We're not gonna make it! WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT! A Post-Graduation Trip UPDATE 6/21

[ThisIsBrenn]

We're not gonna make it!
WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!

Hey there! My name is Brennah, and you're reading my trip FIRST EVER report.
​

(Please don't tell me I wasn't the only one who dreamed of saying that for Disney Channel…?)​

ANYWAY, I just got back from a recent trip in the beginning of August with three of my best friends! We graduated high school this past June so to celebrate, we went to Disney! It was absolutely magical and we had a blast. We planned and navigated the entire trip on our own, which was a first for us, and it just helped make everything even better!

If you're interested, I did do a pre-trip report for this trip that you can find here

So, introductions?

That's me. I'm 18 years old and this was my 14th trip to Disney World, but my first one without my family (I'm not gonna lie, I got pretty sad about that a few times, which I wasn't expecting). I live for Disney thrill rides, obsess over all things Tangled, and LOVE the Food and Wine Festival.

That's Alison, she's 17, and this was only her 2nd trip to Disney The last time she was here, she was only 9! This was almost like a first trip to her because she didn't remember a lot from her first trip, and a lot has changed since then. Her favorite Disney princess is Mulan.

That's Katy, she's also 17. She used to live in Florida, and her grandparents still do, so most of her Disney trips were just for the day, so she was happy to get almost a week of Disney time. She loves EPCOT, Disney Quest, and Princess Aurora.

And last but not least, Lindsay! Lindsay comes from a family just as Disney obsessed as mine. She knows everything about the parks and how to get around. She loves Cinderella and was my partner in tackling all of the Disney thrill rides.

So now that you've met the gang, buckle your seat belts, pull that yellow strap, and get ready for a wild trip report! ​

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

Table of Contents

August 3rd
Chapter 1: TODAY IS THE DAY!
Chapter 2: Starting Off the Trip DTD Style!
Chapter 3: Call me a Jonas Sister!

August 4th
Chapter 4: PETER PAN HAS FLEAS!​

 

[happybelle]

Joining in, I followed your TR. I would love to know where you got those Mickey grad ears, love them.

 

[disney-inspired]

Subbing!

I was wondering if the minors had any problem traveling.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

Subbing! Can't wait for the first update!

 

[crocko's wife]

Looking forward to your adventures!

 

[wiigirl]

Joining in!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Hi Brennah, I remember you popping in on my TR a bit ago and just noticed you've started one yourself. Yay!

Awww, that is soooo sweeeet that you missed your family. Honestly I think it's so touching that younger folks (and older too, lol) on these boards seem to have such wonderful family relationships. I have no doubt it's the Disney connection.

And what better way to celebrate graduation (caon-grad-ulations!!) than in WDW.

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

Joining in, I followed your TR. I would love to know where you got those Mickey grad ears, love them.

Welcome! We didn't end up buying the grad ears, but that picture was taken in World of Disney! We saw them in a few other gifts shops too, almost any place that sold ears had them

Subbing!

I was wondering if the minors had any problem traveling.

Thanks!
Since Lindsay and I are 18, we counted as Katy and Alison's guardians, so there were no issues!

Subbing! Can't wait for the first update!

Thanks! It's coming soon

Looking forward to your adventures!

Thanks!!

Joining in!

Welcome!!!

Hi Brennah, I remember you popping in on my TR a bit ago and just noticed you've started one yourself. Yay!

Awww, that is soooo sweeeet that you missed your family. Honestly I think it's so touching that younger folks (and older too, lol) on these boards seem to have such wonderful family relationships. I have no doubt it's the Disney connection.

And what better way to celebrate graduation (caon-grad-ulations!!) than in WDW.

Yes I did! I'm still reading too

Disney has been a family trip for my whole life, so it was just strange not having them. Disney is a big part of my family, I definitely think it's the Disney Connection.

Thank you!!!

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

August 3rd, Part 1
TODAY IS THE DAY

Lindsay decided to have Alison and I sleep over, so getting out of the house on time would be easier for her step-dad in the morning. The plan was to be in bed by nine, but our excitement postponed that to around ten. We set the alarm for 3 am the next morning.

When the alarm went off, there was no hesitation to get up. We had all been up by then anyway, we were just waiting for the alarm to go off so we could stop pretending to sleep. We got dressed quickly and we were on the road by 3:30 to catch our 6:00 am flight.

