A Disney Family Christmas 2009 - Trip Report About This Page:

[Russi01]

Great pictures and great dinner!! Keep them coming!!

[cajunlace]

Love the Christmas presents!! Great TR..

[WishandDream]

Originally Posted by Cam22

Christmas Day at DHS sounds like fun!

It turned out really well - especially since I was expecting much worse for crowds.

Originally Posted by chezp

Sounds like a great Christmas Day at the Studios - I remember the weather that day, it was a bit miserable to begin with.

For sure, who wants rain on Christmas Day? Snow maybe, but not rain.

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Glad you had a great time at DHS!!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Russi01

great update. Love the pictures. Can't wait to read more!!

Thanks, update coming soon!

Originally Posted by tdhc

Just found your trip report...We were LOL at your Publix comment. That would be our family. Glad you had a great trip and look forward to hearing about the rest.

Glad to hear there are other weird families out there.

Originally Posted by debrabrown

Finally all caught up. Your photos are so crystal clear I them. The scorpion mescal sounds...um... interesting! Great updates!!

Thanks, I love my point and shoot camera. Yeah, I only managed a sip, I will admit it was quite smooth, you just can't think about the scorpion part.

Originally Posted by bfth

What a wonderful family photo on Christmas!

Thanks, we try

Originally Posted by B.M.

What a wonderful Christmas! And the parks don't sound bad at all (especially compared the crowds I envisioned for Christmas Day). Looking forward to more updates......

I know! I was pleasantly surprised this day, not others though...more on that later.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Looks everyone did a great job on the presents! And Narcoose's sounds like a most wonderful finish to Christmas Day!

Narcoosee's was such a good meal. Definitely on the list to return to.

Originally Posted by JoJayMom

Just found your TR, enjoying it so much!! The pictures are wonderful!! Can't wait to see if you Mom rode EE!!!

Thanks! You will soon find out!

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Great night and a great dinner! More please!

Update on the way...

Originally Posted by chezp

What great presents and a great dinner!

The present did turn out pretty well, especially for just buying them quickly the day before.

Originally Posted by Charlie97

Hey Katherine, i'm enjoying your TR! Hoping to one day take a trip out there with DGF....it will happen. Reallying loving the photos. Scorpion Mescal??? Never seen than one in Mexico, but next time i go i will keep an eye out for it. Me personally, I Love Hornitos Tequila...nice and sweet.

Keep them updates coming girl.


oh yeah........I LIKE IT!!!!! I tend to say that from time to time...just to annoy DD.

Nice, my Dad will be glad to hear others enjoy annoying their children.

Originally Posted by islandgirl

Great dinner & great update!!!!

Thanks, update on the way!

[WishandDream]

Originally Posted by Russi01

Great pictures and great dinner!! Keep them coming!!

Thanks, will do!

Originally Posted by cajunlace

Love the Christmas presents!! Great TR..

Thanks, I think they turned out well too!

[WishandDream]

Day 4, Saturday, December 26, 2009

Since our plans for Animal Kingdom had changed yesterday because of the rain, we decided we would head there this morning. We tried to get up as early as possible, but still didn’t quite make opening. My goal is to someday see the opening ceremonies at all the parks, but I am not much of a morning person – so we’ll see how that goes . We did get there at about 9:15 which I didn’t think was too bad.



One thing to note about today, my Mom, sister, and I had bought matching polo shirts to wear on this trip. They were white and had a Disney Christmas character on the side with our name underneath it. The unfortunate thing is that my shirt was WAY too big for me. It really looked ridiculous. We decided to wear them on this day, but you will notice that mine is covered up by my sweatshirt.

We decided to get EE FPs and ride the safari right away. So, I took off for the FPs while the rest of the family headed for Africa. While my family was waiting for me to join them, the CM at the entrance asked if they were waiting for someone with EE FPs – I guess they know smart people when they see them . I don’t remember exactly what the return time was, but I know it was still in the morning. We pretty much walked on the safari and had a good ride. We saw quite a few animals – even though the savanna area was a little empty.




