The Magical Birthday Adventures of Princess Katie ***Completed*** About This Page:

[Ears42]

Day 2: December 8, 2002: Moving to the Lodge, Epcot and The Candlelight Processional

The one thing my child did not inherit from me was the ability to sleep past 6:30 am on any given day. She has not learned that weekends are for sleeping in and we don’t have to get up early when we are on vacation (most of the time). I have a difficult time adjusting to hotel beds so I was awake at 5:30 even though I had a very long day the day before but I tried to shower quietly. Katie was “up and at them” around 6:30 am. Since we were both awake well before our scheduled Mickey Wake Up call and several hours before our PS at The Princess Storybook Breakfast in Epcot, I decided to run down to Gasparilla’s and grab an early breakfast. We made it back to our room before our Mickey call. I let Katie pick up the phone then quickly put The Mouse on speaker so we could both hear his call. Since it was now only 8:00 am I decided to take the monorail to MK, catch the boat to WL, and check in before heading to Epcot. No problems checking out of the GF. We called for bell services, they were there within minutes and our bags were on their way. One last walk through the lobby, ahhhhh, and off to the monorail station.

We made it to the WL by 8:30 and the check in nightmare began. We have stayed at the WL on our last two trips to Disney (as paying cash guests) and always found it to be wonderful. We really wanted our home DVC resort to be VWL but waited too long and ended up at the Beach Club. This was our first trip to VWL as DVC members. I was not impressed! I went to check in, went to the CM, whose name I unfortunately cannot remember, and said very politely that I wanted to check in. She immediately took an attitude with me. “You do realize that check in at the Vilas’s is not until 4:00 pm.” I politely explained that we were on our way to Epcot, our bags were coming later today from GF and I merely wanted to check in now because we weren’t coming back until after The Candlelight Processional. Again with the attitude, “Well then I suppose you don’t want your paperwork now.” I politely declined, was given a key and went to catch the bus. I have been a customer service manager for years. I have studied the Disney Model both as an undergraduate and a graduate student and all I have to say is how did this woman get past the first day? How rude. I try to shake it off and head for the bus stop.

After a quick wait for the bus we are off, in plenty of time to make our 10:00 am PS at the Princess Storybook Breakfast. Plenty of time that is until we get in line to activate our annual passes at the Epcot gates. You know the family that can’t make a decision to save their lives; I’m the person standing in line behind them! Two parents, two teenagers(older teenagers I might add) all go to the window together, make the CM go over all the pass choices with them, then they have a dicussion about it, I wanted to scream “Get a Passporter and plan ahead” but instead I practice my Lamaze breathing, in through the nose, out through the month (didn’t help much in labor but have found it to be a good life tool). [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Finally, they make their decision and it’s my turn. I’m so excited to be an annual pass holder, I feel so important.

We get our passes and off to the security lines. I make it through the line with my backpack packed for a day at the park with a four year old (I’m sure other moms can relate) and my fanny pack, but now I have to power walk to get to Norway on time. I have a big thing about time and schedules. We get to Norway people from the first seating are leaving and we have a few minutes to wait. We run into the shop in Norway and buy Katie a passport then our little buzzer thing goes off. One thing I did discover on this trip is that if you are a party of two in a restaurant, you probably have the worst seat in the house. We sat in corners, in front of doors, behind plants, and near the kitchen. Another lesson learned was even though I mentioned to CR for every PS I made that it was Katie’s birthday, if I did not mention it when I checked in at the podium it was not noted.

When we got to the table there was pastry and fruit on the table. The CM was at our table quickly to take our drink orders and told us the hot food would be out soon. This is a rather large restaurant, I had never eaten there before, and every table was full. We quickly saw Princesses visiting tables, Belle, Snow White, Jasmine, Mulan, and Mary Poppins . It was fun to see Jasmine and Mulan although I will say that the CMs need some practice on these two characters. The CM who was Belle at this particular seating was marvelous. She engaged Katie in conversation. Katie told her that she was her favorite princess because she likes books, just like Katie. Belle then asked Katie what her favorite book was, Katie said Alice in Wonderland and then they discussed the plot of the story. She was wonderful. Katie was thrilled.

The food here was plentiful, but not very tasty. The pastries were stale, the hot food was cold, but the character interaction was excellent. I would probably do this breakfast again but definitely not for the food.

After breakfast we headed back to Future World and Guest Services to get Katie’s birthday pin. Its cool. It has happy birthday in all the languages of the world showcase countries on it. She had a great time wearing it. Katie loves the Epcot Kid stops we headed back to World Showcase and started in Canada. We caught Papa Noel telling the story of Christmas in Canada. He was in the garden outside Le Cellier. The costuming is great on the storytellers and they are very personable. We went up the stairs in Canada and found the Kid Stop in the store that sells the Anne of Green Gables merchandise. Katie started her mask. It was very warm in the store so we didn’t stay long. Katie made her first pin trade before we left with a very nice young CM.

Next off to UK. The Kid stop here was in the back of the Toy Solider. Rachel was the CM at the table and she is form Chesterfield, England. She was great with the kids. Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger were also in the back of the store in Christmas attire posing for pictures! Rachel noticed Katie’s pin, made everyone in the store sing Happy Birthday to her, then told her she had a phone call. She took her to the front of the store, gave her the phone, where she had a birthday call from Goofy. Katie was thrilled.

