"Mom, I'm embracing my inner child!" ~ A 1/20-27 2018 TR (COMPLETE!)

[belledreamer]

I'm gonna do it.

I don't care if it kills me…​

I'M COMPLETING A TR FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE!​

And you know how I'm gonna finish it? ​

BECAUSE IM TYPING THE WHOLE THING UP AHEAD OF TIME!!​

HAHAHA!​

...

I'm ok I swear...​

Hi there! I'm belledreamer;

BATB fanatic,


(My current cell phone wallpaper)


Belle cosplayer




and honorary Lost Girl!

(No pics of that so you'll have to trust me on that one... )

​

Seriously though, Disney is my happy place and one that I've desperately been in need of lately in the past few months so I'm really happy to be coming back.

​

Let's go over the details shall we?
​

Who: Traveling with me are my wonderful parents; DM who is actually the one who brought up going to Disney first (You go mom!) and DDad who, while not being the huge Disney fan like DM and I are, was willing to humor us and dive back into the magic. (Not to mention that there's a bunch of new stuff to see!)
​

Where and When: Leaving 1/20, stopping in Lake City then spending 1/21-1/27 at (hopefully) one of the newly renovated rooms at Pop Century.

​

And here's my plans for the week!​

1/21: Arrive mid-morning and spend a lazy day at Disney Springs and the Boardwalk
1/22: Hollywood Studios
1/23: Magic Kingdom
1/24: Solo day at Magic Kingdom!
1/25: Epcot
1/26: Animal Kingdom
1/27: Heading home…
​

​

​

Also, since I don't know when I'll be getting back to the World again, I've planned two special things for myself.​

​

1) I've wanted to immerse myself in the M&G experience at Magic Kingdom for a while now thanks to my awesome experience with Peter Pan on my last (incompleted….) TR but have never done so because when you're typically doing 4 day slams and trying to see all the attractions, M&Gs usually fall by the wayside. But since we ended up getting an extra day (and I'm confident I can see everything I want to in MK the day before) I'm planning on spending the whole day doing M&Gs with as many characters as I can and ignoring that I'm a single adult doing them!

​

2) I've always had a love of Disneybounding and loved doing it a little on our last Mother/Daughter trip but found myself not really being able to do it to the extent I wanted because of the heat… But thanks to the cooler temperatures for this trip and the awesome crochet and sewing skills of DM, she and I are disneybounding on each park day!

​

( Plus we’re hoping to get where we can sell her outfits and crochet projects at some point so I'm always happy to help play model.)

​

So here's our Disneybounding list!
​

HS: (DM) Princess Leia w/ Leia hair buns crochet cap (Me) Ewok w/ Ewok ‘schoodie’ (Mix of a scarf and hoodie
MK - Day 1: (DM) Minnie Mouse shirt (Me) Winnie the Pooh w/ Pooh hat
MK - Day 2: (DM) Donald Duck shirt (Me) Village Belle (no crochet today…)
Epcot: (DM) Mickey Mouse shirt (Me) Grumpy w/ brown crochet slouch hat
AK: (DM) Goofy shirt (Me) Dory w/ yellow infinity scarf​

I think that covers everything so let's get started!​

 

[belledreamer]

Saving post for links!!

 

[belledreamer]

Part 1: It's Disney Day!


Following a week of staying indoors due to unusually cold weather for us, we were all more than ready for a change for scenery. So after doing the four P’s: Plans, Prep, Pizza and Pina Coladas (I highly recommend that every adult should do this before going to Disney) we all settled in for the evening; me finishing my last minute plans for my Wednesday character search while roaming the DisBoards for a bit and then finally trying my best to get some sleep with varying degrees of success.

​

My alarm went off at 7:00 (though I was semi-awake before then) and since we knew we could get to Lake City in about 8 hours, we took our time getting moving and getting our last things together. I got myself dressed and my hair straightened while listening to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, (While also trying to deny the fact that I'm obsessed...) finalized prep for my cat, got the car loaded and left about 9am.

​

I won't bore you with details of our drive because there really isn't much to report on that. Our drive was smooth (except for me almost falling asleep at the wheel during my turn to drive but we're not going to talk about that... ) and we made it to Lake City around 6pm where we had an awesome dinner at Sonny’s BBQ and headed off to the hotel. Our hotel was…interesting… to say the least but it would be fine for one night so we settled in for the evening; DM and DDad heading towards the heated pool and me heading towards a hot shower.

​

The Disney magic was already starting though because when I went into my makeup bag, I found an envelope labeled ‘Just Because’ with souvenir spending money for the trip! Having been searching for a regular job and doing odd jobs for the past year and a half, money has been kind of tight for me lately so I had decided that I was just going to get one small souvenir for myself this go round. But I think DDad must have told the fairies something cause it was definitely a welcome surprise.

​

The rest of the evening was pretty much uneventful and we settled down in attempt of a good nights sleep. (Some of us are *ahem* more inclined to snoring than others…) Let's just say, ‘attempt’ was a good word for it. Still, we did as best as we could. Our hotel had a continental breakfast so we munched on mini waffles, eggs and fruit and then took off for the last two hours of our journey. I ended up falling asleep again and before I realized it…we were at Disney!!

