, I’m sorry to say. Oh well. We are thankful that we get to experience the show at all, and I’m looking forward to the whole program. What little I saw today looked great.

Once we got to Germany, we decided to stake out a spot to watch Illuminations. All benches and seats were taken, but we ended up standing in an area in Germany that offered a really great view. Nick’s throat was hurting, and he asked me to go to re-con for some hot chocolate. I walked around Germany, but didn’t find any. I think I had to walk over to Italy to find a stand that was selling some. I bought two and Nick and I drak them while waiting for Illuminations to start.

The show was beyond amazing. I mean, it was really something awesome and I can’t encourage people enough to take the time to see it. It was beautiful. There was an extra bit at the end, about Peace On Earth, that was especially touching. I was really touched by the show. The effort that Disney puts into it is simply superb.

After the show, Nick said standing for almost two hours had taken a lot out of him, but he said he’d try to go on. I was touched by his sacrifice for me to stay in the park. We explored Germany and then we walked to China and sat on a bench and just enjoyed the Christmas music and the quiet time together. No one was back there, and we just sat a while and talked. When he was able to walk again, we went to Norway and looked around. Nick passed on Maelstrom. We want to ride it, but we are worried about the drops we hear are on the ride. We’ll have to see if we go back to do it.

Mexico was next, where we looked around and then rode the Mexican It’s A Small World. I can’t remember the name of the ride right now. We were going to walk around the park some more, but Nick was tired, I was feeling sick, and we caught a very crowded bus back to the resort, where we relaxed and went to sleep. All in all, it was still a great day despite my late start. Being with Nick and experiencing all of these things with him is the best Christmas gift I have ever received.

12/22 Dining Plan Summary:

-Lunch at ABC Commissary: $23.57

-Dinner at Hollywood & Vine: $58.30

-2 Snacks at Food Court (Oatmeal Cookie & Lemonade): $4.01

Total for today was $85.88, a savings of $15.88.

Day Five – Friday, December 23, 2005: "If you ever had a dream, and had that dream come true, then you know a little something about the magic of Walt Disney World." – A Dream Called Walt Disney World (1981)

Today was another weird day. I think my cold is getting better, but I was too sick to even get up today. We skipped breakfast and slept in. Nick got up, unbeknownst to me, and got dressed. He whispered to me that he was going to Epcot to get us Fast Passes for Soarin’ (I have been wanting to ride this all week). He didn’t realize that I had to scan my pass at the front gate to use the Fast Pass machines (he took my pass with him), but a nice CM sympathized with me being sick and gave Nick a Fast Pass for me. When he called me at about 10:00 a.m. and said they passes kicked in at 11:51 a.m., I made myself get up and take a shower. I told Nick I would meet him at the park. I went to the Epcot bus stop and it was packed. Once at Epcot, the crowds were almost unbearable, but maybe it was because I wasn’t feeling well. I met Nick outside the front gate and we went in. Nick said that several people kept coming up to him and asking him if he worked there. He said it kept happening, and he wasn’t sure why. I got a kick out of that.

Nick was hungry, so we went to the Electric Umbrella in Future World for lunch. I had the turkey wrap with coleslaw, a lite lemonade, and the fruit cup for dessert. Nick had the roast beef sandwich with coleslaw, water, and the fruit cup. The food wasn’t bad. We then made our way to Soarin’. The Land pavilion was mobbed. It was really, really hot in there too and it was making me very nauseaous. I am very glad that I persevered, however, because Soarin’ was absolutely amazing. I can’t even describe it. The front row is the best row, as you don’t see dangling feet, and that’s where we ended up. You could smell the pine trees and orange groves, the ocean, etc. It was mind-blowing. Nick and I loved it! It was done really, really well. Take-off was a bit intense. I know it’s your mind making you feel like you are taking off, so I had to close my eyes at the very beginning, but I was fine after that. After the ride, we immediately went and got Fast Passes to ride again. The return time was around 5:30 p.m., which really worked out because we had dinner reservations in Germany for later. I just could not take anymore, so we returned to the resort. We got back to our room at about 1:00 p.m., where I took some Ny-Quil and immediately fell asleep.

We got up at 4:30, and I showered again because I felt hot. We hopped another packed bus to Epcot and arrived at around 5:30 p.m. We went back to Soarin’ and rode again. We were in the second row this time. Amazing!!! It is definitely Nick’s favorite ride in WDW, my second favorite (The Haunted Mansion will always be my number one). After the ride, we walked around the shops in Future World and then took a Friend-Ship across the Lagoon to Morocco. We walked to Germany and checked in for our 6:55 reservation at Biergarten about 10 minutes early. Biergarten was really neat inside. It looks like a German town, with a stage up front for the Oompah Band. It was so cute. I enjoyed the music immensely. The food was, for me, just ok. I made this reservation for Nick. He enjoyed everything and said it was very good, but I am not a big meat eater, so I stuck with chicken and salad. The atmosphere made up for the food. I would recommend going here just for the music. We had fun. We sat with a family from Boston – at Biergarten, they sit people together to fill the tables.

