Trip Reports

• Time of Year: Holiday Season
• Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
• Resort: BoardWalk Inn
• Accommodations: Standard Room
• Ages Represented in Group: Infant/Toddler, Elementary, Adult
• WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
• Comments: Doug, his wife Kay, and daughters Rebecca (age almost 6) and Erin (age 3 and a half) were joined by Grandma Audrey (Kay's mom) on this trip. The family stayed at the Boardwalk resort for their early month trip which included all of Disney's Christmas shows and special events! A great story of a wonderful trip...

All of the trip reports I read on the Internet helped us so much in planning our Disney World trip, that I decided to write one myself. This started out as something we could put in the family archives, but then I decided why not put it on my web page. If you have ever been to Disney World, or are planning a trip in the future, you might find this interesting, especially if you have young children. Some people probably think we get a little carried away in our enthusiasm for Disney World, but there really is no place like it, and no better place for a family to take a vacation. The members of the family on the trip are:

Doug (Dad)

Kay (Mom)

Audrey (Kay's mom, also known as Nana)

Rebecca (age almost 6)

Erin (age 3 and a half)

Anyway, here is my report, in diary form, with some general comments at the end.

Tuesday December 3

Up at 5AM. Trip to airport/8:30 AM flight from Washington National went smoothly. Took Mears shuttle to the Boardwalk resort. This is an easy way to get from the airport to any hotel on Disney property. Checked in and ready to go at 1. Hotel looks real nice. It is actually two rooms, connected by an interior door. One room has a living room, kitchen, and a separate bedroom. The other room is more like a regular hotel room, with no separate bedroom. Called our neighbors, who were staying at The Yacht club, on their portable phone. Made plans to meet at Beaches and Cream for lunch (easy walk from Boardwalk). First glitch of trip. B&C not open until 2:30 (due to air conditioner repair work). Had to eat at Hurricane Hanna's instead. I had really been psyched for a B&C hamburger (desk clerk said they were best on property). HH's is the pool side snack bar.

After lunch, had a swim at Stormalong Bay. Weather in low 70's-perfect weather, but a little chilly when wet and not in pool. Had no problem using pool, even though we were not Beach/Yacht Club guests. Our neighbors were guests there, and we could not have gotten towels without them (but we could have just gotten towels @ Boardwalk pool). Pool was pretty good, but not as good as I expected. The pluses are its size, the plentiful shallow area w/ sand bottom, the "whirlpool" section, warm water, and one good big slide. The minus is there is not too much fun stuff to do in kiddie area. The only little slide goes into 4 feet of water. So little kids can't do it, and big kids would not want to do it. The kiddie area has no slides, and not even any things spraying water, etc.

Left pool around 4. Got ice cream cones from B&C for the walk back. 10 seconds after buying, Erin's ice cream fell out of cone. Just after finishing cleaning up, Rebecca's fell out. We recovered some of it. The kids didn't really care. It was kind of funny. Changed quickly and headed to Magic Kingdom. Immediately got curb seats @ end of Main Street (around 5:15) for 6:15 Spectro Magic parade. Found our neighbors @ Tony's, told them where we were. Kay and Nana stayed there to hold the spot. I took kids for a couple rides (no way we could get away with going to MK without doing a couple rides). At Erin's insistence, we did Snow White (10 min wait) and Small World (no wait). Did not do Peter Pan or Dumbo due to 20 min waits (to the kids' disappointment) The generally short waits were wonderful the whole time we were there. The kids love all of the Fantasyland rides (especially Erin), and as we were to discover (much to my chagrin), could ride them over and over. Got back at 6 for SM parade. Our neighbors were there, so kids had a distraction waiting for parade to start. Enjoyed parade (had seen it last year-same parade as far as I could tell). Taped it. Fireworks were short but good-nonstop action. I had read that fireworks are just as good from points behind the castle since that is where they are shot off. Wrong. Nothing can compare to seeing Tinkerbell, then watching fireworks over the castle.

Took bus back to Boardwalk after fireworks. Picked up a pizza at Spoodles (one of the many restaurants and stores on the boardwalk which runs between the hotel and the lake) carry out and brought back to room to eat. It was pretty good, and only $12.50 (a bargain for Disney standards). Also got a vanilla/chocolate pretzel at BW Bakery, which was good. Everything we got (which was a lot) at the Bakery during the week was very good, and not too terribly overpriced. As we were getting ready to go to bed around 9 (it had been a long day), we heard a noise outside that sounded like a motorcycle. Looked out the balcony to see a perfect view of Epcot Illuminations fireworks (turns out the holiday version has a lot of fireworks). We got a big kick out of it. (However, by the end of the week we were sick of fireworks). This was a good end to a good first day.

