WDW Dec. 2008 Trip Report - Day 8

The morning of Day 8 was a morning I wished would never come, but come it did.

After a morning of packing, we checked out of the Grand Floridian and drove our car to Epcot. I had never actually driven to a park before, having used Disney transportation exclusively up to this point. It wasn't bad at all, especially since I had a AAA preferred parking pass. We parked very close to the entrance - no need for trams.

This day (well, half-day) would be very similar to yesterday - much of my time would be taken up by Mousefest, specifically the Mega Mouse Meet.

But first things first. I wanted to hit a few attractions before trekking to the Yacht Club Convention area for the Mega meet. We got into Epcot just after rope drop, so we were able to catch another run on Test Track without needing a Fastpass. My daughter who said she wouldn't go on Test Track again after her first ride, was eager to go again. One more trip on Spaceship Earth and it was time for me to head over to the Mega Mouse Meet.

This was my first ever Mega Mouse Meet. At yesterday's Podfest, I had talked with Beci Mehnkin from MEI/MouseFan Travel about how amazed I was with how many people were at Mousefest (this being my first one). She said "Wait until you see the crowd at the Mega Mouse Meet." Now that I was at the Mega Mouse Meet (MMM for short), I can see she was right. There were a ton of people there. I quickly gained a new perspective for just how many serious Disney fans are out there. The line just to meet Steve Barrett and Lou Mongello were huge! I also meet Ricky Brigante from the Inside The Magic podcast as well as the folks from WDWToday, AllEars.net and so many more. I had a chance to speak with Fred Block from the

MagicMeets event planned for later this summer. It was while at the MMM that I convinced myself that I need to go to MagicMeets. More to come on that later.

After waiting for two sessions of the door prize raffle (in which I think three times as many no-show numbers were called than actual people), I had to tear myself away from the crowd and catch up with the family in France.

I hustled back through the International Gateway and made my way across the bridge. I knew my family was planning to see Pierre Noel's talk at the France pavilion and, sure enough, as I crossed the bridge, I saw my wife and kids right up front. I quickly whipped out my camera and started shooting, glad I made it in time.

We walked over to the American Adventure pavilion and had our final meal at Walt Disney World at the Liberty Tree Inn. We also happened to catch some great holiday sales that started that morning -- 50% off all holiday items. We snagged several ornaments and then made our way back to the front of the park, slowing making our way around the far side of World Showcase for one last time.

After a quick stop inside MouseGears for some last minute Christmas items and a stop at a snack stand to cash in some remaining snack credits, our time at Walt Disney World had come to a close.

I turned, as I had done in my last two trips and said a silent farewell to Spaceship Earth. "I will be back," I whispered to myself.

And I mean it.

With that, we walked out of the park, climbed in the van and began the long trek back to Virginia (with an overnight stop in Savannah, Ga.).

Right now, I don't know when I will return "home" to Walt Disney World. I can tell you it will be as soon as I can manage it, perhaps for Mousefest 2009.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at my week at Walt Disney World in December 2o08. I know I've really enjoyed telling you this story.

In the meantime, I hope you will keep checking back as I bring you more from this and previous trips including tips, restaurant and resort reviews, news and whatever else I come up with.

WDW Dec. 2008 Trip Report - Day 7

Our final full day at Walt Disney World was a cold one at first (well cold by Florida standards, just a bit chilly by Virginia standards). We caught an early bus to Animal Kingdom and got into the park early to enjoy Donald's Breakfast Safari at the Tusker House.

Like Hollywood and Vine, we were able to walk through a portion of the park (Oasis to Discovery Island to Africa) before the park opened. It was quite nice to stroll along and enjoy some of the sights without all the crowds.

This was my first visit to the Tusker House, and I really didn't know what to expect. When we entered the main buffet area (shown above), I was totally blown away with the intricate detail put into the theming. The food offered was very similar to many other character breakfasts, but the theming of this place put it at number one for character breakfasts in my book (even above Cinderella's Royal Table). Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Minnie and Goofy are here decked out in Safari outfits. We especially had a great server, Neal, who played along with our kids and even took a few pictures for us. He was an experienced photographer and helped me get some lighting settings fixed on my camera. That was a plus!

