[Huakai]

We have been back a week and I think finally recovered. I will try to keep this trip report brief because I am still trying to catch up! Holidays are busy but such a wonderful time to go.
Day 1 Wed, Dec 8
We arrived in Orlando but had to wait for an hour because JBKoala’s plane had been delayed in Denver. We were picked up by Quicksilver and dropped off at the Hospitality House of OKW. Our room was right across the street which was great since we didn’t have a car this time. We decided to head to DTD for dinner. It seemed like we waited forever for a bus, since we were all starving. We finally got to DTD and stopped in at Wetzel’s Pretzels for a quick bite. We wandered around the area for a while, did some shopping at La Nouba and then headed back to the bus stop. The draw of Haagen Dazs was too much so we stopped there for a sinful but delicious end to our arrival day at WDW. Back to the room by a little after midnight.
Day 2 Thur, Dec 9
Up and out to Epcot by around 9:00 (we are not very early risers!) We head straight to Mission Space. My friend Veronica was with us and had no real idea of what to expect but was game to try anything. It was great. She loved it, as did Jennifer and I. We grabbed an ice cream (my solution to any quesiness I might feel post mission) and headed back to Spaceship Earth to meet my friend from work and her daughter. The line for Spaceship Earth was nothing so that was our first ride. This friend is not real adventuresome so both she and daughter were a bit apprehensive but were ready for another experience when the ride was over. With their apprehension, I figured Figment was a good next adventure. They loved all of it and we spent around 1 hour playing after the ride, including emailing Dad with a pic of them. Next they wanted to do Honey I Shrunk the Audience. I think they were really getting into the swing of things which put me a bit more at ease. From there, we made our way to Morroco for lunch. This was a pretty big success too. At this point, the Kidcot visits started. We made our way around the world, visiting Kidcot stations and just enjoying a 6 year olds first views of Epcot. One of the highlights was when she went to pose with the statue in Italy. It was one of those moments. She stood by the lady and the lady bent down next to her for the pic. When Brook turned and saw the statue right there looking at her, she had the most startled, unsure look and slowly backed away into the big open area in front. The look on her face was priceless….and of course, everyone in the audience laughed, which made her cry. Of course the audience response was then….aawww. Even with her tears, it was a priceless moment. During our tour around the world, the original group discovered Gluwein in Germany. This will become a permanent part of our Christmas celebration in WDW, I am sure. The worlds were great fun but we still had tickets for MVMCP. We watched the tree lighting ceremony and then dashed off to change and get to Magic Kingdom for the party. It was a first for Jennifer and Veronica and they both had a great time. We had been talking earlier and Jennifer mentioned she didn’t remember the last time she saw Tinkerbelle fly and didn’t think she did that anymore. As it turned out, we were positioned right under Tinkerbelle’s flight path for Wishes and she came zooming down right over our heads. The view of the fireworks was great. Veronica said she had never seen fireworks like that before. We did Stitch’s Great Escape which was disappointing as I was a fan of AE and this was just a much tamer version. Splash Mountain was also one of our must dos and it was fun as usual. We also did Buzz Lightyear. This was a blast for me, once I figured out what we were supposed to do! I started out way behind but rapidly passed Veronica and Jennifer with a score about 10 times theirs! Back to the room by around 1:30. It was a great night.
Day 3 Fri, Dec 10
We are off to Animal Kingdom. The weather is still warm and cloudy with occasional showers. The park is fairly busy and we are in no hurry for anything. The safari is the first on our mental list and it was great. While we were on the safari, the bottom fell out of the clouds. A real adventure. Jennifer is hungry for pot stickers but we had to kill some time before the stand opens. So, off to Kali River Rapids. Lucky for us, the other side of the raft got drenched. I don’t remember the sequence of events, but we did the walking tours, Tough to be a Bug, Tarzan Rocks (and I have to say, I really like the new male singer much better but seems less interaction with the audience by the monkeys). We took a short break to sit at the bar for some adult beverages mid afternoon. I was really hoping to see Devine, but we missed her. This is the first time I haven’t happened up on her. Maybe that was the problem, we were looking too hard for her! Anyway, as the day wound down, we headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge to try out Boma’s. We had no PS but arrived early enough that we were seated within 5 min. The food was awesome and we put away our share plus some I am sure. As we left, everyone was tired and thought we would call it a night. As I sat on the bus, I was thinking how much I love Illuminations and if we continue with our tentative plans, I will only see it once this trip. I made the decision that when we got back to the room, I would change and go to Epcot for the fireworks. Not to be outdone, the other girls decided if I was going, they were too. The fireworks were just as great as I always remember, but that final 4 minutes they added for the Christmas season….WOW!!! The earth moves at the very end….LITERALLY!! We were so glad we went. From there, we decided to go to Jelly Rolls. It was a packed house and so much fun. Jennifer made friends with one of the bartenders and found out he was off the next day and planning on going to MGM Studios. We made arrangements to meet him (Mike) and the bouncer (Josh) the next afternoon. We made our way to the bus stop to catch the bus to DTD and then the bus back to OKW. That all went very smoothly (thank goodness). We arrived back at the room around 2 am.
Day 4 Sat, Dec 11
