The Most Magical Time of Year! December 2018 TR Completed 5/8 New TR link!

[Araminta18]

How fun!! Just hanging out with family and enjoying the parks. Also your ears are ADORABLE.

*To those who buy things in Disney JUST to resell them*

I agree--BOO

In case you didn’t notice, DH was wearing a super cool and perfectly Hollywood Studios-themed Darth Vader Christmas sweater that I got him from Target for $15! (Was 40% off and then I had the 20% off Black Friday coupon so it was a great deal!) What I didn’t realize was that the light up feature was not a battery pack but motion activated so it pretty much went off all day long which was fine for most things but in the library of TOT Dan felt pretty self conscious of it and kept his hands over the lights! Hahaha

LOL that picture is AWESOME. Poor Dan!

 

[Cloe Colton]

We never spend enough time in Disney springs and by not enough time I mean I went there once for like an hour!

When everything was under the crazy construction I avoided DS like the plague! I had too many terrible experiences with crowds and no room to walk that I basically just wrote it off. But now that constructions complete it really has become a fun place again! I like that there's more to do there than just shopping too

Love the Kyle Ren interaction! Darth Vader meets in DLP I’m
Hoping to get a meet with him this spring! Maybe I’ll grab us some fun shirts....

It was definitely the best one I've had with him! The funnier thing is that Dan doesn't really know anything about Star Wars so I had to explain the significance of his shirt before we went in

Ugh I saw your post above about different touring style, we have a large family trip coming up and not going to lie I am a bit worried about that aspect! It’s about 10 people to many, I’m person 11.....

That's a lot of people! haha I mean big groups definitely work for some families and I'm sure its a lot of fun! Like I would LOVE to go with my whole immediate family which would be 8 people including significant others.

The downside to our group is that when we're together we are never like on a trip planned together, it's more like "Hey! We live in Florida and are going to crash your vacation for a few hours!" Which is fine but then you have worry about trying to get FPs together and they obviously have things that they want to do because its still a 1.5 hour drive for them so it just kind of ends up in this weird limbo lol plus, we are two families that have done Disney separately our whole lives so we obviously each have our own way of doing things so its hard when we try to get us all on one page!

Rocking the sunglasses inside look. Bold move, but it works.

Hahaha I totally didn't even notice he did that. I think I've just ignored it at this point because he always ends up doing it he claims his eyes are sensitive but I don't think I believe that

Yes they are the best! I stayed at CBR when it was under construction so they had the freestyle machines out actually in the room buildings and it was sooo nice not to have to walk all the way to the front for a drink. Plus SO many options!

That's awesome! They should really do that for all of the larger resorts. That was always my biggest complaint about Riverside because it was always such a hike to get a refill on pop!

Oooo what room was that??

I don't think he ever mentioned the name of the section! I just know it was in the Co Op and I spent the whole part of the vlog while he was in the room going "oh cute!" lol

Alright that's amazing.

SO CUTE

It was super fun! Of course Dan loved it because his Joy is his everything

Hey but it's a cute shirt. And you can never have too many Disney shirts.

Exactly!

Who knew benches would be all it takes to keep our men happy?

Right?

Huh that's weird.

They had SO many security booths open for bag check and only like two lines for no bags so I think it just got bottlenecked with everyone who gave one person all of their bags lol

HAHAHAHA this makes me laugh so much. I'm trying to imagine being in the dark queue for TOT just flashing lights everywhere.

It was hilarious

HAHAHAHA!!!! Totally spit out my drink when I read/saw this I laughed so hard!

Sounds like a great day so far, can't wait to read more!

It's probably one of my favorite pictures from the whole trip!

 

[Cloe Colton]

How fun!! Just hanging out with family and enjoying the parks. Also your ears are ADORABLE.

Thanks!!

I agree--BOO

So annoying!

LOL that picture is AWESOME. Poor Dan!

