Christmas 2008: A Rainy Christmas Day at WDW is Better than a Sunny Day at Home!

When we arrived home from our August trip, Sarah and I both suffered “Disney Withdrawalâ€

 

When we finally headed out of the Streets of America an hour after DHS had closed, we began taking our After-Hours Pictures (I’ve decided to capitalize this and treat it as a proper name as so many people have recognized me as the “After-Hours Picture Guyâ€

 

Given that the previous day was quite long, we decided not to arrive at DHS at 8 a.m. the following morning to do an hour’s worth of EMH before taking the Friendship boats over to EPCOT.  Instead, we slept that extra hour, and went directly to EPCOT at 9 a.m.  When we arrived, we made briskly headed over to the Land to get Soarin’ FastPasses.  After that, we made the typical Future World rounds, hitting our favorites as quickly as we could before World Showcase opened.  As your typical smarta**, I made a face while SpaceShip Earth took my picture, which made for an interesting descent…



Once World Showcase opened, we headed over to see the Holiday Storytellers who give brief performances concerning the Holiday traditions of their respective countries.  We first caught France’s Pierre Noel.  He told of a French brother and sister, one who believed in him, and one who didn’t, which was fairly amusing. 



After that we headed all the way over to America, as none of the other countries in between had performers out yet.  When we got to America, we decided to see the Hanukah storyteller.  This was by far the worst of the storytellers.  It was almost as if Disney did not plan on having a Hanukah storyteller, but decided to “throw one out thereâ€

 

We then headed over to America to wait in line for the Candlelight Processional.  We got there about 40 minutes early, and we were shocked to find two huge lines:  one for those with the dinner package, and one for overflow.  The dinner package line was so long that it prompted us to ask a CM whether we were guaranteed to get seats—we were.  We were all a little surprised, given the insane length of our line, and the relatively small size of the theatre.  I guess we aren’t the best judges, though, as we were only seated about halfway back in the theatre.  I do wonder if any of those individuals in the overflow line were admitted, though.

John O’Hurley was the guest narrated that evening, about which we were quite pleased.  O’Hurley’s character on Seinfeld, Jay Peterman, is a favorite of ours, so we were happy to learn that he would be the narrator while we were there.  The entire show was absolutely wonderful—O’Hurley’s narration, the choirs, and the orchestral all performed their respective roles very well.  The only disappointing thing about the show was that it ended!  For those who may have heard that you can save money by not getting a dining package and just waiting in line, or standing in the walkway in front of the American pavilion, don’t listen to them.  You can get a dining package for around $30 per person, and your time in WDW is worth so much more than that (considering you’ll have to wait in the overflow line for a long time just to potentially get bad seats)—plus, I can imagine the show isn’t quite the same from the back forty as it is from up close.  In short, if you go at Christmas and are considering getting the dinner package, definitely do it.



After the showing of Candlelight Processional, we headed over to Mission: Space for a quick spin to Mars before Illuminations.  Our quick spin was hardly quick—the 5 minute wait time turned out to be forty minutes—although the flight to Mars itself only lasted a few minutes, so I guess it wasn’t too bad.

My strategy for getting a viewing spot for Illuminations was poor.  I forgot where we stood last time (it was Germany!), so we ran around looking for the spot in the dark, not quite being able to figure out where it was.  We ended up just settling on spot, which turned out to be not that great, as a tree obscured part of the fireworks.  I also decided to use the bulb setting instead of a flat 25 second timer on all the shots, and I chose an aperture that was too large for many of the shots (leading to many blown out fireworks shots).  I definitely need to do test shots on fireworks before our next trip; unfortunately, there aren’t many Christmas-time fireworks shows around here.



Following Illuminations, we began to set up for some After-Hours Pictures.  However, on this evening, neither the lights at the World Showcase countries nor SpaceShip Earth turned back on after Illuminations!  Given this, there wasn’t much point taking pictures in the World Showcase, so we headed to the tree and the Lights of Winter, to get pictures of those.  Finally, after about 40 minutes after closing, the lights on SpaceShip Earth came back on (but not those on World Showcase).  After we got done photographing it, we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom, which was open until 12 a.m. that evening.





