~~We're going to need a vacation from this vacation! 14 crazy days around the World~~

[freckles04]

LOVING your TR so far! Subbing!

You and your mom are too cute!

2 weeks in WDW... I'm green with envy!

Keys to the Kingdom Tour... hope to do this as soon as my DS turns 16! (He's 10, so I have a while to wait!) Now to just hope he still loves Disney at 16.

Great character interactions. What I can see of your drawings look amazing.

Re: people booing in Hall of Presidents... never had that happen! How disrespectful, no matter what your views.

Your day at the beach looks lovely.

Glad your mom's illness seemed to be fairly short-lived.

Can't wait to see what's next!

 

[SnapesGirl]

Day 11 - Happy Mother's Day!

Today was our final day at Universal. I wanted to end the day at Harry Potter, so we started at the Universal side this time. It was incredibly quiet at both parks – from 9 to 11am we did Despicable Me, Transformers (twice), Simpsons, MIB (I scored 222,250!) and Mummy. Bumblebee posed for me as I walked by. I should have taken a pic with him!

And we got a glimpse of the Hogwarts Express! Can't wait to ride this next year!!

On our way out of the Simpsons area, we got this really great pic with the Simpsons (my mom was eating a doughnut)

At IOA, we did Hulk (I did), Accelatron, Spiderman, Jurassic Park, HP (twice) and did the Castle Tour since I wanted to take a picture in the other paintings room.

We split the Cornish pasties dish at Three Broomsticks (just ok) and got our very last butterbeers.

We were done everything by 2:30. I didn’t actually cry when we left, but I very easily could have. Hogwarts is my home so I had to remind myself that I’ll be back to check out Diagon Alley!

Rather than going swimming, I wanted to check out the Disney outlet at Vineland. Parking was a nightmare, but we finally found a spot after a good 15 minutes of searching. I was disappointed with the Disney store. There really wasn’t much and the only good deal I saw were on Vinylmations. Other than that, prices were comparable with those in the park. We walked around a bit as my mom was trying to find shoes. Off in the distance, I saw a girl walking with a cup and the cup had a pretzel on there. My radar went off and I knew there was an Auntie Ann’s pretzel there! We used to live in Pennsylvania and we LOVED Auntie Ann’s. I got the Almond pretzel with caramel dip and a lemonade. Made the whole trip to the outlets worth it.

Unfortunately we didn’t really have much time to shop around as we had a 7pm ADR at Boma and we both wanted to get washed up before going. If you do plan on going to the outlets, you’ll need a couple of hours to really walk around.

We came back to the hotel to find this lovely towel creation. It was especially nice as it was Mother's Day!

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[SnapesGirl]

After a quick shower, we headed to Boma, which turned out to be an excellent meal. I think we both agreed that it was in our top three meals for the trip (Jiko and 1900 Park Fare dinner being the other 2).

All the dishes were very tasty and I didn’t find the meat too sweet like others have said. We tried the famous Zebra Domes and found them to be just ok (blasphemy, I know lol). Our waiter was also great and we had a nice conversation with him about Morocco (his home).

As Mom was feeling much better, so once we got back to the resort, I wanted her to walk around and see the rest of the AoA resort. We took some cute pics along the way.

This turned out to be an extra special night. I got a text from my brother-in-law that my sister had finally given birth to my beautiful niece who they named Marley My sister was actually supposed to give birth around May 20th, but I knew it would happen while I was in Florida. Thankfully everything went well and mom and baby were doing great ​

 

[SnapesGirl]

Day 12 - I finally get my pizza!

Considering our only day at Animal Kingdom was incredibly rainy, we wanted to give it another try. This was an early EMH, so we got there around 8:30 (park opened at 8am).

We did the Safari and walked the 2 trails. I don’t think I mentioned it before, but the CMs who work on the trails are incredibly knowledgeable about the animals. All you need to do is ask a question and off they go! It was neat hearing about the gorillas, their ages, how they keep them separated, etc.

Next we took the train over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. I think the best part of it was seeing the backstage area and where they keep the animals at night. There really wasn’t much to do once we got to Rafiki’s.