After the Tusker House, we went back to the entrance and caught a bus to Hollywood Studios (we were just about the only ones on the bus). We had to get to the studios so early because I had a very special lunch engagement, which I'll get to in a minute.

We managed to find a fairly short standby line for Toy Story Mania (about 30-40 minutes), which gave us a chance to see the Mr. Potato Head animatronic. This is a very good and very realistic character that actually interacts with guests using Don Rickle's voice. This also leads to my one major criticism of Toy Story Mania. If you happen to get FastPasses, you don't even get to SEE Mr. Potato Head. The FastPass line doesn't go anywhere near this outstanding character.

From TSM, we quickly crossed the park and took one more flight to Endor on Star Tours and then it was time for me to go my own way. My family booked something special for me for Christmas -- lunch with an Imagineer at the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant.

This was an awesome experience!! I had lunch with Alex Caruthers (he's on the right in the photo above), the art director for the Magic Kingdom. We sat in a special side room of the Brown Derby reserved for visiting dignitaries and celebrities. There were seven guests and Mr. Caruthers - and that was it. The eight of us slowly made our way through a four-course meal (including the infamous Cobb salad!) while we talked about all things Disney.

Mr. Caruthers told some wonderful stories about his time with Disney, including his work on the refurbishment of the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and more. I was fascinated with his role as the art director for the Magic Kingdom. I thought an art director was like a head "artist," like in drawing or painting, but I couldn't have been further from the truth. Mr. Caruther's background is in photography (like me) and his primary purpose is to review the visual look and feel of anything in the Magic Kingdom, from attractions to restaurants to stores to even signs. I realized that in many of my jobs, I had been doing the same thing, I just never knew it. We talked for about two hours. This is another one of those DisneyDaddy must do's (if you can).

But my encounters with celebrities wouldn't end there. I had the afternoon to myself at the Studios, thanks to several Mousefest events. I took the opportunity to go on the Studio Backlot Tour, which was very interesting. I saw several props I instantly recognized from movies including Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, both Narnia films and much more.

After the tour, I hustled across the park to the Backlot Express restaurant for Lou Mongello's PodFest meet. I met Lou the day before at the Mousefest kickoff event and it was good to see him and so many other podcasters. The place was totally packed!

As evening came on, it was time to again catch up with the family. Little did I know that I would be getting quite the workout (though some of it was my choice). As I got to the bus stops, the lines for the Grand Floridian and TTC were bonkers! Every guest at the MK resorts must have been at the Studios this day. I decided I would try to hoof it through Epcot and catch the monorail (of course snapping more photos along the way - like I said, it was partly my choice). I did take a moment and stop inside the Boardwalk lobby to get a shot of some of their holiday decorations, which were similar to those at the Beach Club.

About 30 minutes later, I caught the monorail and was back at the Grand Floridian shortly afterward. Who knows if my way was faster (probably not) but it was much more fun (though tiring). We changed into some more dressy clothes and went back to the Grand Floridian lobby for a PhotoPass photo shoot. This is something Disney does for any guests, with no sitting fees. They had a full photography suite (lights and all) set up in front of the beautiful tree. We had a series of shots taken - and they looked great!

The boys and I walked over to the marina to watch one last round of fireworks at the Magic Kingdom before going to bed. Our final night at Walt Disney World was coming to a close.

But the adventures weren't over just yet. Tomorrow -- Mousefest galore!

WDW Dec. 2008 Trip Report - Day 6

Day 6 began with an pretty early breakfast at Chef Mickey's. This is a great place for breakfast. The buffet offers a fairly wide variety of options, and having fun with the characters always is a treat. Afterward, we took a moment to admire the Pinnochio gingerbread sculpture near the escalators. Take a close look and you might see several hidden mickeys. For a closer look (with some help) see this larger view.

