Chased By a Bear and a Trip to Urgent Care - A Very Merry Dis-mas 2016 TR! **Complete 2/23**

I'm watching Riverdale too! Didn't get to watch last night's yet!

I'm glad you got to cap the night off with ToT!

That's a cool view of Illuminations you got!

Yay for seeing more Christmas decorations!

Aww I love those photobooth photos! And those cupcakes look delicious.

I'm sad this TR is coming to an end :(
 
I'm watching last night's episode of Riverdale on the DVR, and thought I'd get another update rolled out.

I've been watching Riverdale too! I haven't watched last night's though.

Please know that the pictures I'm about to share do NOT do the decorations here justice!

First up is the HUUUUUGGGEEE tree made of white poinsettias.

I was there it was a huge tree!

We ended the night with a trip to the Boardwalk Bakery for some cupcakes...we got two strawberry and two oreo. Oreo for X and DH, Strawberry for me and L. Here they are from a couple angles...because they're so pretty!


I got the same cupcake! But it got smushed before I ate any of it :rotfl:
 
Those cupcakes! I hope they tasted as good as they look.

Last nights in Disney are just so sad. The only thing that makes them better is planning another trip.
 


OMG! Those cupcakes look AMAZING!!!

They were really good! I'd been eyeing that strawberry cupcake since our first night...It was covered in glitter, I couldn't resist!

I'm watching Riverdale too! Didn't get to watch last night's yet!

I'm glad you got to cap the night off with ToT!

That's a cool view of Illuminations you got!

Yay for seeing more Christmas decorations!

Aww I love those photobooth photos! And those cupcakes look delicious.

I'm sad this TR is coming to an end :(

Hooray for another Riverdale watcher!! I really like it, it's a lot of fun and I am into anything with a dark, mystery type of theme. I also watch Pretty Little Liars and feel zero shame about it!!

The back to back Tower with fireworks and then Friendship Boat with fireworks was a really fun treat!

Now that I know all about the photobooths, there's no going back for me! I'm obsessed now. The cupcakes were so good!! I loved the oreo decoration on the Mickey one, and the strawberry one was delicious!!

It feels weird to be almost finished with the TR already! It went so quickly!

I've been watching Riverdale too! I haven't watched last night's though.


I was there it was a huge tree!


I got the same cupcake! But it got smushed before I ate any of it :rotfl:

Yes! Another Riverdale fan! I hope it's getting good ratings, because I'm really into it!

The tree was so big I don't think I managed to get the whole thing in one picture! Now I feel like I need to go back through my album and look, or it's going to bug me!

Oh no! I'm sorry it got smushed! I thought it was so pretty...food with glitter on it? I'm in.

Those cupcakes! I hope they tasted as good as they look.

Last nights in Disney are just so sad. The only thing that makes them better is planning another trip.

They were really good! I'm always nervous about things not tasting as good as they look, and I was a little skeptical after our not-so-amazing visit to Amorette's...but these were worth it.

It was sad to be leaving...I always have a harder time than anyone else. X was ready to go home because he was ready for Christmas. At least that's what he said...I think he was really just missing his XBox :sad2:
 
Me too I really like it!

It was my fault really I got too many snacks and we had to put the box in the backpack because we weren't going to the hotel yet :rotfl: it was a recipe for disaster.
 
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So pretty!!!


Also pretty! Though I'm a huge sucker for white Christmas decorations with hints of blue so there's a huge bias right there.
 


Yay :cheer2: I'm glad you made it to the Dolphin! I love that big ol' white tree :goodvibes and the train, too. I just don't see it being Santa's favorite resort though. Could be in his top 10, I'll give them that!
I may have said this earlier in your TR but even though we've been to the BW bakery quite a few times, I don't think we've tried enough of the goodness because the things you got all look so pretty and delicious! Those cupcakes look great, sweet way to end your last night.
 
Those cupcakes! I hope they tasted as good as they look.

Last nights in Disney are just so sad. The only thing that makes them better is planning another trip.
Love your TR! I am curious - do you guys use the DDP for meals and snacks or pay out of pocket?
 
Me too I really like it!

It was my fault really I got too many snacks and we had to put the box in the backpack because we weren't going to the hotel yet :rotfl: it was a recipe for disaster.

No such thing as too many snacks!! Although I can see how it going into the backpack would cause a problem...I did that with a dessert I took home from a local place. Put it in a box and then in my purse, thinking it was big enough. Um...nope. It was a chocolate crime scene inside that box!!

So pretty!!!



Also pretty! Though I'm a huge sucker for white Christmas decorations with hints of blue so there's a huge bias right there.

It was the ultimate blue and white Christmas extravaganza :lovestruc:lovestruc

Yay :cheer2: I'm glad you made it to the Dolphin! I love that big ol' white tree :goodvibes and the train, too. I just don't see it being Santa's favorite resort though. Could be in his top 10, I'll give them that!
I may have said this earlier in your TR but even though we've been to the BW bakery quite a few times, I don't think we've tried enough of the goodness because the things you got all look so pretty and delicious! Those cupcakes look great, sweet way to end your last night.

