Trip Report *COMPLETED* The Spookiest, Scariest, Merriest Hallowmas Ever!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to my trip report! I’m about a week and a half back from a full week of late nights, early mornings, long nap times, milk breaks, and child swaps. This trip was over a year in the making and supposed to be my son’s first visit to Walt Disney World. Plans changed and we were able to sneak in a quick weekend trip back in April, but it was such a whirlwind that I was looking forward to taking it slow and enjoying things with my kiddo.

So on to the cast:

Me; my husband, Jordan; my son, Lincoln; my mom; my dad; and eventually my sister with her family.


Day One: October 29


Today was our departure day. But first the saddest part of any vacation: dropping off our firstborn. I actually did this the day before because our vet’s office was closed on the day that we left.


IMG_5469 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr


Leaving the dog behind is the worst part of vacation for me, even worse than leaving the vacation itself. See ya, Heisenberg! Maybe someday we will go stay at the Yacht Club together.


We left our home around 1:00 PM. Of all things it had been sleeting off and on that morning in north Georgia. Our drive was fortunately uneventful and restful, apparently.


IMG_5481 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr


Don’t worry, he would totally do this to me if given the chance.


Around 11 PM we finally made it to the most beautiful sign in the world!


IMG_5482 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr


For our first two nights of check in we were staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This was mine and Jordan’s first time staying here. I checked us in quickly while Jordan unloaded the car.


IMG_5484 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr


We had a pool view room that was in a perfect location. We were down the hall from the gift shop right beside the elevators (which we didn’t need). It was very quiet where we were too. We shared only one wall with another room. The other wall was beside a large window overlooking the pool.


Speaking of pool, here was our view:


IMG_5485 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr


And our room


IMG_5486 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr


IMG_5487 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr


We finally got to sleep around 1 AM. It had been a long day, and as we were trying to get to sleep we were dealing with a giggling toddler who had gotten a little wound up in the time we were waiting for our luggage.


I only had one complaint about our room, which was only because we were traveling with an infant. See in the picture above how there is a gap between the television stand and the mini fridge? That was the perfect place to set up Lincoln’s pack ‘n’ play. Really it was probably the only place. The only problem was that there was no shielding that spot from light coming from the bathroom. The sink area is not closed off to the rest of the room by a door or curtain. I wanted to let Lincoln sleep as late as possible in the mornings, but with this set up it was hard to do that and get ready too. So I ended up putting him in bed with Jordan both mornings we were there. That was the only issue with the room, which is minor all things considered.

 

[newhorizons1]

Lincoln is adorable!

I think we must have the same taste in television. I love your Walter White shirt and your mom's Carol's Cookies sweatshirt.

Thank you! Glad you noticed the Walter White shirt. We actually named our dog Heisenberg because of that show.

Following along. Loved the costumes and Lincoln is so cute!!

Thank you so much!

Awesome first haircut shots

Max

Thank you! Definitely a memory that will be treasured!

 

[newhorizons1]

I snagged a fastpass for the Haunted Mansion for us. Finally, I was going to introduce Lincoln to one of my all-time favorites!

WDW2017-301 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Not so fast. As soon as we got to the library scene the ride stopped and pretty quickly the lights came on. An announcement was made that a cast member would be by to assist us. With that about eight cast members walked by us to their various designated locations. We waited for about 20 minutes before someone came by to let us off.

WDW2017-302 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr+

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When the cast member came to let us out she asked that we put all cameras and phones away. I took those shots before that was ever told to us, so I don’t feel bad. As a rule follower I wouldn’t have taken any had I known. We walked off the ride through the entrance. We all agreed that we really wish that we had been at the graveyard scene when it shut down.

Even though I could have spent a lot more time in the Magic Kingdom that day we had to leave. Mom and I had somewhere to be. We dropped the guys off at the resort before driving over to the ESPN Wide World of Sports. We had race bibs to pick up.

IMG_5756 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

This was our first RunDisney event, and well, no matter how many trip reports I’ve read from other participants it just doesn’t prepare you for what it will be like. One thing that I did pick up in my research is that if you don’t plan on buying specific, it will sell out merchandise, from the expo arrive a little later in the day. We did just that and didn’t have to wait in any lines to get our stuff.

IMG_5757 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

 

[newhorizons1]

We got back to the resort with really just enough time to turn around and leave again. While we were gone Jordan and Lincoln went down to the pool.

