When A Tourist Becomes A Local! A Full Year (2019) TR! *CANCELED!*

Joining in..we were there in January..only got to go to festival of the arts one day. Wish I had more time ..
Thank you for joining in! :)

I was at EPCOT probably everyday, and there were aspects of the Festival that I wasn't able to experience. I wish I had more time as well, but I definitely had certain things on my priority list to get done during the Festival.

How exciting !!! Following along
Thank you for joining in! :)
 


Day 1: Travel Day!

Hello everyone and welcome to the start of this exciting Trip Report that I have planned for all of you!

I recently went on a trip to Walt Disney World, and I am ready to start telling all of you about it. :)

So, let’s dive right in! :)

We would be heading to Walt Disney World for a week starting February 5, 2019 and flying back to the midwest on February 12, 2019.

My Dad would be joining me on this trip, and he would come pick me up before making our way to the airport. We had a mid-morning flight planned from our local airport.

We wouldn’t have to wait to long before finally boarding our flight to “warmer” weather. My Dad and I were lucky to get out when we did. We had a winter weather storm coming in about 4 hours after our flight, and my hometown area would have a lot of “fun” the week I would be at Walt Disney World with snow and ice for the majority of the week.



It was time to go to Orlando, Florida!!!



I would start my flight by watching Act 1 of the Broadway Musical, Newsies!!! I can say I was ready for Festival of the Arts!





I would then watch a couple episodes of Band of Brothers. If you haven’t seen this and are interested in war history, I really recommend it.



Before I knew it, we would be landing in Orlando!!!



Time for the first ride of the trip!





Seeing Orlando International Airport means I was really close to one of my favorite places!



I would begin to make the long walk to Disney’s Magical Express. However, I realized I was tired so a stop at Starbucks was important.







My Dad would later tell me that he saw a cockroach walk across the check-in counter after I finished half of my drink. At that point, I didn’t really care so I finished the drink anyways.

We would arrive at Disney’s Magical Express!



It was time to go to Walt Disney World…or a Disney Cruise…Either one I would totally be ok with! However, our bus driver would tell us in a few minutes that we were on our way to Walt Disney World!





Our bus would stop at Old Key West first and only one person would get off the bus.

The next stop would be Saratoga Springs which is where my Dad and I would be staying on this trip!



When it was time to get off the bus, my Dad and I would be the only ones getting off the full bus. So, our bus stopped at 2 resorts for only 3 people. I don’t know where everyone else was going, but I just wonder what they were thinking as we got off the bus at the 2 resorts. :D

My Dad and I would make our way into the Carriage House to check-in.





I really like the carpet that is in the check-in area.



They would have a room ready for us. We would be in a 1-bedroom preferred DVC villa close to the Disney Springs bridge. This area is located at Congress Park.



After getting settled, my Dad and I would make the short 2 minute walk to the Disney Springs bridge. We were starving and were in desperate need for some food.



My Dad and I walking to Disney Springs.



We would make it to Disney Springs.



Our lunch choice today was D-Luxe Burger! This is probably my favorite place to eat at Disney Springs (that I have tried since I haven’t been to every food location). This place is definitely expensive for a quick service location, but I think it is worth it.



I always get the Barbecue Burger which is delicious and a regular fries.



We would get a nice table outside. It really did start to feel good going from freezing temperatures this morning to 80 degrees. I can’t wait to get out of the cold weather!



I would then show my Dad the new decor inside the World of Disney Store since he hasn’t seen it yet.



We would then walk back to our resort to rest for a little bit before our very long evening.



I love the Mickey heads on the balconies at Saratoga Springs. I relaxed out here for a while. If there is one thing I have realized about Saratoga Springs, that is this resort is a very quiet resort.



At 5 p.m, my Dad and I would make our way to the Carriage House, because I was able to sign up for the DVC Moonlight Magic Event at the Magic Kingdom this evening. The line was definitely long. They had 1 person checking people in and 1 person explaining all of the documents that you received for the event. So, we stood in this line for about 25 minutes.



It was finally time to check-in for our DVC Party!

Stay tuned for more updates from our Walt Disney World adventure!
 
