YES, touring Cinderella’s Dream Suite was Amazing!+14 Other Magical Days* Dismeet & Wrap

[natebenma]

What a nice write up about our meet and the one with Alicia! I enjoyed reading about that. You swallowed a bug??? What a funny story, especially when you compared it to escargot.



My family and I had a great time meeting you! And of course we really appreciated the thoughtful gifts you brought.





We enjoyed all of the chocolate and other treats on our various plane rides and I opened the coffee and had some this morning. Chocolate and coffee are two sure ways to our hearts!

Here are a couple pictures of my own and from photopass.






When my family saw this picture (which I believe I requested), they said "It looks like we are auditioning a new mother"

You could do worse, boys!






As you said so eloquently, it was wicked awesome!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

so great that you got to have those two meetups!

That bag that Natebenma got for Em is really cute!

I love that it almost looks like Dan is photobombing the picture of your three girls as you are all cosy together and he is like "Hey!"

 

[TinkyCheeks]

Welcome back! Thanks for sharing the DisMeets with us. What fun!

 

[Linda67]

Hello Brenda
I don't comment on your TR anywhere near as much as I should but I am here, reading along and love it!
So wonderful that you got to meet natebenma and leshaface. I follow both of them here on the DIS and would love to meet them!
I truly hope that we get to meet up again in WDW or DL at some point in the future

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Hooray, Dismeets! You guys really know how to do them right. Really loved the gifts exchanged.

Haha, swallowing a bug! I love that you are brave enough to admit it. Sounds like something that would happen to me.

 

[MrsB1228]

Great update on two wonderful Dismeets! Love the photos, it looks like a great time was had by all.

 

[livsmom04]

Looks like you had two great DISmeets. One day I will do a DISmeet. I want to come to DW but I can't talk Jason into doing it. And what your hubby Michael did is something like what Jason would do. Half of my family are huge Redskins fans and the other half are Baltimore Ravens fans. I just go with the one that is winning which is normally the Ravens. Haha.

 

[KatMark]

To the QUEEN of DISmeets, I give you a on your two most recent ones.

And it is only because I adore Dee having gotten to know her here on the DIS, that I have FORGIVEN her for giving Michael that God awful tape that he used to send my package.

Seriously, sounds like you had a great time meeting two more DISers.

 

[wdwluvrs]

Brenda, enjoyed your trip report now just one to follow until you start writing on your latest adventure ... Mike

 

[IheartDDuck]

Awesome DISmeets!

I truly don't feel that Michael felt bad at all sending Kathy that Packer duct tape wrapped item. I cracked up when I saw it on FB!

Alicia is just so adorable! I would love to meet her too. Someday when I'm in California maybe I'll get to meet all of you.

 

[teekathepony]

Wow! Two more amazing Dismeets! Both looked like so much fun! I love when you get together with Disney people, there's always so much to talk about.
Lovely gifts all around too, love the trouble making duct tape, that's too funny!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[ach222]

Hi! I'm fairly new but have been able to read several of your reports and just love them!

 

[khaleesi]

Great DISmeets!!!! I adore that necklace!!!!

 

[scottny]

Looked like fun Dismeets.

 

[momtohms]

I LOVE your trip reports! I'm in the beginning stages of planning the very first trip to Disneyland for my family (my husband and I have three little girls) but ventured over the the WDW trip reports one night and found yours and then kept reading and reading! I now have all these girls trips planned in my head for the future with my daughters, you guys look like you have such a fabulous time! Thanks for the great posts and pictures and for really getting me excited to start the first of (hopefully MANY) Disney trips with my girls!

 

[emmysmommy]

Your meet up with Natebenma sounded like lots of fun! That backpack is super cute and the Packers duct tape?! If your DH doesn't use it all, ship the rest to my DH! Those cheeseheads.

Oh my goodness, we had the best time talking to both you and Em. There was so much to talk about, we could have waited in the SB line at Space on the busiest Summer evening 10 times and still would have found new, fun things to talk about! I'm hoping we can meet up soon again in the near future.