We finished up our passport in UK, thanked Rachel and went outside to watch the players do a very funny rendition of A Christmas Carol. Then we walked to the little garden in the back and heard about Christmas in the UK from Father Christmas. Again, great costume and very personalable CM.

Next stop France. Pere Noel was telling stories about Christmas in France. Katie was getting a rumbly in her tummy so we went to the little bakeshop and got some chocolate mouse. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] Yummy. As we were coming out of France I noticed a small line outside the perfume store. Being the wife of a police investigator I had to check it out. YEAH! It’s Belle and THE BEAST!

I have always wanted to meet the Beast (I’m just a ten year old at heart). Belle was the same young woman from breakfast and she remembered Katie. I even had my picture take with Beast. I was so excited. This made my trip. I loved it. I must say Beast was very taken with me also. He kissed the top of my head and I wanted to take him home but Belle protested and Katie thought her daddy might get mad so we left him in France. [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] I can go home now (NOT) but I defiantly have had my moment on this trip.

Next stop Morocco. The kid stop here is just inside the shop and it was very crowded. Katie likes to sit down and color at each stop then get her passport and mask stamped. Again we encountered some really rude people. I must say that in about 15-20 years there are going to be some very rude adults out there because parents do not make their children have manners. Several families cut in front of Katie in line, finally another woman made a comment to me about how rude this one particular family was and I should have said something and I told her ( in a voice loud enough for the rude mother to hear) that I was raising my child to be polite and have manners and I would not stoop to their level. We were in no hurry and if they wanted to be rude they could but I was waiting patiently for our turn. Rude Mother grabbed her kids and left in a huff. Mission accomplished.

Off to Japan. The Japanese drummers were performing when we got to Japan, they are amazing. I love watching this show. We watched for a few minutes then off to find the Kids stop. Its now way in the back in a crowded little hallway. We encounter more rude families but it doesn’t bother Katie so I try not to let it bother me. She’s happy, she gets a purple bow for her mask. We get her passport stamped and were on the move again.

When we get to the American Pavilion what a surprise. Santa and Mrs. Clause posing for pictures. YEAH, now I don’t have to go to the mall for the Santa picture. We wait in line and both have our picture taken with Santa. This is the first of many (too many) of the professional photos I will buy over the next few days but it’s too cute. And how often does a little girl from the northeast have her picture taken with Santa in shorts! We work on her mask and check out the theater for later tonight and head off to Italy.

Oh, I’m just having the best time. Finally, after 4 previous trips I get to see the living statues. There is one performing outside Italy. Katie thinks this is hysterical and we watch for 20 minutes or so. I ask her if she wants to have her picture taken, she says yes, we try, the statue moves, Katie screams, and no picture. She thinks its funny when the statues move on someone else but not her. I feel redeemed here, as everyone is very polite taking turns for pictures. There are nice people on vacation.

The musical group Sergio is performing in the plaza. If you haven’t seen them before they are the carnival-costumed characters that wonder the crowd accompanied by beautiful classical music. Katie loves them. So we have to have lots of pictures taken. We watch their performance then head towards Germany.

Next Installment: How will I explain this purchase to your dad?

[Ears42]

This will be my last post until next weekend. I work full time and spend most of my day at a computer so the last thing I want to do when I get home is get on the computer.

I'm having a great time writing this report. I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Elliott's dragon I would have gotten on the bed and bounced if I wasn't worried about tearing open my incesion from my surgery. Believe me I was tempted.

Hope everyone has a good week and I'll add more next weekend if we don't go to King of Prusssia to see Lion King.

Janet

[Elliot'sDragon]

What a great cliff-hanger title?
Should we start guessing?
Was it for you or Katie?

[nanajoyx2]

Janet

Sorry your check in at VWL was not a pleasant experience. I think I know which CM you are talking about. We checked in on Dec. 6 and she was behind the desk that day. We had experienced her unfriendly, impolite nature last March when we were checking in. She supposedly was a new employee then, but she was very gruff and not a bit helpful. Thank goodness that we were repeat visitors to the Lodge because she would not make a good impression on someone new. When we checked in on Dec. 6 I said to my DH that I hoped we didn't get stuck with her. But luckily we didn't, we had Eric, and he was great. I don't know her name, but we are returning in March, and I will be on the lookout for her. Hope your stay at the Villas was great despite the rude CM at check-in.

[Ears42]

Day Two Continued: Germany, The Rose and Crown and the Candlelight Processional.

Ok, so where were we. . . .

After enjoying out time in Italy, “are they ever going to finish the rehab here?” we stroll to Germany. Katie wanted to stop and watch the miniature railroad, but the older men admiring the trains wouldn’t make room for her, so we wondered into the toy store. BIG MISTAKE. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Mr. Engle the doll maker was in the store this day making dolls to order. Katie loves dolls and these are really beautiful, quality dolls but very, very pricey. But, it was her birthday and she did have her own money to spend, so after a very serious discussion with her about it being a “look at” not a “play with” doll, and explaining to her that she would be spending all of her money and wouldn’t be able to buy anything else all week, we made a doll. Mr. Engle was very nice, he took Katie by the hand, helped her pick out the face, the hair, the dress. He signed the doll's body and wrote “Happy Birthday Katie” on it. It is a beautiful doll and it looks like Katie. During the process we attracted quite a crowd and when the doll was finished and presented to Katie they clapped, and Katie bowed. I did get 15% off because I had the Candlelight Processional discount, but I still spent over $100 on a doll. They wanted to ship it home for us but Katie wouldn’t hear of that so we arranged to pick it up at the end of the day as we left the park, Katie went back and thanked Mr. Engle and hugged him, and I started worrying about how I was going to explain to my DH how and why I spent $100 on a doll two weeks before Christmas. As a side note, Katie loves this doll and has been very good with it. It’s on a shelf in her room and we take it down each night so that she can play with it for 10 minutes. It doesn’t have a name yet, it has actually had several names but none have stuck.