Wednesday December 4

I woke up at 6:30. Either I was too excited to sleep any more, or my body was messed up from waking up at 5 the day before, or a combination of both. It was a beautiful morning, on the way to a beautiful day in the low to mid 70's. Went for a run. Wanted to run to Epcot entrance, but the gate was closed at the bridge that heads towards Epcot. So, I ran around the lake. Picked up muffins, donuts, and crumb cake at bakery. It's so easy to charge stuff to your room with the length of stay pass card. The crumb cake was excellent (was hot from the oven-chocolate chip). Out of the room at 8:30. Arrived at MK at 9 (you have to go to MK the first and last full days of the trip if you have young children). Took railroad to Frontierland. In accordance with our plan, we went straight to Splash Mountain. We were worried that they would not let Erin on, since we had read that the height limit is 44 inches, and Erin is only around 41. I tried to hustle past carrying her, but they stopped us. Much to our surprise, she was tall enough. It turns out the limit is only 40 inches. I don't know if they lowered the limit or if the guide where we read that it was 44 inches was wrong. We weren't asking any questions, though. We were just happy she could go. Walked right on with no wait. It was a little cold after getting very wet on the ride. This is unanimously the Corey family's favorite DW ride. It combines the characters and atmosphere of a kiddie ride with the excitement of a thrill ride. And it has the best drop in MK (2nd only to Tower of Terror in DW). Saw Brer Bear and Fox after ride. Wasted enough time there so that we had to wait 10 minutes for BTMR. Erin did not do this one because she was throwing a fit because we would not get her juice (we constantly have these power struggles with her). She sat it out with Nana, who sits out all of these kind of rides. This was Rebecca's favorite ride last year (did it many, many times), but it is now 3rd behind the 2 "Mountains". Although it has virtually no drops at all, BTMR is still a fun ride with a typical fun Disney atmosphere.

Next we headed to Fantasyland. Erin really wanted to do Peter Pan. Bummer, it was temporarily out of service. Did Small World, Carousel, Mr. Toad, Tea Cups. Line too long for Dumbo. PP still out of order. Lines for rides we did were no longer than 10 minutes. Lunch at 11:45 at Cosmic Ray's. As MK fast food joints go, this is not a bad place to eat. There are 3 separate food sections with different food at each, so although the food is mediocre at best, at least there is a variety of choices. Also, it is fun for kids. First, there is the corny animatronic lounge act, Sunny Eclipse, which kept the kids amused for awhile. Second, the kids got crayons and an anniversary picture to color, which they got to hang up on the wall when they finished. Third, they liked throwing their trash in the "talking trash can" (the can is on the left as you are facing Sunny Eclipse, against the wall). We spent over an hour at this place, very little of which was spent waiting to get the food. It was a good place to relax.

Next we headed to Toontown. On the way, Rebecca found a "hidden Mickey" on a manhole cover. At the time, we thought this was an incredible find. Later, we realized that most of the covers have one. Still, we thought it was pretty impressive for Rebecca to notice it. Did Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster. This ride is good but short. Really, just a cut below BTMR in terms of speed, but much shorter. 20 min. wait. Wait would be worth it if, due to height, this was the only coaster your child could go on. In our case, we would not wait this long to ride it again. Walked through Mickey's house. Kids enjoyed it, but the line was way too long to see Mickey (We knew we would see him at Chef Mickey's later in the week). Minnie's house was closed. Next did "Hall of Fame" building. Kids and Mom waited around 20 minutes to see Snow White (Erin's favorite) and Cinderella. Nana and I shopped in the adjacent store.