BTW, thank you so much for the coffee, mug and cookies. The cookies and coffee are gone already, but i'll always have my DIS meet mug!...and the wrinkled up postcard that DS loves looking at and playing with.

You are so funny! I don't think there will be any Packer tape left. Michael's finding all sorts of uses for it with anyone who is NOT a Packer fan.

We truly enjoyed our time with you and Dan... seriously we were blessed. I'll be in Vegas in November... just saying'!

You are so very welcome. It was our pleasure. So glad that Calvin even enjoyed the swag.

That was really nice that you got to meet Dee after knowing each other on the Dis for four years. I'm wondering how many people have traveled to DL just so that they get a chance to meet up with you. I clicked on your Aug 2010 trip report to see how your first Disney resort stay was. Now I'll have to read that one, too. ETA: I see that you had a 40% off room discount for the BC back in 2010. Wow, I bet we'll never see discounts like that again!

A pre-trip stay with Em at the GC sounds really nice. I can't wait to hear how your summer 2014 trip went.

Hi Sue! That first TR was a fail since I didn't make it all the way through it. I finished the dining review though so I had that going for me.

You are right, those deep discount we'll likely never see again.

Goodness, if you are patient enough you may see a July/August 2014 TR in 2016. Ha ha!

The heck you say. You all chatted. No way!!! But in all seriousness, that's one of the many reasons meeting you is such a treat. You are so welcoming and easy to talk to. Speaking for myself, there is just awkwardness at all. It's just a pure pleasure.

Aww, I remember seeing that photo of the backpack. Just such lovely and thoughtful gifts. Well Dee, thanks for making me look bad, lol.

Disney... kids... life... I'll take it!

Such an awesome meet. So glad you got to do this and that it went so "Wicked Awesome!" (She had mentioned to me you might talk about her accent).

And you follow that up with ANOTHER meet. My goodness, you are just so popular (not that I'm surprised). What a wonderful highlight for anyone's anniversary trip. I bet Dan was happy in those photos. He was surrounded by all you beautiful women. Who wouldn't be happy?

Oh Rob, once again you make me feel so glad that we were able to meet. I honestly feel so privileged to have met you. I'm glad my chattiness didn't deter you.

I was so grateful that these two DISmeets.... special people that I have followed for several years made it all the more rewarding.

Sounds like you had some really fun DISMeets! Of course you would close down Napa Rose, I wouldn't expect anything less from two DISers talking away haha Love your necklace and Em's bag from Dee, so perfect!

Can't wait to read your final wrap-up!

Hi Timmy! These truly were two wonderful DISmeets! Thanks for not judging us for shutting down the bar area! Ha ha! Yeah, I'm a talker.

Dee knew us so well, that's what makes her gifts so much more special. So perfectly done.

I know I read about your DIS meets on Dee's and Alicia's TRs (and probably saw them on FB), but its fun to see the pictures again because it looks like everyone is having a blast!

I am just missing Dee by like, what, 2 hours in February. She'll be flying out the day I arrive because I can't get that day off from work. How bad does THAT stink? Oh well, I figure sooner or later I'll get around to meeting everyone.

Hi Mary Ellen! I think between us we had the DISmeets covered on the DISboards and FB. We may also have been trending on Twitter!

Oh man! That blows that you'll miss Dee by hours. Darn. I'm of the same logic, if you hang around Disney long enough you're bound to meet up with DISers.

What wonderful DISmeets!! So fun!!

Thanks Julie!

What a nice write up about our meet and the one with Alicia! I enjoyed reading about that. You swallowed a bug??? What a funny story, especially when you compared it to escargot.

My family and I had a great time meeting you! And of course we really appreciated the thoughtful gifts you brought.



We enjoyed all of the chocolate and other treats on our various plane rides and I opened the coffee and had some this morning. Chocolate and coffee are two sure ways to our hearts!