After dinner, we walked around World Showcase from Germany to Mexico, looking around a bit. We went to Mouse Gears and looked around. I have been searching for a small model/statue or some such thing of Spaceship Earth for Nick. This trip is our Christmas gift to each other, but Nick loves Epcot and Spaceship Earth, or as other guests call it, the Big Silver Ball. I found some salt and pepper shakers, but that didn’t work. The closest thing I have found is a picture holder shaped like the Big Silver Ball, but it has the picture holders coming up off of it, with characters like Nemo and Figment on it, and Nick does not want the characters on it, especially not to take to work and put on his desk. I will keep trying. We didn’t buy anything and went to the busses, where a man just outside the front gate asked me if I worked there. Nick and I laughed, and I told Nick that we must look like we are having a very Magical Day for people to keep asking us if we worked there.

Back at the resort, Elliot Dyson was playing inside the Scat Cat Club, as he has been all week. He’s very good. He sings a lot of Jazz/New Orleans type music and it was nice listening to him. Nick and I decided to go in and we sat down at a table. I ordered a frozen strawberry margarita, no salt or sugar around the rim, and Nick ordered a mango margarita. It started to get crowded, so we paid the bill and left. Nick wanted a Samuel Adams beer, so we went to the gift shop. They had everything but Sam Adams, so got two cans of Heineken. The CM at the register said we would get a discount if we bought a six pack, but I told her we would never drink six cans of beer, even during our whole stay.

Back in the room, we drank some of our beer, but poured most of it out and watched TV for a while and then went to sleep. Despite both of us being a bit ill during this visit, we have had a really productive and fun time. We have experienced so many things, and have had a great time. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and our first time seeing Cirque Du Soleil.

12/23 Dining Plan Summary:

-Lunch at the Electric Umbrella: $24.74

-Dinner at Biergarten: $56.11

(No snack credits used today)

Total for today was $80.85, a savings of $10.85.

Day Six – Saturday, December 24, 2005: "Oh, joy, Christmas Eve. By this time tomorrow, millions of Americans, knee-deep in tinsel and wrapping paper will utter those heartfelt words, 'Is this all I got?'" – Dr. Fraiser Crane on Cheers (1982)

Today was a quiet and slow paced day – a little break from the parks. We slept until about 8:30 a.m. then got up and did some more laundry in the resort laundry room. While the clothes were washing, we went to the food court and had breakfast. Nick had the King Creole platter, which came with scrambled eggs, potatoes, one link of sausage, two strips of bacon, and a small biscuit. He got orange juice to drink. I got biscuits and gravy and a side of bacon, with a small fat free milk to drink. We used a counter service credit to pay. We ate outside at the tables near the food court. We did laundry until about 10:30 a.m. While we waited between loads, we sat and relaxed by the pool, reading our Little Blue Book (the Catholic Church gives them out each Advent season. It is a small book of readings, prayers and reflections in preparation for Christmas.) It was nice to take the time for God. It is something Nick and I firmly believe in and practice together. It was a nice time for us to discuss spiritual things together. While we were folding laundry in the laundry room, Nick started singing some song in Donald Duck’s voice. Let me preface this by saying that Nick does this at home every single day, so this was nothing new. Also, his Donald Duck is spot on, and he sounds exactly like him. So, Nick is singing while folding laundry and cleaning the lint traps of the dryers we had used, and this woman who was in there with her husband suddenly stops what she is doing and says to her husband, "Do you hear that? What is that noise?" I laughed and tried to hide my smile. Nick had not heard her and had just kept on singing, and when she left I told him to stop freaking people out like that. After I explained what had happened, he said in Donald Duck’s voice, "Ut-oh". It was very cute.

After the laundry was finished, we took it back to the room and I told Nick to pack the laundry we had just done. He got a frown on his face and said, "But I don’t want to pack. Why do I gotta pack stuff?" He was pretending to be sad because we would be leaving in three days. I told him to buck up and pack it. Then, we took a nap until about 1:00 p.m. When we woke up, we were going to go to Epcot, but changed our minds and decided to see what the boat ride from French Quarter to Downtown Disney was like. It was the first really warm day we have had so far, and it was a perfect time to take the boat ride. The boat dock was about five steps from our door, and we got aboard. It was a very nice ride. We saw the old Tree House Villas, which used to be a Disney Resort. This is now where the college interns stay. I thought it was pretty sweet accommodations for the interns! How awesome for them to stay there. I have been telling my sister all year to check out the college intern program at Disney. I think it would be great for her.