At 2:15 we headed to the "hub" area to try to get a spot for the 25th anniversary parade. Nowhere to sit there, so we ended up across from the Diamond Horseshoe. Unfortunately we were on the sunny side. The day started deteriorating during the wait. Erin started to get really tired (has had a cold for quite awhile). She just about fell asleep while we were waiting. Meanwhile, a CM (cast member-this is what they call Disney employees) asked Rebecca if she wanted to be in the parade, and Rebecca said no. She said she was too tired, but the real reason is she is too shy. I was disappointed, because I would have taped it, and I'm sure she would have treasured watching the tape later. Parade was very good. Had most Disney characters, including Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Lion King, Beauty & Beast, Snow White, Cinderella, & Mary Poppins (I'm sure I've forgotten many more). I ended up not taping it because, although I disagreed, Kay said it would not come out because of the sun. (This was her way of making an extra dig at me for choosing the sunny side of the parade route, which was what caused both kids, especially Erin, to become tired and unmotivated).

Took off straight for Dumbo after parade went by. Line was a little shorter (15 min-this line is always a killer because the ride loads so slowly), so we went for it, plus Erin would have gone berserk had we not). We wanted Erin & Rebecca to ride it just the two of them (would make a better picture and/or film), but the ride operator insisted on an adult riding. A totally stupid policy in my opinion. While they rode with Mom I watched Sword in Stone ceremony, which I had never seen. It was cute. First a man tried the sword. He could not remove it. Then a kid was chosen, who of course was able to remove it. Next we headed back to Peter Pan. It was finally working, but line was 25 minutes, and we had to get to Jolly Holiday show. Did Mr. Toad instead (10 min wait). Did right side this time. I think the right side is a little better.

Headed to Contemporary via monorail. Had to carry Erin (sleeping) all the way out of the park and into the show. She slept on my lap once at the table. After a while she perked up when she heard someone say there were olives at the table. Her dinner consisted of 8 black olives (for some reason she loves black olives-don't know who she gets that from!) The food was pretty good. Everybody (table for ten) shared a Christmas type of dinner on a lazy Susan. They had a couple of really good breads (cranberry or banana or something like that). Show was great. We had a table at the front of right side stage. I think the best part of the show was on this stage (the room has stages all around it-the show is on all stages and in the audience as well). Walked out of show just in time to see MK fireworks. Caught special JH bus back. Gave kids a bath and had them in bed by 8:30. There was kind of a funny incident during the bath. I think Rebecca had already gotten out. Erin decided to turn on the Jacuzzi. Unfortunately, the water level was a little too low, so water started spraying all over the bathroom. I ran over from where I was sitting to try to turn it off and slipped and fell. I finally got it off, but not before the bathroom was totally soaked. I guess that would have been a problem had we been in our house. But since we were in a hotel room it was pretty funny.

Thursday December 5

For some reason I woke up at 6. Stayed in bed until 7, trying to go back to sleep. Rebecca and I got stuff from the bakery. They forgot to give me the chocolate chip muffin we ordered (Rebecca's favorite), which I did not notice until we got back to the room, so I had to go back (I was not happy about this). Left for Epcot at 9:15. This is a quick and easy boat ride. The problem with going to Epcot before 11 via the Int'l Gateway is that the World Showcase does not open until 11, so you lose a lot of time walking to Future World. Supposedly the double decker buses are supposed to transport you, but we never saw one at any time of day the whole time we were there. Had we realized this would be the case we probably would not have scheduled Epcot for first thing in the morning. Anyway, after taking some pictures at some Christmas scenery they had at the entrance to World Showcase, we headed to the kids' two Epcot favorites, Journey into Imagination and Food Rocks. The reason they like JII is the purple dinosaur Figment. I must admit it's refreshing to see a purple dinosaur whose name is not Barney. After the ride we hung around for the appearance of the Dreamfinder guy with the Figment puppet. The kids loved it. Food Rocks was a hit also. Ever since we arrived Erin kept saying she wanted to go to the grocery store place. We had no idea what she was talking about, but when we went to Food Rocks we figured out she meant the waiting area before you go in. It's amazing what kids remember.

Headed to Future World at 11:15. Kids wanted to do Mexico and Norway boat rides. They like any boat ride, even a boring one like Mexico. No wait for Mexico, 5 min for Norway (Maelstrom). We all like the Maelstrom, but it seemed shorter than last time (I don't think it actually was). The kids like the trolls. Like last trip, we had a hard time dragging the kids away from the Legos in the Norway store. Next we walked around WS. Kids enjoyed watching elaborate toy train set up between Italy and Germany. Discovered "Kids Zone" at Italy. I wish we had discovered them sooner. They are at every country. You do simple craft activities, and you can get a book for free that is like the passports (that cost $8.95), but oriented towards little kids. In the book there is a map where you can get a stamp for each country, and a line below the country where the CM writes "hello" in the country's language. And it's free!! (I am still not quite over the shock). I am not sure whether this is a new thing, or something they just do during the holidays, but it is wonderful for kids the age of ours. It made the kids want to visit the countries. At Italy we did pasta necklaces, and at France we did chalk drawing.