Here are a couple pictures of my own and from photopass.





When my family saw this picture (which I believe I requested), they said "It looks like we are auditioning a new mother"

You could do worse, boys!





As you said so eloquently, it was wicked awesome!!!

Thanks for sharing those photos Dee!! Thank you again for the perfectly thoughtful gifts. I'm so glad that this time together worked out.

You are too funny! Auditioning a new mom. Actually, you're a better mom than me since I'd be the last parent to volunteer to chaperone an 8th grade trip.

I truly hope our paths cross again.

so great that you got to have those two meetups!

That bag that Natebenma got for Em is really cute!

I love that it almost looks like Dan is photobombing the picture of your three girls as you are all cosy together and he is like "Hey!"

Hi Phil! They really were two great DISmeets. I'm grateful that they took time from their trips to meet with us.

Cute bag for a cute kid - works for me!

Ha ha! It does appear that way doesn't it. Dan looks happy though!

Welcome back! Thanks for sharing the DisMeets with us. What fun!

Thanks! I'm glad to share.

Hello Brenda
I don't comment on your TR anywhere near as much as I should but I am here, reading along and love it!
So wonderful that you got to meet natebenma and leshaface. I follow both of them here on the DIS and would love to meet them!
I truly hope that we get to meet up again in WDW or DL at some point in the future

Hi Linda! No worries at all. Seeing as how I've been basically absent from the boards for the last few weeks I completely understand. Thanks for reading along and hanging in there. I'm going to miss you and the gals next month. Darn that my timing didn't work out!

You never know, I may cross the pond and make a trip to the UK in the next couple of years so there's always DL Paris as well!

Hooray, Dismeets! You guys really know how to do them right. Really loved the gifts exchanged.

Haha, swallowing a bug! I love that you are brave enough to admit it. Sounds like something that would happen to me.

Thanks! It was great to meet these gals and their men. The bug not so great but it didn't leave an after taste so that was good! (Actually, wine completely makes it as if it never happened!)

Great update on two wonderful Dismeets! Love the photos, it looks like a great time was had by all.

Thanks Carol! We indeed had a great time. It's hard not to with these wonderful ladies.

Looks like you had two great DISmeets. One day I will do a DISmeet. I want to come to DW but I can't talk Jason into doing it. And what your hubby Michael did is something like what Jason would do. Half of my family are huge Redskins fans and the other half are Baltimore Ravens fans. I just go with the one that is winning which is normally the Ravens. Haha.

Thanks Charlotte! I sure wish I'd kept our September dates so I could have done that DISmeet with you. You are a sweet young lady and I hope you keep making wonderful Disney memories with your family.

I'm not a faithful sports fan for any team so I may cheer for the Packers this week with my hubby but I'm not going to go buy a jersey. (Sorry Danielle!)

To the QUEEN of DISmeets, I give you a on your two most recent ones.

And it is only because I adore Dee having gotten to know her here on the DIS, that I have FORGIVEN her for giving Michael that God awful tape that he used to send my package.

Seriously, sounds like you had a great time meeting two more DISers.

Hi Kathy! You are too gracious - you knock out more DISmeets than anyone I know my friend.

In Dee's defense she never imagined Michael would ever use the tape against you!

Thanks, it was great to meet Dee and Alicia.

Brenda, enjoyed your trip report now just one to follow until you start writing on your latest adventure ... Mike

Thanks Mike! I think people are starting to doubt I really have more TRs in the queue! Ha ha! Honestly, I'll get to it.

Thank you for reading along.

Awesome DISmeets!

I truly don't feel that Michael felt bad at all sending Kathy that Packer duct tape wrapped item. I cracked up when I saw it on FB!

Alicia is just so adorable! I would love to meet her too. Someday when I'm in California maybe I'll get to meet all of you.

Yeah, you would be correct Danielle! He says he's got Kathy love but his actions show different. Friends don't let friends torment each other. Ha ha!

