Birthday Fun & Pixie Dust! May '14 TR | What I bought update!! 7/1

[CarlaLovesDisney]

Hello everyone! Thanks again for reading! There's a bit more stuff from Magic Kingdom that I forgot to talk about. I saw a proposal in front of the castle! The guy was so slick, he had a photographer ready and everything! Also, there was a very funny moment after one of the shows in front of the castle. I was trying to take some pictures of the fireworks from the show, but I was a bit too late. So I got to see the castmembers exiting back into the castle after show. As soon as they were on the bridge they all started getting out of character. It was so funny to see Snow White fanning herself and Prince Charming starting to unbuckle his jacket. Then Peter Pan noticed me and Grant and he started frantically waving at me and shouting "Hello!" Immediately all the other characters stood up straight and got back into character and waved at me as they walked into the castle. It was too funny! Good job Peter! Also, as we were leaving, we were walking behind a parade. I assume it was the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate it Parade. I love walking behind a parade!

When we left we realized that we weren't going to be able to take a nap. We were both really tired, but still really excited. We were cutting it really close for our reservation in EPCOT.

Grant decided to attempt a nap on the monorail. It was really nice to not have to go to a huge parking lot and tram to our car. Thank you again Poly for letting us graciously use your parking lot. I think I checked my watch about 50 times on the way to the parking lot and 50 times more as we were tramming there.

So we got through bag check and we had 20 minutes to get to our reservation in Italy. My magic band went through ticketing with flying colors, but Grant's did not work. So we get sent over to some CMs with fancy tablets to check on things. Turns out, Grant's Magic Band had pulled the wrong ticket. We each had 1 MK ticket and 2 park hopper ticket. On our first day, where we only did MK, Grant's pulled the park hopper ticket. The second day it pulled the park hopper ticket. So now we were at EPCOT and he was left with a 1 day MK ticket. I tried to stay really, really calm and know that technology likes to mess things up, for fun I guess. The castmember told me that I had to get my tickets "prioritized" before using them. I had NEVER heard about this. When we checked in, no one told me ANYTHING. But they magically fixed everything which was AWESOME, but then we had 5 minutes to get to our reservation at Via Napoli! But that totally did not stop me from taking some quick photos!

This park is all sorts of beautiful.

So we were definitely 15 minutes late, but they said it was all good, and they had not let go of our table. We were really excited for this pizza. We ordered our favorite: white pizza with artichoke, onion and feta. Delicious.

And of course, we had to have a little celebration for the birthday boy! All the waiters came and sang to him.

After eating, I decided to be an awkward duck and do something that I have done every time I have gone to a Disney park. CAST MEMBER PHOTOS! I love photographing the people that work at Disney. I love their costumes and how happy they always look. People always take pictures of the scenery and rides and other things, but I think that the people that are working those crazy shifts to bring us some magic are also important and I wanted to showcase them. The last few times I have gone, I have taken pictures of MK castmembers and HS castmembers so now I decided to do Epcot! It is a little awkward because I do have to go up and ask for a picture.

These guys were so fun!

This lady was a pro at cheesing pizzas. She was going way too fast for me to take a good shot, but I loved how many little pizzas they were preparing at once.

I'm sorry guys, I just really love pizza. I took pictures of the Italy pavilion too.

So pretty! But Grant did his usual shoulder tap on me to remind me that we have a FP+ coming up. Now that we were full of delicious food, it was time to enjoy some rides! Stay tuned for next time! Thanks for reading!

 

[RachelNinja]

How interesting that you got to see characters getting out of character! I find that stuff fascinating, haha. I love being able to see the wings during a theatrical production to see regular ol' people and then they pop on stage and it's a totally different person!

I love the idea of your taking pics of the CMs! I do like taking pictures of them working and doing their jobs, but after these 2 guys at Earl of Sandwich actually posed for us, I like the idea of having them aware of the picture-taking!

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

How interesting that you got to see characters getting out of character! I find that stuff fascinating, haha. I love being able to see the wings during a theatrical production to see regular ol' people and then they pop on stage and it's a totally different person!

I love the idea of your taking pics of the CMs! I do like taking pictures of them working and doing their jobs, but after these 2 guys at Earl of Sandwich actually posed for us, I like the idea of having them aware of the picture-taking!

Yeah, I used to tell them not to pose and to just keep working, but they always seem so excited to pose!

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

Hello everyone! It's time to keep on Epcotin' After eating wayy too much pizza we headed to check out Future World for the first time! Yeah, you read that right. The first time. Both of us had this bad habit of skipping Future World and moving on to World Showcase. We were about to make up for that.

First up was Test Track. We had a FP+ for 5:30. It was a little bit surreal, approaching a ride with a 120 minute wait and knowing we were going to only wait a fraction of that. If we had been using legacy FP, those would have been LONG gone. That was exciting. So we get to the car making station in 5 minutes!

Here's how our car turned out:

I let Grant do most of the designing. I actually didn't tell him that the whole point of the ride is to test what you've designed, so of course he was going to not take it seriously. At the beginning, when you're supposed to draw a line, he thought it would be hilarious to draw a squiggly line. Thank goodness there was the "optimize" button.