Once Downtown, we walked around the Marketplace briefly, and then went to the bus stops to catch a bus to the Contemporary Resort. We waited a very long time. I don’t know why it took so long.

At the Contemporary, we looked around a bit. I really do not like this resort. It is very stark and cold and does not have a lot of character at all. We went to one of the gift shops and bought two chocolate covered pretzels to snack on. Afterwards, we went up to the Monorail platform. I guess we weren’t walking fast enough for the CM working at the Monorail station because he pointed at us and in a very crabby voice said, "Let’s Go." I turned to Nick and I said, "Did he just tell us to ‘let’s go’?" Nick said, "He sure did." I looked at the CM and said, "He must not be having a very magical day." I took my time finding just the right car to get into, just for good measure.

We wanted to ride the Monorail loop and then get off at the Polynesian for our 5:00 p.m. reservation at O’Hana. We left the Contemporary around 3:30 p.m. When we got to the Grand Floridian (I stuck my pinky out for good measure as we pulled into the station), the Monorail shut down. A CM said they had to re-set the system or something, and they would only be shut down for a short while. A man in the same car as us started freaking out, all angry that the monorail had to shut down. A few minutes later, the monorail started back up, but then immediately shut down again. I’m not sure what was going on, but we sat there for a good 15 minutes. Finally up and running again, we finished the loop and got off at the Poly. I love this resort. I like Wilderness Lodge better, but the Poly is very cute and the atmosphere is peaceful. We looked around the gift shops, and I bought a shirt for my sister’s friend, Kenden.

We then sat in the lounge outside of O’Hana. I can’t remember the name for the life of me, but it was a nice little area with a bar. I ordered a Tradewind, which was a frozen drink. It was very good. Nick didn’t have anything. At around 4:45, we were able to check in at O’Hana. A very rude woman tried to push in front of Nick as he was checking in, but Nick just stood there and she finally backed off. I just don’t get what is up with people. This is the season of peace and perpetual hope! No one here really seems to understand what Christmas is really about. I feel like Charlie Brown. Oh well. To each his own.

We were seated at about 5:10 p.m. and we had a gorgeous seat. We were right at the windows, and right outside the window was the volcano from the Poly pool, and in the distance, a perfect view of Cinderella Castle and Main Street Station. It was great. It was very touching, looking out over the water and seeing all of that beauty in the distance. We soaked it up and then the food started to arrive. And it kept coming. And coming. There was a lot of food. We had wontons with three dipping sauces, fried vegetables, scalloped potatoes, shrimp with pineapple, salad, chicken wings, and then the meats on skewers. The meats were pork, steak, turkey and sausage. I did not try the pork or the sausage. The steak was ok, but I loved the turkey best. Nick said all of the meats were good, but he enjoyed the pork the most. The entire meal was absolutely delicious, and the atmosphere was wonderful. There was so much food, and all of it was too good. I admit that we stuffed ourselves, a first for me this trip. Dessert was bread pudding with ice cream and a bananas foster sauces. I do not really like bread pudding, so I only had a few bites, but Nick really enjoyed it. This was by far the best meal we have had since we have been here.

After dinner we waddled to the bust stop to catch a bus to Downtown Disney. We got off at Pleasure Island and walked to Cirque Du Soleil. Nick was so excited about going. He was so cute, like a little kid almost, in his excitement to go in. He has wanted to see a live Cirque show for many years, and I felt so good that we were able to pull it off this year. While we waited for the doors to open, Nick and I got out our cell phones and made calls to some family and friends to wish them a Merry Christmas.

Let me tell you, going to see La Nouba is worth every single penny we spent and more. It was amazing. I can’t even find the right words at this point. The 90-minute show went by so fast, it was unbelievable. Every second of the show was jaw-dropping, amazingly cool, and too awesome for words. Nick said "Wow" over and over. You have to see it to believe it. Seeing it on TV does not do the show justice. These performers are so talented and beautiful to watch. When the show was over, Nick really wanted the DVD of the show, recorded in Orlando, and I broke down and got it for him. We can share some of what we saw with our family back home. It was really great. I would recommend to anyone going to Disney to plan a La Nouba show into your stay.

After the show ended, we caught the boat that is right outside of Cirque, next to House of Blues almost, that shuttles people to the Marketplace side. At the Marketplace side, we immediately hopped the waiting boat going to French Quarter, a perfect way to end the evening. We stopped by the food court and used 6 snack credits on 2 orange juices, 2 fat free milks, and 2 lite lemonades. (We were stocking up for the rest of the week.) Back in the room, Nick and I said some special Christmas prayers and shared the Eucharist that a friend had given us that was blessed. Since we were not able to attend a Midnight Mass tonight, we were at least able to pray and share Eucharist. Tomorrow we will attend a Christmas Mass at the Contemporary Resort.