I'd be thrilled to meet up with you (and your mom and Papadon) anytime - CA or FL - or even Chicago where we have some family in the burbs.

Wow! Two more amazing Dismeets! Both looked like so much fun! I love when you get together with Disney people, there's always so much to talk about.
Lovely gifts all around too, love the trouble making duct tape, that's too funny!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks Wendy! It was indeed two great meet ups! I love that Disney people get the Dis madness.

Hi! I'm fairly new but have been able to read several of your reports and just love them!

Hi there ach! Welcome and thanks for reading this and others. Seriously, thank you.

Great DISmeets!!!! I adore that necklace!!!!

Thanks Sue! Wasn't that necklace so perfect? I love it.

Looked like fun Dismeets.

It definitely was Scott! Good times for sure.

I LOVE your trip reports! I'm in the beginning stages of planning the very first trip to Disneyland for my family (my husband and I have three little girls) but ventured over the the WDW trip reports one night and found yours and then kept reading and reading! I now have all these girls trips planned in my head for the future with my daughters, you guys look like you have such a fabulous time! Thanks for the great posts and pictures and for really getting me excited to start the first of (hopefully MANY) Disney trips with my girls!

Hi momtohms and welcome to the DISboards!

Oh, I'm so touched that you read all this and it let's you see what a future with Disney trips could be with your own little girls. I'm so blessed that my DD and I have been able to build such awesome memories together based on a mutual love of Disney.

Keep dreaming and building memories and I wish you all the best as you plan your DL trip!

 

[emmysmommy]

Before the final wrap-up I wanted to share a brief update for a DISmeet that Em and I were honored to have a couple weeks ago when DaveinFallsChurch (Dave) and his family were passing through Orange County. Lucky for us, Dave is a Disney fan and felt the need to book a night at the Disneyland resort area.

I’ve followed Dave’s TRs and the blossoming of his amazing photography hobby. Check out his amazing photos at his website here. Some of my favorite WDW photos have been captured by the lens of Dave’s camera.

On August 24th, Em and I met up and were Dave’s guests for dinner at Carthay Circle at Disney’s California Adventure. Although I’d had cocktails and appetizers in the bar area I’d never eaten upstairs in the beautiful dining room. This was a true treat for us. Thanks to Dave and his wife for their generosity.

Carthay Circle Restaurant:

The best part of this evening was simply getting to know this kind man and his adorable family.

Up Next: Seriously, a TR Wrap Up! TR Wrap Part 1 Here
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[emmysmommy]

August 2013 Trip Highlights – Part 1​

So we’ve already established that during the time that it’s taken to write and post this TR that babies have been conceived and born, KatMark has written 2 more TRs and 3 PTRs, maybe more, I’m losing track, the deficit has grown to … oh wait, this isn’t that forum.

This can be an epilogue to all the Disers there in December last year that have already completed their TRs. (DisneyKid4Life, JessM, Alicia (amazingact) Katt – oh wait, theirs is still in progress, yes?... and so many others.)

In my defense, I have written 2.5 Dining Reviews during the last year and taken 3 more WDW trips and 3 Disneyland staycations, not including any non-Disney related travel… and that doesn’t even account for my extremely busy work life. I know, excuses, excuses!

As for highlights and anything that really wowed us this trip, it’s really difficult to come up with anything that falls into that category. Ok, there was one thing but that had no less than 6 installments to write about so I’ll start with what I’ll refer to as the lesser magical experiences compared to the Grand Magical Dream Suite tour.

Resort related:
Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL): This place is my favorite of all the Disney resorts because of how the amazing theming is so beautifully executed. Plus who doesn’t like to see a zebra or a giraffe saunter by their window at all hours of the day? Being welcomed with a mimosa at check in (club level) had nothing to do with this tipsy err fond feeling. For me, this is Disney perfection with their resort.