Sorry, no pics going through the gate… I think I slept through it…

​

But before we went anywhere, our first stop was the Orlando International Premium Outlets. DM had read up on a place there called the Disney Character Warehouse where you could find items from Disney at a discount price, mostly seasonal and overstock. (Think F&W, MNSSHP and MVMCP merchandise) DDad found himself a cap, I found something for my cousin who was watching my cat, DM found things for a few friends as well and everything we purchased was at least 1/2 off so we did really good. Then on the way out, DDad spied sunglasses 2 for $30 so I went ahead and got in on that as well.

(Yes dad, I must have the reflective ones...)
​

By this point, we were more than ready for lunch so we then took off for Disney Springs. We knew ahead of time that there was an event going on called Minnie Rock the Dots that was going to be pulling in some crowds and it definitely was crowded. But it was no more than I was expecting due to an event and we were still able to get around without too much trouble. Our stomachs lead us to Earl of Sandwich where DM and I both got the Holiday sandwich (Don't remember what Dad had…) and it was just as good as we remembered.

​

Around there, we received a text that our room was ready, (We had requested a ground floor, refurbished room) and while we did have a ground floor, it wasn't one of the refurbished ones which was our main pull for staying at Pop… So after a little more shopping we decided to go on to our hotel to see if we could trade our floor room for a refurbished one.

​

So getting to the hotel, we spoke with Linda who was a massive help and managed to get us the last available refurbished room! Thank you Disney Magic! Plus we decided to bypass Mousekeeping which gave us a $50 gift card so that was a nice bonus. (We added that to the several gift cards we had accumulated with our Disney Visa and this paid for nearly all our food for the week.) Our room was on the second floor which we didn't mind at all. We ended up in the very back of the hotel at 7245 which we minded a little more but was not a huge deal, made it there without a problem and promptly settled in.

​

I have to admit, I really liked our room and was really glad we switched. I found it very clean, I really liked the modern design, and despite the fact that I've heard people complain that the room was not ‘Disney’ enough, I thought it was just fine. The amount of ‘Disney’ in the room is very minimal (just some art above the beds) but with everything around me being saturated with Disney, I'm totally ok with my hotel room not dripping with it.

​

Originally, we wanted to go to Kona for supper, but since we were still full from lunch, we decided to head to the Tambu Lounge at Poly instead and munched on pork sliders, pot stickers, and pork nachos while watching the Patriots win their way to the Super Bowl. Everything was delicious and with our normal trips consisting of what I'd basically describe as a four day slam fest, we definitely enjoyed the slower pace for a change.

​

Afterwards, we roamed around the hotel for a bit and decided to get our first glimpse of Happily Ever After from the beach. I highly recommend experiencing MK fireworks this way to anyone who hasn't done it before. The weather was perfect, we had plenty of space and the music was playing at the resort as well. We couldn't really see the projections on the castle, but the view of the fireworks was great. Was still undecided at that point if I liked it better than Wishes, but I decided to wait until I saw it up close on Tuesday before I made a final judgement.

​

By this point, the headache I had been nursing for a while finally got to where I couldn't ignore it anymore and we were all ready to get to the hotel. So we made our way back to Pop, got showers, I caught up on writing the TR and we went to bed. Our first park day is tomorrow and I've got a date with a Wookie (or maybe Kylo Ren?!)

(Sorry for the lack of pics... I promise plenty are coming!)​

 

[mamamelody2]

Ooh, joining in!

 

[belledreamer]

Ooh, joining in!

 

[belledreamer]

HS Pt 1: Should I turn to the Dark Side?


So after a *ahem* rough night due to DM and I snoring DDad out, the alarm finally went off at 6:30 this morning. We figured he'd probably want to sleep in for a bit so we started dressing as quietly as we could with the intent of making Rope Drop and him meeting us later. However, he ended up waking up about 7:30 and decided that he would go along with us for Rope Drop.

Today was our day for Hollywood Studios so despite it being the hottest weather of our trip, DM and broke out our Star Wars disneybounds. DM was Princess Leia, complete with Leia’s signature cinnamon roll hair and her ‘Empire Strikes Back’ wear including a control panel pin made with leftover plastic, duct tape, nail polish and a little creativity from DDad. Meanwhile, I went Ewok with a full out schoodie which covered my shoulders and actually required buttoning to keep it place. Super warm in the Florida weather but before we even got on the bus, we were getting attention.

​

Our plan of attack was to head directly to TSMM at rope drop so that we'd have the opportunity to ride it twice that day so once the rope dropped, the majority of the park goers headed in that direction as well! Still, despite the ‘running of the bulls’ (I gave a moo for good measure...) we were on TSMM within 10 minutes and I ended up being highest score in our car with 184,400! By the time we got out, the wait times were already reading over an hour so, satisfied we did the right thing, we did some shopping at the Star Wars shop and then headed to ToT.

ToT was about a twenty minute wait by the time we got there so we decided to go ahead and wait for it and had a great time as always. With the tier system that's at Hollywood Studios, we had decided to go with our usual plan of single riding Rockin Roller Coaster so that we wouldn't be waiting in line for long. Unfortunately it took us 45 minutes to get through single rider which I found very odd, but the closer we got to the front it seemed like just about every party in standby was an even number… Still we had a great time riding nonetheless.

By now, the temperature was warming up and with DM and I being in our warmest outfits of the trip, we decided to go see Chewbacca and Kylo. Really loved the theming at the Launch Bay and all the extra touches. My Ewok Schoodie caught a lot of attention especially of the two Stormtroopers walking around and I gave my best Ewok hiss when he got really close. Should have learned some Ewok phrases…. Within twenty minutes, we were in to see Chewy and I personally loved it.