Today was an amazing and relaxing day. We are so fortunate to be here at Christmas-time and see all of the amazing things we have seen and experienced. We are so thankful for this chance to have a Disney trip that has been far from "commando" style, and more relaxed. In taking a less aggressive approach, I think we have seen so much more than our previous trips put together.

12/24 Dining Plan Summary:

-Breakfast at food court: $16.14

-Dinner at O’Hana: $63.16

-(6) Snack Credits used for drinks at food court: $13.10

Total for today was $92.40, a savings of $22.40.

Day Seven – Sunday, December 25, 2005: "Good thing I’m not a diabetic with all the sweetness floating around this place." - Manna From Heaven (2003)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Nick and I got up at 5:30 a.m. and caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom at 6:20 a.m. The bus was packed, as was MK when we got there. Loads and loads of people just kept pouring in from the ferry and the monorail. Since it was an Extra Magic Hour, only resort guests were being let in for the 7:00 a.m. opening. Nick and I entered and walked around a bit. The Christmas magic was clearly in the air as a boy started yelling at his grandmother. Ahhh, family.

Nothing was really open other than Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land. I had really wanted to ride Haunted Mansion, but it was not to be. We hopped on Peter Pan for a quick flight and then left MK. We walked up to the Monorail and asked to ride up front. We were able to, much to Nick’s excitement. We got our co-pilot’s licenses and got off at the Contemporary resort. We made our way to the Fantasia Ballroom and attended Catholic Mass at 8:00 a.m. The room was lit in a weird way that was making my head hurt, and the room was exceedingly hot. I hate to admit that I was glad when it was over so I could get out of that room. We got back on the Monorail and watched as the hoards at MK just kept coming. It was unreal. We made the complete loop and I was falling asleep, so we headed back to the resort. We arrived back at the room at around 10:00 a.m. We had a breakfast of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I took some Ny-Quil and fell asleep. Nick woke me up at around 1:30 p.m. We skipped lunch and headed for Epcot. We left Mouse-Keeping a Christmas Cad with a $10 tip in it. They have been doing a great job all week. The room was clean, the beds made, and we always had our towels made into swans and Christmas Bows every day that we returned to the room.

The busses took a while to get there, and once inside Epcot, I was too lazy to walk all the way around World Showcase, so we got in line for a Friend Ship that would take us to Morocco. There was a girl in line behind us, she had to have been about 12, who kept knocking into me and it was annoying me, but I let it go. When the boat came and the gate was opened, she shoved past us and flung her arms up, as if she were being inconvenienced. She was a little brat with absolutely no manners, but her mother looked wore out and too tired to say anything.

World Showcase was pretty packed as well, but I think Epcot is big enough to handle the large crowds better than MK. There’s a kind of waltz people have to learn how to do in order to get past the crowds and arrive at their destination. Nick and I are becoming well versed in this waltz. We got to the American Garden Theater and got in line for the first Candlelight Processional show. Yes, we got in line 2 hours before the 5:00 show. People were all ready lined up. Nick and I used a table credit for each of us to get the Candlelight Package. While in line, Nick slipped out to get us some snacks. Using our last two snack credits, he got himself a bottle of water and a diet coke for me. He paid for a pretzel and a Mickey bar for us to share.

They started letting people in at 4:30. The seating for the package deal was not the best, but they seemed to only be detouring every few people off to the "bad seats" while others in line slipped ahead. Being well versed in the "waltz" discussed early, Nick and I danced our way to the third row near the stage with a perfect view of the podium and all the excitement. No one said anything to us.

The show was very nice. The choirs and the orchestra were excellent. John Stamos narrated, and I am just not a big fan of his at all. In between his narration, he made the funniest faces, especially when the music got particularly loud. Then, he would look around at the choir, kind of like a feigned interest, and it cracked me up. I think I was the only person laughing, but it was a quiet laugh. I had to look away from Uncle Jesse, I mean John Stamos, to enjoy the show. The funniest part, however, was that there was this one baby who was quiet when the music was on, but every single time Uncle Jesse opened his mouth, this baby would start crying, and at one point, it sounded like the baby was saying, "nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh", as if saying "no, no, no". It was hilarious. Even the people in the seats behind me were laughing.

The show was great, and I would go see it again if I am ever here during the holidays again. I would not, however, want to see John Stamos again. He spoke clearly and did not stumble, but to me, he just seemed very uninterested in what was going on. I guess he couldn’t help it, though. He was the second choice after Gary Sininse had to cancel.

