Our Welcome Home trip report

[sydney]

Our trip to celebrate DH's return from deployment began on Tuesday Nov. 8th. We packed up most everything the night before, so that morning we woke up and got last minute things done, ate breakfast, then headed out for about a six hour drive.

We stopped in Jacksonville for lunch at Whataburger (a Texas favorite) and before we knew it we were arriving home!

The first bus we saw was heading where we were!

It was really nice arriving during the day and enjoying the beauty of the resort. Ron took some pictures


while I headed up to the desk to check in. I had done online check in, and there was no one else waiting in line at around 3:30, so it went quick. We hadn't requested a certain location, just not a parking lot view, and I was told we were in Cabanas 8A.

We headed back to the car

and drove around to our parking lot.

Wow! is all I can say- our room location was perfect! Close to parking and the bus stop- we literally walked out our door and down a path- plus right around the corner was the dig site, but it was still quiet and secluded feeling. And even bettter was that it was a corner room- it just felt larger with the two big windows. Here are some shots taken when we arrived.





Plus we had some towel buddies to greet us!



After unpacking and settling in


we went to look around a bit



before heading to the bus stop

and catching a ride to the Magic Kingdom

for a very special event!

It was so beautifully decorated for Christmas!

We were in awe just looking around on Main Street!



It was almost 5:00 so we decided to stay and watch the flag retreat ceremony, which we enjoyed very much.


After that we headed to our typical first spot

to ride our favorite

Next the Tiki Room show was about to start so we headed right in.

The guys all said they liked the other one with Iago and Zazu better.
Everyone wanted to ride Big Thunder Mountain before we ate, and it had a quick 15 minute wait, so off we went- hands up all the way- this one always makes us laugh!

We had dinner at Pecos Bill's (I'll include dining reviews in that section) and then went to visit our 999 happy haunts!

We absolutley love the new waiting areas! We didn't get to see them last time since Ron was in the scooter, so we had to play around, even though there was no waiting line- people were actually passing us to get in.



Small World was closed last trip, so we had to go this time, and Ron said he really likes it now that the singing isn't continuous.


We couldn't believe our luck when we saw that

only had a 10 minute wait! This is also one of our favorites, and especially for me since I say Taylor will always be my Peter Pan.
After trying in vain to pull the sword from the stone

we walked onto Snow White

and had a lovely ride on the carousel.


Dumbo, which we've skipped the last few trips since the lines are always long, was only a few minutes wait so we took a ride!


From Dumbo you can really see over to the new Fantasyland expansion, but we couldn't get good pics in the dark. They do have drawings posted on the walls though.

Pooh was closed last visit too, so we had to play around there before riding too.


Seriously, it seemed like there were crowds, but the rides were all practically walk ons!
We took a cocoa and cookie break at Cosmic Ray's- delicious! The cocoa was very tasty and the cookies were big cinammon sugar ones that were very soft!

We walked right on for a mission with Buzz

and I beat Taylor and Jared for once! Not Ron though- he somehow manages to find some secret point scorer every time and beats us!
A relaxing journey on the

was in order. We wandered back to Main Street and the castle looked magnificent! Honestly, pictures don't do it justice- all lit up it is breathtaking- even more amazing in person than I imagined!


We watched the 9:30 Holiday Wishes (I didn't get any pics cuz I was too busy watching) and then watched the stage show at 10:00

then it was just about time for the 10:30 parade.

Again, I didn't take too many pics, but we really enjoyed watching it.


And of course, who comes at the end?

We strolled back down Main Street on our way out and enjoyed the "snow"

but decided at past 11:00, it was time to head back "home" to CSR for a good night's sleep.
It was a wonderful way to end our first Disney Day!

[ilovdisney]

What a great day. It's wonderful that's it's a short drive for you( 9 for me) Lucky to get a corner room they do seem to have more room. Magcal first day you had and welcome home to your DH. Can't wait to read more.

