Trip Report It's an Armadillo, Not a Bird Trip Report

Shane7694 · Feb 2, 2016

Awesome! Can't wait to read it.. Your trip reports are always fun to read..

prfctlyximprct · Feb 2, 2016

I love your trip reports! Congrats on your graduation! And I simply adored Wilderness Lodge so your pictures are making me reminisce

Figgy1 · Feb 3, 2016

Congrats on your graduation and following along

party like it's 99 · Feb 4, 2016

Day 1 Continued!

After a couple of hours to recharge we once again ventured off to Magic Kingdom for our late night. Our first stop was The Crystal Palace for some dinner with out favorite Hundred Acre Woods friends! Character dinner's have varying opinions from the members of my family. My dad and brother are little old men who hate being interrupted during dinner to make a half hearted interaction with a big plush bear. My mom entertains me and will join in on a picture or two. But I, on the other hand, LOVE character meals! There is nothing better than meeting character's with no line, in the air conditioning, with some good food in front of you. It's a win win situation!

Waiting for our waiter. This trip I decided to decorate my Magic Band drawing inspiration from Tigger himself. Also, I completely forgot to explain my ears on my first post! On my last day of student teaching my mom surprised me with a homemade pair of Minnie Ears that represent my college; a perfect way to celebrate graduation in Disney!

Overall we had really good service during dinner.

Next, we had some Fastpass Plus reservations to hit. First up, The Jingle Cruise! I think it was funny...our tour guide was so quiet I couldn't actually tell...Next was Splash Mountain! The whole time we walked through the line my brother was preaching about how he was not going to sit in the front because he did not want to get wet! Well turns out he jinxed himself, because we sat in the very first row, and since I was leading the pack I left no time for him to request a different row. I also planned ahead and sat in the row first so that the awful water fall at the very end didn't splash me, mwahahahah!

So during this trip, my brother's girlfriend's family just so happened to overlap our trip. Now, before leaving my mom made it very clear that Artie could pick one night to hang out with this girlfriend since it was a family trip. For a month we all decided she would come with us the second night for Hollywood Studios. I should have known plans were changing because he kept tapping away on his phone every chance he could get. Low and behold he decided to switch nights and hang out with her tonight. Lovely. I'm not gonna say I wasn't mad. It's just annoying that on the first day of a family vacation he couldn't handle hanging out with his family for one night, but, I digress.

While we were waiting for her to get off of the Mine Train Ride, we went to see Philharmagic and them popped in line for the Merry Go Round. While in line, my brother's girlfriend and her family found us and it was mucho awkwardo. My family was disgusting having been up since before 4am, and they were all in fancy dress because they came from dinner at The Grand Floridian.

Anyway, Artie went off with them for the night while me and the parentals continued onto the Merry Go Round.

]

***Good Grief, I promise there's more pictures for the entire rest of the trip, for some reason we were off our game tonight!

It was nearly time for Spectro Magic which we ended up watching near the Christmas Shoppe.

Up next was Wishes so we made our way up to the front of the park. Just like last year I inappropriately cried as soon as the Genie came on...no shame!

By this point we were all so sleepy but didn't want to miss out on Extra Magic Hours, so we pushed on and went on It's a Small World. Let me start by saying, I like this ride, under the right circumstances. This night however, I was so tired and felt myself losing my mind as soon as our boat took off. To top everything off, our boat was backed up like three rooms before the loading dock.

Despite this, we decided to crack onto Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We got in the ten minute line and then walked off because the line wasn't moving and we were cranky! This is when we finally accepting defeat and started to go up to the front of the park to find Artie for ice-cream. Well, turns out Artie already ate ice-cream (because he didn't receive my sibling vibes from across the park telling him to wait) so we just left. By the time everyone showered we were in bed by 1am.

All in all it was a good long first day.

Up Next - Sibling Solo Day

party like it's 99 · Feb 5, 2016

Shane7694 said:
Awesome! Can't wait to read it.. Your trip reports are always fun to read..

