Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

I think what I want Disneyland to be most of all is a happy place–a place where adults and children can experience together some of the wonders of life, of adventure, and feel better because of it.--Walt Disney

Gail and Harold drove from Huntsville on Thursday and camped overnight in Georgia and we all left for Orlando on Friday. We got a late start since Anna awakened with a fever Friday morning. I brought her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with an ear infection. I picked up the prescriptions for her from the pharmacy and then we were on the road traveling to Orlando.

As soon as we arrived, we set up the Christmas lights/decorations outside. If you've never visited Fort Wilderness near Christmas time, I highly recommend it just to view the lights. I'm amazed by the amount of decorations some people put out. .
I do wonder how they transport it in their RV. Our exterior illumination was very conservative in comparison to some. I made a Mickey Christmas wreath to hang on the front of the RV this year. And, we put out a few other lights and an inflatable Mickey dressed as Santa. Our campsite was in loop 400 for this trip. While this loop is very convenient to the docks and beach area, it is also not the best location if you prefer peace and quiet like we do. We'd hear noise from other campers coming and going to the dock, the horns from the boats entering/exiting the dock area, the fireworks and the electric light parade as if they were right inside of our RV...every night! I'd rather be farther away and ride my bike to the dock area than listen to this again each night.

Our friends Mike and Jen and their two children, Ellis and Cooper, were scheduled to arrive at our camper for a visit on Friday evening shortly after we arrived. They were visiting the Orlando area from their home in the U.K. and planned to spend Friday evening with us. Rachel first met Ellis over a year ago and at that time they were quite smitten with one another. That attraction has not subsided one bit. On this visit, Jen's Mum, Judy, was also with them. We shared a traditional southern American style dinner with them and then toured some areas of Disney World that we thought they might enjoy that didn't cost anything to do. We traveled on a boat to the Magic Kingdom and then took a tram to a couple of the resorts including the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. The Grand Floridian was absolutely gorgeous! It was our first visit there. And, they had a life-sized gingerbread house on display. The ingredients to make the gingerbread house included: 1,050 lbs of honey, 140 pints of egg whites, 600 lbs of powdered sugar, 700 lbs of chocolate, 800 lbs of flour, 35 lbs of spices, tons of creativity, Disney Magic, and Pixie dust. We traveled back to Fort Wilderness after the tours of the resorts and watched the fireworks and electric light parade from the beach. When they prepared to leave later that evening, Ellis came in a gave Rachel a big smooch right on the lips. Anna, not being one to be left out, grabbed Ellis before he left, gave him a big bear hug, and smooched him. Needless to say, Rachel was quite upset by this. I wonder if this is a view of what is yet to come in the future when they start dating? At some point in the future, we hope to make a trip to the U.K. to visit with them in their home country.

Sunday was spent at MGM. The girls couldn't wait to get on Tower of Tower again. Of course, since we visited in October, Rachel has developed a sense of self preservation. She was none too thrilled after we rode Tower of Terror. I don't think she'll be riding again any time soon. The highlight of Anna's day was seeing Winnie the Pooh and of course, Tower of Terror. Anna has developed a recent renewed interest in Pooh so she was so thrilled to see him and get her picture made with him. We had an awesome visit to MGM. Our friends Steve and Denise visited with us Sunday evening at our RV. We had hoped to see them again on Thursday evening for the space shuttle launch. The launch was re-scheduled to Saturday night and we had dinner plans already for that evening.

Monday was spent at Epcot. We purchased a dinner package for the Candlelight Processional at 6:45. Dinner was at San Angel's Inn in Mexico. The food was really good and the atmosphere in the restaurant was really cool. The favorite ride at Epcot for everyone was Soaring. We took a tour around the world showcase and then attended the Candlelight Processional later in the evening. While I do think the dinner package was very pricey, we really enjoyed the Candlelight Processional. Mario Lopez was the narrator. Although, if you don't care if you have a seat and simply want to see/hear the show, then you could do it without paying for the dinner package like we did. I would recommend this for those who have younger children that don't want to sit still for long and for people who want to save money but enjoy the processional. The processional event was a beautiful depiction describing the birth of Christ. Rachel and Anna were also able to see Santa and Mrs. Clause at Epcot.