[sydney]

Day 2:
We woke up with no alarm and all got ready to head to a big breakfast at Whispering Canyon. Ron and I had decided this trip to totally rely on Disney transportation after the great experience we had last time- only twice riding the buses, but even with him in the scooter, the drivers were wonderful and very efficient. The gus wanted to check out the gym first, so we walked through CSR again to enjoy the gorgeous morning.


This is where the gym is located- in Casitas 4- and the facility is very nice. The gym is a good size and has everything needed for a workout, plus there's the salon and massage rooms.

We hopped on the bus from the Casitas stop and off we went. We were making great time to get to MK until we got up near the Contemporary, and it became a stand still. There was a really bad accident right at that intersection and they weren't letting anyone through. We sat there on the bus for like 20 minutes before traffic started moving again. We hustled over to the Wilderness Lodge boat dock and had to wait about 5 minutes for the next boat. Had a chat with a very nice CM while we waited though.

Finally we were on our way!

It's a very relaxing trip. Soon the WL came into view and we were ready to get to breakfast.

Of course we were late, but the CM was very nice about it, and we were still seated in 5 minutes. After a very filling breakfast we boarded the bus to Epcot.

First we checked the boards to see what had short waits, and we got to walk right on to see our buddy Figment.


And as usual, the boys still have fun playing in Imageworks.

The Land ended up being walk on too.

I love checking out what they've got growing.

By then our tummies had settled from breakfast and we were ready to take on Test Track.

The single rider line had a 5 minute wait, so we used that. It ended up that Ron and Taylor loaded at the same time in two different cars, then I ended up right behind Jared in the same car- he was next to two boys his age, and I was next to a mom and daughter. I absolutley love this ride- it's such a rush!
We had to go see Ellen and "Stupid Judy" next.

This is another family favorite that never gets old to us.


was our next destination. The boys were pointing out different things from this that they've learned in school.

We also get a huge kick out of the interactive part of the ride and had to send our silly postcards to ourselves at the end- silly faces included!
Before heading to World Showcase, we stopped in to

Unfortunately, the guys have caught on to which flavor is "yucky" but Taylor still tried it along with everything else. Ron's favorite is the ginger ale from Mozambique, Jared likes the orange cola from Germany, and since the watermelon one wasn't available from China, Taylor and I agreed our new favorite is the Fanta from Costa Rica.

Out of Future World

and into World Showcase! We learned about how cranberries grow in the bog- the guy working there was really nice.

And the pretty Christmas tree was up!

We started snacking around the world in between visiting all the countries. I'll post in the dining section about our taste adventures- I so enjoy the Food & Wine Festival!
First up was a visit to Mexico- looking around the shops, where we found a little glass frog for my mom. She collects them, and we have to get her one everywhere we go.

and taking a nice boat ride.

We visited our Viking friends in Norway

and the trolls as well after riding Maelstrom- only a ten minute wait.

Had to take the iconic China shot- I have pics from when I was a kid with family in this same spot.

The shops here are so fun to look through.

We found Ron's mom a really pretty fan and had her name put on it in Chinese characters. The CM carefully showed the boys how to write the characters for "Ju" and "dy", which they thought was cool. Just as we were coming out the performance was beginning. I love to catch this act- it's amazing!



We lloked around through Germany

and Italy

and caught a bit of Richard Marx performing in the Eat to the Beat concert.

I had to call my mom and tell her since she loved this guy when I was growing up.
We were just in time to walk in to see The American Adventure.

This show always gets me teary eyed. And I love that the tree was already up here too.

Japan was our next stop

and of course we had to look all around. Taylor found his new favoirte character- which also happens to be his school mascot.

Great Brittain required some time to look through


then we ended our trip around the world with a bite from the new Hawaii booth. On the way out we took a ride with Nemo

and found some really wierd looking sea creatures too.


Even though Epcot was open till midnight for emh, we lasted till about 11:00 again then headed back to CSR. Another spectacular day at WDW!

