RocklandRVers Christmas: Read About 12/20 w/Chezp&Statelady01 About This Page:

[karmic]

Wow, you do the most interesting things at WDW! for the update!

[Caldercup]

I love reading your reports -- you have such a nice family and such a great, loving bond with each other.

Can't wait to read more!
Eileen

[Tara O'Hara]

I agree with both of the above posts! What a fun relaxing day you guys had! Looking forward to Christmas Eve!!

[mom2my4dwarfs]

Just got caught up with your TR. It is wonderful.

[BritDisFan]

Sounds like you had a great day. The boats sounded fun .

Karen

[Jillybean]

You guys know how to have fun! What a great day!

Jill

[luvnwdwgal]

DH and I are definitely taking a pontoon boat out sometime! Wow, that Las Vegas Buffet sounds awesome! How neat to see all the camp sights decorated for Christmas! Looking forward to more!!

[LizardCop]

Great Update. it's nice to read someones trip report who is even more laid back than I am...

[pparm]

Just read all you've posted so far! It sounds like a great trip. Too bad someone forgot to pack the camera (no I'm not pointing fingers! It would be nice to see a pic of your decorations! Looking forward to the rest!
Paula

[kimdisneynut]

Great Report

Thanks

Kim

[Colexis Mom]

Great updates How great you got to spend so much time on the water! Hurry back with more

[RocklandRVers]

Day 7 Our First Christmas Eve at Disney

My original plan was set for MK and Epcot today, but since we had not done much at MGM on Day 5, we decided to begin Christmas Eve there. We got there before the opening. The CMs let us in through the ticket gates at about 8:45 after shouting “Lights, Camera, Action!”. The push down Hollywood Blvd was so much that we ducked into the shops to browse and stay warm in the light chilly drizzle. After the rope dropped at the end of HB, the street emptied and we decided to brave it. We made our way over toward TofT stopping in the little shops along the route and admiring the old Gold Cadillac. I love old cars! I thought perhaps DS might go on by himself, but some screams he heard chickened him out. What we really wanted more than anything else was to get into WWTBAM so we headed down that way. We just missed the first show, but asked the CM what time they began the queue for the next show. It gave us plenty of time to see One Man’s Dream.

This is a fabulous attraction for anyone who is a true Disney fanatic and into Disney history. It takes you from Walt’s birth and growing up in a little Missouri town (that inspired Main St USA) to his last TV appearance where he unveiled his “Florida Project” and then beyond his death as WDW was built and evolved. A great museum tribute to Walt. At the end of the walk through exhibits is a theater where you get to see a wonderful film showing Walt’s life, his trials and tribulations with cameos from Michael Eisner. Great way for anyone to get to know Walt the visionary mind who created this all for us to enjoy.

From there we had just enough time to get down to Millionaire where the line was already getting long. We got a nod from the CM who was clicking everyone into his counter. WHEW!!! Finally we made it. I must confess I have loved this show since its inception. I along with several friends of mine tried desperately to get on the “real” show. One friend was called and went through the contestant screening process but missed getting onto the show. At one point I was lucky to win the drawing and got tickets to a taping. Since my friend was so much more into it, I gave the 4 tickets to her so she and her family could go. They said it was awesome.

I also confess that Regis was the man! Meredith Vierra isn’t a bad host, but Reg was something special. As we waited in the preshow area, we got to see some games hosted by MV and just before we were let inside, we get an intro from her. Once inside it was totally amazing the detail and how everything matched the TV show set. Our host was super and had all the charisma of a typical TV gameshow host. At the beginning of the game he seemed to point right at me and asked if we were ready to play. I yelled “YEAH!” and clapped like mad. I saw DS was joining in and not doing his usual eye rolling routine. He was getting into it. All DW could do was laugh at us.

DS and I were determined to get in that hot seat and I was psyched up as the first question was asked. We both answered correctly, but were too slow. We were beat out by a young lady (13?) from Dallas. She said she guessed. We figured she would be a dud, but she made it to 32,000 points! Not bad. DS and I were right there with the correct answers but amazed at how many were faster. We never made the list of fastest fingers. At one point, I messed up on a hard question that I knew the answer to by not pressing the button fully as soon as it lit up. BOY was I frustrated on that one. I was sure it would have pushed me up in the standings.

