There is something really special about having a Disney family. They come from all over the U.S. and Canada. Some of them come from far off lands like Japan and Great Britain. For some reason, a large number of them come from a peculiar place known as Texas, known for its father and son presidents, cowboys, and groping. But no matter where your Disney family comes from, you can guarantee that you are in for fun, and laughter, and craziness.
This December trip to Disney World was going to extra special because we would be celebrating the 15th Anniversary of All Ears, an amazing encyclopedia of everything Disney World that has been used by countless travelers to help plan their trips to Walt Disney World. Deb Wills, the amazing woman who founded All Ears, and her team, who work so hard to keep All Ears up to date, had lots of special events planned for the weekend of December 8th through 11th, and I couldn’t wait to participate! They named the series of events A December to Remember, and I adopted it as part of my countdown clock for my trip (Dreaming of a December to Remember), and now my trip report title.
I was also taking a four night cruise on Disney’s newest ship, the Disney Dream, in the middle of my trip. I was very excited to see the new ship, and really looking forward to relaxing on the ship.
As if that wasn’t enough fun for a week, I would also be attending DISapalooza after my cruise! I would be joining a group of DISers who would be venturing away from Walt Disney World to head over to Universal Studios for a private party at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
So, it was easy to get up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for my flight because I had so much to look forward to on my trip this year! My driver arrived a bit before my scheduled pick up time, and I was soon on my way to Logan Airport!
I grabbed a quick breakfast at Johnny Rockets in the airport. I grabbed a seat next to two guys who were travelling to Fort Lauderdale on business. One of the guys kept asking the waitress for increasing amounts of money every time she asked him if he wanted anything else. When my check came, I jokingly asked him to pay my bill since he obviously has so much money because he asks people for money so much. Sadly, he wouldn’t pay for my breakfast.
I went to find a seat near the gate to wait for my plane to board, and a grumpy old couple sat down near me. They were arguing about when they would get to board the plane, and where they would sit once they boarded the plane. I said a silent prayer that they would not be seated near me. Thankfully, that prayer was answered.
Soon, I was on the plane, and waiting for it to back away from the gate. I was seated next to an annoying man who kicked off his shoes, wore a heavy jacket with a fur hood, and encroached upon my space and the space of the woman sitting next to the window. I soon found out that the rules don’t apply to him either. He sat there with his iPhone out reading something after they announced all electronic devices should be turned off. He even kept it on after the flight attendant specifically asked him to turn it off. In fact, he kept it on and read until we were about a half hour into the flight. The woman sitting across the aisle from me and I just shook our heads at each other after witnessing this behavior. Some people just don’t do what they are supposed to do.
I also was sitting in front of the Loud Family on the plane. I love the televisions on JetBlue. They really help pass the time on a flight. But lately, it seems like I’m always stuck sitting in front of a family that decides to have a conversation while wearing their headphones, causing them to shout loud enough for the people on the ground below to hear rather than speak in an indoor voice.
But even the Loud Family, and Annoying Guy couldn’t keep me from being excited about this flight to my favorite vacation spot. Luckily, my flight was on the ground about a half hour ahead of schedule, so I would be on Disney property a bit earlier than planned! I made a quick pit stop, and made my way to Magical Express. The Pop Warner kids were already starting to arrive, so there were long lines to board the buses at Magical Express. I made my way into the long line for the Boardwalk, and was seated on a bus within about 10 minutes. I was soon on my way to the Boardwalk!
My driver was Joe Gatlin if everything was all right on the ride, but if anything went wrong he was Joe Schartzz (with two z’s) if something went wrong. Joe was one of those drivers who shouldn’t be given access to an open microphone. He was funny at first, but then it got to be a bit grating. He was joking that if something happened to the bus like in the movie “Speed” a woman sitting up front would throw him down the stairs. About midway through the ride, I was ready to throw him down the stairs so I wouldn’t have to listen to him anymore.
After a quick stop at the Port Orleans Riverside, we were soon on the way to the Boardwalk! I went to the desk to check in, and was shocked to hear that my room was ready! I’ve never had my room ready at 11:30 in the morning! I was in room 3071, a standard studio that overlooked the main entrance to the resort and the resort airline check-in desk. I wasn’t overly thrilled with the location. The noise from the main entrance wasn’t too bad, but on occasion, you could hear cars beeping, and every morning at 5:00 a.m., I was woken up by the resort airline check-in employees chatting loudly.