For some unknown reason I have no problem waking up at 7:30 without an alarm (6:30 home time), but at home, I have trouble even prying my eyes open when the alarm goes off at that time. Anyway, we are off to the Studios by 9:00 and eager for the day. The crowds are so much bigger today! Our first stop was fast passes for RNR and then we are off to ToT. Since Veronica has never been, she has no clue about most of the things we are going to do. She does know about RNR and is very hesitant to go. On ToT, she laughed so hard and loved every minute of it. We had early PS for 50’s PTC so we head that way. We checked in a little early and were seated quickly. The food was excellent. We had Chicken Pot Pie (I will get this next time I go there), Pot Roast and Salad with Salmon I think it was. As soon as our fast passes are up, we go in for RNR. Veronica is very apprehensive (especially right after a big meal) but still game. Once again, she loved it. I think she is a thrill junkie like me and doesn’t realize it!!! We looked at GMR but the line was too long. This is a nice attraction but not worth standing in line for in my opinion. We wandered around just enjoying the sights for a while and shopping, then … can you believe…Jennifer was hungry again!!! So, we go to Dockside to sample all three stuffed pretzels (apple, cream cheese, spicy). There was a family sitting next to us who gave us fast passes for 5 to RNR. It wasn’t but a few minutes before Mike and Josh from Jelly Rolls showed up. We chatted a while and then went to do RNR again. From there, we went to do Muppet Vision, but the line was so long, we knew we would miss our meeting time with WDWNutCase and her DH. So, we made our way over to the hat and sat down to people watch and wait. It wasn’t long before Wendy and David showed up. We had planned on dinner but I wasn’t able to get PS so we went over to Beaches and Cream for dinner (great burgers) and then back to the Studios for Fantasmic. The weather was getting a bit cool so Josh left to change. As I remember, that was the last we saw of him. After Fantasmic, we all went back to our rooms to change and met up at Jelly Rolls again. We stayed until a little after 1:00 and then went to find a bus to do the trip home. I was dreading this as we were dressed for going out and the temperature had dropped and the wind was up. We got really lucky as there was a bus there waiting for a group of people who had not shown up. Jennifer very sweetly talked the driver into taking us directly to OKW (for which he was very gratefully well tipped). Another late night…and sooo much fun!!
Day 5 Sun, Dec 12
I still woke early (I just can’t figure this out) and we drug ourselves out of bed. Wendy and David were going to MK to meet with the Hidden Mickey author, so we went to find them. It is amazing that we found them after only a few minutes in the park, even not knowing where they would be. They were searching for hidden mickeys, so we talked briefly and then went to do Philharmagic. This was another first for Jennifer and Veronica but a second time for me. I wasn’t so impressed the first time, but this time I really liked it. This was the only thing we really felt like we had to do so we hoped the Monorail over to Epcot. We haven’t eaten yet, so we all feel like our stomach’s are eating themselves. First order of business is to get to Canada for food!! We had to wait a little while because we were set on Cheese Soup. We had decided we were going to spend the day eating and drinking our way around the world. The soup and breadsticks were great, so we moved on. Strongbow in England was our next stop…this is always a must. The events run together, but I remember we went to Germany and had Brats and Gluwein. The weather was very cool this day and we knew the wait for the fireworks would be cold as we were going to find a good place and park. We did some shopping for additional Mickey stuff that was warm, watched a bit of the Candlelight Processional, went back to Future World for more shopping, and spent some time just watching the fountain. It is special moments like that that seem to hang with me….the cold, crisp air, the music, the smells, the fountain and spray….very special memories to recall over and over. Sooo….as it gets later, we go back and find a place at the cantina in Mexico to watch the fireworks with dinner. I was prepared for the cold because last year I just about froze my …off! We got our food, pulled out the emergency blankets, put on our ski bands and gloves, activated the body and hand warmers and got comfortable for the fireworks. It was as awesome and a couple of nights before. This park and fireworks are my first love at Disney. While we were waiting, WDWNutCase called to see if we wanted to go to PI afterwards. Of course, we said YES!! So, back to the room after the fireworks for a quick freshen up and….Veronica crashed on us. She just couldn’t go anymore, so Jennifer and I headed out to meet up with Wendy and David again. We went to the Comedy Club and to hummm….what was that Dance Club. Anyway…it was great fun too and we managed to get home by 2 or so. As Jennifer and I were making our way across the parking lot to our room, there was a young man talking to us across the parking lot. At that hour of the morning and after the fun we had had, it was difficult to make out what he was saying. As it turned out, it was Mike from the day before who had dropped off a beautiful red rose and card for Jennifer. A very nice ending to another fun filled day.
Day 6 Mon, Dec 13
Departure day. But first we have more shopping to do, so off to DTD. We ate at Earl of Sandwich….YUMM. Then, while we were shopping, WDWNutCase called to find out where we were so they could meet up with us again. We finished our shopping after they arrived and then found the candy store. We all sat around and visited for a while and ate candy before going back to OKW. Wendy and David went back with us as they were going to look around before they moved over there later in the week. When we arrived, Quicksilver was there waiting for us. It was an awesome trip. Meeting Wendy and David was great and I hope we will get to meet up with them again in the future when we are both there. They were so much fun and such nice people.
Good thing this wasn’t going to be a long TR!!! I only hit the high spots, and as Jennifer told Veronica yesterday, this was a pretty laid back trip for us.

[disneyguy]

Sounds like a great trip. I really liked hearing about the Christmas Illluminations, because I am a huge Epcot and Illuminations fan, but have never been able o see the Christmas version. Thanks!!

[Dopey]

That was great. I could see myself walking and having fun along with you. Thanks

[mickaholic4077]

I'm glad you had such a good time.