"Baby It's Cold Outside.." "Not if you had not shown your behind to the World."

[reesecup]

I'm giving doing a trip report another go. First time around, was so-so but I'm trying it again and this time I have pictures!!

So, grab some hot chocolate, sit by the fire, relax and read...Cause Baby It's Cold Outside.... (yes, this will eventually be explained)

Chast of Characters (and believe me, we are some characters)

Me: 42 (yes, I had to sit for a bit and think on that....but , yep, that's my age). Mom of 2 who loves writing, laughing, photography, cooking good food and eating lots and lots of great food and of course Disney.

DH: 46 (he only wishes I had to think for a bit on it), father of 2 who loves the outdoors, landscaping, fishing, beer (after all, those two go hand in hand, don't they)?, eating my cooked food and of course Disney.

DD: 17: (Uggggh...she won't let me forget her age) mother of ?? in the future, who loves reading, chasing after dead bodies (no, she is not all weird. She just loves CSI work and forensics), reading, NOT cheerleading (but is always asked if she is one), eating my food, eating food at Disney (especially the strawberry tarts in Paris. And yes, there will be a pic. later), the beach, and of course Disney.

DS: 16 (yep, can't forget that birthday either, especially every time I get in the car with him to drive )....father of ?? in the future, who loves art, animation, cinnamon buns and all other sweets, and of course Disney of which he hopes to work for one day and work on 2D. He wants to make 2D popular again.

Yes, that's it. Only 4 of us, but you would think about 8 at least.

The trip: A Christmas trip for 2010. Yes, that's last year, not this year, folks. I'm such a procrastinator. But, unlike my age, I will remember the parts of this trip. It helps that I have a few notes and the pictures bring back the memories.

Oh, and I'm sure you are wondering who, exactly of our group, showed their behind to the World; Disney World, that is. Well, you will just have to keep reading to find out.

But, here is the first hint.....it was not THIS guy....the son, you know, the artsy one!

[/IMG]

This was our very first day. Taken at Old Key West. I know, the picture is big. I'll work on that for the next one.

 

[reesecup]

So, after the initial surprise a week before, we finally had the car loaded and pulled out of the driveway in the wee hours of the morning.
Now, let me just say, I do NOT love to ride.
But, I do have to say the drive was not all that bad. Construction in Georgia was completed from the last trip down.
Plus, our DS keeps us entertained most of the time.
We were heading into Orlando and he noticed a lady in the car beside us texting while driving.
He was not happy and soon he rolled the window down, stuck his head out and pointed his finger at her and said, "Shame on you. You should not text and drive."
We told him he should not stick his head out of a window.
We lost her at some point. Guess that was good but I really do NOT like texting and driving.
What I do LOVE is Disney though and we finally pulled in at the Old Key West resort.
The resort seemed very nice. It's just a little out of the way from our favorite parks though.
I handed my husband the credit card and other information (I'm telling you this for future reference) and we headed in.
We loved the decorations and especially loved the Christmas tree so of course I took a picture. Here you go!

Check-in was quick and we soon headed to our room. The room was very nice. Sorry, I don't remember the room number but I'll see if I can find out. It was close to one of the pools though.

Here's a short of part of the pool:

Well, it went back to big pictures. I resized but not sure why it showed up this large. I'll work on future pictures again.

Anyway, so we decide Downtown Disney will be best for the night. We goofed off in the room a bit...Here's proof: CHILDREN DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME..


It may cause them to turn into / do this:

Like I said, they were getting a little "goofy".

We decided to start getting ready to head to DTD! I began getting things together. THIS is when I began searching for the credit card. We searched through everything; in the room, in the car, everywhere.
After an hour or so of doing this, we finally decided to call the desk. Yep, sure enough, some very nice, honest people, turned it in. Remember I told you that I handed it to my husband? Well, he stuck it in his shirt pocket and must have leaned over and it fell out in the parking lot. He is notorious for this!!

All was good so we headed on our way.