Headed out of Epcot via Int'l Gateway at 1:45. Had our long awaited lunch at Beaches and Cream. It was pretty much just as I had hoped, except the restaurant itself was smaller than I expected. There are only 3 booths, and a bunch of round tables that seat only 3 comfortably. Unfortunately, 5 of us had to squeeze around one of these tables. The burgers were as good as advertised. Then the 5 of us split 2 very good, huge specialty sundaes. Next we were planning on heading to Village Market Place, but we weren't up to it. So, even though it was a bit cool (low 70's but quite cloudy), we went to the BW pool. The pool is heated, so as long as you stay in the water you are fine. The kids had a blast on the big slide. In my opinion it is nearly as good as the slide at Stormalong Bay (contrary to what we read in a trip report). The pool is good, but it would be nice if they had an area with depth of less than 40 inches (other than the kiddie pool). This is the one big plus of Stormalong Bay over the BW pool. Rented a tape at the Community Center (lousy selection-hardly any of the big Disney movies. Mostly stuff like The Absent Minded Professor and The Love Bug. The best I could find was Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Rebecca liked it, but she likes almost anything). Then I got pizza for the kids and Nana. At 6:30 Kay and I headed to Epcot, just the two of us.

Had 7:45 reservations at San Angel at Mexico, which left us just enough time to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience. The kids did not want to see this-too scary, but I could watch this over and over. It's true it's scary, especially when the snake lunges at you and sticks out its tongue, but I think it's by far the best thing at Epcot. Next headed to Mexico. Stuffed ourselves. The food was pretty good. Got out of dinner just before Illuminations. Found an OK spot (blocked by trees a little-near Canada). Although it was good, I think the regular Illuminations is better, mainly because the regular show is more what Illuminations is supposed to be. That is, a water light show. The holiday version has more fireworks, which you can see at MK if you want fireworks. Home at 9:30. It is so easy to get home after Illuminations when you stay at one of the Epcot resorts.

Friday December 6

Probably the nicest weather day of the trip. Upper 70's, partly cloudy. Up at 7 (finally sleeping better). Kids were up with Nana at 6:30. Rebecca and Nana sleep together in the double bed, at Rebecca's insistence. Erin sleeps next to them in the pullout couch. We get the other bedroom. No bakery this morning, since we are going to the MGM character breakfast. Got to MGM a little after 9. In accordance with our general plan to race to the most popular attractions first thing, we went straight to Star Tours, and walked right on. I was a little disappointed with this ride. My point of reference for this type of simulator ride is the Universal Studios Back to the Future ride, which I did around 5 years ago. Although it is pretty good, Star Tours does not compare. It is too herky jerky, and doesn't seem fast enough for me. Rebecca liked this ride. Erin did not (threw her around too much). Next we headed to Great Movie Ride. 10 min. wait. I really enjoyed this. I thought it was unique and well done. Kay thought it was OK. The kids liked it a lot. During the western shootout I looked over at Rebecca, who was ducking so she wouldn't get hit by the crossfire. It was cute. Erin kept asking where Dorothy was. Since The Wizard of Oz part was at the end we had to listen to this for quite awhile.

Breakfast at Soundstage at 10:15. Saw Quasimodo, Esmerelda, Clopin, Aladdin, Genie, and Meeko. Erin really likes Esmerelda, and she was very good with the kids. She must have been a different one than our neighbors had, because they did not have positive things to say about her. Genie's song came on while he was at our table, so he led Rebecca all around the room (Erin sort of followed). I was proud of Rebecca for doing it, since she is so shy about things like this. The food (buffet style) was mediocre. The food was better, with a better selection, at the Park Faire buffet, which we did on Monday morning. Got out around 11:30. Mom and Nana went to grab a bench for the Toy Story parade (they got a great spot). I took kids to Dalmatians behind the scenes tour. It was moderately interesting. The kids were bored. I had to carry Erin the whole time. The best part was when they had a guest act out the bicycle scene, then showed the movie scene with him superimposed.