​

Chewy liked my hat and was very appreciative that I brought the Princess. Got to hug him twice (Chewy hugs are the best!) and seeing that it was 11am, decided to use our Disney Visa to see Kylo Ren and get our picture with pretty much no wait!

​

I had mentally been preparing myself for this for a while, but nothing prepares you for the real thing. He is easily the most intimidating character you will meet in Disney and there's nothing quite like having a stare down with Kylo Ren. The pic of our stare down was our unanimous favorite and ended up being my phone wallpaper for half the trip while I struggled with the urge to not turn to the dark side.

Oh my god… My heart…​

By now, it was time for our FP+ for Indiana Jones and although I was burning up, I decided to keep the schoodie on a little longer because I had a something to cross off my Disney Bucket List and that was to get chosen as an extra for the show! Surprisingly, the crowd was a bit more subdued than usual so when it came time to pick extras, I jumped up and down, I made a ton of noise, I threw a small child in the air (okay, maybe not that last one...) but I got chosen as an extra!

​

Omg, this was so much fun! After doing our bit on the stage, we were lead to the top of the theatre where we were given our costumes and a waver to sign, watched the show for a bit and then lead downstairs to do our part. It was a great group of people and since I have a passion for acting, it was so fun to feel like I was part of the show. Plus the guy who played ‘Indy’ was super cute… (I swear I don't have a problem!!) It was a great experience and definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

Next it was time for our TSMM FP+ and a rematch between and DDad since we're both fiercely competitive when it comes to these rides. This time I rode with DM (I think he was looking for an advantage) and I won again with 184,600 points! Only 200 more than the last round!

We were all getting hungry by this point so we took off to try to find some lunch. Found some more Stormtroopers taking pictures so DM and I threw on our hats to see if we could get chosen. DM caught their attention very quickly being dressed as Leia so she got picked, I didn't get picked but I did make an attempt to (play) bite one of their fingers when he stuck it in my face. Didn't your mom ever tell you it's not polite to point?!

Ended up at the Commissary for lunch. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the meal options at Hollywood Studios but we've always been fairly satisfied with the food from here. Ended up splitting half a chicken and an order of chicken tenders between the three of us which was more than enough food, Sorry there's no food pics but come on, it's chicken tenders…

Wait times for rides were climbing by this point, so since we had pretty much ridden everything, we decided to head on into the shows next where we watched the Frozen Sing-a-Long. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Frozen. Nor am I a fan of sing-a-longs… But for what the show is, I enjoy it though I think it's mostly because of the storytellers who were in rare form that day. Next was Muppet Vision 3D, (one can never go wrong with the Muppets) and then we split up because I had plans of my own...

 

[chiefdragon]

Loving you trip so far. Cannot wait to read more. Being part of the Indiana Jones show is amazing. I have gotten to do it twice and would love to do it again.

 

[MiracleCream]

Following along. Loved the Ewok snood

 

[belledreamer]

Loving you trip so far. Cannot wait to read more. Being part of the Indiana Jones show is amazing. I have gotten to do it twice and would love to do it again.

It was an absolute blast! Plus I loved getting to see the show from a different point of view!

Following along. Loved the Ewok snood

And thanks! DM actually found the pattern for it on Pinterest and made the scarf a little longer since I wanted it to cover more. Took three full evenings of crocheting but the result was better than I'd hoped. I actually wore it to go see 'The Last Jedi' on opening day and response we got from people there (and at Disney) was fantastic. Thinking I might break it out again for my local Comic Con next year. Either that or borrow DM's Leia hat...

 

[MiracleCream]

DM actually found the pattern for it on Pinterest and made the scarf a little longer since I wanted it to cover more. Took three full evenings of crocheting but the result was better than I'd hoped. I actually wore it to go see 'The Last Jedi' on opening day and response we got from people there (and at Disney) was fantastic. Thinking I might break it out again for my local Comic Con next year. Either that or borrow DM's Leia hat...

I crochet myself but I have arthritis so I only crochet in summer when the cold can’t bother my hands. I may make a lazy Leia ears by braiding and making them into buns! Cheap but fun! I’m sure either Ewok snood or Leia hat will go over awesome at comic con!

 

[belledreamer]

HS Pt2: Hello, my name's belledreamer and I'm addicted to Beauty and the Beast…


As you can probably tell by my username, avatar, intro, phone wallpaper and cosplay (wow it does sound like an obsession when I type it all out…)

Okay I'll just admit it…

I absolutely adore Beauty and the Beast!


It's been my favorite movie ever since it came out when I was four. (Lord I'm showing my age here…) Belle has always been my favorite Disney princess, she's always been the one I most identify with, the one that I begged my mother to make me her ‘Little Town’ dress for Comic Con (I haven't the heart to ask mom for the ball gown) and the one my friends and family say I'm the most like. So it's no surprise to any of them that Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage is my favorite show at Disney.

Seriously though, for the past several trips, this is the show I go see AT LEAST twice when I go to Disney (my record for one day is 4 shows), I've seen it so many times between my trips and YouTube that I can now recognize several of the performers that work on this show (four of my favs were performing that day btw) and I’m this close to having all the steps down.

Not the kicking steps in Be Our Guest cause that's just nuts…

What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, the show.

Both shows were great as usual. Admittedly, this show can get a little cheesy at points but it's part of the charm of it imo and sitting in my favorite spot (third row, left hand side; though I typically prefer the right) I was able to take a few shots with my phone that I was actually fairly pleased with for once.