Thankfully he was a good sport! haha

 

[NJlauren]

When everything was under the crazy construction I avoided DS like the plague! I had too many terrible experiences with crowds and no room to walk that I basically just wrote it off. But now that constructions complete it really has become a fun place again! I like that there's more to do there than just shopping too

I think on our adults only trip in October we may go for dinner and drinks... we shall see

It was definitely the best one I've had with him! The funnier thing is that Dan doesn't really know anything about Star Wars so I had to explain the significance of his shirt before we went in

Haha! Love this! My DH doesn’t really get Star Wars either, I mean I like it just fine but he is all whatever. Yesterday I called to tell him they are opening Star Wars at wdw during our August trip (if I said galaxys edge he would have no clue what I was talking about) , and he goes so? We just won’t go..... I don’t think he really gets what I’m trying to say.

That's a lot of people! haha I mean big groups definitely work for some families and I'm sure its a lot of fun! Like I would LOVE to go with my whole immediate family which would be 8 people including significant others.

The downside to our group is that when we're together we are never like on a trip planned together, it's more like "Hey! We live in Florida and are going to crash your vacation for a few hours!" Which is fine but then you have worry about trying to get FPs together and they obviously have things that they want to do because its still a 1.5 hour drive for them so it just kind of ends up in this weird limbo lol plus, we are two families that have done Disney separately our whole lives so we obviously each have our own way of doing things so its hard when we try to get us all on one page!

Yeah it’s a lot of people, and it’s going to be an interesting dynamic, but the kids will have fun and me and DH go back less then 60 days later so I’m just going to take a deep breath and roll with it, not my normal style at all.

 

[amberdc1987]

Your drink looks so good!!! DH sweater is awesome! And a great price! I love Target!!

 

[Cloe Colton]

I think on our adults only trip in October we may go for dinner and drinks... we shall see

I think that sounds like a great idea!

Haha! Love this! My DH doesn’t really get Star Wars either, I mean I like it just fine but he is all whatever. Yesterday I called to tell him they are opening Star Wars at wdw during our August trip (if I said galaxys edge he would have no clue what I was talking about) , and he goes so? We just won’t go..... I don’t think he really gets what I’m trying to say.

Hahaha oh husbands! I've already resigned to the fact that I probably won't get to ride Smugglers Run on my trip in September. DH has a bladder the size of a pea so he doesn't really want to have to wait and I'll be honest, my limit for waiting is probably two hours max and thats even pushing it lol and I haven't waited that long for a new ride since pre-fastpass era for Test Track when it FIRST opened...and I spent the whole time fighting with my brother and driving my Mom crazy so we'll see how that ends up playing out!

Yeah it’s a lot of people, and it’s going to be an interesting dynamic, but the kids will have fun and me and DH go back less then 60 days later so I’m just going to take a deep breath and roll with it, not my normal style at all.

I feel like as long as you are willing to go with the flow AND you have a trip to look forward to that you can do everything you want you'll have a great time!

Your drink looks so good!!! DH sweater is awesome! And a great price! I love Target!!

It was delicious! Its one of my favorite drinks on property, and probably in one of my favorite spots too! Although, that will probably change once SWL opens lol

Isn't it perfect?? When I saw the deal I knew I had to get it! DH actually prefers when I just tell him what to wear so he didn't even care that it lit up! He actually ended up getting more compliments on his outfits this trip than I did

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Along the way we took a minute to look at the new Lego statues, I was really happy to see new ones up. The previous ones were definitely showing their age.

I am so glad to hear that they put up some new Lego statues! I loved the old ones when they first went up but they were so faded and ratty looking when I was there in June.

That's so cool!

 

[Cloe Colton]

I am so glad to hear that they put up some new Lego statues! I loved the old ones when they first went up but they were so faded and ratty looking when I was there in June.

Yeah they were definitely getting super faded and had like chunks broken off of them lol it was certainly nice to see new and fresh ones!

That's so cool!

Right?? I definitely found it worth the extra $0.50!

 

[suse66]

Every Christmas Eve, Grandpa would have us all over to his house to get presents from Santa. He would read us all Twas the Night Before Christmas and make us all to sing all of his favorite Christmas carols, his favorite being Silent Night. (We are not a family of singers so he would sometimes have us sing songs twice if they weren't up to his standards and Rudolph could not have the funny extras! )

Such a great memory about your Grandpa. Thanks for sharing it.