We got to Magic Kingdom at around 10:30 p.m., so we didn’t have time for many rides.  A quick trip on the TTA and one spin on Buzz (where I got a new personal high score of 439,200!) was really all that was in order.  After that, we began taking pictures in Tomorowland, and then finished in Fantasyland, and again in the hub and on Main Street.  As usual, CMs trailed closely behind us, ensuring that we didn’t go “backwardsâ€

 

The next day was the day of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We had told Nick the night before that we’d decide that morning whether we were going to Animal Kingdom that morning since the weather was predicted to be bad. Well, the weather was bad, so rather than waste a day of our tickets (no-expiration 10 day passes) for a morning at AK, we decided to do a tour of the resorts to see their decorations.

Even that may have been a poor idea. While it was only raining lightly when we left for the tour, by the time we met Nick for our first stop, at the BoardWalk Resort, it was beginning to sprinkle. Our decision to walk to the Yacht and Beach Clubs despite this sprinkling would ultimately be a bad one. Before continuing complaining about the weather, I should note that the Christmas decorations were absolutely beautiful, and were well worth getting wet to see. If I were to stay in one of these resorts at Christmas, I think I could never go to my room for the night—I’d just spend the entire time in the lobby starring at the decorations.





We decided to wait at Beach Club to see if the rain would subside before going back to BoardWalk. Naturally, we decided to get some ice cream since the weather was so bad. We headed down to Beaches & Cream, and got burgers as well as some delicious ice cream. In retrospect, we should have just split a Kitchen Sink, as what we ended up getting was only about $7 less, and the pictures and memories of getting a Kitchen Sink would have been well worth it! Oh well, next time, I suppose.

When we finished at Beaches & Cream, we found that the rain had escalated to a torrential downpour. We ran back to BroadWalk, getting soaked in the process. Graciously, Nick offered to get the car while we waited in the lobby, so we didn’t get quite as soaked as we otherwise would have.

At this time, we had to make a stop back at our resort so that I could change clothes. My decision to wear a sweater that day was a bad one, and I did not want to risk it getting (any more) wet. Sarah and Nick waited in the car while I ran back and changed, which ended up being a bad decision on their parts, as the rain mostly stopped by the time I got done changing, meaning that I had dry clothes for the rest of the day, while they both waited hours for their soaked pants to dry.

After that quick stop, we headed to the Ticket and Transportation Center, where we caught the monorail to the Polynesian to see its decorations. The decorations there were beautiful, as were those at the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary. We still didn’t get a chance to see the decorations at the Wilderness Lodge (which I’ve heard are great), but again, that’s something we’ll hopefully do on another trip.









Following our loop around the monorail resorts, we headed to the MK. We arrived at around 3:50, and waited in line with the other MVMCP early-arrivers until 4 p.m., when we would be allowed inside. The line cheered once we got the okay to begin entering, and the part began!

Once inside, we started the party how you should start any good Christmas party—with a visit to the Haunted Mansion! We then hit some of our favorites, including the newly refurbished (and wonderful looking and sounding) Country Bear Jamboree. While I really wish the changes would have included the Country Bear Christmas overlay, I’ve come to accept that this is one battle the “fansâ€

 

When we got back to the resort, I decided to get some night shots of Pop Century.  While I don’t prefer the over-the-top look of the resort over many of the intricately themed resorts, I appreciate it for what it is, and it makes for some wonderful nighttime photography.  After getting the shots I wanted, I headed to our room, and bed, shortly after 2 a.m.



The following morning was our last day, and we made it a point to get to the Magic Kingdom prior to opening.  Unfortunately, in our haste, I forgot our tickets!  I realized this on the bus, and felt like an idiot (it was entirely my fault, as caring for these tickets is my responsibility).  We briefly discussed whether we should go back to get them, or just buy one-day passes.  In an uncharacteristic display, we decided to just get one-day passes, and not waste the time (which we calculated at around two hours).  This was a very tough decision for us, since we are both extremely frugal, and the difference between a single day on our ten day pass and a single day ticket is about $52 per ticket. 

After taking this $104 hit, we entered the parks, and promptly forgot about the wasted money as we entered a sea of unbridled excitement.  We quickly made our way back to Frontierland, where we were all alone in the park (besides Cast Members).  It was odd to experience that feeling during the daylight hours!  We went on Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain with no waits.  After that, we wandered around for a bit, getting some pictures before crowds formed, and just generally playing.





