Pearl and Sug Get a Very Magical Christmas Surprise! A Dec 2016-Jan 2017 Updated 1/23

Jackiemarie21

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 17, 2012
Hello Everyone and :welcome:!
I'm so excited to share our tale of our latest Disney Adventure with you!

Just who are Pearl and Sug? Well they are my two daughters which I will formally introduce to you in my next post. You will want to stick around to meet them, they are adorable, but I'm not biased at all:rolleyes1.

Our last trip was in July 2013 when Sug was only 2. We had a few rough patches after our last trip and life was tough for a while (there was good in there too, we added Pearl ;). ) So we needed a trip to a magic, happy place. We needed time to bond and enjoy ourselves as a family. We needed a goal to work for, we needed to see light at the end of the tunnel. And there is no other place that fits that bill better than WDW!

So when did we decide to take this very important family bonding vacation? Oh only the busiest time of the year Dec. 28-Jan 5!
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That was the biggest reason I wanted to write this TR. There aren't a lot out there during this time frame. And yes its crowded, yes its not for the faint of heart, but it can be pretty amazing too! I wanted to share our story so if you are debating on going during this time it might help you decide if its right for you or not. I will not sugar coat things, I'm going to tell you exactly how it is, the good and bad.

Lots of factors went into the decision for this trip. It has always been a dream of mine to go during Christmas time, however, DH is a teacher so going during the "off" time will never be an option for us. However, this year his school had an extra long Holiday break with students not reporting until Jan. 9. I thought we would go right after Christmas, catch the special Holiday stuff, stay after the masses leave and enjoy some low crowd time. Did that plan work out? Well, you will have to read on to find out.

Now the title indicated there was a Christmas surprise, we did not tell the girls they were going. They were going to open a Christmas gift and inside was going to be a new suit case (my oldest had a suit case on her wish list) and inside the suitcase would be a note from Mickey telling them they were headed to WDW. How did that work out? Keep reading to find out!

So, you know the Why? and the When? How about the Where? We used our favorite "magical" TA, and got a fantastic deal on nine nights at POFQ with 8 day park tickets, no hopper, and the dining plan. We stayed at the FQ during our honeymoon and loved it! We were so excited to go back and it did not disappoint!

I'm going to get into the Who in a different post, so that is to come!
I hope that you enjoy reliving this adventure with me. But for now I'm going to leave you with my favorite pic from the trip:

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Our Cast
So, I'll bet you are wondering just who makes up this traveling party? We are a family of four from the St. Louis area and here is a little about each of us.
First up is Me, Jackie
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I've been a stay at home mom since my oldest was born nearly 6 years ago. I have been a Disney fan my entire life. My first trip was when I was 7 and I have been obsessed every since. In addition to moming and Disney planning, I love to sew. I try to make as much of my daughters' cloths as I can. I love making outfits for the girls that go along with our daily activities in Disney. In between Disney trips, I like to keep the Disney excitement going by having monthly Disney Family Movie nights.
Some of my Disney stats:
# of Trips: this was my 8th
Favorite Disney park: Magic Kingdom
Favorite Disney ride: Tower of Terror
Favorite Disney restaurant: 'Ohana
Favorite Disney character: Ariel

Next, DH Bob
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Bob is a High School Teacher, student council sponsor, college professor, and much much more. He works
ridiculously hard to fund our Disney adventures. He is an amazing father and has a hard time saying no to any of his girls. Bob always thought Disney was for kids, until he went with me. Now he loves it
almost as much as I do. He even embraced matching family shirts this time! His other passions include St. Louis Cardinals Baseball and beer.
Disney stats:
# of trips: This was his 7th
Favorite Disney Park: EPCOT
Favorite Disney Ride: Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road
Favorite Disney Restaurant: 'Ohana
Favorite Disney Charcter: Stitch

Next, DD5 Sug
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Sug is our first born, she is 5 1/2 years old (that half is very important to her!) and in Kindergarten this year. Sug tends to be pretty shy and keeps to herself. She was the perfect age for going to WDW. I think she literally had the time of her life. The magic was very real to her. At home she can be a handful, but on this trip she was absolutely perfect. She loves all things Disney, she still loves the Disney Jr stuff, the princesses and of course one of her favorites will always be Stitch!
Sug's Disney stats:
# of trips: this was her second
Favorite Disney park: all of them!
Favorite Disney ride: Frozen, Its A Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean
Favorite Disney restaurant: All of them!
Favorite Disney Character: Alice, I think when I asked her this question she thought I meant which was her favorite character she met on the trip. She really enjoyed meeting Alice, she was very sweet to Sug and left the biggest impression.