It was now about 3:45 and people were already lining up for the Candlelight processional at 5:00 p.m. We had PS for 4:30 at the Rose and Crown so we decided to head back towards the UK. We got to the restaurant around 4:15 and had a few minutes wait before our PS. Katie was getting cranky and I could tell dinner was not going to be enjoyable. Again, as a party of two we got an awful table, on a corner right in front of the door, that let a very cool breeze in every time someone opened the door. We sat down and Katie wanted to sit in my lap. We ordered and before my salad arrived she was sound asleep. The Candlelight Processional package included soup or salad, entree, and dessert. I had a green salad, the rosemary chicken with mashers, very tasty and the English Trifle for dessert. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] It was all very good but I can’t honestly say I enjoyed it because I was holding a sleeping four year old during the entire meal. She of course woke up as I finished my dessert.

We headed back towards the USA pavilion and I was surprised that we ended up in line somewhere in Japan for the Candlelight Processional. I’m not sure that anyone who didn’t book the dinner package got seats. Everyone around us had dinner package tickets.

If you have never seen the Candlelight Processional and you are in Disney while it is being performed, you have to see this performance.

I do not have the words to describe the beauty and majesty of the Candlelight Processional. It is so moving, I get chills just thinking about it. The young voices, the orchestra, its amazing. James Avery (the dad/uncle from the 90’s TV series Fresh Prince), a much thinner James Avery, I might add, was our orator. He had a marvelous voice for reading the Christmas Story and you could tell he was truly enjoying himself. He was singing with the choirs. This was the one thing I really wanted to do, to make it really feel like Christmas, and I wasn’t sure that Katie would enjoy or sit still for the whole performance, but she was enthralled. This is just so beautiful. I will definitely plan another trip around this event.

By this time we had been going for hours and we were beat. We headed to the front of the park, with plans to come back to Epcot another day and finish Katie’s passport and do some of Future world, to catch the bus back to VWL. We unfortunately did not get back to Epcot because of the weather, more on this later. We stopped to pick up our Santa pictures, they were just too cute, and I had to buy them, and headed to the bus stop.

We made it back to the lodge without Katie falling asleep on the bus, thank goodness because I would have not been able to get Katie, the new doll, the stroller, the backpack, etc, etc, etc off of the bus if she were asleep. We went to the desk, got our room, had the luggage brought up and fell into an exhausted sleep.

Next Installment: Katie’s 4th Birthday, Chef Mickey’s and Rain or “When is the Ark going to float by us?”

[Ears42]

Day Three: December 9, 2002. “Rain Rain Go Away”

With no plans for breakfast on Monday morning, because of our late night at the Candlelight Processional the night before, we had late morning on Monday. As we were staying in a studio at the VWL we were able to eat breakfast in our jammies and make it an easy morning. It was actually a good thing that we had no plans for the morning as we woke up to a torrential rainstorm. We were on the second floor and the rain was actually sideways. We had a lovely view, of the service entrance and the trash dumpster, but the trees outside our balcony were bending in the wind.
We checked out the weather channel and the forecast was for rain all day. I tried to convince Katie to just hang out in the room all day but the whining began around 11am. [img]graemlins/pout.gif[/img] Now those of you with toddlers know how they can whine non-stop for hours, so we decided to heat towards MK for a few hours. I explained that if it continued to rain too hard we would not stay long. We hit MK around 11:45 and it was horrible. I have never seen rain like this and I live at the beach and have been through hurricanes. This was definitely not a day to be out. We decided to have some lunch at The Plaza and try to ride out the rain. I love the Plaza. We split a grilled chicken sandwich and fires, but Katie didn’t eat her share so no dessert here today. We wondered up to Toon Town, did Mickey and Minnie’s Houses, we had a spin on the Tea Cups, not my favorite ride, I do not like to spin in circles but Katie loves this ride. We got fast passes for Pooh and spent some time in the Pooh Shop. It was terrible. Katie really wanted to ride Dumbo but I had to draw the line. I was not going to get my backside wet just to ride Dumbo. By this time I had of the rain so we headed back to the lodge.

After a very long, very hot shower, we watched a little Disney Channel and then started to get ready for Katie’s Birthday Party at Chef Mickey’s. We had planned to take the boat from WL to the Contemporary but I get sea sick, so there was no way I was getting on that boat! By this time the rain was coming down so hard we couldn’t even see outside our room. We took the bus to TTC and the monorail to the Contemporary.