Check-in was pretty fast since we had checked in online. It seemed the only people there were on our flight anyway, and by the looks of it, they were all off the Disney too. That just made me even more excited, knowing that we were all going to the happiest pace on earth together.

Security was just as easy, and soon we were sitting at the gate, eating our breakfast we had bought from Wawa the night before.

Then we waited. And we waited. We took some picture of ourselves.

Then we waited some more. And the FINALLY it was 5:30 and we were boarding. We took more pictures​

And by 6 am, we were off!​

I ended up watching Full House and listening to music until we landed (15 MINUTES EARLY, WOO!)

We quickly made our way to the fake-o-rail.​

​

Thanks to the Magical Express, baggage claim was not necessary, so we went straight downstairs to check in. We started walking to the end, and kept walking, and walking, but the Magical Express desk was no where is sight, even though we saw the busses outside. We decided to ask someone and it turned out we were in the wrong terminal… whoops. So it was back to the third floor, across, and down. THERE'S THE DESK!

We checked in, and we were put in line 8.​

After a few minutes, it was time to get on the bus!​

(actually, that was the bus next to us that I took on our bus, but I mean, they all look the same….)

Soon after, we were off! We watched the adorable videos on the screen and got even more excited about where we were going until we finally stopped!

… at Coronado Springs. But that's okay, because I've never been inside that resort before, and even the front entrance was gorgeous.

We moved along until we hit the Allstar Resorts!
(Enjoy my beautiful sign pictures I'll try harder next time.)

First Allstar Sports…

Then Allstar Music…​

Then FINALLY we were at Allstar Movies!

We got off the bus, grabbed our carry on bag from below, then strut our stuff on the red carpet into the lobby.

Before that though, we were happily greeted by a guy in Mickey hands, and then another guy from bell services who walked all the way over from his desk, welcomed us, and then walked back to his desk. We're still not sure of his intentions, but it did make us feel pretty good hahaha

So we walked into the lobby…

… and headed straight for the online check-in line, assuming that would mean speedy check in. But no. We thought we just had a slow Cast Member, but it turned out the family in front of us was getting Magic Bands, so that slowed down the process.

It was okay though, because when it was our turn to check in, we had great news! First, we were upgraded to a preferred room for free! I had requested the Toy Story section, close to transpiration, and we got it! Second, our room was ready! At 9:30 in the morning! We were beaming with excitement, we weren't expecting to have our room ready until much later in the day.

So after our wonderful check-in, we headed to our room!

I absolutely loved it! This was my first time staying at a Value Resort, but the rooms are so fun, it was perfect for the four of us.

We dropped off our carry-ons and changed quickly. Alison received her suitcase in the process, which was nice. We didn't have time to wait for mine and Lindsay's though, because we were off to Downtown Disney!​

Click to continue!​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Yay arrival day... AKA the best day of the year!

I've never stayed at an All Stars, but that Mickey Towel is seriously precious with the bow tie.

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

I'm back! I know, it's been forever, I'm sorry, but I'm in college now, so needless to say, I've been busy. I love it here though, my school is fantastic, I love my friends, I'm happy with my classes, everything is great. ALSO, Bob Iger is an alum (we have the same major too!), and he Skyped my class last week, AND I GOT TO TALK TO HIM. It was fantastic. He's a great CEO, he's so down-to-earth and passionate about the company. It was such an incredible opportunity.

Anyways, on with the report!

August 3, Part 2

Starting Off the Trip DTD Style!​

We left our room and headed straight for the bus stop, which was not a far walk at all. Our timing was perfect because as we walked up, a Downtown Disney bus arrived! We could not believe the luck we were having today.

The bus ride ended up taking about half an hour because it had to stop and Typhoon Lagoon, but all was well! Katy and her mom Lisa were waiting for us when we arrived. We just had to meet them in front of World of Disney.

Our greeting with them was tear-filled and happy. They had been moved to Texas for a month at that point, so we were all really excited to see each other. After catching up for a bit, we decided to head over to lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express!

It was a wonderful choice. The food was delicious.

I got the Traditional Margherita pizza, chocolate milk, and a brownie.

Lindsay and Alison both got the Cavatapi Chicken Afredo, with a cookie and creme brûlée respectively.

Katy kept it simple with some plain pasta.

And Lisa got a sandwich, but I can't remember which kind.