We have a very nice time; went in some shops and had dinner at Raglan Road. I thought it was pretty good but not my favorite. I had the shepard's pie. We shared the bread pudding. I would say it was OK but not really what my hopes had been set on. The entertainment was great (Irish dancers). I kind of liked this shot I got of the back of a little girl.

Here are a couple of pictures of our food: First is the Shepard's Pie and second is the bread pudding.

OK. I'll end with that for now. The pictures are driving me crazy. I'm resizing in photobucket but they are still showing up large (except for the first one).

 

[reesecup]

Now that my frustration has subsided some, I'll post a little more.

We had a great time at DTD but decided to head in since the morning would come very early and we would be heading to Beach Club Villas!! (which sits in between our very favorite parks; EPCOT and Hollywood Studios... well, they are all our favorites for different reasons but at the age of the kids, these are the ones we spend the most time in. DS loves AK too).

Here's a picture on the lovely bus trip back to the resort:



DS really does take some serious pics sometimes. Well, once every blue moon!

He may be very goofy but he sure can draw and take some great pictures. I'll leave you today with this one. I have a Nikon D90 and I took this same picture. He used his phone and captured this. I could NEVER do that with a phone (well, and I couldn't do it with a Nikon..haha).....Enjoy! It's one of my favorite pictures from Disney ever on any of our trips!

Of course, it's the one I wanted to show you guys larger and it came through smaller....go figure! haha. If anyone can tell me why the ones I'm resizing to smaller, are still coming through large, please let me know. Thanks.

The next post will have Beach Club Villa pictures!! With food pics

Oh, and by the way....we first heard "Baby It's Cold Outside" at OKW, one of our many, MANY times we heard this play throughout the resort.

And, our DD is NOT the one who showed her behind, so we are down to only 2 other candidates..hmmmmmmm

 

[reesecup]

Just a side note: I noticed my pictures are smaller today (much smaller)....I'm so confused and it's not just because I'm blonde!

The morning came quickly just as we figured it would.

And it was time to pack up and head to Beach Club Villas for the remainder of our trip.

We were so excited because we've been wanting to stay at this resort for awhile. Our past stays have been at:
BWV, SSR, AKL, All-Star Movies, Dolphin and Swan and OKW

So far, I believe this was our very favorite but a close behind is BWV and AKL (just don't like the distance from EPCOT and Hollywood but love the atmosphere there). But what can I say?? We are certainly beach people! We love our toes in the sand!

Arrival:

We pull in:

We hop out to go check-in. You will NEVER guess what song we hear?!!! Yep, "Baby It's Cold Outside..." But, the good thing is, it really wasn't. It was chilly but not cold so we were happy!

The automatic doors opened and we stepped in to a showcase.

We were pleasantly surprised at all of the GORGEOUS Christmas decorations!

The teenagers are doing well at this point. They are making momma happy by posing for these pictures. Believe me though, they are typical teenagers so this "happy to pose for these pictures for you mom," will change! Enjoy the smiles now!

But there was not a decoration that could compare to what I was about to witness. You noticed this last picture, the wonderful carousel?

Well, let me just say that the only family member we had to leave home was our beloved 14 year old, 3 legged, Jack Russell. Her name is LuLu and she is the Queen of the house!!

I walk over to the carousel after taking this last picture and lo and behold this is what I see first thing!!:

YES!!! My very favorite decoration!!

Have to run this morning but I'll be back with the room details.

We were all a bit puzzled of who had been sleeping in our room. Was it Goldilocks? My guess is Mickey because he also left a few treats in the kitchen he did not clean up. This story and of course MORE PICS including decorations, BCV resort pics, and our first day at EPCOT!! So, please stay tuned.

 

[reesecup]

Before we get to that question above, I'll first lead off with a picture. This was when the teenagers were still coping quite well with mom taking their pictures everywhere, even in a Christmas ornament!

I have a few more similar to this one but let's get on to business!
On for investigation of who exactly was sleeping in our bed!

So, on our first day at BCV, we finish our check-in and finish taking a few pictures....OK...a lot of pictures and we were ready to check out the room!

So we headed off in search of it. Finally we arrive to the room!


We all barged through the door so excited to the point that we kind of forgot that DH was loaded down with some bags.