Katie LOVES Chef Mickey’s. Its her favorite place to eat, next to the castle of course, and when I asked her where she wanted to have dinner on her Birthday, she choose Chef Mickey’s. We checked in at the podium and had our picture taken behind the big plate. This is a tradition for us. We always buy the pictures so we that we can see how much Katie has grown since our last trip. This year she was tall enough to stand behind the plate all by herself. In past years DH had to hold her. We were seated by the kitchen door, again, party of two, lousy table, but our server was fantastic. Debora was really nice, she brought Katie her special placemat, and made sure that all the characters knew it was Katie’s Birthday when they came to the table. When the “napkin song” started they brought Katie a birthday cupcake on a plate full of candy. Needless to say, Katie was done with the real food. Katie was having a great time. Everyone who walked by our table was greeted with “Thanks for coming to my Birthday Party.” [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] My child is very polite. The buffet here is really very good, we’ve never been disappointed. One change from previous years is on the dessert table they have cut the cakes in much smaller pieces, which I really enjoyed because I got to sample several different kinds including a to die for piece of chocolate cake. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] Katie got a Mickey and Minnie necklace for her birthday present and had a wonderful party. We got lots of great pictures with the characters. It was a fun evening.

We wondered around the gift shops in the Contemporary for about an hour then headed out to the monorail. When we arrived back at TTC I couldn’t believe how hard it was still raining. The rain was running down the ramps and it looked like waterfalls. The water was so deep in the parking lot that it was sloshing over the tops of my shoes. Katie was riding in an umbrella stroller and the water was so deep her feet were getting wet. I have never seen this much water.

By the time we got on the bus we were soaked, again. Back to the lodge and another round of hot showers then bed. When we got up the next morning the news said that the Orlando area had gotten 5 inches of rain the day before, and it was still raining! [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

Next Installment: More Rain and MVMCP

[disneyknut]

Originally posted by Ears42:
Tiki,

I grew up in Fayette County, right on the Mon in a small town called Fayette City. I went to Belle Vernon Area School District. My parents, brother and sister and their families are still there.

<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">Small world Janet.. My SIL grew up in your 'old' area... West Newton Her niece even went to Belle Vernon...
I really loved you taking Katie to WDW in lieu of a birthday party... This past year I asked my older son to forego a birthday party & would give him the $$$ I would have spent on a party.. surprisingly, he jumped at it & now has a Nintendo Game cube with several games instead of 10 smaller gifts he would have received from his friends.. he has no regrets either... He also was at WDW ON his birthday so that helped too..
Enjoying your TR.. love to hear more about GF as we are thinking of staying there at Christmas time.

[Brant]

I'm enjoying this report so much! So much magic, keep it up!!

[tikibird]

I am lovin your report! [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] I'm happy that you got to have your moment with the Beast, and how cool [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] about Katie's doll. Okay, it was a lot of money for a doll, but one she will cherish for the rest of her life.

Sorry to hear about the rain; I experienced some of it that week as well. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

More magic, please.... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Ears42]

Day Four: December 10, 2003 More Rain, A Jammie Day and MVMCP.

Another day to sleep in, if you call 7:30 sleeping in. Katie just doesn’t understand that concept yet. Oh well. We woke up to guess what, more rain! [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Will it every stop? We had tickets for MVMCP so we turned on the weather channel for the bad news. With rain predicted for most of the day, clearing by evening, we decided to have a “Jammie Day”. Now a Jammie Day for those unfamiliar with the custom is a day that you never get dressed, you just wear your Jammies all day. We love jammie days at our house. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] We watched some Disney Channel, ate some breakfast and I decided to do some laundry. We had gotten wet several times the day before and if I was going to dry wet clothes they should be clean, wet clothes. Don’t worry about me going to the laundry room in my jammies, my jammies are more like sweats than jammies so I put my flip-flops on and went to the laundry room. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] You'd never guess that I once worked for Vicky's. Since we were going to be out very late at MVMCP we also decided to take a nap today. Another exciting day at Disney! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Around five we decided to end jammie day and got ready for the party. We wore matching Pooh Christmas sweaters that I got at the Catalog Outlet in Rehoboth Beach two years ago at Valentine’s Day. I paid $7 for mine and $5 for Katie’s. What a bargain! We had dinner at Roaring Forks in the WL. We shared a personal pizza and a salad. Not bad for fast food. Off to catch the boat to MK.

We arrived at MK around 6:30 and the lines for security were pretty long already. They were efficient and were moving quickly. Some guests were still leaving MK and the shops on Main Street were closed until 7:00 p.m. MK was very pretty with all of the Christmas decorations all lit. We took a leisurely stroll towards the castle and had front row seats (on the ground of course) for the Christmas Show. Katie loved the singers and dancers and their lovely holiday costumes. It was kind of comical to watch the dancers sweating (you could see some of the male dancers visibly sweating) in their wool coats and sweaters when we were wearing shorts. I sort of felt a little sympathy for them. Mickey, Minnie, and pals all had parts in the show. I wouldn’t recommend being this close to the show if you wanted to take pictures or really see the whole effect but it was great for a four year old whom usually has to sit on her dad’s shoulders to see over the crowd. After the show we had to walk the long way around the castle through Fronteirland because they had the castle walk way blocked off. We headed towards, where else, Dumbo. We stopped to take pictures of Cinderella’s coach, which wasn’t very well lit. I don’t have the pictures developed yet but I’m almost sure they wouldn’t be very good. Snow White and Dopey were posing for pictures but Katie took a pass as she had already seen Snow White on this trip and really wanted to ride Dumbo. With practically no line, we got to finally ride Dumbo. It was fun, as all the Dumbo’s had Santa’s Hats on them. Quick spin around Fantasyland and we were off to get our picture taken. Again not a very long line, we had our picture taken at It’s a Small World. I was however, disappointed with the background of the picture. Just a green backdrop with some Disney Icons painted on them. Now I was really glad we had the Santa pictures taken in Epcot. The pictures did arrive about a week after we got back. And we got two copies. One for each person who had a ticket for the event. By now it was close to parade time. So we went towards Froniterland.