20171102_180259 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We had a dining reservation that night at Coral Reef. Our plan was to go there, eat, and turn around and leave.

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When I checked in they couldn’t find my reservation. I pulled it up on MDE and gave the hostess our confirmation number. She told me that she had the information, but I’m pretty sure she just treated us as walk ups from that point because we did wait awhile to be seated. Oh well, not a big deal.

WDW2017-310 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

I ordered the tuna bowl and the pina colava. No Island Sunset here, but I wanted to see if the pina colava was as good as I’ve heard that it was.

WDW2017-313 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

WDW2017-312 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

So had I been missing out all these years by ordering the Island Sunset over this? Nope. Not at all. Island Sunset is miles better. So much better that I knocked over my drink, spilled it everywhere, and broke the glass when I was about ¾ finished with it. Okay, so that was totally by accident, and I felt really bad about it, but the Island Sunset is still better.

Knowing we had an early morning we left Epcot and headed back to try and get some sleep before our super early wake up call.

 

[newhorizons1]

Friday, November 3

My alarm went off around 3:45 this morning. Mom and I planned on being out the door and at the bust stop by 4 AM. I woke up long enough to change clothes, drink some coffee, and brush my teeth. We got to the bust stop and a bus was waiting. We had debated whether or not we wanted to drive to the race that morning. Signs were up encouraging guests at the resorts to take the buses to allow for plenty of parking for those staying offsite. At the expo a RunDisney volunteer told us that the buses started at 3:30 AM, and we needed to be on them when they started. Lesson learned for the 5K: no, you don’t. We arrived just after 4 AM and kind of wandered around until the corrals opened at 4:30. At that point we still had another hour to wait until the race started. We were in Corral D and managed to get pretty close to the front of it. We watched as a steady stream of cars came to the Animal Kingdom parking lot, and even at 5:15 racers were still making their way from the parking lot to their corrals. So for the next 5K (I don’t know if I could offer the same advice for other races) I’m sleeping in a little later and just driving there.

Mom was admittedly pretty nervous about doing this 5K with me. We definitely didn’t train, and I think she had a fear of being the last person to cross the finish line. I told her that since we would be walking through a park to just pretend like we were trying to beat the crowd to get in line for a ride. When we got in our corral we were behind a group of women and two of them were walking with canes. I leaned over to my mom and whispered, “Feeling any better about this now?” She was. We sat and waited on the pavement and took turns going to the bathroom until the race started.

We had a good view of the screen and were able to watch people being interviewed. Santa was there!

IMG_5764 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Finally just around 6:00 AM it was our turn to start the 5K.

IMG_5766 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

The first mile was basically a loop around the parking lot. We entered the park just before the mile marker. *WARNING horrible blurry cell phone pictures ahead!*

IMG_5768 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We walked our first mile in right at 16 minutes.

IMG_5769 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

The best part of the course was getting to walk through Pandora.

IMG_5771 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

There were a few characters out and about that morning, but we didn’t bother to stop for any.

And about 52 minutes after we started the race we were crossing the finish line. I think we would have maintained a 16 minute mile if we didn’t have to stop to go to the bathroom and didn’t have to navigate through some narrow walkways.

IMG_5783 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

And here we are with our medals (and we weren’t the last ones over the finish line by a long shot)!

IMG_5786 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We had a lot of fun at our first RunDisney event. The only minor complaint that I had was that at times the walkways in Animal Kingdom got really narrow. I know there isn’t much that can be done about this at all, but I could see how this could frustrate some serious runners at times. Even with just us walking there were a lot of times when we had to wait for an opportune time to pass people. With our medals in hand we boarded the bus and went back to Caribbean Beach. Mom has already told me that she wants to do another 5K, and we just might in April.

Jordan and Lincoln were still asleep when we got back to the room, so I showered and got ready for a morning in Epcot.

WDW2017-314 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

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WDW2017-316 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

 

[newhorizons1]

WDW2017-317 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Lincoln was wearing a very special shirt that a friend of mine made for him. It is a silhouette of Spaceship Earth with Tomorrow’s Child under it. I wanted to get a photo of him sitting in front of Spaceship Earth with it on, but if he is out of our arms he is going to be crawling around. He wouldn’t sit still at all. So this is the best I got.

WDW2017-318 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We took a spin around our grand and miraculous spaceship earth. Lincoln even showed up at the end with my hollowed-out eyes.

