COMPLETE: The Princesses & The Dog;Our Tail-Wagging Magical Adventure! A November 2017 TR*WITH VLOGS

[jediprincess23]

How exciting you're going back with Marilyn! You must've really made this first experience super magical for her. I'll be starting my second CP at Disneyland in May so May's definitely becoming the most magical month of 2018.

Flynn looks so cute with Anna & Elsa. I die any time I see a service animal meeting characters, it's beyond precious and magical. And what a good doggo he is being on FEA. LOL @ the kid in the front row looking like he saw death itself.

Haha I'm glad I made a good first impression on Marilyn, that means I now have 2 disney buddies! Congrats on your DCP acceptance, tat is seriously SO exciting. Also I didn't notice that kids face until you pointed it out- that's hilarious!

That's so exciting! I'm so pleased for you guys! Sounds like you've made a fan out of Marilyn







Oh my gosh! Adorable!



Haha yeah, I was like, "Is Rachel even there!?"

So proud Marilyn is now as addicted as the rest of us

I think you made a Disney convert!

I think I have! I'll have to find another person to begin converting, lol!

 

[UrsulaTime]

Just found your trip report and caught up! So fun!

I have to ask about those gorgeous Tree of Life pictures - where's that spot??

 

[jediprincess23]

Just found your trip report and caught up! So fun!

I have to ask about those gorgeous Tree of Life pictures - where's that spot??

Ahh yay! I'm so glad you found this and have been enjoying! The spot is a little hard to describe but if you come across the bridge into Harambe and then turn right and walk towards the Tree of Life, you will find this spot tucked away a couple hundred yards from the bridge. I'll attach a map to help describe things a little better!

It's the PP location called "Tree of Life Overlook". Hope this helps!

 

[UrsulaTime]

It's the PP location called "Tree of Life Overlook". Hope this helps!

Yes, your detailed description AND MAP are incredibly helpful! So sweet of you! I really appreciate it.

 

[DVCGreg]

The Princesses & The Dog: Our Tail-Wagging Magical Adventure
Well, fancy seeing you here! To all of my long-time readers, hello again! and to anybody who has just stumbled upon these crazy accounts of my Disney trips, WELCOME!
I do believe some introductions are in order!

Hi again, my name is Hollye I am your narrator! This is my 5th TR here on the Dis and my 7th visit to WDW! If you ever see me in real-life basically everything I touch is Disney-fied. I am hopelessly obsessed with Disney from the movies to the parks and everything in between! One day, it is my dream to work for Disney and hopefully do the Disney College Program. I just love the company that Walt created so many years ago and how much joy it brings into people's lives. I am now a Sophomore in college and spend most of my free time working at a doggie-bakery (gotta pay for Disney somehow right?! ) or hanging out with my friends or dreaming about another Disney trip.

Rachel
If you read my last report (here's the link if you haven't) Rachel is my resident Disney buddy! She is actually the one responsible for starting my whole WDW obsession back in 2013. Since then, most of our conversations are comprised mostly of Disney. Since you've last seen her in my TR, she is now ENGAGED (Ahhh!!). This is her last Disney trip before she gets married this summer!

Marilyn
This was very special trip for Marilyn because it was her VERY FIRST DISNEY TRIP EVER. Marilyn has never been a fan of people in costumes so she never came to Disney as a kid. Even though they still aren't her favorite, after hearing Rachel and I go on and on about Disney, she decided that she wanted to come and see it for herself. Rachel and I know her though our college ministry and thought she was the perfect person to bring along! Her and I stayed together for most of the trip, I had sooo much fun showing her all my must-do Disney things!