We checked in early at the Contemporary on our way up to Top of the World - No line at all - Lucky us!
Cant wait to read more. I'm following!
 
Wanted to say hi I think I recognize that airport I'm in the KC area as well. We were down in Orlando about the same time period but didn't get to a park this time. Hope you had a great trip we might have passed you in Downtown Disney we went there a few times during our trip.
 


We checked in early at the Contemporary on our way up to Top of the World - No line at all - Lucky us!
Cant wait to read more. I'm following!

Thank you for joining in! :)

Lucky that you didn't have a line! Maybe because you were so close to the Magic Kingdom?

Wanted to say hi I think I recognize that airport I'm in the KC area as well. We were down in Orlando about the same time period but didn't get to a park this time. Hope you had a great trip we might have passed you in Downtown Disney we went there a few times during our trip.

Thank you for joining in! :)

You are correct with the airport. I am from the surrounding metro area. I only ended up at Disney Springs twice during the trip. One was the time on our travel day and then the other was a quick trip to Ghirardelli later in the trip.
 
Only Act 1 of Newsies? Oh I'd need the full two hours of Jeremy Jordan, no matter if I had to take breaks in between it would be a straight watch through. But I do appreciate the taste in in-flight entertainment.

YAS STARBUCKS! Ew, cockroach. Honestly though, cockroaches are just EVERYWHERE in Florida so it probably was not any reflection of the cleanliness of the Starbucks.

Lol so you were THOSE people on the Magical Express. Haha. Saratoga Springs just looks so gorgeous. I've actually been going to school in the actual Saratoga Springs for the past four years (just graduated) and I got to say the accuracy and detail is scaring me. Like Congress Park was a place I walked by many a time, never went in though. It was hard to really explore the whole area with how much I had to do on campus. If I hear they have a Ballston Spa area of the resort that will throw me.

D-Luxe Burger, so underrated. Now you got me craving it.

Can't wait to hear about your Moonlight Magic night! :mickeyjum
 
Only Act 1 of Newsies? Oh I'd need the full two hours of Jeremy Jordan, no matter if I had to take breaks in between it would be a straight watch through. But I do appreciate the taste in in-flight entertainment.

YAS STARBUCKS! Ew, cockroach. Honestly though, cockroaches are just EVERYWHERE in Florida so it probably was not any reflection of the cleanliness of the Starbucks.

Lol so you were THOSE people on the Magical Express. Haha. Saratoga Springs just looks so gorgeous. I've actually been going to school in the actual Saratoga Springs for the past four years (just graduated) and I got to say the accuracy and detail is scaring me. Like Congress Park was a place I walked by many a time, never went in though. It was hard to really explore the whole area with how much I had to do on campus. If I hear they have a Ballston Spa area of the resort that will throw me.

D-Luxe Burger, so underrated. Now you got me craving it.

Can't wait to hear about your Moonlight Magic night! :mickeyjum
- If you are upset that I only watched Act 1 of Newsies, just wait until my flight back. There is a reason why I broke it up. I'm a huge Newsies fan. The broadway version of "Seize the Day" is my cell phone ringtone and Jereme Jordan's "Santa Fe" climax in the middle of the song is my text tone. :D I hear a lot of Newsies each day.

- You're scaring me about moving to Florida now.

- If I was one of THOSE people, I didn't plan it that way. Disney planned it. It wasn't my fault lol. That's really cool that you went to school in the actual Saratoga Springs. I have always wondered what the resort was like in comparison to the actual area of New York.

- I love D-Luxe Burger, but In-N-Out Burger will always be my favorite burger place. Can't wait to have one of those again soon! :D
 
I’m joining in, how excited to be making plans for a move to Florida! Our winter has been miserable and more snow to come, yuck!

I think SSR would be nice for the convenience of walking to DS.
 
I’m joining in, how excited to be making plans for a move to Florida! Our winter has been miserable and more snow to come, yuck!