After the show, we walked around WS some more, making our way to Japan. We looked in the shops and I bought my mother in law a box of teas from China and Japan. We then checked into Teppanyaki (Mitsukoshi – not sure if I spelled that correctly?) for dinner, and the place was absolutely mobbed. They were running over a half an hour late, even with reservations. People were angry, the place was hot, and I saw tons of people go up to the podium to complain about the wait time. I don’t know what good it did them to complain, but maybe it made them feel better. It was a long wait. Our reservation time was 6:45 p.m., but we weren’t seated until almost 7:30 p.m.

The meal was fine. It is just like Benni Hanna, the chain restaurant. I think Benni Hanna has much better food, however. Nick got the salad for his appetizer, water to drink, and scallops and steak as his entrée. The entrée’s came with a very small amount of udon noodles, vegetables, and steamed rice. I like fried rice much better, and Benni Hanna has the best fried rice around. For my appetizer, I got the tofu soup, water to drink, and steak and chicken as my entrée. Again, it was good, the chef was entertaining, but the place was too hot and obviously over-booked. Had this meal not been on the dining plan, I would not have paid the $100 for the meal that it cost. For dessert, I had orange sherbet and Nick had fresh pineapple, that had been cut to look like two dragons. It was neat.

After dinner, we walked around WS again, from Japan to Canada, and enjoyed the Christmas music and lights. This will most likely be our last time seeing Epcot for this trip, so we said good-bye and went back to the resort. We had a package waiting for us, a Christmas gift of a Minnie Mouse doll surrounded by various snacks and festive confetti and bows. She was very cute. It was a gift from my mom, sent by my sister. What a sweetie she was! We lost our mom to cancer a few years back, and we have a habit of giving each other gifts "from mom". It’s a special family thing we do.

We had planned on going to Magic Kingdom later tonight, since it was open until 3:00 a.m. with the Extra Magic Hours, but Nick was too tired and did not want to deal with the crowds. We went to sleep a little earlier than we have been instead. Tomorrow is our last full day in the "world". We head for home on Tuesday. It seems to us that we have done so many things this trip, and it is even more special to us because we are not people who get back here often. Our trips are few, but hold very special places in our hearts and memories. I know I am repeating myself here, but we are so thankful to have experienced all of these amazing things. It has been a very nice trip. Nick seems sad to go home, but I am ready. I miss my house, my own bed, my sister, and my dogs. Nick told me today that I am a woman of routine, and I guess that is true. I am ready to get back to the "real world" and look forward to going home.

12/25 Dining Plan Summary:

-Snack at Epcot (2 drinks): $5.00

(no Counter Service Credit used today)

-Dinner at Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki Dining: $97.96

Total for today was $102.96, a savings of $32.96.

Day Eight – Monday, December 26, 2005: "Donald, are you nuts? What's going on here?" – Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004)

Last night was not the greatest. Some ignorant and inconsiderate family was at the pool at 11:40 p.m. making really, really loud noises. Screaming, yelling, etc. Granted, the pool was open, but that, in my opinion, did not give them the right to inconvenience everyone else around them because they don’t know how to respect other people. Common courtesy this trip has completely gone out the window from what we experienced, and it is very disheartening. Nick and I were trying to sleep, and this family just kept on screaming. I called the front desk and asked if there were any rules in regards to being exceedingly loud at the pool that late at night, and the clerk got snooty and said, "Ma’am, the pool is open until midnight." I then asked her if that meant that people could scream and make all kinds of noises at that hour, even if it woke up other guests, and Miss Snooty said, "That’s right, ma’am." Finally, I said to her, "So I could go out there and scream at the top of my lungs until midnight?"

"Yes ma’am," said Miss Snooty.

I will have to remember that for my next trip. I look forward to utilizing that guest right at 11:55 p.m. one evening during my next stay. (Just kidding.)

Then, very early this morning, before 7:00 a.m., our room phone rang. Nick answered it, and even I heard the guy on the other end shout in a loud voice, "Time to wake up! Where’s yer dad?" Nick said, "I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong number." The guy on the other end said, "Sorry, ehh." It was funny, but we did not sleep well last night.