Momma Hart
This is Rachel's Mom and basically feels like my second Mother, she is also a huge Disney fan! Originally, this trip was going to be Rachel, Marilyn and I. Then Rachel and her Mom decided that they wanted to go to Disney and she probably wouldn't be able to come with us. Once they booked their trip, Marilyn and I decided on a week to go and it ended up being on the exact same week that Rachel and her Mom were going. We decided that it would be so much cheaper if we all booked a trip together! Momma Hart probably knows the most about Disney than any of us so I was glad to have her with us! She also kept us in line because when you put Rachel, Marilyn, and I together- there's no telling what can happen

Flynn
Last but not least, FLYNN! Yes, he was named after Flynn Rider (who else?!). Flynn is Rachel's service-dog-in-training, he was just a baby puppy when we came to Disney in January but now he's a 10-month old adorable pup. Even though he's still in training, he would never believe it- he is such a good boy! Rachel has an autoimmune disorder called POTS that he is being trained to alert her when an episode is coming on. Disney is the ultimate test for a dog training in him and he passed with flying colors.

Just a couple more details about our trip before we officially get started:
When: November 14th-17th, 2017
Where: Disney's All Star Sports Resort
Why: A little Disney getaway to escape school and the cold weather at home!

We were able to score free Disney Dining but upgraded from the Value Resort Dining Plan to the Moderate one so we could have Table Service meals!

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Aww Flynn is such an adorable little fella! Its good to hear all that training paid off for your trip!!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Ahh yay! I'm so glad you found this and have been enjoying! The spot is a little hard to describe but if you come across the bridge into Harambe and then turn right and walk towards the Tree of Life, you will find this spot tucked away a couple hundred yards from the bridge. I'll attach a map to help describe things a little better!

It's the PP location called "Tree of Life Overlook". Hope this helps!

Yes, your detailed description AND MAP are incredibly helpful! So sweet of you! I really appreciate it.

Whenever I see a photopass photographer there, I make sure to stop, because I love the photos that come out! Great view of Tree of Life, without anyone else in the shot!

 

[jediprincess23]

Yes, your detailed description AND MAP are incredibly helpful! So sweet of you! I really appreciate it.

Yay! I'm so glad I could help!

Aww Flynn is such an adorable little fella! Its good to hear all that training paid off for your trip!!

Thank you! Rachel works very hard with him and you could really tell!

Whenever I see a photopass photographer there, I make sure to stop, because I love the photos that come out! Great view of Tree of Life, without anyone else in the shot!

Yes, it's a great view that not a lot of people notice!

 

[jediprincess23]

Reunited & it Feels so Good!
After our little ride on Frozen Ever After, we had to decide how we were going to proceed. We had about one hour until Illuminations began and in that time we wanted to get Marilyn's Duffy stamped in Norway, meet Anna and Elsa, get some school bread and ride Soarin'. Since Rachel and Momma Hart had already met Anna and Elsa, they volunteered to get me some school bread and head on over to Soarin'. They had fastpasses and we were going to need a rider swap to ride with Flynn anyway so they thought they would go ahead and enjoy and we would meet up with them later and ride with the rider swap.

The line for Anna and Elsa was soooo short we maybe waited 10-15 minutes. I remember back in 2014 when the line for Anna and Elsa was so long that it left Norway. We've come a long way folks

We really enjoyed Anna meeting the little boy who was in line before us, he was clearly not into the meet and greet and she was being so silly just trying to get him to crack a smile. When she leaned down beside him a little bit of her hair got stuck in his glasses and for a second there it looked like she was going to loose her hair entirely. Thankfully we missed a minor disaster and Anna was ok!

When it was our turn, Anna was more bubbly than ever! Marilyn told her than she was her absolute favorite and that this was her first visit to Disney. Anna wanted to know if we were celebrating anything and we told her we were celebrating Marilyn's birthday. Then Anna went into great detail about how she celebrated Elsa's birthday and how there was lots of chocolate involved.

This was my first time meeting the sisters and it honestly couldn't have been a better interaction!

She was the literal cutest and even gave us a warm hug!

We moved on to talk to Elsa, she also told us about the birthday celebrations she and Anna have together!