The second player was a man from Mass. He was there alone while the rest of the family was visiting another park (MK?). He said he hoped he didn’t make a fool of himself which I bet I would have said too. His questions seemed a bit tougher and he did well, but lost it on the 16,000 point question. Then came that loud horn signaling the end of the game.

DS raced outside thinking we might get right back in. No way, it was already too packed inside. Onward we trekked and ducked in out of the drizzle at the Commissary. DS was complaining he was hungry again. As the drizzle let up, we wandered down to the Sci Fi and DS climbed in the car. I joined him and he said “see Dad you can fit inside”. Yeah but this mock up has no table. We went inside to the podium and inquired about the seating. The CM suggested a limo. COOL! The next available was at 12:20, giving us about 40 minutes.

We went on down to the back lot tour. It had too long a wait for us to make the PS, so on we went toward where the Osborne Light Spectacular was held at night. Now it was really drizzling and my ears were cold. DS suggested I get a Goofy Ear Santa Hat. Hey good idea. DW said she would wear my WDW baseball cap so I stopped by a newsstand and got one. I looked goofy alright! LOL DS kept eyeing something at the stand but didn’t say anything. Finally as we walked away, he said, “Maybe I need a hat too”. WHOA! This kid usually hates hats since they mess with his gel head! He chooses a red and black hat with dreadlock spikes with GRUMPY written on the front. YEAH that’s him especially in the morning…grumpy! Everything had long waits in that area (Star Wars and Muppet 3D). We figured since it was rainy, folks wanted to get inside. So now what. Its still about 20 minutes to Sci Fi. DS suggested we check in and maybe get in early. Yeah right. Now the lobby is full and out the door. We check in anyway and get a pager. We decide to find a corner out of the way and wait inside where it was warm and dry. We got in maybe 5 minutes early and were led behind the walls to our limo. What a scene! It was kind of like a miniature drive in movie. This is pretty cool. Our carhop tells us there is a special drink today. It’s a cherry sprite in a souvenir cup with a light up ice cube in a choice of red or green. DS and DW passed. Heck I’ll get one then! DS rolled his eyes again. Here we go again. Dad’s acting childish. DS decides on onion rings and ribs. DW wants a salad and burger. I try the popcorn chowder and burger. Then we settle back and enjoy the ambiance of the dark drive in and the cheesy movie previews and intermission footage that was so much a part of the drive in experience of my youth growing up in the 50s and 60s. The Saturday night at the drive in was a total evening out. We came at dusk and played on the playground. When we got hungry, we had some greasy junk from the snack bar. When we were younger, I remember my sisters getting changed into their PJs and curling up with me in the back seat to sleep while Mom and Dad watched the movies. Always had cartoons and a double feature. Usually a more mature feature for the second one. Ahh memories. Our food was standard burgers and ribs. A bit pricey, but you really pay for the atmosphere. We hung out as long as we could and headed back out. It was still overcast and dreary but at least not raining at the moment. On the way we made one last shot for Millionaire…not happening….so we decided to call it a day and head for camp.

Back at camp we did the usual dog walking stuff which DW took care of. DS and I got inside the warm RV, got out of the wet clothes and snuggled in our bunks. Hey why not grab a nap before heading off the our evening activities. As soon as DW returned and got dry, off went the lights and we take a brief snooze.

When we got up we got into warmer dry clothes in preparation for Epcot. We made sure we had our CP badges and receipts and headed off. It was still rainy and getting chillier when we left a little before 4:00. Although not the best day weatherwise, we were in Disney on Christmas Eve. WOW!

At Epcot we had over an hour before our PS at Le Cellier for the CP dinner package. DS wanted to go into Innoventions West and play with the videogames. While he headed straight for them, DW and I explored. At one point we stopped and listened to the pizza game. A CM stopped and asked if we wanted to play in the main game. She explained it was a learning game about how various crops play a role in making pizza. It was if she was desperate to get player. We smiled and politely declined. I wanted to go, but dragging DS away from videogames is like taking a bone from a starved dog. Finally after getting a bit loud with him, he relented and left with us.

We headed for Canada. Just as we got there we saw the big guy himself….no not Mickey….SANTA! He was a bit different in Canada with his red plaid shirt and logging boots, but he wore red and white fur and had a snowy white beard. He spoke of Canadian traditions and some borrowed from Great Britain like Boxing Day. He had a busy night ahead of him so he had to get moving.

