Trip Report: Politically Incorrect Humor (December 2018)

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

Now, it was time to hang out with some of my favorite bears.

There were actually quite a few people enjoying the Country Bears. That makes me so happy. This is a really great attraction and it deserves more love and attention. I personally, think it's funny and tons of fun.

Then, we traveled deeper into Frontierland. We had Fastpasses for the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness. 

We walked by Splash Mountain on our way and watched people go down the drop. It was a little chilly so we had no interest in going for a ride. It didn't seem like a lot of other people were braving it either.

After a fabulous train ride, we were off to Adventureland. 

The Jingle Cruise line wasn't bad so we went for a ride. This attraction is slowly growing on me. The Christmas decorations and spiel were nice.

Our skipper was also very good. I remember her name because it was Sedona and she went to ASU. I told my dad, I hope she isn't from Arizona, because then her parents were just cruel.

Pirates didn't look bad, but I wasn't risking it. The last like 3 times I've ridden it I've gotten stuck. There was no way I wanted to chance that happening while at a party and the only time I had to be in a park.

Then, it was time to get our first party treat at Tortuga Tavern. At least I think that's were it was. The treat was a snowman shaped pretzel and slushy/sno-cone thing. The pretzel tasted a little burnt. And I didn't get a sno-because I'm not really a fan to begin with.

The Castle Show was the next must-do for us, but we had quite a bit of time so we made our way toward the Castle slowly.

My stepmom wanted a Dole Whip so we swung by Aloha Isle. She was having issues with her Magic Band when paying for it. My dad went to pay with a gift card, but the Cast Member said it was on Mickey. She didn't have to do that, but the extra magic is nice. Gotta love that pixie dust. 

Up Next: Icing the Castle

Trip Report: Trying a New Restaurant (December 2018)

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

After hanging out with two of my favorite ladies, we were off to Tomorrowland. We had FastPasses for Space Mountain. 

I love Space Mountain! It is just rough enough for me. I'm glad we were able to ride it this trip. The ending queue walk out thing was different. There weren't all the screens and moving walkways. I since heard this may be temporary. I hope so because I actually really like this exit.

We had early dinner reservations, but still had some time to kill so we hopped on one of the best rides-the TTA. I'm sure I've said this before, but this is an amazing ride with great views. Everyone should do it.

Then, we were off to The Plaza for dinner. I had never eaten here before and had been wanting to for the last few trips. It finally happened. 

As we were walking there, we saw a bigger guy with white hair and a bushy beard. My parents joked he was Santa. Then, the hostess who sat us told us he actually was THE Santa. We would be seeing him in his red suit again. I guess he likes to come to the park early.

It is a nice cute restaurant.

We got the loaded fries to share which I did enjoy. They have nothing on those fries from Splittsville on our last trip though.

For my meal I got a burger. I was trying to maintain my weightloss so I got green beans instead of more fries. Our waitress ended up bringing me fries anyways. It was fixed very fast and I'm proud to say I didn't touch the fries. 

It was a good dinner.

Our waitress brought me a little birthday ice cream. I wish I could remember her name because she was great. I took a couple bites of the ice cream and cone. It was my first birthday treat/gift of the trip 😊

I would eat here again, but it isn't a must do every trip kind of place.

Up next: Politically Incorrect Humor

Trip Report: Off to the Magic Kingdom (December 2018)

If you missed the last update, you can find it here.

We'd gotten our fill of the results and caught a bus to Magic Kingdom.

We had tickets to the Christmas Party tonight. The party started at 7, but they were letting DVC members in at 2 PM. Since this was the only time we'd be going to the parks we wanted to take full advantage.

The parade was starting when we got in and we had to make it to Fanstasyland. So, we cut through the Emporium before we got trapped. We were also able to go through the Castle instead of around it. It was super-packed and I felt like a Salmon swimming up stream.

The fastpass window for Princess Fairytale Hall was open. My dad scheduled this one so I could get autographs. My stepmom is planning on making a quilt with character autographs.

We would be meeting with Rapunzel and Tiana. Yeah, I met Rapunzel twice in one day-that's fine.

While waiting in line, the CM working the line recognized my Parkbound buttons. We talked about the ones we both really wanted like the Meeko one. She also told the other CMs about Parkbound. 

First, I met Rapunzel. I didn't have her sign anything because she had at breakfast. So, we chatted and took pictures. She was really fun and nice. She checked out my buttons which we talked about. And she was such a good hugger. I read once that the characters are told to never end the hug first. You never know if a kid (or any guest) really needs a hug. She really was Rapunzel.

Then, I got to meet Tiana. She was so sweet. And her dress is freaking huge! Like how does she function in that thing?! It is beautiful, but massive. I did get her autograph. 

It was great to meet both of these princesses. And I definitely want to do more meet and greets-especially at Princess Fairytale Hall.

My parents didn't want to meet or take pictures with either of them. This FP was more for me I guess. And I am getting more comfortable with character interactions.

Up next: Trying a New Restaurant 

Trip Report: Walking to the Beach Club (December 2018)

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

After breakfast we made our way over to the Beach Club. I love that you can just walk between all of these Epcot resorts. 

There was a couple getting married at this little gazebo type thing. I love seeing a nice Disney wedding. 

Beach Club has a gingerbread carousel. It actually goes around and everything. And all the horses have little Disney name tags. My favorite part is the little Donald and Daisy at the top of the carousel.

We took our time checking out the lobby and all the Christmas decorations. My dad really enjoyed the chairs they have.

Then, we made our way through the hotel and over to the Yacht Club.

Yacht Club has a train display which is just adorable. There are little references to Yacht and Beach Club throughout the Christmas village.

It's a samller Christmas display  but I think it's one of my favorites. I grew up putting up a Christmas village with my grandma so maybe that's influenced by nostalgia.

And, again, I spent some time checking out little parts of the lobby and the Christmas decor. You know: a slow relaxing vacation.

Up next: Off to Magic Kingdom

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