WDW2017-319 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

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At that point we went to the Land before we temporarily split up.

IMG_5794 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

 

[newhorizons1]

Jordan and I wanted to go to the green side of Mission Space to visit Zoe.

IMG_5795 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

You’re my big darn hero, Zoe!

IMG_5797 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

The only thing that would have made this new video better was if Alan Tudyk or Nathan Fillion gave the safety instructions. A lot of reviews that I read on this new version was that it is basically Soarin’ in space, and yes, that is precisely what it was. We rode with a woman and her son, who was probably around 5. When we got off the ride he turned around to us, gave us a thumb’s up, and said, “Great job, team!” He was super cute.

We made our way to meet everyone else at Le Cellier. Mom texted me on the way that they were already seated, which surprised me since we weren’t all there yet. We walked in to the restaurant to find there was only one other party in the restaurant at the time. In fact, I don’t think more than 5 tables were occupied while we were there. Jordan and I split the Rib-Eye and ordered a cup of the cheddar soup too. The Rib-Eye was excellent, but I wasn’t crazy about the soup this time. Either it is different from what I remember or my tastes have significantly changed since we’ve been here. We all agreed that while Le Cellier is good, it is way overpriced especially for lunch.

WDW2017-340 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

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We took a loop around World Showcase, stopping again in Mitsukoshi, before heading out.

20171103_125308 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

The only thing that got me through this morning was the promise of a nap after lunch. Jordan and I had a date night planned, and I wanted to actually be awake for it. I was hoping that Lincoln would nap while we were back in the room. He slept in World Showcase and the car, but as soon as we got to the room he was ready to play. This is where having two rooms was really nice. I went into my parents’ room and napped in their extra bed. I woke up an hour and a half later and walked to our room. Jordan was giving Lincoln a bath. His Mickey Mouse stuffed animal was sitting on our bed with a swim diaper in front of it. He told me if I woke up before they got back that was supposed to be my sign that they were at the pool. Thanks, lol!

 

[Bullseye1967]

Friday, November 3

My alarm went off around 3:45 this morning. Mom and I planned on being out the door and at the bust stop by 4 AM. I woke up long enough to change clothes, drink some coffee, and brush my teeth. We got to the bust stop and a bus was waiting. We had debated whether or not we wanted to drive to the race that morning. Signs were up encouraging guests at the resorts to take the buses to allow for plenty of parking for those staying offsite. At the expo a RunDisney volunteer told us that the buses started at 3:30 AM, and we needed to be on them when they started. Lesson learned for the 5K: no, you don’t. We arrived just after 4 AM and kind of wandered around until the corrals opened at 4:30. At that point we still had another hour to wait until the race started. We were in Corral D and managed to get pretty close to the front of it. We watched as a steady stream of cars came to the Animal Kingdom parking lot, and even at 5:15 racers were still making their way from the parking lot to their corrals. So for the next 5K (I don’t know if I could offer the same advice for other races) I’m sleeping in a little later and just driving there.

Mom was admittedly pretty nervous about doing this 5K with me. We definitely didn’t train, and I think she had a fear of being the last person to cross the finish line. I told her that since we would be walking through a park to just pretend like we were trying to beat the crowd to get in line for a ride. When we got in our corral we were behind a group of women and two of them were walking with canes. I leaned over to my mom and whispered, “Feeling any better about this now?” She was. We sat and waited on the pavement and took turns going to the bathroom until the race started.

We had a good view of the screen and were able to watch people being interviewed. Santa was there!

IMG_5764 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Finally just around 6:00 AM it was our turn to start the 5K.

IMG_5766 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

The first mile was basically a loop around the parking lot. We entered the park just before the mile marker. *WARNING horrible blurry cell phone pictures ahead!*

IMG_5768 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We walked our first mile in right at 16 minutes.

IMG_5769 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

The best part of the course was getting to walk through Pandora.

IMG_5771 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

There were a few characters out and about that morning, but we didn’t bother to stop for any.

And about 52 minutes after we started the race we were crossing the finish line. I think we would have maintained a 16 minute mile if we didn’t have to stop to go to the bathroom and didn’t have to navigate through some narrow walkways.

IMG_5783 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

And here we are with our medals (and we weren’t the last ones over the finish line by a long shot)!