Thank you so much!

party like it's 99 · Feb 5, 2016

prfctlyximprct said:
I love your trip reports! Congrats on your graduation! And I simply adored Wilderness Lodge so your pictures are making me reminisce

Thank you! It's an amazing hotel, especially during the holidays

party like it's 99 · Feb 5, 2016

figmentfan423 said:
Congrats on your graduation and following along

Thanks!

party like it's 99 · Feb 8, 2016

Man I'm slacking! More coming tomorrow, stay tuned!

12in12 · Feb 21, 2016

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

party like it's 99 · Feb 22, 2016

So one more day turned into two weeks...BUT in my defense, my laptop is stubborn and froze every time I tried to continue this report! However, after a Disney filled week of seeing the Beauty and the Beast tour and watching Disneyland's 60th Anniversary Show I became inspired to deal with my laptops slowness and add more to this story!

Day 2 - Sibling Solo Day

Day two began with my parents deciding to ditch my brother and I and spend their day at the pool. This turned out to work in our favor because A. It allowed me and Artie to sleep in till roughly 11 (this is a no judge vacation zone) and B. allowed us to begin Operation Best Christmas Gift Ever (more to come on that later!)

When we were finally dressed and ready, around 11:30ish, we made our way down to the bus stop for our afternoon adventure.

Before we actually made it onto the bus we waited for maybe thirty minutes as we watched the estimated times on the tv to go higher and higher. The wait was actually pretty entertaining because there was this college aged worker at the bus stop who was clearly bored out of his mind. The poor guy tried so hard to drag out small talk with us; I learned he was going to school for some fancy space engineering degree (which makes my brain hurt just typing it out!)

Anyway, once we made it on the bus we began our debate of where to eat lunch. After frantically using my disney app to look up different quick service menus, we decided to eat at the Mexican Pavilion. Once we decided on this, we quickly decided we should ride Test Track before we ate (single rider line for the win!).

When we made our way back to lunch we both ordered nachos, churros, and I treated myself to a Margarita because why not?

We were lucky enough to grab a window seat table inside where we could enjoy the air condition!

I wonder if this little birdie is from the Jersey Shore!

I've gotta say, this lunch was a highlight from my trip. It's so rare that my brother and I both have free time in our schedules that sync up with one another, so it was just nice to hang out and do nothing for a bit.

After fueling up at lunch we decided it was time to start Operation Best Christmas Gift Ever! First stop, the Mexican Pavilion. Now, throughout my semester of unemployed student teaching I began to think about affordable yet meaningful Christmas gift ideas, when BAM, it hit me! My brother and I were gonna recreate old Disney pictures from previous vacations! Before this trip we chose a few pictures with just the two of us in them to recreate throughout the trip.

Picture #1 - Why do I look so creepy? Good question. Lesson #1 recreating pictures is harder than it seems. Also, the people who were recruited to take this picture were definitely tipsy so it was difficult to focus!

Picture #2 - We had no idea where this was originally taken (besides somewhere in Epcot) so we just found a ledge and went from there. The people who took this picture for us were so dedicated! They even stood on a bench and directed us. So if they happen to be reading this, brava to you, I admire your dedication!

Picture #3 - Something we didn't realize about this picture was how much this area has changed. For example, there's no more ledge to sit on. This is also a tricky place to ask someone to take the picture because the area is full of hot testy families trying to make their Nemo fastpass.

For some reason, before making our way to Hollywood Studios to meet up with the parents we decided to peruse Canada. Since it was so hot that day I convinced Artie that it would be a good idea to chill out in Oh Canada, which spoiler alert, does not have any seating!

Up Next - I have a feeling we're not in Florida anymore?

party like it's 99 · Feb 22, 2016

Day 2 - I have a feeling we're not in Florida anymore

Following the overwhelmingly thrilling viewing of Oh Canada we made our way to the Boardwalk. Just like that we were transported to an authentic Jersey Shore Boardwalk!...only kidding, that place is nothing like the Ocean City boardwalk I grew up with, but it's nice non the less.

