Trip Report I must have WDW fever!? (completed)

Hey WDWMagic friends! My name is Kim and I've never attempted to write a trip report before. I do read them all the time, and appreciate them so much between trips. I thought I would try and return the favor. It was also a fantastic trip and I would love to relive it once again. I've been home less than 2 weeks and miss it terribly!

I have to explain the title, "I must have WDW fever". I have had a fever for over a year now that just won't go away! I guess the official name would be Fever of Unknown Origin. This trip was first scheduled for January, then moved to April. I kept rescheduling in hopes that I would be fever free in time to visit Mickey. No such luck. I also had a surgery in between and had to recover from that. Our annual passes were set to expire on July 1st and we needed to go before that. That made this trip from June 22 - July 1st. Yep, I waited for summer in Florida to go with a fever.

Trip:
June 22 - July 1st
2 nights at Port Orleans - Riverside (Royal Room) & 7 nights at Pop Century

Who:
My mom (Barb) & I (Kim)

We both look forward to these trips! It is really perfect because we get along so well and pretty much enjoy the same things.

I hope you'll enjoy reading about our time at the Most Magical Place on Earth!

 

[disneyfirstLJ]

Great report! Following along.

 

[disneypearl]

Go golf cart!!!! sweet victory! I would love that Soarin cd. My favorite scene is when you fly over the guys riding horses. Sigh. What a beautiful ride.

Yes, sweet victory indeed.

Arrived to your Report late, but I'm in now.
And you've only just checked into Pop. So plenty left to follow.

So glad you are following along!

Great report! Following along.

Thank you!

 

[disneypearl]

June 24 continued

Before leaving Future World we stopped at a Fastpass+ station. We got a 4th Fastpass for Illuminations so we decided to move on to the World Showcase. We had an early dinner reservation for one of our very favorites, Via Napoli. This is always something we look forward to. We walked around the World Showcase but didn't take too much time in exploring the countries because our reservation time was getting close.
Sbandieratori Di Sansepolcro was out performing as we arrived to the Italy Pavilion. This is something we haven't gotten to watch yet but only took a few minutes to enjoy. It was really hot out so we were ready to sit down, oh and eat some delicious pizza.

We ordered a large (serves 2-3) Pepperoni pizza and a couple Diet Cokes.

After we finished the pizza we went back out to discover that Sbandieratori Di Sansepolcro was once again out performing. We were able to watch it some more and they are very talented! I'm glad we got to see it again.

Once finished they said that anyone who wanted a photo with them could come up. I thought that would be fun so I did. Sure, I'll surround myself with some nice Italian men.

Usually we head to Germany and the Karamell-Kuche to get a caramel treat. This time we were feeling a little full so we thought we would wait. Instead we continued our tour of the World Showcase. The skies were beginning to look like a storm was moving in quickly. We made it to Japan when a pretty good thunderstorm hit. We stayed in Japan, along with a lot of people, until it slowed down to a light rain. We were in there for a long time as this storm was either slow moving or very large.

We made it to France when my mom decided she could go for some ice cream.

She chose a chocolate cone.

We went on our way and went all the way back to Mexico. The Grand Fieta Tour was something we wanted to do earlier but needed to make our dinner reservations. It was time we saw the Three Caballeros. On the walk over I had take a picture of this duck. How lucky to live at Epcot.

 

[disneypearl]

June 24 continued

We made it to Mexico and were able to walk right on the Grand Fiesta Tour. My mom and I like going on this ride. My mom especially loves the music and will often listen to it at home. She has the Three Caballeros dvd as well.

We said Hasta la Vista to Donald, Jose, and Panchito and left the Mexico pavilion to go and visit Norway. It was sad to see Maelstrom closed off and quiet. I miss this ride and wish it was still running. Hopefully what they bring us will be well done and be a nice experience. We took a tour of the Stave Church and I think we both enjoyed it.