And last but definitely not least, DD1 Pearl
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Pearl was 20 months at the time we traveled. She is very spirited and outgoing. Pearl and sug are more than sisters they are truly best friends. They are the perfect compliment to one another. Pearl really enjoyed WDW as well, although she did have a few bumps along the way. She loved all the rides, not a single one scared her.
Pearl's Disney Stats:
# of trips: this was her first one!
Favorite Park: I'm pretty sure it was EPCOT
Favorite Disney Ride: Ball Ball (Spaceship Earth) and Boat Boat (It's a Small World)
Favorite Disney Restaurant: Garden Grill
Favorite Disney Character: Donald and Mickey

So, thats us! A little more info that will be helpful as you read on. We are not rope drop tourists, we have never seen a rope drop and I'm pretty sure we never will. We like lazy, laid back mornings. Trying to push these guys in the morning just makes us all miserable. On the flip side however, we can go well into the night sometimes even closing down a park. Overall, we are a very laid back family. We approach Disney with a mindset that we will be back in a few years, so we don't have to do everything every trip. We spend a lot of time soaking in the atmosphere and we truly enjoy that.

Next up, The Best Christmas Gift Ever!


 

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Can't wait to read about the reveal!! My son is getting a suitcase on Sunday as an early birthday gift...and it will reveal our trip for next week

:cool1:
 


Following along. We were there over Christmas as well and it is such a special time. Can't wait to hear more.
 
Can't wait to read about the reveal!! My son is getting a suitcase on Sunday as an early birthday gift...and it will reveal our trip for next week

:cool1:
Thanks for reading along! How did your reveal go? Its so much fun!

Following along! Your girls are adorable, and I love the Inside Out shirts!!
Thank you! My oldest is a huge Inside Out fan and she really wanted those shirts. We had such fun meet, they really went crazy over our shirts.

Following along. We were there over Christmas as well and it is such a special time. Can't wait to hear more.
Great to have you along. I was definitely expecting the worst, but we had such a wonderful time. It really makes for a magical Christmas!
 
The Best Christmas Gift Ever!
I had planned all along to surprise the girls with the trip for two reasons. The first being I didn't want to disappoint them if the trip had to be canceled for some reason. The second, was because ever since I had Sug I dreamed of a big surprise trip to Disney. The problem with a surprise trip is that I have a big mouth and when I get excited about something, I talk about it a lot. Sug picked up on Disney talk here and there but drew her own conclusion that she would be going over her birthday in June. I didn't correct her, so she thought we were going to Disney then. I came up with the plan one day when we were at the Disney store in Oct. Sug was so mesmerized by the rolling suitcases and declared that was one of the things on her wish list for Christmas. Then I thought perfect! She will get her suitcase and it will also serve to announce the trip to her. I ordered two suitcases from Kohls, a Frozen one for Sug and a princess one for Pearl.

I also stared in the fall working on our wardrobe for Disney. Sug often watches me sew and would comment, "When are we going to wear that?" I would fold up the item put it in a big box in the closet and tell her later, or this summer, or someday. She never questioned me any farther. Sug has been asking in the past few months to learn to sew. I figured I was about her age when I started so, I told her over thanksgiving weekend I would teach her. I decided her first project would be the same as the one I started with in my teaching days, a pillowcase. I had planned on making autograph pillowcases for the trip and I though it would be even more special if she made her own. So without telling her what the case was for, I told her she would be making a Minnie Mouse pillow case. She also made one for Pearl. She was so proud of herself!
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I told her we would put Walt Disney World on it since she wanted to go there so badly. Not sure what I'm going to do when she gets older and realizes when I'm full of it!:rotfl2:


So, as we got closer to Christmas, I was getting more and more excited. I was almost as excited for the big reveal as I was for trip itself. On Christmas eve, Bob went to the dollar store and got balloons to pop out of the suitcases for the big moment, and then I wrapped them. I put them all the way in the back of the tree because I wanted them to open them at the same time. I barely slept the night before Christmas because I was so excited. We stay out late Christmas Eve so the girls sleep in on Christmas morning, and I'm a mean mommy and make them wait to open presents until my dad arrives. He finally got there about 10 am and the girls began tearing into their gifts. Sug asked for three things, a suitcase on wheels, the Belle doll set from the Disney store and a Minnie on roller skates. Which she got all three, first the Minnie (that was her gift from Santa):IMG_6649[1].JPG

Then she got her Belle set:
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Pearl got a bunch of stuff too, just less Disney related:

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And then everything was open and finally, it was time for the big Reveal:

I'm very sorry for the poor video quality. I was a little emotional and more focused on the moment than the video.



Now, I know Sug was not screaming and jumping up and down, but she was super excited! She will never be the kind of kid that does that. Its just not who she is. She is quiet and reserved and takes things in before reacting. She quietly ate her breakfast after opening presents. While I was dong the dishes, she ran in and said "MOMMA, where are all those clothes you have been making, they will be perfect for the trip!" I pulled out the big box of them from the back of the closet. Before 1 pm that day she had all her Disney clothes I made her packed and her entire Belle set packed, because she needed to take that for sure! I really wish I would have taken a picture of her packing job because it was pretty hilarious. I asked her later if we ever go again would you rather be surprised like this time? Or know ahead of time, and she told me "Suprise me every time Momma, that was the best gift ever!"
Christmas day is pretty laid back for us. We used to always spend it with my mom's side of the family. But, my mom passed away last Aug (part of the reason the last year was so awful) and her family kind of decided since everyone was having kids it might be time for us all to spend Christmas with our own families. So, Christmas is the morning opening presents and breakfast with dad. He goes home for a bit and then comes back for dinner. Christmas without my mom is so so so hard for all of us. So, having this trip was so good for us. I think it was a little hard on my dad for us to be gone, but we asked him to go with us and he said he'd rather stay back and watch our dogs for us. We took all of our Christmas decorations down the next day and began getting things ready for our trip! We would be leaving late on Dec 27.

So, there you have the big reveal! It was a pretty special day.

Coming up: Day 0 The Most Exciting Boring Day Ever!


 
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Day 0 The Most Exciting Boring Day Ever

Travel Day, I know these are boring, but necessary!
We were driving to WDW this time. We usually drive. Last time we flew and I can honestly say we like driving better. It makes the vactation seem longer and helps build the excitement. Plus, we like having a car when we get there. We also like being on our own schedule.
We finally made it to December 27, the day I had been anticipating for nearly 2 years! Most of us (besides Sug, lol) put off packing until today. So our goal for the day included packing, a few errands, dropping the dogs off, a nap for Bob since he would be driving all night, and then we would leave around 12am. Our hope was the girls would spend most the way there sleeping.
I got most of the packing done by 3pm. However, I realized that Pearl really needed socks and I had a few other last minute things I needed from Target. So, the girls and I loaded up the dogs and we left Bob at home to get some rest before our drive. We dropped the dogs off at my dad's house first. I am extremely close to my dad. I was very close to mom too, and I felt bad leaving him during the holidays. He assured me he would rather stay back with our dogs. We stayed and visited with him for about an hour, I wanted to keep the kids out of the house so Bob could actually sleep. After Dad's we stopped at Target. I picked up some socks for Pearl, some toiletries that we needed, and a half gallon of milk that would fit in our cooler for Pearl. Sug really wanted a Doc toysponder to complete her Doc outfit for our Hollywood and Vine breakfast, because of my extremely good mood this day, I allowed her to talk me into that silly thing. We stopped at Steak and Shake on our way home and got some dinner. We arrived home around 6:30, and the girls woke Bob up right away. We ate our dinner quickly and started doing our trip prep. I finished up packing for myself and the girls. Bob finished for himself and began packing the car. I went around the house unplugged things and turned the heat down a bit. It seemed like before we knew it we were all packed an ready to go.
We took a few things:
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One thing Sug was really excited about was sleeping in the car, she wanted to wear PJs and be tucked in with blankets and pillows. About 9:30 I told them it was time for them to put their PJs on. They were a little excited.
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By 9:45 everyone was in their seats and we were on our way! We were 2 hours and 15 minutes a head of schedule. A first for our family!