We still had about 20 minutes so we checked in and got a pager then had just enough time to catch O’Canada again. With about 5 minutes left in the show, our pager went off and we snuck out the exit to make our way to the podium. This is going to be another great meal. We tell the server we have the CP package and she takes our receipt. We then are told we get an appetizer, entrée, dessert and beverages. DW and I decide we need a Labbat Blue (Canadian Beer) which was icy cold and very good. We all ordered the same thing. Cheddar Cheese soup and NY Strip Steak. Hey it’s a steakhouse gotta have steak! Let me say that this is the most delicious soup I have ever tasted. Just the perfect thing for a damp cold night! Oh and the breadsticks are the perfect accompaniment. I like the pretzel while DW and DS like the multigrain best. We all chose the sour dough as our second best. After almost licking the bowl clean, we sat back and chatted a bit while waiting for the entrée. The steaks were also very good. Nice and tender and cooked just as we ordered. Even though it was very busy, our server was outstanding and kept us set up with drink (and breadstick) refills.

As the plates were being cleared, the waitress reminded us that dessert was included. Where do we put it? I asked her for a cup of coffee. When she came with coffee she gave us dessert menus and said “take your time”. We needed time for sure. After a few minutes of looking and digesting we decided. DW and I (and as it turned out DS too) would share a Maple Crème Brule. DS asked for a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Brule was great with just a hint of maple that didn’t overpower. We sat as long as we could and not feel overly guilty that we held up those waiting to get a table and headed outside. As we did, we got a blast of the night chill after being in the nice warm restaurant. I joked at how different it was from our July trip with the blast of hot humid air coming out of the icy cold Le Cellier.

Once outside and bundled up in our winter coats we casually made our way through the UK, stopping in a couple of shops. Then over the international gateway bridge and on to France where the restaurant was very busy. After a bathroom break in Morocco we get closer to Japan and see that there are folks lined up. But wait…the 6:45 show is just about over. This can’t be for the dinner package line for the 8:15 show already. As we passed by we saw that the folks had badges like ours. OH WOW! No way I was going to wait in line for an hour. I have guaranteed seats that’s all that mattered to me. We went on over to the American Adventure. The next show was in about 10 minutes and the show is about 25 minutes so we went in. I love this show no matter how many times I have seen it since the mid 1980s. The music gives me goosebumps. I always think to myself how sad it is that our kids didn’t get to see this animatronic marvel when it was new, before movies, computers video games and robotics became so sophisticated. When we saw Mr. Franklin walk in the mid 1986 we were in awe of the technology. Oh well….that’s why I also love Carousel of Progress in MK so much too. These magical marvels were made for my generation.

After the show they were filling the seats for CP. We just held back and waited until the tail end of the line got to us. Our seats weren’t front and center, but were pretty good anyway. Our main concern was staying warm, but unlike last year we had heavier coats, gloves and hats. DW and I snuggled up as the rest of the stand by seating was filled and listened as the orchestra was tuning up. This is a first class orchestra and choir led by a conductor who is wonderful to watch. He is the most into his job of anyone I have seen. So animated with his facial expressions and smiling as he enjoyed the music as much as we did. Gary Sinise was superb. He is a great speaker. I also like that he took a few moments at the end to say a few words from the heart about all the stuff he had been busy doing for our troops including trips overseas.

We got out before the flood of humanity ran out onto the World Showcase and found a spot between Italy and Germany to watch Illuminations. We had never seen Illuminations from anywhere except on the far side of the lagoon near the UK. This perspective seemed much closer to the center of the action. Boy was it! We got to see much more detail on the great globe than from far away areas like Canada and UK. I never tire of this show and particularly the music. I have this song on CD and play it often particularly when I want to get into a good mood.

As we headed slowly for the exit with the crowd we watched the lasers write Seasons Greetings in many languages. Wow did I make a good decision spending Christmas Eve at Epcot. This was awesome!

Next Up: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Jillybean]

Despite the cold and rain, I can think of a better way to spend Christmas Eve. The meal at Le Cellier sounds especially cozy!

Jill

[Tara O'Hara]

What a lovely Christmas Eve you guys had! You tell your son that glow cubes are way cool!! I always get them and I am a very cool person! I ahve never had the opportunity to see the special Christmas Illuminations. It sounds wonderful as does the CP!

[luvnwdwgal]

What a wonderful Christmas Eve you all had!!!