There weren’t any operations going on, but there was a CM who was talking about Ferrets and what they are like as pets. Its good that they educated the kids about how much work a pet can be!

We found a CM hanging around and asked her a bunch of questions. I wanted to know why all the animals had to go in at night and she was explaining that at night, CMs able to go in and clean the areas. She also explained how they train the animals to do certain behaviours (such as teaching the gorillas to put their arm out so they can draw blood rather than putting them to sleep). Again, ask questions – these CMs have so much info to share!

There’s also a small petting zoo that I’m sure kids (and mothers) will enjoy.

Before leaving the park, I wanted to get a picture with Pochohantas and have her sign my drawing. While she was lovely, the Italian in me wanted to bring her home and feed her a bowl of pasta!

I believe it was around noon when we headed to the resort for a quick swim. We had an ADR at Epcot so we went to the park around 2.

We did Mission Space (FP) and Test Track (FP). We also got to do Sum of All Thrills. Mom and I did it together, so we chose the Bobsled option. FYI – this is the only one that will not go upside down, so if you have issues with flipping over, choose the Bobsled. It was fun, but I’m happy we only waited 15 minutes for it.

Before going to supper, I wanted to meet Belle in her blue dress as I had done another drawing. When Belle came out, I immediately recognized her as Jasmine a few days before (I told you this girl gets around Disney!. She seemed to recognize me to as she asked if I had drawn any other Princesses.

For some reason, I was starving today. So around 4pm I got a couple of lemon scones from a stand in England (part of the Flower & Garden festival). I inhaled them before getting a picture, so I can say they were good and hit the spot. Now it was finally time to really eat! I was really looking forward to dinner at Via Napoli at 5:45!

The restaurant itself is really nice and airy inside, but yes, it can get quite loud. We speak Italian, so we were talking to our waitress a bit about the town she came from.

Then we ordered a Margherita pizza with prosciutto on top. It was DELICIOUS! I thought it was going to be too big at first, but we finished every piece. We love wood-burning oven pizzas that are really thin, so we loved this place.

We took some time to walk around the countries on the left side (heading towards Mexico). The Chinese acrobats were about to start so we took a seat right in front. These guys were amazing!

We still haven’t seen the movie at China! I don’t know why we keep missing this. I wanted to go inside Mexico since I think it's gorgeous in there, so off we went. We should have done the boat ride right away, but I had my mind set on a margarita. I got the Pomegranate Margarita.

Very tasty but wow, it was strong! At least this one was sweeter than the Grey Goose slushie, so between my Mom and I, we were able to finish this one.

We hadn’t done Ellen’s ride before, so we walked all the way over there to find out it was closed. Not sure if it was just closed for the day or if it closes early, but we’ll have to try it on another trip!

On our way out of the park, we hopped onto Spaceship Earth one last time. We love creating that little video at the end. Always get a good laugh with that. And this was the first time I ever noticed the light-up sidewalks!

We heard the fireworks going off when we got out of the ride, so that was our queue to leave!​

 

[SnapesGirl]

Day 13 - We come face to face with a real-life Imagineer!

We started the morning off at Hollywood Studios. I booked our FP the night before and we had no problem getting the ones we wanted. Our first stop was TSM, of course. Next, I did RRC (FP) and then went to the Drawing Class again.

This time, we got Donald Duck. This was my Donald. And this was the artist's:

We were sitting in the front row of the desks and the animator said my drawing was really good (which was one of my happiest moments lol) On the way out, I picked up a book on how to draw Disney villains. I still have to try those out. Since the class, I’ve actually done some drawings without an eraser! I actually like the look of them!

Next we did Tower of Terror (FP). We have an elevator in the building where I work that I call the Tower of Terror elevator. It goes incredibly fast and has been known to drop a few floors. Thankfully, the ride at Disney has seatbelts lol

We grabbed a quick bite at the Studios Catering – we shared a Toasted Tuscan Deli sandwich and fries. It was alright, but not something I would order again.

We caught the Indiana Jones show and did Star Tours (FP). Then it was time to go back to the hotel around 1:30.