Headed to parade. It was very good (taped it). Erin really loves parades. I had read that this one was too short, but I thought it was just right. Next came the highlight of MGM, the Hunchback show. Got there around 1:20 for the 1:45 show, so we got great seats. And the wait was no problem, because they had a very good and funny juggler for the preshow. Since we were so close, he singled out both me and Kay to make fun of (as well as several others). He was spinning a cylinder on a string, and had me (from around 10 yards away) try to throw another cylinder onto the rope. Of course I missed, so he pulled out a super soaker and pointed it at me. I'm not sure if he was actually going to squirt me, but he didn't because I picked up Erin and used her as a shield. He made fun of Kay while she was trying to take a picture of him. (He kind of turned around and stuck his butt out). The show itself was great (taped most of it). As I had read, Clopin has a superb voice, and everyone else was good as well.

Headed back to the hotel to rest up for our big night ahead. Had dinner reservations at O'Hana (at the Polynesian Hotel) at 5:15. This was pretty fun, and the food was pretty good (too much meat for me, though), but it was rather expensive, even for Disney. For the five of us (including 2 kids who eat almost nothing) it was around $100, before tip, including very expensive frozen drinks. The best part of the meal was the dessert, pineapple dipped in caramel and coconut ice cream. At 6 they lowered the lights so we could watch the MK fireworks. This would have been a nice touch, but we were getting a bit sick of fireworks by this time. Then at 6:30 they did their "show". It was a little hokey, but generally fun. Rebecca, as usual, would not participate. I ended doing the hula hoop, though. Although I am glad we checked out O'Hana, I am not sure we will go to the trouble to go next time.

Got to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas at 7:30. There was already a huge crowd waiting to be let in. Gates, which were scheduled to open at 8, opened at 7:40. Messed around on Main Street for 10 minutes (lots of characters, snowing), then headed for Fantasyland to do rides. We should have headed straight to Fantasyland, because we had the place to ourselves. I am not exaggerating, there were maybe 50 people in the whole area when we got there. For the next half hour, we walked right onto rides. First Dumbo, then Snow White, Peter Pan, Ariel's Grotto, then got our picture taken (smart to do this early, all of the locations were really crowded later). The picture, which they mailed to our home, came out great. Next we headed to Tomorrowland. It still was not too crowded yet. 10 min. wait for Astro Orbiter. I had never done this because the line is always so long (slow loading like Dumbo). It was a little better than I thought it would be. Pretty fast, and you're way up in the air. Next, a 15 min. wait for Rebecca and I to do Space Mountain. Rebecca was a little nervous about it, but of course she loved it. This ride is fast and a little scary because it's dark, but as roller coasters go it is average at best. There are no real good drops, which is what I like best about a roller coaster. Mom, Nana and Erin did Tomorrowland Transit Authority.

At 9:30 we hit Night Before Xmas show. Going to a show was a mistake. Erin fell asleep immediately, and Rebecca almost did. The show was not bad, but not impressive when you have already been to Jolly Holiday. With Erin asleep, we were afraid we would have to head home. Luckily, as we were heading towards Main Street (carrying Erin), the 10PM fireworks woke her up. Headed to BTMR (15 min. wait). Erin went this time. Then Erin insisted on doing Small World (10 min. wait). By now I am to the point where I can't stand this ride. It is cute the first time, then increasingly annoying each additional time ridden. The ride lines were really getting long, so we headed for Main Street (around 11 now). We debated on whether to leave, but Erin had her 2nd wind and insisted on waiting for the 11:30 parade. (Rebecca wanted to leave). Got a good spot near exit. Parade was worth the wait. It was excellent (had most of the characters in Xmas settings). Rebecca slept through it. I taped the 1st part, then the battery ran out. Left after the parade, home at 12:45. Took the phone off the hook, because I was afraid my stepmother (who arrived Friday night with nephew James) would call in the morning and wake us up. This was smart, because she did call, and left a message. This was a long day, but overall the best day of the trip.

Saturday December 7

Lousy weather today. Frequent heavy showers all day. We slept in due to late Friday night. I got up at 8:15. Headed immediately to get the rental car at the Dolphin (easy walk). Dolphin had a beautiful red Xmas tree in the lobby. We took it easy in the morning. Bakery breakfast again. I dropped everyone off at MGM at 11, then headed to Vero Beach (2 hour drive) to visit my grandmother. Although she has no idea who I am, she knows I am some sort of relative, and I think my trip was worthwhile. Meanwhile, Mom, Nana and the kids did the following at MGM in between avoiding the rain: Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppet 3-D movie, Beauty and the Beast, Great Movie Ride.

