Trip Report: Waking up in Disney World (December 2018)

If you missed the last update, you can check it out here.

After a short night, I was awake. It was kind of a restless night because I kept expecting our bags to show up.

You might wonder why I would think that.

Because I called the front desk and was told our bags would be delivered when they arrived.

But when I woke up I saw there was a message on our phone. It was from around 2 AM and was bell services letting us know our bags were here and to let us know to call them for delivery. In retrospect, this makes so much more sense.

My parents were still sleeping, so I called down. It only took a few minutes for the bags to show up.

Then, I took a shower and we all got around for the day. We were checking out of the Boardwalk and had a late breakfast reservation at 11:20 at Trattoria al Forno. 

Apparently, I was pretty tired and didn't take very many pictures this morning. I do wish I had-especially of the hotel room.

Then, we were off to the Bon Voyage breakfast. Just like last time, we really enjoyed our meal and experience.

I was wearing a Zetus Lapetus button form Parkbound Buttons which our waiter recognized. I also had to explain to my parents about the greatness of Zenon. 

They no longer give you fruit or yogurt as an appetizer which was a little disappointing. But you still get more than enough food. I got the same thing as last time-the Tangled eggs. I really like that Sunday gravy.

The characters were fun and great to see. Flynn and Rapunzel are both just amazing. They play with each other so well. Flynn kept shouting "Blondie!" to get her attention. And she would call him Eugene constantly.

As much as I loved meeting them, it was even better to see them with other guests-young and old(er). You get to see so many fun and magical interactions.

Up next: Walking to the Beach Club

Trip Report: A Rainy Boardwalk Night

If you missed the last update, you can check it out here.

We landed in Orlando just before 8 PM. So, about an hour and half later than originally planned.

We deplaned, hit up the bathrooms, and grabbed the faux-norail. Then, we were in line to catch the Magical Express. There were a decent amount of people waiting, but nothing crazy. And I finally wasn't the only one wearing ears! My dad said people were eyeing my ears which I think was great because I didn't think they were my best work.

After just a few minutes, the bus came and we were able to board. I don't remember were all we stopped, but I think we were the third stop.

We had already done online check-in. But I needed to stop at the front desk so I could get my Birthday button. We also got directions to our room.

It was a little after nine, so we dropped our carry-ons off in the room and did a quick look at the view.

I'd been hoping to see IllumiNations. We ended up on the 2nd floor/1st floor of rooms. It was a little late so that could've factored in, but we couldn't see anything. I could hear some fireworks though.

Then, we headed down to the boardwalk to get dinner.

We checked a few places like the kiosks and the pizza counter. In the end, we each got a personal pizza. I went with the pepperoni so it was faster than my parents' who got the other two more specialty pizzas. I'm sure they have pepperoni more ready to go than others.

It was fine and standard Disney pizza.

Then, we went to Ample Hills for dessert. I ended up getting a waffle bowl sundae which is way more than I was expecting. It comes with 3 scoops of ice cream and was way too much food for me. I think I at less than half.

My parents also got sundaes. The Cast Members were really nice, but there were some women there who kept getting samples. They really monopolized the CMs' time so there was quite a delay in getting all our stuff. I'm pretty sure they were highly intoxicated. And my parents (who left after me) said they never bought anything. 

I grabbed a seat in front of the bakery window. There was a CM boxing up cookies and it was cool to watch her work. And eventually a manager walked through and tried to get my attention. My stepmom had to point her out to me. Once I saw her she mouthed "Happy Birthday!" to me.

Let me say, all these CMs  must have some kind of radar for the birthday buttons. Even if my button was at a weird angle or something they always saw it..

Then, we were tired so we headed back to the room.

I took off my make-up and basically went to bed. Our bags hadn't arrived yet. Fortunately, I wore leggings today so it wasn't that big of a deal for me. 

The drama of our bags can be saved for the next post because it did carry into day 2.

Cliffhanger...

Up next: Waking up in Disney World

Trip Report: Day 1, Part 1: It's Finally Here (December 2018)

It's finally Disney time!

We were leaving later in the day than normal. Usually, we take the first flight out of Rochester, but we decided not to this time. I'm sure there was a reason but I can't remember.