[adi12982]

Both days sound amazing!! You got loads of rides in, too!

[McDuck]

Wow!!! Loving your TR! You guys have had some fun-filled first days!!!

[sydney]

Day 3:

We were all up on our own by a little after 7:00, and Jared was itching all over and his torso, arms, and legs were a bit blotchy. We made sure he didn't have a fever, and he had no other symptoms, so we figured he was having an allergic reaction to something he ate at the f&w fest. Since we had no breakfast plans, Ron and Taylor decided to hit the gym, while Jared and I got ready (he's watching ESPN Classic- some football game from the 80's)

and went to Panchito's to pick up some Benadryl- of course the one medicine I didn't bring! Then we walked over to the gym to find the guys

We found these guys alaong the way- they were so cute!

The workout was just getting done, so we all went off to breakfast at the Pepper Market. After a quick shower it was time to board the bus to DHS. Again, quick service and a pleasant ride.

First up was Rockin' Rollercoaster, with only a 15 minute wait!

Jared wasn't sure if he wanted to ride again, but afterwards he was happy he did! He did not want to ride Tower of Terror though, he and Ron went to get fp's for Toy Story while Taylor and I got in the 20 minute line for ToT (which turned out to be more like 10).

What a rush! Another of my favorites- I was out of the seat and it was really fun! When we met back up we found out that they weren't giving any more fp's because the ride was temporarily down. OK, so we went to enjoy the Great Movie Ride.

Our driver guy was pretty good, but the "gangster dame" was excellent.

We were sitting on the front row, so that was neat too.


We got out just in time to make our lunch adr at Sci-Fi Dine In Theater.

We went to see if TSM was up and running again, but it wasn't, so the Backlot Tour was next on our list. Not much wait time here, but during the first part, they didn't have participation from the audience members- not sure if it's because it was cooler, or they didn't have time or what- they just showed how they did it. Not as much fun, but still cool- and the hosts were very animated.
Jared made sure Taylor was sitting in just the right spot for Catastrophe Canyon!

Lights, Motors, Action was about to start so we were able to get seats. Love the addition of Lightning McQueen!

And of course the other stunt drivers are amazing as well!

Had to get a hat shot!

Since we had missed Fantasmic last trip, and it's Taylor's favorite, we wanted to make sure we got there in plenty of time- so we arrived an hour ealry and got great seats- right in the center about halfway up and with a nice family in front of us. No one was really hungry for dinner yet, after the huge lunch, but the guys had to get some cotton candy anyway while we waited.

It was so pretty to watch the sunset and then the moon started coming up right behind the mountain- what a cool sight!
Mickey kicked off the show!




In the end, Mickey triumphs!



So glad we did the first show of Fantasmic, cuz when we came out, there was a huge line for the next show! The boys wanted to ride the new Star Tours, but Ron and I sat out since we get motion sick from it. The wait was only 10 minutes, so we had fun watching a bit of the Jedi Training

and looking in Tatooine Traders. Next up we all watched the Muppets with less than a five minute wait.

Love this sign!

It was almost closing time, but we still had time to walk through and enjoy the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights! It was way less crowded than when we'd seen it on our New Year's trip back in 2007, and very relaxing and beautiful. Again, words and pictures don't do it justice- so amazing in person!

[sydney]

More wonderful Christamsy pictures!




It was time to leave DHS, and we had planned to go back to Epcot for emh. But with not knowing what Jared had reacted to the day before (although the Benadryl was clearing it up and he felt better) and since everyone was pretty tired, we went back to CSR. Another short wait for the bus- very nice. We got off up front and grabbed a late dinner at the Pepper Market, then waddled back to the room to crash for the night.

