Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Even more intense that is awesome! That is really smart I have found that the hotel transfer can be just as easy as staying at the same resort. We just needed to be even more intentional in our planning.
The Best Trip Ever!
- Thread starter Alex Coleman
- Start date
Even more intense that is awesome! That is really smart I have found that the hotel transfer can be just as easy as staying at the same resort. We just needed to be even more intentional in our planning.
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Christmas in November!
Early Mornings and Short Commutes
On day 5, I pulled myself, begrudgingly, out of bed. I rolled into the shower and quickly got ready to take early morning pictures of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. I have to say, this may be my favorite resort to practice my early morning routine.
It was amazing walking out the front door of our building and seeing Cinderella Castle illuminated on the horizon. Seven Seas Lagoon was incredibly serene as I clicked the shutter over and over and over. The white and red of the buildings really popped against a blue pre-sunrise sky. I could have wandered the grounds forever, but I figured that Sarah would want to eat breakfast and get to Magic Kingdom.
Sarah grabbed the bags and met me at Gasparilla Island Grill. I was really uninspired by the breakfast here. Unlike other breakfast options, the plates were already prepared and sitting under a warming light. This meant that my breakfast sandwich was really poor. The croissant was soggy and unappetizing. The Mickey Waffles were fine, but the rest of the meal was mediocre.
After we finished, we dropped our bags off at the Bell Services station and we boarded the monorail. We took the incredibly short ride to the Magic Kingdom and walked down the ramp to the entry gates. While we were walking, we realized another major benefit of staying somewhere on the monorail loop (Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian). We realized that you can go through security at your resort, rather than the front gates. Being that these lines can be insanely long, this is another amazing perk for paying a small fortune to stay at one of these resorts.
Can It Really Be This Empty?
We made it to the Cinderella’s Castle roughly 5 minutes before Let the Magic Begin. I took a picture, Sarah saved our spot at the front of the rope drop wait. After we watched the short entertainment, we were guided by Cast Members to the very back of the park and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We were the second group to ride the train!
After we got off Big Thunder, we were joined by one of Sarah’s oldest friends, Anna. This is crazy, but Sarah used to babysit Anna roughly 15 years ago. They hadn’t seen each other since Sarah moved from St. Louis to California. Anna happens to be in the Disney College Program and works at The Crystal Palace. Anna saw that we were at Walt Disney World and reached out over Facebook. We met up with her the night before and she joined us for our MK day before she had to go to work. Go social media!
The three of us walked to Pirates of the Caribbean and we walked right on. The theme of this day was that it was incredibly empty. We did not wait for almost anything. Sarah and I have not experienced many of these days since our days at Disneyland. We used to love “cold” Southern California days where we would have the parks virtually to ourselves. It seems like those days are long gone at Disney parks. Depressing thoughts done!
We visited Haunted Mansion and Pooh Bear before I decided I wanted a snack. I had seen the Cheshire Cat Tail from Cheshire Cafe and I decided I needed to try one. I ordered it and it was just as decadent as I imagined it would be. Sarah and Anna did not approve because it was too over-the-top, but it suited me just fine. For some reason, they decided to punish me by making me spin round and round on Mad Tea Party with a belly full of sugary pastry treat. I survived, but only barely.
After we had regained our balance, we walked to Tomorrowland and blasted Zurg endlessly. I actually wanted to do an experiment: I wanted to see if I would score points by just firing aimlessly. I just pulled the trigger endlessly in no particular direction. Amazingly, I scored a decent amount of points!
We exited the attraction and jumped on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. We lazily went around the track and I took pictures of the MK landmarks from a different vantage point. Oh, and Sarah and Anna.
Lunch and Nap Time
After we were done with our tour of Tomorrowland, we decided it was time for lunch. Sarah and Anna demanded Pinocchio Village Haus. As you can read in my review, I am not a huge fan of this quick service restaurant. Sarah, on the other hand, loves it. Because Sarah wins most of the times during these trips, we walked to New Fantasyland and ate pasta and sandwiches. While we were ordering, we struck up a conversation with the CM at the register. He and Anna talked about working at WDW. Amazingly, he gave us free dessert! Love that free food!
We sat and Anna gave us the inside scoop on life as a CM. As we walked to Space Mountain, she explained that the two sides of Space Mountain are actually different, but I was highly skeptical. I decided to Google it and I found out that they are the exact same. I win!
Basking in the glow of my own rightness, we wandered slowly back to New Fantasyland. We arrived at Peter Pan’s Flight exactly 8 minutes before our Fastpass+ time. Unfortunately, we were turned away. We simply walked to the back of the queue and started over again. By the time we were at the front, it was time. We flew our pirate ship through London and Neverland and landed back just in time to see Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire with a holiday twist. Essentially, they just changed the costumes.
Anna is very much so in love with Flynn Rider. Not only does she have a Flynn Rider phone case, but she also has made sure to visit the Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno to see her main man. I made sure to snap a picture of Flynn as she and Sarah quoted the entire show behind me.
After we were done, it was nap time. We were moving on to Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort so we had a very short commute. Anna needed to go back to the Transportation and Ticket Center so we decided to ride the monorail together. We went up the ramp, jumped on the monorail, and exited at the first stop. We entered our room and immediately sprinted to the balcony to soak in the glorious view.
After we managed to peel ourselves away from the balcony, we decided it was time to take a nap. We both slept and prepared for late night at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. When we woke up, we decided to walk down to the lobby of the Contemporary and walk around. We soaked up more Christmas cheer from the gingerbread castle on our way to MK.
Christmas!!!!!
By the time we were arriving at MK, most of the normal crowd were leaving. We walked down the Christmas party entry corridor and grabbed our first cookies of the evening! These Santa cookies were not incredible, but we did not need to directly pay for them. “Free” cookies?! Yes please! We then moved on to more cookies at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. These cookies were better, but the most important item was the hot chocolate. We love hot chocolate! We guzzled down three cups each and moved on to our next stop.
The next stop was by far the best option. The cookies were peppermint and there was Nestle chocolate milk. We could have camped in this spot all night. Unfortunately, we needed to save our stomach space for Cinderella’s Royal Table. We tried our best to compress our cookies and chocolate milk as we walked towards Cinderella’s Castle.
Once we arrived, we walked directly in and took an incredibly awkward picture with Cinderella. We sat down in the lobby and waited for our names to be called. Our hearts jumped as they called out Lord and Lady Coleman and we climbed the spiral staircase towards the dining area.
This is Sarah’s favorite restaurant, by a fairly large distance. This is not because the food is remarkable, but because it is inside the castle and features Sarah’s favorite humans, the princesses.
We sat and were greatly entertained by the entire process. Our server was incredible, the princesses were great, and the food was above average. If you are looking for a luxury meal for a large price, go to Victoria and Albert’s in GF. If you are looking for a good meal in an amazing location and with princesses, it is impossible to beat CRT. Even though it is 2 Disney Dining Plan credits, I would say that it is worth it.
After we were done, we decided to wait for Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration for its first showing. We arrived 15 minutes early and got a good spot. We watched the show and were very entertained. I would say it is a fun show, but has one weird song. Disney decided to go desperately socially relevant with one of the songs and it was a bit 21st Century cliche. I enjoyed snapping pictures and Sarah liked most of the music.
After that show was done, we decided to wait for A Frozen Holiday Wish. This show was short and unmemorable. It seemed a bit like Disney attempting to give us one more chance to get “Let It Go” stuck in our heads. The only things I can truly remember were that Olaf was on one of the balconies and that the castle lighting up was a nice touch.
After the unmemorable show, we had to decide between watching the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade twice or experiencing a couple of attractions with shorter wait times. We decided to do the latter. We walked back to Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid and then went over to Dumbo The Flying Elephant. By the time we were done with these two, we walked back and started to camp out for Holiday Wishes.
When we got back, I situated myself in front of the Partners and prepared for an ultra-long exposure fireworks session. I attached my Hoya 77mm ND400x Filter (my neutral density filter) and set up my tripod. We got into a great conversation with a couple from Philadelphia in front of us about Disney Vacation Club.
They talked about all the perks and basically sold Sarah on the spot. Before the show started, I decided to start my first shot. I wanted to get the Partners illuminated in the foreground so I started roughly 2 minutes before the show. In all, I took 3 pictures of the show. I really like these shots. I think the level of busyness makes for a fun shot. Here is my favorite of the 3!
After the show was done, we headed back to the end of Main Street, USA to take pictures of the parade. I set up next to a really cool guy who was also shooting Nikon. We talked about how he was determined to buy the Nikon D850 (haven’t we all thought about how we need it?!) and what lenses we use. He showed me some of his work and it was fantastic. He said that he has been working recently on perfecting firework shows. We nerded out until the parade began.
The only problem with the Christmas parade was the fake snow. I think this was because the wind was determined to blow every bubbly flake directly into my eyes. I wiped my camera lens and tried to take as many pictures as I could. There were several good ones, but I was disappointed by most of them. Other than the snow, the parade was excellent. We both really enjoyed it!
After the parade was finished, we walked up to the Main Street, USA train station and took pictures of Sarah and I. This is one of our favorite spots to set up our tripod and take pictures of the two of us. Amazingly, it was completely empty when we arrived. We snapped several pictures and Sarah even liked some of them!
Sarah and I walked sleepily back to BLT and I took a picture of Space Mountain from our balcony.
We needed to squeeze every last penny out of that amazing, but expensive view!
Early Mornings and Short Commutes
On day 5, I pulled myself, begrudgingly, out of bed. I rolled into the shower and quickly got ready to take early morning pictures of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. I have to say, this may be my favorite resort to practice my early morning routine.