Speaking of can't remember-I didn't really take notes so this may not be the most comprehensive trip report.

I spent the morning doing some last minutes packing. I also had to drop my cat, Murphy, off at my mom's place. He'd be living the high-life at grandma's while I was in Florida.

Our flight was supposed to depart ROC at 3:45 PM and land at MCO at 6:30 PM. The flight kept getting delayed. I'm assuming because of the intense rain Florida was having. Flight delays are never fun, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. 

Around 2 (I think) we got to the airport. We went through security (TSA pre-check is the best) and then we got some food. I grabbed a 6" turkey sub from Subway. Our airport is pretty small and doesn't have a lot of food offerings. But there's been some remodeling lately. Now, they have a Taste of Rochester section. So, if you ever stop by that airport check it out. You'll get to try some Western NY specialties. That is where my parents got their food.

Then, we were off to the gate with the hope that our flight wouldn't be delayed any more. The gate was already pretty full.

Around 4 something magical happened. I got a call from 407 number. Normally, I don't answer my phone, but I took this call.

It ended up being Fort Wilderness calling to tell me our wait-list for a golf cart rental on the 23rd came through. I gave them my credit card information and then celebrated.

If our flight hadn't been delayed I wouldn't have gotten that call. I'm sure they wouldn't have held the cart for us. So, in the end the delay was a good thing.

Eventually, we were able to board and were on our way. There was one male flight attendant who was having a lot of fun.

I took a nap and before you knew it we were landing in rainy Orlando.

Up next: A Rainy Boardwalk Night

Pre-Trip Report (December 2018)

I don't remember exactly when or how this trip came to be. But somehow we talked about doing a big blow-out trip for Christmas 2018. Like actual at Christmas trip.

We figured we should do it up big since this would probably be a once in a lifetime trip. Plus, as my name-Holly-may suggest, this trip would like up with my birthday. My birthday is December 23rd. And this was no ordinary birthday: I would be turning 30!!!

So, it was decided we would stay concierge at the Polynesian. It is supposed to be the best concierge. Then, we saw the price and decided maybe we wouldn't go THAT big. 

No problem. We would stay in the tower at the Contemporary. We've stayed at Bay Lake Tower (my parents are DVC owners there) and the garden wing. One of my dad's dreams is to stay there because of the monorail. 

But then my parents decided to buy another DVC contract-this one at the Poly. And they added me to the contract. So, I'm now a DVC owner. Now, it is their contract so the only benefits I get are a discount and the pride of saying I am an owner. Someday both of their contracts will be mine! (Muhaha-muhaha😈😈😈)

Just to be clear: my brother and sister have no interested otherwise I'd be happy to share.

After that, we booked a lake view studio at the Polynesian for 12/21-12/26. The plan was to go to the last Christmas party. Historically, this was on the 22nd, but this year it was the 21st. Dad and I are the planners and neither of us were comfortable with flying down in winter on the same day as an event we had spent over $100 for. So, we decided to fly down the afternoon/evening of the 20th. Unfortunately, we could not add onto our Polynesian stay. So, we booked a one-night stay at a Boardwalk studio with a Boardwalk view. We always talked about staying here so it worked out.

The plan for this trip was to relax. Other than the Christmas party, we had no plans to go to the parks. We figured they'd be too crowded and stressful.

So, this trip report will probably be a little different: just like the trip.

Who is going:

Me: Holly-29 going on 30 A.K.A. Birthday Girl

Dad: Rick-A.K.A. Mr. Grumpy Pants

Stepmom: Denise-A.K.A. Dole whip enthusiast

Up next: It's finally here!

Trip Report: Good-Bye, Mickey! (October 2017)

If you missed the last update, you can check it out here.

Before saying bye to the park, my parents needed to stop in the Confectionery to pick up some candy. I stopped in the Chapeau to buy a Flynn pin I had seen earlier. I also listened to the phone in there.

Someday I want to take a few hours and just check out all those little things and spend time to take detailed pictures. Maybe I should add that to my bucket list.

Then, it was time to say good-bye...or maybe I should say "See Ya Real Soon."

