Trip Report To Walt Disney World...and beyond! *COMPLETED!*

We’re back from a wonderful 10 days of pure Disney life! What could be better than an anniversary-turned-engagement celebration at the Happiest Place on Earth? There’s so much to be encompassed in this trip report – so let’s get started!

Pre-Trip Report here: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/2-peas-in-a-disney-pod.884811/

The cast: Me and the fiancé "J". Both 24 years old. Both Disney crazed. This was our 5th trip in a row together!

Travel dates: September 4th - September 13th - All Star Sports.

We woke up at 3:30 AM to get to the airport in time for our 6 AM flight! When going to Disney World, this is not a problem. After a safe and uneventful flight with a flight attendant who kept proclaiming he 'loved us' and 'meant it', we arrived at MCO a little before 9. I was so giddy - practiced my powerwalking skills through MCO. It was GO TIME!

What's better than being in Disney World? Seeing this sign - then being in Disney World!

We arrived at All Star Sports and it finally started hitting me: we were here! The noise and smells (the good kind) from the food court flooded our ears. We were assisted by a very kind CM during check in, and may have been a little too quick at snatching this little beauty from her hands in all my excitement...

We weren't surprised to find out that our room wasn't ready yet...it wasn't even 11 AM yet. We were surprised, however, to see that our room would be in Surf's Up (preferred building). Since we only use our resort room for a few hours of sleep, we always go with standard to save a few bucks. But hey, I guess this could classify as a 'room upgrade'. Thanks Disney!

From check in, we headed to the bus stop for Animal Kingdom. I absolutely love getting almost a full day of park fun in on the first day! In little to no time, we were here.

We took our time strolling through the beautiful Oasis. As this was our first time experiencing MyMagic and MagicBands, we tried our best to reserve judgment on the system until we dealt with it firsthand. I must say, it felt nice knowing we had three FPs already reserved and that missing rope drop on the first day wouldn't be so rough.

But we really didn't need to worry. Animal Kingdom was pretty deserted. Expedition Everest advertised a 5 minute wait at 11:30 AM, and the whole process probably took just about that.

*That feeling you get as the car rolls up and you're about to step onto the ride for the first time.*

There are no words to describe how spiraling backwards and upwards on a roller coaster feels. Well maybe 'AWESOME' could, but I feel it doesn't do Everest enough justice.

With the first ride of Disney World Extravaganza 2014 under our belts, our tummies began to rumble. It was time to find some sustenance and do what we do best - EAT! Our dinner reservations later that night was a biggie, so we tried to eat light. And we ended up eating something we could very well eat at home. But we love the cousins of Panda Express, so Yak & Yeti Local Foods it was!

Mmm...Orange Chicken. Sometimes you just need that in your life. Lunch entertainment was provided by a few very brave and bold ducks.

 

[Ember]

Ok, that does it. I just officially modified my BOG lunch to the Tuna Nicoise Salad!

Seriously it's probably my favorite dish in Disney!

 

[Mom@disney]

Love your story about driving! Made me smile because I hate driving too! I hope you got to see the parade!

 

[belledream]

Today actually marked our 6 year anniversary of dating! And we were actually in Walt Disney World! Usually to celebrate our anniversaries, we go see a show or go to a fancy-ish restaurant. Well today, we'd be celebrating in at the most magical place...

Yes, I know. We're back again. This was our first experience with the whole FP/stand-by/return-at-a-later-time experience with Be Our Guest lunch. I was worried we wouldn't be able to get in and then would have to choose an alternative. But it was relatively painless and we were in!

My eyes are hungrily searching for the details on the castle. That oval room on the left...LOVE!

These guys...they talked to/about us as we walked past them. They said J smelled funny.

I remember when Disney Parks Blog first starting posting snippets of Be Our Guest Restaurant and one of the posts was a collection of lighting fixtures and I saw this exact one and thought to myself: that is awesome.

Let's just say I was having a little too much fun taking pictures whilst waiting to order.

Well, we sat in the ballroom again. How could we not! It's our anniversary and how many people get to say they celebrated by eating in the ballroom from Beauty & the Beast??? All my friends know that's my favorite Disney scene ever.

The snow falling, the chandelier's reflection, the detail on the ceiling, the staining of the walls. All of it fed my hunger just as much as the food that was out in a jiffy.

We got both the soups again, finishing off our snack credits in style. J got his Roast Beef Sandwich and Master's Cupcake for the fourth time. I chose the Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin Style), having tried it once last year and remembering it to be good, but not great. While it was indeed hearty and I surely wouldn't need to eat again anytime soon, I was left wishing I just went with my beloved tuna salad again. I think I'm going to shelve this dish from now on. Oh hi there, Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake!

