wdw_bound
12-11-2007, 12:35 AM
I'm back out on my balcony again in short sleeves, enjoying a diet coke while the rest of the gang sacks out for the night. :mickey:
I have decided that if I win the lottery, this is where I want to live - on the balcony of a room at the WL :secret: I can literally feel myself being restored and destressed. This afternoon, I sat out here for a good 20 minutes watching what looked like hawks circling overhead while instrumental (flute and drum mostly) Christmas music played throughout the courtyard. Wow.
We had another great day, even better than yesterday as the lobby didn't feel as hectic today - I guess there were more people coming and going, but today it was just very mellow and laid back. I woke up early (as you've probably guessed by now, I function on very little sleep ;)), around 6:30 and came out to my beloved balcony to reflect and be thankful. Around 7, I decided that EMH at AK was not worth stressing over (the rest of the gang was still snoozing, despite their protests last night that they wanted to be up at the crack of dawn), so we took our time getting ready. DD9 and I went to Roaring Forks to pick up some refillable mugs - kind of bummed that they don't have WL ones any more, but they do have different colored handles now on the YOAMD mugs, so you can tell whose is whose. We admired the tree in the lobby on the way back to the room - breathtakingly tall, with all kinds of neat ornaments, everything from teepees to moose antlers.
We finally made it to AK a little after 9, and the crowds weren't too bad. There was a lot of congestion, but mostly that was only where you'd expect it, around the entrances to some of the areas where things get kind of narrow. DD9 has discovered thrill rides, and I am her "ride buddy" of choice. Our first adventure was Expedition Everest, a brilliantly done ride that made DD scream and laugh all at the same time. At one point, the darkness scared her, but when it was all over, she was quite full of herself :D We ended up doing it again before the day was over. DH bought us matching "I conquered Everest" t-shirts while we were riding, so we put them on and found the Photopass guy who was set up to take photos with the mountain in the background.
We also took in Nemo, which is a great show. A word of caution, though. The show opens with Coral getting eaten, just like in the movie, but it seems more real in the play and at that point, lots and lots of crying could be heard throughout the theater. The other numbers were really good, and the puppetry was first rate. I'll admit I was skeptical, but now I'm sold.
My favorite show in all of WDW is FOTLK, and today's performance did not disappoint. A neat touch was that the tree on Simba's float was decorated with ornaments - in keeping with the theme, but still decorated.
DS2.9 quickly got over his character phobia (thank GOODNESS!!!), and has become an autograph hound just like his sister. For the first time this year, we went down to the Character Landing by Dinoland and spent time with Pooh, Tigger and the gang in their winter garb - very will done. One of the fastpass photographers gave DS a sheet of stickers because they have the same name, so the next time we saw a photographer, DS shouts out "Mommy, that man did not give me stickers - I like the other man better. This man is not so nice." :blush::blush::blush: We quickly intervened and talked with DS, but for a few minutes there, DS was convinced that he should be reimbursed for having his picture taken.
After coming back to WL for a rest, we headed out to Ohana for dinner. Funnily enough, we had the same server we had last time, which made me nervous as Ohana did not live up to expectations last year. I am happy to report that our cousin is back in the game. We had a great dinner that did not feel rushed at all, and the food was delicious. Our cousin even brought out regular ice cream with Mickey sprinkles for the kids without us asking. DS and DD loved the coconut races, although for some reason there was a severe shortage of brooms, so about 2/3 of the kids were rolling the coconut with their hands - a hand gel retailer could have made a fortune there tonight!
Following supper, I took the kids on a monorail ride around the resort loop while DH got some stuff out of the van for DD and I. He and DS came back to WL and spent some boys time in the pool while DD and I went to MK for some big kid fun at EMH. The Christmas decorations are amazing - the castle is absolutely gorgeous, and what can I say about Main Street? It is impossible not to be in the holiday spirit when you see it. We walked on to POTC twice in a row. I love that ride - it just feels like Disney to me. Following that, we caught Spectromagic, and then got lucky with a perfect seat for Wishes - DD saw Tinkerbell for the first time and has decided that is what she wants to do when she grows up. While it might not be my choice for her, at least she'd be able to get me a CM discount :mickey:
After the fireworks, we practically walked on to Space Mtn and did Snow White as DS will not be able to do either when he is with us (too short for the first and too impressionable for the second). We skipped Buzz though for when he is with us. After Space, we took the boat back to WL, where we found DS had crashed while DH was putting his pj's on. DH and DD were not far behind.