We went into the gift shop to look around and see the giant troll. I decided it was time to purchase my first souvenir. It took me a little while to choose the perfect troll. I finally decided on one and marked the occasion with a photo.

After Norway, the next country we spent some time in was China.

My mom had read that if you go in the temple and stand in a certain spot it will sound like your voice will echo back to you. We had to try this and found this out to be true.

The view looking up at the ceiling. I thought it was so beautiful!

We left China and wandered the world for a little. When we made it to the American pavilion we thought we should stop for some water. We sat there until we felt cooled off and ready to continue.

 

[disneypearl]

June 24 continued

It was getting closer for Illuminations to begin so we kept walking towards the Fastpass+ location. We were not in a hurry so we were able to walk slowly and enjoy the sights along the way. I love how the music changes as you walk into each country.

The Fastpass+ location is really very nice. My mom and I had seen Illuminations here before it became a reserved spot so we were happy to be there once again. It's nice to be able to sit down and wait for the show to begin. You also have a pretty good view of the globe and I can see the scenes better than some other places. I wouldn't use up one of my first three Fastpasses on it though but find it a great use of the fourth. I can't tell you what my favorite nighttime show is because I love them all. I do have to say this trip we seemed to really enjoy watching Illuminations. Maybe this trip it was our favorite.

On our way out we kept with tradition and went to Mousegears. I don't believe we bought anything this time but we did look around for awhile. This lets some of the crowd get ahead of us and lets us enjoy the exit better.

We were not ready for our night to be over, even though we were tired, so we decided to go over to the Magic Kingdom. The wait at the Monorail took a long time and it was so hot. The air does not move maybe as much and there were a lot of people waiting. We didn't let that stop us. We were glad to see the monorail pull up. It seemed to take a long time but that was probably because we were feeling the heat.

We love getting as much park time as we can. We were pretty tired though so we decided we would only ride one ride at the Magic Kingdom and then head back to Pop Century. Splash Mountain was calling our name. We were thinking it wouldn't have too bad of a wait but it was still 25 minutes. That wasn't as good as we were hoping but it was going to have to do. We were walking up to the entrance when a man called out to us. He asked us if we would like to join his family on the ride. He had a card that allowed up to 8 people but two of his family had went back to the hotel. We were very grateful for the invite and would be happy to become their friends. We went in the Fastpass line with them and enjoyed talking with them. They were such a nice family! This was perfect because we were tired but this act of kindness woke us right up.

As we were walking out it began to rain pretty good again. I still had one more thing I had to do before we left. It was Roy O. Disney's birthday so I had to take one last picture for the night and wish him a happy birthday.

 

[worldfanatic]

Nice of you to honor Roy on his B-day.
WDW wouldn't exist without him.

 

[disneypearl]

Nice of you to honor Roy on his B-day.
WDW wouldn't exist without him.

Yes, I really appreciate how much Roy helped his brother out. They were a great team! I couldn't miss telling Roy thanks and happy birthday. It was a nice way to end the day.

 

[disneypearl]

June 25

We woke up ready for our day at the Magic Kingdom. We had a light breakfast in the room of things we brought with us because we were wanting to have breakfast at Gaston's Tavern. It is pretty typical for us to miss the opening ceremony by a few minutes or so and today was no different. Oh well, we will try harder next trip. Main Street was still full of cast members waving us a good morning. I saw the Mayor and wanted to say hello. I really love saying hi to him because he is so friendly and funny. He always has my vote!

We stopped for a photo and moved on with really no specific destination in mind. We ended up going to Mickey's PhilharMagic. My mom and I both love this and figured why not.

Our Fastpass+ for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was ready and so were we. We went on this ride last July and thought it was fun. The line went very quickly and before we knew it our train was pulling up. Front row again! I was happy with our luck of getting the front row because I hear the back rows is harder on those with motion sickness. I had no problem with the front.

It was finally time for breakfast. I love the movie Beauty and the Beast as it is one of my favorites. The way they added Beasts Castle and Gaston' Tavern was a dream come true for me. They did not let me down with the details they added and the all around beauty of New Fantasyland.