IMG_5786 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We had a lot of fun at our first RunDisney event. The only minor complaint that I had was that at times the walkways in Animal Kingdom got really narrow. I know there isn’t much that can be done about this at all, but I could see how this could frustrate some serious runners at times. Even with just us walking there were a lot of times when we had to wait for an opportune time to pass people. With our medals in hand we boarded the bus and went back to Caribbean Beach. Mom has already told me that she wants to do another 5K, and we just might in April.

Jordan and Lincoln were still asleep when we got back to the room, so I showered and got ready for a morning in Epcot.

WDW2017-314 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

WDW2017-315 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

WDW2017-316 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Congrats to you and your mom for finishing the 5k!!

 

[krisri18]

Lincoln is adorable!

 

[21stamps]

the Big Cheese himself came by. *Sorry for the Mickey overload on this, but just look at him!*

IMG_5536 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

IMG_5542 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

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Besides my tears (did I say that?) the only tears we got the entire meal were when Mickey walked away. He loved Mickey Mouse so much!

These are amazing!!! Your son looks like he’s ecstatic!!

 

[21stamps]

Before exploring Pandora we stopped in at Satu’li Canteen for dinner. I decided to try the cheeseburger pods. They were interesting for sure.

WDW2017-183 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

WDW2017-184 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

WDW2017-185 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

I was expecting a bit better taste out of my dinner, but overall we were all really impressed with Satu’li Canteen. My mom ended up getting a salad with chicken and loved it. That made me feel good because I had to talk everyone else into eating here.

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Pandora at night is really very pretty. The Disney parks have a certain magic about them at night, and this area is no exception to that.

I forgot about that place!!! I had wanted to eat there.

 

[newhorizons1]

Congrats to you and your mom for finishing the 5k!!

Thanks so much! It was a lot of fun!

Lincoln is adorable!

Thank you! I happen to agree!

These are amazing!!! Your son looks like he’s ecstatic!!

I forgot about that place!!! I had wanted to eat there.

He wasn't the only ecstatic one with the characters! I was having a hard time controlling myself. Satu'li was great! I think it will be our new go-to at Animal Kingdom.

 

[newhorizons1]

Jordan and I got ready to head to Disney Springs. We had tickets for La Nouba followed by dinner reservations with my sister and brother-in-law at Morimoto. My parents had plans to take Lincoln, my niece, and my nephew to Chef Mickey’s.

When we arrived at Disney Springs Jordan went to Earl of Sandwich for a preshow sandwich. I went over to Dockside Margaritas and got the Orange Grove Rum Runner.

IMG_5798 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

This was good and strong! I kept offering some to Jordan because I was afraid that if I had too much I would fall asleep during La Nouba. We arrived about 10 minutes before showtime, and the clowns were out getting the audience warmed up.

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This was our second time seeing La Nouba, and since it would be our last I decided to get tickets close to the stage. The show was phenomenal, and we are both very sad to see this one coming to an end.

20171103_192619 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

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[newhorizons1]

After the show my sister texted me to let me know that she had checked us in, and they were waiting in the bar upstairs.

IMG_5806 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

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We didn’t have to wait long for our table to be called. Jordan ordered a sake flight.

IMG_5809 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

For our entrée we ordered some sushi platter to share between the two of us.

20171103_205539 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We enjoyed every piece that we had. It was wonderful!

Jordan ordered the Mochi Mochi for dessert. I didn’t see anything that I particularly wanted (plus I was stuffed from dinner), so I let him choose.

IMG_5811 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

It was weird, and I’m an adventurous eater. I took one bite and that was it. Overall we had a wonderful meal there. The restaurant is beautiful inside, and our waitress was great.

20171103_220351 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

I would highly recommend Morimoto’s for sushi on property! We will be back at some point.

 

[newhorizons1]

Saturday, November 4

Still tired from the night before I wasn’t anxious to try and make extra magic hours at Animal Kingdom, even though that was our plan for the morning. Plus, we had fastpasses for Flight of Passage, so there wasn’t much need to beat the crowds today. By the time Jordan and I got ready my mom was already on her way to the park with my niece and nephew.

We met them in Dinoland and took a spin on a Triceratops.

WDW2017-352 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We had a few conflicting fastpass+ times after that, so Jordan and I went on a safari with Lincoln.

IMG_5820 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

IMG_5821 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Then Jordan and I survived one more attack from the Yeti.

IMG_5823 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We were getting close to our fastpass+ time for Flight of Passage, and we needed lunch. Mom suggested Satu’li Canteen again. This time I got the beef bowl with quinoa. This was really good!