Muppet 3-D is a family favorite. I'm sorry I missed it. I'm also sorry I missed Tower of Terror. Kay and I would have done it had I been around (I don't think we could have convinced Rebecca to do it). I did it last year, and thought it was great, both the atmosphere leading up to the drop, and the drop itself. Like the Hunchback show, the Beauty & the Beast show had a good preshow. This time they did the gangster side of TGMR (Rebecca ducked again). They met up with my stepmother at 12, but their schedules did not work out, so they went their separate ways. (We never did hook up with them). They had lunch at Pizza Planet. It was a zoo, probably because it was raining. I met them at 4:40 (10 minutes late) at the HISTK playground. I took the kids into it, but it started raining again, so they closed it after 10 minutes. So, we got ice cream and hung out until six, when they turned on the Residential Street Osborne family lights. These are the Christmas lights that a family in Arkansas was ordered by the courts to take down, so they put them up at Disney. This was spectacular. Some might say tacky, but we love this kind of stuff. Left the park at 7. Unfortunately, in my haste to meet my family, I forgot to note where I had parked the car. So, we spent around 10 minutes looking for the car. I'm just glad I did this at MGM, not MK. We'd probably still be looking.

Drove to Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Whispering Canyon. This is a really neat hotel. We may stay there next trip. They told us it would be 40 minutes to be seated (the infamous Disney "reservation"system at its finest. Last year we waited over an hour for our reservation at Tony's-we finally gave up and bagged it), so we had a chance to check out the hotel (they gave us a pager). Lots of stuff going on. Neat pool area. It actually only took around 20 minutes to be seated, so that worked out OK (we didn't even have time to find the hidden Mickey's). Dinner was fun. Our waiter (Chuck Wagon) was kind of mellow, which is actually good for us considering the kids wimpyness. Erin fell asleep before the food arrived. The food was pretty good. Unfortunately, it was not smart planning to go here the day after O'Hana, because the food was similar. They did, however, have a vegetable stir fry as a non-meat alternative, which was what I had. It was very good. I told the waiter that we were celebrating Rebecca's birthday (actually on Thursday), so he had her stand on her chair and had the whole restaurant sing happy birthday. The best waiter there was named Nitro Phil. He kept teasing Rebecca. Of course, she was being shy about it. She also wimped out when it was time to do the horse race. Got back to hotel around 10. Went straight to bed.

Sunday December 8

Beautiful blue sky, but chilly and windy. High 60 degrees. Bakery breakfast. Hit Epcot a little after 9. Walked through the World to Wonders of Life. Saw "Anacomical" show. It was cute and pretty funny. Wonders of Life is really neat, with lots of special areas and shows. If you want to hang out and kill some time in Epcot, in my opinion this place beats the upstairs area of Journey into Imagination, and it definitely beats Innoventions, which we think is totally out of control (we didn't even go there this trip). Next we hit the Cranium Command movie, which everyone enjoyed. Next, the kids and I did the pedal cycle where you travel through Disneyland. Eventually headed to Earth ride (10 min wait). Nana did not do this because she gets claustrophobic. It's a good thing she didn't ride, because the ride kept getting stuck. This ride is OK. Rebecca liked it when we reached the top and road backwards back down.

Left Epcot to check out Village Market Place. Messed up and went to buses, instead of taking monorail to Transportation Center. Since you can't take a bus directly to VMP from Epcot, we had to take a bus to Old Key West, then a bus from there to VMP. It was 1:00 by the time we got there (travel took about an hour). VMP was a zoo. Ate at Goofy's Grill. Long line, very crowded. Had to eat outside, where it was ridiculously windy. Mom and Nana shopped at the new mega store, while I took kids to train and playground. Kay said shopping was frustrating, because it was so crowded, and the place was so big you could not find anything, and there were not enough salespeople to help. Watched ice skaters (small public outdoor skating rink) for awhile, then headed back to hotel around 4:00. Our VMP experience was not too great. This was disappointing, because we really enjoyed hanging out there last year. We found it relaxing, and a great place to unwind, especially at the end of a day. I guess the main difference is that last year we were there mostly at night (maybe it is less crowded then?), or maybe it is more crowded now that they have the new mega store. Also, last year it was an easy, short boat ride there from our treehouse villa at what is now called the Disney Institute.