[sydney]

Day 4:

After getting up and ready, we took the bus to MK and then hooped on the resort monorail to get to the Poly for breakfast at Kona Cafe. When we were all full and done looking around the resort, we hopped back on the monorail past the Grand Floridian

and back to the MK. The weather had been low in the 60's and high up to the low 80's the first few days, so most people were in tee's and shorts (except me cuz I'm always cold). But today suddenly everyone was in jeans and hoodies! Florida weather is as crazy as South Carolina, so we knew to be prepared, but I know some guests weren't.
First up was

Our "captain" William was hilarious! We usually get really good cm's on this ride, and we all love the corny jokes, but he was above and beyond- just great with everyone on our boat.



And since it was right across the way with hardly any wait, we joined the pirates again.


There wasn't a long wait for Splash Mountain,

and we wanted to go early so we could have time during the day to dry off, so off to the briar patch we went.

We didn't get too wet at all, and it was a lot of fun. We did some looking around at some shops and then had time for a show at the Hall of Presidents.

Moving as always, and the kids really enjoy it more as they get older. We caught the Dapper Dans performing some Christmas tunes as we headed up Main Street- they're always fun to watch.

Then it was time for lunch at Tony's. When we were thoroughly stuffed, we headed to Tomorrowland for a while. The Laugh Floor was our first stop.

There was a show about to start, so we didn't wait long.

We had a super audience group, and one lady that got picked was all shy and kept all of us laughing with her answers. The one guy that kept getting picked on was a great sport. There was also the cutest little boy, who was about four, and when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up he said "anything I want to be"- even my kids thought it was adorable! So we finally impressed Roz enough

and it was on to another family favorite

We all sang along too- "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow..." We got fp's for Space Mountain since the line had gotten to like 30 minutes, and we figured we'd wait a bit longer after eating.Next we came to the

Now I'm not a big fan of this one. When I rode with Taylor, he drove crazy on purpose. When I rode with Jared, he just drove crazy and it was annoying- whiplash is not fun. When I drove by myslef last time cuz Jared was big enough to go by himself, I had them bumping me from behind and brake checking me from the front. So this time I said I'd ride with Ron, but made sure the boys went ahead of us.

Then the nice CM there asked if we wanted him to take a picture- sure!

Now I thought the boys would be well ahead of us and we'd be in for a nice smooth ride. Wrong! Ron was driving crazy too! And then there was a car next to us with a little girl about 3 and her dad, and she was steering. Ron gets next to them and starts pretending he's going to ram into them, which she thought was great and started swerving like she was going to hit us too and giggling like crazy! By the end I was laughing, but I swear, I'm not riding that anymore. Taylor had fun since he ended up having to push another car ahead of him- he was like "the guy working here told me to!"

We took a leisurly ride on the Peoplemover

before blasting off on

Taylor was happy since he got a front seat, but we all really love this ride.

Walking back through Fantasyland, I managed to climb up on a ledge and snap a few shots of the constuction before a CM noticed and asked me to not stand up there.






We hadn't seen

yet and we were just in time for a performance that was about to begin. We got really lucky this trip and seemed to have short waits on almost everything, and also walking up at the right ime for shows.

The boys in their "opera glasses."

I know it's supposed to be Mickey's show, but it's really about Donald to me, and that's why I love it so much.
The Haunted Mansion had a short line, so we rode again.

We really like how their altered the "hitchhiking ghosts" at the end too!
Got stuck in the stocks!


and took one last ride with the pirates

before calling it a night at the park. MK was closing ealry for MVMCP at 7:00, so we took the bus back to CSR and ate some dinner there.

Another gorgeous night to enjoy.

The moon made it perfect.

The guys decided they wanted to go swimming and headed back to the room to change.

I thought it was way too cold, but I did agree to get in the hot tub. When we got to the dig site there was one other kid in the pool, and two ladies swimming as well. But at the hot tub there were a bunch of college kids acting foolish, and we didn't want any part of that. I wasn't too upset, since I was really to cold, but it was kind of annoying. Ron and the boys did some swimming and had a nice time, especially Ron since he didn't get to swim at all over the summer when he was gone. Just when we were getting ready to head back to the room, two of the teens decided to climb up the temple- no joke- they had climbed about halfway up over the vine part while the guys were drying off. Of course there was no lifeguard on duty at this time, so when we got to the room (did I mention how close we were?- soooo nice!)