So good! I wish everyday could start with a cinnamon roll and LeFou's Brew for breakfast.

 

[12in12]

Beauty and the Beast is my favourite princess story as well. I love the picture of you in the chair!

 

[ColoradoEquestrian]

Love the troll pic! And the pics from 7DMT are fabulous. Can't wait for the next installment

 

[disneypearl]

Beauty and the Beast is my favourite princess story as well. I love the picture of you in the chair!

Thank you!

Love the troll pic! And the pics from 7DMT are fabulous. Can't wait for the next installment

Thanks so much!

 

[disneypearl]

June 25 continued

Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid was next. We both have our favorite parts of this ride. My Mom likes the part were they are singing Under the Sea because it's like a party. My favorite is when your ride vehicle/ shell goes underwater. I like the Ursula part too.

We wandered around Storybook Circus for a little while. We didn't ride anything here right then but we would go back another time. We did take a heat break in the Big Top store and looked around. They treats there all looked very good but we thought we should have lunch before we got anything else sweet.

Seeing the delicious treats in the Big Top made us start to think about lunch. Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café was where we decided on going. We love listening to Sonny Eclipse. You can't beat lunch with a show. Too bad they don't sell merchandise with Sonny Eclipse on it. A mug would be pretty cool.

My mom got probably the best choice of the 1/2 rotisserie chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes. I went with the chicken nuggets and fries. We were both happy with our lunch. My mom wanted to get one of those Cheshire Café cake in a cup desserts but was too full.

After lunch we walked down to see the Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! Street Party. There is always some sort of celebration happening at Disney. When my aunt dropped us off at the airport I told her I'd say hi to Mickey for her. She said to say hi to Minnie because that's her favorite. I hadn't seen Minnie yet so I took this picture for her.

I also got this cute picture of Goofy. You can't help but smile when seeing Mickey and friends.

You also can't help smiling when you see Cinderella Castle.

 

[disneypearl]

June 25 continued

Our next Fastpass+ reservation was for the Haunted Mansion. We made our way there and were happy to have that ride reserved. It had a long stand-by line and wouldn't be fun in the heat. The sun was really beating down so we made plans to stop at the Columbia Harbour House for some ice water afterwards.

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We stopped and got our water and decided on what we should do next. The decision was made to go and see what the Country Bears were up to. As we were walking I took this picture of Chip and Dale.

It was a pretty large group waiting for the next bear concert. I couldn't take good pictures of the waiting area so I took picture of the themed floor.

The bears were great as always. It was time for our next Fastpass+ for Splash Mountain and it was the perfect time of the day to get soaked.

I wish they still sold the plush characters that are in this ride. They used to and I once got a brer rabbit plush. This is one ride I really wish they would make the gift shop have ride specific items like they do now for Haunted Mansion. Hopefully one day they will again. Once we left the brer patch we walked along the path near the river in Frontierland because the Festival of Fantasy parade was going on. It was fun because we were walking right along the parade as it went along. We were pretty much going along with the Sleeping Beauty dragon. It was breathing the fire so we got to see that a few times.

 

[disneypearl]

June 25 continued

It was at this time my mom and I went our separate ways. It was snack time and we both wanted different treats. She was wanting a Dole Whip and I wanted something from the Confectionery. We planned a meeting spot and I was off. I stopped for a second to get a cup of water from one of their ice water stations.

I also had to stop and take a balloon picture. I want to buy one of these someday!

I made it to the Confectionery and grabbed a delicious looking Cinderella Coach rice krispie.

I met up with my mom who had eaten up her Dole Whip float without taking a picture. She said she was going to take a picture but it was melting too fast. I ate my treat and enjoyed every bite. So good! When finished we walked over and looked at the progress being made on the Adventureland Veranda. I can't wait to find out the type of restaurant this will be!