Like I said, the food was delicious, and we walked out of there completely stuffed. I'm getting hungry just looking at those pictures :O We decided to walk off the food, and do some shopping!

Our first stop was Art of Disney, where we did more staring than buying because the art in there is absolutely gorgeous.

This series of paintings were my favorite. They had scenes from most of the classics and they were beautiful. The detail the artist put in was incredible. I would have loved to buy one, but unfortunately I didn't have $125 to drop on one thing. So I resisted.

After Art of Disney, we browsed through Wonderful World of Memories, and then hit the pin shop! This is where we went crazy.

I have been collecting pins since I was 9, however I hadn't done much trading and I wanted to change that this trip. I ultimately decided to get a hidden mickey pack to trade with along with my regular year pin. I have one for every year, from 2004 until now.

Alison, Katy, and Lindsay all got lanyards and some hidden mickey packs to start their pin trading careers. I think we were in there for a good hour trying to decide what we wanted. They're all so perfect!

After finally making our purchases, we walked around Tren-D, where I had to resist buying everything in sight. We barely made it out of there alive (and by alive I mean with no purchases. It was only the first day after all!)

Next was the Arribas Bros! Again, we didn't buy anything, but we had a lot of fun looking at all the pretty things in there.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to be princesses for a moment.

Lindsay was so close to buying one. I didn't blame her, they were gorgeous, and there were different ones for each princess.

And then there was this beautiful thing.

I think we were like this for a good 10 minutes.

There was only one thing that could get us away from there: World of Disney! This was where the real shopping began.

...but not before we played with the mouse ears.

(this is one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip)

We spent another hour there and I walked out with an autograph book and a Minnie key topper (it's currently on my dorm key, I'm obsessed).

By the time we were done with World of Disney, we had worked off our lunch enough and decided that a stop at Ghiradelli was necessary.

Lindsay and I got chocolate milkshakes.

Alison got some sort of coffee drink

And Katy got a brownie sundae

We ended up sitting on a ledge by the water to enjoy our treats, and stayed there for awhile just chatting and relax. While we were there, this little girl was by the fence looking at a lizard. Alison decided to go look too and they ended up talking and spotting lizards together for a few minutes. It was adorable, the girl was so excited every time they found a new one.

Katy got some nice lizard pictures with her camera.

After our encounter with the lizards, Lisa decided to leave to go check into her hotel off property, and the rest of us did some more shopping.

First we went to D-Street. I was really close to buying a Vinylmation because my siblings collect them, and I thought maybe this would be the trip I started. I held off though, deciding to get one another day. Which I didn't. Katy got one while we were there, but unfortunately I don't remember what kind.

Next we wondered over to Candy Cauldron where we gawked at all the pretty food we were too full to eat.

After that we browsed through some clothing shops, but by then we were ready to get back to the room. We were just waiting on Lisa to get back to drive us. We ended up at the Harley Davidson store out of boredom, and that's when we got the call that Lisa was on her way, so we headed towards the parking lot.

I took some pictures to kill time, because what else could we do?

Lisa arrived shortly after, and it was back to Allstar Movies!

Lisa, Alison, and Katy left shortly after for the grocery store, but Lindsay and I were too tired and decided to stay back. We both did some unpacking and I took a shower. We decided this would be the perfect time to pick up our dining plan mugs, so we headed to the food court and got them with no problem. However, by the time we were ready to go back, mother nature decided it was the perfect time to rain. And when I say rain, I mean pour. And hard. Like step outside and in one second you're soaked. So we killed some time in the gift shop and ended up just balcony hopping all the way back once the rain slowed down.

By the time we were back, the rain stopped, and the grocery crew was back, so we helped them bring in what they got (mostly drinks and snack food). Then it was time to go. Where you ask? THE JONAS BROTHERS CONCERT! And let me tell you, this was no ordinary concert...​

Click to continue!​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Welcome Back!! Glad to hear that school is going well and what do you know, a Disney connection. And not just a Disney connection but the top of the chain. That's pretty cool.

I have never eaten at Wolfgang Puck Express, but I have heard it's fantastic. Sounds like I heard right.

If I ever win a lot of money that castle may be my "splurge".

Ahh those lizards are as much a part of Florida to me as Palm Trees and oranges.