We got up around 9:30 a.m. and Nick went to the food court to use our counter service credits from yesterday that we did not utilize. He bought us breakfast, the King Creole platter for both of us, with milk for me and orange juice for him. We ate in the room. I packed the Christmas tree and the rest of our Christmas decorations along with some of our clothes. We made it out of the room around 10:30 a.m. and headed for MGM. That was a huge mistake. MGM was packed. The worst I have seen any park on this trip. It was wall to wall people, and we could barely move. We did the crowd waltz I discussed yesterday and made our way to Who Wants to be a Millionaire. There was a small line outside of one of the doors, which was roped off. We got in the line after we heard a CM say that this was indeed the line for the next show. The CM then let a large group of us in. We then came to another rope, where another CM kept saying to the group, "This is the wrong side. You have to go around to the other side. You’ll never get in this way. You won’t be let in this way." The whole group of us was very mad. Why the heck did they let us in then? Why did the other CM tell us this was the correct line? We turned around and went to the other side, where the same damned CM said, "This is the Fast Pass line. You have to have a Fast Pass to come in here." We could not believe it. There were no Fast Pass machines in sight, and a CM suddenly came out and started handing out Fast Passes. She was handing out Fast Passes with a time printed on them of the exact time that it was. We were going to get one, but Nick was really mad. No two CM’s seemed to understand what was going on or where guests should go. Finally, Nick walked away, he was just mad at the situation, and I didn’t blame him. I walked away as well, and the crowds kept pushing us out of the way. I finally told Nick that I was having a melt down like a little kid and just wanted to sit down. We sat just outside of the Back lot Tour and watched people pushing, shoving, and so on. I started to feel better after my mini hissy fit, and we started to people watch. One family went to the Back lot entrance and the girl, who was about 11, had a huge tantrum. It was bad, then the mom or grandmother in the group literally reached out and slapped this kid in the face. I said, "ohhhhh" kind of loudly and I started to laugh, I just couldn’t help it, and Nick said, "Lyss! Shhh!" The family walked into the Back lot tour, with the girl still crying and stomping her feet. Not wanting to miss that little show, Nick and I got in line. People then started to just push in front of us, so I finally stood my ground and wouldn’t let anyone pass. We all were waiting in the same line, so I don’t understand what they thought they were going to accomplish. We got in to the first part of the show, and this man who was in the lane in front of us, closest to the water of the effects part of the tour, climbed over the railing and got in behind Nick. The woman behind us was very angry. Throughout the tour, this man and his obnoxious family kept line skipping, pushing and shoving their way to try and get ahead. Finally, when we got to the area where we get the Tram’s, this guys family had managed to push their way outside. The man was stuck inside still. A group of senior citizens in electric carts was patiently trying to get by. People would not let them in. Nick and I finally just stopped walking and told the people to please go ahead. It was so upsetting to see people shove their way ahead of these people, who had waited patiently. One man got by, then the obnoxious guy literally pushed me and was going to walk in front of the elderly lady, who was in the same group as the man we had let through. I told the obnoxious guy, "Excuse me, this woman is trying to get though." He said, very irrated, "My kids, my kids are out there." Then, he started pushing me roughly and I said again (very loudly), "Exucse me!" and let the lady through. This guy was a pain in the butt, let me tell you. No one has any patience. Everyone was so self centered and had the attitude that they were entitled to be first, be best, or whatever. It sickened me. People should be ashamed of themselves. The tram ride was ok, but the Back lot Tour is not worth the hassle we went through.

After the tour, we got in line at 12:50 for the 1:45 showing of Lights! Motors! Action! Stunt show. The line was all ready out past the exit to the Back lot tour. I was amazed that there were only three shows at such a busy time, but upon checking the times guide, I found that there truly were only three shows, this being the second one. We waited forever. They let us in a little bit at a time, but we waited a good 40 minutes. It was hot. The sun was right on me, and I was miserable. I didn’t complain, I just held up the park map and waited. Seeing this show was important to Nick and I wanted to make sure he saw it. A girl behind us, about 13 or 14, sat on the ground, but we didn’t know she had sat down. Nick moved his feet, you know how people switch the weight from one foot to the other while standing in once place, and he accidentally stepped on her hand. Neither one of us knew he did it until the girl stood up and said, "That ******* stepped on my hand." I turned around and looked at her in disbelief. She stared me down, but finally looked away when she realized I wasn’t going to. Her mother told her, "Well, you shouldn’t have put it there to begin with," and the mom was right. Nick didn’t know she was there. There were hundreds of people packed in this area like cattle, and we were all hot. It’s not like Nick had done it on purpose.

Once we were finally let in to the bleachers, we had to walk practically to the top. We still had a very good view. This show was not my cup of tea, but Nick kept saying, "Wow" and "That was cool" and I was happy that he was enjoying the show, and that’s all that mattered. The stunt drivers were certainly amazing, but again, I’m not into cars and things like that the way Nick is.

It took forever to get out of the show once it ended. The crowds outside looked even heavier, if that was possible. I had to stand behind Nick with my hands on his shoulders and walk behind him that way just so we wouldn’t get separated. I was hot and tired at this point, so we made our way to the front of the park. At a cart outside of Indiana Jones, we bought two diet cokes then walked over by the lake and sat on a bench for a few minutes. A CM walked by and said hello, and that was nice of her. We said hello back. We then realized the 3:00 parade was about to begin, so we left the park quickly. We caught a bus to the Polynesian at the bus stop.