The weather was looking terrible, but we decided to give the Magic Kingdom a try. This would be a real adventure. About half way down Main Street, the skies opened up - big time! It started to absolutely POUR! We made our way through the Emporium and other stores all the way to Casey's until we were out of cover. We looked at each other. My wife said she wanted to shop a bit more (what a perfect time to get Christmas presents), so the kids and I made a mad dash to Cinderella Castle. As luck would have it, the castle tunnel was open, so we were able to find a brief bit of shelter before sprinting again to Cinderella's Golden Carousel. Even with the rain, we were laughing our heads off. It was funny. We were soaked, but we had a great time. Even my daughter, who hates getting wet in the rain, was laughing in the end.

My wife caught up with us outside Philharmagic and we made a second dash to the Haunted Mansion. I happened to have a chance to get a very good look at Madam Leota's tombstone. It's pretty cool the way it subtly moves.

As always, the Haunted Mansion is a great attraction. The new staircase scene is great and the new floating Leota ball is just awesome.

After the Haunted Mansion, the rain started to let up a bit and it was time for me to head over to Mousefest opening event. This was the first day of Mousefest, so I wanted to catch at least part of the opening events. My wife and the kids went back to the Grand Floridian, while I went over to the Contemporary. Even monorails have problems sometimes, so I got there late. I did manage to meet a few folks, including Lou Mongello of the WDW Radio Show. It was really great to finally meet in person someone I'd been listening to for more than a year.

After the meet, I met up with the family back at the Grand Floridian. By this time the rain had blown over, so we decided to head to Epcot. We managed to snag a couple of late day Fastpasses for Soarin'. In the meantime, we rode Spaceship Earth, enjoyed a bit of Innoventions and did a little Living withe Land. I don't know what it is about Living with the Land, but I find this attraction very relaxing. I also love the intro music.

As we were waiting for our Soarin' Fastpass window to open up, I struck up a conversation with a cast member who I think was a Dream Squad member. While I didn't win anything, he did give me an awesome tip for riding Soarin' with kids. As always, Soarin' is incredible, though I did notice that the projector was getting a bit dirty, like the film had a LOT of dust on it.

After Soarin, we again split up (boys and girls). I took their boys on their first ever trip on Mission: Space. My oldest was very apprehensive about this. We went on the green team and afterward my oldest absolutely loved it!! He really got into the attraction abot half way through.

We met up with the girls in the United Kingdom pavilion and together we waited for Father Christmas to arrive. He began his presentation talking about how the English ring a bell for every year since Christ's birth. He then selected my younger son to help ring the bells. My son was beside himself, he was so excited. Afterward, Father Christmas gave my son a small bell for him to keep as a momento.

There was a beautiful full moon out as we walked back toward the Epcot Christmas tree to enjoy the lighting ceremony once again. With a full moon just in the right place, I just had to stop and take a few million pictures of the tree with the moon in the background. We then strolled to the front of the park, enjoying the lights and the holiday music. What a way to end the evening.

Coming up - day 7 - our last full day in the park.

WDW Dec. 2008 Trip Report - Day 5

After a long night at a crowded Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (I didn't leave until midnight), we rose early and took advantage of the early extra magic hours at the Magic Kingdom. Once we got into the park, the boys and I went one way, while my wife and daughter went another. We walked onto Space Mountain, while the girls went to the Mad Tea Party (have fun there - that's one ride I do NOT enjoy). From Space Mountain, we hopped over for a quick turn again on Buzz Lightyear and then a ride on the Tomorrowland Speedway. This was my first time on the Speedway, and, afterward, I'm convinced that this is wasted space. I've been on better drive-your-own car rides. If nothing else, give it a Cars overlay. I have to admit, this was a bit of a letdown - the only letdown of the day.