After a delightful meal in which we do what we always do: me staring around looking a little crazy, J switching between laughing at me and slumping in his chair complaining how full he was, we got up to wander the Gallery.

J joked that this was going to be me, walking around the house carrying Lumiere with me.

It was with sadness that we realized it was about time for us to be leaving Be Our Guest. I turned back to stare at the ballroom in it's entirety one last time. It is so beautiful. There's no other way to describe it. Thank you Disney, for making my dreams come true.

 

[belledream]

We rode Goofy's Barnstormer and had a jolly good time. I have so many memories of taking my little brother on this ride. I felt so responsible and important. It would always be deserted at night and they would just let us stay on and on. Good times...

Relaxing on the Blue Ride together...a romantic and perfectly ordinary anniversary date!

We missed you this time, Astro Orbiter! You offer some good views and silly memories.

We amused ourselves around the shops, knowing that when we return to the real world, it would be depressing to see the shelves lined with boring, non-Disney stuff.

Well the weather was looking promising - that was great news for us! However, it was no longer the issue.

The issue was that the Festival of Fantasy Parade started at 3. We were scheduled to board Disney's Magical Express at 4:05. Would this be cutting it too close? We toyed around with the idea of hailing a cab, but even that requires going to the TTC. Even further than the bus stops.

As I stared up at this beauty, I asked myself what I really wanted. It would be pretty bad if we missed our flight, or ended our vacation in stress and disaster. But I had been waiting to see this parade for months now. Been thwarted twice this trip. Would I regret getting back to Sports with plenty of time to spare, sitting in the lobby doing nothing, knowing that it would be another year before I get to see this parade? I had no idea what the music sounded like, what the costumes and floats looked like, and I couldn't bear to wait any longer. It would be worth the risk. Let's do it, we said.

 

[belledream]

We decided to watch the parade from Frontierland, where it starts off. That way, it would come first and end sooner. We got a great spot in the shade and were in a tizzy of anticipation, excitement, and nervousness.
Oh, but let me tell you, the instant the fanfare started, all my doubts went away and I knew that this would be worth it. Goosebumps.

♪ away we go, it's a festival of fantasy, beauty and majesty, shining magically,
dreams that glow, wondrous, dazzling brilliantly, so away we go, it's a festival of fantasy ♫

These dresses!

My favorite princess kicking off the parade? When Tale as Old as Time began playing, I was in tears.

J: "Holy...HAHAHA!"

They were swinging side to side! Mind blown.

Fell in love with these artsy costumes.

Gotta love the bears.

Cool to see them out and about! And Prince Phillip! You are the handsomest prince.

I knew this was coming...so impressive! And right in front of us too!

The merry-go-round and rollercoasters on this float - absolutely amazing!

Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me? M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E!

Two words: Worth. It.

Ok, more than two words. I need to expound how much I loved this parade: The soundtrack was playful and had that pump-up-vibe to it, but was also regal and classic. C'mon, it had Tale as Old as Time in there! It's gotta be good. The costuming was amazing. My eyes feasted on the colors and materials (ranging from glitters to real balloons). There was dancing, character high-fives, and the floats themselves - where do I begin?! The Tangled float - Flynn Rider taking parades to a whole new level. The abundance of detail of flowers on the princess floats, the people swinging on the Pinocchio float, and of course, the Maleficent fire-breathing float! Also, this was an extensive daytime parade! I was absolutely in love. I forgot about anything and everything and felt like a kid experiencing the magic for the first time. Cause that's truly what it was! I can't believe what I saw, and was blown away by it.

 

[belledream]

There's both the good and the bad about making MK your park on the last day. The good is that you get to be in the heart of it all and there's so much to do - or you could just not do anything and enjoy the sights and sounds. The bad is that it's that much harder to leave. Usually we take our time walking down Main Street, admiring the shops, glancing back at the castle, saying goodbye multiple times. We didn't do that this time. The moment the last float passed, we turned and cut through Adventureland. We pretty much ran. We had to! We cut through the shops as we heard the parade approaching Main Street. I couldn't help myself. I ran to the top of the train station to get one last view and snap a picture of the parade making it's way down Main Street.

A last glimpse of the Cinderella Castle, of Main Street, of Magic Kingdom.

After this brief moment, we ran all the way to the Sports bus stop. There were two people there - not a good sign. The panic really ensued when the man told us the bus had just left when they arrived a few minutes ago. It was 3:40. An All Star Music bus came by, and we decided to hop and try walking (running) over to Sports. Right as I got on the bus, J told me to come back. I looked out and a Sports bus was coming. Oh thank god! We got on and then they switched bus drivers! Panic panic panic. Then we were on our way. I felt more relaxed now. There was nothing else we could do from this point on. Hopefully the DME would stick around.

