Advertisement
Published: December 13th 2019
Edit Blog Post
Recovering from a nasty cold, it was time to shake things off and air myself out. Our Disney destinations were calling out to us......”Come one, Come all!” That means all of you, too. The four of us boarded our sturdy sleigh to lead the way.
Our first stop on our itinerary was The Grand Floridian. Here we could gaze in wonderment upon their life size Gingerbread House. Our directions were: park our sleigh in the Magic Kingdom parking lot and take the monorail over to The Grand Floridian. Easy peasy. We had a quick and easy boarding...hope you all made it on this speeding train before the doors closed behind you. And we are off! We pass over The Polynesian Resort. Next stop: The Grand Floridian. Screech (squeaky brakes) ......time to disembark. Oooooo. What a beautiful place! The ambiance of the gorgeous, old Victorian style resort is breathtaking. Huge, white, distinguished buildings surround us. We feel like we have traveled back in time. Where is my corset and fancy Victorian dress? Obviously, in a museum somewhere. I’m garbed in a loose shirt, shorts and sneakers. Not really fitting for the royal culture of this era. If they don’t kick me
out, you will be safe, too. Oh, I do digress. Let’s move on!
Walking into the Grand Floridian makes your mouth fall open and the sounds of “Ooooooo & Ahhhhhhhh” come out. Just like when you see fantastic Christmas decorations: ooooooooo & ahhhhhhhhh! We are on the second floor looking at a mammoth and magnificent Christmas tree. Glorious. Exquisite chandeliers hang down above it from the sky-high ceiling. Just beyond the awesome tree is the Gingerbread house of all gingerbread houses! A family could live in it! We take the elevator to floor level to inspect these daunting displays.
Oh, sweet. We came upon a miniature table, chairs and cabinet that held a TV monitor ......showing Mickey Mouse cartoons.....of course. Where was Lulu when we need her? This was made for her. She would have loved sitting here watching the show. But alas, she was back at the RV nursing the nasty cold she caught from me. I feel so bad for her. No more good night kisses for her! She’s missing out on so much. One bite from the Gingerbread House would have put a big, fat smile on her pretty face. ??Get Well, Get Well Soon,
We Want You To Get Well....Lulu??(from a Seinfeld show).
As you can see, I took numerous photos to share this experience with you. Look at some of the prices of the goodies....and the line was long to buy them. The gingerbread saleswomen, who sold these delights, actually were inside the Gingerbread House. See.....I told you it was life-size. I’m sure you all will sign up for The Perfectly Princess Tea Party ...... who wouldn’t want to pay $334 for you and a young lady to sip tea and get a few extras on a Victorian sun porch? Give me a break! You could fly to Disneyland and back to Disneyworld for that price!
Fortunately, Sandy & I had packed a drink and snacks to hold us over if we became weak and starving. The Floridian’s snacks just didn’t seem to fit the bill. I gave Cory one of our MEGA Oreo cookies. Sandy gave Sam a little bag of cookies.....Oreo cookies.....mini size cookies. Look at the comparison! One had a big cookie, the other had a teeny cookie.....both were happy & satisfied. What a glorious day!
We strolled outside to view their beach and the wedding chapel.
Obvious changes are visible on the beach since the tragedy of the little boy being killed by an alligator there. Fencing, rocks, signage all warn and forbid visitors not to go near the water.
Happier times happen in their wedding chapel as the bride is delivered there in a replica of Cinderella’s Pumpkin Carriage. No action there today, though. Too bad.
“You can learn something new every day if you listen” ......and today was my day. Yippee! I was encircling the festive Christmas Tree that stood as tall as a Redwood, trying to get its entire height in my photo. I struggled. I kept walking backwards until I was almost outside. I was being watched! One of Disney’s professional photographers approached me. I thought he was just some guy with a fancy camera. He said “Let me show you how to easily get this picture in its entirety”. He took my beloved IPad and moved my camera setting down from “photo” to “pano”. I’ve seen this setting before with the line and arrow across the screen. I thought it created the picture into 3 sections. Wrong! He showed me how to aim my Ipad camera at the base
of the Christmas tree with the arrow and line in a vertical position. He had me click on the white button (go) and release it as I panned up the tree until I reached the top. I clicked on the white button (go) again and it stopped filming. Viola! The scanned “pano” photo showed this glorious tree in its full status in one picture....and I did this standing next to the tree! Wonderful. I listened to this helpful photographer and I learned something new! Thank you very much kind man. I then saw his Disney name badge. Frank....thank you for teaching me something new! I shared my new knowledge with Sandy. I hope my new lesson is something new for you, too. We are never too old to learn a new trick. Right, Dog?
Gather up......time to move on. We need to board the monorail again. Our next destination: The Magic Kingdom. Our goal: see Disney’s beautiful Christmas decorations. When Disney does something, they do it big and out of this world. Again, they did not disappoint. Main Street Disney was awesome. Beyond the decorated stores loomed the fabulous Cinderella Castle in all its glory. Ooooooo, Ahhhhhhhh. We pushed
our way through the bustling crowd. Folks sat along the curbs of the Main Street sidewalk. Why? What’s going on? What’s up? Oh, goody! Everyone was getting their spot to watch one of Disney’s famous parades. No way could I get down or up from the curb, even if Tinkerbell sprinkled me with her fairy dust. We leaned again a half wall and railing on the other side of the sidewalk. It would work as their floats always rise high into the sky. As we waited and waited for the parade begin, we witnessed all sorts of people in all sorts of garb pass by. Some burned our eyes....unbelievable! As the start time grew closer, some people moved in on any area they could. We watched as one woman with a stroller and another woman with two kids blocked the required walkway. Walkers struggled to get them to move just an inch to allow them to pass through. The stagecoach size strollers were really stuck but they eventually squeezed through this human barricade after sharing a few words with these stubborn women. It was unreal! Other folks passed by us eating and carrying humongous, mouth-watering ice cream desserts. Drool was
in the corner of all our mouths. We were so tempted to reach out and just grab one of these super mounded dairy delicacies. I was fortunate to get a photo of one of these creamy temptations. I wanted to drop my face into this creation but minded my manners. Lulu would not have hesitated.
Finally, the parade began. Ooooooooo, Ahhhhhhhhh. The various floats were marvelous. Most all the characters were there. The finale was Mickey & Minnie.....of course. We were at Disneyworld....a magical place. We were at Mickey’s house. Yippee. We debated about going further into the park to see more decorations. The crowds were heavy. Our decision was swift. “Let’s go!” Back on the monorail, we were returned to our waiting sleigh.
Decisions, Decisions....so many to make. We are weak and starving and ready to eat! Where to go? Consensus was The Olive Garden. Yummy. They had a special going on.....so much food that most of it came home in doggy bags. Just extends the tasty treat beyond one meal.
Hope you are mostly packed for our journey back to New York for Christmas. Departure date is December 15th. It’s really going to be different
not having our house to return to. It will really be strange seeing someone else living in our old house. But now it’s their’s. Our pole barn will be chilly. We won’t linger there. Our children are opening their homes to us so just being with all of them is what counts the most.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
P.S. There are 24 photos for your enjoyment. Keep scrolling.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.054s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 7; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0294s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
LinDa Carcieri
non-member comment
Great pictures
Merry Christmas to you and Cory and make sure you pack your long johns lol... Love, Linda and Joe