Christmas 2012 20th-26th Dec. Day 6 Completed!

[BlackPearl]

Lovely report! Can't wait to read about Christmas.

[kelly.dylan]

Monday 24th Dec-Day 5

So finally Christmas Eve had arrived!! Yay!!!

Today we had so much we needed to do! Visiting Santa, Duffy, Mickey & Goofy in his Santa outfit were top of our to do list!!

We didn't have breakfast until 8.30am. The weather, again, was beautiful! Maybe a bit windy, but the many pairs of thermals and tights i had packed hadn't been touched as it was so mild for December!!

We caught Minnie on the way out of the hotel! I think Dylan was slightly embarrassed as she wouldn't let him just stand next to her, she took his arm and put it around her waist and kept kissing him haha!



Off we went to the Park!! Dylan told me if i'd said 'It's Christmas Eve and we're in Disney' once i'd said it a thousand times!! Just being in Disney for Christmas was so exciting!!



We arrived just after 9am and noticed that one of the offical photographers was waiting in the Gazebo by Goofy's photo location. His Meet & Greet was listed as 10am so I asked her what time he would be arriving and she said maybe 9.30am, result!!

We hung around and Dylan had a couple of pics in the sleigh



It was now around 9.20am and Goofy arrived early!! We were first in the queue which was fab!



From here we made a mad dash to the Santa Claus Village! It didn't open until 10am but we knew if we didn't want to queue for 2 hours we would have to get there before it opened!

Well there was already a good 40 people infront of us but it was much better than the 2 hours we waited last year! I think in all we waited around 45 minutes til it was our turn

Now Dylan is 13, he doesn't believe anymore but we were in Disney, for christmas, and I wanted a photo of Dylan & Santa ( am i mean )

So in we went, Dylan stood next to Santa and shook his hand!!! He asked Dylan how old he was, and when Dylan told him he was 13 his reply was hilarious!!! '13 you say, i remember when you were this big' he said, holding his hands about a foot apart 'you looked like a sausage'. Well both Dylan and I got the giggles!! He then told Dylan to sit on his knee for a photo and told him 'I can still remember the first time your mum sat on my knee!!' Dylan's face was a picture, he was trying so hard not to laugh!!!



We left Santa and walked back up to the Boarding House to see what time Duffy was out and as we arrived he was already there, we seemed to be timing everything perfectly today!!



After meeting Duffy and asking him to send a christmas message to Emma & Kyra ( @Littlemermaid83 )



(and haven't we got a whole load of grief since Emma haha!)

We made our way up to It's a small world to catch our favourite Elf Alfie ( @PeterPanFan ) and for Dylan to give him a little prezzie for christmas.





After watching the parade we stopped for a quick cookie and hot chocolate



Then off we went to the Studios to get a quick picture with Mickey Mouse, well the queue was big and Dylan wanted to have a go on RnRC instead!! Promising that we would get a photo with Mickey before we went home!!

Now I was determined to get Dylan on ToT this trip but even going over the ride sequence with him, thanks @CaptainRocket for the info, he still wouldn't do it!!! Crush had a silly queue as to be expected.

We wandered back over to the other park and after a few rides caught Mickey in Videopolis with the JBB!



We wanted to be at the Disneyland Hotel for the Advent Calendar opening at 5.15pm and also had dinner in Cafe Mickey booked for 7pm so we headed back to our hotel to get changed and then off we went for what was a fab evening!!!



We got to the Disneyland around 4.30pm and there seemed to be lots of people already there so Dylan and i took a spot close to the stage in the middle of the Main Street Lounge.

By 5.15pm it was manic, and absolutely boiling!!!! But out came Santa, who opened the Advent calendar and gave all of the children either sweets, a keyring or lollypop which was lovely!



So Santa left, and so did some of the crowd and after about 10 minutes Dylan got slightly bored! I told him not to worry it would be well worth the wait!