We found room on the rope right in front of the riverboat and as Katie would say, we “parked it.” The parade had lots of Christmas themed floats; Mickey and Minnie led the parade riding in an old fashioned open car. They were wearing their Victorian Holdiay clothing and I think Goofy was driving. Katie started at this time to claim to need to go to the potty. I kept trying to distract her because I knew if we moved we would never get our spots back. I was successful and we got to watch the whole parade. My favorite floats were the Chip and Dale bakery float that smelled like Christmas cookies baking and the marching toy soldiers. Overall I was rather disappointed with the parade. It’s not as interactive as other MK parades. They didn’t pull anyone out of the crowd to participate and some of the floats looked like they had been recycled from other Disney Parades. In fact I remember the princess float from the Magical Moments parade in 1999.

After the parade we ran down to the restrooms near the baby comfort station near Crystal Palace. We made our way down Main Street, as the parade was finishing up, by going through the stores starting at Casey’s and sneaking through the sportswear store in the back, and were able to enjoy the snow (soap bubbles) on Main Street. We had decided to head out after the parade. It was 9 o’clock and Katie was tired and starting to get cranky and whiny. I would have loved to stay and see some more of the shows but its no fun with a whiny child. We headed towards the boat dock.

We got to the boat back to WL only to find that we had to stay docked until after the fireworks. I had thought we would get to see the fireworks from the boat but I had hoped while it was sailing towards the WL. However, we got to witness that greatest fireworks I’ve ever seen. They were not your normal MK fireworks. The Grand Finale was 360-degree fireworks, with rockets going off all over the lagoon at the same time. It was amazing!

After the fireworks, the boats were allowed back on the lagoon so in no time we were back at the WL. We stopped at Roaring Forks for a cookie, as the line was way too long in MK for the cookies and hot chocolate, and headed off to our room for some much needed sleep.

I would probably do the MVMCP again but not until Katie is old enough to ride some of the bigger rides. I didn't think that they timing was very well thought out on some of the shows and there wasn't enought time to go from one to another. We rode the few rides that Katie could go on but if she were bigger it would have been fun to ride Big Thunder Mountain in the dark. This just wasn't a good idea with such a small one in tow.

Next Installment: MGM and Tea at The Grand, or “What’s that funny yellow thing in the sky?”

[Simongrl3]

Hi, Ears42(aka Janet). I celebrated my b-day at WDW. It was awesome! By te way, where did you get that clip art of Belle? [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Ears42]

Day 5: December 11, 2002. Sunshine returns, plans change and Tea for Two.

Katie was wide-awake at the awful hour of 7:00 am. Do children ever sleep past 7:30, I know wait until she is a teenager. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] We opened the windows to a blinding yellow light. At first I wasn’t sure I remembered what that big thing in the sky was, oh yes I remember SUNSHINE! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Well since the sun gods had graced us with their presence and since Katie was up anyway we decided to change our plans and head towards MGM today. We had MGM planned for later in the week but I wanted to hedge our bets and go today since the sun was shining. Characters aren't as plentiful in the rain!

When we got to MGM Stitch was there to greet us. All decked out in Santa hat and holding a DVD of his movie. This Stitch is a big balloon in front of the park entrance. We got to meet the real Stitch later in the week. We stopped at MGM to see if they had a birthday button for Katie. They did, but it was the same button we had gotten in MK two days before. We checked the show times and headed towards Playhouse Disney. When we were here last year this show had not yet started. This is a great show for anyone with toddlers who watch the Disney Channel. All of their favorites are here and it’s very interactive. It starts with the Characters from Bear in the Big Blue House. We even got to do the Bear Cha Cha Cha. Then the Role Polio Ollie bots, Ollie, Billy and Zoë make an appearance, followed by Stanley and Dennis from Stanley, and last but not least Pooh and friends from The Book of Pooh. This is a really fun show. You do sit on the floor however, and it can be uncomfortable if the show is full. They push you in so you get to meet your neighbors. They have the floor taped off and you have to sit inside the tape. I recommend sitting in the middle as close to the front as possible and on the side tape. Jamie, the host of the show, comes off stage and dances with the little ones closest to the edge of the seating areas. If you are near the tape, your little could get choosen to help Jamie. Katie did and then Jamie had everyone sing Happy Birthday to Katie. It was a lot of fun. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

After Playhouse Disney we headed over for the first show of Beauty and the Beast. This is Katie’s (and mine too) all time favorite Disney Movie. It’s actually the first movie Katie ever watched. I had a travel bassinet when she was very small that could be used as a chair also. I used to put her in the chair and put the bassinet on the coffee table and put Beauty and the Beast on the VCR. She knows all the songs and loves to sing with the Movie. We saw it on the big screen last year and we’ve seen it on Broadway. We usually see it several times when we visit MGM. We got to the theater just as they dropped the ropes. There really wasn’t a big crowd and we headed to our favorite seats. This is one of the shows were they have you move towards the middle as the seats fill up so we always go straight towards the front and the middle of the row. We got great seats, four rows back, center stage. I love the group that warms up the crowd. They are so much fun. Today they sang Christmas songs as well as their regular act. Then the show started.