After the speedway, we caught up with the girls in line to enter Pixie Hollow. This, also, was something I wanted to see. The new Tinker Bell meet and greet had just opened up a few months prior. Even with the extra magic hours, the line was about 45 minutes long -- but it was worth every second. The Imagineers did a wonderful job of converting a princess meet and greet into a different world entirely. As you enter the "pre-show" corridor, you are taken by a cast member who acts as a tour guide helping your make the transition to Pixie Hollow. The Imagineers carefully designed the corridor so that the vegetation appears to get larger as you get smaller. Then, once your're pixie sized, you enter another room that is themed top-to-bottom like Pixie Hollow. Inside are three faries, two of which change, but Tink is always there. Oh, and we were the only family in the room -- so we had all three fairies to ourselves.

First we met with Iridessa, who kept giving me a hard time about my "cannon" (meaning Canon, as in camera), though I didn't catch the joke at first. Sometimes the world around me can end while I'm taking pictures. Tink followed, and then Rosetta. The best part about this was all the time each character gave my children. This was no "in-and-out" meet and greet. Each fairy took the time to speak with my entire family. With no one else in the room (aside from the cast member guide), we started to really get into the idea that we really were in Pixie Hollow.

As we left the meet and greet, my daughter turned to my wife and exclaimed, "I want a Tinker Bell party for my birthday!!!"

From there, we split up again (boys and girls). The boys and I grabbed a FastPass for Big Thunder and waited in a fairly short standby line for Splash Mountain. My middle son isn't a huge fan of water rides, but he was a trooper. After Splash Mountain, my wife called me on the cell and asked us to meet her at Pirates of the Caribbean. I knew the girls were planning on riding Pirates, as my daughter had never been on POTC before. When we met up with the girls, they were just coming off Pirates and were heading right back in (it was a walk-on). As you guessed, my daughter loved it!

By the time we got off Pirates, the Fastpass window for Big Thunder had opened, so I took the boys over to Big Thunder. Here's the strange thing about crowds at WDW. The wait in the Fastpass line at Big Thunder was longer than the normal (no FastPass) line at Pirates. Go figure.

Anyway, after Big Thunder, we skipped back over to Adventureland. The girls were just coming off Alladin's Magic Carpets when I saw Mac from the Pirate Tutorial setting up. I called my wife and she hustled over to Pirates just in time for the show to start. The cast member playing Jack was bang-on. He had every mannerism down cold. While I wish one of my kids was selected to join Jack's crew, we enjoyed the show all the same.

After the Pirate Tutorial show, we went for a ride on the Jungle Cruise. While we were waiting, we searched for and found the hidden Mickey located above the hut across the river from the docks. There are a few more hidden Mickeys in the standby queue, but this was one I hadn't found before.

Once we got on our boat, our skipper, Rob, was from Holland. He really put a lot of umph into his spiel. He hit those jokes pretty hard and laughed along with us all. But what made it REALLY funny were the group from Italy who spoke very little English, so they would be looking around at everyone else wondering what was so funny. That got us all laughing as Rob tried to get across his spiel using gestures and slow speech. The whole thing was hilarious.

To top it off, Rob selected my daughter as the junior skipper for the voyage. This was especially great as my eldest son was the junior skipper during our March trip.

A little later, we went over to the Exposition Hall in Town Square for the AAA Story Time. This is a perk for guests who use AAA to book their Disney vacations. It's nice because there is a very small audience (like under 30) and the kids get some exclusive time with the character. In March, Alladin came to read a story, while this day, we got to see Peter Pan, which was really great - the kids hadn't met Peter Pan before. "Peter" did a wonderful job handling questions from the kids. I recall one child asked, "why doesn't Tinker Bell fly all over the park?" Peter replied, "Well, Walt Disney World is a no-fly zone for fairies, except for the Wishes fireworks show, that's why."

After the story time, we toured the Exposition Hall until our ADR time came up for Tony's. We had not been to this restaurant before, and I found the food quite good and the portion size absolutely huge. I'll have a full review in a future post.

After dinner, we wrapped up our day in the Magic Kingdom with a bit more shopping along Main Street. I'll tell you what, this is one place I could really go nuts. I have to exercise a great deal of caution, otherwise, I'll buy everything I see!!

We caught the beginning of Spectromagic as we walked back to the resort monorail and made our way around the Seven Seas Lagoon back to the Grand Floridian.

