Trip Report: Day O/Pre-Trip Report (December 2019)

This really starts with a Day 0.

And I should probably start with a little introduction. 

This trip goes from November 30th to December 7th. It features me:

Holly

30 (almost 31)

Almost birthday girl

Daughter

Figment Fan

Manatee lover

And my dad:

Rick

Retired

Dad/Father

Mr. Grumpy Pants

Flight of Passage enthusiast

The navigator

We planned this as a fun father-daughter trip. We also bought annual passes so we'll be going back again in the next year. Together or separate? Who knows.

Our last trip was low-key. No parks, except the Christmas party. So, dad was thinking more like that, but with the parks. We'll see how it goes. I'm starting the writing of this while on vacation still.

Naturally, we started the trip with a 5 AM flight. Out of Buffalo. We live in Rochester, NY. But getting to Florida by 8 AM was just so tempting. Since it was winter, we decided to get there the night before. We were doing a Park & Fly at the Best Western. You park at the hotel and take a shuttle to and from the airport.

I was working today, but only had to work half a day. I got out at 1. I was going to hit up Target, because I wanted a protein drink for the morning. That was a huge mistake. I guess I should've known better than to go to Target on Black Friday. I ended up not going in and it took me like 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot. My dad actually went to Walmart, got my drink, and got home before I got out of the parking lot.

I won't like. I was getting pretty stressed. There was a lot. I wanted to get more done before heading out. My dad told me not to worry and that we'd leave when we do.

I didn't get everything done. Like I didn't edit a video I wanted to. But I washed dishes, took out the trash, and dropped my cat (Murphy) off at my grandma's. I love going to Disney World, but I really miss the Murphy cat.

Ultimately, we left for Buffalo around 5 PM. We decided to stop by the airport real quick to ask when the gate opened. They were closing in like 10 minutes so that was good timing. the ticket agent said they open at 3:30 AM. He also added my Trusted Traveler number and printed our boarding passes.

Then, we got dinner. We figured once we got to the hotel we didn't want to leave, so dinner first. It was my first Cracker Barrel visit-at least that I know off.

It is certainly an interesting place. And they crank people through. At least at this one.

My dad got the chicken fried steak which he liked. I got the chicken ceasar salad. It was pretty over-dressed, but tasted good. Overall, I was a good deal.

Then, we checked in at the Best Western. The parking was actually hard, but maybe the hotel was just really full. In the end, we did get a spot that was mostly on pavement.

We asked for the shuttle to pick us up at 3:00 and we set our alarms for 2:30 AM. I straightened my hair and our lights were out around 9. We went to sleep to the dulcet sounds of Live, PD.

Up Next: The trip really begins. 

Trip Report: It's the End of the Trip as We Know It

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

Today was the worst day of the trip: the last day. 😭 

How am I supposed to go back to snowy Rochester?

It was another slow and lazy morning. We didn't have our Magical Express (or Tragical Express) until early afternoon, but we also really didn't want to leave.

I spent some more time on our patio-taking in the last of the Magic Kingdom view. It's such a peaceful thing to take in. 

Eventually, we had to leave the room. I took some time to take some video and pictures around the Polynesian.

Then, we had to get on the bus and head home. At least I was able to be reunited with the Murphy cat.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Trip Report: Dinner with Some Evil Ladies

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

We still had time to kill before our dinner reservation so we checked out more of the Grand Floridian. I wondered around checking out the stores and more of the Christmas decorations.

Then, we checked into 1900 Park Fare. We've eaten here a few times, but always only for breakfast. I was excited to try something different. 

The food was good-I feel like I got more than what was pictured, but maybe I did only eat this. Our waitress also brought me a little birthday cupcake. 

Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Druzilla were great. I don't really have pictures because I filmed our interactions instead. Lady Tremaine and I talked about cats since we both have cats. I definitely recommend this meal and these characters.

We got to meet and take pictures with Cinderella and her Prince Charming after dinner.

After our meal, we checked out the Gingerbread House. It is incredibly impressive and so detailed. I didn't buy any gingerbread because I'm actually not a huge fan. But I still really appreciate the art.

We slowly made our way back to the Polynesian-this time by boat. Once back there, dad and I spent time on the beach and we watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks again.

Then, it was bedtime-my last night in Disney World for this trip.

Up next: It's the End of the Trip as We Know It 

Trip Report: Relaxing Afternoon (December 2018)

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

After we finish our round of golf-dad had a score of 41 and mine was 49-we called another Minnie Van. We had to wait a little bit, but that wasn't a problem especially since we had nowhere to be. 

Again, the Minnie Van was a great idea. The lines of cars were even more crazy than early in the day. I wish I took pictures. Because we were in a Minnie Van our driver was able to take us onto backstage roads. This way it didn't take us an hour or longer to get back to the Poly. So, if you need to get around Disney  World on Christmas Day I highly recommend a Minnie Van.

We met up with my stepmom at the DVC pool. She was relaxing by the pool and enjoying some adult beverages. I read a little bit and took in the sun. It wasn't the warmest day, but it was definitely better than being back in New York. There were some people also at the pool-kids will always go for a swim-but it wasn't super-crowded.

Then, we got ready for dinner at the Grand Floridian. We took the walk from the Poly. On the way, my dad made a new friend.

I took some pictures outside while the sun was setting. I also found the Lane Thomas memorial lighthouse. It's tasteful and very well done.

Up Next: Dinner with Some Evil People

Trip Report: Disney Christmas Morning! (December 2018)

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

I woke up on Christmas morning before my parents. I took some pictures of the bathroom, took a shower, and went out to the patio. It was a little chilly, but I'm in Disney world on Christmas so no complaints.

I just relaxed and took in the atmosphere. There were also whole masses of people getting on the ferry to go to Magic Kingdom. 

Eventually, my dad got up and we were off. We were planning to go mini-golfing at Winter Summerland. We figured it would be a fun Christmas activity while everyone else was at the crowded parks.

I took some pictures of the Poly while we waited for our Minnie Van to pick us up.

Getting the Minnie Van was a great idea-the roads were real crazy. The Magic Kingdom lanes were starting to back up toward Epcot.

There were other people at the golf course, but nothing crazy. We did end up doing the Summer Course, because there were less people on it. It still has Christmas elements, so I was still fine with it. They were playing seasonal music and Beach boys. It was a fun and festive round of golf.

Thanks for reading!

Holly