I knew you'd be proud of me for going over there :D:D I was so glad we did, it was really beautiful!
I don't think it's Santa's favorite either...I think that title goes to Wilderness Lodge ::yes::

One thing we learned over the week from popping in and out of Boardwalk Bakery, sometimes it looks like there aren't a lot of desserts in the case, but they have some in the back! The cupcakes only had one of each in the case, but they were able to pull more out for us (and they weren't even frozen in the middle, which has happened to us a few times around the parks/resorts over the years!). They had a lot of reallllyyy good looking things there all week...I wanted everything! The meatball sub and desserts there would be a big draw for me if/when we stay in the Epcot area again.

Love your TR! I am curious - do you guys use the DDP for meals and snacks or pay out of pocket?

Thank you so much! I'm happy you're here :wave2:

We do not use the dining plan...it doesn't work out to be any kind of value for us. When I reserved this trip, for awhile it was booked with the free dining promo, and we were going to try it just for fun, but then I got a pin code that worked better for us. We usually spend a few hundred less on dining out of pocket than we would with the dining plan. I did a lot of math before our first family visit!! This time around, with my annual pass, we got 20% off almost everything, which was so nice!
 
I just read your entire trip report in one sitting! I enjoyed it. I went to Disney World in December 2015 and never got around to uploading my photos or writing my intended trip report. :rolleyes1 Oops! Reading your report brought back some memories of my trip, which was scheduled within the week of them announcing the Osborne Lights would not be returning after that year. I made it to MVMCP one night of that trip, and it poured pretty much the whole evening! I still had a good time. My friends and I also visited several hotels to see the Christmas decor. They really do a good job with the decorating.

I have never stayed at the Boardwalk, but my parents have twice. Both times, they have been on the side away from the actual boardwalk. Aside from the firework shows, I don't believe it was too noisy. I don't know how far down the hall they were though. :rotfl2:

Ear infections are so painful! I'm glad it sounds like the medicine worked pretty quickly once it was in X's system.
 
I just read your entire trip report in one sitting! I enjoyed it. I went to Disney World in December 2015 and never got around to uploading my photos or writing my intended trip report. :rolleyes1 Oops! Reading your report brought back some memories of my trip, which was scheduled within the week of them announcing the Osborne Lights would not be returning after that year. I made it to MVMCP one night of that trip, and it poured pretty much the whole evening! I still had a good time. My friends and I also visited several hotels to see the Christmas decor. They really do a good job with the decorating.

I have never stayed at the Boardwalk, but my parents have twice. Both times, they have been on the side away from the actual boardwalk. Aside from the firework shows, I don't believe it was too noisy. I don't know how far down the hall they were though. :rotfl2:

Ear infections are so painful! I'm glad it sounds like the medicine worked pretty quickly once it was in X's system.


I'm so glad you're here and enjoying it!!

I love TRs for the memories they bring back...I tend to binge on them A LOT!

We loved the decorations so much, I'm glad you and your friends got to go around and see them. I'm also glad you had fun at the party even though it was raining! I admit, that might have stressed me out quite a bit.

I think it would have been much quieter staying on the other side not facing the boardwalk area. If we ever stayed there again, I would just get a regular non-water view room and ask to be close to an elevator!

Thank goodness the meds kicked in pretty quickly and he wasn't down for too long with the ear infection. Those drops were some kind of miracle and really helped his pain!
 
And now...the end is near

And so I face, the final curtain...

Good morning!

I have time to get the departure day update up! Is that good or bad? Am I ready for this to end??

I hope everyone has had a nice start to the week so far. We're on overdrive here. Our Odyssey of the Mind competition is Saturday. Today is dress rehearsal in front of parents for the first time, and Friday is our final "tie it all up" meeting. I'm stressed! The kids on the team didn't seem to feel any sense of urgency until Monday o_O

I don't think anything else special is going on right now! All of my focus is there, so I am excited to have competition over and done so we can move forward and I can have time for something else.

Something else like my May trip! I can make fast passes one week from today. I'm not sure if I'm going to do a PTR or not...I don't really enjoy writing those because I don't have enough interesting things going on in my life to keep it entertaining. If I do, it won't be until much closer to the trip. I don't know, I say that, but I may end up starting one earlier. It does kind of help me get my mind into trip mode, and help with the final planning stages.

OH! I wanted to say how much I'm loving the new WDW commercials featuring Pandora! It looks so beautiful. I'm a little sad to miss it opening by three weeks, but glad to see it in October. I'm so excited to start reading reports once it opens so I will be able to make a good plan of attack.

Anyway, I've stalled as long as I can, it's time to begin the end!

Chapter Nine: Bye, Bye, Bye



We took our time getting up and around on our departure morning. We packed up our last minute things and started heading down to RAC (resort airline checkin for those who don't know...this is a perk I love so much!)



