Chris and Jessica Johnson (Trip 2) - December 2004

Day One- Friday, December 24, 2004

Since Chris and I moved to GA and are away from all of our family for the holidays, we began our own tradition of going to WDW instead. Chris doesn't get enough time off at the holidays for us to go North, so this is a good compromise for us. We're not home by ourselves, but we're not stuck in the car either.

This year, we opted for the Celebration Hotel for the holidays. Our original plan was to repeat the Dolphin, as we'd had such an incredible time there the previous Christmas, but our plans changed a bit. If you remember, we celebrated our 5th Anniversary with a Vow Renewal at the Celebration Hotel. The event itself was incredible, but we had a pretty rocky road during the planning, so much so, that it warranted a 12 page letter following the event. I do want to be absolutely clear that the sole problem lay with the wedding coordinator, who is no longer at the Hotel, but as a result of the issues, the parent company fo the hotel gave us a free 3 night stay to use at any of their properties. Chris and I both adored the Hotel when we were there for the VR, and we chose to use it there again. Our plans had been to use it in May, for our Flower and Garden Festival visit, but Chris's work schedule caused us to cancel that trip. In the end, we scheduled it for Christmas. So- nearly a year later, we were on our way back to Celebration.

Chris had worked fairly late the previous evening, until around 11 pm, so he pretty much went to bed right after he got home. Being the night owl I am, I was up until around 4 am, getting the last minute stuff ready. We'd packed the night before, so around 8 when Chris woke me up, all I had to do was get dressed, toss the last of the toiletries in the bag and head out the door.

Our trip down was fairly uneventful, for me at least. I slept most of the way. We made our usual stop to grab some food, and we arrived at Celebration around 2 pm.

The hotel is adorable- it's much smaller than the Disney resorts, and as you pull up, there's a small inset courtyard paved with bricks. The hotel surrounds you on three sides, with a few antique cars parked in the courtyard. I've never been able to get out of the car before a valet had the door open for me, greeting us and welcoming us to the hotel. Since we only had one bag, we didn't bother to use luggage services, and just brought it in with us.

As you approach the hotel, to either side, tucked under an overhang of the building, are comfy seating areas. There's leather cushioned wicker sofas and chairs, with coffee tables. Overhead are giant paddle fans. When you enter the lobby, you retain the feeling of being on a covered porch, as it's full of dark wood, and comfortable seating areas. Decorated for the holidays, the room nearly glowed, with the lights reflecting off the polished wood.

To your right, is the lobby bar- it's like a small oasis in the lobby. On the left is the check in desks. When you check in here, you check in seated at a desk, there are two, with the computers inset, so there's nothing to take away from the relaxed comfortable feel. The lobby and the hotel do look a bit formal, but it's a comfortable feel. Furniture that are most likely antiques are mixed in with a large, mounted alligator. At first glance, it appears somewhat stuffy and quiet- yet there were children nearly everywhere on both of our visits. It's just got a relaxed, quiet, laid back feel.

We sat down in the comfy armchairs and breezed through the check in process. It took just a minute before we were handed our room keys, and told that our room was just beyond the check in desk, on the first floor. Chris ran back to the car to grab a small bag I'd forgotten, while I took the suitcase and headed to the room.

Beyond the check in desks, you'll find an arched doorway, with a maroon curtain pulled to one side. As you enter the archway, you walk into a small art gallery- with paintings lining the walls on either side of you. As the hallway approaches a T shape, there's a curio case full of handmade jewelry and other goodies. Our room was just to the right of that, literally right off the lobby. I put the key in the door and prepared myself.

I have to digress here and say that on our previous stay, we'd been upgraded to the best suite they offer at Celebration, one of the lake view suites. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, and I'd been a bit afraid that I wouldn't like the Superior room nearly as much.

So- that brings me to my hesitation as I put the key in the lock. But then, nothing happened. I tried a few times, and even tried the other key- but couldn't get into the room. So, rolling my suitcase behind me, I returned to the lobby, and had the keys "recoded" Chris caught up with me just as I got to the door of the room, and he laughed and told me that this was the room that he and Daddy had been given to change in for the Vow Renewal. (While I was doing the hair and makeup thing, Chris and Daddy went parasailing. To keep us apart, the hotel gave them use of another room to shower and change in).

So, we opened the door, and walked into our new home for the next few days. I quickly learned that I was silly to think I'd be disappointed- I was just as enchanted with our room this trip. As you enter the room, you're in a short hallway. To the left is the bathroom, with large, square, stone tiles lining the vanity, shower and floor. There was just one sink, but a huge amount of counter space, and lots of thick, fluffy white towels. Each grouping of towels was decoratively presented, making it seem like each was tied with a bow. The bathroom offers a pull out magnifying mirror, blow dryer, and larger than normal bottles of Yardley lavendar bath amenities.