Yacht Club Deluxe Room: This was the second Club Level-type room that we booked during this trip. For our prior stay earlier in the year it worked out pretty swell with the upgrade to the Admiral Suite. This trip we were under zero illusions that anything similar could occur in the Disney universe. (Somehow the pixie dust found its way to us in an altogether different way.) I love the YC for all- together different reasons than AKL. AKL has a “feel” to it for me while YC has a “look” that I love. Sometimes I can’t tell you why I like pink, I just do. That’s what it is for me with YC – I just love it.

The deluxe rooms at YC are very different from the deluxe rooms at Grand Floridian or Boardwalk. They are truly two rooms since there are french doors between the sitting area and the bedroom. One very odd thing about the deluxe rooms is that there is a sofa and some tables that face a closet – no TV like the other deluxe rooms. It’s not a big deal since that’s one thing that we can do without on vacation but it was rather odd.

Bonus, YC is convenient to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and who doesn’t want to grab an inner tube and drift around in Stormalong Bay’s lazy river about now?

Honorable Mention...
We stayed at Wilderness Lodge (courtyard view) for the first time this trip. It was only for 1 night before we moved on to AKL. What I loved about this resort is the rustic rural feel. Disney did a great job transforming this piece of property from a Central Florida landscape to a Pacific Northwest look and feel with a transformation of the trees, foliage and architecture. A big plus is that we enjoy dining at Whispering Canyon Café so the proximity to this restaurant was nice.

And of course, we ALWAYS stay at BLT - this would have been our 6th time staying there for this trip. I can't imagine a trip without staying at BLT. We love the convenience of being able to walk to MK and staying at a monorail resort - or in this case, right next door.

Tours & Activities:
Sunrise Safari: The highlight of this tour was seeing the crocs being fed. This rarely occurs in sight of the guests. For these guys, chicken was on the menu and they appeared to favor legs and thighs! This tour was actually our first safari experience and yes, it spoiled us since the excursion across the savanna and the safari took its time and allowed us to have more time viewing the animals. The hosted breakfast after was a nice touch as well.

KTTK tour: Many DISers have shared their experience with this tour that I would encourage anyone that has a mild obsession with Disney to book. You may be familiar with all things Disney but when you are IN the utilidoors or backstage watching rehearsals for the parade with a character or three who has their heads off it is fascinating. GO! Book that tour now!

Blizzard Beach: This was our first waterpark experience at Disney….. and we loved it. The wait for the Summit Plummet was about an hour so we passed. However, the Teamboat Springs, Double Dipper, and Lazy River were all fun. We finally made it to the other Disney waterpark this last trip so now I have a comparison.

Illuminations Cruise: I was looking forward to sharing this cruise with DISer friends. When it was cancelled due to weather we made a Plan B that worked to spend time together. However, Em and I still wanted to see if we could re-book. Our friends Dean and Linda joined us for this cruise that took place our last night in WDW. What a way to go out with a bang! Having a front row seat – literally, was such a great way to enjoy this show.

Up Next: The Wrap Part 2
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[emmysmommy]

August 2013 Trip Highlights – Part 2​

Anything related to food gets my attention... can't tell, then look at how many Dining Reviews I've done compared to TRs!

There were a number of dining first for us this trip – some awesome that we plan to continue to keep in our dining rotation and others that, well, we may not be too unhappy if they didn’t make it back into our dining plans.

One of our favorites was Afternoon Tea at the Gardenview Lounge in the Grand Floridian. We started a new tradition with this lovely experience and thus far have found time to book afternoon tea every girl trip since.

Our favorite dinner of the trip was a new restaurant – Shula’s Steakhouse. The petite 8 oz filet with béarnaise sauce was incredible! The service was as exceptional as the food.

Monsieur Paul, formerly Bistro de Paris, was another favorite of ours this trip. It was also the first time that we’d dined there. Aside from the fact that we were welcomed by my French nemesis with a St. Germaine cocktail and ended up being a great pal – Manager Philippe, the food was fantastic. The mushroom crusted beef tenderloin was AWESOME!!! Before we had dined at Shula’s two nights later, we declared Monsieur Paul the best of the trip.