My parents went to the monorail and I headed to the bus stop. Of course this time a bus pulled up quickly. This bus driver was really into interacting with the passengers. Before we took off he asked who was going swimming. Then, he said all the pools were closed because it's too hot. 😂

Before I knew it, I was back at the hotel and waiting for my Magical Express bus. I updated my trip notes and charged my phone while waiting. I had about 40 minutes until my pick up time. 

I got to soak up those Florida/Disney smells and heat for one last time. The weather was actually perfect in the shade. 

Eventually the bus came. I promptly fell asleep until we got to MCO. I'm pretty sure I always do that. I'm like a baby and easily fall asleep in moving vehicles.

I was able to see the good-bye video from Mickey and the gang. My parents were already waiting right inside the airport. We went through the TSA pre-check line at security which was easy breezy. Then, we got on the faux-monorail and were on our way to the Southwest terminal. 

We got some food at the airport food court and flew home.

That's the end of this vacation.

And another trip report will be starting soon. And I'll be going to Disney again in December 2019 for a father-daughter trip.

Stay tuned!

Holly

Trip Report: Muppets Take Liberty Square (October 2017)

If you missed the last post, you can read it here.

After finishing up our breakfast, we saw the town crier.

It was in that moment we realized we had completely forgotten about the Muppets history show. So we looked up the show times. One was set to start in a few minutes so we were off to the Hall of Presidents area to watch.

They do a couple different shows and this one was about the Declaration of Independence. It was funny and witty-like you'd expect from the Muppets. I'm glad we were able to catch the show.

Then, we went to use our Big Thunder Fastpasses. It is such a welcome ride. And it's another great thing to do on our last day.

We stayed in Frontierland and hit up Country Bear Jamboree. I'm surprised this show is still around especially considering it's content. But I'm glad because I love it. And I highly recommend checking it out. 

Next, we had Space Mountain fastpasses. So, we headed back to Tomorrowland.

Naturally, we went by way of the Tangled bathrooms. Mostly so I could take more pictures-especially of my Rapunzel ears. 

It was only about 10:40 when we got to Tomorrowland. Our fastpasses weren't until 11:05 so we took one last ride on the TTA. I'm sure I've said this before, but it's an amazing and relaxing ride.

My dad wasn't feeling food and wasn't up for Space Mountain so I was on my own. Of course I was put in the front car at the very front. That spot is always scarier-at least for me. 

I wanted to take a funny picture, but I forgot what side the picture was taken on. So, I meed that up.

When you're on the moving walkway after the ride they show people's names. I know they did that on It's a Small World, but not Space Mountain. It's a nice touch.

Up next: Good-bye, Mickey!

Trip Report: The Beginning of the End

If you missed the last post you can check it out here.

Today, is the day we have to leave the happiest place in the world. 😭

I got up at 6:45. I think that was the earliest I woke up the whole trip. I did my last minute packing and then dropped my bags of with airline check in. They were having some technical difficulties with printing my luggage tags, but I wasn't in too much of a hurry and it got sorted out eventually.

I was in line for the Magic Kingdom bus by quarter to 8. I had to be back to the hotel in a few hours. My Magical Express would be leaving for the airport at 1:05. But I still had a few hours in the park. 

Security was a little crazy but I was able to walk to a table all the way on the left and got right through. 

The security guard saw my Sudoku book in my bag and asked if I was leaving today. I told her I was and she said I couldn't leave. From your lips to God's ears lady! 

My parents had texted that they were in the shops on the right side of Main Street. We decided to meet up in Tomorrowland. Before I met them, I stopped in the Emporium. I picked up the VHS Beauty and the Beast notebook. 

Then, I was off to Tomorrowland. I actually ran into my parents by the purple wall/rocks.

We had FastPasses for Buzz, but the standby wait was only 5 minutes, so we did that first.

And I sucked. 

I only got like 19,000 points.

Then, we went through the Fastpass line. I did better this time with over 200,000. So, no galactic hero this trip. 

And it was finally breakfast time. I was reunited with my loves: a fruit and Nutella waffle and Odwalla lemonade. The sandwich was great as expected an the lemonade was perfect.

It was a very good last meal of the vacation.

Up next: Muppets Take Liberty Square