Just past the bathroom, also on the left, was the closet. I can't really explain my fascination with it- it was just like a small coat closet, with an iron, ironing board, two cotton waffle weave robes, and an electronic safe on the top shelf. I guess it stems mainly from the fact that it had a normal door that opens out, rather than the sliding doors most hotels have. It was just a small, homey thing that stuck out to me.

And then the room opens out, and up. The walls were a butterscotch color, with white trim, and there were raised ceilings. The majority of the wall opposite the door was taken up by a large, arched window, with a view of the lake, and the town in the distance. There were heavy, floral printed draperies, with somewhat exotic flowers, hanging from an ornate, dark wood rod. On either side of the window were large, dark, heavy wicker chairs, with really comfortable cushions.

From the entrance, to your right is a small, highly polished, dark wood cabinet that houses the mini-bar. On top of it is a tray holding the ice bucket and some glasses, including wine glasses. Next to that was a large armoire, again in that gorgeous dark wood. Inside was the television, and a webtv style keyboard. Past the armoire was a large desk, with a glass top. There was a smaller version of the wicker armchair at the desk, and a desklamp. Behind the desk was a large mirror.

To your left, was a giant, four poster King Size bed. It had a sage green, linen textured spread, with lots of soft pillows. The beds have a pillow top matress, high thread count sheets and those wonderful, waffle weave, cotton blankets. Instead of traditional night stands, there were two small tables, each of a different style, but both in the same dark wood.

I will say this- the rooms at Celebration are not all that large. It's hard for me to say what the square footage is- certainly not as small as the All Stars, but the room never felt cramped. In fact, it felt spacious- even though we spent a lot of time there.

After Chris and I explored the room a bit, (I always have to read through the book with the hotel amenities) we debated what to do for the rest of the night. We were interested in seeing the snow fall in town, but it wasn't going to happen until 6, and it was just about 4 at this point. So, we decided we'd head out and see the town, and go from there.

On our last stay, we'd been so focused on the preparation and then events of the Vow Renewal, that we really didn't see the town at all. In fact, to be perfectly honest, we hadn't seen the Hotel itself prior to our one planning trip, they just offered the best package for our needs, and the pictures looked okay. I wanted to get a chance to see the town, as we've joked about picking up and moving there from time to time.

We set out, taking a convoluted path out of the room to check out the Fitness Center, locate the hot tub, and visit the spot where the VR had been held, on the back terrace. The giant warrior statue was still there, but instead of the chairs set up as they'd been that day, there was a cozy group of rocking chairs surrounding a crackling fire in one of those portable fireplace things.

We headed back into the lobby and made our way across the street to check out the shops of the town. It was a dark day, pretty gray, with a slight drizzle, and cool. It wasn't downright cold, but slightly more chilly than comfortable. We did a quick tour, walking across the street, and down past the movie theater to see what was available. We took our time wandering through shops, and watching as some workers sprayed down the street with "snow" They coated the entire street, to make it seem as if snow had just fallen. From time to time, little kids would run off the curb to walk in it.

On the one side of the street you'll find a large walkway bordering the lake. There was a big Christmas tree set up, and various seating areas as well. Today was not the day to relax and take in the view, but I could see sitting and watching the kids playing in the fountain on a nice day. There's also an area that is totally open to the water, a series of wide concrete landings that serve almost as a staircase right down to the water.

In this area, during the holidays is a building where you can visit Santa, and another area where you can take a train ride. Many of the town residents use electric vehicles to get around, and there is a train made out of a series of them.

We were getting a bit chilly, so Chris and I decided that it was time to find a snack, and see if we could find something warm to drink. Sherlock's, a small tea shop across from the hotel was the perfect place. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating- but we opted for indoor. As you walk in the door, they have a display case with all sorts of goodies, it was hard to walk past it and not drool.

Chris ordered English Breakfast tea, and I got a pot of Peppermint. I also ordered some scones with mine, and was given the choice of currant or cranberry. I went with currant, and they were huge. Both scones were easily the size of hamburger rolls, and were served with strawberry jam and Devonshire cream. Chris opted for one of the many goodies from the case, a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake that was incredible.

We were only seated a little while when we realized that they were in the process of closing up the shop for the holiday, so after finishing up our food, we got ready to leave. Our waitress seemed upset that we hadn't finished our tea, and brought us large togo cups to take it with us. After paying the bill, we made our way out, and back over to where the snow would fall.