And my word was it worth the wait! I can honestly say i've never seen anything so lovely in Disney before!

We watched the most beautiful show with Santa, Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Scrooge, Goofy, Max, Pluto, Stitch, Chip, Dale, Clarice and many of the princesses including Beauty & The beast!



Ok so I may have gone slightly OTT with the Christmas Eve show pics haha!

I took a few videos too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHlQNZswqqo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRTmEp1NZLc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKy3jtGKJbU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcH4-Wgz3tw

So after many goosebump moments we left the Disneyland Hotel around 6.30pm for our meal at Cafe Mickey. Stopping to watch the street entertainment in the Disney Village on the way back



We were sat upstairs again tonight, on the exact same table as 2 days before!!



Dylan went for the Fish & Chips, I had Steak again. For some reason as much as i like the fish in Disney it makes me sick!! Really strange but wherever i eat it, Cafe Mickey or Toad Hall etc. I always feel sick, dizzy and generally awful the next day!!



And yet another Ice cream!!



During our meal we saw Mickey, Eeyore, Goofy



And an extremely friendly Tigger



Now when I say extremely friendly he was amazing, spent time at our table, gave Dylan lots of hi-5's and I even got a hug too!!!

Then he performed the most energetic dance routine! I dont think we had laughed so much all day since Santa's sausage comment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri6qppUVc7E

I wish I had filmed for longer now!! Dylan's face in the video is so funny, he laughed for ages at first and then I think he thought if he kept laughing and watching he might kept pulled up to dance haha!!

We left not long after the Tiggeriffic dancing But before we did I asked the ACC if by chance we knew Tiggers friend as he was so friendly. We thought it could have been Alfie or Eddie as it really was like he knew us, he was just amazing. But sadly no!! And as we left he gave us a big wave from accross the room!

Dylan and I left, confused haha!!! It didn't take long to solve the mystery, I later received a message from forum member @DisneyBud asking if we'd been in Cafe Mickey as he thought his 'friend' Tigger may have seen us!!!

Well @DisneyBud you made our evening, you were so much fun and when we next go to Cafe Mickey in May I really hope your amazing friend Tigger will be there again too

Just thinking about that evening now still makes me laugh, Dylan and I watched the video on my camera so many times in the hotel room before we went home!!! Definately one of the highlights of our trip!!

The final part of our Disney Christmas Eve was to go back to the park for Dreams! Everything looked so pretty in the park!



We had a quick go on BTM, it seems much faster in the dark and now Dylan says since he's been on RnRC it seems tame haha!



As we were slightly later today our usual spot for Dreams at the front of the castle was taken so we decided to watch from the side



I didn't think we'd get a great view tonight but some off the pictures i took were lovely and it was nice to see Dreams differently



So Dreams had finished and as we left the park Dylan and I both talked about what a fab night we'd had and the magical day we were both looking forward to tomorrow!!

And tonight Dylan got to take the little train around the lake back to our hotel!! He had asked all week but tonight we both couldn't wait to get back and for our next Disney adventure to begin in the morning!!!

Day 6- Christmas Day To follow soon

[Martin B]

Wow! We are going in Feb and I hope we get the same tigger as you!!
Great stuff as always Kelly!

[CinderellaSparkle]

Aww that was lovely! And those comments from Santa made me giggle as i read it How fab!

[Ravenseye]

Thank you for posting, your reports made me 'well up'. Crazy huh? as it's not even MY trip!!
Look forward to more

[Robert97]

Wow amazing shot of Dreams.

[jackieann]

love your report kelly.. Looking forward to Christmas Day.. X

[perrollaz]

What a wonderful report Kelly, thank you so much for sharing.
I never heard about the calender opening cermenony before- was it in Disneyland hotel itself?
On every of the 24 days or just on christmas eve??

[MrsPirate]

Thank you so much for sharing, I've loved reading it and can't wait to hear about Christmas Day. What an amazing Tigger!