Miraculously, we arrived back at the resort at 4:00 sharp. I have no idea how that happened! Time and space are just suggestions whilst in WDW I suppose! We got right off the bus, grabbed our luggage, and boarded DME at 4:05.

It's hard for me to say our 10 days went by so fast because they really didn't. I can remember clearly the mornings and afternoons that seemed so young, and the feeling of happiness knowing we had the whole park open to us for hours to come. The time we spent at the resorts just sitting on different couches or roaming the grounds seemed to slow time down for us to savor everything. It had been a wonderful 10 days of Disney eating, playing, riding, laughing, adventuring, and maybe some sleeping. Most of all, it had been a wonderful 10 days of being together at our favorite place on earth.

Did I mention we booked a bounceback while we were there? Yup! Our first time ever doing so, because when we got engaged and the discussions began, what honeymoon destination came out on top? DISNEY WORLD!!! But not just that...we will be Disneymooning Land & Sea style! We are beyond excited - already looking at restaurants, thinking about excursions, and of course, I'm thinking about formal and pirate outfits already...

See ya real soon, Disney! Thanks for the TLC, the adventure, the memories, and always giving us something to dream about. We love you.

 

[belledream]

Loved your report!! It was great to follow along with you, and so glad that you got to see FOF!!

Thanks so much for following along! Yes, FoF was so fun and well-worth the anxiety!! Haha

 

[Mom@disney]

What a great report! It was nice to tag along on your magical vacation! Congratulations again on your engagement and hope for the best for your wedding!

 

[Mickey2006]

What a great report! I, too, want to see the parade at MK. Hopefully on my next trip.

 

[belledream]

What a great report! It was nice to tag along on your magical vacation! Congratulations again on your engagement and hope for the best for your wedding!

Thank you for all your comments along the way and for the well wishes!!!

What a great report! I, too, want to see the parade at MK. Hopefully on my next trip.

Thanks! Hoping that you can! It was so much fun!

 

[maelstrom98]

I loved reading this! Reading along made me even more excited (if possible) for our trip!

 

[belledream]

I loved reading this! Reading along made me even more excited (if possible) for our trip!

Eeks! Have a wonderful trip!!! Enjoy that tuna salad!

 

[CheersBigEars]

Great TR, thanks for posting it. So much fun reading other peoples TR while waiting for my trip.

 

[belledream]

Great TR, thanks for posting it. So much fun reading other peoples TR while waiting for my trip.

Thanks for reading! Have fun on your own great adventure!

 

[Lyear]

So I may officially reach lurker status with my post coming so long after your report. I started reading when you first started, but things kept coming up and coming up, and needless to say I just now finished. Really enjoyed it, excellent narrative. Who wouldn't want to stick around and see the parade? It might cause a little stress when trying to make the DME, but fully worth it. Hope you have a great time planning your next trip.

 

[belledream]

So I may officially reach lurker status with my post coming so long after your report. I started reading when you first started, but things kept coming up and coming up, and needless to say I just now finished. Really enjoyed it, excellent narrative. Who wouldn't want to stick around and see the parade? It might cause a little stress when trying to make the DME, but fully worth it. Hope you have a great time planning your next trip.

Haha why thank you! Glad you could follow along in bits and pieces. And darn right!! The parade was simply wonderful and I can't imagine how I would feel right now if we played it safe and I still haven't seen it! Luckily that didn't happen.

Next trip planning is in full swing!!! Restaurants, outfits, excursions, ahh!

 

[mrdrift]

Thank you for sharing your wonderful trip with all of us. It's always so sad when we have to leave the parks and resorts. At least you made it back with plenty of time to spare to catch the Magical Express. All of the parade pictures turned out really nice. I must say that with all the food pictures that I keep going back to look at is really making me hungry. Will be watching for the bounce back pre trip report.

 

[belledream]

Thank you for sharing your wonderful trip with all of us. It's always so sad when we have to leave the parks and resorts. At least you made it back with plenty of time to spare to catch the Magical Express. All of the parade pictures turned out really nice. I must say that with all the food pictures that I keep going back to look at is really making me hungry. Will be watching for the bounce back pre trip report.

Thanks for reading! I wouldn't consider 5 minutes plenty of time to spare, but we made it and it's all good! Certainly looking forward to writing a pre-trip for our land & sea adventure as it gets closer!

 

[FlaggNL]

A great report! Thanks for sharing it with us!!

 

[belledream]

A great report! Thanks for sharing it with us!!

Wow I came onto the forum this morning and was like 'so many notifications!' Haha. Thanks for joining us on the adventure!