Trust me, they looked a lot better on my phone... Oh well...

I'd really like to one day get a professional camera, see all five shows, and get some high quality shots like my favorite photographer, quietvillagers, does.


https://flic.kr/ps/2XrdD5


Seriously, check out her work at the link and on Instagram under the same username. She's the photographer behind my phone wallpaper seen at the beginning of this TR (Used with her permission of course!) and be sure to check out not just the BATB stuff but everything. It is amazing!

Okay, I'm done with BATB gushing. For the moment…

Back to our regularly scheduled vacation.


The only thing we hadn't seen by this point was The Little Mermaid, where I quickly hopped up front to attempt to get some pics. For the first time in I don't know how long, no one used flash photography during the show (Bless you people!) and Ariel was great with her performance. I will say this much though, this show is in DESPERATE need of an update… High quality film, bigger theatre, updated puppets, longer show…SOMETHING! Don't get me wrong, I love this show but I can't help but find it feeling dated…



DDad and I were looking for a caffeine charge at this point so we stopped in Starbucks for an iced coffee, I bought a new BATB pin for my collection and then we started staking out a place for the Star Wars fireworks since we decided to bypass Fantasmic. We ended up being able to find a place to sit right in front of the Chinese Theatre and this ended up being a great spot for us with the only people in front of us being the ones who came from the Star Wars dessert party. Score! We still had some time before everything started so with Kylo and BB-8 being only a 15 minute wait, I Ewok-ed up again (by now the weather was getting cooler so I was glad to have it.) and went on ahead. Got several compliments on my outfit from other Star Wars fans while waiting it line, met Kylo again (marry me…) and BB-8 and then hurried back to our fireworks spot.


Definitely an interesting M&G

We had never seen Disney Movie Magic or Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular before this trip and weren't quite sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised. Disney has really embraced doing projections in addition to fireworks and it really worked for these shows. Plus I'm a huge movie buff so this was right up my alley. If I had to make any complaint, it was that due to where we were sitting, it wasn't really a good spot for taking it all in and I found myself turning my head a lot to keep from missing something. (Sorry, no firework pics...) That being said, I don't think I would have traded our spots for another one. Where we were, we were able to actually sit down, (a blessing after a long day in the park) and it really felt like we were in the middle of everything which was exciting.

All in all, it was a great show. We had bought some glow in the dark bands from the dollar store which we shared with some little kids sitting next to us. Personally, I love doing this. It's an inexpensive way to spread some Disney magic, the kids never say no, and I don't mind giving it to a child who's well behaved. (Especially because there were so many that weren't…). We made our way back to the bus, were on one in about 20 minutes and quickly crashed into bed with the hopes that we'd get better sleep than the night before.

Next up, our first day in MK!

 

[windcriesamy]

HS Pt2: Hello, my name's belledreamer and I'm addicted to Beauty and the Beast…


As you can probably tell by my username, avatar, intro, phone wallpaper and cosplay (wow it does sound like an obsession when I type it all out…)

Okay I'll just admit it…

I absolutely adore Beauty and the Beast!


It's been my favorite movie ever since it came out when I was four. (Lord I'm showing my age here…) Belle has always been my favorite Disney princess, she's always been the one I most identify with, the one that I begged my mother to make me her ‘Little Town’ dress for Comic Con (I haven't the heart to ask mom for the ball gown) and the one my friends and family say I'm the most like. So it's no surprise to any of them that Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage is my favorite show at Disney.

Seriously though, for the past several trips, this is the show I go see AT LEAST twice when I go to Disney (my record for one day is 4 shows), I've seen it so many times between my trips and YouTube that I can now recognize several of the performers that work on this show (four of my favs were performing that day btw) and I’m this close to having all the steps down.

Not the kicking steps in Be Our Guest cause that's just nuts…

What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, the show.

Both shows were great as usual. Admittedly, this show can get a little cheesy at points but it's part of the charm of it imo and sitting in my favorite spot (third row, left hand side; though I typically prefer the right) I was able to take a few shots with my phone that I was actually fairly pleased with for once.

View attachment 300474 View attachment 300475 View attachment 300476 View attachment 300473
Trust me, they looked a lot better on my phone... Oh well...

I'd really like to one day get a professional camera, see all five shows, and get some high quality shots like my favorite photographer, quietvillagers, does.


https://flic.kr/ps/2XrdD5


Seriously, check out her work at the link and on Instagram under the same username. She's the photographer behind my phone wallpaper seen at the beginning of this TR (Used with her permission of course!) and be sure to check out not just the BATB stuff but everything. It is amazing!

Okay, I'm done with BATB gushing. For the moment…

Back to our regularly scheduled vacation.


The only thing we hadn't seen by this point was The Little Mermaid, where I quickly hopped up front to attempt to get some pics. For the first time in I don't know how long, no one used flash photography during the show (Bless you people!) and Ariel was great with her performance. I will say this much though, this show is in DESPERATE need of an update… High quality film, bigger theatre, updated puppets, longer show…SOMETHING! Don't get me wrong, I love this show but I can't help but find it feeling dated…

View attachment 300477

DDad and I were looking for a caffeine charge at this point so we stopped in Starbucks for an iced coffee, I bought a new BATB pin for my collection and then we started staking out a place for the Star Wars fireworks since we decided to bypass Fantasmic. We ended up being able to find a place to sit right in front of the Chinese Theatre and this ended up being a great spot for us with the only people in front of us being the ones who came from the Star Wars dessert party. Score! We still had some time before everything started so with Kylo and BB-8 being only a 15 minute wait, I Ewok-ed up again (by now the weather was getting cooler so I was glad to have it.) and went on ahead. Got several compliments on my outfit from other Star Wars fans while waiting it line, met Kylo again (marry me…) and BB-8 and then hurried back to our fireworks spot.