[kelly.dylan]

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone. It's been so nice going over our trip again, brings back such lovely memories! It seems like a lifetime away now

@Perrollaz the advent calendar opening was in the Main Street Lounge just outside Inventions in the Disneyland Hotel. The calendar was opened every night and the children were all given something little each. It was only on Christmas Eve that they had the extra show though.

I did start writing Christmas Day yesterday but my computer froze and everything was lost so will try & get it up on Monday

[AislingM]

Aww the dancing is brilliant, Eyore's got some moves too!

[perrollaz]

I did start writing Christmas Day yesterday but my computer froze and everything was lost so will try & get it up on Monday

Gosh- I hope you didn't lost any pictures?

[kelly.dylan]

Tuesday 25th Dec-Day 6

Christmas Day was finally here!!! I had been waiting for this day for what seemed like a lifetime haha!!

Dylan and I were up and ready for our 8am breakfast in Cafe Mickey, after the previous night we were hoping for just as much fun, sadly we only saw Mickey Mouse at breakfast!
We were booked for the 8am seating and arrived just before. Neither of us eat much for breakfast but Dylan filled up on the hot food, sausages, bacon, potatoes and beans. I had the usual croissant with apricot jam. We finished our breakfast and hadn't seen anyone!!! Dylan made himself a hot chocolate and eventually, around 9am by now, Mickey Mouse came to our table!



We decided that we wouldn't waste our morning waiting for characters (and Dylan wanted to get back to open some presents)

On the way back to our room Dylan had a quick photo with Pluto & Eeyore



And off we went back to our room for some prezzies



And Dylan's favourite, Thank you Alfie



Our lunch was at 12pm so Dylan had the chance to play his new ds games for a bit before we left

I wasn't sure what to expect from the Merry Christmas Lunch as no matter how hard i tried to find photos or info from last year i found nothing. So after getting changed we left, tickets in hand and hoping for the best



We arrived in the Hotel New York and followed the directions for the Grand Ballroom, leaving our coats in the cloak room on the way.



We arrived around 11.45am and already there was a fairly long queue. Now after hitting a brick wall on info for the lunch I had no idea how it worked. Would we be sitting on our own table? on a large table with other families? I really had absolutely no idea!!

We quickly reached the front of the queue and exchanged our tickets for a card with our name and table number on. Children under 3 were given a Duffy bear and under 12's were given a christmas lanyard & pins. I thought this was lovely, although being 13 Dylan wasn't entitled to either

The Grand Ballroom looked lovely, decorated with balloons and christmas trees!



We were shown to our table, number 35, and a table for 2!



So on our table we had a bottle of red wine, bottle of still water & a bottle of sparkling water. Dylan was given a glass of orange juice and I had a glass of champagne, which Dylan thought was only fair to share

Cheers!!



Now as I couldn't find any info on the dinner before I booked I wanted to make sure i took as many photos etc. for any one else thinking of booking Mind you I think i got a few funny looks

So our starter was Smoked salmon and shrimp cocktail. It was actually lovely, much better than i'd expected.



Then our 'traditional' turkey lunch. I wasn't expecting much from the turkey dinner but it was fine.



Followed by french cheese & crackers



And then for the best bit ( but pudding always is ) Mini Christmas pudding, chocolate cake and mince pie with cream and brandy butter sauce. It was beautiful!



So our lunch was lovely and we had characters coming to the table constantly throughout. In all we saw around 20 different characters, including Santa who had his own little chair at the top of the room. We did also see Belle and Scrooge but I didn't manage to get any photos. I did take plenty of others



So after a fantastic Merry Christmas Lunch (and being given our first Duffy Bear by a lovely lady)



We left the Hotel New York around 2.30pm and after dropping our bags off at the Sequoia Lodge and wrapping up headed back to the Park. Dylan obviously wasn't as full as me as he couldn't resist yet another chocolate marshmallow skewer on the way through the village!!