The plan was to go in the room and pack since we would spending all day at the Magic Kingdom the following day. But before I went to the room, I walked over to Pop Century to get the tie-dye cheesecake I wanted to try. The walk from our AoA lobby to the food court at Pop took me about 10 minutes (and that was with stopping and taking pictures). The resort is nice, but I’m happy we chose AoA. And the cake was totally worth the walk over.

I got to swim for 30 minutes and then it was finally time to pack. I kept reminding myself I still had a whole day left, but its rough when you come to the end!

The dinner was one that I was really looking forward to the most and I’m happy I planned it towards the end of the trip. We drove over to the Boardwalk for our Dining with an Imagineer at the Flying Fish. We were 8 people, minus the Imagineer. Our Imagineer was Patrick Grinnals, who was the Project Manager for AoA, New Fantasyland, and the Tangled bathrooms.

It was such an amazing experience and I cannot say enough good things about it. He was incredibly friendly and answered all of our questions. I asked why it was taking so darn long for the Mine Train. He explained that they switched the concept half-way through (it was supposed to be a Snow White meet & greet) so by the time they actually started creating the rollercoaster, it was in fact on schedule. I’m still skeptical as Universal tends to get their rides up within a few months. He gave us some really cool details about AoA and some things to look out for in the resort.

The food was also very good. The meal started out with an appetizer. You had the choice between a crab cake or a tuna tartare. I don't eat fish or seafood, so I skipped. The waiter was very nice and kept asking me if I wanted something else, but I was ok. Next we all had a salad which was delicious! It was the Epcot Land Pavilion Sweet Bibb and Local Arugula Salad.

Then I ordered the Char-Crusted Black Angus New York Strip Steak, which was also very good, but a bit fatty. Then we finished with the Caramelized Banana Napoleon. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures as I was too intent on listening to Patrick.

Again, this was a fantastic experience, and despite the price (about $80 p.p if I remember) it was completely worth it for this 3 hour meal.

It was still early and neither of us wanted to go to sleep, so we drove over to Downtown Disney. I was able to find a parking spot fairly quickly right behind Cirque du Soleil.

Eventually we had to go back to the resort and prepare for our final day at Disney.


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[SnapesGirl]

Day 14 - There's no crying at Disney!... except when it's your last day.

We awoke to our final day at Disney. I was so sad that our trip was over, but it really was an amazing trip. Rather than pouting, I decided we were going to get the most out of this day!

We got to the park early enough to see the Opening Ceremony. Thankfully there was no rain in the forecast (yet) so they did the full show.

We weren't in a rush for anything, so we slowly strolled into the park.

Most people were headed to Fantasyland, so we walked over to Adventureland. First up was Aladdin's Carpets. I was secretly hoping that Aladdin would come ride with me, but he was already taking pictures.

Then we did Pirates for the final time.

Next up was Splash Mountain!

We decided to hop on the Ferryboat as we had never done that before and then do a couple of more attractions.

We hadn't really eaten breakfast, so we decided to share a very nutritional meal. A funnelcake of course!

Before grabbing our spot for the parade, I wanted to get a picture with the Fairy Godmother. I had completely forgotten my drawing of her at the hotel. Ah well. We still got this very cute picture:

And we FINALLY found Tiana. She seemed to have finally gotten her kitchen in order!

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[SnapesGirl]

Although we had just eaten a funnel cake, I remembered that our tour guide from the KTTK had mentioned Eddy's had some great birthday cake ice cream. So we got some before sitting down for the parade.

We got our seat along the curb along Main Street. There were some very ominous clouds coming in and the parade kept getting delayed. While we were waiting, we were entertained by this wonderful photographer:

He was fantastic! He came up with some really great poses for people and really went above and beyond what most photographers do. I wish I would have gotten a picture from him! If you see him in the parks, stop and get a picture. You won't regret it!

Finally, around 3:20 the parade started. This time, I made sure I sat on the side where I could see Flynn.

All of a sudden, we saw the street performers run behind the walls and the heavens opened. It POURED. I barely had enough time to stash my camera away and quickly put on my poncho. We ran for cover at the Tommorland Terrace and waited for a bit for the rain to calm down. I'm glad we had seen the parade a few days before!