The boat ride took around 20 minutes which was a longer ride than an uber but definitely more enjoyable! It was nice to just sit and chat, we mostly reminisced about our Disney cruise and all of the things we would like to do on our next one. I guess being on the water will do that to you!

I am looking forward to that boat ride next week, it sounds so relaxing!

The coolest and most unique tree had to be the Haunted Mansion tree. I mean the Black Widow Bride was literally coming out of it!

Wow!

I did manage to get someone to take a picture of Dan and I in the trail by offering to take one of their group. This method usually works pretty well because more often than not people usually try to reciprocate! And if not, it just puts good vibes out into the world!

This is a great picture!

For our appetizer we ordered the deviled eggs and for our meals I got the thigh high chicken biscuits with cheese added and ranch on the side and Dan got the fried chicken.

The food all looks so yummy! Big portions too.

We also had an interesting experience with the bartender here because we asked if we could use the Tables in Wonderland card and she said we could she would just need a manager to approve it. We agreed to wait and it was no problem and then after she poured the drinks she cashed us out. I assumed she must have just done it without the manager’s approval but then realized after we walked away she did it without the discount. It wasn’t a whole lot of money but this is the third time a bartender in Disney Springs has given me a hard time about the discount. And it gives them an automatic tip! So I don’t know why it’s always such a huge deal

What is up with that??? I have heard many TiW cardholders say the same thing.

I was so excited when we got to the food court and saw that they had the Christmas refillable mugs available! (If you read my October TR you'll remember how bummed I was to miss out on the Halloween ones! Success!)

Love the Christmas mug!!

We ended up walking back over to the T-REX area and finding a brick wall to sit on and enjoy our coffees. It was nice just to sit, in the sun, in Disney while people watching and enjoy our coffees!

Those quiet relaxing moments are some of the best.

So I don’t want to give any spoilers away but we really enjoyed our experience! I think if you’ve never done any of the Void experiences before Star Wars is probably the most awe-inspiring of the two but the Wreck It Ralph experience was super fun too. And it actually had a game in it where you saw who “won” at the end.

Oh! Now I totally want to try the Wreck it Ralph version with DH in July!

I still am not over how gorgeous this restaurant is. Also, I would say if you are eating at Morimotos to try using OpenTable. Its really just a great way to get a reservation and also earn reward points!

This restaurant looks amazing!

Dan said one of his favorite moments of this trip was sitting by the fountain and finishing his beer while I shopped he's just a simple guy!

My DH would be the same.

After the march passed we hopped in line for a Photopass. Thankfully we were able to get all of our pictures done before the march came back!

Great pics!

Since we still had a bit of time before our dinner that night, I suggested heading over to Baseline taphouse to grab some drinks and snacks to just enjoy each other’s company.

I am trying Baseline next week and hope to try that cheese plate too.

 

[ariane37]

urprisingly, it actually took Dan longer to go through the no bag line than it did for me to get my bag checked!

I always laugh when this happens to Steve because when he does get through quicker, he gloats So I find it funny when he has to wait longer than me!

Even though I’m not a huge SW fan I still love this! The music really gets ya!

Same here, non SW fan but love the march. That music just takes over the park and you can't help but stop and watch.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

What a great day at HS! Your X-Mas sweaters are too cute! They made for some super cute pics.

 

[Cloe Colton]

I am looking forward to that boat ride next week, it sounds so relaxing!

It's great!! Definitely a huge benefit to staying at the Port Orleans resorts!!

Wow!

It was super cool!

This is a great picture!

The food all looks so yummy! Big portions too.

Everything was so good! Would highly recommend!

What is up with that??? I have heard many TiW cardholders say the same thing.

I honestly don't know! I've only really noticed it in Disney Springs, maybe managers aren't around as much? Whatever the reason its super annoying!

Those quiet relaxing moments are some of the best.

Definitely!

Oh! Now I totally want to try the Wreck it Ralph version with DH in July!

You should! It's so fun!

My DH would be the same.

At least they are easy to appease! haha

I am trying Baseline next week and hope to try that cheese plate too.

Its so good!!

I always laugh when this happens to Steve because when he does get through quicker, he gloats So I find it funny when he has to wait longer than me!

Haha right?? He was shocked when I was through before him!