There was one person ahead of us at RAC, but it went quickly. They put a special tag on my suitcase that had been shredded on arrival night, and we went to look for some food. We decided to skip making any kind of reservation and just went down to the Boardwalk Bakery.



Iced coffee and an orange cranberry muffin for me (which was really good! I'd had one earlier in the trip, too, and it was on my "I want another" list), I know X had lemonade and a plain croissant. I'm not sure what DH and L had.

I took the time to enjoy the beautiful area





The Boardwalk wasn't crowded at all. It was nice to get some pictures without anyone in the way.









I want to give credit where credit is due...even though this wasn't our favorite resort experience, it was truly and magnificently beautiful. And oh so photogenic.

X hadn't seen the clown pool, and I wanted to see it during the daylight, so we decided to walk over that direction.





We never got to see it with any people actually swimming!

Our next stop was the Screen Door General Store to see if there was anything else we had to have. I finally picked out a gift for my fellow district board PTO members. It was kind of a panic choice, since I'd waited until the last moment to commit to a gift! I got everyone Minnie pens and sticky note pads. It wasn't quite as exciting or unique as I'd hoped, but they all seemed to like them!

We walked up the back stairs to the lobby, and admired the outdoor floral arrangements for awhile.



X stayed out there on a bench for awhile, while the rest of us went into the lobby to sit and wait until time for the Tragical Depress to come pick us up.

I used the time to take some farewell photos of the lobby all dressed up in her holiday finery. Enjoy!







I loved looking at all the different ornaments that filled the draping garlands.





I also loved the roller coaster inside the display. It was such a fun touch and fit the theme of the resort so well.





One thing I wish for is a house large enough to build my own forest of trees. I guess I could technically do it here, but I'd have to remove some furniture...or do it with thinner trees. Hmm...this might be something to think about!



I can't forget about the creepy demon chairs, surely sent to steal the souls of anyone who makes eye contact:



I felt it was safest to photograph them from the side...just in case!

I also want a chandelier like this!!



We found our favorite ornaments...



By this point, it was time to go outside and wait. The bus would be arriving for us in about ten minutes. One last lobby picture:



We got to the Tragical Depress stop



and the bus pulled up...



But it wasn't our sad bus. It was a bus full of HAPPY people. Guests just beginning their December Disney adventure.

A couple of minutes later, our bus showed up. It was a DCL bus, which I thought was fun!



L and I picked a seat with a good view of the video



DH sat across from us, and X picked a seat farther back.
I admired the design on the bus...it was super cute!



If you've got to leave, at least leave on a cute bus, right??

We got to the airport, got through security fairly quickly (we didn't have pre-check for this flight, but it was no big deal. We didn't pack anything liquid in our carry ons for the flight home, just bare bones stuff, so it was easy!), and decided to get some food since our flight times fell a little oddly in terms of mealtimes. We ended up at Nathan's Hotdogs, which wasn't necessarily anyone's favorite, but it was quick and easy.

We got to our gate and the kids turned into phone zombies



(I think those are MCO pictures...could have been Atlanta. They were phone zombies in both places while waiting!)

Our flight to Atlanta was quick, we easily found our gate for the final flight, and had about an hour layover. I was beyond thrilled to find a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in the airport! It was one of my favorite things about California. I got my precious ice blended matcha latte



and waited for boarding. It was delayed a little, but no big deal. The flight home was fine, we landed, grabbed our bags, and walked outside to go to the car.

It was FREEZING cold, or at least it felt that way to us! 30something degrees was a far cry from the 70s we left behind in Florida.

We got home, hugged our dogs, and ignored our luggage until the next day!!

That's it! All done. We made it home!

I'll write a wrap up tomorrow, but for now...

 
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The one thing I do love about Boardwalk is that I can just sit and read peacefully in this beautiful lobby. I spent like 2 hours doing that one day and the only other hotels I've ever felt that peaceful in were Animal Kingdom Lodge and Sequoia (the Wilderness Lodge of DLP).


This was the first picture I took when I was at Boardwalk lol. Probably my favorite thing there.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

YUM! This was also my reaction to finding a Peet's in Phoenix.

Enjoyed your TR! Can't wait for the next one! :)
 
End-of-trip-travel-days are the saddest! I'm already dreading the end of our next trip and it hasn't even started yet! :P

At least you have May to look forward to! We just booked our ADRs for August, and I'm already geting antsy about what FPs we'll want to book. Enjoy your planning!

I've really enjoyed this TR (and your previous one, which I went back to binge-read a while ago.) Sad to see it ending. :(
 
It doesn't make leaving so hard when you've got other trips in the works. I enjoyed reading along. Enjoy your trip in May.
 
I have enjoyed reading along and picked up lots of great tips for our trip the same week this year.
 
:laughing: I always end up having to get some last minute panicked gifts too!

You should do a ptr!
 

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