What all can you possibly get done in two and half days? Well for us? A lot!
I'm thinking it wasn't a coincidence when the song Christmas Vacation was the first Christmas song that came on XM radio as we pulled out of the driveway at 3 A.M. Thursday, December 8. I was still very exhausted because I had worked twelve hours the day before that. But I have trip anxiety really bad, and so I'm usually awake the first hour on any trip. With the help from the best friend I barely remember Birmingham though. I didn't wake up again until Dothan at 6:30 A.M. and we left from Tuscaloosa.
It means I drive to Disney way too much, when the Chickfila knows my name. It's my usual stop for food. And yes, I only go there on the way to Disney and they still know me. So, after our potty break and breakfast munching we drive straight (with stops for gas and restroom) to Publix in Ocala. We usually stop at this particular Publix because it is right off the interstate and it's the last stop with a Chevron. (Chevron is a preference in gas stations.)
This time we actually ate at the deli inside Publix instead of going to the McDonald's just outside it. And we were back on the road to Disney World. I was extremely tired and didn't last long. My future father in-law took my phone and started playing with the music and talking to my best friend while I slept. They didn't wake me up until we were 5 minutes away from the welcoming arch!
Frankie, the butt munch that I'm marrying, told me we were staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. And while that is okay, my heart belongs to the Wilderness Lodge, villa or not. So, when I noticed some distinctive turns that led us to another arch... I started squealing!
I was squealing even more when we were stopped at security and the little security building was decorated for Christmas! There is nothing like Disney World at Christmas! Decorations everywhere and my heart is smiling while writing this!
Sorry for the extra glowing pictures and the windshield water streak. I thought the glowing was from the dirty window shield. Come to find out was the camera lens that needed to be wiped off. I've never had that happen before this trip. But I will remind myself after this trip. Because the lodge was gorgeous with its huge Christmas wreath outside and the garland at the bus stop. But inside was absolutely magical! The 50 foot tree, the small trees, the wreaths and plenty of more garland!
Frankie did all the checking in and stuff while I literally fell back in love with the Wilderness Lodge at Christmas. I love the Lodge at Christmas. Honestly, if he had told me that we weren't going to the parks, just staying at the Lodge and going to Disney Springs, I would have been just as happy. Really, because that's how much I love the Wilderness Lodge. Now, back story, he didn't book the room at the Wilderness Lodge until a week beforehand. Before that he just had a room at the value resort, Pop Century. So to my shock, we were on the sixth floor with a view that was absolutely breathtaking! And yes we had to deal with construction, but right now the lodges rooms are being completely updated and new villas are being built!
After some quick unpacking, we hopped onto a bus for Disney Springs! We loved the fact the audio for the buses had a holiday theme to them! It was also wonderful the cheerful holiday music on the bus as well. While we didn't have dinner reservations when we arrived but after doing some shopping at Alex and Ani, I was hungry. We rode the boat to the Market side and was able to be seated right away at the Rainforest Cafe! Frankie's dad had never been to one so it was a lot of fun!
We were able to shop some more, watch the new Drone show, and then look at the Tinsel Trail of Christmas trees! They of course had it snow on us! Which was just wonderful. Plus, Disney Springs had up a tree at the bus entrance which was absolutely stunning!
That night I took a long, much needed, bath and talked to the best friend. Then we started talking in general. Then we were able to watch the fireworks from the balcony. It was gorgeous! These were the Christmas Party Fireworks. There was a party this night. We went on Friday and we arrived on Thursday.
The next day we were up and early to EPCOT and it was raining. The rain wasn't coming down hard, but it was rather annoying to have that damp feeling. Plus, the cold snap was coming down to Orlando so it was rather cool. And it got colder as the day went on.
We enjoyed so much in our time spent at EPCOT. We rode Soarin', Test Track, Figment, Spaceship Earth, and Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. Enjoyed some French food for lunch which was really yummy! We did a lot of shopping for Christmas needs in the UK Pavilion. It was so wonderful knowing that our kids are going to have wonderful new traditions.
While everyone else napped before the Christmas party I decided to enjoy a coffee from the lounge and enjoy the beautiful decorated lobby of the Wilderness Lodge. After naps we did enjoy the pool for a bit as well.
Then it was time to shower and get ready to party! The party was wonderful! We tried all of the different cookie stations. And since it was cold, thanks to the wind, we enjoyed and appreciated the hot beverages. Granted I could have done without the cold eggnog. We enjoyed a lot of the staple rides and the wonderful parade! And for the record we walked over 20 miles that day. It was crazy to look at my Health app on my watch and see that!
The next was super fun of getting to see all of the deluxe resort Christmas/Holiday fun. We started out with a boat ride to the Contemporary, then the monorail to Polynesian, and The Grand Floridian. From the Grand Floridian we took a bus to Hollywood Studios there we got on the boat to Yacht Club, then walk to the Beach Club, and from there to the Boardwalk. It was so much fun! Afterwards we went to Hollywood Studios. And just let me be honest the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam literally sucked so bad I was upset that we had wasted the time. It was horrible and you could tell they threw it together. It was really sad that they put that in exchange for Osborne Lights.
We had to finish up the trip with a visit to The Wilderness Lodge Villas. It's my home. It was a fantastic surprise trip. I'm so excited to be marrying Frankie and that he has his dad in his life again. I cannot wait to go back for Christmas next year!
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