Tomorrow, we visit Epcot for the first time, and will be at MVMCP in the evening - can't wait!
I have decided that if I win the lottery, this is where I want to live - on the balcony of a room at the WL :secret: I can literally feel myself being restored and destressed. This afternoon, I sat out here for a good 20 minutes watching what looked like hawks circling overhead while instrumental (flute and drum mostly) Christmas music played throughout the courtyard. Wow.
We had another great day, even better than yesterday as the lobby didn't feel as hectic today - I guess there were more people coming and going, but today it was just very mellow and laid back. I woke up early (as you've probably guessed by now, I function on very little sleep ;)), around 6:30 and came out to my beloved balcony to reflect and be thankful. Around 7, I decided that EMH at AK was not worth stressing over (the rest of the gang was still snoozing, despite their protests last night that they wanted to be up at the crack of dawn), so we took our time getting ready. DD9 and I went to Roaring Forks to pick up some refillable mugs - kind of bummed that they don't have WL ones any more, but they do have different colored handles now on the YOAMD mugs, so you can tell whose is whose. We admired the tree in the lobby on the way back to the room - breathtakingly tall, with all kinds of neat ornaments, everything from teepees to moose antlers.
We finally made it to AK a little after 9, and the crowds weren't too bad. There was a lot of congestion, but mostly that was only where you'd expect it, around the entrances to some of the areas where things get kind of narrow. DD9 has discovered thrill rides, and I am her "ride buddy" of choice. Our first adventure was Expedition Everest, a brilliantly done ride that made DD scream and laugh all at the same time. At one point, the darkness scared her, but when it was all over, she was quite full of herself :D We ended up doing it again before the day was over. DH bought us matching "I conquered Everest" t-shirts while we were riding, so we put them on and found the Photopass guy who was set up to take photos with the mountain in the background.
We also took in Nemo, which is a great show. A word of caution, though. The show opens with Coral getting eaten, just like in the movie, but it seems more real in the play and at that point, lots and lots of crying could be heard throughout the theater. The other numbers were really good, and the puppetry was first rate. I'll admit I was skeptical, but now I'm sold.
My favorite show in all of WDW is FOTLK, and today's performance did not disappoint. A neat touch was that the tree on Simba's float was decorated with ornaments - in keeping with the theme, but still decorated.
DS2.9 quickly got over his character phobia (thank GOODNESS!!!), and has become an autograph hound just like his sister. For the first time this year, we went down to the Character Landing by Dinoland and spent time with Pooh, Tigger and the gang in their winter garb - very will done. One of the fastpass photographers gave DS a sheet of stickers because they have the same name, so the next time we saw a photographer, DS shouts out "Mommy, that man did not give me stickers - I like the other man better. This man is not so nice." :blush::blush::blush: We quickly intervened and talked with DS, but for a few minutes there, DS was convinced that he should be reimbursed for having his picture taken.
After coming back to WL for a rest, we headed out to Ohana for dinner. Funnily enough, we had the same server we had last time, which made me nervous as Ohana did not live up to expectations last year. I am happy to report that our cousin is back in the game. We had a great dinner that did not feel rushed at all, and the food was delicious. Our cousin even brought out regular ice cream with Mickey sprinkles for the kids without us asking. DS and DD loved the coconut races, although for some reason there was a severe shortage of brooms, so about 2/3 of the kids were rolling the coconut with their hands - a hand gel retailer could have made a fortune there tonight!
Following supper, I took the kids on a monorail ride around the resort loop while DH got some stuff out of the van for DD and I. He and DS came back to WL and spent some boys time in the pool while DD and I went to MK for some big kid fun at EMH. The Christmas decorations are amazing - the castle is absolutely gorgeous, and what can I say about Main Street? It is impossible not to be in the holiday spirit when you see it. We walked on to POTC twice in a row. I love that ride - it just feels like Disney to me. Following that, we caught Spectromagic, and then got lucky with a perfect seat for Wishes - DD saw Tinkerbell for the first time and has decided that is what she wants to do when she grows up. While it might not be my choice for her, at least she'd be able to get me a CM discount :mickey:
After the fireworks, we practically walked on to Space Mtn and did Snow White as DS will not be able to do either when he is with us (too short for the first and too impressionable for the second). We skipped Buzz though for when he is with us. After Space, we took the boat back to WL, where we found DS had crashed while DH was putting his pj's on. DH and DD were not far behind.
Tomorrow, we visit Epcot for the first time, and will be at MVMCP in the evening - can't wait!