Christmas In WDW - Taylor's Trip Report

**olmec26** · 01-04-2006, 09:35 PM

Here it is, a summary of Days 1 and 2 of my trip! Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

CHRISTMAS IN WDW

by Taylor (olmec26)

DAY 1 – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2005:

I found out at about 11:00am. Yes, I’m going to WDW for Christmas! I spent 3 hours packing, and then had to get ready for the Christmas Eve Mass down the street at the church. I was sent over at about 3:00pm to save seats, and we left at about 5:30pm to go to WDW. We arrived in Tallahassee at about 11:30pm CST (12:30pm EST), and spent the night at a Hampton Inn.

DAY 2 – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2005 – MERRY CHRISTMAS!:

And a very merry Christmas it was! We awoke at 7:30am (all times from here on out will be EST unless otherwise noted), and ate the “complimentary breakfast” that all Hamptons offer, and then it was off! 2 hours later, we stopped in Gainesville, Florida. Why, you ask? I wanted to see the Swamp. It really is a nice football stadium, one of the best I’ve seen. But Tiger Stadium still rules. After a quick potty break, we got on the road again – destination: TTC, Walt Disney World, Florida.

When we arrived at the TTC, we were directed to the Happy Lot…on the grass. Out “row” was referred to by the CMs as “Happy Grass,” and that just sent me and my younger sister (13) into various fits of hysterics. We decided to skip the tram ride and walked to the monorail station. We hopped aboard Monorail Purple, and were at the turnstiles of MK in no time. Since we were concerned about being re-admitted, our original plan was to get in and turn around and walk right back out. I, however, saw the opportunity in this plan: Fastpass. Since my mom and dad decided to graciously let my sister and I use their APs to get 2 FPs for 2 different attractions, we got 2 for Space Mountain and 2 for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. As my father and I were walking through Adventureland on our way to BTMR, my dad stops and turns around. “JOEY! JOEY!” Turns out, my former principal and math teacher (who is more than a teacher, he’s a good friend) was on vacation there with his wife, kids, and extended family. It was very cool – we’re not in WDW for more than 30 minutes, and we’ve seen someone that we know.

There’s something I’ve failed to put in this report: the decorations. OH MY WORD! I had never been to WDW during the holiday season, and it was amazing! The garland strung across Main Street, the Christmas music playing in the background (and if anyone knows where I can get a copy of those tracks, let me know), and the topper – the 80-foot tall tree in Town Square. It was all amazing, and now I know why people say that the holiday season is the best time of year to visit WDW.

After we exited the MK (and being reassured by a CM that we could indeed get back in), we went to check in at our Resort. Normally, we stay at an All-Star. But this is Christmas! All-Star won’t do! Coronado, here we come! I’d like to point out that this was the first time that I had stayed in a Moderate since ’96 at PO:FQ. It was the total Taylor resort. I loved the theme of the ancient ruins at the pool – a Mayan temple, Mayan symbols on the bottom of the pool, totem poles that shot water, and the volleyball court that was made to resemble ancient arenas for Court-Ball games. Our room was in the Ranchos area – about a half mile from El Centro. My parents and sister decided to drive around to the back, and I wanted to see the Resort. I took my handy dandy map and walked the whole way there. It took about 7 minutes, and just as I arrived at the room, my family was pulling up. I have no idea what took them so long.

Anyway, our room was perfect – bigger than we’re used to, first floor, right next to the parking lot and bus stop. My mom had brought with her some Christmas lights, and she attempted to string them up in the room. Her attempt failed miserably, so my sister and I took over. She also put a small nativity scene on top of the TV. In her words, “We have to remember why we’re here!”

After the room decoration, my sister and I went to explore the Resort. We found the hammocks along the shore of Lago Dorado, and my sister decided that she had to lie down. I let her…for about 60 seconds; she still had not seen the pool. She was amazed at the sight of it, as we all were when we first saw it.

We went back to our room, and received a message from our mother: “Oh, Santa came while you were gone.” We each had a brand new set of Disney flannel pajamas. I was happy.

All four of us then left Coronado and went to DTD to see the decorations while we could (for some odd reason, those go down on Dec. 26). We admired them for a while, and then went back to the MK. Our FP times were not there yet, so we did some of the attractions with quicker-moving lines – i.e., Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. After paying those two attractions a visit, we strode over to Space Mountain to use our FPs. 20 minutes from the time we entered to the time we exited. That’s fast, considering the wait time was 90 minutes. By this time, it was 8:30pm, and my parents had made a PS at Tony’s for our Christmas dinner. We had a wonderful dinner (spaghetti and meatballs were excellent), and then my sister and I walked out to Main Street to go ride BTMR. And, one of things that I forgot completely about happened while we were on Main Street – it snowed. We were so excited – that’s the second “white Christmas” for us in a row! We also saw my principal and his family again, so that was nice.

While we were in the FP line for BTMR, the Holiday Whishes show started. We couldn’t hear any music, we just saw the fireworks. We also caught them while we were on the ride itself. It’s not really that impressive without the music, in my opinion….

Anyway, my parents were tired, so we decided to call it a night. We returned to Coronado, and went to bed.

NEXT TIME…

Stay tuned for the next day’s installment, when we go to the Studios and DAK!

**SnwhtNdwrfs** · 01-04-2006, 11:16 PM

Can't wait for the next installment. Great report so far! What a neat gift.

**disneydreamer98** · 01-04-2006, 11:52 PM

Sounds great so far Taylor! I like that you and your Sister decorated your room!!!

I'll be waiting for the next installment!

**GaRain** · 01-05-2006, 09:00 AM

Wow, just makes me want to go at Christmas all the more. Now that I have an AP, it is a good excuse, I think!

Patiently waiting for the next installment....

**4Mickey** · 01-05-2006, 03:16 PM

Great story-telling Taylor! What an awesome Christmas gift! I especially like that y'all went to Christmas eve service first & then decorated your room there! That's awesome!

Looking forward to the next installment...