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

Welcome Back!! Glad to hear that school is going well and what do you know, a Disney connection. And not just a Disney connection but the top of the chain. That's pretty cool.

I have never eaten at Wolfgang Puck Express, but I have heard it's fantastic. Sounds like I heard right.

If I ever win a lot of money that castle may be my "splurge".

Ahh those lizards are as much a part of Florida to me as Palm Trees and oranges.

Yeah, I was so excited when I found out that he was our guest speaker! It was a great experience.

WPE was great, I'd definitely recommend it.

And same about the castle. With the fancy spinning display case and everything.

I agree, I can't go down south and not see a lizard. It just doesn't happen.

 

[crocko's wife]

I've never had the margherita pizza, but WPE is our favorite QS restaurant--such a great value!

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

I've never had the margherita pizza, but WPE is our favorite QS restaurant--such a great value!

The pizza was so good! Definitely try it if you get the chance. WPE is probably my favorite QS too. You can't beat the quality

 

[fourfoxesinpa]

Thank you for your report. My son is a high school senior and wants to do this with 4 friends. They are all 18, he will still be 17.

Was there anything special you had to do for the 17 yr old friends? Any issues with check in at the hotel or airport?

Thanks!

Good luck in college.

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

Thank you for your report. My son is a high school senior and wants to do this with 4 friends. They are all 18, he will still be 17.

Was there anything special you had to do for the 17 yr old friends? Any issues with check in at the hotel or airport?

Thanks!

Good luck in college.

No problem!

17 is old enough to fly alone, so we had no issues at the airport, and at the hotel since Lindsay and I were 18 at the time, we counted as Alison and Katy's "guardians" so there were also no issues there either. I hope your son has a fun trip

And thank you!

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

Well hello friends! It's certainly been awhile since I updated this. I'm going to be better now, I promise. I've been on a Disney kick recently and I think that'll be good motivation to keep this updated more regularly.

But before I start, here's a brief update on my life right now!
- I went to Disney again! In November with my family! I'm working on a mini Trip Report for it now, I'll post a link in this thread when it's up. The trip was short, but absolutely magical.
- FROZEN IS PERFECTION.
- Second semester of college is awesome.
- I'm going on another Disney Cruise in May 2015!
- And if all goes well, I'll also be halfway through my DCP in May 2015!

So that's that! This chapter isn't very Disney heavy, and it took place off property, however I definitely think we brought the Disney magic with us when we left. You'll see

August 3rd, Part 3​

Call me a Jonas Sister!​

After unloading groceries into our room, it was time to head to Tampa to see the Jonas Brothers! It was a complete coincidence that they were playing while we were in Florida, and on a day we weren’t going to be in a park for that matter. We’ve all been fans for years and the last time we saw them was in 2010, so this was a huge deal! We were so excited to see our favorite band again, just like old times! This was my 7th Jonas Brothers concert and unfortunately, probably my last due to their recent break up (which was devastating by the way, but I won’t go into that). Let me tell you though, if this was my last time seeing them, I certainly went out with a bang.

Before hitting the road, we stopped at McDonald’s on property for a quick dinner. Fast food before concerts is a tradition for us. Don’t worry, I got food pictures!

My chicken sandwich was a bit disappointing. Chicken selects were my go to McDonald’s meal, but they stopped selling them. But hey, it’s McDonald’s, I wasn’t expecting much.

After about an hour in the car, we arrived at the fair grounds. At this point it was 7:15 and the doors were already open, so we walked in with no problem. We admired the over priced merchandise for a few minutes and then made our way over to our seats. They weren’t the greatest because we didn’t want to spend a ton of money, however we were in an amphitheater so our view really wasn’t that bad.

We were all chatting, tweeting, taking pictures, just killing time until the show started…

(like this one)

…when someone behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said “Are you Breanna?”

I was a bit surprised, but also excited. Did someone from the internet recognize me?!?

“Brennah, but close enough,” I corrected happily. I get called Breanna all the time, it’s not a big deal.

She apologized and then went on saying “I just wanted to let you know that you won the Vine contest!”

My jaw dropped.

Backstory. A few months before, the Jonas Brothers announced that they were holding a contest that gave fans an opportunity to sing on stage with them during their summer tour. You just had to post a 6 second clip of you singing “Still In Love With You” on Vine and tag it #SingWithJonas. So of course I entered, but I wasn’t really expecting to win. But somehow I did. What’s even funnier was that on the car ride here, I mentioned jokingly how I guess I didn’t win since no one ever contacted me.

