A Pixie Dusted Christmas 2013 - Completed 8/4/14

Subbing to your TR. Looking forward to reading your experience.:surfweb:
We were there Dec 22-28th, was my DH and DD first time. So magical.

I hope your trip was an wonderful as our. We loved the weather and the crowds seemed just fine to us.

I'm in such suspense!!! popcorn:: popcorn:: Wilderness Lodge and club level!!! Can't wait to read more:cloud9: :banana: ::yes::
It was magical!!!
 
Chef Mickey’s
After some freshening up we were ready to head out for the night. Before we could head out to the boat dock we saw that Santa Goofy & Pluto were doing a holiday meet & greet in our lobby. I had forgotten this would be going on, but we were ready. The line was not long at all and it was fun to scan our magic bands to have the photos put directly on the PhotoPass.


After our fun meet & greet (and first of many lobby tree photos) we headed over to the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickey’s. It was so fun to take the boat around to Fort Wilderness campgrounds and then the resort. It was a beautiful evening and a light sweater was all that was needed even with the breeze blowing.

When we arrived I needed to get my PhotoPass+ id tag. I had been told I could get it there, but this is actually not an official spot to get your badge (Poly has one and DTD..not sure where else). I had a small panic moment but - They do have the tag at Chef Mickey’s. With all the character meals we had planned I was looking forward to having the photos included for no extra cost so was happy to have the tag right away. They also printed a set out for me as well (This is all part of the cost of PhotoPass+ which may or may not stick around with the addition of Memory Maker. I had pre-ordered PhotoPass+ before they released Memory Maker)

We got seated pretty quickly and the characters were coming rapidly at the start. I have to say I was not pleased to be sitting right next to the kitchen doors, but it is where the characters came in and out during short breaks so that made it a little fun. Our server was super nice and patient as my daughter hit a wall around this time. She has Asperger’s and takes meds which help greatly, BUT let’s face it – a totally off routine day and the excitement build up, coupled with it being very loud(loudest restaurant we ate in, but they all seemed that way) – she could not hear the drink options and got very focused on that fact and could not make a decision. He let us talk to her and once we figured out that she had not heard correctly he got down by her and made sure she knew all her choices.

We did a little seat swapping so I could meet Minnie with her and show off my nails to her.

They had a lot of choices and the line was moving quickly. My stomach was still getting used to food at that point having gone a few days on a basically liquid diet after surgery, but I sampled several things - especially enjoyed the seafood pasta and Mickey shaped ravioli.

On our quest for Mickey shaped foods – we also found these cute cookie domes on the dessert buffet. They were yummy!!!

After dinner we walked around the resort a little to look at the decorations and check out the gift shops of course. This is the wreath they had on the outside (where you enter via the monorail). It looked so pretty all lit up.

On the way back to the boat to Wilderness the Pirates & Pals Fireworks Voyage was just leaving for the ship – it was so cool to see Captain Hook and Smee leading the guests out to the ships to go watch the fireworks from Bay Lake. We put this experience on our wish list for a warmer visit.

We headed back to the resort to get some sleep – knowing the next day would be our first ever rope drop at the Magic Kingdom!!!

 
The WL was so beautiful. We were there right after Thanksgiving and the lobby was filled with families all dressed up and getting pictures taken for Christmas. That must have been fun to get your picture taken with Goofy and Pluto in the lobby. I can't wait to read the rest of your TR. :goodvibes
 
The WL was so beautiful. We were there right after Thanksgiving and the lobby was filled with families all dressed up and getting pictures taken for Christmas. That must have been fun to get your picture taken with Goofy and Pluto in the lobby. I can't wait to read the rest of your TR. :goodvibes

The Pluto and Goofy meet up was fun. Santa Goofy was one of the things I really wanted to see and his wait at AK was long so I am glad I got it in day 1.
 
:offtopic:2 days extra of winter break due to cold weather - 1 day back and what do you now I have a massive sinus infection and a migraine...had to have my husband type my sub plans this morning....ahhh.

Sorry for the off task rant. I am uploading photos to share more of our Disney magic with you all. Hope you are all well.
 
Magic Kingdom – Let the Rope Drop!!

I guess most people do not set an alarm when they are on vacation – but we really wanted to be at rope drop for Magic Kingdom. We had never done this before and were looking forward to watching the train with Mickey and friends pull in first thing. During our visit MK opened for Extra Magic Hours every day at 7AM. We had heard two things : 1 - parks are crowded this week & 2 - getting there early is the best way to avoid the crowds (and get in some fun rides without lines)… So we were up and at the boat dock for the first trip over to MK at 6:30AM (mind you that is 5:30 Home time). We were BY OURSELVES!!!

There was no one else going over for rope drop from Wilderness that morning so we had the boat to ourselves and the driver gave us a great morning tour of the place. We had him sign our Cast Member autograph book and he told us his son-in-law was a member of the Dapper Dans and to say hello if we saw them.) Love thinking of a bunch of family members all working for Disney!!