Ahh, another gorgeous night at Walt Disney World. What else could be better.

WDW Dec. 2008 Trip Report - Day 4

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah and/or Kwanzaa. It's time to bring you day four of my December 2008 trip to Walt Disney World.

Day four started out about as nicely as any day ever could. What could be better than a bit of Soarin' during morning Extra Magic Hours at Epcot? This (and Toy Story Mania) are my two most favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World. I could ride this a hundred times in a row. The music alone is outstanding and the sensation of flight is quite realistic -- and there's nothing like the scent of orange groves! If you haven't taken a flight on Soarin' - it is a DisneyDaddy Must Do!

After a pretty short wait on Soarin', we hustled over to Test Track to jump in the standby line before Epcot opened to the main crowd. This would be my daughter's first ride on Test Track. She was nervous and was a little startled by the high speed bank-turn, but she made it through (oh, she's not done with Test Track -- just wait).

After Test Track, we walked along the Canada-side of World Showcase to a pastry stand to grab a small bite before a late lunch. It was before 11a.m., so most pavilions weren't open yet. I have to say it was nice to stroll along the western side of World Showcase when there weren't many people around. You get a chance to really take in the architecture of the Canada and Great Britain pavilions. As we were finishing our pastries, I noticed a person in a Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure outfit. I asked if they were testing the system today and the cast member said that they were and invited us to test it out. I've already posted a spoiler-free review on the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, so see that post for more. Once it's up and running, this is most definitely on the DisneyDaddy Must-Do list.

We continued our walk around World Showcase, stopping in a few stores including one in Great Britain where we managed to complete the Harry Potter quiz to win a magical moments certificate. My kids had a great time interacting with the cast member as they were working on this quiz - yet another reason why it's the cast members that make Disney such a magical place.

Later that night, we were going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, so we took the monorails back to the Grand Floridian in order to change for the party and let the kids (and us!) rest a bit. We were in the Sago Cay building at the Grand Floridian, so we had views like what you see above from our balcony. Just to the right of this vantage point is the outside patio for Gasparilla Grill and Games. This is a great place to sit and watch the evening fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.

Early that afternoon, we hopped on the resort monorail for the short trip to the Magic Kingdom. We had an ADR at the Crystal Palace before MVMCP started. We had breakfast at the Crystal Palace back in March and loved it, so I was hoping dinner would be just as good. The Crystal Palace didn't disappoint. It was wonderful! We also had a great server who had a lot of fun interacting with the characters and with our children. Even the topiaries from the Hundred Acre Wood had decked the halls.

After dinner, we watched the lighting of the Cinderella's Castle. It was incredible! I had been waiting to see this for a year and it was worth every second of the wait. As the lighting wrapped up, we checked in and received our wristbands for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. This might be the only real disappointment of our entire trip. I understand the intent behind MVMCP is to create an exclusive event, but the park felt more crowded than it had been (and would be) for our entire trip. We stood in line 45 minutes just to get a picture with Mickey Mouse and the Twas The Night Before Christmas shows were standing room only! The lines to get hot chocolate and cookies were huge. I never got a chance to sample this part of the party. We skipped the first parade and managed to slip into a short line to see Santa just as the fireworks were wrapping up. Of course the lines were huge within a few minutes.

The kids were getting pretty tired, so my wife took them back to the resort while I stayed to see the second parade. Expecting a big crowd, I staked out a prime standing spot about 30 minutes ahead of time. I had a tripod, so I was back from the curb a few paces so others could sit in front of me and, for the most part, I had a great view. There was one person who kept trying to step in front of my lens. I guess rude people are everywhere, even at WDW. I do have to say this is the best nighttime parade I have ever seen. I am a big Spectromagic Fan, but this parade was fantastic. I also was amazed with how LONG it was! It ran for more than 20 minutes!

Once the second parade had ended, there was a huge throng heading for the exit. Following my own tip, I hung around and made my way towards the Partners statue to take a few million photos of Cinderella's Castle. There was a near-full moon as well, which made for some very beautiful shots.

