Hi all ,
I apologize for the late report back , it has been beyond crazy here. I was sick when I left on vacation then both DH and I came down with something worse last Saturday so have been bed riddden since..but I'm better now so on with the show
Sat. 12/7 - We left the Bay area at 5am and since there was a chance the Grapevine would be closed for snow took 101 to Anaheim. I LOVED this route but I also wasn't the one driving, LOL.
We arrived at Hotel Indigo ( formerly the Holiday Inn Express on Katella) around 12:30pm and were warmly greeted and happy to find they had a room ready for us! We checked in quickly , dropped our bags off and headed to the park to renew our AP's.
Hotel photos :
I somehow blanked on getting photos of the bathroom - but It is a spa style shower - glass doors - we did not have a tub only shower , so unsure if other ones do. One sink but countertop space the size of a dual. Very roomy bathroom , larger than a closet lol.
We were pleasantly surprised how short the line was - it had rained and was windy but it was CP weekend so we were prepared for the worst. We were in and out of the line within 20 minutes and they still had our photos on file so no issues there !
I made 5:30pm reservations for Naples so we hit up HMH , Pirates , Jingle Cruise - which we REALLY enjoyed and spent the other time just walking around before dinner. Our skipper was a gem and hilarious. Not a true overlay but I enjoyed our ride.
We got to Naples around 5:10pm to check in and there were troves of people trying to get in everywhere for dinner..people were being told 1.5 hours for standby here and at other places..this is why I ALWAYS do reservations. I learned this the hard way before. I'm sure CP crowds contributed but still..reservations are the way to go. We were seated shortly after and our server was nice and attentive.
We first ordered an appetizer :
Panzerotti - Fried pizza dough filled with fresh mozzarella, artisan ricotta and Parmesan cheese, marinara sauce. These were LIGHT AND FLUFFY with the cheeses very smooth and delicious. It was not greasy at all despite being fried. We loved it and the marinara was some of the best we've had , very fresh and not overly acidic. It was wonderful.
I ordered the Lasgana :
It was filled with fresh seasoned beef and the noodles were lovely , the cheeses were just enough and not drowned in sauce. Awesome and would order again.
DH had the Chicken Parmesan :
It was surprisingly very lightly breaded and not greasy or heavy at all. It was a generous portion and was also delicious.
We decided to end the night early as it appeared fireworks would be cancelled anyway and wanted to miss the CP crowding to get an early start to Sunday. We arrived back at our hotel when we were relaxing when we suddlenly heard a loud "boom". Oh - so the fireworks did go off , so I decided to take a look outside to see if maybe we could see a glance of them.
To my surprise we saw this from our room :
We had no idea we had a fireworks view room or there were any at all. It was a very nice surprise our first night !
Sun 12/8 - We got an early start here and as we had breakfast included at our hotel decided to try it out. We were pleasantly surprised at the choices. It isn't a buffet but an order from the menu. I regret I didn't take a photo but choices included french toast , omelet to order , traditional breakfast with eggs and bacon , sausage or ham , pancakes as well.
The eggs were so light and fluffy , everything was very fresh and tasty. It was wonderful and also included our beverages. The orange juice was very tasty and fresh and our server arrived often to check on us even offering to go beverages if we would like.
Omelet with potatoes :
We were surprised by the relatively low crowds most of the day. We only spent about half a day in the parks as we had reservations at Steakhouse 55 at 6pm with friends. But we really never had more than a 20-30 minute wait and it never felt packed at all. It was rather pleasant.
We introduced a few friends to Steakhouse 55 and it was beyond wonderful.
My friend and I devoured 2 bottles of Rosa Regale by ourselves
and tried the Calamari for the first time..It was awesome. I'm now a fan.
We also had the Ahi Tuna which was superb. The prime rib and filet entrees were a huge hit with everyone.
We also ordered the Root Beer Baked Alaska , Creme Bruelle and had a special desert for the DH's birthday. It was just was wonderful as the first time.
Mon. 12/9 -
We started in CA with friends who stayed at the GCH and stayed most all day for WoC. I admit the kids next to me that the parents were showving into me were being completely obnoxious as they just didn't seem interested that others might be trying to enjoy themselves. Once the show started they seemed calm..but the projections seemed off and 5 minutes in the show was cancelled. I do have to admit the highlight was the little boy going
"Mom..did Olaf melt ?" - my DH and I couldn't stop laughing. It was disappointing but we understand it can happen.
Tues. 12/10 - Friday 12/13 -
The rest of the trip was a blur due to me being sick..and getting worse but I will cover a few things. Crowds did seem to pickup on Wed and Thursday. Nothing terrible that we aren't used to. A few times we did see SM tick up to 70 minute standby or 45 minutes for HMH , but honestly we expect crowds at holiday/weekend time so we made the best use of fast passes or shows in between.
We did stake out parade seats for the first time ever and it was completely worth it. We sat on the curb just by main street in front of the train depot. The Christmas parade was fantastic and brought tears to my eyes.
We did manage to catch WoC with blue fast passes and loved this. We had never gotten the fast passes before but it worked out perfect.
I think we are in the minority when we say we really enjoyed it. "Let it Go" gets to me every time..it just really resonates personally with me. I still prefer the original WoC but this was really fun. And I loved Olaf!
Also a first was staking a spot for fireworks. We never seem to make time to get up close but I think on Tuesday or Wed. we found some standing room kind of to the slight left of the castle , though a tree semi blocking , but still offered a very good view. I was just..overcome with emotion watching this.
I just held my DH's hand while the snow fell and thought to myself..this..this right here is what I want to remember..always.
On Friday we had a special engagement at Burbank Walt Disney Studios for a showing of Saving Mr. Banks. I was so sick but determined to go. It was very surreal being there and an emotional experience.
We checked in and got a few photos of us and with Mary Poppins and Bert too!
The film is just fantastic..I cried so much watching this and can't recommend it enough. The tour was awesome as well..It was incredible and so glad we got to experience this all.
You will have an amazing holiday stay!
and reminded me I needed to pack 
He knows I hate to pack so he was laughing pretty hard 