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I also documented the temperature as we went along because I am a dork like that:
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See ya later cold!

Our drive was totally uneventful, which after having many eventful drives in my life, I can tell you is a very good thing. Pearl was asleep almost immediately. Sug watched some downloaded movies on the I-pad until about 1 am and then finally fell asleep. Around 3am we were approaching Nashville and in need of gas. We stopped at a gas station. I wanted to use the restroom but it didn't look like it was the best area, so we drove a little longer and found a McDonlads to stop and get some coffee and use the restroom. The girls were still fast asleep. I slept on and off and around 5am we were in the mountains, Sug woke up and we went stopped at a rest stop to use the bathroom. Pearl slept through all the stops. Sug went back to sleep and we drove on. Around 8 am we got to Atlanta. The girls were starting to wake and Bob was getting sleepy. We stopped for some breakfast at Chick-Fl-A, we enjoyed a great breakfast and I got a frosty coffee for the road.
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It was getting warmer:
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We also filled up the gas tank and I took over driving so Bob could get a little sleep.

We got pretty close to the Florida/Georgia Line and I was getting pretty sleepy, so we switched drivers. I slept on and off and when we crossed into Florida I woke up. I would have liked to stop at the Welcome center to stretch our legs and get some OJ, but Bob kept on driving. We were getting hungry again when we approached Jasper, FL so we stopped at Wendy's. It was after noon and the girls were still in their PJs. But they were happy!
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We let them run around after lunch while Bob got gas. We got back in the car and took this:

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We got back on our way. We hit some traffic about two hours outside of Orlando. Sug declared she had to just the bathroom RIGHT NOW as we entered the traffic.:sad2:
So we got off the highway. The first gas station wasn't open. The second one was we went inside and there was a long line for the ladies room. Sug was starting to cry she had to go so bad. The lady behind me suggested we check the men's room to see if it was empty. It was a single bathroom. I took her in the mens room. Sug didn't like this. She is a rule follower and did not like the idea of going into the wrong restroom. But the need to go potty became more important than the "rules".
We got back in the car and we only had about 2 more hours to go. As we got closer GPS suggested a route that would be 8 minutes faster, so we thought what the heck, lets go that way.

At this point it was nearing 3pm and we still hadn't gotten our room is ready text. I was starting to wonder what was going on with that.

As we were getting closer we were going through a residential area, it looked nothing like the approach to WDW i remember, but our trusty GPS wouldn't let us down. We got to about 15 mins left to go and I was starting to worry our shortcut was going to take us in a back way and we wouldn't go under those beautiful, welcoming arches. Sure enough, I started seeing WDW storage facilities and a big employee lot and the next thing I knew we saw this:
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So, it was sort of an anticlimactic moment. But the girls didn't know any different and they were super excited to be there. We still hadn't gotten a text about our room, so we pulled up front and I went to the lobby to see what was going on.
And I'm going to leave you there for now. Thanks for sticking with me through the boring parts. It gets better from here, I promise!

Next Up: We Have Arrived!
 