View attachment 300478
Definitely an interesting M&G

We had never seen Disney Movie Magic or Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular before this trip and weren't quite sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised. Disney has really embraced doing projections in addition to fireworks and it really worked for these shows. Plus I'm a huge movie buff so this was right up my alley. If I had to make any complaint, it was that due to where we were sitting, it wasn't really a good spot for taking it all in and I found myself turning my head a lot to keep from missing something. (Sorry, no fireworks pics...) That being said, I don't thing I would have traded our spots for another one. Where we were, we were able to actually sit down, (a blessing after a long day in the park) and it really felt like we were in the middle of everything which was exciting.

All in all, it was a great show. We had bought some glow in the dark bands from the dollar store which we shared with some little kids sitting next to us. Personally, I love doing this. It's an inexpensive way to spread some Disney magic, the kids never say no, and I don't mind giving it to a child who's well behaved. (Especially because there were so many that weren't…). We made our way back to the bus, were on one in about 20 minutes and quickly crashed into bed with the hopes that we'd get better sleep than the night before.

Next up, our first day in MK!

Hi! I'm following along now, too! You and your mom looked ADORABLE in your disneybounds and I just love that picture of you with Ben (I just can't call him Kylo...)

I have to admit I am also a HUGE Beauty and the Beast fan, but I've never seen the live show! You make it sound really great, though, so I hope we can make time for it on our next trip!

 

[belledreamer]

Hi! I'm following along now, too! You and your mom looked ADORABLE in your disneybounds and I just love that picture of you with Ben (I just can't call him Kylo...)

I have to admit I am also a HUGE Beauty and the Beast fan, but I've never seen the live show! You make it sound really great, though, so I hope we can make time for it on our next trip!

And thanks so much! The Star Wars Disneybounds were some of our favorites of the trip and we really made an effort to Disneybound every chance we got!

I really hope the show lives up to your expectations then if you get a chance to see it! Like I said, it can be a little cheesy at points (I once made a a video post on my instagram picking at how the transformation is my favorite part because it's equal parts romantic and over-dramatic) But I adore it to pieces! I just get a big grin on my face every time I go. But then again, I may be biased...

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Loving your tr so far and I'm sure you'll finish this one!! Let's come to an understanding though, KYLO IS MINE! ALL MINE! LOL!!!!! I love the B&B show at HS. Both my hubby and I cry.....I just love it. Looking forward to reading more!

 

[belledreamer]

MK DAY 1 pt1: In which I embrace my inner child and explore the Hundred Acre Wood





We woke the next morning to a very overcast sky will a little bit of drizzling rain but since we had all gotten a better night’s sleep the night before (thank you earplugs and sleeping pills) we were in a much better frame of mind this morning for rope drop. Once again, we joined the running of the bulls (another moo) and headed in the direction of Tomorrowland. At first, we were heading toward BLSRS but when I pointed out that Space Mountain wait times have been running high and with the amount of people already there, they might want to catch it now. So mom and dad took off in that direction while I headed towards the People Mover and ended up being the first one on the ride.


Another Disney Bucket list item crossed off!

That accomplished, we met up again at BLSRS (I'm not nearly as skilled on this as I am with TSMM so dad took the win on this one) then since we had some time to kill before our PPF FP+, we decided to go ride Winnie the Pooh while I made a mental note to come back later for the M&G.

Went next to PPF and don't get me wrong, I love this ride. I love Peter Pan almost as much as I love Beauty and the Beast. But this is another ride that is in sore need of an update or at the very least, a fresh coat of paint…but I digress.

We then headed for BoG, around 10:45 only to be told that they no longer do standby to eat there… And I knew there was going to be no way that I would get a reservation this late in the game…. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed at this as this was one of my must-do’s for this trip. But we've eaten here before and comforting myself with the thought that I've already found a recipe for ‘The Grey Stuff’ online, we decided to get on The Little Mermaid ride instead which only had a 10 minute wait.

Since we had done a light breakfast in anticipation of getting in at BoG, by 11am we were in search of something to eat and decided to eat at Pinocchio’s. DM and I decided to split a chicken parm sandwich and Caesar salad while Dad had turkey leg on the brain and decided to get that instead in Liberty Square. (Splitting meals became the tread for us on this trip.)

We then went over to POTC, but with our HM FP+ coming up and a line extending out the door, we decided to get out of the line in hopes of getting a FP for it later. Made our way to our HM FP where we got on in 5 minutes and Dad did his scream in the Stretching Room (think Goofy’s yell) which is always good for a laugh. By now, Dad was ready for a break so DM and I decided to go to Mickey’s Philharmgic while Dad found a spot to people watch.

We still had about an hour before mom and dad’s FP for Mine Train and not wanting to go too far, they decided to relax while I went to go see Pooh and Tigger. The line was about a 35 minute wait but having nothing else to do, I decided to hang around. My Disneybound got several compliments from CMs and people in line and before long, it was my turn.