IMG_5824 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

IMG_5825 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

I managed to get fastpasses for five of us. The remaining three adults could then use the child swap pass for it. I enjoyed Flight of Passage much more this time probably because I knew what to expect and had stopped hyping it up in my mind.

As soon as we handed off the child swap pass Jordan, Lincoln, and I exited the park. Jordan was flying back this afternoon and wanted to go back to Earl of Sandwich before his Magical Express pick up time. We left the park with just under two hours before his pick up time. I dropped him off in the garage and parked while Lincoln slept. We made it back to Caribbean Beach just as his bus was pulling up. Soon after that we were heading back out with the rest of the family to the Magic Kingdom. I left my camera in the room because it was just so much easier to not have to carry that around with Jordan gone.

The Christmas tree was up!

IMG_5828 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Filming was going on for the Christmas parade too.

IMG_5831 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

IMG_5832 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

 

[newhorizons1]

We headed to Tomorrowland and were about to get in line for Buzz when I noticed that Lincoln had fallen asleep again. So I asked for a child swap pass, and they nicely wrote one out for me. I took him off to find a quiet place to sit while I got a snack. Not long after everyone was off Buzz we all decided to get dinner at Columbia Harbor House. My sister left after that to go to a live podcast recording of My Favorite Murder. The rest of us went to the Haunted Mansion, and this time we actually got to ride it!

IMG_5833 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

IMG_5834 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Lincoln survived too. No tears, just cautious and super snuggly with me the entire time. The majority of the group went to ride Big Thunder Mountain next. Dad offered to just stay behind with Lincoln, but I wanted to do some things with Lincoln during our last night at the parks. Dad, Lincoln, and I went over to Pirates. We waited around 40 minutes. I was surprised that the rest of the group finished Big Thunder Mountain before we were even through line.

IMG_5837 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

After Pirates we headed to Tomorrowland Terrace to check in for our dessert party. This would be a first for all of us. It started because one of my mom’s coworkers wanted to do something for her 60th birthday. I suggested this and got the whole family involved.

IMG_5838 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

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My niece enjoying the kid’s offerings.

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With about half an hour until the fireworks we were escorted to the garden viewing area. We had a wonderful view! Lincoln loved the fireworks too.

IMG_5843 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

After the fireworks dad, Lincoln, and I went to go redeem our fastpass for Buzz.

IMG_5856 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr


Not a bad score for juggling a toddler.

IMG_5861 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

 

[newhorizons1]

The tree was lit beautifully on our way out.

IMG_5865 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

IMG_5868 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

Sunday, November 5

Today was the day we were heading back home. The family packed up, and we headed to the Beach Club for a breakfast at Cape May Café.

IMG_5881 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

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He’s so rotten.

IMG_5907 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

I think this was my first time eating breakfast here, and we all really enjoyed the selection. However, the characters were just offering a drive by in appearance. Lincoln still loved being able to see the characters, but it really made me glad that Jordan was there for the Tusker House breakfast since the characters spent a good amount of time with us there.

We said our goodbyes to my sister and her family. It’s always especially hard on my mom and niece. My sister used to live thirty minutes from all of us, and now she lives seven hours away.

IMG_5909 by Rachel Metzger, on Flickr

We had an uneventful (fortunately) drive back. It was a wonderful trip, and it seemed like it was over just as soon as it started. Traveling with a little one presents its own new adventure. It seemed like time went by super quickly only to look back and realize that there was lot we never did. Lincoln was such a trooper during the entire trip. It really is a fantastic experience being able to take your child to the place that you love. This trip even made a believer out of Jordan. Now we are in Disney limbo where we don’t exactly know when our next trip will be. I’m hoping to go back in mid-April. Jordan was actually the one to suggest it because we have a long weekend cruise with DCL then (woo-hoo!). Now I just have to get him to follow through with it.

Thanks for following along with my trip! It was a time of several firsts for even this veteran. Until next time!

 

[amjt660]

Loved the report
Thanks for sharing
Congrats to you and your mom on the 5K run
Your son is adorable

Max

 

[riverside]

Great trip report!! You took the words right out of my mouth about Le Cellier. I had lunch there today(the soup & the filet) & thought the exact same thing when I got the bill!!

 

[Courtney6682]

What an amazing trip you all had! Thanks for sharing!

 

[12in12]

Thank you for sharing your trip, I really enjoyed reading about it.