It was amazing walking out the front door of our building and seeing Cinderella Castle illuminated on the horizon. Seven Seas Lagoon was incredibly serene as I clicked the shutter over and over and over. The white and red of the buildings really popped against a blue pre-sunrise sky. I could have wandered the grounds forever, but I figured that Sarah would want to eat breakfast and get to Magic Kingdom.
Sarah grabbed the bags and met me at Gasparilla Island Grill. I was really uninspired by the breakfast here. Unlike other breakfast options, the plates were already prepared and sitting under a warming light. This meant that my breakfast sandwich was really poor. The croissant was soggy and unappetizing. The Mickey Waffles were fine, but the rest of the meal was mediocre.
After we finished, we dropped our bags off at the Bell Services station and we boarded the monorail. We took the incredibly short ride to the Magic Kingdom and walked down the ramp to the entry gates. While we were walking, we realized another major benefit of staying somewhere on the monorail loop (Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian). We realized that you can go through security at your resort, rather than the front gates. Being that these lines can be insanely long, this is another amazing perk for paying a small fortune to stay at one of these resorts.
Can It Really Be This Empty?
We made it to the Cinderella’s Castle roughly 5 minutes before Let the Magic Begin. I took a picture, Sarah saved our spot at the front of the rope drop wait. After we watched the short entertainment, we were guided by Cast Members to the very back of the park and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We were the second group to ride the train!
After we got off Big Thunder, we were joined by one of Sarah’s oldest friends, Anna. This is crazy, but Sarah used to babysit Anna roughly 15 years ago. They hadn’t seen each other since Sarah moved from St. Louis to California. Anna happens to be in the Disney College Program and works at The Crystal Palace. Anna saw that we were at Walt Disney World and reached out over Facebook. We met up with her the night before and she joined us for our MK day before she had to go to work. Go social media!
The three of us walked to Pirates of the Caribbean and we walked right on. The theme of this day was that it was incredibly empty. We did not wait for almost anything. Sarah and I have not experienced many of these days since our days at Disneyland. We used to love “cold” Southern California days where we would have the parks virtually to ourselves. It seems like those days are long gone at Disney parks. Depressing thoughts done!
We visited Haunted Mansion and Pooh Bear before I decided I wanted a snack. I had seen the Cheshire Cat Tail from Cheshire Cafe and I decided I needed to try one. I ordered it and it was just as decadent as I imagined it would be. Sarah and Anna did not approve because it was too over-the-top, but it suited me just fine. For some reason, they decided to punish me by making me spin round and round on Mad Tea Party with a belly full of sugary pastry treat. I survived, but only barely.
After we had regained our balance, we walked to Tomorrowland and blasted Zurg endlessly. I actually wanted to do an experiment: I wanted to see if I would score points by just firing aimlessly. I just pulled the trigger endlessly in no particular direction. Amazingly, I scored a decent amount of points!
We exited the attraction and jumped on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. We lazily went around the track and I took pictures of the MK landmarks from a different vantage point. Oh, and Sarah and Anna.
Lunch and Nap Time
After we were done with our tour of Tomorrowland, we decided it was time for lunch. Sarah and Anna demanded Pinocchio Village Haus. As you can read in my review, I am not a huge fan of this quick service restaurant. Sarah, on the other hand, loves it. Because Sarah wins most of the times during these trips, we walked to New Fantasyland and ate pasta and sandwiches. While we were ordering, we struck up a conversation with the CM at the register. He and Anna talked about working at WDW. Amazingly, he gave us free dessert! Love that free food!
We sat and Anna gave us the inside scoop on life as a CM. As we walked to Space Mountain, she explained that the two sides of Space Mountain are actually different, but I was highly skeptical. I decided to Google it and I found out that they are the exact same. I win!
Basking in the glow of my own rightness, we wandered slowly back to New Fantasyland. We arrived at Peter Pan’s Flight exactly 8 minutes before our Fastpass+ time. Unfortunately, we were turned away. We simply walked to the back of the queue and started over again. By the time we were at the front, it was time. We flew our pirate ship through London and Neverland and landed back just in time to see Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire with a holiday twist. Essentially, they just changed the costumes.
Anna is very much so in love with Flynn Rider. Not only does she have a Flynn Rider phone case, but she also has made sure to visit the Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno to see her main man. I made sure to snap a picture of Flynn as she and Sarah quoted the entire show behind me.
After we were done, it was nap time. We were moving on to Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort so we had a very short commute. Anna needed to go back to the Transportation and Ticket Center so we decided to ride the monorail together. We went up the ramp, jumped on the monorail, and exited at the first stop. We entered our room and immediately sprinted to the balcony to soak in the glorious view.
After we managed to peel ourselves away from the balcony, we decided it was time to take a nap. We both slept and prepared for late night at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. When we woke up, we decided to walk down to the lobby of the Contemporary and walk around. We soaked up more Christmas cheer from the gingerbread castle on our way to MK.
Christmas!!!!!
By the time we were arriving at MK, most of the normal crowd were leaving. We walked down the Christmas party entry corridor and grabbed our first cookies of the evening! These Santa cookies were not incredible, but we did not need to directly pay for them. “Free” cookies?! Yes please! We then moved on to more cookies at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. These cookies were better, but the most important item was the hot chocolate. We love hot chocolate! We guzzled down three cups each and moved on to our next stop.
The next stop was by far the best option. The cookies were peppermint and there was Nestle chocolate milk. We could have camped in this spot all night. Unfortunately, we needed to save our stomach space for Cinderella’s Royal Table. We tried our best to compress our cookies and chocolate milk as we walked towards Cinderella’s Castle.
Once we arrived, we walked directly in and took an incredibly awkward picture with Cinderella. We sat down in the lobby and waited for our names to be called. Our hearts jumped as they called out Lord and Lady Coleman and we climbed the spiral staircase towards the dining area.
This is Sarah’s favorite restaurant, by a fairly large distance. This is not because the food is remarkable, but because it is inside the castle and features Sarah’s favorite humans, the princesses.
We sat and were greatly entertained by the entire process. Our server was incredible, the princesses were great, and the food was above average. If you are looking for a luxury meal for a large price, go to Victoria and Albert’s in GF. If you are looking for a good meal in an amazing location and with princesses, it is impossible to beat CRT. Even though it is 2 Disney Dining Plan credits, I would say that it is worth it.
After we were done, we decided to wait for Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration for its first showing. We arrived 15 minutes early and got a good spot. We watched the show and were very entertained. I would say it is a fun show, but has one weird song. Disney decided to go desperately socially relevant with one of the songs and it was a bit 21st Century cliche. I enjoyed snapping pictures and Sarah liked most of the music.
After that show was done, we decided to wait for A Frozen Holiday Wish. This show was short and unmemorable. It seemed a bit like Disney attempting to give us one more chance to get “Let It Go” stuck in our heads. The only things I can truly remember were that Olaf was on one of the balconies and that the castle lighting up was a nice touch.
After the unmemorable show, we had to decide between watching the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade twice or experiencing a couple of attractions with shorter wait times. We decided to do the latter. We walked back to Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid and then went over to Dumbo The Flying Elephant. By the time we were done with these two, we walked back and started to camp out for Holiday Wishes.
When we got back, I situated myself in front of the Partners and prepared for an ultra-long exposure fireworks session. I attached my Hoya 77mm ND400x Filter (my neutral density filter) and set up my tripod. We got into a great conversation with a couple from Philadelphia in front of us about Disney Vacation Club.
They talked about all the perks and basically sold Sarah on the spot. Before the show started, I decided to start my first shot. I wanted to get the Partners illuminated in the foreground so I started roughly 2 minutes before the show. In all, I took 3 pictures of the show. I really like these shots. I think the level of busyness makes for a fun shot. Here is my favorite of the 3!
After the show was done, we headed back to the end of Main Street, USA to take pictures of the parade. I set up next to a really cool guy who was also shooting Nikon. We talked about how he was determined to buy the Nikon D850 (haven’t we all thought about how we need it?!) and what lenses we use. He showed me some of his work and it was fantastic. He said that he has been working recently on perfecting firework shows. We nerded out until the parade began.
The only problem with the Christmas parade was the fake snow. I think this was because the wind was determined to blow every bubbly flake directly into my eyes. I wiped my camera lens and tried to take as many pictures as I could. There were several good ones, but I was disappointed by most of them. Other than the snow, the parade was excellent. We both really enjoyed it!
After the parade was finished, we walked up to the Main Street, USA train station and took pictures of Sarah and I. This is one of our favorite spots to set up our tripod and take pictures of the two of us. Amazingly, it was completely empty when we arrived. We snapped several pictures and Sarah even liked some of them!
Sarah and I walked sleepily back to BLT and I took a picture of Space Mountain from our balcony.
We needed to squeeze every last penny out of that amazing, but expensive view!
MommyMissy
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2011
I am loving your trip report and your photos are amazing! We will be there this time next year so I’m soaking it all in!
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Thank you! Have so much fun, it is a great time to go!
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Will This Bus Ever Come?
We Don’t Want to Leave the Resort
On Day 7, we woke up later and were not overly concerned with getting to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for rope drop. Sarah and I slowly walked down to the bus stop and dropped our bags off. At this point, we were genuinely sad to leave Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
The clear positive of this resort is that it is walking distance to Magic Kingdom. This means that the commute to the park is incredibly short and there is a dedicated security queue. The resort is also not very spread out so it is easy to get to your room, regardless of where you are in the resort. There is also a fun pool area with a slide for the young and the young at heart. If you are looking for quality food options, Contemporary Resort has several great options including: Contemporary Cafe, Chef Mickey’s, and California Grill.