While we'd been at tea, the town had come alive. The lights on the trees were on, and there were horse drawn carriages to take rides around town in. The train was up and running as well. We gathered with the others, watching the kids run and play in the "snowdrifts" while we waited for the snow to start. It just took a few minutes before the holiday music began, and the snow started falling. It was a perfect way to spend the evening- watching the snow fall and enjoying a hot cup of tea.

After the snowfall, Chris and I made our way back to the hotel, plotting out the rest of the evening. We decided that we'd head to Epcot, where we'd have dinner, and then tour the World Showcase until it was time for Illuminations. On our trip earlier in the month, we hadn't directly seen the holiday additions, and we wanted to make sure we didn't miss them.

So we got our car back from the valet, and then headed off to Epcot. Since it was later in the evening, we were able to park relatively close, and just walked up to the front gates. We went through security, and then Deb called. We talked for a few minutes, about our plans for the next few days, and then Chris and I headed onto Spaceship Earth.

After the ride, we watched the fountain for a few minutes, and then made our way into the Electric Umbrella. When I'd been down in August, they had changed the menu, and I was very excited for Chris to see and try some of the changes (yes, I know we'd been down since, but this was the first time we'd been able to eat there).

Chris decided that he was impressed with the new options, but was really hungry for fish and chips, so he got in line to order my food while I headed upstairs to find a seat and wait for him. It took just a few minutes before he arrived with my dinner, a Roast Beef, Bacon and Provalone Sandwich with Mesquite Mayonnaise and Pineapple Coleslaw.

The sandwich was yummy- and huge! Easily enough for the two of us to eat, and I only finished about half of it. Chris had a few bites, and then we decided it was time to head out and over to the World Showcase.

As we left, I remembered something I'd read about Figment being out to Meet and Greet, so we headed over to the Imagination Pavilion to see if we could find him. We didn't, but ran into a very chatty Cast Member, who explained that he was available daily until 5 or 6 pm. Normally a chatty Cast Member is good, but this one really seemed intent on telling us how cool he was, so we escaped as politely and quickly as we could, and then made our way out to the World Showcase.

We started in Canada, where Chris nearly got sidetracked by the pretzel bread. He decided at the last minute to hold out for his fish and chips, so we made our way on to the UK. We got in line at the Fish and Chips counter, and a woman got online right behind us. She seemed quite intent on standing nearly on top of me. Each time I'd move, she'd move until she was right up against me as well. Finally, I just turned to Chris, leaned over and stage whispered "This woman wants to stand on top of me" As I figured she would, she heard me and backed off. The lesson didn't last long though, because when Chris got to the window to order, she climbed all over him to get straws.

After he got his food, and got away from the clingy woman, we made our way over to the seating area. We debated sitting on the lower terrace, but opted for the upper one instead, since there were tables. Chris enjoyed the fish and chips, and after he was done, we set off on our tour around the World.

It wasn't really a tour to see things, unless the mood struck, but more to kill some time until Illuminations, and to just soak in the happy, relaxed atmosphere of our holidays. It's very important to both of us that the holidays are relaxed and that we do only what we want (after years of spending them in the car visiting others), so it was wonderful to just be alone, together, in the place that seems the most comfortable to us.

We wandered from place to place, checking out a shop here, or a cart there. We made our way through France and Morocco, and then Japan. As we approached the American Adventure, we stopped an checked out the pin carts- and realized that the Candlelight Processional was just about to start.

The Candlelight is actually what initiated us spending the holidays in Disney, as Chris really wanted to see Gary Sinise in it the first Christmas we were in GA. My gift to him was the dinner package and the hotel for the night that year, and it's just seemed natural that we go back. Unfortunately, we don't always plan ahead as we should, and didn't make up our minds whether we wanted to do the dinner package again until it was too late to get one. I asked Chris if he wanted to try and grab a spot in the seating area, but he didn't want to wait in the line. Instead, we found a spot to sit on what is normally the fountain, but was covered up to be a Christmas tree platform. We watched about half the show before Chris decided he was cold, and then we started walking again to warm up.

We continued on through Italy, then Germany, and then China. I stopped in Norway for a rice cream, and then we continued on to Mexico, to get Chris a churro. Before he got his churro, we went inside the pavilion, mostly to warm up, and checked out all of the shops. Then we headed back out, where Chris changed his mind on the churro.

We still had about 20 minutes before the show, and nothing to do to kill the time. So, we talked about it and decided that we'd find a bench in that small seating area to the right, opposite the lagoon, as you come across the bridge leaving Mexico, and wait there until the show started. Then, we'd just walked out into the walkway, and have a pretty unobstructed view of the Lagoon, no matter how many people there were.