Day 1: We Have arrived!
I left you just as we were pulling into the POFQ around 5:30 pm. We still hadn't revived our room text, so our first order of business was to stop in the lobby and get our room number. I was actually kind of excited we had to go into the lobby, because it helps build the anticipation. I ran into the lobby while Bob and the girls stayed in the car. The CM at the desk checked our magic band and said we were in building 1 room 1215. They showed me on the map how to get to the parking lot for that room. I looked at the map and was a little bummed about our location. I had requested 1st floor and close to the lobby and this room was neither one. But, the FQ is such a small, compact resort that it wasn't a bad location. We drove around parked and set out to find our room!
We found it and Sug wanted to be the first one to use her magic band and let us in

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We began settling in and I got two pics of the room before we made ourselves at home

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I wish I had taken some more. But we were very anxious to get on with our evening. The girls were still in their nightgowns from the night before.
We had some many bags and Bob went to the front desk to see if he could get a cart or something to help him bring the bags in. The bellman said he would meet Bob at our car and car everything up. While he was gone I called to see about getting the pack and play for Pearl to sleep in. Within no time Bob and the bellman were back with all our luggage. We all changed into fresh clothes and got ready for the evening. We needed to pick up our rental double stroller and we were starving at this point, so we made our way to the main building. We rented a double stroller from Kingdom strollers and picking it up could not have been easier. It was ready and waiting for us. This was a much better option than dragging our stroller with us, and we liked having the option to put Sug in the stroller as well. Next, we went to Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory food court for dinner. My first impression was this place is very confusing. We weren't really sure what was included with the dining plan or exactly how to order. After a few minutes of trying to figure it out, we decided our first order of business would be getting our refillable mugs. Sug and I both wanted pink and rather than convincing her to get a different color we got two pinks, Bob got a blue one, and we purchased a purple one for Pearl. Since POFQ now has the freestyle machines, there would be some drink options, like flavored water that she could drink. After we got our mugs, we went to fill them up. Bob and I both got a coke, Sug got a Sprite with some sort of flavor added (she loved the freestyle machines) and a Hi-C for Pearl. We told Sug the kids meal choices and Bob went in to get food for himself and the girls, while I took the girls to find a table. We picked one near the area with a kids coloring table and a TV playing cartoons. Sug settled in to color while waiting for her food. I put Pearl in the high chair and she was entertained by people walking by. Several of the CMs brought her Madris Gras beads which kept her happy. The food took FOREVER here. Which is great because its all fresh, but stinks when you have hungry kiddos. Bob finally came back with jambalaya and a king cake for him and a kids pizza for the girls to split. He had some trouble paying because he couldn't remember the PIN he set a long time ago. The CM was kind and let him eat first and then work out the PIN at the front desk and come back and pay. I went up to get my food while the kids and Bob ate. I ordered a shrimp Po Boy sandwich and chips. I thought you only got a side or dessert with dining plan and I thought the chips meant I didn't get a dessert so I went to pay. The CM at the register told me I did get a dessert and could come back after I ate to get it, she put a special stamp on my receipt. We all got milks for our drink at every meal to keep in the fridge for Pearl. I went back to the table and bob and kids were all done, Pearl was fast asleep. Sug said she will still hungry so Bob went back to straighten out his PIN and got Sug another pizza. I was done, and went back and got bengiets for my dessert to go. We packed up and started heading back to the room. Sug ate about half of the pizza on the way back to our room before falling alseep. I had read before you could get adult meals for kids at the QS locations but I wasn't ready to test that theory yet, however we did later in the trip which worked so much better for sharing.
After returning to our room we were beat and both girls were sleeping. The pack and play was still not in the room. So, I called about it again. While we were waiting for the pack and play we carefully changed the girls into clean PJs. Finally the pack and play arrived. Both girls woke a little while while I changed them but easily fell back asleep when tucked in.
Bob and I took turns showering. Bob went right to sleep and I updated my trip journal and chatted with a friend back home before turning in myself.

I'm sorry for the lack of pics during this update, we were so exhausted we were just kind of surviving.