Even though this resort is great, there are some negatives. The major drawback is that the resort is incredibly expensive. Disney loves charging extra for convenience. It is at the core of many of the extras that Disney sells. Whether that is extra time in the parks or more convenient transportation, Disney loves raking in money to save people time. Sarah and I were also not overly impressed with the rooms at BLT. They were nice, but not nearly as nice as Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Given the relative location and similar price, these two resorts will always be compared to one another.
The Wait Goes On
This day revolved around a Skype interview I needed to complete that afternoon. This was made endlessly more difficult by the fact that we were moving from BLT to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. I needed to make sure that we had our bags because I needed my suit for the interview. We decided to Uber to WL, rather than hope that our bags were delivered on time. We arrived at the resort, dropped our bags off at Bell Services, and walked down to the bus depot.
When we arrived at the bus stop, we were ready to get to the parks for our Fastpass+ reservations. Our first reservation was for Toy Story Mania. Unfortunately, we never actually got to use our Fastpass+. Again, we waited 45 minutes as our bus was continually 4 minutes away. This was incredibly frustrating. We were standing with a growing group of frustrated guests who were furiously attempting to change their reservations.
By the time we got to Hollywood Studios, we only had time to have an early lunch at ABC Commissary. We ate a mediocre lunch which took up our last dining plan credit and we returned to the resort.
Interviewing at Walt Disney World
By the time we got back to the resort, I wanted to make sure our room was ready so I did not have to complete my interview in the middle of a loud area. I walked up to Guest Services and they let me know that the room was not ready yet. I told him of the strange circumstances and asked if there was a quiet area I could work. He suggested the Train Room in the lobby of Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. I walked down to this space and decided that would suffice. Even though there were other people in this space, I figured it was my best option.
I went back to the main WL lobby to change because the bathroom door was locked, changed in a bathroom, and returned to the lobby of BRV to complete my interview. Both fortunately and unfortunately, I got the text that our room was ready when I returned. We sprinted back to the main building with all our bags, walked to the far side of the resort to our elevator, discovered the elevator was broken, walked back up the ramp to the lobby, and rode another elevator to our room. This sprint ensured that I was sweating profusely and I was ill-prepared for my interview. I filled up a water bottle and completed my interview. Hot tip: if you are looking to complete a Skype interview at WDW, make sure you aren’t resort hopping!
Dinner Under the Sea
When I was done with my interview, I met Sarah back in BRV because she was doing our laundry. Even though we were not sweating constantly like we were in our June, July, or September trips, it was still a very necessary task. We both folded as we talked about my interview. Sarah and I returned to our room with our completed laundry and prepared for our night at Epcot and HS.
We jumped on a bus and headed to Epcot for a dinner we were both incredibly excited about. During our first visit to WDW, my parents, Sarah, and I ate at Coral Reef. We all loved the restaurant. The environment is fun (both times we sat directly next to the fish tank) and the food is good.
We sat down and prepared for the feast ahead. Sarah decided she did not want anything on the pre fixe menu, but really wanted Shrimp and Grits. I decided to go with the pre fixe so I could have the appetizer. We both decided to get smoothies, since they are included in the Disney Dining Plan at Coral Reef.
When my Seafood Salad arrived, I regretted my decision. The fish was good, but the taste of onion overwhelmed the entire dish. There was a nice spice level, but the flavor was destroyed by too much raw onion.
We both loved our entrees (Lobster Mac and Cheese for me!) and our desserts were legendary. The Chocolate Wave was the reason we both wanted to come back. It is a delicious chocolate lava cake with a raspberry cream and it is incredibly well balanced. The chocolate cake is incredibly rich and decadent and the cream is light and bright and cuts that richness incredibly well. We loved every second of devouring these desserts.
After we were done, we walked over to Test Track. Sarah and I walked through the Single Rider queue. We exited the ride, I fielded a call from the university I completed the interview with earlier in the day, and we walked through the international gateway. We jumped on the Friendship and rode back to HS.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way!
Sarah's friend Anna met us after we were done. We walked to Echo Lake where Anna and Sarah dropped me off so I could take pictures of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! I wanted to post up in this spot so I could get Bill & Min’s boat and all of Echo Lake in my pictures. I waited a half hour for the show to start and clicked away as the show went on. There were several great shots and I was very happy with my decision to stay in that spot.
We met back up at Trolley Car Cafe and we joined the sea of people leaving the park. We walked to our bus and journeyed back to WL. When we got back, the Holiday Wishes show at MK was about to begin. Amazingly, we had an amazing view of the show with Contemporary in the foreground. I braved the flies to take pictures of the show. I got the picture I was looking for and ran back inside for safety.
We both went to bed and prepared for our next marathon Disney day.
We Don’t Want to Leave the Resort
On Day 7, we woke up later and were not overly concerned with getting to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for rope drop. Sarah and I slowly walked down to the bus stop and dropped our bags off. At this point, we were genuinely sad to leave Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
The clear positive of this resort is that it is walking distance to Magic Kingdom. This means that the commute to the park is incredibly short and there is a dedicated security queue. The resort is also not very spread out so it is easy to get to your room, regardless of where you are in the resort. There is also a fun pool area with a slide for the young and the young at heart. If you are looking for quality food options, Contemporary Resort has several great options including: Contemporary Cafe, Chef Mickey’s, and California Grill.
Even though this resort is great, there are some negatives. The major drawback is that the resort is incredibly expensive. Disney loves charging extra for convenience. It is at the core of many of the extras that Disney sells. Whether that is extra time in the parks or more convenient transportation, Disney loves raking in money to save people time. Sarah and I were also not overly impressed with the rooms at BLT. They were nice, but not nearly as nice as Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Given the relative location and similar price, these two resorts will always be compared to one another.
The Wait Goes On
This day revolved around a Skype interview I needed to complete that afternoon. This was made endlessly more difficult by the fact that we were moving from BLT to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. I needed to make sure that we had our bags because I needed my suit for the interview. We decided to Uber to WL, rather than hope that our bags were delivered on time. We arrived at the resort, dropped our bags off at Bell Services, and walked down to the bus depot.
When we arrived at the bus stop, we were ready to get to the parks for our Fastpass+ reservations. Our first reservation was for Toy Story Mania. Unfortunately, we never actually got to use our Fastpass+. Again, we waited 45 minutes as our bus was continually 4 minutes away. This was incredibly frustrating. We were standing with a growing group of frustrated guests who were furiously attempting to change their reservations.
By the time we got to Hollywood Studios, we only had time to have an early lunch at ABC Commissary. We ate a mediocre lunch which took up our last dining plan credit and we returned to the resort.
Interviewing at Walt Disney World
By the time we got back to the resort, I wanted to make sure our room was ready so I did not have to complete my interview in the middle of a loud area. I walked up to Guest Services and they let me know that the room was not ready yet. I told him of the strange circumstances and asked if there was a quiet area I could work. He suggested the Train Room in the lobby of Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. I walked down to this space and decided that would suffice. Even though there were other people in this space, I figured it was my best option.
I went back to the main WL lobby to change because the bathroom door was locked, changed in a bathroom, and returned to the lobby of BRV to complete my interview. Both fortunately and unfortunately, I got the text that our room was ready when I returned. We sprinted back to the main building with all our bags, walked to the far side of the resort to our elevator, discovered the elevator was broken, walked back up the ramp to the lobby, and rode another elevator to our room. This sprint ensured that I was sweating profusely and I was ill-prepared for my interview. I filled up a water bottle and completed my interview. Hot tip: if you are looking to complete a Skype interview at WDW, make sure you aren’t resort hopping!
Dinner Under the Sea
When I was done with my interview, I met Sarah back in BRV because she was doing our laundry. Even though we were not sweating constantly like we were in our June, July, or September trips, it was still a very necessary task. We both folded as we talked about my interview. Sarah and I returned to our room with our completed laundry and prepared for our night at Epcot and HS.
We jumped on a bus and headed to Epcot for a dinner we were both incredibly excited about. During our first visit to WDW, my parents, Sarah, and I ate at Coral Reef. We all loved the restaurant. The environment is fun (both times we sat directly next to the fish tank) and the food is good.
We sat down and prepared for the feast ahead. Sarah decided she did not want anything on the pre fixe menu, but really wanted Shrimp and Grits. I decided to go with the pre fixe so I could have the appetizer. We both decided to get smoothies, since they are included in the Disney Dining Plan at Coral Reef.
When my Seafood Salad arrived, I regretted my decision. The fish was good, but the taste of onion overwhelmed the entire dish. There was a nice spice level, but the flavor was destroyed by too much raw onion.
We both loved our entrees (Lobster Mac and Cheese for me!) and our desserts were legendary. The Chocolate Wave was the reason we both wanted to come back. It is a delicious chocolate lava cake with a raspberry cream and it is incredibly well balanced. The chocolate cake is incredibly rich and decadent and the cream is light and bright and cuts that richness incredibly well. We loved every second of devouring these desserts.
After we were done, we walked over to Test Track. Sarah and I walked through the Single Rider queue. We exited the ride, I fielded a call from the university I completed the interview with earlier in the day, and we walked through the international gateway. We jumped on the Friendship and rode back to HS.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way!
Sarah's friend Anna met us after we were done. We walked to Echo Lake where Anna and Sarah dropped me off so I could take pictures of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! I wanted to post up in this spot so I could get Bill & Min’s boat and all of Echo Lake in my pictures. I waited a half hour for the show to start and clicked away as the show went on. There were several great shots and I was very happy with my decision to stay in that spot.