We needed to stop daydreaming about the new restaurant and get to our next Fastpass+, the Jungle Cruise. We had a good boat with people who played along and laughed. That makes a difference and was glad to be with a fun group. Our skipper was wonderful and kept everyone laughing.

Just as our boat docked it started raining hard with plenty of thunder and lightning to go along with it. We had packed some ponchos with us this day so we put them. Our cheap ponchos were no match for this storm so we went to the Enchanted Tiki Room. I love the song that says, "Let's all sing like the birdies sing..." This is such a peaceful song. I want that song to listen to whenever I want.

It was still storming when we got out so we figured we wouldn't let it stop us. We put on our ponchos and made our way to Tomorrowland. My mom didn't want me to stop to take this picture of the Castle because of the lightning but I can't just walk by this beauty without a picture. It needed to be done.

 

[disneypearl]

June 25 continued

The rain poured down on our way to Tomorowland but we didn't mind too much. We went to Stitch's Great Escape next. This attraction doesn't seem to be too popular around here but I'll admit to liking it. Last year, there was some guy who would let out a scream every now and then during the dark part. I have to say I was laughing so hard I almost cried. This time everyone behaved themselves and I still enjoyed it.

After Stitch escaped we stayed in Tomorowland and made our way to the Carousel of Progress. This is always a must do for us.

We sang along to "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow..." and went back out to our next adventure. We rode the TTA PeopleMover next. The rain was slowing down enough so we were able to take off the ponchos.

It was after our ride on the TTA that we began to get hungry. We went to Pecos Bill's for dinner. My mom was ready for another BBQ pulled pork sandwich and I was wanting the angus bacon cheeseburger.

After we finished our plates we thought a train ride would be perfect. We went to the Frontierland station to board. My mom and I decided to ride a full circle but actually rode for longer. We ended up getting off at Storybook Circus so we rode the train for 1 1/4 laps. It was a pleasant ride.

 

[disneypearl]

June 25 continued

Once we entered the Storybook Circus part of New Fantasyland we made our way to Dumbo. We usually ride together but there was no line so we chose to ride separately. We tried our best to get good pictures of each other but riding in a flying elephant in poor lighting makes things difficult. We did pretty good and had fun anyway.

It was time for that treat we were thinking about earlier at the Big Top. We went and got Dumbo cupcakes. They tasted so good and fresh.

We figured that we had time for two more rides before Wishes would start. We stayed in Fantasyland and went to Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid and then The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

It was time for Wishes to almost begin at this point to we went to get a good spot in Fantasyland. This is also a great area for Wishes because you are surrounded by the fireworks. While waiting I was really curious about what these people were doing. I never did figure it out. I took a bad picture because I didn't want to flash them.

Wishes were as wonderful as always. I don't think I would ever get tired seeing fireworks.

We went to take a ride on the happiest cruise that ever sailed, "it's a small world". My mom has a couple of the Animators Dolls that the Disney Store sold of this attraction and I have one. She has France and Mexico. I have the Hawaii one. They sing the song in English and also in their countries language.

 

[disneypearl]

June 25 continued

Celebrate The Magic was going to be starting soon but we didn't have too much hope we would make it to see it in time. We walked that way anyway and discovered a nice place to watch. The little path that goes from Fantasyland along Cinderella Castle to Main Street was where we watched from. It wasn't crowded and you are right up to the castle. You are not in front but the sides show the scenes too. It's a great compromise to see the scenes good. We were happy with our discovery and to be able to see Celebrate The Magic.

The Emporium was where we headed to next. We had some time before The Main Street Electrical Parade was going to begin. It wasn't very crowded and I believe that is because it was the second one for the night. We looked around and I can't remember if we got anything but I don't think so. I know that after the parade we went back in so we might have gotten something then.

 

[myhappyplace]

Enjoying your report!!

 

[ColoradoEquestrian]

Love the cheshire cat on the castle!

 

[ColoradoEquestrian]

Did the Dumbo cupcake have any filling inside? Adorable little cupcake!