First thing to check out? The view, of course!! So, I take off for the balcony. DH puts some bags in the floor so we can decide where they need to go. He does a few other things and by that time, I'm checking out the rest of the room.
I get to the bedroom and see the left side of the bed (looking at it) looks like someone just kind of slipped in it and then did not put it back together when they got up. The Mickey towel creation was even still in place. Here is the picture I took:

Odd, hmmm? Well, I asked everyone if they happened to pull back the covers of the bed and get in. Of course no one did. Why would they do that? Well, my family would...but they didn't in this case.

So, we stood there scratching our heads. Then DH heads to the kitchen and says, "Well, I guess the guest was a little hungry too." This is what we found in the sink:

The kitchen towel was a little out of place and there was just a little bit of trash in the kitchen trash can. It looked a little like blood on a napkin on top so we did not investigate that any further. DH made the call to the front. They had no idea why things were like that. Neither did we because everything else was very clean. DH said he wondered if maybe the housekeeper had her child with her for some reason and was in another room cleaning it while the child was in here and she / he just forgot to go back through. Not really sure but I say it was Mickey and his friends trying to play a trick on us!

We are not over-complainers but it was nice we were moved right away.

Here is a picture of DD posing at the door to get the room number of our final room:



And here is one picture of the view:

I was kind of hoping for a view of EPCOT better but that was OK. We were happy.

We got settled in and were anxious to head to EPCOT which was wonderfully, only a 5 minute walk away!!!! Woooohoooooo

I'll get into our first day at EPCOT but for now I'll leave you with a FOOD PIC!!!

One of our very favorites: Beaches and Cream

This is the No Way Jose



DD and I shared this one!! We LOVE it!! Sure wish I had one right now but I don't guess it would help my healthier eating plan. If you are going to WDW and want to splurge though....this is a MUST!

DS got his own: the Milky Way Sundae

He did NOT want to share. He never does with his sweets! He's very protective of them. Soooooo, he was ready to dig in:

He figured out his plan and soon, he conquered

the very top:


I think he finally decided he would let me try it since I've never had that one before. You can tell he was a little willing by now in this next picture:

He completely finished it off!!!

And then..........wait for it........wait for it......... he had THIS!

Yes, everyone....THE KITCHEN SINK!!!!


OK...not really. Well, yes, it is the kitchen sink but we did NOT order this. It was another family that was the proud owners. In fact, you can see my son's reflection in the mirror in the picture.

Next will be pictures of EPCOT! And more pictures of BCV!

 

[reesecup]

Well, I'm not sure how many of you are actually reading this. There's some of you and none responding but hey, that's OK. I'm used to talking to myself so, I'll continue on:


Our fist day of EPCOT. We are early risers ( a little later than when the kids were younger just because getting a teenager to get out of bed at the crack of dawn is about as hard as pulling a train engine. Believe, me I've done both)!

We grab a quick breakfast. This is our kind of style. We usually have one nice meal a day whether that is breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Our meal for the day, we planned on, would be San Angel Inn. Although it's had mixed reviews, it has always been one of our favorites.

But for now, it was probably a protein bar, pop tarts for the kids or something of the sort.

We LOVED the fact that EPCOT was just right around the corner and especially that the entrance was right at FRANCE! It's our favorite. Why? One word : pastries!!! Of which I'll post pictures at some point. We visited there frequently!

But for now, we went the other way.

The kids jump in the phone booth for a quick pic.




"Mickey?Mickey? Are you there? Mom is making me take all these crazy pictures. Can you come get her, please??!!



And here's a first glimpse of DH:

And he's not even showing his behind. Well, it was not him either. So far, we have that it was neither of the boys that showed their behinds.

We get some more pictures while heading to Soarin'.





Can you believe how empty the park is?

Well, they were all at Soarin' and we took a mis-turn and got there later than we wanted. But, the wait still was not all that bad.

I really love that ride. Not my favorite but nice.

We headed to Test Track right after. I love that ride too but there is nothing that compares riding it for the first time. The first time was so awesome and I can't wait to take my grandkids on it some day.....ok, I can wait a little.