We met back up at Trolley Car Cafe and we joined the sea of people leaving the park. We walked to our bus and journeyed back to WL. When we got back, the Holiday Wishes show at MK was about to begin. Amazingly, we had an amazing view of the show with Contemporary in the foreground. I braved the flies to take pictures of the show. I got the picture I was looking for and ran back inside for safety.
We both went to bed and prepared for our next marathon Disney day.
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
You take some incredible photos! Lovely work!
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Thank you so much!
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
How Did We Miss Extra Magic Hours?
How Neat is Wilderness Lodge?
On day 8, we woke up in one of the neatest resorts of our entire stay. This is where Sarah and I differ in opinions. Sarah did not particularly care for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. I think this may be because of a difference in nostalgia. This rooms will be very appealing to anyone who likes, well, the wilderness! People who either have spent a great deal of time in cabins and lodges or have wanted to do so may enjoy this resort more than others people may enjoy it. That, I believe, is why I appreciated WL more than Sarah.
However, WL does have a few shortcomings. I think the main issue I have with this resort is the transportation. The fact that it is so close to Magic Kingdom is great, but it does not particularly take advantage of that proximity.
Being that WL is not on the monorail loop, guests still need to take a bus. These buses are also shared with Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. This means that any distance advantage is ruined by longer commutes. We also had horrible luck trying to get to Epcot and Hollywood Studios from this resort on our trip. This resort does offer boat transportation, but that is more of a novel experience than an expedient way to navigate the parks.
The Planner Fails!
I decided to wake up early to get a couple of shots that would be much better in the beautiful sunrise than at night. I walked down the stairs and towards the Copper Creek Cabins. One thing that was exciting was dodging a sea of flies to take pictures of the Boulder Ridge area. The flies were a real problem at WL.
After I got back, Sarah was ready to get up and we were ready to arrive for what we thought was rope drop. We packed our bags and dropped them off at Bell Services on our way to the boat dock. Sarah and I arrived just in time for our boat to arrive and we peacefully cruised to the entrance to Magic Kingdom.
We got through security and entered the park and it became apparent that we were terrible vacation planners. Somehow I missed that this morning was Extra Magic Hours for hotel guests.
We ended up entering Fantasyland in just enough time to jump into the queue for Peter Pan before it was laughable. We waited roughly 15 minutes and took our ride in our pirate ship.
Early Morning Sugar
Being that it was morning and we had snack credits to burn, it was time to go to Main Street Bakery. We both ordered our mega sugar drinks of doom and I decided to throw a Christmas cinnamon roll on top. I clearly have some form of blood feud against myself.
As we ingested our sugar, I called Guest Services to change our reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe that night. Sarah has had watching a movie under the stars on her Walt Disney World bucket list for as long as I can remember. On our short trips, we would never use our time to partake in this activity. Sarah was determined to do so this trip. This meant that I needed to change our dining reservation.
I had never called to change the time of a dining reservation so I was curious how much I would have to sacrifice to make this happen. Surprisingly, this was an incredibly pain free process. There was an earlier time available, so they switched it for us. I imagine that this would have been slightly more difficult at a more popular eatery, but I was happy that it went so smoothly.
After I hung up, we walked over to Tomorrowland and fought off Zurg and his robot minions. Amazingly, I defeated Sarah! We sauntered over to the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority PeopleMover and I felt 100 feet tall. After our slow tour of Tomorrowland, it was time to use our Fastpass+ for Space Mountain.
We walked along our “secret” walkway (it is the smoking area of MK), through the circus, and back to Fantasyland. Sarah had not gone under the sea with Ariel and her friends in far too long, so we decided to partake in this attraction again. We had an hour until our lunch reservation at Be Our Guest and it was my turn to choose an attraction. I usually default to Haunted Mansion because it is a nice balance of a short(ish) wait and an entertaining attraction. We walked to the mansion, waited a surprisingly short time for noon at WDW, and then walked back to Be Our Guest.
Savory Lunch and Nap Time
Be Our Guest is one of our favorite lunch options. The balance of exquisite theming, decent food, and a Quick Service meal makes BOG worth a dining reservation. We entered the dining room and looked for a table. I tried the West Wing, but there is never seating in there. Sarah and I ended up in the main dining room, but we grabbed a table for 4. We were immediately asked by a Cast Member to move to a table for 2 next to us. Sarah and I knew that this was the right thing to do, but we also knew that there wouldn’t be anyone joining us at the larger table next to us. We were right, no one sat next to us during our meal.
The food came and was just slightly above average. Sarah ordered Croque Monsieur and I ordered the French Dip Sandwich. When the food arrived, I was amazed to find that I ordered the better meal! My sandwich was full of meat and hers looked like a grilled cheese that I would make with an iron in my dorm room in undergrad. Both of our fries were lukewarm, a theme that was ever-present during our trip.
We exited the restaurant and the park. Sarah and I were off to Sarah’s favorite resort of all time: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort! We arrived at the resort at 2pm and our room was not ready yet. We wandered around the Lion King and Little Mermaid areas and took pictures to kill time. Sarah drooled as we came face-to-face with the world’s largest renderings of her favorite characters.
When it turned 3 o’clock, I called Guest Services to check on the status of our room. They said that the room was now ready! We were seated on a bench by Hourglass Lake and our room was directly behind us. We received the text and entered Sarah’s dreamland. The rooms at AoA in the Little Mermaid area have everything Sarah could ever need. We both napped before our night of feasting and checking off a WDW bucket list item.
The Worst Uber Driver Ever
When we awoke from our slumbers, it was time to navigate all the way back to WL. This was an unfortunate result of deciding to resort hop after making dining reservations. I ended up moving our night at that resort up one night so we would have to make our way back. We decided to sleep an extra half hour and take an Uber to the resort, rather than the bus to a park, then to the resort.
Unfortunately, we embarked upon the worst Uber adventure ever. When we arrived at the front of AoA, we ordered the ride. The driver circled around the resort and ended up in the bus lane. We got into the car and were horribly embarrassed. Then, his navigation was not working on his tablet so we ended up getting lost trying to find World Way. He decided to pull off to the side of the road and try to reload his app, rather than let me navigate. Finally, I assumed control and directed him to World Way.
It only got worse from there. I give him grace because Disney had just changed the traffic pattern entering the Magic Kingdom area, but I told him the exact directions and he ignored my advice. We ended up having to do a u-turn after he argued with a CM who was at the parking gate.
Amazingly, after that he allowed me to navigate and we made it to WL 10 minutes late for our reservation. We thanked him and sprinted to Whispering Canyon Cafe. We arrived in time to be seated and subject to the most ridiculous feast on Earth.
Whispering Canyon Cafe is not a restaurant for the faint of heart. The servers are sassy and the food quantity is astounding. Sarah and I started with bottomless milkshakes because, vacation! Next came the salad and cornbread. Sarah pretended to eat the salad because she felt obliged, but we both ate (un)healthy portions of cornbread.
What came next mankind was not prepared for. We ordered the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Skillet and I think they misnamed this entree. I think it should be called the “Strap In Because You Will Not Survive This! Skillet.” There were ribs, pulled pork, chicken, beef, and sausage, and those were just the meats! There was also a healthy portion of vegetables, corn, mashed potatoes, and baked beans.
We both navigated this dish gingerly and became increasingly sick from the amount of food we were taking in. We finished our first round and ordered more ribs, chicken, potatoes, and beans. This was all as we were being entertained by our server’s antics. At some points, he was sitting down in the chair next to us, complaining that management never gave him a break. A few times, he was dropping his tray on the ground and giving unsuspecting guests a heart attack.
The meal and the experience were amazing! Hot tip: order the “Strap In Because You Will Not Survive This! Skillet”! I usually don't post pictures of half-eaten food because they are gross and unappetizing, but this meal was worthy of one. So, here you go!
Movie Time!
After we were done, we waddled down to the bus station. We boarded a bus to MK, then waddled to the AoA bus station. We sat on the ground and cursed ourselves for trying eating all that food. When we arrived at AoA, we grabbed a spot by the Big Blue Pool to watch Big Hero 6. We both ate free popcorn (I don’t know how!) and enjoyed the show. I got bored, so I went to take more pictures of the resort.
After the movie was done, we went back to our room and passed out.
How Neat is Wilderness Lodge?
On day 8, we woke up in one of the neatest resorts of our entire stay. This is where Sarah and I differ in opinions. Sarah did not particularly care for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. I think this may be because of a difference in nostalgia. This rooms will be very appealing to anyone who likes, well, the wilderness! People who either have spent a great deal of time in cabins and lodges or have wanted to do so may enjoy this resort more than others people may enjoy it. That, I believe, is why I appreciated WL more than Sarah.
However, WL does have a few shortcomings. I think the main issue I have with this resort is the transportation. The fact that it is so close to Magic Kingdom is great, but it does not particularly take advantage of that proximity.
Being that WL is not on the monorail loop, guests still need to take a bus. These buses are also shared with Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. This means that any distance advantage is ruined by longer commutes. We also had horrible luck trying to get to Epcot and Hollywood Studios from this resort on our trip. This resort does offer boat transportation, but that is more of a novel experience than an expedient way to navigate the parks.
The Planner Fails!
I decided to wake up early to get a couple of shots that would be much better in the beautiful sunrise than at night. I walked down the stairs and towards the Copper Creek Cabins. One thing that was exciting was dodging a sea of flies to take pictures of the Boulder Ridge area. The flies were a real problem at WL.
After I got back, Sarah was ready to get up and we were ready to arrive for what we thought was rope drop. We packed our bags and dropped them off at Bell Services on our way to the boat dock. Sarah and I arrived just in time for our boat to arrive and we peacefully cruised to the entrance to Magic Kingdom.