After a few rides we caught the parade. As much as I love the parade it would have been nice if it had been slightly different for christmas day, even if they'd added the Christmas Cavalcade at the end. All the other Disney parks have a Christmas Day parade don't they?



We didn't watch the tree or castle lighting today, we had BBWWS booked for 9.30pm so wanted to make the most of the rides!

We popped back to the hotel to pick up our BB tickets and for Dylan to change his shoes (and checking our new friend Duffy was behaving )



Tonight we caught the little train that goes round the lake for the first time. I think Dylan had asked every day but it wasn't like we had to walk miles so I didn't see the point. Today I gave in It was 2 Euros each and I think both of our feet appreciated it!



We decided not to get to the show as early as we did on Friday, we arrived just after 9pm and Dylan asked if we could could be yellow tonight! He was now convinced yellow always win as the 3 times we had been yellow always won! We were too late for a photo with Mickey and only caught the end of the pre-show. Goofy was nowhere near as energetic



We both enjoyed the show, it was the same as always with the addition of Santa Claus ( exactly the same as friday).



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWT5yYvkdmY

And do you think yellow won tonight??

So our Christmas Day had come to an end, we had had a fantastic day! Just as magical, if not more, than we had both imagined! We walked back through the village, rather disappointed that tomorrow was boxing day which meant time to go home



Day 7 to follow soon

[kelly.dylan]

I did start writing Christmas Day yesterday but my computer froze and everything was lost so will try & get it up on Monday

Gosh- I hope you didn't lost any pictures?

Luckily not, i had uploaded them all to my computer and saved some of them to photobucket too. My computer doesn't seem to like photobucket for some reason! Just means it's taken a bit longer as im having to keep saving what i've written every so often

[Martin B]

Another great account Kelly.

Looks like you had lots of fun!!

Thanks for the info for HNY Christmas Dinner. We will be in DLP next year either at HNY or NPB so will be looking for Christmas Dinner at one or the other. Great to see somany characters!! Were there other options or was it a strict set menu? Also, how much did it cost per person?

Thanks for writing.

Martin

[norhel]

Great report

[kelly.dylan]

Another great account Kelly.

Looks like you had lots of fun!!

Thanks for the info for HNY Christmas Dinner. We will be in DLP next year either at HNY or NPB so will be looking for Christmas Dinner at one or the other. Great to see somany characters!! Were there other options or was it a strict set menu? Also, how much did it cost per person?

Thanks for writing.

Martin

Thanks Martin,

This was the only character lunch in the hotels on christmas day. Was a strict set menu but think they had a vegetarian option. It was £117 each, i thought it was alot when we booked but would definately do it again

[carrydee38]

Kelly
love your trip reports you have some many great photos and loven reading your report. I do be waiting for the next installment with bated breath...so much so I tell my daughter Rachel hey xmas eve is up...christmas day is up. Also how you managed to get photos up I tried doing with flickr but not with any sucuess you will have to pass your secret on. Dylan is getting so grown up now, we are plainning our last trip this year as Rachel will be over 16 and well it probably last time she will want to go with her mam (it may not be soo cool ;o) ).

Dying to read the rest

Dee

[whenyouwishuponastar]

Hi Kelly,
Your reports are fab, wish I had the time to do one.
I totally forgot to look out for you on the 21st in BBWWS! I was so busy enjoying the pre show entertainments lol.
We sat in green! And were given seets in the cat 1 area! Bonus.
What time did you arrive at Duffy on Christmas Eve? We were third in the que! My son had Duffy dancing to Gangnam Style!, it was so funny, but don't think many people in the line found it as funny as us!

Looks like you had an amazing time, wish I knew when we were going back I'm looking for a good deal!
Love Sarah x

[BlackPearl]

Really enjoyed reading your report! And so cute photos of Duffy and everthing else.