Probably the best part of of MVMCP was being in the castle forecourt with no one around you. It was just me and the castle as the party came to an end. I joined the last part of the throng leaving the park and found a new tip for getting back to a Magic Kingdom resort -- look for that on an upcoming Tip Tuesday.

Well that does it for day 4. Stay tuned for day 5!

WDW Dec. 2008 Trip Report - Day 3

Day three at Walt Disney World started out with a return to Hollywood Studios were we got into the park early because of an ADR at Hollywood and Vine. This is another character breakfast featuring stars from Playhouse Disney. This breakfast was quite good and we had a very good waiter who helped make it fun.

After breakfast, we hustled over to Toy Story Mania to get some Fastpasses. When we got there (around 9:30), the standby line already was at 60 minutes! Our Fastpasses were up in a few hours, so we went across the park and took the first of what would be several runs on Star Tours (one of our favorite attractions). We then stopped by Muppets 3D and walked down the Streets of America where the Power Rangers were doing meet and greets. New this time was the White Ranger (he wasn't there during our March 08 trip), so we were able to get a picture with him.

We then walked over to Pixar Place, which was quite crowded (no surprise there). We still had some time until our Fastpasses were up so we stood in line at the new Toy Story picture spot called "Woody's Picture Corral". This was pretty interesting. While you're waiting to see Buzz and Woody, there are cutout picture opportunities all through the queue.

By the time we got out of the picture spot, our Fastpass window had opened, so we went across the street to for our first ever ride on Toy Story Mania. When people ask me what my favorite attractions at WDW are, Space Ranger Spin at the MK is in the top 3. This is because of the high re-rideablity factor. I'm always trying to get that 999,999. Toy Story Mania is like Buzz, version 4 - it was incredible. I was totally blown away by the live 3D rendering. I can't imagine the computing power this attraction requires. It immediately became our most favorite attraction at WDW.

From TSM, we journeyed into Narnia. The set reconstruction is awesome! It was so neat to be at the Stone Table. We also walked through One Man's Dream. Walt is a key figure for me so I very much enjoyed walking along his life's work.

By now it was the afternoon, so we took a Friendship boat to Epcot. We had wanted to catch some more of the Santas around the world. This time we saw the Norway Santa (and his "assistant") and the Three Wise Men in Mexico. We took a ride on Malestrom and the Gran Fiesta Tour and then made our way to the walkway between Future World and World Showcase for the lighting of the Epcot tree. Unlike years past, there was no character show for the tree lighting. There was just an announcer with a quick spiel and then the tree lit up.

The walkway lights were pretty cool. Disney did a nice job synchronizing the lights to the holiday music. After the tree lighting, we walked over to the America Gardens Theatre to try to catch the Candlelight Processional. Here, I was in for a rude awakening. Disney has reserved seats for guests who book the dinner package. I knew this was the case, but I didn't know that everyone and their brother had reserved seating! The theatre was filled with dinner package people - hardly any other guests could get seats. I ended up standing to the left side of the lighting room. The view was pretty good, aside from a tree or two in the way. As we read the program, I saw that three choirs from my hometown were performing later in the week. I'll have more on this in another post coming soon.

While I really enjoyed the Candlelight Processional, the kids weren't as enamored, probably because they had to sit on the ground or stand. The performance was inspirational - these people really can sing!

After the processional, I could tell the kids were quickly running out of steam, so we made our way back around the lagoon and through Future World to the monorail. It's so nice that the monorail is our main form of transportation as opposed to waiting for a bus that might come someday. Within 15 minutes we were in our rooms and off to sleep.

That's it for day 3 - stay tuned for day 4 and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

WDW Dec. 2008 Trip Report - Day 2

Day 2 at Walt Disney World could be summed up thus: Go Wild!

After a nice character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, we hopped a bus from the Grand Floridian to Animal Kingdom. I have to say up front this is not my family's favorite park, so they went here at my request and with some grumblings (at first).