The room itself was just a few doors down from the elevator, and connected to another room. The room was clean and fresh. The bed was very comfortable, and everything was in working order. The mousekeeper made a Mickey head out of towels.
After dropping my bags and Owner’s Locker in my room, I headed out to start having fun. As I walked by the gift shop in the Boardwalk lobby, I noticed that resort specific merchandise was back! I was very excited to see the shirts, jackets, cups, key chains, and other merchandise for the Boardwalk! I also looked at the new DVC merchandise! I wanted it all, but I made a promise to myself not to buy anything at Walt Disney World until after my cruise, so I walked out of the gift shop empty handed that day. Thankfully, I resisted the urge to buy it all my entire trip, and only bought a polo shirt and a luggage tag at the Boardwalk.
I made my way to Epcot, where I would be meeting my friends (aka my stalkers) Cheryl and Keith for lunch at Le Cellier. I met Cheryl and Keith at an Owner’s Locker Wine Night a few years back, and almost every trip I have taken since that time, Cheryl and Keith have also been there. So, clearly they are stalking me--I think they have an in at DVC who tips them off when I’m going to be there so they can plan their trip accordingly. I was a bit early for our reservation, so I watched Papa Noel, the Canadian Holiday Storyteller, talk about some of the Christmas traditions in Canada.
I then made my way to the restaurant. My stalkers weren’t there yet, so I walked back up the pathway to meet them. Within a few minutes, my stalkers had arrived to commence their stalking. We checked in at the podium outside the restaurant, and made our way to the lobby to wait for our table. It had been about a year since I had seen Cheryl and Keith, since I had expertly avoided their stalking ways on my September trip to Disney World, so it was nice to catch up with them.
We were soon seated at a table. We all started our meals with a delicious cup of cheddar cheese soup. It was nice and peppery, so it had a bit of a kick to it. It was really delicious. Of course, we all ate tasty pretzel bread with our soup. I was sad to see that the now had sour dough and multi-grain rolls instead of breadsticks.
Cheddar Cheese Soup. Yum!
I ordered an angus cheeseburger for my entrée, and in true stalker form, Cheryl and Keith ordered a cheeseburger to share. The cheeseburger had cheddar cheese, thick slices of delicious bacon, and maple barbecue sauce. It was big, and juicy, and you could tell that they used fresh ground beef. Oh no, this wasn’t anything like the horsemeat burgers that they serve at the counter service restaurants. This was a deliciously messy five napkin kind of burger. We were all too full from our delicious burgers to order dessert.
After lunch, I said goodbye to Cheryl and Keith, intending to walk around the world showcase for a bit. But I changed my plans on the fly and decided to make my way to the Magic Kingdom. They would be filming the Christmas Parade at the Magic Kingdom on Friday and Saturday, so I thought it would make sense to spend a few hours over there this afternoon rather than with the crowds on Friday and Saturday.
So, I started to walk towards the front of the park to catch the monorail, and I ran into my stalkers, who were heading out of the park. We wound up taking a ride on Spaceship Earth on the way out. I chose different options for the moving at the end, and saw some scenes that I had never seen before.
After taking pictures of the topiaries at the Epcot entrance, I said goodbye to Cheryl and Keith, and hopped on the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center. On the ride, I met a really nice family from Atlanta, Mark and Missy, and their daughter Emily. Mark and Missy were celebrating their anniversary with a stay at the Boardwalk. We chatted on the two monorail rides between Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, and I recommended that they go to Jellyrolls while they were at the Boardwalk. It’s always nice to chat with nice people during a trip to Disney World!
Once through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, I met up with my good friends John (aka Towncrier) and Sue. It is always great to see John and Sue, who had been such gracious hosts when I went to Cleveland for their Memorial Day Picnic in May. John and Sue had been collecting fast passes for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and they had six in hand when I met them. They invited me to join them on the ride, so off we went to Tomorrowland!
Sue and I rode together the first time. Sue told me that she was horrible at Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and I insisted that I was worse. Well, it turns out that Sue was my good luck charm because I got one of my best scores ever on the ride! Thanks, Sue!