I don’t exactly remember the conversation from here, but it probably involved me questioning if she was serious and then freaking out and explaining to my friends what just happened. She then told me I needed to come back stage with her so John Taylor (the Jonas Brothers guitar player) could explain to me what I needed to do.

IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?!?

That’s all I was thinking as she took me backstage and brought me to John Taylor. He shook my hand and congratulated me. I told him how surprised I was, especially being from New Jersey and winning Florida’s contest. He’s from New Jersey as well, so that was cool.

He pulled out the setlist and explained to me that the girl who brought me here would get me again after a certain song. Then I would get a mic backstage and wait until Kevin called me out. I would say hi to them and stand back until the second verse which was my time to shine. Then I would step back until the song was over, they’d thank me, and I’d walk off stage. He made sure I was clear, wished me luck, and the girl took me back to my seat.

I then spent the next hour or so freaking out. I called my mom, I posted to Twitter and Facebook, and I probably exclaimed “I’m singing with the Jonas Brothers!!!!” at least ten times.

The opener was a DJ (who’s name I forgot, I’ll be honest) and shortly after his set, the Jonas Brothers were up! I was enjoying the concert, but at the same time I was very anxious and excited which was a bit distracting. About halfway through the set, the girl from earlier came back to my seat. It was time to go backstage again! Except the band decided to skip a song that they usually play, the song that was also supposed to be my “get ready to go backstage” cue, so we were literally running to get me backstage and ready on time. This was the first of many “WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT MOMENTS!” on this trip, you’ll see!

And side note, before I went backstage, the girl brought Alison, Katy, and Lindsay to the front of the stage to watch which I was so incredibly happy about! I did feel a little guilty that I was meeting the boys and they weren’t, but they got about four songs worth of time right at the stage, so they were really excited about that.

Anyway, I get backstage, I’m hooked up to a mic system, and then I’m waiting. The song finally ends, Kevin announces me as the concert winner, and I walk on stage. I got to hug all three boys and I think I died a bit inside at that point. Joe held me for a full 10 seconds (I counted after) AND started petting my head. I could not believe this was happening.

I have a brief chat with them before the song starts and I have to hang back with their backup singer, Paris, to wait for my part. Kevin turned back to give me a thumbs up and I was beaming. Then it’s time for my verse, so I walk to center stage and start singing. I can’t even explain the rush I got. I’ve been singing for years now, but to perform for a crowd of that size with that energy was unreal. I remember thinking to myself “Do not forget this moment, do not forget this view right now.” The verse is over, I’m still beaming, and I start heading back to my spot when Joe signals me to keep singing. I GET TO SING THIS CHORUS TOO?!? At this point I really got into it. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt up there and how confident I was. Eventually I did have to go back to my spot and the song ended. The boys congratulated me for my performance, I start heading off stage, and Kevin offers me a high five before I go. Except it turns out it’s not a high five. He literally HELD MY HAND and told me I did a great job. I thanked him, and then I was directed off stage.

If you would like a visual of all that, I have a video right here!


And here are some pictures I got too:

Backstage all of the crew members congratulated me as the girl led me to the exit and back to my friends. Once I found them again, they gave me the biggest hugs. We were all just so thrilled about the moment. We then had to make our way back to our seats and I’m being stopped by dozens of people as I go, all of them complimenting me. It was so surreal, I’m not used to getting that much attention, and I’m not going to lie, it felt pretty good.

Once we got back to our seats, I full on fangirled. I held it together on stage quite well but at that point I just let it all out and started jumping, and squealing, and laughing. The rest of the concert was just spent in pure bliss. I could not stop smiling.

Like all good things, the concert did end eventually. We made our way back to the car and a talked to a bunch of fans as I left who were all just as excited about what had happened as I was. I uploaded the video onto Facebook during the car ride back so my mom and my friends back home could see. Then before we knew it, we were back on property. We all took showers and went straight to bed. It was a long and exciting day, but tomorrow would be just as fun: we were off to Magic Kingdom!

I have to say though, it was an absolutely magical start to our vacation

Click to Continue!​

 

[Reflections of Earth]

I'm following. Congratulations on being able to sing with the Jonas Brothers! I can only imagine how amazing the experience was for you.