The Poly is really growing on us with each visit. It is a beautiful, calming resort. We went to the Food Court there, Captain Cook’s, and ate lunch. We used our last two counter service credits. We were impressed with the selection and atmosphere here. I can’t wait to be able to stay here sometime. For lunch, Nick had the pork sandwich with fries and a bottle of water, with an oatmeal cookie for dessert. I had the cheeseburger with fries, a lite lemonade, and a chocolate cupcake for dessert. I cut about one quarter of the cupcake off and ate that, and gave the rest to Nick. I don’t know why I got the cupcake, as I have been so good about not eating dessert in the daytime. Nick liked his food, but took the top bun off of the sandwich and ate it with a fork and knife. He didn’t really like the bun. My burger was fine, it was a burger. It wasn’t greasy, which was good.

After lunch, we walked around the Poly a little bit, taking some pictures. We made our way to the dock and caught a boat to the Magic Kingdom. We were the only ones on the boat, and it was a nice ride. When we arrived at MK, the parade was going on. We watched it briefly, then made our way up the steps to the Main Street Train Station. We caught the train and did a complete loop. The park was crowded, but nothing like MGM. After the complete loop, we took the train to where it lets you off at Splash Mountain. We walked to The Haunted Mansion. It was an hour wait, and the line was full. I didn’t care. It is my favorite ride, and I wanted to say good bye to Disney World riding it. We got in line, and it moved pretty quickly. We were in line about 40 minutes. Again, people were cutting in line and it was driving me nuts. At one point, I made a comment to the effect of, "In the D (Detroit) you wouldn’t get away with stuff like that." The lady behind me laughed and she said, "You got that right." It turns out that she was also from Michigan, and had lived in Detroit for years. Along with her children, she and Nick and I formed a barricade, not letting people cut in line anymore. Some people really pushed, but we did pretty well up until we got to the doors to go in. People got nuts, but I was determined not to let it spoil my ride. People continued to push, but we waited patiently. Once we were finally in the buggy, the audio barely worked. Bummer. Then, the ride stopped for about five minutes when we got to the part with the grave digger and his dog. I actually loved it. I was able to look around and just soak up the atmosphere. It could have broke down longer, and I would have been fine. I adore this ride, audio working or not.

After the ride, we walked through MK just enjoying the sights. We had wanted to see the Country Bears, but it was not to be this trip. We had to leave the park and get to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our 7:30 reservation at Boma. It was sad to leave, at least a little bit, but I am definitely ready to get home. I am missing my doggies terribly. My sister said Ashe, my big dog, is missing us and has chewed up his Christmas Stocking as well as our little dog’s stocking. My sister had to take the stockings down because he’s been trying to get at them all. This happens when Ashe is stressed, so I know he’s upset by the change in his routine. My sister works nights, and he’s not adjusting well to the schedule. I look forward to getting home. I don’t have to go back to work until January 3rd, so I’ll have a few days to baby him.

We took a bus from MK to AKL. We looked around the AKL gift shop, then checked in at Boma. Barbara was our server, and she was very, very nice. There were many exotic and interesting food selections at the buffet. I stuck mainly to the salmon in a coconut curry sauce. Nick enjoyed the prime rib the most. It was all very good, and Boma has never disappointed us. You have to go in with an open mind and be willing to try some new things. It’s worth it.

After dinner, we caught a bus to Downtown Disney. We wanted to take the boat back to French Quarter one last time. It’s such a nice ride. It was cold this night, so I put my hood up, zipped up my jacket and put on my gloves. Nick laughed when he saw me and took a picture of me all bundled up. Once at FQ, Nick and I were the only ones who got off the full boat. We got back to our room and packed some more items.

This was a full and mostly happy trip. People’s courtesy and respect for others was pretty much thrown out the window, but Nick and I maintained our respect for others most of the time. I admit that I complained a few times, usually only in this trip report or privately to Nick. None of us are perfect, but why do people have to be so mean to other people? We are all so lucky to be here at Disney World, and are sharing this experience as human beings. Everyone, no matter what their color, size, shape, etc. etc. deserves respect from us and we deserve respect from them. Being on vacation does not mean that all manners are thrown out the window. Despite the rudeness, or outride meanness of others (like the kid who made the "fat people" remark), our vacation was special to us and we have created some lasting and magical memories.

12/26 Dining Plan Summary:

-Breakfast at Food Court: $16.47

-Lunch at Captain Cook’s: $23.78

-Dinner at Boma: $63.16

Total for today was $103.41, a savings of $33.41.