I think SSR would be nice for the convenience of walking to DS.
Thanks for joining in! :)

I know what you mean. I'm getting another snow storm tomorrow, and I am not happy about that. Can I just go back to Orlando? lol

It's definitely nice to have the convenience walking to DS. Keep in mind that SSR is a very large resort. So, it definitely helps to be able to walk if you are in the Congress Park area (preferred room) area of DS. Otherwise, you would probably want to take a bus to Congress Park since it would potentially be a long walk.
 
Day 1: DVC Moonlight Magic At The Magic Kingdom - Part 1!

My Dad and I would check-in for the DVC Moonlight Magic Event at our resort (Saratoga Springs)!



We would receive our wristbands, vouchers for a meal at one of 5 quick service locations, and the park map for the event.

I was excited for some of these character meet & greets!!!



My Dad and I would arrive at the Magic Kingdom at about 6:15 p.m. DVC Members without park tickets could enter the park beginning at 6 p.m.





The mix of DVC members and regular park guests was a little overwhelming.





The sight of Cinderella Castle will never get old!





My Dad and I getting a picture of Cinderella Castle in the background.



We would have a fastness for Splash Mountain!







I had a fastpass scheduled for Big Thunder Railroad after that. However, it broke down within the last hour the park opened. This means we now had a “multiple experience” fastpass for any ride in the Magic Kingdom, or select attractions at any of the 4 parks the following day.

Instead of seeing Happily Ever After, my Dad and I would relax in the Town Square Theater.



After relaxing for a few minutes, we noticed the line for the new Mickey and Minnie Birthday Costume Meet and Greet had a low wait. So, we decided to get in line for that.





After we got out of the Meet and Greet. The Magic Kingdom was closed to regular park guests, but the DVC Party didn’t start until 9 p.m. (it was 8:15 p.m.).

The only special meet and greet I was really wanting to get was to meet Mary Poppins and Bert, but they would also meet with the Penguins! I have never seen them meet with the Penguins before. So, I would walk over to the other side of Town Square and get in line for them.



My Dad didn’t want to meet them so he stood to the side. Bert asked me if I was with anyone and I mentioned my Dad. I also said that he is standing over there. So, while I had a conversation with Mary Poppins, Bert was yelling to my Dad and having a conversation with him. It was really funny.

After I got my meet and greet picture, my Dad wanted to get some merchandise. So, we headed into the Emporium.

Next, it was time to head down Main Street!



Then the realization of the benefit of this party really started to be realized. Where was everybody?



Our first ride of the party would be the PeopleMover!





I would then make my way to Space Mountain. The wait was a walk-on.



Here are some pictures of the new exit walkway of Space Mountain:







I actually like this walkway a lot. I thought Disney did a nice job with the design of it.

I would then ride the Astro Orbiter! This is really cool to ride at night with the lights on.





My Dad wanted to ride It’s A Small World. So, that’s where we would head next.





It was now about 11 p.m, and we had a meal voucher to still use. We were definitely hungry. So, it was time to eat at one of our favorite quick service locations!

More in my next post!
 
Day 1: DVC Moonlight Magic At The Magic Kingdom - Part 2!

My Dad and I would make our way to Columbia Harbour House for our free meal of the party!



These were the choices of places that you could choose from to eat at this evening:



I would order the fish and shrimp plate. This is one of my favorite quick service meals at Walt Disney World.



I would then leave my Dad for a bit, and I was off to ride Big Thunder Railroad since it reopened.





This event is definitely worth it!



As I was walking back to Liberty Square to meet back up with my Dad, I noticed Chip & Dale at a short wait. So, I decided to get a picture with them in their Frontierland attire.



I would then meet back up with my Dad. We would walk towards the Hub to get a spot for this evenings special fireworks show.



My Dad and I would find a great spot for the show, and the Hub wasn’t even crowded at all. We had plenty of room to move around.



Eventually the Moonlight Magic Blast Fireworks Spectacular would begin!

Here are some pictures:













































That Firework Show was absolutely awesome! Definitely had a more “pop” soundtrack to it. They took many different Disney songs and added a little more upbeat style to them. The fireworks finale was awesome! I have my highlight video of this show posted below.

Since my Dad and I had a long day of travel and it was getting close to midnight, we decided to leave the Magic Kingdom even if we could have still gotten on an attraction or two.