The ride was pretty fun. I definitely felt a little sick, probably because I had shoved so much pizza into my face earlier, but I surprisingly got over it quickly. The other surprising thing was that our car did well! At least, compared to the other people in our ride vehicle.

After this ride we headed to Nemo! We had a FP+ for it but we didn't need it because the line was at 10 minutes anyway. I loved the queue. I have an obsession with the ocean. And the music! The Nemo soundtrack takes me back to my childhood.

This ride was so cool! I love slow rides. It's a lot easier to appreciate the work of the imagineers when you're not being whisked around.

After Nemo, we checked out the aquariums and spent quite a while there. I loved the manitees and the dolphins, but I couldn't get good pictures of them.
I did get a close up of this turtle though.

Hello Mr. Turtle!

Also, we were really upset to find out that this starfish was not called the Roasted Marshmallow Starfish.

Next on our ride list was Spaceship Earth. Again, we had a FP+, but we didn't need it. The line was only 15 minutes so it made more sense to ride it now instead of waiting another hour. Darn tiering!

I felt really bad that I had never gone on it before.

This was my favorite part!

So, when we got our pictures taken at the beginning of the ride, I knew what it was for, but Grant didn't. So of course, he didn't take it seriously. Are you seeing a trend here? I made a normal face, but he made the silliest face he could think of.

He is the best. I love that he made this face. I love even more that I didn't tell him that it was going to be displayed on a huge wall for everyone exiting the ride to see

Next up the last part of our trip! World Showcase and Illuminations! Thanks for reading!

 

[LindseyLou2222]

Joining in!
Looks like a great trip so far! Love the Via Napoli pics, we are eating there for the first time in September and can't wait!!

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

Joining in!
Looks like a great trip so far! Love the Via Napoli pics, we are eating there for the first time in September and can't wait!!

Welcome and thank you! September is coming up! You must be really excited

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

Hello! I am really enjoying your TR! Your pictures are great and you have a great sense of humor. Our family stayed at POR in early May...it makes me happy to re-live our trip thru your adventures

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

Hello! I am really enjoying your TR! Your pictures are great and you have a great sense of humor. Our family stayed at POR in early May...it makes me happy to re-live our trip thru your adventures

Thank you!! I'm happy to share it!

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

Hello everyone! This was supposed to be the last part of the trip report but SO much stuff happened, that I might make it the second to last. Picking up where I left off: Grant and I were ready to take on the World Showcase without rushing this time!

We decided to start with Mexico to get some water to drink, but we ended up getting something else instead.

Ah yes, my favorite thing about the WS. So I kinda accidentally chugged that as we explored the Mexico pavilion. In my defense I've been on a low carb diet for months, so that was my first beer in months.

There was a lady making some awesome little figurines and I asked her for her picture (in Spanish!) and she said yes but looked VERY annoyed with me. So I didn't take a picture of her face.

We went through Norway briefly, but didn't find anything we were interested in. Maelstrom was at a strange 30 minute wait and we didn't feel it was worth it. As we were passing China we say the acrobats come out. Grant and I always wanted to watch them so we figured we could take the time to do that, even if it meant having to sit on a super hot pavement.

How are these people even DOING this?? I can't even do a proper jumping jack.

I mean look at this guy, just casually carrying four people at once. They were fantastic. After the show we went to explore the pavilion. I was taking pictures and minding my own business and then I saw MULAN. OMG.

I love Mulan! She posed for this picture but then had to go. But she did say happy birthday to Grant as she was leaving. She is the best! After more China exploration, Grant found a friend.

Next we took a pit stop at the Outpost. I love all the animal figurines they have here! So so pretty and festive.

Next it was on to Germany! We spotted Snow White by the wishing well.

She is so pretty!

Then, to Grant's dismay, we ended up in the Christmas shop. I tried to not spend too much time there. I really did try.

But everything was just so cute. Then I spotted two lovely ladies that were reorganizing a tree so I asked them for a photo.

Such cute outfits! And they were so friendly!

So we moved on through the WS and decided to go into the America section. It was exactly what I had expected. I don't even know why we did it. I can totally see why people would be excited about it, but not us. We live in the middle of the capital of Virginia, in a restored 19th century house so we were just like, "Well this looks exactly like what we see every day."

We also passed the Japan pavilion because our dinner reservation was fast approaching! Next time: dinner in Morocco and the rest of Epcot! Thanks for reading!

 

[BebopAngel88]

I am loving your TR so far with all your pictures. Have you ever done any weddings?

 

[ElenaJane]

There is no such thing as too many pictures of pizza! Great photos as usual. That was a pretty packed day! I loved Grant's Uva shirt. Go Hoos!

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

I am loving your TR so far with all your pictures. Have you ever done any weddings?

Thank you! I had so much fun taking those pictures. I haven't done any weddings, but I hope to sometime!

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

There is no such thing as too many pictures of pizza! Great photos as usual. That was a pretty packed day! I loved Grant's Uva shirt. Go Hoos!

It was packed! My feet were NOT happy and I was so exhausted by the end of it. Honestly, I'm going to just add an extra day to my next trip to avoid having to pull an all day thing. I was spoiled by taking a break. And yes! Go Hoos!