Coming Up Soon, Bob Gets His Own Christmas Wish
 
That was the biggest reason I wanted to write this TR. There aren't a lot out there during this time frame. And yes its crowded, yes its not for the faint of heart, but it can be pretty amazing too! I wanted to share our story so if you are debating on going during this time it might help you decide if its right for you or not. I will not sugar coat things, I'm going to tell you exactly how it is, the good and bad.
True, I've rarely seen TRs from that time period. I don't know we'd ever go then, but this should be interesting to read.

she is 5 1/2 years old (that half is very important to her!)
Haha, Izzy turns 4 1/2 tomorrow and it is like a full birthday in her mind. We have cake in the fridge. :cake: :rotfl:

I decided her first project would be the same as the one I started with in my teaching days, a pillowcase. I had planned on making autograph pillowcases for the trip and I though it would be even more special if she made her own. So without telling her what the case was for, I told her she would be making a Minnie Mouse pillow case. She also made one for Pearl. She was so proud of herself!
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That's pretty awesome! And she officially knows more about sewing than I do. :rotfl2: I am so impressed with all the clothes you make! :worship:

"Suprise me every time Momma, that was the best gift ever!"
Aw, glad she appreciated the effort so much!

The lady behind me suggested we check the men's room to see if it was empty. It was a single bathroom. I took her in the mens room. Sug didn't like this. She is a rule follower and did not like the idea of going into the wrong restroom. But the need to go potty became more important than the "rules".
Ha, I can see Izzy reacting this way too. But she'd probably be cool with it if daddy took her in there. :scratchin

Since POFQ now has the freestyle machines
Oooh, I didn't know there were freestyle machines. Are they at other resorts too? :confused:

Can't wait to hear more!
 
Hi Jackiemarie! I followed your 2013 trip report and glad to see you have a new one. I know you had a rough couple of years with your mom. You really needed this trip.

The girls are adorable and what a talented seamstress you are!

I guess I never realized how long a drive St. Louis to Orlando takes.

I love POFQ. Definitely my favorite moderate.

We were in Disney in January and also on the dining plan. I think it changed in 2017 that you no longer get dessert with the quick service meals, but get an extra snack credit each day. You can use a snack credit for dessert. Did your plan change in the middle of your trip?

We've often considered going during Christmas, so I'm looking forward to reading more about your trip. Ready for the honesty, too!
 
True, I've rarely seen TRs from that time period. I don't know we'd ever go then, but this should be interesting to read.


Haha, Izzy turns 4 1/2 tomorrow and it is like a full birthday in her mind. We have cake in the fridge. :cake: :rotfl:


That's pretty awesome! And she officially knows more about sewing than I do. :rotfl2: I am so impressed with all the clothes you make! :worship:


Aw, glad she appreciated the effort so much!


Ha, I can see Izzy reacting this way too. But she'd probably be cool with it if daddy took her in there. :scratchin


Oooh, I didn't know there were freestyle machines. Are they at other resorts too? :confused:

Can't wait to hear more!
Awe thank you:blush:
I'm so glad to have you along for our tale! Its an interesting time of year to go, thats for sure.

I never thought about that, but Bob takes her in those types of men's rooms from time, I wonder why she is okay with that?

YES! POFQ has the freestyle machines, they just put them there in the renovation that took place over the fall. Boy Charlotte had a blast trying out new flavors with that.


Hi Jackiemarie! I followed your 2013 trip report and glad to see you have a new one. I know you had a rough couple of years with your mom. You really needed this trip.

The girls are adorable and what a talented seamstress you are!

I guess I never realized how long a drive St. Louis to Orlando takes.

I love POFQ. Definitely my favorite moderate.

We were in Disney in January and also on the dining plan. I think it changed in 2017 that you no longer get dessert with the quick service meals, but get an extra snack credit each day. You can use a snack credit for dessert. Did your plan change in the middle of your trip?

We've often considered going during Christmas, so I'm looking forward to reading more about your trip. Ready for the honesty, too!

So happy to have you along again!
Yes we needed this and it was the magical time will all were ready for!

For whatever reason we can really make a drive take a LONG time! Stick around for the drive home, that one really took a looooong time! :sad2:

Our dining plan stayed the same throughout our trip. But that first meal was so confusing! It had been three years since we used the dining plan and I couldn't remember what was included, but I hadn't bothered to do much research. I didn't anticipate that helpless feeling. :scared: I guess thats what nondisers feel like?
 