I have never seen those guys in the back with the big horns before, very cool!

After our safari I wanted to do the Pangani trail, but had to talk some family members into doing it. Finally I succeeded and we headed off. The gorillas were fairly active and we learned quite a bit from a CM stationed by them. We had a nice walk through the trail and took our time – which was nice. In general, AK wasn’t very busy today so we never felt totally rushed or overwhelmed. I guess we made the right decision coming here today!



We decided to head for EE and as we made our way over there, we saw Baloo heading for a side path for a meet. Baloo is Brent’s favorite character (see t-shirt from previous day) and he was REALLY excited to meet him. We got a few photos and Brent told Baloo that it was a shame he didn’t see him yesterday because he had his shirt on. We also ran into Turk in here and Beth and I got our picture with her. One thing about the character meetings at AK: it is nice that there are really never any lines, but I think that is because people don’t see them from the main walkways, they are kinda hidden in the back so you have to keep an eye out for the characters.





After our character meets, we headed out to use our EE FPs. I was wondering if I was going to be able to talk my mom into riding, since she isn’t much for roller coasters. If I remember correctly, I think this was a first for my family (Andrew and I had ridden in 2008) and so she didn’t know what to expect and was willing to try – I made it sound not so bad . So we all rode and enjoyed it. I do like the queue on this ride – it is almost a shame to walk past it so quickly…almost. I must say that I did have a little trouble with the backwards section of EE this time. I don’t remember it bothering me in the past, but for some reason this time it really through off my equilibrium.



It was close to lunch time so we decided to try Yak & Yeti CS. I had heard good things about it on the boards, so needed to give it a try. However, I must lament that I did not get a Yak Attack. I guess I have something else to add to my “Do Next Time” list. Brent and I got the honey chicken (which was great), Andrew got the Kung Pao Beef, Mom got a chicken sandwich, Dad had the sweet and sour pork, and Beth had the shrimp lo mien. We found a great table towards the back of the patio to eat at and had a good time watching the ducks. I know this is really dorky, but I must admit that I LOVE the paper straws at AK. I think they are fun.

Our next stop was ITTBAB. Andrew and I hadn’t had a chance to do this one in ’08 so I was excited for his first trip through. I really like walking down to the Tree of Life for this ride. Next time, we need to find the trails I hear about on here and really get a good look at it. We had maybe a 10 minute wait and got seats toward the front of the theatre. The show was cute as usual, but I was disappointed because our seats weren’t working properly and we didn’t get the bug exit at the end.



We had only planned on doing part of a day at AK, so we decided to hit up Dinosaur as our last attraction. It had been quite a while since I had done it and couldn’t remember what it was like very well. I had brought along my Disney trivia book today and we had a good time reading through that while we were waiting in line. Did you know that the tubes in the queue that are red and yellow say ketchup and mustard on them? I think our wait was about 10-15 minutes. We had fun, but I don’t think it is a family favorite.

Next, we decided to do a little shopping. I found a cute t-shirt that has little Mickey heads that form a peace sign. I also bought Andrew some Mickey hat boxer shorts (I think much to his dismay – I will make a Disney Lover out of him yet!). We grabbed a quick snack of a pretzel and pop and made our way out of the park. Overall a pretty good visit to AK, although we missed the FotLK and Finding Nemo. I was kinda sad about that, but I guess it is just more ammunition to plan another trip soon, right?





Up Next: Who gets in trouble three times at 50s Prime Time?

[Colexis Mom]

What a great day at AK! Love the pictures!

[Cam22]

Great morning at AK! I like your Do Next Time list!

[B.M.]

Great time at AK!

[Nick and Ryans Mom]

Great trip report! I am really surprised at how much you are doing even though it is such a busy season at WDW!!!

[chezp]

What a great day at Animal Kingdom!