Eventually, the rain started to ease up a bit, so we headed to Crystal Palace for our 4:20 ADR. We didn't have to wait long to be seated. Once inside, it was freezing! And I mean freezing. I'm not sure if Elsa had come through or what, but I was happy I brought my hoodie.

Overall, I would rate this meal similar to Chef Mickey's. We had great interactions with the characters, but the food was all lacking flavour. We would not do this one again.

I had booked the Dessert Party at 9, so we still had some time to kill. We did a few rides, including Buzz, Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress, the Treehouse, Jungle Cruise and Philharmagic.

I had a FP to see the Talking Mickey and I was somewhat excited and somewhat nervous. It really was strange at first to see him talking, but when we finally went up, we had a fantastic experience! Mickey did a magic trick with us!

We got in one more ride before going to the Dessert Party.

We had done the Dessert Party last time we came and we just had to do it again. It's really not that expensive and I find there are a lot more choices than at the Epcot dessert party. Plus, you get to sit down.. on a chair.. without fighting the hoards of people. Totally worth it!

As we were only 2 people, we were seated at the front near the railing. Its a great view, but this time people came to stand in front of us. No biggie, I just stood up once the fireworks started.

It was the perfect ending to the perfect trip. We hopped onto the bus and took the trip back to our resort for the last time. Before going to bed, I snapped a quick picture of the Nemo pool at night:

Also got a pic of this little fellow

Careful when you walk around at night. We saw tons of these little frogs at the resort (and also at ToT) so watch where you step at night!
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[SnapesGirl]

Day 15 - Final thoughts

Our trip was finally over. 2 years of planning and it was over in a heartbeat. We took the 12pm flight out of Orlando direct to Montreal. I had a brief moment of insanity where I was ready to run out of the airport screaming, call my boss back home and quit, and stay there permanently. Thankfully (or not) the moment only lasted for a minute and on the plane we got.

So here are my final thoughts on our overall experience:

Hotel

I absolutely loved this resort. The staff was friendly, the place was very clean and it had a great atmosphere. The pools were fantastic and it was nice having the Little Mermaid pool right outside our room. The room was good for us 2, but I can see how it would be tight it you were more than 2 people. We never heard our neighbours (except for a few slammed doors at night) and never had a problem with the temperature in the room. The walk to the Little Mermaid may be a bit hard at night with kids, but for 2 adults, we were fine. Plus, if you have a car, you can park right near your room.

We also had no problems with the food court. Mornings were a bit crazy when we went to get coffee, but any other time of the day, it was decent.

My only complaint is that there was no cell service in the room, only wifi. If you need to make a call, you have to go outside. After staying here, I can't imagine staying anywhere else on property.

Buses

We mainly used our car during the trip, but the few times we used the buses were fine. We never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes for a bus at our resort. The only time I really did not enjoy taking the bus was at night leaving the Magic Kingdom. Way too many people leads to a very long wait. Other than that, it was fine.

Magicbands and FP+

I really loved our Magic Bands. It made it so easy getting in the park, in our room, using FPs, and then, spending money! It was also really nice getting to make FP selections before our trip. That way, I didn't have to worry about running around trying to collect them. It just made for a more relaxing trip. The couple of times I had to change a FP, I was able to very easily and we never had a problem getting a FP we wanted.

Disney App

The app sucks and crashes constantly. Enough said

It was rough coming back to reality (and work) after 2 weeks at Disney. So how to get over the post-Disney blues? Start booking another vacation! And so I did! We're planning 2 weeks at AoA for May 2015 and I cannot wait to do this all over again
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[SnapesGirl]

Following along.
Love your profile pic. I saw his broadway show a couple years ago in NYC.

That's where I met him as well! Drove all the way from Montreal to see him

 

[SnapesGirl]

Here are the drawings I had signed during our trip (and a couple of extras I did). Some were still in plastic, so there's a bit of a shadow on them.

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[SnapesGirl]

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[BOG Obsessed]

I just found and read your entire TR.
What a great trip!
Your drawings are fantastic. Great idea to have them autographed.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[SnapesGirl]

I just found and read your entire TR.
What a great trip!
Your drawings are fantastic. Great idea to have them autographed.
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading and the compliment!