Day Nine – Tuesday, December 27, 2005:

We woke up at around 7:00 a.m., showered, and packed our things. We took a few things out to Stella, and I drove her to a luggage pick up area in our parking lot while Nick went to get a cart and a CM from Bell Services. We were packed up and ready to hit the road at 8:00 a.m. We got turned around again, I don’t know how we keep doing that, but finally found our way. Once again, I believe it was God’s loving hand who made us late, as when we got to I-4 East, where we needed to be (we had gone West for some reason), there was a just-occurred bad accident involving three or four vehicles. Once on I-75, we just kept going.

The Drive Home

The drive home was, well, boring, but thankfully uneventful. Nick and I drove straight through, with Nick driving in the daytime and me taking over around 7:00 at night since I don’t really sleep. We didn’t stop to eat, either, and just snacked on what we had in the car. Not the greatest thing to do, but we wanted to get home. I drove until about 3:00 a.m. I had gotten us into Ohio, and Nick drove us home. We got home around 5:30 a.m. or so, and left all bags in the car and just crashed. Nick fell asleep immediately, but I didn’t sleep at all. I read an entire paperback book that morning, and babied my dogs, very grateful to be home. I weighed myself, and as I reported in the pre-trip section, I have been trying to lose weight. With proper planning, I managed to still lose weight while on vacation. I was exceedingly happy about that, and proud of myself for keeping my glucose levels within or below my target range (as set by my doctor).

Trip Summary

This was an exceedingly magical and well deserved trip for us. We had so many blessed moments that just added to the special-ness of it all. I know that I dwelled a little too much on the negative, such as crazy or rude people, but Nick truly took it all in stride and was a real trooper, and he kept my spirits up when I continuously acted like Eeyore. People have said that Disney is over-priced, too big, too much, etc, etc, but I truly have to say that Disney is the absolute best value for a vacation that is safe, clean, and no matter what people say, the Disney people really try to please everyone and they have some amazing shows and attractions that no where else on earth can come close to. As for going in December, I would never go again any day past Christmas Eve. The crowds prior to December 24th really were not that bad. After the 24th, it was a very noticeable difference. I think the best time to go, in my past experience, is January or the first week in February.

Walt Disney said that it is the people who really make the magic, and that is true. Nick is the magic in my world, and I am so glad he and I could share this time together.

The Dining Plan is a great deal. Period. Do it. Buy it. Use it. Nick and I saved a total of $222.55 using the dining plan. It takes some pre-planning and advanced reservations, but I can’t express enough the worth of it. I think it is the best thing Disney has done yet. It’s a very fair plan, you have amazing options, and you get more than your money’s worth, unless you are a person who truly does not need to eat at least twice a day. Being able to substitute desserts for healthier options was a great plus for me. Being able to use the snack credits for bottles of water, juice, or diet soda was also a great plus for us. The dining option allowed us to plan our meals, and I found that we actually snacked less because we had two meals per day, and we had more than enough healthy options or substitutes to take advantage of. Being on the dining plan does not mean that you are eating junk food all of the time – it means that with a bit of pre-planning, you will be very satisfied. One thing that I found, however, was that using the dining plan for buffets was not the best deal. You can eat at a better restaurant and not have to spend any extra money, unless of course you want alcohol/beer, etc.

Disney Transportation is not bad. We never had a problem. Some waits were longer than others, but it was easy and convenient and free to use. The trains, boats, ferries and busses available are generally very good, and I can’t see any reason to waste gas on driving my car to any of the parks.

Pop Century Resort is really nice. I will definitely stay there again. The food court had a much bigger and better selection than French Quarter, the room was clean and cute, and the whole resort was very welcoming.

Port Orleans - French Quarter Resort was beautiful. The rooms are bigger than at Pop Century, but the Food Court, in my opinion, was really lacking in selection. I think FQ is much prettier and quieter than Riverside, which is also part of the Port Orleans Resort. I would stay here again as well, and definitely before I stayed at Riverside again. A huge PLUS of staying at FQ is that the busses and boats pick up and drop off here first, before Riverside.

Magical Moments:

-Seeing the Magic Kingdom for the first time in over 3 years after not knowing if I would ever see it again due to having cancer last year.

-Our first sit down meal at Tony’s, and the way the table was decorated for our anniversary.

-Watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the boat traveling from the Grand Floridian to MK.

-Talking to the gentleman from Mississippi while in Animal Kingdom.

-CM Lillie and her kindness in making Nick and I her "magical guests" during the Flights of Wonder show.

-Illuminations at Epcot.

-The view of the Magic Kingdom from O’Hana.

-La Nouba.

-Time Nick and I got to spend together, far from the demands of life, school, and most especially, of work.

I hope you have enjoyed this trip report. I have enjoyed writing it very much. Please feel free to send any comments/critiques/questions to me.

Melissa Szydlek.