Other firsts for us for dining were Tusker House, San Angel Inn (we were not expecting it to be as good as it was due to some mixed reviews), Territory Lounge (loved the fondue!), and Crew’s Cup Lounge. Tortuga Tavern at MK may have been a disappointment but it could have been because we were expecting the “amazing” nachos to be, well, amazing.

Tusker House:

San Angel Inn:

Territory Lounge:

Crew’s Cup Lounge:

Crispy Onion Arrangement

And finally in the dining related category, what trip to DHS is not complete without a carrot cake cookie? Instead of stopping by Sweet Spells on Sunset Blvd, as has become my usual habit, we took a break in our day at Writer’s Stop. It ended up being one of the most memorable afternoons of our trip. It was nice to pause, in the park no less, and enjoy some time with Em while we talked about books that we’d like to read, shared recipes that we’d like to try, and got teary eyed over stories that moved us like John Ritter’s widow’s autobiographical account of his passing. It is the simple moments like this that stick with me even a year later and make me realize that the memories that I have shared with my daughter are not always forged in Dream Suite tours and parade Grand Marshals but in sharing a love of Disney with someone that I deeply love and adore. Someone hand me a hankie!

Up Next: The Wrap Part 3
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[emmysmommy]

August 2013 Trip Highlights – Part 3​

What trip wouldn’t be made more special without the interaction and antics of some of our favorite Disney characters….

A Few of Our Favorite Characters:

The big guy himself.

Our favorite redhead:

My favorite furry guy:

A Favorite Blonde

Our Favorite friend of Peter Pan:

Our Favorite Castle Hostess:

My Favorite Fairy Godmother

Our Favorite Kitty:

Other memorable moments:
Bruce with a little snack:

Being starnapped by Shelby Mayor at DHS

A Chipmunk Brawl in the making:

The Mayor says he likes redheads:

Friends and DISmeets
And finally, highlights wouldn’t be complete without the supporting role of many DISers. A trip to WDW is no longer only about the attractions, entertainment, and experiences that Disney has to offer. It now includes meeting up with other DISers, many that have become friends. Whether briefly in passing or taking the time to spend together over a meal or even planned activities during an entire trip (preview of what’s to come for the December TR….) DISers have come to play an important part in our traveling to The World.

We were delighted to run into Kristen (disneyfreak616) at AKL on our check-in day. All 3 meet ups with her have been coincidental and unplanned.

We planned dinner and the Illuminations cruise with Vicki (Goofyson’smom) and Mr. DonaldDoleWhip. Despite being rained out for the cruise we were grateful to spend time with them two nights out of our trip. We’ve met back up with both of them for future trips… you’ll have to stay tuned to hear more about those adventures.

I was excited to finally meet Kathy (KatMark) this trip. We met up initially at Tusker House but then kept running into her and Mark in Epcot (a couple times) and dinner at YSH. We may have seemed like human superglue with all of those encounters but I’m so grateful that we met in-person. We had a change of plans for our September travel so Kathy still has yet to meet my hubby who declared himself her ‘best friend that she hasn’t met!’ I’m slightly afraid to get this Bears fan and Packer fan together! (They are both Blackhawk fans so they do have some common ground.)

And finally, in the friends category, my pal Dean with whom we became true friends with after his retirement as Grand Marshal host at Magic Kingdom. I’ve told the story many times here so I’ll save the bandwidth and just say that the blessing of being asked to tour Cinderella’s Dream Suite was more than we deserved or imagined and for that we are extremely awed that anyone would extend that offer on our behalf. Being invited to preview his book when it was released was the precursor to this amazing event. I am honored to call him and his wife our friends. For anyone interested in this book that he characterizes as “emotional slices of life”, see this YouTube video for an author’s preview. His website to purchase an autographed copy of his book can be found here.

Up Next: The Wrap Part 4 – and really, that will finally wrap this up!

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