ROPE DROP!!!! I had been waiting for it and as the morning darkness slowly lifted we got to enjoy it with almost no one around – okay there were those people standing right in front of the Mickey flower display but it was still just what I had been hoping for. “Good morning, Good morning!”

We got in and it was so cool to walk down Main Street, basically empty. We had no rush to do anything even knowing the lines would be empty we just wanted to enjoy. I am a Chai Tea junkie so…I had to have Starbucks from Main Street Bakery. (Say what you want about them I am happy to be able to use my snack credits there for any drink any size I wanted!) There was no line right after Rope Drop and it was warm out so I had it iced!!!! I love that the cups say Disney Parks on them.

It was time for the first Castle photos. These are a must do for every trip….anyone not take this photo each visit???

We had lunch ADR’s at Liberty Tree Tavern and FastPass+ for Space Ranger Spin, Space Mountain and Talking Mickey – but all of that was for later in the day.

We also had our own little Merida with us so you might guess what was number one on the agenda that day, but she did not start her meet & greets until 9AM so….we grabbed some breakfast snacks – muffins and juice from The Cheshire Cat Café. There was a quick spin on the teacups for Dad & Sophie and a meet with Alice in Wonderland right after.

We had not seen any of New Fantasyland yet so we decided to stroll over there and look around. We were able to walk right onto the Little Mermaid Ride (yeah rope drop). Our daughter was excited for this until the wave crashing noise in the line hit her. We had to talk her onto it after some crying (We had decided to skip her meds based on the doctor’s recommendations and the night before melt down so we just used our talking skills and her calming techniques to get her onto the ride) I did not mind the ride, but it was just OK to me. It was your basic story ride going through the major scenes and songs of the film. The Ursula part was my favorite (as a villain she is my top) and not scary – it is the part where she changes Ariel into a human. Sophie enjoyed it mostly, once we got her eyes opened to see it all, but was pretty wound up over it and said we did not need to do that again. Erik and I agreed – One Fastpass to reschedule for later that week-Hope that can be done with ease. (more on that later)

We headed back over towards the Fairytale Garden spot Merida meets in. We sneaked a peak at the new Dwarves ride coming soon and wished it was already done. We also saw that The White Rabbit had joined Alice, so we got back in line and enjoyed the photo opp.

We got in the line for Merida around 8:30 and were in the first group to go in when the line opened up at 9. This was a great meet-up spot. The walls were decorated with tapestry’s showing the film characters and after you meet with Merida you get a chance to shoot a bow and arrow and can work on a coloring page as well.

Merida teased our daughter asking if she was dressed as Ariel??? No?? Did you steal a dress from my closest??? I love in the photos when we were talking and Merida was playing with our daughter’s wig…just so much fun.

My husband had been looking forward to the Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom Game so we needed to head back up to the fire station near the entrance to get our cards. On the way we stopped to enjoy the show going on and when it was over we were offered a ride back to the front. Our driver was a blast. She asked if was okay if she sang Christmas Carols and we said of course. So she did….loudly and pretty off key, but it was so much fun. It was a slow drive down the crowded Main Street and we all sang along and waved to people.

Back at the Fire Station, we got started with Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom. If you have no idea what I am talking about here are the basics – Around the MK are portals (window/video screens) that you go to when told by Merlin the magician. You are given a key card to open the portal and a set of other “spell” cards to use to fight off the villains who have been recruited by Hades to take over the Magic Kingdom. :wizard:

There are a bunch of missions you can complete and each day you can get new spell cards – a package for each person in your party. My husband is a recovering Magic the Gathering Player and wanted the cards, but we had a good time playing a few missions while we were in the park. The missions send you all over the park, but each one seemed focused on one section of the park.

We set off to complete the opening mission...

 
I can't believe how empty rope drop and Main Street were! We have set the alarm while at Disney for the very same reason. It looks like it worked out great. We tried to make it to rope drop at Mk on our last trip, but we missed the boat by about thirty seconds and the next one got us there after the show was over.

Your daughter looks adorable as Merida. I think the character meet and greets are so much fun when the characters have something special to talk about, like a matching costume. :)

The cave in the Voyage of the Little Mermaid ride was a bit claustrophobic for me. It wasn't that exciting of a ride, either.
 
Your little Merida is so adorable!!! Love the hair...fab!! :)
Thanks,My Mom made this costume for her for last Halloween...very glad it still fit.
I can't believe how empty rope drop and Main Street were! We have set the alarm while at Disney for the very same reason. It looks like it worked out great. We tried to make it to rope drop at Mk on our last trip, but we missed the boat by about thirty seconds and the next one got us there after the show was over.

Your daughter looks adorable as Merida. I think the character meet and greets are so much fun when the characters have something special to talk about, like a matching costume. :)

The cave in the Voyage of the Little Mermaid ride was a bit claustrophobic for me. It wasn't that exciting of a ride, either.

Rope drop was great and meant extra ride times...very fun. The crowds were so not what I expected over the holidays.