Now let me preface this by saying that I have not gone to see a mascot character in 20+ years and I've always felt awkward seeing characters that you can't really have a conversation with. If you deal with that too, the best thing you can do is dress up as that character. Winnie the Pooh was probably my best planned Disneybound of the trip and it paid off at this M&G. I immediately got hugs from Pooh who seemed very excited that I was dressed as him, disappointment from Tigger that I wasn't dressed like him (he tried to draw stripes on my shirt) and it was an all around good time with some of my favorite photos from this trip.


This one was my fav!

And so, with promises that I'd dress up as Tigger next time (I have no idea how I'm gonna pull that off) I went off on my merry way feeling 5 years old again.

 

[belledreamer]

Loving your tr so far and I'm sure you'll finish this one!! Let's come to an understanding though, KYLO IS MINE! ALL MINE! LOL!!!!! I love the B&B show at HS. Both my hubby and I cry.....I just love it. Looking forward to reading more!

Definitely gonna finish this TR! I'm determined!

Well if you have Kylo, I may be convinced to take Gaston instead...

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Definitely gonna finish this TR! I'm determined!

Well if you have Kylo, I may be convinced to take Gaston instead...

Ok, I am totally fine with you having Gaston. He's yesterday's news as you can see by one of the titles of my tr's in my signature!!

 

[belledreamer]

MK DAY 1 pt2: Come on coffee, give me strength…


Met up with mom and dad by the entrance to New Fantasyland to show them my pictures while Dad showed me his pics from meeting Alvin Kamara from the Saints. (Means absolutely nothing to me but Dad was pretty happy about it) Apparently him and a few other players were here for some kind of event (I have no clue what when it comes to football) and Dad (being a football fan) was able to go up to meet him and take a picture with him and said he was very pleasant. Made a big hit on his Facebook page with our friends back home.

By now, our FP window had opened up, so mom and dad went off to 7DMT while I went on Little Mermaid again since I had no interest in joining them. (Neither of them were too impressed with the ride as a whole) Wanted something sweet at this point, so we stopped in a massive line for Dole Whip (seriously, where did all these people come from?!) and Mom decided to watch the parade while I made backup FP plans for tomorrow’s character hunt since with the amount of people in the park and it not being even an EMH day today, I wanted to make sure I got everything I was intending to so I nabbed FP for both sides of Fairytale Hall and to see Ariel.

With the parade going on, POTC had gone down to a 20 minute wait so I decided now would be the time to get in line since I wasn't able to get us a FP for it. By the time I had rounded the first corner, I got a text from mom and dad saying they were on their way so in favor of not having to sit with a bunch of strangers, I found a quiet corner to wait on them. Took a little longer to get through the line but it was all good.

Dad decided to go back to hotel for a nap at this point, so he headed in that direction while mom and I went to Cinderella’s Castle for Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire and I have to say I'm pretty indifferent on this show. It wasn't bad by any means, but I wasn't overly impressed with this one. Definitely preferred the previous castle show but I think that was because it had Peter Pan…

I was desperate of some sit down time so I suggested that we head to Carousel of Progress next which was a good idea. We were on with no wait and it was nice to be able to sit in the dark for 20 minutes and secretly munch on beef jerky. (Best snack we've ever brought with us) By now, we had pretty much gone on everything we wanted in MK so anything else was now a bonus. We went on another round on the People Mover, there was a Cosmic Dance party in Tomorrowland so we watched that for a bit while I charged my phone and remembering how many people were in the park today, decided to go ahead and stake out a spot at the castle for OUAT and HEA. The spot at the Partners statue was already taken but we still managed to find a really good spot thanks to people leaving out from the Move It! Shake It! street party that was finishing up, plus it gave us a chance to sit down for a while which my legs greatly appreciated.

By the time it was starting to get dark, Dad texted that he was in the park and would we like coffee? YES PLEASE!

We slurped down our coffee, broke out our dollar store glow sticks and gave some to two adorable Japanese girls that were sitting next to us. The family knew very little english but were very appreciative of the offer and the girls enjoyed the glow sticks which we were glad to see.

I know I haven't put any pics in this post yet so...here's some fireworks pics!


(This one was my favorite!)

Both shows were absolutely fantastic and probably my favorite of the trip. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when I heard they were replacing Wishes and in my opinion, I think Wishes had a better flow to it, but if they had to replace Wishes, this is a worthy successor. The fireworks, the projections on the castle, I loved every minute of it and it was so much better seeing it up close. Plus I appreciated them including HOND since it doesn't get near as much love as it should.

After the show, we hurried into the Emporium, not only to let some of the crowds clear out but also to find a friend of a friend who works there and to take a picture with her. After visiting with her for a bit, The Kiss Goodnight was starting so we stopped to watch that before heading to the buses. Nice to see once but I don't think I'd stay behind to do it again. While we waited in line, we made friends with a Spanish family who was also in line, chatted with them for a bit (my parents have been learning Spanish for the last 6 years) gave their little girl the glow stick I was wearing, and they were very interested in how DM made my hat so they swapped crochet tips for a while.

The bus came fairly quickly but for some reason, the wheelchair ramp wouldn't go down and it took the bus driver and two other workers around 20 minutes to get it all figured out. Still, everyone was in fairly good spirits and before long we were back to the hotel and I finished packing my backpack in preparation for my big solo day tomorrow and…The Great Character Search!!

 

[belledreamer]

MK DAY2 pt 1: Belledreamer and The Great Character Search of 2018


(If you're a Broadway fan and caught this reference, you get a cookie!)