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

Hello everyone! My, what a packed last day we had! This is absolutely, for sure, the last little part. It was around 7:00 pm and we had about 15 minutes of wait time before our dinner reservation. I took a few pictures of the architecture. I love this pavilion.

Then I saw Aladdin and Jasmine walking away after meeting people.

Cutest couple in Agrabah! I'm so glad I got to see them.

Then I spotted this castmember and asked for a picture! Disney should have that dress for sale. Also, there must be something in that Moroccan water, because everybody in this pavilion has THE BEST skin.


We got to our reservation at restaurant Marrakesh just in time and we were seated immediately. At this point my camera had died, so I couldn't get pictures of the food. I actually brought my battery charger and the hostess let me use the outlet behind the desk while I ate. We both had veggie dishes with rice and they were really, really good.


Afterwards we were pretty much just waiting around for Illuminations. We went to check out the France pavilion.

I took some pictures of the coolest French people you'll ever meet. They were so nice!

I also picked up another little something. Grant had to drive so he couldn't drink, but that didn't stop me

Seriously, it's like a crime to go to the France pavilion and not get champagne.

Then we went to go hang out in England! We found a castmember that looked positively bored so I decided: Why not be really annoying and ask him a bunch of questions??

Me: Hi! So you're actually from England?
CM: Yes! A little town outside of London.
Me: How long have you been in America?
CM: About 5 months.
Me: That's awesome! What's the "bad" American stereotype you've found to be true?
CM: Umm, I don't think I should tell you.
Grant: It's ok, we'll own up to it.
CM: Well, the amount of fast food people eat is crazy. I mean, I've fallen into the trap too, I've had more fast food than anything else since I've been here.
Me: Ah yes, welcome to America. So what's the best thing about America?
CM: It's so hard to pick one! There's sunshine here, and so much to do and everyone is so friendly!
Me: Alright! We get points for sunshine! One last thing, and I'll leave you alone.
CM: Sure!
Me: How do you feel about having to wear this outfit to represent England?
CM: Well, when I first saw it, I thought, "What the heck is this?" But I know that people don't actually thing British people walk around like this.
Me: I'm glad!

Then we shook hands and I apologized 1000x times for being so awkward. Castmembers are the best!

Next it was time for Illuminations! We walked around to to the entrance of the World Showcase, but turns out it's now a FP+ area. So we went back to a little section by England. It was an ok spot, I guess, but not for photos.

Oh well.

After Illuminations were were really, really tired, but we waiting for most of the people to leave the park and I took some photos of Spaceship Earth.

Goodbye for now Epcot! Tomorrow we were flying out early, back to Viriginia. But the TR isn't over yet! Come back next time for some after Disney World fun.

 

[ElenaJane]

Epcot tree laughs at your pain. Muahahhhahhh.

So the vegetarian dish was good at Marakesh? Did it have some protein, like tofu?

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

Epcot tree laughs at your pain. Muahahhhahhh.

So the vegetarian dish was good at Marakesh? Did it have some protein, like tofu?

There are no trees at Epcot until you watch Illuminations. It's just how it is. This is so my fault though, I waited too long to find a good spot. I think it was only about 15 minutes until the show when we started looking for a place.

The dish did not have any protein on it. It was just rice and steamed veggie. It was a little bit sad, but Grant loves Moroccan food so we really wanted to experience that for his birthday.

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

Hello everyone!
I thought it might be cool to share what I bought on this trip (besides the stuff I showed in the TR). It wasn't a lot, mostly because I had been buying a lot of Disney things online. Please excuse my cat, she was very curious about what I was doing.

The first thing I picked up were a few pins. I'm working on expanding my princess pin collection so I grabbed Pocahontas and Ariel. Both of these I was able to snag in Magic Kingdom.

Besides the Muppet Bandits that we got at Magic Kingdom, I picked up these as well.

I love that they have all the park icons!

The last things we picked up there were ornaments. Grant chose the Mickey hat and I chose the one will the bells.

At Downtown Disney, I found this super cute Steamboat Willie pin and of course I just had to have it.

At our resort, Port Orleans Riverside, Grant spied Chip! It was the last one on the shelf and I was quick to snatch it up. I didn't even know they sold those! Even the cashier was surprised that we had found one.

But alas, this is the end of my Disney experience. Thank you guys for reading and following along! I definitely have to give a HUUUUGE thank you to the DIS for being so helping during my planning. I've already started looking for dates for our next trip. I hope to see all of you guys real soon!!

 

[JessicaKnits]

I'm so glad I found your trip report! Your pictures are incredible! Do you mind if I ask what kind of camera you use? I've been looking into getting a new one before my next trip.

 

[Angeejoe]

Awesome TR! It looks like you guys had a blast! Thanks for sharing!

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

I'm so glad I found your trip report! Your pictures are incredible! Do you mind if I ask what kind of camera you use? I've been looking into getting a new one before my next trip.

Thank you! I use a Sony Nex-3, it's not incredibly fancy, but it's small and easy to move around and use. I bought it on a whim and I love it!