We got through security and entered the park and it became apparent that we were terrible vacation planners. Somehow I missed that this morning was Extra Magic Hours for hotel guests.
We ended up entering Fantasyland in just enough time to jump into the queue for Peter Pan before it was laughable. We waited roughly 15 minutes and took our ride in our pirate ship.
Early Morning Sugar
Being that it was morning and we had snack credits to burn, it was time to go to Main Street Bakery. We both ordered our mega sugar drinks of doom and I decided to throw a Christmas cinnamon roll on top. I clearly have some form of blood feud against myself.
As we ingested our sugar, I called Guest Services to change our reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe that night. Sarah has had watching a movie under the stars on her Walt Disney World bucket list for as long as I can remember. On our short trips, we would never use our time to partake in this activity. Sarah was determined to do so this trip. This meant that I needed to change our dining reservation.
I had never called to change the time of a dining reservation so I was curious how much I would have to sacrifice to make this happen. Surprisingly, this was an incredibly pain free process. There was an earlier time available, so they switched it for us. I imagine that this would have been slightly more difficult at a more popular eatery, but I was happy that it went so smoothly.
After I hung up, we walked over to Tomorrowland and fought off Zurg and his robot minions. Amazingly, I defeated Sarah! We sauntered over to the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority PeopleMover and I felt 100 feet tall. After our slow tour of Tomorrowland, it was time to use our Fastpass+ for Space Mountain.
We walked along our “secret” walkway (it is the smoking area of MK), through the circus, and back to Fantasyland. Sarah had not gone under the sea with Ariel and her friends in far too long, so we decided to partake in this attraction again. We had an hour until our lunch reservation at Be Our Guest and it was my turn to choose an attraction. I usually default to Haunted Mansion because it is a nice balance of a short(ish) wait and an entertaining attraction. We walked to the mansion, waited a surprisingly short time for noon at WDW, and then walked back to Be Our Guest.
Savory Lunch and Nap Time
Be Our Guest is one of our favorite lunch options. The balance of exquisite theming, decent food, and a Quick Service meal makes BOG worth a dining reservation. We entered the dining room and looked for a table. I tried the West Wing, but there is never seating in there. Sarah and I ended up in the main dining room, but we grabbed a table for 4. We were immediately asked by a Cast Member to move to a table for 2 next to us. Sarah and I knew that this was the right thing to do, but we also knew that there wouldn’t be anyone joining us at the larger table next to us. We were right, no one sat next to us during our meal.
The food came and was just slightly above average. Sarah ordered Croque Monsieur and I ordered the French Dip Sandwich. When the food arrived, I was amazed to find that I ordered the better meal! My sandwich was full of meat and hers looked like a grilled cheese that I would make with an iron in my dorm room in undergrad. Both of our fries were lukewarm, a theme that was ever-present during our trip.
We exited the restaurant and the park. Sarah and I were off to Sarah’s favorite resort of all time: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort! We arrived at the resort at 2pm and our room was not ready yet. We wandered around the Lion King and Little Mermaid areas and took pictures to kill time. Sarah drooled as we came face-to-face with the world’s largest renderings of her favorite characters.
When it turned 3 o’clock, I called Guest Services to check on the status of our room. They said that the room was now ready! We were seated on a bench by Hourglass Lake and our room was directly behind us. We received the text and entered Sarah’s dreamland. The rooms at AoA in the Little Mermaid area have everything Sarah could ever need. We both napped before our night of feasting and checking off a WDW bucket list item.
The Worst Uber Driver Ever
When we awoke from our slumbers, it was time to navigate all the way back to WL. This was an unfortunate result of deciding to resort hop after making dining reservations. I ended up moving our night at that resort up one night so we would have to make our way back. We decided to sleep an extra half hour and take an Uber to the resort, rather than the bus to a park, then to the resort.
Unfortunately, we embarked upon the worst Uber adventure ever. When we arrived at the front of AoA, we ordered the ride. The driver circled around the resort and ended up in the bus lane. We got into the car and were horribly embarrassed. Then, his navigation was not working on his tablet so we ended up getting lost trying to find World Way. He decided to pull off to the side of the road and try to reload his app, rather than let me navigate. Finally, I assumed control and directed him to World Way.
It only got worse from there. I give him grace because Disney had just changed the traffic pattern entering the Magic Kingdom area, but I told him the exact directions and he ignored my advice. We ended up having to do a u-turn after he argued with a CM who was at the parking gate.
Amazingly, after that he allowed me to navigate and we made it to WL 10 minutes late for our reservation. We thanked him and sprinted to Whispering Canyon Cafe. We arrived in time to be seated and subject to the most ridiculous feast on Earth.
Whispering Canyon Cafe is not a restaurant for the faint of heart. The servers are sassy and the food quantity is astounding. Sarah and I started with bottomless milkshakes because, vacation! Next came the salad and cornbread. Sarah pretended to eat the salad because she felt obliged, but we both ate (un)healthy portions of cornbread.
What came next mankind was not prepared for. We ordered the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Skillet and I think they misnamed this entree. I think it should be called the “Strap In Because You Will Not Survive This! Skillet.” There were ribs, pulled pork, chicken, beef, and sausage, and those were just the meats! There was also a healthy portion of vegetables, corn, mashed potatoes, and baked beans.
We both navigated this dish gingerly and became increasingly sick from the amount of food we were taking in. We finished our first round and ordered more ribs, chicken, potatoes, and beans. This was all as we were being entertained by our server’s antics. At some points, he was sitting down in the chair next to us, complaining that management never gave him a break. A few times, he was dropping his tray on the ground and giving unsuspecting guests a heart attack.
The meal and the experience were amazing! Hot tip: order the “Strap In Because You Will Not Survive This! Skillet”! I usually don't post pictures of half-eaten food because they are gross and unappetizing, but this meal was worthy of one. So, here you go!
Movie Time!
After we were done, we waddled down to the bus station. We boarded a bus to MK, then waddled to the AoA bus station. We sat on the ground and cursed ourselves for trying eating all that food. When we arrived at AoA, we grabbed a spot by the Big Blue Pool to watch Big Hero 6. We both ate free popcorn (I don’t know how!) and enjoyed the show. I got bored, so I went to take more pictures of the resort.
After the movie was done, we went back to our room and passed out.
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Happy Birthday Mickey!, Part 1
We Woke Up Under the Sea!
On day 9, we woke up at Sarah’s favorite resort of all time. When we were first deciding on a Walt Disney World vacation in 2016, I stumbled across Disney’s Art of Animation. This was the major factor that convinced Sarah that this would be the vacation spot of our dreams. To say that Sarah is obsessed with the Little Mermaid would be a severe understatement.
When we first arrived in October 2016, she immediately fell in love. We both love the over-the-top Disney intellectual property. We love the icons and the way the resort is unashamedly Disney. It also does not hurt that the resort has an excellent transportation system and food court.
The only negative for AoA is that it is slightly more expensive than the rest of the moderate resorts. If families are looking to save as much money as possible, the bump in price without an upgrade in room quality can be a sticking point. This is especially true with the room renovations that are taking place at Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
Is This Smoothie Poison?!
I woke up early to take pictures of AoA and to watch the most important soccer match of the year. I sat in the lobby with smoothies for Sarah and I while I watched Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur. Sarah arrived, rolled her eyes at my obsession with Arsenal, and grabbed her smoothie. She almost threw it back up. Apparently she did not appreciate the Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Buster smoothie from Landscape of Flavor. I did not hate it, but there was a lot of banana. I expected it to be subtle, but it was not.
Animal Kingdom to Celebrate the Mouse
We arrived at Animal Kingdom in plenty of time for rope drop this morning, no more forgetting what times the parks open for me! We grabbed our awesome Mickey’s Birthday 2017 pin and slowly joined the crowd amassing to enter Pandora. Sarah and I crawled slowly through the entry way and dodged right to avoid the major mass of humanity.
We were not interested in joining the rest of mankind waiting for Flight of Passage; we had a Fastpass+ for that! Sarah and I wound through an uncharacteristically long line for Na’vi River Journey and boarded our boat. Our quick ride down the river ended and we decided it was time for our daily sugar shot.
We sat outside Creature Comforts and directed families who were in need of the same sugar and caffeine fix. People were genuinely shocked that Animal Kingdom had a Starbucks location. We were approached by a handful of families and each family wanted to know from where we got our drinks. We laughed at the Starbucks obsession as we waited for our Fastpass+ time for Flight of Passage.
Our drinks were done and our return time began so we walked back to Pandora. We wound our way through the immaculate queue and directly boarded the attraction. The beautiful thing about going as a party of 2 is that we regularly get called to fill empty spots on attractions. We jumped a large portion of the line and walked up the stairs to our decontamination chamber. We flew threw Pandora on the back of banshees and exited. I took some pictures in the gift shop while Sarah used the restroom.
When she was done, we decided we would do a backwards loop of the park. Our end destination was DINOSAUR, but instead of going back to Discovery Island, we walked through Africa and Asia. A mostly-empty park in which to take pictures rewarded our decision. Sarah and I did our thing and were in no particular rush to get to the next attraction. We arrived and grabbed our Iguanodon.
After we were done, we walked back to Africa and jumped on Kilimanjaro Safari. I took my long lens out and took some pictures of an incredibly active safari. We saw plenty of giraffes, elephants, lions, and rhinos.
Our journey ended and we walked through Harambe Village and to Festival of the Lion King. While we were waiting for the show to start, Sarah got a call from the university where she was applying for a job. She got the offer and it was amazing! We were both so excited that the show flew by in an instant.
