Disney Christmas Days 2 & 3!

 Photo Extravaganza time!! On Sunday we got up early and headed to Animal Kingdom. We were excited for our first park day AND to try out fastpass+ with our new Magic Bands!

The park was all tricked out for the Holidays and looked amazing.

 We had decided to eat a counter service breakfast at the park since we no longer need to join the race for the Safaris (who needs the Safari ride when you live in AFRICA right?). We got an AMAZING Paleo breakfast at Pizzafari. Spinach, egg and goat-cheese frittata anyone? I'm IN! I had never been to Pizzafari because schlepping it with Pizza in AK when there is so much other amazing food would be an Epic Disney Fail, but I have to say it's an overlooked option at Breakfast and the theming in the place is awesome.

Bugs and critters lining the walls:

 We had decided to skip most rides and do the Wilderness Explorer Book this time around but first we had a FP+ for Primevil Whirl.

We did NOT need a FP. There was no one in line and they let us stay on and ride twice!

 After that we had some badges to earn! The Wilderness Explorer Activity is like a huge scavenger hunt all over the park. You have to find info and bring it to cast members who give you a sticker on that page of your book. There are over 30 badges to get and we spent most of the morning on it and earned about half of our badges. We'll finish it up on the next trip!

 Learning about teeth and jaws:

 After a nice lunch and some shows at AK we went back to the resort for a nap because we were planning to be up late. While the other 3 were napping I took a run from Epcot to the Studios. I HAD to grab us some "Glow with the Show" ears so we could have them for the Studios the next day and I wanted them to be a wake up surprise for the kids. Love strolling around the Epcot resort area:

 Beautiful Afternoon at the Studios:

 That night we got dressed up and headed over to the Contemporary for Dinner at the Cali Grill. Love the Giant Mickey Wreath at this Hotel:

 Cali Grill: Don't hate me. I just don't get this place. I want to love it but it takes itself so seriously and it's just not that special. The fireworks viewing is literally the only thing it has going for it. Food is way overpriced and not that great. Teddy got the kids steak ordered MED and it came out RAW. We sent it back. It came back RAWER (now a word... you're welcome). How does it take 3 tries to get a little kid's steak to medium. Nothing memorable, service not great - in fact I saw several examples of bad practice that should never happen at a restaurant of this level - like bringing small items to tables in hand instead of on a tray. We had a less than stellar meal there in Jan and I wanted to give it a second chance, and I wanted to love it but it's pretty lame folks. The food, atmosphere and service at Flying Fish kicks Cali Grill up and down the sidewalk. All Day Long. So not as special as they think they are:

 But then we went outside. And stood on the new South Platform to watch the fireworks. The view is amazing. I think cocktails and dessert at CG are the way to go just to get platform access. Skip the meal. Ooooh how about a Citrico's or Narcosee's Dinner with Cali Grill dessert? Could be a winner! Anyway.... I got to see my old Marathon Weekend Nemesis:

 And we had a GREAT view of the MK!

 We had timed dinner to see the Christmas fireworks on a party night. What a great show!

Aaaaaaand (Who knew!) on the new south platform you can ALSO see Illuminations happening at Epcot! The Christmas Tag is still impressive all the way from the top of the Contemp!

 After that it was down to the Contempo Cafe for some very non-Paleo Christmas Cupcakes. We all shared 2 so it wasn't too bad. Worth every bite!

 Headed back to Boardwalk after that. Definitely ready to hit the sack!

 The next morning we grabbed breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery and the kids talked me into letting them split a cinnamon roll along with their bacon and eggs. She's in heaven!

 Great day at the Studios! We had our full allotment of FP+ as well as 2 sets of working room keys that were all functioning in the traditional FP machines so we're talking TRIPLE FP potential for all of us. It was epic. It was awesome. And it will never happen again. But for one brief, shining moment we rocked that park like FP celebs.

 Took in all the shows. Can't believe they still want to watch this one after all the times they've seen it but they still do!

 Of course it might have something to do with this guy:

In the afternoon we went back for a rest and were told that there was a DVC member mixer at Epcot. I was the only one that wanted to go!! So I went by myself. It was pretty cool! It was snowing out side in the welcome area:

 Inside was a giant party with free drinks and crafts and a dance party. Everyone got a raffle ticket and a coupon for a free Christmas treat. I got a huge rice crispie treat Christmas Tree. The kids had massive remorse when they saw it because they too could have grabbed free awesomeness. Ah well, ya win some ya lose some. (I shared)

There were also great photo opps with characters. Didn't want those pesky kids in my picture anyway.....  And on the way out they gave everyone a beautiful little velvet bag with a DVC Christmas Ornament.