I recognized several of the same cast members that we had seen in the past, but Belle and The Beast were new. They need work. Belle was about 4 bars behind the music. It almost looked like she couldn’t remember the words. The Beast (as the Prince) wasn’t a very good dancer. But we love this show no matter what. It seemed a little shorter then in years past. I think they have revamped the show, but our favorite part is always Be Our Guest. Katie had a great time, she sang with Belle and would have danced on the bleachers if she had room. I hope that we just caught them having a bad day.

By now it was almost noon, but we decided to head up towards the “big hat” as Katie calls it, and see if any characters were out and about. We got lucky and Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore were out in front of the theater. We got some pictures then came around the front to find Meg and Mulan (dressed as Ping) under the trees. By now it was noon and we needed to get to the Grand Floridian for the tea party so we headed out. We’re coming back to MGM on Friday for PS at Hollywood and Vine.

We got to the GF in plenty of time to check in for the Wonderland Tea Party. This is a supervised party for kids only. When we checked in, I was given a pager. If for some reason my child needed my before the end of the party I would be paged. Katie got her nametag and waited with the other children for the doors to open. The CMs running the party came out, explained the pagers and return procedures for the parents then we were invited to take our child in, get them settled at the table and then get out! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Katie is not the least bit shy, even though she is an only child she is not a Mommy’s girl at all. It was “Bye Mommy, have fun.” and I was out of there. I also had PS for tea at the Garden View Tea Room but I had half an hour to wonder the lobby again and get some more pictures of the beautiful resort.

The Christmas decorations here are just out of this world. The tree must be four stories high and decorated in gold, mauve, and ivory Victorian decorations. The wreaths and fresh flowers throughout the lobby have the same theme. It’s just wonderful. If I ever figure out how to add pictures to my posts and if I ever get all the pictures developed I will try to post some here. The pastry chef was giving a demonstration on Gingerbread houses in the lobby in front of the very large gingerbread house. When I say very large, that is an understatement. They actually house a small retail outlet in the house that sells candies. I saw at least two CMs in the house every time I went past it.

It was now time for my PS at the Garden View Tea. I let them know when I checked in that I had a little one at the Wonderland Tea Party, who I would have to pick up at 2:30 (2:00 is the first PS for tea here), and they said no problem. I was seated right away. Again, lousy seats. I got the table right next to the podium so I got to listen to the hostesses’ conversations with guests and each other the whole time. I would have loved a table by the window but they had a bridal shower booked, a party of 27 that never showed! I hope they took a credit card deposit on that one. They actually turned walk ups away because they were booked for the day (with the bridal shower) but around 3:00 they called a supervisor who told them to take the walk ups.

Dennis was my server for the day. He was very nice man who went over all the tea choices with me. I did find out that the tea for two, can be tea for one if you want that choice and are alone or no one in your party wants to share it with you. I choose the Buckingham Palace tea, which included tea sandwiches, scones and cream, and strawberries. I choose the Garden View Bouquet as my tea. The tea was very good, not too strong, but not weak either. I like strong teas like Earl Grey and English Breakfast so I just let my tea seep longer.

My tea sandwiches came first. Let me see if I can remember my selections. They were chicken salad, egg salad (with onions), grilled pear on pumpernickel, watercress and cucumber, and salmon mouse. I also got an onion tartlet. The chicken salad was excellent. It had some nuts in it and was on wheat bread. Yummy. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] The egg salad was on white. It had onions in it; I don’t like onions in my egg salad so I wasn’t thrilled with this one. The grilled pear was interesting. It was sweet and very tasty. Next was the watercress. I’m not a cucumber fan but I was being adventurous so I ate it. Not bad. The last one was salmon mouse. I’m sorry but YUCK. So much for my adventurous spirit. I tasted the onion tartlet. It was very strong. I tasted it but could not finish it. At this point I needed to go get Katie. And here’s where the service at the GF goes above and beyond any service I have ever experienced. Let me preface this by saying I’ve worked restaurant and I’ve worked retail long and I always try to be a very good customer. I told Dennis I needed to go get Katie and I offered my room key or my credit card so that they knew I was coming back and not going to walk on the check. They refused. They said go get her, come back, they would hold my table. I was astounded. They trusted me. I went and got Katie and came back. I had a fresh pot of tea and they even brought Katie her own pot of “special tea” (chocolate milk). [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Ok so now I’m enjoying a tea party with my Katie. She proceeded to tell me all about her party with Alice and the Mad Hatter. Although she informs me she didn’t eat anything but the cupcake because they had jelly on the sandwiches. Katie eats peanut butter sandwiches, but not peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I never even considered this. But she said she was fine and didn’t want anything but milk. She had a great time at the tea party. They played “Follow Alice” which from her description sounded like follow the leader. They had apple juice tea and sandwiches, and cupcakes. Everyone had their picture taken with Alice and the Mad Hatter, which we were given when we picked them up. They were polarids. As she was telling me all about how much fun she had I was enjoying a wonderful raisin scone with cream and preserves. It was warm and light and wonderful. I asked for the recipe but was told it was for 2000 scones and that they don’t give it out. If anyone has it I’d love to get it from you. Dennis asked Katie again if he could bring her anything and she declined. Then he brought me a huge bowl of strawberries and cream. It was sinful. They were so good. Now I love strawberries and I couldn’t eat all of them. This was a great afternoon. We had a wonderful time and I will definitely do this again.