We decided that we would visit some attractions that we don’t normally do, so we visited the Swiss Family Treehouse.  Having never seen the movie, it wasn’t the most entertaining attraction, but it did inspire us to see the movie to heighten any subsequent trips to the Treehouse.  The Treehouse was a nice location for photography, though, and I got a couple good shots of Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain.

Not being able to handle our breakneck pace with late nights and early mornings, Nick didn’t meet up with us until around noon.  When met us at Cosmic Ray’s, he brought personalized Mickey Ears with him!  This was incredibly thoughtful of him, and we all were quite excited to sport our ears around the park that day.

 

Another of the attractions we don’t normally visit that we decided to do on this day was the Indy Speedway.  I can see why we normally skip it, but it was mildly amusing.  What was really fun was trying to navigate the vehicle while I turned to take pictures of Sarah in the car behind me. That really made for some jerky driving as the car hit back and forth on the little track between the wheels. 





Aside from this, not really much worth noting from the day at the MK.  We hit the typical attractions, and interacted with the typical characters.  After eating dinner at Cosmic Ray’s, we went to get spots to watch SpectroMagic!  The bridge from Tomorrowlandhub area was absolutely packed when we got there!  However, somehow, we found an excellent spot for Spectro behind some people seated on the curb.  I was a little concerned that these people would stand during the parade, but none of them did!  (Apparently they share my sentiment that people with front row seats should not stand during the parade).  The shots turned out wonderfully.  Even though none had the Castle in the frame, because of the angle, I think we had one of the best possible spots on the parade route.

Since the area was so congested before Spectro, after Spectro, we decided to just grab some nearby spots for Wishes!  We knew these spots wouldn’t be the best for viewing or photography, as they were fairly close to the castle, but we did quite anticipate how the fireworks would appear from such a close vantage.  Not a big deal, as we could see most of the fireworks, and the show is special no matter what!

Following Wishes, we headed off to play in the park for Evening Extra Magic Hours.  The EMH time flew by; we concluded the evening at Space Mountain, and again began taking After-Hours Pictures in Tomorrowland.  Due to some issues with my external flash (specifically, the batteries being dead in it), it took some extra time to get good pictures of us. 



Again, it was a cold evening, so the park pretty well cleared out within an hour of closing.  When we finally left at 12:15 a.m., we were the last guests in the park.  I’d say three of four days being the last guests in the park isn’t bad!











We then headed back to Pop, tired from the day and the trip generally, with the knowledge that we would have to get up at 4:45 a.m. to get ready for our DME return trip to the airport.  The next morning came quickly, unfortunately.  We left our resort, and made the long trip home, leaving the Magic behind, but taking a little with us in the memories from the trip.

For those interested in seeing more of the pictures I took during this trip, check out my Flickr page—I post pictures there daily (a link to my Flickr account can be found below, in my signature). 

Hope you enjoyed my trip report—Thanks for reading. 

See Ya Again Real Soon!

 

Great trip report and fantastic photos

 

Great report - thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks for all of the kind words, everyone. We were there from November 28th until December 2nd.

 

I haven't even read naything and Love your trip reports!

You have soooo many gorgeous photos from your trips!

Thank you so much for sharing them

 

I know I've said this before but you and Sarah are just precious! (I sound like my grandmother.) I think it's rather unfair that you and Craig have model-quality significant others!

This site has taught me a thing or two about how to look at things differently... more artistically. I LOVE the wet streets in the MK... not sure if I would have seen this as such a big plus if you hadn't pointed it out. One of my favorite shots is the Donald statue dripping with rain drops (the background is gorgeous in that one, too.) Fun, fun... I think I'll start all over and look again.

Margaret

 

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. The reasons we have so many pictures of use are: 1) I only got into photography after designing photobook layouts for our trips last year. I still plan on making photobooks for this year's trips, but I've really gotten into the photography side of things, and; 2) Sarah would be a lot less tolerant of my "addiction" if I didn't get pictures of us, too. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. For memory's sake, the pictures of us are a lot more important than the rest of them. I'd be upset if I lost those because of what they represent as far as memories are concerned, but it wouldn't be such a big deal with the ones without us in them. I could just retake those shots.

 

Well, saying sweet things like that certainly confirms that she did not "marry down". I'm going on a hunt to find a picture of your wife now... I have 316 unread messages since I've been off the boards for a while and I'm sure I'm missing something good!