Following :)

Welcome!!!:)
 
Oops, I got a little behind!
The Lodge looks so gorgeous! Love the Santa Goofy and Pluto pics!
Looks like a great meal at Chef Mickeys.
Love all the meet and greet pics from Magic Kingdom, especially Merida! So cute!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
 
Oops, I got a little behind!
The Lodge looks so gorgeous! Love the Santa Goofy and Pluto pics!
Looks like a great meal at Chef Mickeys.
Love all the meet and greet pics from Magic Kingdom, especially Merida! So cute!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks. I had heard Santa Goofy was a fun meet up and glad he was in the hotel as the line for him at Animal Kingdom the day after Christmas was pretty long. :santa:
 
The Birthday Boy

After completing our first mission with Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom, we found ourselves still on Main Street. Santa was doing meet and greets right next to Guest Services so we had to stop in and give our wish lists. We also were able to pick up some celebration buttons – They wrote a 3rd over 1st on the visit button for my daughter and we picked up a birthday button for my hubby which turned out to be just perfect!!!

PAUSE IN THE ACTION – My husband’s birthday is December 16th. We had a great dinner with both his and my parents all planned out for the 15th including pie…but I had my appendix out instead and while I was able to come home from the hospital on his birthday, but it wasn't the celebration I wanted for him. He takes amazing care of me – to say I am his princess is an understatement and I love making his b-day super special. He got almost no sleep for two nights 1st because he was so worried about me, and 2nd because I was not home with him.

Back to Disney – The button lady wrote his birth-date on the button and placed it on him, encouraging him to enjoy the celebration. Now if you have ever been to Disney you know what wearing one of those buttons means – Everywhere you go people wish you Happy Birthday – Cast members, characters and all the other people walking around. It is wonderful! So as we walked around the rest of the day he kept getting his birthday wishes. It was great and he smiled each time.

We made our way over to Liberty Tree Tavern, getting stopped by the Street Celebration parade along the way. That parade is fun, but that song gets stuck in your head as they perform it 3-4 times a day - “Hey get up, get loud, we’re pumping up the party now!” My daughter just wanted to dance so we stopped and enjoyed before heading to our lunch date.

We arrived for our Liberty Tree Tavern ADR and they were slowly getting everyone checked in for the first reservations of the day. My daughter had fun checking out the Independence Hall Gingerbread house (she visited the actual place last summer with her grandparents) and while we were waiting we were asked to be the Bell Ringers and help open the restaurant for the day.

We got to go up the stairs and they read a cute little proclamation about who we were and where we were from and my daughter rang the bell to open the restaurant as we said, “Here yea, Here yea, Let Freedom Ring!”

Right after that, we were seated at a table they had decorated with streamers and We’re celebrating buttons that said, “Liberty Tree Bell Ringers” what a fun pixie dust moment.

I was super tired at this point and we had not really eaten breakfast so we all hungry, but a little over heated. We gulped down water and filled our water bottle up as a major reminder to drink more the rest of the day. With that said - The food was wonderful – I had the clam chowder and fish and chips special – plus the Ooey Gooey toffee cake. (OH MY YUMMY!!!)

My husband had the Pilgrim’s feast and said it was good.

He had the Martha Washington Cake (can you say a slice of chocolate heaven) and they brought it out and sang Happy Birthday. He loved it, but gave his shy smile to me as if embarrassed by this.

As we left lunch, The Christmas parade was just getting started. The sidewalks were crowded and full, but my daughter wanted to watch so we stopped in the space we could make. My hubby took her a little further down and a woman made room for her right by the rope so she could see. A fun parade. My favorite part was the toy soldiers.

We made our first pass into the Christmas shoppe and it was time to finally head over for our first FastPass of the day.
 
Your husband sounds like a great guy. I'm glad that he got some special attention for his belated birthday. I have a December birthday and I know how easy it is for those to be overlooked. It is nice that you had this chance to celebrate. :)

The Move It, Shake It dance party looked like a lot of fun. We accidently ran into it and I couldn't help but join in the fun. Your daughter looks like she really liked it. :)

We went to the Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch for the first time on our last trip. I had heard such good things about the Ooey Gooey tofffee cake. They were right, it was wonderful. I also had the turkey dinner, which was good, too. We'll be going there again. :goodvibes
 
Your husband sounds like a great guy. I'm glad that he got some special attention for his belated birthday. I have a December birthday and I know how easy it is for those to be overlooked. It is nice that you had this chance to celebrate. :)

The Move It, Shake It dance party looked like a lot of fun. We accidently ran into it and I couldn't help but join in the fun. Your daughter looks like she really liked it. :)

We went to the Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch for the first time on our last trip. I had heard such good things about the Ooey Gooey tofffee cake. They were right, it was wonderful. I also had the turkey dinner, which was good, too. We'll be going there again. :goodvibes

We really enjoyed Liberty Tree lunch!! There is a recipe floating around for that cake and I might have to try it out this summer..:love:

Whenever I need a pick me up I am singing the celebration song in my head.
 
Cool, the bell ringers, a birthday song and a great meal! Nice way to celebrate indeed!

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