Mom and Dad had already decided that since this was technically our ‘free day,’ their plan was to sleep in. I, on the other hand, could barely sleep due to excitement and I ended up waking up 10 minutes before my alarm went off at 6:30. Trying to be as quiet as I could, I rolled out of bed, put on the most makeup I've ever put on at Disney, (usually I don't put any on at all since I often end up sweating it off) straightened my hair, put on my Belle outfit and was out the hotel by 7:15 where I was instantly met with a rush of cold air. We had rain come through overnight and with it a cold front that started the rest of our mornings in the 50s. But it didn't matter. My backpack in one hand and my tote bag in the other, I was ready to search for characters.

I knew EMH were going to be at MK that evening so I was in hopes that most of the guests were going to other parks for the day and then coming later that night which by then, I'd be long gone. No such luck…. The sea of people that greeted me as I got off the bus was massive and with the extra security measures in place, it took an extremely long time to make it through bag check. Still, I calmed myself with the fact that I had no ride plans today and characters were my main goal so I was just going to take the day as it went.

I did consider for a moment going to see Talking Mickey but with the line for him out the door before rope drop, I quickly vetoed the idea. Tinkerbell, however, had only two families in her line so I decided to make her my first stop.

Since I had been planning this day for a while, I had made a point to have some kind of conversation starter for each of the characters I was planning to see just to be able to have some fun with it (just the bag itself was a good starter on its own) and to really get the most out of the experience, especially since I was technically a solo traveler for the day.

So for Tinkerbell, while she signed my bag, I told her that I was planning on seeing Peter Pan later and would she like me to bring him a message? (This works great if you have characters from the same film in the park that day) So she told me to let Peter know that he needed to keep better track of his shadow since it was flying all over Neverland and causing trouble, we took a few pictures together, and with my first M&G down, I headed off towards Fantasyland.



MDE said that the wait for Rapunzel and Tiana was at 15 minutes so I decided to go ahead and get in the standby line, changing my FP for HM instead. As far as meeting the princesses goes, this one was one of my favorites. I'm from Louisiana so I already knew I wanted to talk food with Tiana and talk food we did, mainly gumbo, stuffed beignets and how I needed to bring some for her and Naveen to try.



And I also spent a little time talking with Rapunzel about Flynn, Maximus and Pascal and what mischief the three of them had been getting into. Really had a nice time with the two of them.



By now, I was getting hungry and MDE had said earlier that morning that Gaston’s first M&G was going to be at 10am, so I headed over to Gaston’s Tavern to eat some of the banana bread I had brought with me and make my next plans. I should have known something was up when I checked my app only to find he wasn't on the list, followed by a CM coming out to let us know that Gaston was on an ‘extended hunting trip’ and wouldn't be there the rest of the day… What the…? Checking again, I realized that not only was Gaston gone, but also the Stepsisters…. Two of my biggest plans…gone…

But deciding that this would give me something to do for the next trip, I decided to instead go visit Ariel and swapped my FP for POTC. I've visit Ariel once before and she was just as bubbly (pun intended) as I remembered her. She loved my signature bag and asked if I was collecting treasures today which I assured her I was. We talked about her treasure trove and dinglehoppers for a bit and after getting a picture and saying our goodbyes, I went on my way.



By then, Alice’s M&G was just starting and even though I originally hadn't intended to see her, I decided to give it a shot and made it there not long before they cut her line off. Somewhere in there, I got a message from mom and dad that they were in the park and headed to BTMR so I let them know my status while trying to figure out which way I was going to go with Alice since she wasn't on my original to-do. I actually ended up enjoying Alice a lot more than I was expecting to, my tote bag was now becoming a good conversation starter and we talked some about Wonderland, tea parties and she showed me how to hold my dress like hers for the picture.



The wait for the other half of Princess Fairytale Hall had gone down to a 20 minute wait by this point so I went ahead and got in line for Cinderella and Elena. Cinderella was very sweet and the first one to point out that I was dressed like Belle so we talked a good bit about how she’s good friends with Belle and of course about balls and dresses.



I have to admit, I knew very little about Elena before going in and she was the only one when I posted to social media that my friends were asking who she was. But I did know beforehand that she speaks Spanish and, having picked up a little Spanish from my parents, greeted her in Spanish which she seemed to really enjoy. She had a very bubbly personality and I enjoyed meeting her more than I was expecting to. Definitely need to watch an episode of Elena of Avalor at some point.



(Pro Tip: If you can't think of anything to say to a princess, tell them you like their dress. Works every time.)

I only had one more M&G planned for myself for the day after that so I came out of Fairytale Hall trying to figure where I was going to go next when I look up and see… Oh my gosh…

 

[belledreamer]

MK DAY 2 pt2: Dreams really do come true!

So where was I? Oh yeah. So I come out of Fairytale Hall and for some strange reason (maybe my Disney senses were tingling?) I felt an unexplainable need to head towards the castle where I quite literally stumbled across…

FAIRY GODMOTHER!!!

Omg… Fairy Godmother… I must be dreaming… She wasn't in MDE. I definitely would have planned around it if she was. I had pretty much resigned myself to the idea that this was another Disney Bucket List item that wasn't going to happen. And yet there she was. Let's just say, I don't think I've ever run that fast to a M&G line. Her line was already a nice length with a CM standing at the end of it and I had a moment of dread that her line had already been cut off and was prepared to plead my case. I already missed out on Gaston and the Tremaines; I wasn't going to let this one get away from me. But when I asked, the CM assured me with a knowing smile that I had made it in time! Score!