We floated around the park and to Flame Tree Barbecue. This is, possibly, my favorite quick service restaurant at Walt Disney World. The massive portions of above-average barbecue keep me very happy. Sarah is deeply confused. She does not care for consuming copious amounts of meat. This means that she does not care for this eatery. I asked her to grab us a seat down by the Rivers of Light lagoon and we were rewarded by a quiet lunch with a great view. Hot tip: when eating at FTB, eat down by the lagoon!
The unfortunate result of us deciding to eat lunch early was that we ended up missing Finding Nemo – The Musical. We both love this show. Missing the show disappointed us. Sarah and I slowly walked towards the front gates. The crowds that had amassed for Mickey's Birthday were shocking. We rode the bus to our next resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, and arrived before our check in time.
Naps and Wandering
When we arrived at the resort, I went to the front desk to see if we could check in early and to try to clear up a snack credit issue from our previous day of touring. They did amazing work getting us a great room early, but were not able to clear the snack credit issue. To be fair, it was my fault for not being meticulous enough. I had used too many credits. Not a big deal!
When we got back to the room, we napped for a long time and woke up in time to do a bit of wandering at POR-FQ. The Port Orleans resorts are some of our favorite resorts. I think on this trip Sarah and I decided that the moderate resorts are our favorites. We love that they are a mix of quality and character, for a reasonable price.
We ended up on a bench by the Sassagoula River talked about the future and preparing for big life decisions. More on that to come! We waived at riverboats as they passed and soaked in the slow-paced nature of this resort.
Sarah and I walked back to the main building and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Sassagoula Floatworks. We split a yummy Shrimp and Grits and drank endless Coke products. I always gross Sarah out with my drink selections. We prepared for a late night of touring as we headed to the bus stop.
We Woke Up Under the Sea!
On day 9, we woke up at Sarah’s favorite resort of all time. When we were first deciding on a Walt Disney World vacation in 2016, I stumbled across Disney’s Art of Animation. This was the major factor that convinced Sarah that this would be the vacation spot of our dreams. To say that Sarah is obsessed with the Little Mermaid would be a severe understatement.
When we first arrived in October 2016, she immediately fell in love. We both love the over-the-top Disney intellectual property. We love the icons and the way the resort is unashamedly Disney. It also does not hurt that the resort has an excellent transportation system and food court.
The only negative for AoA is that it is slightly more expensive than the rest of the moderate resorts. If families are looking to save as much money as possible, the bump in price without an upgrade in room quality can be a sticking point. This is especially true with the room renovations that are taking place at Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
Is This Smoothie Poison?!
I woke up early to take pictures of AoA and to watch the most important soccer match of the year. I sat in the lobby with smoothies for Sarah and I while I watched Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur. Sarah arrived, rolled her eyes at my obsession with Arsenal, and grabbed her smoothie. She almost threw it back up. Apparently she did not appreciate the Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Buster smoothie from Landscape of Flavor. I did not hate it, but there was a lot of banana. I expected it to be subtle, but it was not.
Animal Kingdom to Celebrate the Mouse
We arrived at Animal Kingdom in plenty of time for rope drop this morning, no more forgetting what times the parks open for me! We grabbed our awesome Mickey’s Birthday 2017 pin and slowly joined the crowd amassing to enter Pandora. Sarah and I crawled slowly through the entry way and dodged right to avoid the major mass of humanity.
We were not interested in joining the rest of mankind waiting for Flight of Passage; we had a Fastpass+ for that! Sarah and I wound through an uncharacteristically long line for Na’vi River Journey and boarded our boat. Our quick ride down the river ended and we decided it was time for our daily sugar shot.
We sat outside Creature Comforts and directed families who were in need of the same sugar and caffeine fix. People were genuinely shocked that Animal Kingdom had a Starbucks location. We were approached by a handful of families and each family wanted to know from where we got our drinks. We laughed at the Starbucks obsession as we waited for our Fastpass+ time for Flight of Passage.
Our drinks were done and our return time began so we walked back to Pandora. We wound our way through the immaculate queue and directly boarded the attraction. The beautiful thing about going as a party of 2 is that we regularly get called to fill empty spots on attractions. We jumped a large portion of the line and walked up the stairs to our decontamination chamber. We flew threw Pandora on the back of banshees and exited. I took some pictures in the gift shop while Sarah used the restroom.
When she was done, we decided we would do a backwards loop of the park. Our end destination was DINOSAUR, but instead of going back to Discovery Island, we walked through Africa and Asia. A mostly-empty park in which to take pictures rewarded our decision. Sarah and I did our thing and were in no particular rush to get to the next attraction. We arrived and grabbed our Iguanodon.
After we were done, we walked back to Africa and jumped on Kilimanjaro Safari. I took my long lens out and took some pictures of an incredibly active safari. We saw plenty of giraffes, elephants, lions, and rhinos.
Our journey ended and we walked through Harambe Village and to Festival of the Lion King. While we were waiting for the show to start, Sarah got a call from the university where she was applying for a job. She got the offer and it was amazing! We were both so excited that the show flew by in an instant.
We floated around the park and to Flame Tree Barbecue. This is, possibly, my favorite quick service restaurant at Walt Disney World. The massive portions of above-average barbecue keep me very happy. Sarah is deeply confused. She does not care for consuming copious amounts of meat. This means that she does not care for this eatery. I asked her to grab us a seat down by the Rivers of Light lagoon and we were rewarded by a quiet lunch with a great view. Hot tip: when eating at FTB, eat down by the lagoon!
The unfortunate result of us deciding to eat lunch early was that we ended up missing Finding Nemo – The Musical. We both love this show. Missing the show disappointed us. Sarah and I slowly walked towards the front gates. The crowds that had amassed for Mickey's Birthday were shocking. We rode the bus to our next resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, and arrived before our check in time.
Naps and Wandering
When we arrived at the resort, I went to the front desk to see if we could check in early and to try to clear up a snack credit issue from our previous day of touring. They did amazing work getting us a great room early, but were not able to clear the snack credit issue. To be fair, it was my fault for not being meticulous enough. I had used too many credits. Not a big deal!
When we got back to the room, we napped for a long time and woke up in time to do a bit of wandering at POR-FQ. The Port Orleans resorts are some of our favorite resorts. I think on this trip Sarah and I decided that the moderate resorts are our favorites. We love that they are a mix of quality and character, for a reasonable price.
We ended up on a bench by the Sassagoula River talked about the future and preparing for big life decisions. More on that to come! We waived at riverboats as they passed and soaked in the slow-paced nature of this resort.
Sarah and I walked back to the main building and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Sassagoula Floatworks. We split a yummy Shrimp and Grits and drank endless Coke products. I always gross Sarah out with my drink selections. We prepared for a late night of touring as we headed to the bus stop.
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Happy Birthday Mickey!, Part 2
Epcot for Illuminations
I was really excited for our evening at Epcot. As I said before, we rarely stay in Epcot after dark. We normally skip it in favor of Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios because we prefer the nighttime spectaculars at those parks. Sarah and I had not seen Illuminations – Reflections of Earth since our October 2016 trip, so I made the executive decision to see this show.
Before we could get to our viewing spot, I wanted to do a few things. The first was to take a picture of Spaceship Earth from a unique angle. In the walkway between the main hub and the Land pavilion, there are lights on the ground and I really wanted to use those as a foreground. Unfortunately, children also love this area so I was not able to get this particular shot. But, I got another one I was happy with.
I also wanted to take a picture of the massive Christmas tree at the entryway to World Showcase. I set up my tripod and got the shot I wanted. We walked towards Canada and started our loop of World Showcase. On our way, we saw a Cast Member dressed in a costume that could have been directly out of the live-action Cinderella film. We discovered he was the “doorman” for a wedding reception that was happening next to World Showcase Lagoon.
Sarah drooled as we passed the reception on our way to France. I decided I wanted to watch Impressions de France (I fell asleep during the show last time we watched it). After the wonderful show ended, we decided we needed sweet snacks. Sarah always wants the Beignets from Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie. Unfortunately, they were completely sold out! Sarah was crushed! I decided I would settle for a Macaroon from L’Artisan des Glaces.
When we were done, we met up with our CM friend, Anna. She told us horror stories from earlier in the day at MK. Apparently Mickey’s Birthday is kind of a big deal at that park, who knew! She said that she had to break up a fight between two grown men at Crystal Palace and the entry into the park was mysteriously closed for several hours in the morning. What a mess!
We walked back to Future World because we wanted to watch the Pixar Short Film Festival. Unfortunately, the show was done for the day. We decided it would not stop us from taking in Pixar film goodness. On our way to The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Sarah and Anna joined another group of people singing “In the Big Blue World” from Finding Nemo – The Musical. They had never been happier.
On our way back to World Showcase, we decided to ride Test Track. We jumped in the single rider queue and immediately boarded the attraction. After we regained our footing, we decided it was time for a slower-paced attraction. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros was the perfect attraction for the job!
Sarah still had not eaten a sweet snack, so we stopped at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. Sarah decided to order a Troll Horn and she was disappointed. By Sarah’s standards, the pastry was not sweet enough. She was not entirely happy, but she split the treat with Anna.
We walked briskly to Tokyo and I prepped for Illuminations. I took a picture of Spaceship Earth through the gates and then jumped up on the observation deck for the show.
Even though the show is not full of Disney intellectual property (the reason why Sarah does not appreciate it), it still is a good pyrotechnic show. The fire and fireworks are really cool. I took picture after picture and we decided to leave slightly early to try to beat the crowd to the front gate. We failed.