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The First Full Day, Part 1: Bob Gets His Own Christmas Wish

So, if you stuck through all the boring stuff, yay! Its time to get to the real trip details!
I feel as though I should start each day out with was planned vs what actually happened, because spoiler alert: my well thought out plans didn't work out so well! :rotfl2:I really thought I had provided us with enough rest time and relaxation, but there's so many things you can not anticipate when traveling with children, and some of them came up.

So, with that said I'll start off Dec. 29! We were heading to EPCOT, I wanted a day at EPCOT and MK to enjoy the Christmas stuff before they took it all down. But we were all so tired from our long journey we didn't set an alarm. I woke about 8 and looked through Facebook and checked over our plans. Around 9 when no one else was even stirring I realized our 11 am FP wasn't happening. :eek:
So, as I waited on everyone, I adjusted our FP selections, Living with the Land now at 1:15, and SSE at 6:00, our FEA was the only FP not adjusted, because theres no way to change that one. Finally shortly after 9 Bob and Sug woke up. They went to get coffee in our refillable mugs while I got ready and waited for Pearl to wake up. While they were out, Bob ran into another Disney dad who was checking out. He asked Bob if he liked beer, of coarse Bob said he did, he told him he had a couple of beers he could have since he couldn't take them on the plane. So, this is what Bob came back with:
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Disney people are always so nice!

Shortly after Bob's wish was granted, Pearl made her
appearance:

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and she insisted on putting her mardi gras beads on immediately after waking.

After everyone had a small in room breakfast and we were ready to head out about 11:30.
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Side note, I'm pretty sure Sug had grown 6 inches since the summer and all her shorts were sooo short. I didn't buy any new ones for the trip because I didn't know if it would actually be warm enough for shorts, and it was, lol.
And as soon as we made it to the elevator, Sug had to go to the restroom. So we told her we would stop on the way to the bus. Which we did. And we were finally on our way!


We made it to the bus stop and I was excited to see they had a TV screen displaying anticipated bus arrivals. However, it was very frustrating to watch the arrival time change a bunch of times. It started at 11:40 and bounced around and finally said 12:12, which is when it arrived. We got settled on the bus and started talking to a nice family from New Jersey. They had arrived a few days before us and seemed to be enjoying their trip.
The bus ride seemed really short (actually all of them did!) and we were arriving at EPCOT! We got in a security check line, they were all very long, so we found the shortest one. The shortest one was actually the stroller line, great we had a stroller! Nope, the security CM was insisting that only one adult could go in that line with the stroller. The problem was she was so quiet about it, we didn't hear it until we were second from the front of the line. Now, I'm a rule follower so my first instinct was to go get in a regular line, but I looked behind me and they were all LOOOOOOONG like super long, I wish I had taken a pic. and I thought I have been standing here for 20 minutes, surely if I'm nice and explain I wasn't trying to break the rules, I just didn't hear her she would let me through. She didn't want to, but she took pity on me and let me through. I promised her I learned my lesson and would do the right thing next time.
So, we made it up to the mickey scanners and for the first time ever used magic bands to enter the park! All our bands worked and we were in! Words can not accurately describe the way I felt at this moment! We had worked so hard for this and we were so happy!
Both girls were immediately in awe of the Spaceship Earth "Ball", Pearl exclaimed "ball ball"! Our FP was at 1:15 for living with the land and by the time we made it to ball ball it was 12:40. We had no idea what we would encounter so we decided to go straight there. After parking the stroller and walking into the land it was 12:50 and the FP line for Living with the Land looked so long so we went ahead and got in. It was not long, and at 12:55 we were at the front of the line. The CM told us to stand to the side for 5 mins and he would let us through. So within no time we were on our boats. The girls loved it and wanted to ride again when we got off, but we had an octoberfest to get to! No time for that today!
Up next: Back to our German Roots
 
I love that guy's definition of a "couple" beers! Talk about getting sprinkled with pixie dust!

Super cute shirts on the girls!

My daughter had a stroller with her in January, but I don't remember any specific lines for just strollers. How strange that only one adult could go through that line with the stroller, especially one with two kids in it. Why split up a family?
 

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