Same here, non SW fan but love the march. That music just takes over the park and you can't help but stop and watch.

It's definitely cool! And I love that it really does appeal to all demographics!

What a great day at HS! Your X-Mas sweaters are too cute! They made for some super cute pics.

Thank you! I was actually happy when I saw the weather would be cooler for our trip so we could wear the Christmas sweaters! I had no warm weather plan b!

 

[cinderaimee]

Dan ended up finding one for me on eBay and getting it for me for Christmas because he knew how much I wanted it!

Aww what a good guy!

I love his amazing Darth Vader sweater, too!

Looks like a fun evening at HS, glad you survived sitting so close to super dangerous springy tail

 

[Cloe Colton]

Aww what a good guy!

I love his amazing Darth Vader sweater, too!

Looks like a fun evening at HS, glad you survived sitting so close to super dangerous springy tail

Hes the best he actually ordered it from the park after we had no luck in Hollywood Studios. I kept checking every store and he was actually happy I never found it since he couldn't cancel the ebay order

He got SO many compliments on this sweater! It was a great find, especially for the price! I'm sure if Disney sold something similar it would have been like $100! haha

Right? The three times we've ridden SDD we've been in the back row because they've always called out looking for groups of two, when the news came out that they removed them for safety reasons I was like well thats great! lol

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 2 Part 3 Saturday, December 15th

After our pit stop at Baseline, we wanted to get some more photos with the tree now that it would be lit up. There was a bit of a line but we passed the time taking selfies and pictures of Gertie and the tree!




The wait really wasn't long because they had multiple photopass photographers for the one line, I appreciated the efficiency!




The original plan was to head to Toy Story Mania next but in all honestly one of my main reasons for being in Hollywood Studios was to see the Sunset Greetings on the Tower of Terror so I suggested we head there next! I was worried that I might somehow miss it or not have enough time after TSMM. My favorite was definitely the Gingerbread scene!




I loved how they cycled through the shows super quick and that it didn’t just happen once a night.




My cousin was trying to get artsy



My only regret is that I feel like I wish I would have watched through the scenes twice. We only watched them once because I felt bad making my extended family watch it over and over. But there’s always next year right!

We were finally ready to hop in line for Toy Story Mania. The wait time had dropped to about 50 minutes which wasn’t great but most of the rides that we wanted to do were that wait time or higher so we were okay with it. Plus it gave us more time to chat in line!



I beat everyone of course hahaha I had jokingly told them how my Mom and sister claim I always cheat on TSM since I always win and when I won this time they said the same thing I swear if there is a way to cheat I’m not aware of it!



After TSM it was time for DH and I to head out. We had a dinner reservation to get to! We said our goodbyes for the night (we would be seeing them for lunch the next day too) and made our way out of the park.



Now if you recall when we walked into Hollywood Studios we just walked instead of taking the tram. And in all of our excitement to get into the park we completely forgot to remember or write down where we had parked We kind of knew where we were in relation to certain landmarks and I did take some pictures walking in which helped, too. Thankfully we weren’t parked too far into the row that it didn’t take us that long to find the car. The sad thing is this isn’t the first time we’ve done this! We did it in 2017 on our last day of our trip at EPCOT. We didn’t realize what we had done until we were out in the direct summer sun and heat but thankfully I had videoed our drive in and I was just able to make out what row we turned into. That was some serious luck!

Once we located our car, we quickly made our way back to the hotel to change into something a little nicer for dinner. Quick selfie before heading out!



Any guesses where we were headed?

California Grill of course!

We pulled into the Contemporary as Happily Ever After was starting. I was super thankful for TIW’s complimentary Valet at this point because it saved us the time of parking and walking in!

I

We checked in about five minutes early and were brought up right away so we could watch the fireworks until our table was ready.



There was another group checking in at the same time as us and basically barreled over us once we reached the top floor so they could go and watch the fireworks. I get it, that’s probably why you booked this reservation but the patio was already pretty full so they probably had to stand in front of someone to get a spot who had been there the whole time and it was just unnessary. Thankfully we were able to find an unoccupied spot for the two of us to enjoy the second half of the fireworks (which are my favorite anyway!)