Run! Then Chill
When the show ended, Anna told us to go left towards Mexico. Even though I knew this was longer, I agreed. We power walked to try to beat as many people as possible to the transportation system. Sarah and I still wanted to try to get to Magic Kingdom for Happily Ever After!
This was a fruitless effort. By the time we got to the front gates and said goodbye to Anna, the monorail line was laughable. We decided to risk it and try to take a bus to a resort and then to MK. Amazingly, we jumped on a bus to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the MK bus arrived immediately at WL.
The downside of selecting this resort is that the bus is connected to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Sarah’s soul began to die as we slowly rounded the resorts and then the bus driver stopped for what felt like an eternity to allow other bus drivers to cross the street at the MK bus depot. The driver opened the door and we sprinted to catch the show.
Miraculously, we arrived on Main Street, USA just as the show was starting. We just needed to find a place to watch the show. The best place we could find was a small alcove next to Tomorrowland Terrace.
We watched a majority of the show, but Sarah was not satisfied. To my great planning shame, we never watched a full run of Happily Ever After from in front of the castle. Sarah will never let me live it down!
After the show was done, we used a Fastpass+ on Space Mountain. I was really excited about this Magic Photo. I had a plan and I executed it to perfection. Annoyingly, the man in the car behind us decided he wanted to ruin our entire lives. He decided to flip off the camera. Hot tip: if you think about doing something stupid and inappropriate on an attraction, DON’T! Normally, Disney will just delete the photo. This ruins your photo and the photo for everyone else on the attraction with you. Ok, rant over! I was actually able to rescue the picture with some clever cropping.
After we were done we took the back way to Fantasyland and rode some kid rides. We were both shocked by show brief The Barnstorm was and Sarah continued her surprising obsession with spinning attractions. Apparently all it took for her to enjoy these attractions was the ability to go up and down. I also got the chance to try a fun picture while on the ride. I was really happy with the result!
Our last attraction of the night was Under the Seas – Journey of the Little Mermaid. Sarah bounced and sang along, I fell asleep. Sometimes, these parks make me feel like such an old man!
We slowly wandered back to Main Street and watched The Kiss Goodnight from the balcony of the Walt Disneyland Railroad station. Sarah and I took a picture of us watching this happen and decided to exit the park.
Fear not MK, we would be back in the morning!
Epcot for Illuminations
I was really excited for our evening at Epcot. As I said before, we rarely stay in Epcot after dark. We normally skip it in favor of Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios because we prefer the nighttime spectaculars at those parks. Sarah and I had not seen Illuminations – Reflections of Earth since our October 2016 trip, so I made the executive decision to see this show.
Before we could get to our viewing spot, I wanted to do a few things. The first was to take a picture of Spaceship Earth from a unique angle. In the walkway between the main hub and the Land pavilion, there are lights on the ground and I really wanted to use those as a foreground. Unfortunately, children also love this area so I was not able to get this particular shot. But, I got another one I was happy with.
I also wanted to take a picture of the massive Christmas tree at the entryway to World Showcase. I set up my tripod and got the shot I wanted. We walked towards Canada and started our loop of World Showcase. On our way, we saw a Cast Member dressed in a costume that could have been directly out of the live-action Cinderella film. We discovered he was the “doorman” for a wedding reception that was happening next to World Showcase Lagoon.
Sarah drooled as we passed the reception on our way to France. I decided I wanted to watch Impressions de France (I fell asleep during the show last time we watched it). After the wonderful show ended, we decided we needed sweet snacks. Sarah always wants the Beignets from Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie. Unfortunately, they were completely sold out! Sarah was crushed! I decided I would settle for a Macaroon from L’Artisan des Glaces.
When we were done, we met up with our CM friend, Anna. She told us horror stories from earlier in the day at MK. Apparently Mickey’s Birthday is kind of a big deal at that park, who knew! She said that she had to break up a fight between two grown men at Crystal Palace and the entry into the park was mysteriously closed for several hours in the morning. What a mess!
We walked back to Future World because we wanted to watch the Pixar Short Film Festival. Unfortunately, the show was done for the day. We decided it would not stop us from taking in Pixar film goodness. On our way to The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Sarah and Anna joined another group of people singing “In the Big Blue World” from Finding Nemo – The Musical. They had never been happier.
On our way back to World Showcase, we decided to ride Test Track. We jumped in the single rider queue and immediately boarded the attraction. After we regained our footing, we decided it was time for a slower-paced attraction. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros was the perfect attraction for the job!
Sarah still had not eaten a sweet snack, so we stopped at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. Sarah decided to order a Troll Horn and she was disappointed. By Sarah’s standards, the pastry was not sweet enough. She was not entirely happy, but she split the treat with Anna.
We walked briskly to Tokyo and I prepped for Illuminations. I took a picture of Spaceship Earth through the gates and then jumped up on the observation deck for the show.
Even though the show is not full of Disney intellectual property (the reason why Sarah does not appreciate it), it still is a good pyrotechnic show. The fire and fireworks are really cool. I took picture after picture and we decided to leave slightly early to try to beat the crowd to the front gate. We failed.
Run! Then Chill
When the show ended, Anna told us to go left towards Mexico. Even though I knew this was longer, I agreed. We power walked to try to beat as many people as possible to the transportation system. Sarah and I still wanted to try to get to Magic Kingdom for Happily Ever After!
This was a fruitless effort. By the time we got to the front gates and said goodbye to Anna, the monorail line was laughable. We decided to risk it and try to take a bus to a resort and then to MK. Amazingly, we jumped on a bus to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the MK bus arrived immediately at WL.
The downside of selecting this resort is that the bus is connected to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Sarah’s soul began to die as we slowly rounded the resorts and then the bus driver stopped for what felt like an eternity to allow other bus drivers to cross the street at the MK bus depot. The driver opened the door and we sprinted to catch the show.
Miraculously, we arrived on Main Street, USA just as the show was starting. We just needed to find a place to watch the show. The best place we could find was a small alcove next to Tomorrowland Terrace.
We watched a majority of the show, but Sarah was not satisfied. To my great planning shame, we never watched a full run of Happily Ever After from in front of the castle. Sarah will never let me live it down!
After the show was done, we used a Fastpass+ on Space Mountain. I was really excited about this Magic Photo. I had a plan and I executed it to perfection. Annoyingly, the man in the car behind us decided he wanted to ruin our entire lives. He decided to flip off the camera. Hot tip: if you think about doing something stupid and inappropriate on an attraction, DON’T! Normally, Disney will just delete the photo. This ruins your photo and the photo for everyone else on the attraction with you. Ok, rant over! I was actually able to rescue the picture with some clever cropping.
After we were done we took the back way to Fantasyland and rode some kid rides. We were both shocked by show brief The Barnstorm was and Sarah continued her surprising obsession with spinning attractions. Apparently all it took for her to enjoy these attractions was the ability to go up and down. I also got the chance to try a fun picture while on the ride. I was really happy with the result!
Our last attraction of the night was Under the Seas – Journey of the Little Mermaid. Sarah bounced and sang along, I fell asleep. Sometimes, these parks make me feel like such an old man!
We slowly wandered back to Main Street and watched The Kiss Goodnight from the balcony of the Walt Disneyland Railroad station. Sarah and I took a picture of us watching this happen and decided to exit the park.
Fear not MK, we would be back in the morning!
MemoryMakers
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2012
I glance at a lot of trip reports but rarely "follow" the thread...but these are some of the best pics I've seen on the DIS. Enjoying your updates.
Had a similar annoying person on ToT earlier this month. Father and his 10-12 year old son flipped off the camera. Saw it when we got off the ride and looked around for the idiot but he had left. Another (much bigger person then myself) was looking for him as well since his family of 6 really wanted a good pic from that ride.
Had a similar annoying person on ToT earlier this month. Father and his 10-12 year old son flipped off the camera. Saw it when we got off the ride and looked around for the idiot but he had left. Another (much bigger person then myself) was looking for him as well since his family of 6 really wanted a good pic from that ride.
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Thanks so much for the love!
I appreciate that! I HATE when people do that. It ruins the fun for everyone else. I cannot stand that!
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Does it Have to End?
Port Orleans Shouldn’t Be Missed!
As I stated in Part 9, Sarah and I fell further in love with the Moderate resorts during this trip. In our opinion, the unquestionable kings of this category are Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and French Quarter. I think there are a couple of reasons for this.
The first reason is because the theming is impeccable. I love that the resorts feel like you have been teleported to Louisiana. Time seems to slow down and crawl at these resorts. I also think that these resorts compliment each other incredibly well. Riverside is a sprawling, Southern paradise that makes you feel like you are on a Southern plantation. French Quarter is a more compact resort that allows guests to feel like they are on the quiet side streets of New Orleans.
In terms of downsides to French Quarter, the lack of a table service dining option is unfortunate. I think that Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory is an excellent option, but it is a quick service. Riverside has Boatwrights which is an above average table service, but I would not go out of my way to eat there.
I also think that these resorts are for a specific demographic of Walt Disney World tourists. I think that these resorts are designed for the guest who is not looking to spend their entire trip in the parks. These guests may want to spend more time at the resort or take a lazy boat ride to Disney Springs for dinner.
Here We Come Pooh Bear!
When we awoke on day 10, we were both really excited and really sad. We were really excited because we had a breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and Friends. Sarah inherited her obsession with Pooh from her mom at a very young age. Even when we went to Disneyland during undergrad, we always stopped and took pictures with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. She was STOKED for breakfast.
We were sad because it was our last day. It was such an incredible trip and we did not want to leave. We had experienced so much of the amazing awesomeness of WDW and it was incredibly hard to think about saying goodbye.