[belleandmaddysmom]

Just found your TR. I love hearing about your Christmas trip.
I just love WDW at Christmastime. Thanks for sharing all your photos too.
It is alot of "work" to write a TR. It's like another job until you have it done because it just looms over your head. Or atleast it does mine. I haven't left one unfinished yet

[Russi01]

What a great time at Animal Kingdom!

[WishandDream]

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

What a great day at AK! Love the pictures!

Originally Posted by Cam22

Great morning at AK! I like your Do Next Time list!

Originally Posted by B.M.

Great time at AK!

Originally Posted by chezp

What a great day at Animal Kingdom!

Originally Posted by Russi01

What a great time at Animal Kingdom!

everyone!

Originally Posted by Nick and Ryans Mom

Great trip report! I am really surprised at how much you are doing even though it is such a busy season at WDW!!!

We were too! Especially the first few days. Unfortunately it did get MUCH worse. But that comes later...

Originally Posted by belleandmaddysmom

Just found your TR. I love hearing about your Christmas trip.
I just love WDW at Christmastime. Thanks for sharing all your photos too.
It is alot of "work" to write a TR. It's like another job until you have it done because it just looms over your head. Or atleast it does mine. I haven't left one unfinished yet

I am trying hard to make sure I finish this one up before it drags out too much! Definitely don't want to leave it unfinished!

[WishandDream]

Day 4, Saturday, December 26, 2009 (part 2)

After our morning trip to the AK, we headed back to the hotel to change into warmer clothes as we knew we would be out through the evening and it was getting chilly when the sun went down. We relaxed a bit and then made it to DS at about 3.

We knew it would be too late to get TSMM FPs, but my parents offered to run and see what they could get for RnR and ToT – RnR’s were gone but they were able to get ToT for 8:30-9. We had decided to meet them back at the backlot tour. Unfortunately, the Block Party Bash was going on right when we got to the Studios. It was neat to see some of the floats, but we aren’t big on parades and it was VERY difficult to get through . We even headed through the shops and still had a tough time of it.

We finally made it back to the backlot tour and slowly watched the line grow. We didn’t want to enter too early and miss my parents joining up with us. We finally headed in and had about a 20 minute wait for the next show. They didn’t do the water scene with volunteers because of the cold weather. The tour was okay, but I agree with others on the boards that it was better with the in-person narration.

After the tour we literally had to run over to 50s Prime Time because we had a reservation for 4:25. The restaurant looked very busy and we had to wait a few minutes just to get to the counter to check in. Once we were checked in we didn’t have long to wait though, which was nice. The restaurant really was packed. It is amazing how they squish so many people in there. We were seated and were quickly greeted by our waiter Loukili from Morocco. He was an excellent waiter and we had so much fun with him.

First the food: we all ordered the pot roast except for Brent who went for the pork loin. We also got the onion rings and the crab cakes as appetizers to share. All was very delicious. For dessert, my sister and Brent split the brownie sundae and Mom and I shared the Boston cream cupcake. I had planned on getting the s’mores but the cupcake sounded so good. It turned out to be good, but I think I would have liked the s’mores better.

Brownie Sundae


Boston Cream Cupcake


Now to the 50s Prime Time fun: First of all, we had a great table next to us. The Dad at that table was giving their waiter such a hard time – it was hilarious! You could tell he wasn’t used to being the one on the receiving end of the jokes. He had messed up one of their orders and this guy would not let him hear the end of it (in a funny way). Everyone in our room was laughing. He also kept prodding him to find out if he had a girlfriend – good times.

At our table, Loukili decided to call my mother Sister Mary Katherine for some reason – which is funny because she did go to Catholic school (the only Catholic in our group). You could tell he had it out for her from the start. Hehehe. First, he caught her pulling stuff out of her purse while we were waiting for our food and she got in trouble for playing at the table. We all had to say “Shame, Shame” to her. Next (and my favorite), we were all trying to be part of the “clean plate club” so when I couldn’t finish my pot roast I asked Brent if he wanted what was left. We switched plates and as we did, the knife from my plate fell and hit Mom’s plate and made a huge crashing noise. Loukili was just in the other room and came running in to find Mom picking the knife up. He assumed it was her that was making the ruckus and we didn’t correct him – so she was forced to get up and go over to the wall and put her nose against it while the whole room pointed at her and said “Naughty, Naughty”.