We received a text while watching fireworks that our table was ready but we waited until they were over to head back in. DH was worried they would give our table away but I was pretty sure they probably knew exactly where we were! Lol




Now, the main reason we booked this reservation was because we absolutely LOVED the cowboy steak during our anniversary dinner in the summer. We were kind of bummed to find out they had removed this from the menu but we still managed to have an AMAZING meal!

To eat we ordered the Oak Fired Filet of Beef and the pepperoni pizza (I think?) with the intention of splitting everything. And boy, this steak did not disappoint!




Everything was just so unbelievably good! We were both full from what we had but since we only split an 8oz steak instead of the whopping like 19oz cowboy steak this time we did have room for dessert! Plus, it was so gorgeous and relaxing here with the decorations and the later reservation that we were in no rush to head out.



I had originally planned for us to maybe head to MK after dinner since they had upped the park hours to midnight but I’m so happy that I didn’t rush us through dinner to get there. It was just such a great night enjoying dinner together in a great atmosphere!




By the time we finished dinner it was almost 11 so we decided just to wander around the resort and take some pictures!


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As we made our way out towards valet to pick up our car I decided that I wanted pictures with their tree too! We started by just taking them by the valet area -




But then I figured, why not walk out there?! (Other than the fact that my feet felt like they were about to fall off but thats besides the point )







We had so much fun goofing around and taking pictures here. For most of the time it was just us out there which I feel like is so rare in Disney! It was a great way to end our night!​

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a nice end to your time at DHS! Love all the pics!

And a wonderful night at CG! I'm glad you got to see some of the fireworks and enjoyed your meal! Love the end of the night pics by the tree!

 

[Araminta18]

The wait really wasn't long because they had multiple photopass photographers for the one line, I appreciated the efficiency!

Dude that's brilliant. Disney should do this more often.

My only regret is that I feel like I wish I would have watched through the scenes twice. We only watched them once because I felt bad making my extended family watch it over and over. But there’s always next year right!

Dang, you'll just have to go back. Darn.

Hidden Mickey in the fireworks!!

We had so much fun goofing around and taking pictures here. For most of the time it was just us out there which I feel like is so rare in Disney! It was a great way to end our night!​

Your dinner and night looks amazing! We really need to get over to California Grill. Your pictures are so cute!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Sounds like a nice end to your time at DHS! Love all the pics!

And a wonderful night at CG! I'm glad you got to see some of the fireworks and enjoyed your meal! Love the end of the night pics by the tree!

This was probably one of my favorite dinners ever in Disney. It was so calm and relaxing, I had been worried about such a late reservation but it ended up being in our favor!

We had so much fun being silly and taking those pictures

Dude that's brilliant. Disney should do this more often.

Right?? The line was so quick because of it!

Dang, you'll just have to go back. Darn.

We may already have a tripped to go back for the same weekend this year

Hidden Mickey in the fireworks!!

I loved this picture for that reason!!

Your dinner and night looks amazing! We really need to get over to California Grill. Your pictures are so cute!

You definitely do! This dinner solidified it as my favorite restaurant on property, I would highly recommend it to anyone!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I swear if there is a way to cheat I’m not aware of it!

It's just mad skillz, man. Mad skillz.

Thankfully we were able to find an unoccupied spot for the two of us to enjoy the second half of the fireworks (which are my favorite anyway!)

Isn't it amazing how you were able to find a spot without being rude and pushing people around?? Huh, who would have thought it was possible...

By the time we finished dinner it was almost 11 so we decided just to wander around the resort and take some pictures!

CUTE pants!!

Okay by now I've seen like 157 amazing reviews of California Grills so I'm for sure adding it to our plans on our next trip.

 

[Cloe Colton]

It's just mad skillz, man. Mad skillz.

Exactly!

Isn't it amazing how you were able to find a spot without being rude and pushing people around?? Huh, who would have thought it was possible...

Ha right? I pity the people who they more than likely ended up blocking!

CUTE pants!!

Thank you!! From Lulus! (love lulus and their free online returns! ) they were also VERY comfy

Okay by now I've seen like 157 amazing reviews of California Grills so I'm for sure adding it to our plans on our next trip.

DO IT! You won't regret it, the view and atmosphere alone are amazing!