After saying farewell to both princesses we went back to the shop in Norway and completed Marilyn's duffy bear! YAAAY!

On our way out of Norway, one of the Norwegian CM's stopped us to wish Marilyn a happy birthday. He wanted to know when her birthday was because his birthday was going to be the next day. He said he was going to be 21 and we both said "oooooh" very knowingly. He looked at us funnily but we didn't think to explain how in America a lot of people who turn 21 go drinking and partying. It was just awkward and we ran away really fast

We hurried our way to The Land and met up with Rachel and Momma Hart, we ran and got in line to ride Soarin'!

This is another one of my faves and I couldn't wait to show Marilyn. We didn't wait very long at all before we were on the ride. The thing that took the longest was the difficult people who were on the ride with us. First we all sat down and got buckled and they locked the seat belt buckles and got us ready to begin the ride. But then this loud group of people didn't buckle in correctly and so the CM's had to come and release everyone's buckles and let them restart. Then we got about ready to go again and another person in the group claimed that they had to go the bathroom and needed to be let off (I'm pretty sure they were a little scared). Anyway, it was like a 10 minute delay so I was very excited once we actually got in the air! We enjoyed the ride, and better yet: Marilyn loved to too! Although once you ride Flight of Passage, Soarin doesn't quite seem that spectaular .

After we got off the ride we ran to the bathroom and I accidentally walked into the men's room... OKAY, I swear they swapped the mens and the women's room. I was very confused but I'm glad I realized what I was doing before I fully walked into the bathroom

The good news is that even though I narrowly missed an embarrassing moment, I have PRECIOUS SCHOOL BREAD waiting for me

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[disneyshakeygirl]

School bread looks so yummy!!

Your m&g photos with Anna and Elsa are adorable.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Awww, your meet with Anna & Elsa sounded so cute and fun! I always love how the conversation always becomes about chocolate when you meet them. Even though I know this totally was part of the reason why their line was so long way back when, I want them to meet as one duo meet again in Epcot. They still do it in Disneyland and they are just extra extra fun together. Not to mention, Olaf and Kristoff now meet alongside them and they are wonderful too.

So glad to hear FoP didn't totally ruin Soarin' for Marilyn! How can you not like Soarin' just a little though?

AAAAHHHH SCHOOLBREAD LOML I NEEDS ONE NOWWWWWW

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Aw your M&G pics are so so cute! And I am seriously impressed that y'all made it around WS that quickly!!

 

[UrsulaTime]

Great photos, as usual! I love that they capture how excited you both are - looks like you made Marilyn's first trip a really great experience (which is not as easy as it sounds sometimes!).

Oh btw...

After we got off the ride we ran to the bathroom and I accidentally walked into the men's room... OKAY, I swear they swapped the mens and the women's room. I was very confused but I'm glad I realized what I was doing before I fully walked into the bathroom

I did this exact thing. Disneyland 1997. One doesn't forget. But after a snack, one does heal.

 

[jediprincess23]

School bread looks so yummy!!

Your m&g photos with Anna and Elsa are adorable.

School bread is honestly one of my favorite things on the planet, haha!

Awww, your meet with Anna & Elsa sounded so cute and fun! I always love how the conversation always becomes about chocolate when you meet them. Even though I know this totally was part of the reason why their line was so long way back when, I want them to meet as one duo meet again in Epcot. They still do it in Disneyland and they are just extra extra fun together. Not to mention, Olaf and Kristoff now meet alongside them and they are wonderful too.

So glad to hear FoP didn't totally ruin Soarin' for Marilyn! How can you not like Soarin' just a little though?

AAAAHHHH SCHOOLBREAD LOML I NEEDS ONE NOWWWWWW

Okay, but why are ALL OF the m&g in DLR waaaaay better than WDW? It's just not fair. Also I do apologize for making you crave school bread but honestly, I crave it every day sooooo

Aw your M&G pics are so so cute! And I am seriously impressed that y'all made it around WS that quickly!!