My goals for this part of the day were pretty limited: ride on the safari, see Rafiki's Planet Watch and see the Jingle Jungle Parade. I didn't have much interest in Everest - I rode that in March and I wanted to do new things.


We first went over to Camp Minnie Mickey and walked right into a showing of the Festival of the Lion King. We were in the elephant section (insert elephant noise here). I had not seen this show before and I was quite impressed. The monkeys were very good!

Afterward, we went over to the Kilimanjaro Safaris and grabbed a pack of Fastpasses for a slot about an hour later. We went up to Rafiki's Planet Watch while we waited for our time slot. I managed to catch a quick shot with one of my favorite characters and I found a hidden mickey I really wanted to see in person (see below).

When our Fastpass time arrived, we returned to the safaris and waited in a relatively short line for our ride vehicle to pull up. I had not been on the safaris and was pleasantly surprised. The lions weren't out, but other then that, there were animals everywhere. It was a photographer's dream - shots everywhere!

After the safari, we walked along the Pangani Trail. My kids found the gorillas pretty interesting, though my daughter said as her nose wrinkled, "They smell."

The time was coming to stake out a spot for the parade. We sat near the entrance to the It's Tough to Be a Bug and waited for the parade to come down the path. I have to say the Jingle Jungle Parade has to be the best daytime parade of any at WDW.

After the parade, we booked out of the park and hustled over to Hollywood Studios to catch the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Here I was totally BLOWN away! I thought I did a decent job of outdoor lights -- I'm not worthy!!! There were so many lights, there was no way to really take it all in! This lived up to all the hype I had heard - it really is amazing. Any pictures and/or video you may see can't do it justice. You have to see this in person to really get the experience.

After a bus ride to the TTC and a monorail to the GF, we were back in our room and off to bed to rest for another busy day tomorrow.

Stay tuned for day 3!!

WDW Dec. 2008 Trip Report - Day 1

Alright Disney fans, it's time to take you along with me as I review my recent trip to Walt Disney World.

We drove this year (as we did back in March) and, once again, I was surprised at the general lack of major traffic as we were arriving on a Saturday afternoon. We pulled right into the front of the Grand Floridian Resort (what a resort!!! -- I'll do a resort report later) and were able to check in after only a few minutes wait.

Our rooms were ready early, so after hauling (and I do mean HAUL) our luggage to the room, we were off to the Magic Kingdom. Boy is it nice staying on the monorail loop, especially when you're just one stop again from the Magic Kingdom. As we stepped onto the monorail, the infamous "Please stand clear of the doors..." brought a shiver to me as it sank in that I was home again.

On arriving at the MK, I remembered the annual Christmas Day Parade taping was going on. As we walked into Town Square, we were asked if we were joining the crowd lining Main Street for the parade or heading further into the park. We were headed to Tomorrowland, and so the cast members directed us through a backstage shortcut to the right side of Town Square.

I happened to get a shot of this poster above what I can only assume is the center for cast members portraying characters. I thought it was pretty interesting.

After a spin on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (yes, I hit 999,999!) and the TTA, we grabbed some lunch at Cosmic Rays and then spent a little time in Fantasyland before walking back through to the hub. There we lucked into a real treat, especially for my 1st grade daughter.

Who did we see getting ready to tape her performance by Miley Cyrus herself! My daugher flipped! Granted we were nearly at the partners statue, but she could still see Miley. It was interesting to watch the performance stop and start as crews taped different segments.

After watching Miley for a bit, we hopped over to Epcot for the evening. We took a ride on Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Living with the Land. Soarin would have to wait until another day.

For dinner, we had an ADR at Cape May. I'll do a more in-depth restaurant review later, but I'll say up front this was not our favorite. I expected a clam bake to have a bit more seafood on the buffet than just clams. Also Disney changed the kids menu, much to the chagrin of my older son.

After another wonderful monorail ride back to the GF, we watched the Wishes fireworks from one of the docks at the resort and then called it a night.

So there you go -- day one of our adventure (and this was really only a half day). Stay tuned for the next day. Here's a preview: "Happy Unbirthday and Jambo!"