Ron called the front desk who transferred him to security so he could report the disturbing behavior. He was told it would be handled. No worries- as long as the boys had fun- Ron and I will have lots of time to sit around in hot tubs when they grow up and move out, right? We hit the sack at a decent time so we could be up bright and early for another adventure the next morning.

[justafigment]

Since Jared likes the Mezzo Mix from Germany you should make it for him. It's half coke and half orange soda. =) Whenever I want some and I am feeling to lazy to go to Club Cool I run to Wal-Mart and make it myself.

[adi12982]

Your trip keeps sounding more and more amazing! I'm so, so happy you had such a wonderful time!!

[sydney]

Day 5:

Saturday morning we woke up and got ready, but I was kinda paranoid that we'd miss our breakfast adr at 8:30, so we just drove over to AKL.

We headed downstairs to Boma and only had to wait a few minutes to be seated. But in those few minutes, my boys (all three of them) managed to find a way to act like goofballs.

We love Boma, and after filling up there we wandered around the resort a bit taking in the beauty.

It was pretty cool that morning so I enjoyed the fire.



We headed back to the parking lot

drove back to CSR, then hopped on the bus to AK.

When we arrived I found my favorite WDW Christmas tree!

The bag check line was quick and we were set for

We all wanted to go on safari first, so we headed to Africa. There was only a 15 mintute wait, and we were on our way.

Found quite a few creatures around, and Ron and I took turns snapping shots.

I was so excited cuz the hippos were actually out of the water!


Crocs sunning as usual

Great up close views of the giraffes


What's gnu with you?

I want one of these in the backyard! So cute!

Ankole cattle

We got a lot of up close time with the elephants too.

and the baby!

The little girls behind us, who were probably 4 and 5, thought this was great- they were like "hehe- it's the rhino's butt mommy!"

ostrich eggs

cheetahs

We were really close to these guys- they were magnificent to see!


Another rhino

Little Red's ok!

After our safari we wandered through the


Awwww... another hippo!

I really love hippos- they're so cute! And meerkats- I could watch them for hours.

This little guy was on a mission.

Graceful antelope

ANd then we come to the gorillas, which everyone loves to watch.


On the way to Asia we spotted Devine.

Then it was time to conqueor Everest! We all four love this ride! The wait time was at 40 mintues, but the CM said the wait was less than 10 minutes for single rider, so we took advantage of that again.

Ron and Jared were in the same train, with Ron towards the front and Jared in the very back seat next to, and I quote " this cool old guy- we had our hands up yelling the whole time!" Taylor and I were on the same train and he was only two seats in front of me.

I was next to a 9 year old girl whose mom and 6 year old brother (and first time rider) were behind us. He was kinda scared, but she kept telling him how fun it was, and I told him my son was five the first time he rode, and he loved it. We all "woo-hoo"ed the whole time and came off in a great mood. We were ready for lunch by then, so we grabbed a quick meal from Yak & Yeti cs. Then it was time to hop of the train to


Jared donated $1 to the wildlife fund and got a special conservation pin. He also got to pose with this guy!

We learned that elephants "poop" about 300 lbs. a day! This is just an average 5lb. specimen.


After looking around some more inside we headed outside

but in the petting area all the animals must have had enough for the day because they were in the resting area where you're not supposed to pet them.
We took the train back to Africa then walked back to Asia to the

Kimodo dragon

another favorite of mine- the bats!

The tigers were so cute- there were three of them out- the CM said two of them were sisters.


more trek animals



These birds have one cool house

The boys wanted to ride Everest again but Ron and I decided to sit it out and let them go ahead.


You see the shirt Ron is wearing? He thought it would be funny to wear since it's Christmasy, and the "stocking" vs. "stalking" like an animal tie in. He got so many comments about it, and people just laughing out loud about it.
The boys and I went to ride Dinosaur! next-

it's Jared's favorite at AK.