Definitely a great night in the Magic Kingdom!



The DVC Moonlight Magic Event is absolutely awesome! Definitely worth it to check one of these events out if you are a Disney Vacation Club Member and if your dates fall on one of the evenings DVC is having these at one of the parks. Check the Members Benefits Page on the DVC website for event dates for the other parks.

So, my Dad and I would make our way to the Saratoga Springs bus stop. Apparently the not sold-out DVC Moonlight Magic Event only got the word out to those staying at Saratoga Springs (I’m joking). This line was so long. Thankfully, my Dad and I got in line early. It got so bad that they had 3 busses waiting for Saratoga Springs plus the bus that was already loading people. I definitely haven’t seen that before.





It wouldn’t be long before my Dad and I would get to our room and get to sleep for the evening. We had a busy day ahead of us the next day!

More in my next post!
 
VIDEO: DVC Moonlight Magic Blast Fireworks Spectacular Highlights!

This is my highlight video for the DVC Moonlight Magic Blast Fireworks Spectacular! This fireworks show was awesome, and the finale was definitely one of my favorites for any Disney Fireworks Show.

Make sure you watch my video in HD.

DVC Moonlight Magic Blast Fireworks Spectacular Highlights!


I hope that you enjoyed the video!

Stay tuned for more updates from my Walt Disney World adventure!
 
Moonlight Magic events are the best! We did Epcot MM last year and we are doing HS MM next month. Magic Kingdom MM has to be the best! So much to do with such small crowds! Glad you got to enjoy it!
 
I've always heard such good things about Moonlight Magic, but WOW they really go all out. I'd probably be stuck in M&G lines all night knowing me. MEGARA, Pain & Panic, Louis, CLARABELLE... I'd be bouncing all over all night trying to meet them. Chip and Dale look so so cute in their outfits.

Fabulous choice in CHH! Best CS in MK imo So glad they choose it as a location for this event heaven bless. Granted the ticket seems to list all CS locations minus the stands lol

That fireworks finale had me in tears. The pyro was insane THEN THEY PLAY "WHEN CAN I SEE YOU AGAIN" LIKE IT'S PAINT THE NIGHT EXPLODING BEHIND CINDY'S CASTLE. Wow. You weren't lying about that one for sure.

Surprised they didn't send in the double length bus in for those crowds. Whew. Lucky you for beating those crowds.

Glad it was overall a fun night for you and your dad! :thumbsup2
 
Moonlight Magic events are the best! We did Epcot MM last year and we are doing HS MM next month. Magic Kingdom MM has to be the best! So much to do with such small crowds! Glad you got to enjoy it!
It was definitely a lot of fun! My Dad and I are planning on doing the AK MM later this year. I'm really excited for that since AK is my favorite park at Walt Disney World.

I've always heard such good things about Moonlight Magic, but WOW they really go all out. I'd probably be stuck in M&G lines all night knowing me. MEGARA, Pain & Panic, Louis, CLARABELLE... I'd be bouncing all over all night trying to meet them. Chip and Dale look so so cute in their outfits.

Fabulous choice in CHH! Best CS in MK imo So glad they choose it as a location for this event heaven bless. Granted the ticket seems to list all CS locations minus the stands lol

That fireworks finale had me in tears. The pyro was insane THEN THEY PLAY "WHEN CAN I SEE YOU AGAIN" LIKE IT'S PAINT THE NIGHT EXPLODING BEHIND CINDY'S CASTLE. Wow. You weren't lying about that one for sure.

Surprised they didn't send in the double length bus in for those crowds. Whew. Lucky you for beating those crowds.

Glad it was overall a fun night for you and your dad! :thumbsup2
I would have been like you standing in all of those character lines. However, I just wanted to enjoy MK with very low crowds, and it was also our travel day. So, I was already tired as it was. Maybe next year I'll be able to focus on some characters.

CHH is my favorite quick service in MK. We thought about going to Casey's since it had been a while since we ate there. However, we were right by CHH so that is usually the default option for us.

I really did like the firework show. I had the same thought about Paint the Night when the song started playing. Now I know where all of our yearly DVC annual dues go to...LOL! :D
 

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