Changed into warm clothes for trip back to Epcot. Dinner at Coral Reef around 5:30. Food was pretty good. It was not quite as expensive as I though it was going to be (maybe $5 per entree too high). I had tuna with roasted veggies. Mom and Nana had Filet Mignon (seafood lovers they are not). The kids liked the fish tank (we were in the middle of the 3 rows-pretty good view). At around 7 we headed leisurely towards World Showcase. The Symphony of Lights at the WS entrance is beautiful. Same with the fountain near Innoventions. Took boat to American Adventure. Got there around 7:45. Too late to get a seat for Candlelight Processional. Just as well, because it was too formal for the kids. They did "Kids Zone" candy canes while I watched the singers from a distance. I talked to the CM at kids zone. She was on a one semester college work study program. When it ends she is going to stay and work full time and bag college. The schools probably lose a lot of students this way. It seems like a great place to work at that stage of your life. Grabbed a bench near Morocco at 8:10 for Illuminations. I took kids to England hedge maze, which they enjoyed. Home after Illuminations, which the kids liked. In bed at 10.

Monday December 9

Last full day. Bummer. Weather similar to Sunday. Spent the whole day at MK. Started with breakfast at Park Faire character breakfast (Grand Floridian). The food was very good, for a buffet. The only character there that we had not seen before was Mary Poppins. Although it did give us a chance to check out the Grand Floridian (it was nice, but not as spectacular as I thought it would be), in retrospect I'm not sure it was worth it to take the time to do this. We probably should have done the King Stephon breakfast at the Magic Kingdom (better characters-Cinderella, etc., and quicker since in the park).

Got to MK at 11. Finally made it to the Welcome Center to get our "Guest of Honor" badges. (Kay lost hers later when it apparently fell off her shirt). Saw a film showing upcoming new stuff, including Disney cruise line and Animal Kingdom. Both look like things we will eventually check out. Next took horse drawn carriage up Main Street. Got in carriage just in time to see characters sing "Making Memories" at top of train station. Headed for Adventureland. Did the treehouse. Kids liked it. Next Pirates of the Caribbean. 20 min wait. (This day had the longest waits-I think because it was an early opening day, and maybe also because this week is more crowded in general because it is closer to Christmas). Skipped jungle Cruise, due to 35 min wait. Next BTMR (20 min wait). Rebecca and I got the front car. I taped it, in hopes of it seeming like an actual ride when viewing. (It came out okay-did not hold the camera straight enough at times). Next Country Bear Xmas show. This was a nice change from the regular show. Next haunted house (20 min wait). Kids enjoyed this. I remember when Rebecca first did this. She was around Erin's current age. She was really scared. Erin does not get scared so easily. She likes witches and ghosts. We timed the haunted house just right so we got out just before 3 (parade time). So, we took off for Splash Mountain. Wait was 15 min (down from 50 when we passed by at 1:30). Erin and I were in the very front row. We got very wet. Decided to go ahead and do the Jungle Cruise, despite the 25 min posted wait time, since it was the only major thing we had not done yet. Due to some sort of technical difficulties with the boats, the wait turned out to be more like 40 minutes. This was by far our longest wait of the trip-guess we can't complain. The ride was OK. This ride is totally dependent on the personality and wit of the guide. Ours was not the best we have had, nor the worst. Rebecca wimped out again-would not help steer the boat. It was now around 4:30, and it was getting cold, and we were getting hungry. I went to Aloha Isle to get a "famous" pineapple whip (had read about it in several trip reports). I was expecting it to be some sort of frozen drink. I was disappointed to find that it is just soft serve ice cream. The kids did not like it. Kay thought they had nachos at Pecos Bill's. We walked all the way over there to discover that Kay was mistaken. So. we headed to Frontierland, where I thought there was a churro stand. I was right, but they were out of them. This was clearly the low point of the day, but things finally started to get better. We got some popcorn, then hit Fantasyland for a final smorgasbord of rides. Did Small World (10 min wait), Peter Pan (10 min), Mr. Toad (10 min). Then Mom and Rebecca left to do Space Mountain (It was 6:15-parade time). Only a 15 min wait. I did more rides with Erin. (Mr. Toad again, Snow White, Carousel-each around 10 min wait). Finally, Dumbo. Mom and Rebecca got back just before we got on (10 min wait), so Rebecca sneaked on with us. I thought this would be the last ride, but it turns out we had time for one more, so I and the kids did the Teacups (no wait). Left park during fireworks. Took monorail to Chef Mickey's at Contemporary. Overall, this was a good place to eat. Good variety on the buffet (food was fair) Mickey was very entertaining (only character we had not seen). Trip back was long-had to go via VMP (you can't go from one hotel to another on a bus). We were all very tired when we finally got home at 10:15.