Haha thank you, I'm impressed with us too. However, I am excited that we will have more time to explore in May and actually enjoy each country!

Great photos, as usual! I love that they capture how excited you both are - looks like you made Marilyn's first trip a really great experience (which is not as easy as it sounds sometimes!).

Oh btw...
I did this exact thing. Disneyland 1997. One doesn't forget. But after a snack, one does heal.

Hahahaha okay this is such a HILARIOUS comment. But you're so right, one does heal after a Disney snack

 

[jediprincess23]

Disney Ducks are EVIL
After I received my beautiful School Bread, we parted ways with Rachel, Momma Hart, and Flynn because they had dinner reservations in Disney Springs. Marilyn and I rushed off to watch Illuminations! I was a little worried about not being able to find a good spot so close to the showtime but surprisingly, we walked up on a bunch of empty spots in Canada! At first we found some standing tables to camp out at but I was afraid that there was a big tree in our way so we moved a few feet down the fence beside a trashcan so I could set my school bread on top of it (only in Disney would I use a trashcan as a table).

Anyway, there were a lot of children and not a lot of adults standing around and the kids decided that it was a good idea to feed the ducks. Usually, you would think that was cute but NO, the Disney ducks are literally evil. They were attacking each other and biting the kids and coming up to me and Marilyn and they were just getting a little too close for comfort. We were a little annoyed because it was so close to the show that we didn't feel like we could move. Thankfully we didn't get attacked (there were a couple close calls) and after the show started the ducks kinda dispersed.

I sadly don't have any pictures from Illuminations because I was Facetiming one of my dear friends, Crisiliee who also shares a love of Illuminations. She actually is on her DCP at the moment and I can't wait to watch it with her in person in May!

After the show (which Marilyn loved), we headed back to the front of the park! Of course, we needed pictures with the Christmas tree!

It was only a little bit after 9pm and the park was technically "closed" but it felt silly to leave the park so early because it was out last night in the parks so we thought we would do a little shop around future world.
BUT all of the shops were like trying to close ASAP and so we really didn't get to spend very much time shopping because we felt like we needed to be respectful of the people trying to get home!

So we just headed on to the busses which were at the VERY end (of course) and once we got there, the line of people trying to get back to the resort was SO FULL. It took 2 busses before we could squeeze on the bus. Anyone who has had a LONG Disney day understands the struggle of waiting for the freakin' bus to come back for you- it feels like an eternity.

Our bus did FINALLY come though (bless) and once we got to our room, we totally just crashed in bed
Rachel, Momma Hart, and Flynn came in pretty soon after and told us about their dinner at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'. They really enjoyed their meal and it looked GOOD

The best part of their meal was that they didn't eat their desserts at the restaurant so the server boxed up their desserts and they shared them with us! I tried the chocolate cake and OH MAN, it was sooo good!

After sampling their lovely desserts, we all went to sleep so we could be ready for out last day in Orlando!
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[disneyshakeygirl]

The meals at Homecoming LOOK AMAZING.

I've never had School Bread, I'm going to have to try it in September!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

What a lovely end to your night! IllumiNations then all the pretty tree pics. Love it! And how sweet of you to FT your friend in to watch with you, must've been nice. That's awful about the ducks. People just really shouldn't feed any animals out and about at Disney, it's just general etiquette I thought.

Also, for the record, if you're planning on doing a CP, prepare to have an even WORSE line to wait in for bus rides home. In other words... bring a car.

Mmmmm, that food from Homecomin' looks so so good. It's too bad I'm about to go to bed now because I'm hungry.

Can't wait to hear about your last day in the World!

 

[Ears to Disney]

Joining in! What a fun little girls trip. Congratulations Rachel! Flynn is adorable!

 

[tikisunset77]

yes! they did swap those bathrooms by Soarin
what happened to you
probably happens every fifteen minutes

 

[jediprincess23]

The meals at Homecoming LOOK AMAZING.