 That night we ate at the new veranda section of the Hollywood Brown Derby (win!) and then took our Glow Ears to Fantasmic with a FP+. How great to be able to show up to this thing only 20 mins ahead of time!

 Then it was on to the Osborne lights. Spotted the Black Cat in the first 15 seconds....

 Had no idea the ears also worked at the Osborne lights....

 Coolest thing EVER! Do you know that you can take these ears to Paris or Tokyo or Disneyland and they will work there as well! Nerdy, geeky, awesomeness I tell you...

We took in the lights and then rode Toy Story again with 7pm FP+ reservations. It was a fantastic Evening. We walked back from the Swan and Dolphin and just enjoyed the chill atmosphere at night around the Boardwalk. Another great day!

Home to the USA and Christmas at Disney!

We got to NC early on Dec 6th and we had a long day ahead of us. When you fly to Africa you arrive exhausted but it's 9:30pm so you just go to bed, sleep all night and you're practically over your jet-lag. When you fly to the USA you arrive exhausted at 9am and you have to get through the day. If you nap you're toast because you'll be up at 3am fighting jet lag! We got to see everyone and check out the distillery though and that made the day go by much easier. And then we found our pile of mail and saw this!

These are brand-new at Disney. They are your room key, dining, photopass, fastpass, park tickets, you name it and they are super cool! What a new way to get excited about your trip. They came in this groovy box all customized with our chosen colors and our names on them. To make them fit a kid you just peel off the grey part and voila! You have a magic band that fits a much smaller wrist. Kids wanted to wear them right away but I was afraid they would get lost so I made everybody wait.

In the meantime.... we had a new cousin to meet! Jacob is absolutely adorable and perfect and we all tried to give him as many snuggles as we could in our one week in NC.

Proud big cousin!

Teddy's a natural!

We took a day and went to the Biltmore house to see all the Christmas decorations. What a fantastic place! I couldn't take pictures of all the wonderful trees inside because they do not allow photography. I will make this up to you in Disney pics.... I promise!

Trying to pet the Biltmore fish:

On our last night we all got together for some yummy Paleo pizza. It was a good visit!

But then we were off to experience Christmas at Disney for the first time! We tried something new and flew down the night before, staying at an Airport hotel so we could maximize our first day in the World without having to get up at 5am. We slept in, had breakfast and then jumped in the car. 20 minutes later we were driving under that archway!

....and checking into Boardwalk! This was a great place to stay. I'm not sure I liked the theming as well as Beach Club, but Boardwalk has my favorite restaurants on property and you can't beat being able to walk to Epcot AND the Studios!

Inside the resort was fully decked out for the Holidays with a gingerbread-covered stand selling holiday treats. It made the whole lobby smell amazing!

We checked in and got a great room overlooking the pool and the canal.

Then we headed off to check out all the Christmas displays at the Magic Kingdom resorts. Mom only had a 5 day pass so we didn't want to blow a park day on our arrival day. Visiting the resorts and having a great afternoon swim was the perfect way to spend our first day. First stop was the Grand Floridian where they have a HUUUUUUGE gingerbread house.

It's so big that they sell slabs of gingerbread and other treats right out of the backside of the house. And it smells so good that it's hard not to buy a piece just to see if it tastes as good as it smells....

There's also a magnificent Christmas tree...

Next the kids and I ran into the MK to play one round of Sorcerers. We had 5 rounds to go to beat the game on medium so we wanted to start knocking them out! The Magic Kingdom was beautifully decked out for the holidays:

Then we met Mom at the Contemporary. They had a gingerbread Christmas tree in the style of Mary Blair - Small World artist and creator of the 5 legged goat.

Then it was back to the Grand Floridian for fancy tea. They did a 4 course high tea for us - all Gluten-free and it was delish!

After that we headed back to Boardwalk. The kids were amped to check out the pool and try out that Kiester-Coaster slide. (Ok, so maybe I was amped too....)

That night we headed downstairs to my very favorite restaurant on property, Flying Fish. This place is everything, amazing food, incredible atmosphere, and great staff.

In fact celebrity Chef Tim Keating came and sat down at our table and chatted with us for about 15 minutes! He was our chef when we did the wine paring dinner 2 years ago and he is really a down to earth, wonderful guy.

Then Grammy and Teddy headed back to the room but Sasha and I snuck off and ran into Epcot to see Illuminations with the Christmas tag at the end. This special tag is only added for a few weeks a year and we just couldn't wait to see it. It took our breath away! There are more fireworks in the air during the finale than you have ever seen before and the ground literally shakes and you can feel the explosions shake the ground and vibrate right through your body. It was amazing, worth waiting for, and such a great capper on our first day!