Ron doesn't like it cuz he says it's too jerky (but we had a blast!), so he chose that time to go use a snack credit for a Mickey bar. We met him outside afterwards and he was just finishing. The boys were done with everything they wanted to do so we headed to

and got to see a CM feeding.

I grabbed a caramel latte at Joffrey's and said goodbye to the Tree of Life.

We took the bus to the TTC and went to wait to take a ride on the

While waiting we had Donald and Daisy hanging out with us.

These ducks were hilarious to watch.

Then our boat arrived

and we had a peaceful ride to the MK, getting there aorund 5:00.

The boys each got some popcorn for a snack once we arrived.
We hadn't ridden the MK train yeat so we walked up to the station. The guys found something to play with.

Then our train arrived and we rode around and got off again at Frontierland.

We got a fp for BTMRR since the wait was almost an hour, and joined the pirates since that was only a ten minute wait.

Taylor wanted to get this shirt for his science teacher.

We did a bit more looking around through shops

Ron ended up surprising me later and getting me this mug

then we wandered by the castle

and back onto Main St. for our 6:55 dinner adr at the Plaza.
After dinner we wandered into Tomorrowland and rode

Hidden Mickey!

The wait was posted at 15 mintues, but it was more like 30 with all the fp's they were letting go through.
The boys wanted to drive the

again, so we let them do that while we waited and watched Wishes!

We visited the Haunted Mansion one last time

and decided to call it a night. It was getting late

and we were satisfied we'd done all we wanted to and had a wonderful time doing it together. Stopped to check out the bell

and stroll down Main St.

before leaving the MK! What a special way to kick off the Christmas season this year!

[sydney]

Day 6:

Well, it came down to departure day. We were sad to go, but felt like we got everything we really wanted to do, while still leaving us wanting to come back for more. After getting ready and packing everything and loading the car, we headed to grab breakfast. On the way we saw some other cute towel animals in people's windows.


I got some more shots from around the resort. We once again truly enjoyed our stay here as it perfectly suits our families needs, wants, and tastes.







Check out was a breeze- I walked up with no wait, the CM checked to make sure I had no charges on my card, and that was it! We hopped in the car and said good-bye to our favorite home away from home!

We wanted to stop at DTD on our way out of town. It was SUnday, so no surprise- parking was insane! We had to park on the west side and walk over to the Marketplace where we really wanted to be. The Master's art event was going on so there were lots of booths up and demonstrations going on. One of our first stops was the Lego store. Great displays outside!




and inside!

The boys found a game with Lego frogs they wanted to get my mom for Christmas- and so they can play with her when they visit. We looked around World of Disney

and picked up a shirt for each of the boys (a really nice CM went to the back to find the size Jared needed in the shirt he really wanted) and a mug for one of my friends, and Ron snuck and got a mug for me too. Played around and found some other fun things.



Picked up gifts for my sil and hopefully soon to be sil from Basin. Had to check out Art of Disney and Arribas Brothers- they have some gorgeous stuff in there!

Looked through the kitchen store, the Christmas store (Ron still keeps thinking he'll find me a Maleficent stocking), the athletic store (I was hoping to find a Mickey Texans something for my step brother), Once Upon a Toy, and a cute little boutique where we found none other than Edna!

Went by the candy store to use up the last few snack credits, grabbed lunch, and then it was time to head on back to South Carolina. We really had a spectacular time together, and hope that Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum never get tired of visitng WDW with their parents!

[susanm]

what an amazing trip report. felt like i was there... you have some awesome pictures too.. glad everyone had such a good time

[ilovdisney]

All caught up now. What a great trip you had. Looks like everyone had a good time. Thans for letting me go along as you relived your magical trip.

[Dave]

Another great trip report, and wonderful pictures. It sounds like all of you had a good time.
What kind of camera do you use? I am looking for a new one, and I'd like some recommendations from MT'ers.