DH and the kids also rode Mission Space. I have a fear that I just will really not like that ride and don't even really want to try it.

Of course we did some of the other fun things around the park and then we left to go to Hollywood Studios!! Watch out Tower of Terror , we are on our way!

OK, so here is a side store about good 'ole Tower of Terror. The very first time we EVER rode it, I had no idea really of what to expect. This was our very first Disney trip back around 1999.

Well, I carried my coffee onto the ride. The operators did not say a word to me about not taking it on. Of course, I have been told many times, "Why would they think someone would actually have coffee in their mug and take it on the ride."
True. True.
But this gal did. Yep and I was scared to death of this ride. I beat my husband's arm so hard he said he would never sit beside me again on it.
Of course, he has because I make him.
I hid my face the whole time. And beat his arm the whole time.
The ride ends. We stand up. And there is coffee all over my pants and yes, in the seat. I felt so bad but made sure I let it be known it was the idiot in me that took the coffee on the ride. Not the scare in me that left something else behind.:blush

Over the years and our trips to WDW, I've had a love hate relationship with this ride. One of the years, I refused to ride it.
This trip, I decided I would put my big girl panties on and try it again.
First time: Head down, beating the husband's arm.
Second time: Head up a little but still beating the husband's arm.
Third time: Head up a little and no beating of the husband's arm. He said, "Finally!!"
Fourth time: Full blown looking out the window when it opens, throwing my hands in the air and loving the view and the ride.

If you are a TOT virgin. Go for it. Give yourself a few tries. I never thought I would love it as much as I do now.
Of course, on the next trip, I'll probably be back to square one. No coffee, but my husband better get that arm prepared!

After TOT, we decide to run over to one of my very favorites: Rock and Roll, baby!! I'll never forget seeing this ride take off for the first time. I never thought I could do it but with a little of squeezing (instead of beating) my husband's arm on take off, it quickly became one of my favorite.

I really love our Disney trips. They give me an excuse to release my frustrations on my husband.

Oh, how I wish I was right there right now, preparing to Rock and Roll!


I'll leave you today with a picture of me finally. And that dear husband of mine that tolerates abuse on our trips. He's a trooper sometimes.

I'll finish up my next post for this day which included our trip back to EPCOT for our dinner in Mexico!

 

[jenneth79]

Ok, who wouldn't want to subscribe with such a crazy title as that!

Looks like some great photos, although that IS odd with BC and your first room. (We had similar issues with YC).

Can't wait to read more!

 

[saintstickets]

Great start to your TR! Sign me up!

 

[Annal606]

You just saved me the trouble of reposting

 

[reesecup]

I have to apologize to my "2" followers of this trip report. It turned into a whirlwind here after I started this. From car accidents to health issues, to college preparations for my daughter and for UNCSA (University of North Carolina School of the Arts) interviewing for my son and so on and so on!!!

I do hope to do some more of the trip. It's just a crazy time for us.

By the way: my son got in for the high school program for the School of the Arts Visual Arts program. We are so very proud of him!!! His goal is to do animation with guess who????!!!!

AND our daughter got into her dream college!!!

So proud of her too. She's worked so hard. Anyway, I do apologize to any of you that were reading.

 

[saintstickets]

I have to apologize to my "2" followers of this trip report. It turned into a whirlwind here after I started this. From car accidents to health issues, to college preparations for my daughter and for UNCSA (University of North Carolina School of the Arts) interviewing for my son and so on and so on!!!

I do hope to do some more of the trip. It's just a crazy time for us.

By the way: my son got in for the high school program for the School of the Arts Visual Arts program. We are so very proud of him!!! His goal is to do animation with guess who????!!!!

AND our daughter got into her dream college!!!

So proud of her too. She's worked so hard. Anyway, I do apologize to any of you that were reading.

Don't you just hate it when life gets in the way of having fun? NP on the delay and congrats to your children! Looking forward to when you are able to restart your TR.

 

[Granfan]

I'm reading and enjoying your report. Waiting for the rest. BTW, all your family are so cute! And congratulations about your kids!