Can you see my father's excitement below? Oh, you can also see his shirt which says "Captian Bob" below the skull.


Next, Loukili decided to spread the wealth a little, so he started questioning my Dad about which of the girls and boys belonged to him. When he found out that Beth and Brent were dating, he asked Brent if he like Beth. He said yes and then Loukili proceeded to make him get up and sing a song to her. He didn’t know what to sing so “You are my Sunshine” was suggested. Very good stuff. And to round the whole evening out, my Mom decided to try and get even for the knife dropping fiasco and told on my to Loukili that I had put the fat from my pot roast in my napkin and that I wasn’t really part of the clean plate club. Well, of course, this back-fired and she got a “Shame, Shame” from the whole room for being a tattle tale. Hehehe. I am an angel, what can I say?

Brent singing (he had to put his arms out like that too)


Overall, we had such a great time here. Definitely the best waiter we have ever had. By this time, we were getting ready to head over to see the Osbourne Lights and my Mom is the queen of anything that blinks or lights up (seriously, you should see us on the 4th of July) and she had gotten us glowing necklaces. We had an extra so she gave it to Loukili to wear. I think he liked it and he had it on when we left. You can see these on my sister in the dessert photos above.

We headed outside and made our way toward the Osbourne Lights. On the way we passed by Star Tours and Beth and Brent wanted to ride. Andrew and Dad joined them but Mom and I sat this one out – last time I rode it was so jerky that I don’t think I need to do it again for a while. :

We finally made it over to the Lights and were surprised to see that it wasn’t super crowded. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t empty, but we were able to move around and take photos just fine. We stayed in there for a while and enjoyed watching the lights dance. We even found quite a few hidden Mickey’s and the hidden cat without even trying.







It was starting to get late, so for a last hurrah we headed toward the big rides to see how bad the wait times were. RnR had over an hour wait and there was no way I was going to do that. Beth and Brent had their heart set on it, so we told them to ride while we took a break. We grabbed some cocoa and found a nice spot to sit by the food stands and people watch. Mom and I also called and cancelled a lot of our ADRs. We had decided earlier in the day that we were going to cut down on our ADRs to free up our time and cut down on costs. So, unfortunately that meant cancelling the San Angel Inn and Whispering Canyon Café dinner reservations that we had for the next two days. But all was not lost as we had breakfast reservations for both days that we would be keeping.

It was very nice to just sit and people watch for a while. That is one of my favorite things to do at WDW. After Beth and Brent got back we headed over to ToT to use our FPs. Mom and Andrew were again sitting this one out, so we gave away our other two FPs. As we made our way through the queue, things were moving quite well until we had just gotten past the part where you pick a side. All of a sudden our line stopped moving. As we got closer we saw that they had shut down on bank of elevators which had slowed our line down considerably. Eventually we saw a group of people come through the emergency exit door. They had obviously been on an elevator when the ride broke down. The Tower of Terror is probably the last ride I would want to be on during a breakdown!! They were put on a new elevator and headed off. As we got closer to the front of the line I was thinking in my head – man, it sure would be terrible to be the first people on the elevator after it broke down. And of course, guess what happened – we were the first people on the elevator after they opened it back up . I hate being a guinea pig!

I am pleased to say that we made it through no problem and had a great sequence where I really couldn’t tell which way was going up and which was going down. Once we reunited with Mom and Andrew we headed out of the park around 9:30.

Once we got back to the hotel, Mom and Dad exited the van and started walking across the grass and all of a sudden the sprinklers came on. Funny to see, probably not so funny for them.

We decided to hit up the hotel bar and see if the football game was on – I don’t remember who was playing. We all got some beers and ate some popcorn and wings. Nice way to finish out the evening.

Up Next: This is NUTS, let’s get out of here!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great night! And a great meal at PTC! More please!