Tuesday night was the night for the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party tickets. We relaxed at the camper on Tuesday morning and we arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 4 pm. Once patrons that don't have tickets to the special event are cleared out, the wait time for the rides becomes minimal to none at all. You can ride more rides in one evening at a party event than you can ride in a matter of several days during peak summer times. We enjoyed the free hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies. And, Gail got into the spirit at one of the events where she and Gippetto (Pinnochio) had a great time dancing together. This is our second year to attend a Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom and I highly recommend it to anyone considering it. I did my civic duty for the night by helping a little girl find her Mom. As we were walking towards the Haunted Mansion, I noticed a little girl (she looked maybe 2.5-3 years old) step away from one of the vending stands with a lighted toy. She was mesmerized with it and began walking with the toy while following along with the traffic flow of the crowd. I did not see anyone in the crowd that either looked like or acted like they were her parents. So, I watched her as we walked along. She continued along with the crowd, and walked into the exit entrance of the Haunted Mansion alone. Then, I felt 100% sure that she was lost and alone. So I notified one of the cast members at the Haunted Mansion who tried to catch her. Needless to say, the girl was terrified when she realized someone other than her parents were trying to catch her. She began to run. So, I left my family and helped the cast member back track the path we had just walked and finally cornered the little girl. It was about this time that I heard a woman calling out for her daughter and the woman was crying hysterically. I waved my hands to her and asked her if this girl was her daughter. It was. Her mother was so relieved to have her daughter back safely and I was happy to see this mother and daughter reunited. The mother said that she was watching the Splash Mountain ride only for a minute when she looked down and her daughter was gone. The concerning part is this is something that could happen to any parent. I know Anna is an explorer and she can get away from you if you aren't watching her every second. If I had not stopped this little girl, there is no telling how far or where she might have gone. I just hope that if one of my children ever got away from us that some concerned citizen would do the same for us to help return our child safely back to us.

We spent the remainder of the week visiting the various parks again and we visited Downtown Disney on Friday morning. We spent Thursday at the Animal Kingdom. Anna and Rachel got their face painted at the Animal Kingdom. Anna's choice seemed a bit "goth" but it's what she wanted. The Bug's Life 3-D Show had some changes since we last visited. It is by far the best 3-D show at Disney World in my opinion but it can be scary to the little ones. Jeff and I rode the Everest ride at the Animal Kingdom for the first time on this trip. It was very intense. I felt a bit light headed when we got off. I've never tolerated rides that travel the reverse direction very well. It was an awesome ride though despite my post ride sickness. I'm glad I did it once but I can't say that I'm eager to get on it again any time soon.

We visited Epcot two more times. Anna and Rachel finished their kidcot masks on the second trip to Epcot and the last country we visited was Japan. We also ate lunch one day at Biergarten, the German restaurant. Rachel was called up front by one of the entertainers. She got to "light" the Christmas tree on the stage. Our our second visit to see Crush the Turtle, Anna was selected to ask Crush a question. She asked him "Do turtles have flowers?" It wasn't exactly the most logical question for a turtle but we were greatful it was at least harmless as you never know what she'll come up with. As you can tell, our children aren't shy in front of a crowd. On our final visit to Epcot, we got to hear the "Voices of Liberty" carolers at the American Epcot location. I think we got more enjoyment from our Epcot visits this trip that previous trips. Rachel and Anna learned alot including how to say "hello" in French and how to exit a burning house as well as identify fire hazards. They also enjoyed the new Nemo and Friends ride.

The trip to Downtown Disney was enjoyable but it was a bit colder that day. We enjoyed lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and dessert at the Ghiradelli Shop. If you're a chocolate lover, you have to try their decadent hot chocolate. It is very rich though but yummy! I think Jeff would like an I.V. drip of this stuff!
The girls enjoyed visiting the Lego store. It is just amazing what they can build with legos....including the dragon in the lake.

On Saturday night, we had a special treat. We had dinner reservations at Cinderella's castle. This was our first time to do this. Unfortunately, with Anna still not feeling 100% combined with a late dinner reservation and Jeff now being sick, it wasn't as pleasant as it could have been. The food at dinner was very good..not your typical park food. Jeff had salmon and I had the prime rib..both very good! We were able to see the fireworks while eating dinner at the castle which was a cool way to view them. If I had to do this over again, I'd certainly prefer everyone was healthy and I'd like an earlier dining time. 8:00 was a bit late for us. It was close to 10 when we were done and the kids were completely exhausted and tired! But, while we were there, we saw someone propose by giving his girlfriend a glass slipper. Isn't that romantic? Of course, I had my own romantic proposal years ago. Jeff had purchased a walkman for my birthday. When I tried to use it, it didn't operate properly. He returned it and got a replacement. Before he gave me the new walkman, he got one of my old cassettes and recorded himself asking, "Angela, will you marry me?" He gave me the new walkman and handed me my old cassette and suggested I try it out to make sure this new walkman worked properly. So, I did. I heard him asking me to marry him and I looked up and he was on one knee holding the ring. So, it wasn't a fancy proposal at Cinderella's castle, but it was just as romantic if not more so to me. Plus, I have recorded proof that he did ask me to marry him in case he ever recants. :-)

While Disney World is known as the "happiest place on earth." There are times I have to question this label. We are not the lone parents who have moments of questioning their sanity. From paying outrageous prices for food that your children take one bite of to the incessant whining about walking, the temperature, or breathing...there are moments that it just isn't the happiest place on earth. I could not imagine coming here during the summer months when the temperatures are around 100, the lines are forever long, and the crowds are elbow to elbow. But, in the end, despite the grumpiness, the fatigue, the sickness and being significantly poorer....we did have a good time. Disney World is an awesome place to visit around Christmas time.