I went to guest relations before we headed off to DD to drop off a note I had written about the wonderful service at Tea. I asked for a comment card but they didn’t have any so I just wrote a note.

We headed off to DD to do a little shopping. I wanted to scope out the Christmas present situation. I knew from shopping at the gift shop at GF that Disney Merchandising wasn’t guarnteeing any deliveries in time for Christmas so I needed to reevaluate my shopping plans. Also I was looking for a birthday present for Katie. We wondered through the shops, they weren’t really crowded today and didn’t really make any big purchases but I knew what I was going to come back for if I could find room in the luggage. I was able to find a special gift for Katie’s birthday. She had been asking for a locket and I found a mother/daughter locket set in the World Of Disney. They are sterling silver and have the Mickey Icon on them. I bought it for her to receive at CRT from Cinderella tomorrow.

I had her in the umbrella stroller today so I was able to sneak it to the cashier. Side note here that this woman was as rude as the CM at check in. I was trying to speak softly so that little ears didn’t hear what I was saying; she kept saying “Speak Up I can’t hear you.” And then when I asked for a box you’d thought I’d asked for the moon. Yes, it came in a jewelry box but I wanted a gift box. It was a gift. I counted to 10 gave her my DC card for my discount. She made a rude face and rang up my sale. If I hadn’t just had such a wonderful CM at the GF I would have probably went looking for a supervisor. Not worth it today.

After our shopping excursion we decided to head back to VWL. Katie is not a big eater and we decided to have an easy night and go over to Roaring Forks for her favorite meal, chicken fingers. She got chicken fingers and I got a grilled chicken sandwich and we took it back to our studio to eat.
Another early night for us. Tomorrow we have an early PS for CRT,

Next Installment: Its a Princess Kind Of Day or Hold on to your Tiara!

[Ears42]

Thanks, I'm glad everyone is enjoying the trip report.

Simongrl3: I don't remember where I found Belle but if you right click on her and choose properties you can find the url to use.

Disneyknut: Small world in deed. West Mifflin used to be my home away from home, RE: Century III. Depending on the age of your SIL niece I'm sure she knows me or one of my siblings. My DB was the QB of the football team. My dad also owns the funeral home in Fayette City so almost everyone knows him and my brother. And my sister just knows everyone.

Brant: Love the Stich pic.

Tiki: What happened to the Steelers yesterday. I am in mourning. Especailly since my DH is from Philly and that team won.

[Ears42]

Day Six: December 12, 2002: The Princess Breakfast, pictures, pictures, pictures, and a tour of The Beach Club Villas.

Ok, now today we had to be awake early. We have PS at 8:50 for CRT. At 60 days out from the first day of our trip I was still in the hospital with my gall bladder surgery. I tried to explain to DH what he needed to do to get my PS for CRT. It was beyond him. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] I tried everyday when I got home with two cell phones and my land line with no luck. But I never give up on CRT. I called everyday, three times a day, using the 800 for DC and would give them all of my dates and said I would take anytime. After several weeks I got this PS for December 12. OK, not on the 9th, which is Katie’s actually birthday, but close enough. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

We headed out around 8:00. It was an early entry morning into MK and we got to Main Street with time to spare. Now it hadn’t started to rain YET, today, but showers were in the forecast. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] We took advantage of the dry (ha ha, we haven’t been truly dry in days) weather and got a great picture of Katie, tiara on head, in front of the Walt and Mickey statue with the castle in the background for our Christmas cards. The planters were full of poinsettias so it is a really cute picture. I’ve gotten lots of compliments on it from friends. Still plenty of time before our PS so we head to the carousel for a quick spin. Time to eat.

We are seated right away for our breakfast. It looks like the first seating is ending and lots of tables are clearing out. Once again, lousy table. We are the first table at the top of the stairs. The table is decorated for Katie’s birthday. There are streamers on the table and confetti. Paul is our server and he was great. Katie is excited because all of her favorites are here. Belle, Aurora, Snow White and Cinderella are all holding court today. I feel sorry for Belle, the other princesses are so jealous of her beauty that she always appears in her blue pinafore dress. Just once I’d like to see her in her yellow ball gown. No one makes Cinderella wear her rags and apron! OK, off tangent there. All of the princesses like Katie’s tiara (headband from target purchased week after Halloween for $1.99) and wish her Happy Birthday. When Cinderella comes to the table I am able to sneak the gift bag with Katie’s locket to her behind Katie’s back and she presents it to her as if it’s her gift to Katie. (This did create a problem at another table with a birthday girl because that Mommy didn’t plan ahead. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] The little girl wanted to know where her present was! Oops!) Katie was so excited. She loved the locket and had to put it on right away. She was equally excited that I got a present too.

I had called the restaurant the day before for a birthday cake and Paul brought it to the table with a card signed by all the Princesses. Now I asked for the smallest cake they had. I would have easily been cut into 8-10 pieces. We each had a slice. Am I a great Mommy or what I let Katie eat cake for breakfast! We took half of what was left with us.