After our first ride, we had some time before the next set of fast passes would be usable, so we took a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I have always enjoyed riding on the TTA. It is a great way to have a few minutes to relax and chat with the folks you are touring the parks with.
We then headed back to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. This time Sue rode with John. Since my lucky charm was in another car, I was back to my normal bad shooting self, and didn’t even break 100,000, but that’s OK because I definitely had fun on the ride.
We then decided to head over to Epcot to catch the Candlelight Processional. Michael W. Smith, an amazing Christian singer, was narrating this evening, and I was looking forward to seeing him. We entered the long standby line, and Sue thought there was no way we would make it into the show, but thankfully, we did make it!
Michael W. Smith
We were seated about fives back in the back half of the theatre on the far right side of the stage. Several announcements were made asking people to slide down their rows so more people could fit in the theatre. The people in back of us wouldn’t move down, even after a cast member asked them directly. A lady stood up and announced that they wouldn’t be moving down because there was bird poop on the seat (though she used a different word that poop to describe it--Mickey would have blushed if he was there). The cast member said he would get a rag. He also handed her some programs and told her to sit on it, which had John, Sue, and I giggling.
When the show began, I was as mesmerized by it as I always am. Listening to the choir of over 300 sing some of my favorite religious Christmas songs always gives me goose bumps. It’s definitely a must do during my December trips to Walt Disney World! Plus, I say it counts as my weekly trip to church, so I don’t feel bad about not going to church on my Disney trips.
Michael W. Smith was an excellent narrator. He spoke each word like he meant it, and even sang along with the choir. At the end of the show as he was leaving the stage, he shook hands with each of the Voices of Liberty, many of the choir members, and even the woman who was signing the show. He just seemed like a really nice guy. As we were leaving the show, they whisked him right by us on his way backstage.
After the Candlelight Processional, I said goodbye to John and Sue. They were planning to head back to the Magic Kingdom to see Wishes, but I wanted to stay in Epcot so I could see Illuminations with the special holiday ending. I made my way to the Maelstrom, and then made my way towards the Gran Fiesta Tour. I ran into Donald Duck along the way, so I stopped to take a picture with him before going on the Gran Fiesta Tour.
I then headed to Future World and jumped in the single riders line at Test Track. I wound up in line, and subsequently riding with the most judgmental and racist teenage girl I have ever encountered in my life. In the 10 minutes I stood next to her in line, she implied the cast member standing at the entrance to the single riders line was an idiot for saying that parties would be split up, made negative remarks that I would never repeat about several races and nationalities, and made fun of the nice foreign family who were in the car with us for not speaking English. Nothing says Holiday Spirit or Disney Spirit like a racist teenager.
I then made my way over to Mission: Space. I rode with a really nice mother and daughter. The mom was a bit apprehensive about riding, but I assured her that she would be fine. She wound up loving the ride.
I then made my way over to Soarin’. I was surprised to see that there were still fast passes available at after 6:00, so I grabbed one to use later.
Hunger struck, so I made my way over to Nine Dragons, one of my favorite restaurants at Epcot. I ordered my favorite dish—the General Tso’s chicken. They have the best General Tso’s chicken at Nine Dragons. They use all white meat, and it’s in a delicious peppery General Tso’s sauce.
After dinner, I took another ride on Test Track, and started to walk towards Soarin’ to use my fast pass. Along the way, I noticed that there was only a short line for the Epcot Character Spot, so I decided to go spend some time with the characters. Mickey, Minne, Pluto, Donald, and Goofy were all there for me to have a picture with them.
I then went to take a quick ride on Soarin’ before finding a spot for Illuminations. I was pretty tired by this point, so I looked for a spot where I could lean against a rail. I wound up leaning against the mask sculpture in Canada. While my view of the globe was obstructed, I had a clear view of the fireworks. I really love the Holiday ending of Illuminations. Listening to the holiday greetings and watching the fireworks shoot of as “Let There Peace On Earth” plays is always one of my favorite parts of my December trips to Disney World.
I then swam upstream towards the International Gateway, and the warm bed waiting for me at the Boardwalk walk. I was exhausted from the early morning, but elated by the wonderful start to my trip.
Fabulous first day - makes me feel like and wish I was there all at the same time!
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