I can't begin to describe how wonderful the M&G is with Fairy Godmother. Talking to her was like talking to my grandma; she had such a wonderful personality and was definitely the easiest to get along with. I originally had only planned to use one side of my bag for signing, but once I realized I would be able to get this one, I immediately switched to the other side and let her have as much room to write as she wanted. She also complimented me on my Belle Disneybound and we had one of the best interactions I've ever had which went something like this while she was signing.

Me: Is it possible I could ask you for a wish or two?

FG: Of course my dear. What would you like to wish for?

Me: I'd love a new adventure and maybe a prince in disguise if at all possible.

FG: (immediately picking up on the reference) Absolutely. I'll definitely see what I can do to make it happen for you.

Me: Actually, I'd really prefer the prince over than the adventure more than anything. I'm even okay with him being a beast.

At this point, she got absolutely tickled with my response (I think she actually broke character for a moment) and told me she have to remember that one for the future. She then asked if I was planning to see Aladdin and Jasmine at some point today which I assured her I was and so (I suppose this was her way of giving me an ‘adventure’) she asked me to give them a message from her of ‘Happy Abu Day’ and ‘Tag, they were it!’ which got me a little tickled myself. We chatted and laughed a bit more and after pictures, hugs and many thanks later, I decided that this was hands down the best experience ever and completely made up for not getting to see Gaston and the Stepsisters.



It was almost time for Peter Pan’s M&G and not wanting to miss my favorite ‘Lost Boy’, I headed in that direction next. Our last interaction had been a little on the awkward side, partly because of me and partly because I think Peter is awkward with young women anyway (seriously, over half the people in his line were teenagers and older) but with my plan of seeing Tink and getting a message from her coming into play, this time was much more enjoyable and we were able to play off of each other really well. Definitely a must do in my book and always a favorite for me.



With Aladdin and Jasmine’s next M&G not for another two hours and me needing a little break from my busy morning, I next headed over to Liberty Tree Tavern where mom and dad were finishing lunch. We swapped our stories of the day so far (Their ride on BTMR ended up waiting a long time due to the ride breaking down) and they had a FP+ for Jungle Cruise coming up so we split up again while I headed towards People Mover…and was immediately amazed at how much of a line there was… Seriously, I never remembered waiting in line for People Mover before this trip… While I was waiting, I received a text from dad with a picture of the FP line for Jungle Cruise stretching out of the attraction!!



(I waited about 10 minutes to get on People Mover; mom and dad at Jungle Cruise, 30 minutes… with FP…)

My stomach was signaling its desire for lunch at this point and when my search for a cream cheese pretzel turned up empty, I remembered the waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow that I had been wanting to try for a while (was too sick in the stomach last time to risk it) so I went back towards Liberty Square. Got the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle sandwich and although it was definitely spicier than what I'm used to, I thought it was really good and would definitely get it again.

Managed to find Mary Poppins in my wanderings (she wasn't in MDE) and I was the last one in her line. I couldn't help but feel that she and the CM were ready to go though as it was literally her signing my bag, one picture with my phone and then it was over. But I got what I had come for so I can't complain.



Went to go redeem my HM FP but with the FP line once again stretched out of the attraction (a disturbing trend during this trip I have to say) I decided to opt out and headed to Adventureland to see Aladdin and Jasmine…only to find out that they had their limit for the 2pm M&G and to come back for 3pm.

I had nothing else planned at this point since Aladdin and Jasmine were going to be my last M&G of the day, so instead, I found a shady spot to relax and peoplewatch for the next hour which was nice after my frenzied pace so far. As soon as they opened the line for Aladdin and Jasmine, I got in and ended up about 6th in line. I haven't seen them since I was 8 so this was a nice change for me. I delivered Fairy Godmother’s message (Is this game of tag code for something else?) and they both commented that my dress was the same color blue as Genie. A signature and a few photos later and my signature quest for Magic Kingdom (minus a few characters) was complete!



Signature hunting done for today, I quickly decided against using my POTC FP+ (FP line once again out the attraction) so I went to see the nearby shows instead; Country Bear Jamboree, Captain Jack’s Pirate Tutorial, and Muppets: Great Moments In History (I throughly enjoyed this one and went searching for it on YouTube once I got home to watch it again.)

I only had one more goal for today and that was to get the Lantern photo at the Tangled bathrooms, but with it still being at least another hour and a half until dusk and my phone screaming for a charge, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and sit in the Tangled restroom area for a while to rest and recharge. Plus it gave me a perfect view to watch Peter Pan’s next M&G.



Mom and dad texted me somewhere in there that they had left the park and had instead decided to go get some sushi for dinner and would I like anything? (Thank you mom and dad!!) So I let them know what I wanted and told them that I was hoping to be on a bus heading back by 7:30, giving me plenty of time to get back before the fireworks ended.

Now finding the Tangled lantern shot line is tricky since (once again) it's not listed anywhere on MDE and most people said they didn't know where it precisely was until the photographer showed up. I cannot stress how true that is. I was sitting IN THE AREA and didn't realize they were there until I noticed people lining up. Thankfully, I was able to get in line before it got too long and after about a 15-20 minute wait, I got the final shot I was waiting for.



All my tasks done, I considered going back to Tomorrowland for one final ride in Magic Kingdom, but by this point, crowds were already getting their spots for that night's HEA and, not wanting to trudge through the crowd or potentially get stuck trying to get out of the sea of people later, decided to go ahead back to the hotel where a soft bed and sushi dinner were waiting for me.