What a great start to the day. Too bad it has started to rain. We head towards Toon Town and the Tea Cups. Again I have to ride the teacups. [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img] I really hate going around and around and around in circles, especially after just eating. When we get off the Tea Cups, Tweedle Dee and Dumb are posing for pictures so we get in line. After the photo op we head to Belle’s Story Time. Belle is the same CM that was at the Castle for Breakfast and she recognizes Katie. Katie was picked to be a part of the story but was having a shy day today for some reason and wouldn’t go on stage. This is a cute way to spend 20 minutes sitting and resting. Next off to Toon Town.

When we get to Toon Town the drizzle has started again and we head towards County Bounty. There are no lines for the Judges Tent and the icons show Cinderella and Suzy are appearing. In years past they have always had professional photographers in the Judges tents so we get in this line first. No professional photographers in the Cinderella room. I have to rely on my camera (which I hate and have hinted to DH to replace for the last two Christmases and Birthdays unsuccessfully) for pictures. Katie has a great time thanking Cinderella for her locket and her cake. She is so cute the CM and the people in line behind us let her take as long as she wanted. I finally had to pull her away. The pictures did come out OK.

Out the back of the judge’s tent, around the store and we get back in Line for Minnie Mouse. Minnie of course has a professional photographer and we get our pictures taken. Chip and Dale are hanging out with Minnie so we get pictures with them too. Out the back, around the front, back in line for Pooh. This was great! No lines, go out one room, get back in line, into the next room. Pooh also has a photographer, more pictures. Now we need to spend at least another hour and half in MK in order to pick up the pictures.

We stroll through Fantasyland again, take a spin on Pooh. I love this ride. It’s really tame but I love it. And I found Toad handing over the deed. I’ve looked for this for years and I finally found it. We head down towards Buzz Lightyear. Grab some fast passes. We’ve never ridden this before and the standby line is only 10 minutes so we get in line also. It’s a cool ride but I didn’t really get the hang of shooting the targets. Katie was less than thrilled so when we got off I gave our fast passes to the family getting off in front of us. We head toward Main Street. Go through some shops, wonder over to pick up our pictures.

OH NO, MELT DOWN. This doesn’t happen often, but when Katie has a melt down, it is ugly. She decides to have one while standing in line for our pictures. The line was very slow. They were training lots of new CMs in MK today, most of who spoke Spanish as their first language and hadn’t quite mastered the currency yet. It was very warm in the Exposition Hall also. She wanted to be held, she wanted down, she wanted out of the stroller, she wanted something to eat. It went on and on. I’m sure the honeymoon couple in front of me were reconsidering having children by the time it was our turn. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

But it was worth the wait. The pictures were adorable today. We got the Chip and Dale, a picture with Tigger, and an Ariel. (I guess we stopped by the grotto too today, not in my notes but she has the same outfit on). The Minnie and pooh pictures weren’t very good. When we went back outside to leave MK and head toward BCV it was pouring again. I really hate rain.
Capitan Hook and Mr. Smee were alone on the porch so we stopped for some quick pictures then braved the rain for the bus stop.

We caught the bus for the Beach Club. First complaint, we had to share a bus with The Boardwalk and the Yacht Club. It was very humid on the bus, I think the driver had the heat on because everyone was so wet but that just made it worse. We were going to the Beach Club to tour the Vacation Club Villas. We purchased our DVC in April last year, sight unseen for the Beach Club to be our home resort. They were having an open house and as we are going to be staying there in October, and taking friends with us I really wanted to check it out. We found the open house no problem. The CM there was very nice. We signed in and if we had our DVC membership card with us we got a free trading pin. Cool. I had my card. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I checked everything out. I opened all the kitchen cabinets to see what they had stocked the kitchen with. I love the bathroom for the one bedrooms. We had only stayed in studios at Hilton Head and VWL. We have a two-bedroom lock out reserved for October. We are taking friends with us and we will have a one bedroom, they will have a studio, and they will connect but they can also close the door and have privacy. It will be fun. I love the colors of the décor. Very beachy, white cabinets and furniture, cool colors in the decorating. I like it. The common areas are really neat too. I didn’t think the Christmas decorations were as elaborate as they are at the VWL or the GF but very tasteful and understated. I did really like the carousel in the lobby thought. Cool.

We had our tour and it was pouring rain again so back to VWL for dinner at Roaring Forks again. We had to take the bus to DD and change to the WL bus so the travel time was over an hour. We had pizza and salad again for dinner. We took it back to our studio to eat. We needed to pack and do a little more laundry tonight. Tomorrow we check out of VWL and will spend our last night at the Hampton Inn at the airport. I had packed a fold up carryon bag in the bottom of my big suitcase and I really needed it. I seriously considered buying another suitcase in the Mercantile at WL. I am not going to be able to purchase much tomorrow at DD. Oh well. Live and Learn.

Next Installment: Last day in the World, Tornado Warnings, and “What county are we in?”

[ 01-12-2003, 05:15 PM: Message edited by: Ears42 ]

[tikibird]

I don't know what happened to the Steelers (I was at the mall [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] ), but I do know that everyone in my family is sad, and even the mood in church was a bit somber today - is this a football town, or WHAT?! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Now, I have decided I need to book another trip 'cause I just have to try tea at the GF! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Another couple of great installment, keep 'em coming!