Tuesday December 10

Up 7:30. Finished packing. Had bellhop bring bags down to store them while we went to Epcot. Left for Epcot 9:30. Walked all the way since boat not around. Took 25 minutes to get to Living Seas. Kids liked the fish. Walked other way around world. Could not enter World until 11, so had to hurry to get back by 11:30 to get bags for 11:45 Mears shuttle. Just barely had time to get the rest of the country stamps for the passport book. In fact, I had to run ahead, and I still did not get back until 11:40.

It was sad to leave, but we had pretty much had enough. Uneventful trip back. I sat next to Erin on plane. She was very good. Surprisingly, Rebecca slept almost the whole flight.

Some general comments

The best advice I read from the many trip reports I pulled off the Internet was how to avoid the crowds. It not only is not necessary to do the special early entries for on site guests, it is not a good idea. You can accomplish the same thing by arriving around 20 minutes before the scheduled opening time at one of the two parks that does not open early (gates always open at least 20 minutes early). You still walk right on rides for the first 30 minutes or so. But, you don't have to get up so early, and the early opening park is always the most crowded, so you have to contend with longer lines the rest of the day. Also, hit the popular rides and attractions during the first and last hour that the park is open, and during and just after parades.

For kids under 4, Magic Kingdom is the place to be. The other 2 parks just don't have much for them. As far as the kids' rides in MK go, you can't miss with any age on Dumbo, Small World, Peter Pan and the carousel. For a kid who scares easily, Mr. Toad could be a problem, and Snow White definitely will be a problem. Any adventurous child over 2 and 1/2 can handle the tea cups and Goofy's Barnstormer. As best as I can tell, Erin's favorite kiddie rides were:

1. Snow White
2. Small World
3. Dumbo
4. Peter Pan
5. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

I read in several trip reports to just ask to ride in the front of the monorail, and they will let you. Well, I guess the secret is out, because every time we asked, it was full, with people waiting ahead of us. And this was the least crowded time of the year.

It really added a lot to go during Christmas season. Everything is decorated, and there are a lot of special events and shows. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas is fantastic-well worth the extra cost. Same with Jolly Holiday show. Also, the Osborne lights are spectacular. These are things you would not see or do except during Christmas season. Going during Christmas is a great idea for someone who has been several times before and is looking for some different things to do. I'm not sure I would recommend it for the first trip, though, because then everything is new anyway.

The Boardwalk resort is by far the best resort at which we have stayed (also stayed at Old Key West and Disney Institute treehouse villas). The main reason is the easy access to the parks and to the stores, restaurants, etc. I had read a lot of negative things in several trip reports about the Boardwalk resort. Either the problems were fixed or these people had unreasonably high expectations. The rooms were nice, the service, including guest relations, was great, and the boardwalk itself was great. We would definitely stay there again.

FAVORITE ATTRACTIONS

Magic Kingdom

1. Splash Mountain
2. Space Mountain
3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
4. Christmas parade
5. Snow White ride

Epcot

1. Honey I Shrunk the Audience
2. Kids Zones
3. Journey Into Imagination
4. Food Rocks
5. Maelstrom

MGM Studios

1. Tower of Terror
2. Hunchback Show
3. Muppet 3-D
4. Toy Story parade
5. Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground

Things we regretted not doing:

• Breakfast at King Stephon's Castle
• Tiki birds room
• Tower of Terror
• Alien Encounter (well, maybe just I regretted not doing this)

__________________
You just read a trip report that was originally published in our MousePlanet Trip Reports column.

Reader-submitted trip reports have always been an extremely popular feature here at MousePlanet. In order to improve the search functionality and shorten the time from when you submit a trip report and the report gets published, you can now post your trip reports directly to our Trip Report forums. The forums are moderated, but reports should become available for reading very quickly.