We dressed and packed all our things for a full day of Magic Kingdom touring. Surprisingly, we did not have an Airline Check-In envelope on our door. Stay tuned for more on that later! We noticed this, but moved on to the Baggage Check area. We dropped our bags off and received our boarding passes. The Cast Members informed us that we would need to be back 4 hours before our departure time, due to increasingly long waits at Orlando International Airport (MCO).
We jumped on the second bus to MK and entered the park in time to be several minutes early for our breakfast reservation at CP. We decided to take some pictures in front of the castle to kill time. Sarah got one picture she had been especially wanting.
After we were done taking pictures, we checked in at the front desk at CP. Fortunately, Anna was working at the restaurant that morning. She got us a table and Sarah nearly broke my hand dragging me to our table.
We sat down and embarked upon our breakfast journey. Not only was the breakfast buffet delicious, but also the characters were great. Sarah sat in a perpetual state of elation as she saw each character approach.
We also had an incredible server. Our server said that he moved from Melbourne, Australia to Orlando to work at WDW. He said he started in a concessions booth, but loves working at CP. He did an amazing job and we felt like we were best friends by the time our meal was over. We were so happy with our breakfast and will definitely be returning in the future.
Last Day at Magic Kingdom
After we were done, it was time to use our Fastpass+ for Peter Pan. We flew in our pirate ship and then posted up at the Tangled area for a bit of time-lapse video. I liked the results, but I wanted to try it again at a more interesting location. We got on the Liberty Belle and I set up my camera. The time-lapse started and we cruised around the Rivers of America.
I was happy with this, but I was annoyed because there was a child who kept kicking my tripod. I would give him the death glare, but he would not stop kicking the tripod. Eventually, I just moved. This resulted in a different angle, but didn’t kill my video.
We walked back to a packed Fantasyland and sang along to Mickey’s Philharmagic. When we were done, it was time to use our Fastpass+ for Seven Dwarves Mine Train. The ride was short, but sweet. We killed a bit of time by walking slowly towards Space Mountain to use our last Fastpass+. We blasted through space and returned to Main Street, USA for ice cream. I ordered an unbelievably good Peppermint Sundae. The only downside to the deliciousness was that it was flooded with whipped cream. This mean it was awesome, then disappointing. I ended up throwing out most of the whipped cream.
Sarah was starving and I wanted to hang out a bit longer at Disney’s Polynesian Resort & Villas. We took the monorail and decided to stop into Captain Cook’s for lunch. Sarah ordered Pork Fried Rice and it was delicious. We sat in a gentle mist and ate the surprisingly small meal. While we ate, we talked about Disney’s Vacation Club and the possibility of joining in on the wallet-draining fun.
Disney’s Magical Express Mess
After we were done eating, we took the monorail back to MK and then a bus back to POR-FQ. Being that we still had not heard from Disney about Disney’s Magical Express, I needed to check in at the front desk. When I arrived, I found out that our reservation never linked to DME. Unfortunately, the motorcoach that was sitting outside full was our assigned ride. Fortunately, there were spots on the next one. The CM at the front desk just let me know that they were not responsible for us missing our flight. I assured her we were ok with that and we would definitely not miss our flight.
Sarah sprinted to SF for a quick dinner and one more snack. I inhaled mediocre Jambalaya and Sarah enjoyed every moment of her Beignet Sundae. Hot tip: if you are staying at either Port Orleans resort, eat this snack! It is amazing! Hot, fluffy fried dough and ice cream, match made in Heaven! We both finished our food as the motorcoach arrived.
Sarah and I boarded and took the depressing ride back to MCO. We arrived in plenty of time. Sarah sat and talked to her mom and I imported photos. The plane departed and we returned to reality.
Sarah and I had an incredible trip. I still can’t believe how much we were able to do and see. We learned so much from our resort hopping experience and, though we may never do it again, we did it!
Port Orleans Shouldn’t Be Missed!
As I stated in Part 9, Sarah and I fell further in love with the Moderate resorts during this trip. In our opinion, the unquestionable kings of this category are Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and French Quarter. I think there are a couple of reasons for this.
The first reason is because the theming is impeccable. I love that the resorts feel like you have been teleported to Louisiana. Time seems to slow down and crawl at these resorts. I also think that these resorts compliment each other incredibly well. Riverside is a sprawling, Southern paradise that makes you feel like you are on a Southern plantation. French Quarter is a more compact resort that allows guests to feel like they are on the quiet side streets of New Orleans.
In terms of downsides to French Quarter, the lack of a table service dining option is unfortunate. I think that Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory is an excellent option, but it is a quick service. Riverside has Boatwrights which is an above average table service, but I would not go out of my way to eat there.
I also think that these resorts are for a specific demographic of Walt Disney World tourists. I think that these resorts are designed for the guest who is not looking to spend their entire trip in the parks. These guests may want to spend more time at the resort or take a lazy boat ride to Disney Springs for dinner.
Here We Come Pooh Bear!
When we awoke on day 10, we were both really excited and really sad. We were really excited because we had a breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and Friends. Sarah inherited her obsession with Pooh from her mom at a very young age. Even when we went to Disneyland during undergrad, we always stopped and took pictures with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. She was STOKED for breakfast.
We were sad because it was our last day. It was such an incredible trip and we did not want to leave. We had experienced so much of the amazing awesomeness of WDW and it was incredibly hard to think about saying goodbye.
We dressed and packed all our things for a full day of Magic Kingdom touring. Surprisingly, we did not have an Airline Check-In envelope on our door. Stay tuned for more on that later! We noticed this, but moved on to the Baggage Check area. We dropped our bags off and received our boarding passes. The Cast Members informed us that we would need to be back 4 hours before our departure time, due to increasingly long waits at Orlando International Airport (MCO).
We jumped on the second bus to MK and entered the park in time to be several minutes early for our breakfast reservation at CP. We decided to take some pictures in front of the castle to kill time. Sarah got one picture she had been especially wanting.
After we were done taking pictures, we checked in at the front desk at CP. Fortunately, Anna was working at the restaurant that morning. She got us a table and Sarah nearly broke my hand dragging me to our table.
We sat down and embarked upon our breakfast journey. Not only was the breakfast buffet delicious, but also the characters were great. Sarah sat in a perpetual state of elation as she saw each character approach.
We also had an incredible server. Our server said that he moved from Melbourne, Australia to Orlando to work at WDW. He said he started in a concessions booth, but loves working at CP. He did an amazing job and we felt like we were best friends by the time our meal was over. We were so happy with our breakfast and will definitely be returning in the future.
Last Day at Magic Kingdom
After we were done, it was time to use our Fastpass+ for Peter Pan. We flew in our pirate ship and then posted up at the Tangled area for a bit of time-lapse video. I liked the results, but I wanted to try it again at a more interesting location. We got on the Liberty Belle and I set up my camera. The time-lapse started and we cruised around the Rivers of America.
I was happy with this, but I was annoyed because there was a child who kept kicking my tripod. I would give him the death glare, but he would not stop kicking the tripod. Eventually, I just moved. This resulted in a different angle, but didn’t kill my video.
We walked back to a packed Fantasyland and sang along to Mickey’s Philharmagic. When we were done, it was time to use our Fastpass+ for Seven Dwarves Mine Train. The ride was short, but sweet. We killed a bit of time by walking slowly towards Space Mountain to use our last Fastpass+. We blasted through space and returned to Main Street, USA for ice cream. I ordered an unbelievably good Peppermint Sundae. The only downside to the deliciousness was that it was flooded with whipped cream. This mean it was awesome, then disappointing. I ended up throwing out most of the whipped cream.
Sarah was starving and I wanted to hang out a bit longer at Disney’s Polynesian Resort & Villas. We took the monorail and decided to stop into Captain Cook’s for lunch. Sarah ordered Pork Fried Rice and it was delicious. We sat in a gentle mist and ate the surprisingly small meal. While we ate, we talked about Disney’s Vacation Club and the possibility of joining in on the wallet-draining fun.
Disney’s Magical Express Mess
After we were done eating, we took the monorail back to MK and then a bus back to POR-FQ. Being that we still had not heard from Disney about Disney’s Magical Express, I needed to check in at the front desk. When I arrived, I found out that our reservation never linked to DME. Unfortunately, the motorcoach that was sitting outside full was our assigned ride. Fortunately, there were spots on the next one. The CM at the front desk just let me know that they were not responsible for us missing our flight. I assured her we were ok with that and we would definitely not miss our flight.
Sarah sprinted to SF for a quick dinner and one more snack. I inhaled mediocre Jambalaya and Sarah enjoyed every moment of her Beignet Sundae. Hot tip: if you are staying at either Port Orleans resort, eat this snack! It is amazing! Hot, fluffy fried dough and ice cream, match made in Heaven! We both finished our food as the motorcoach arrived.
Sarah and I boarded and took the depressing ride back to MCO. We arrived in plenty of time. Sarah sat and talked to her mom and I imported photos. The plane departed and we returned to reality.
Sarah and I had an incredible trip. I still can’t believe how much we were able to do and see. We learned so much from our resort hopping experience and, though we may never do it again, we did it!
wishicouldgomoreofte
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
Beautiful pictures. Wow, what a busy trip! Sounds like you had a lot of fun.
Enjoyed your report.
Enjoyed your report.
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Thank you so much! We had a great time!
mamamelody2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2016
Wow, your pictures are great! Thanks for sharing them!
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Thank you! Have so much fun it is beautiful!
Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Thank you! For fireworks I set up my camera on my tripod and use Manual mode. I have figured out that the settings are fairly straightforward, you just need to know what they are. If you are interested I would be happy to tell you!
Have a great trip!
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