So, we settled on a bench and cuddled. Off to the right was FutureWorld, and over the top of the monorail track, past Spaceship Earth, we caught some of Wishes. Then we watched the Lights of Winter, until it was time to find a spot for the show. Chris and I found a place with a clear view- and settled in for the show.

We've seen Illuminations many, many times, so we didn't bother to take pictures until the ending- only of the new holiday stuff. The show proceeded as normal, and was incredible- it's really one of my favorites. At the end, they make an announcement about their wish for the holidays, and begin the song "Let there be Peace" (I think that's the title) and then there are some incredible new fireworks. I really can't describe them, other than to say that they were so incredible, so high, and so big that I cried when I saw them.

When it was over, we started making our way with about 3 million other people, back towards FutureWorld. Through the Lights of Winter it was literally wall to wall people- if you stopped moving- you were done, and it continued that way until you reached the fountain. As we were heading that way, we looked up and saw the holiday greetings in different languages being projected onto Spaceship Earth. At just that moment, however, the batteries in our digital camera died.

Chris really wanted pictures though, so we stopped at one of the little shops on either side of the walkway, and bought a package of four batteries. Of course, they were normal batteries- and not the ones that you would use for a digital camera, so Chris didn't have much time to get the pictures. I found myself a little spot off to the corner of the shop and told Chris to come back and get me when he was done with the pictures. It took him about 10 minutes, and then he came back with dead batteries. I gave him the new ones, and he set off again.

The crowd had thinned a bit as he came back, so we made our way towards the fountain together. He wasn't able to get great shots, though he did get a good video clip of the changing messages. Then, we took our time, heading out- marveling at the little details, like the fiberoptics in the sidewalk, and talking about past trips- like when he and his friends discovered that in high school, or when I took a turn down that path as we were walking out of Epcot with our family after dinner at the Rose and Crown the night of the Vow Renewal. Daddy had never been to Disney, in fact was nearly anti- Disney, and I just wanted to see the look on his face when he saw the sidewalks, just the delight at the tiny details.

As we headed back out to the car, I realized I was freezing. Somehow I have the ability to not feel the cold until I'm somewhere warm- then it's unbearable. I'd been wearing a skirt, so that certainly didn't help anything. On our drive back, we decided that if it was open, we were going to hit the bar to get a drink.

We left the car with the valet, and headed inside. I changed my mind, and decided against the bar, wanting to put on warm pajamas instead. So, we headed to our room, where we settled in. I put on my jammies, and then commented that it would be nice if they offered cookies and hot chocolate through room service. Chris made a quick phone call, and it turns out that we could, in fact, get them. So, we ordered two cookies, a glass of milk for Chris and a pot of tea for me. I settled in to check my work email while we waited, and in just a few minutes room service was at our door.

The waiter brought in our tray, covered in a linen napkin, with a vase with a gerber daisy in it, and took the silver lid off of our plate of cookies. They were bigger than my hand! He apologized for taking so long, but explained that they wanted to warm the cookies a bit for us. In addition to warming them, they'd dusted them with powdered sugar, and garnished them with flowers. Chris and I settled in and enjoyed our cookies and drinks. The cookie was wonderful- probably the best I'd ever had, and the tea was exactly what I needed to warm up.

After relaxing for a while, we decided that we wanted to go in the hot tub before bed, so we changed into our suits, and put on our robes. We headed out, going through the fitness center, and outside to the spa. I'd thought they'd have towels in the fitness center, but they didn't, so Chris ran back in, while I stood on the stone tiles surrounding the hot tub, since they were warm and I was barefoot. A few minutes later, he was back, and we realized that the spa closed at 11 pm. We decided we were going to break the rules, and that we'd just be quiet- and then turned on the spa.

The water was very hot, so it took us a little while to ease into the hot tub- but after we both were in, it was perfect. We sat and talked, reminscing about the Vow Renewal, and our previous stay, how wonderful the town was, how perfect the trip was, and just how lucky we are to have the lives we do in general. After 15 or 20 minutes, we figured we shouldn't press our luck any longer, and got out, threw on the robes and quietly raced back around to get inside before we froze.

Back in the room, we showered and got ready for bed. All in all- it was one of the most perfect nights. We simply did what we wanted, when we wanted, and though it was quiet and low key, we were happy. The Hotel atmosphere was perfect- more than we'd expected, and we'd both fallen totally in love with it. Strangely enough- it reaffirmed the decision we'd made to have the Vow Renewal there- making the memories that much more special. And, so we snuggled into our giant bed, and drifted off to sleep.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4