I've never had School Bread, I'm going to have to try it in September!

Oh yes, please do! It is sooo yummy and it's a pretty inexpensive snack

What a lovely end to your night! IllumiNations then all the pretty tree pics. Love it! And how sweet of you to FT your friend in to watch with you, must've been nice. That's awful about the ducks. People just really shouldn't feed any animals out and about at Disney, it's just general etiquette I thought.

Also, for the record, if you're planning on doing a CP, prepare to have an even WORSE line to wait in for bus rides home. In other words... bring a car.

Mmmmm, that food from Homecomin' looks so so good. It's too bad I'm about to go to bed now because I'm hungry.

Can't wait to hear about your last day in the World!

You're so right, you would think people would know not to feed wild animals but Disney guests never cease to amaze me

also, thank you for the warning about the DCP busses, I've heard bad things about them! I would DEF be bringing a car!

also so sorry for making you hungry

Joining in! What a fun little girls trip. Congratulations Rachel! Flynn is adorable!

Hi! Glad you've joined in, I'll pass the message on to Rachel

yes! they did swap those bathrooms by Soarin
what happened to you
probably happens every fifteen minutes

Haha, I bet the CM's at Soarin' enjoy watching people get confused about the bathrooms

 

[jediprincess23]

Marilyn Is The Paparazzi!!
After two loooong (but awesome) days of doing Dinsey hardcore, we needed to take some time to sleep in and relax. This was actually our check-out day but our plane didn't leave until 9pm that night so we had a full day planned.

We woke up around 9am (lol this is "sleeping in" in Disney) and started packing up and getting ready for the day! We planned on leaving our bags with the front desk while we spent the day at the Boardwalk and Disney Springs. Momma Hart had amazingly scored Trattoria Al Forno breakfast reservation that started at 11am so we had to get moving!

Marilyn and I finished up a little early than Rachel and Momma Hart so we went outside to soak up the sun a little more and to get some outfit pictures!

My sister painted these shoes for me many christmases ago and I have never gotten to wear them in Disney so I really wanted to get a picture of them! I also NEEDED some caffeine so we were going to grab some coffee in out refillable mugs.

And then Marilyn decided to give you guys some awkward behind the scenes pictures

When you realize someone is taking your picture

She's like the paparazzi

We also poked around the gift shop for a little ornament gift for my mom (who loves to collect ornaments). I found two packages that I really liked but I was afraid that my luggage was so full that they would get smashed!

Speaking of Christmas, while we were there the hotel was putting up its Christmas decorations! I thought they were so cute!

It seemed that Flynn was a little partied out from all of his Disney touring! But we told him NO SLEEPING IN DISNEY and got the show on the road

We left our bags with the front desk and hopped on a bus to Hollywood Studios. Rachel and I learned from our last trip that even though bussing to EPCOT to get to the Boardwalk would make the most sense, there isn't a bus from EPCOT to the Boardwalk. So we decided to get a bus to HS and take a boat to the Boardwalk, PLUS I have never been on a Friendship boat outside of EP so I was excited to experience it.

We got off at the Swan and Dolphin and took a couple pictures before moving on over to The Boardwalk. I've never seen this place up close, it is BEAUTIFUL

There was a wedding going on around us and it was SO PRETTY. I really wanted to take pictures to share with you guys but I just feel like would be strange

I'm pretty sure this is Rachel taking photos of the wedding though

We finally moved on over to the Boardwalk, I loved the little arch that you walk under!

We were a little early for ur reservation so we checked out the resort a little

Then we headed in and checked in for our breakfast and headed to the bathroom, I thought the theming was SO CUUUTE

Of course, near the check-in desk they have all kinds of Tangled and Little Mermaid merch. Naturally, I made Rachel take a picture with Pascal so we could have Rapunzel, Flynn, and Pascal all in one picture! Flynn wasn't impressed.

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