For some reason, I was very enthusiastic about the bakery.

''

As we were walking the boards I noticed a hotel right on the boardwalk with balconies facing the water and said "I'm gonna stay there one day." With that my brother said "that's where Kylie's staying (his girlfriend." Now I know the night before we made it clear that we would only have one day with Kylie but I had to see the inside of the hotel! I've gotta say, I was a little disappointed. The inside was pretty generically decorated; I was expecting it to scream beach house!

I've gotta say though, the outside view was pretty fabulous. I could do some serious people watching from there.

As we were making our way out of the hotel I silently told my brother we would take the boat to Hollywood Studios and he gave me the thumbs up. However, when we made our way outside his marathon running girlfriend asked if we wanted to walk over with her, to which my brother agreed. Being the pesky and rational sister I quickly shot that down and we said our goodbyes to catch the boat.

We made it!

Once we got there we quickly met up with our parent's and made our way down the main boulevard towards dinner.

With barely any wait we were called for our table!

Let me just say, our waiter was awesome! He really brought everyone in the room together with his dramatic personality. He went so far as to feed my brother his vegetables he neglected to eat and made the guy at the table next to us stand up and sing the little teapot song. On top of everything, he let us order milkshakes as an included meal plan beverage! Can you say peanut butter and jelly milkshake?!

The Eagles game was on that night, so priorities.

I got the fried chicken for dinner but couldn't tell you what everyone else got. I also ended my meal with pineapple upside-down cake.

Following dinner we used our fastpass for the Great American Movie Ride. It's a classic, but our guide was pretty lack luster. After that we made our way to the new Star War's display. On our way we walked by the dance party where Sebastian was jamming! Now Artie and dad hate this and say it's a waste of space and too loud, but I like it, I think it's fun!

I've gotta be honest, I'm more of a Trekky than a Star Wars person, but I can entertain the cultural phenomenon.

Way to block the Stormtrooper Arthur!

When we made our way out of the building, there were two Stormtroopers walking around and they were actually talking to people! I've gotta say, it was super cool.

It was finally the time of the night we had all been waiting for and dreading all at the same time: saying goodbye to the Osborne Lights.

Up Next - A change of plans

party like it's 99 · Feb 23, 2016

Day 2 - Farewell

So I was mistaken when I said the next thing we did after Star Wars was go see the Osborne Lights; first I made my family sit through The Little Mermaid Show because I Jádore it! I must say though, they should really get rid of the shabby VHS quality film reel during this show, lets step it up Disney! Anyway, as we left the show we discovered that we dodged a ten minute monsoon, so that was a plus!

Okay, now it was time to go say farewell to the Osborne Lights, something we had been dreading since we first heard about their upcoming retirement. Before my brother and I left in the morning, my brother somehow convinced my mom to bring his tripod for him when we met up at Hollywood Studios. Let me just say, I had been dreading this dumb tripod all day. Just logistically speaking, I didn't think it would work and I also grew a huge negative attitude towards his little clicker remote he uses with said tripod. Anyway, lets continue!

Around this time I was getting antsy so my dad and I took a little stroll.

As you can see from this picture, it was packed this night (which we should have anticipated because it was a weekend), so it turned out being kind of comical watching my brother squeezing by with his huge tripod in tow.

Because it was so super crowded we decided to leave a little early and return after Fantasmic. For some reason that no one can remember (I consulted the parentals) we went to the ABC Commissary to eat...again...we must have had an early dinner that we're not remembering. What I do remember is the sheer joy I experienced upon seeing the Grey's Anatomy display near the entrance! Now, fun fact about Anastasia: during my junior spring semester when I had fieldwork, six classes, and drowning in work I found that the only way to maintain a 4.0 was the watch the entire series of Grey's Anatomy that semester. I can't say I'm proud of the fact but I also can't say that I didn't convince my brother to rewatch the series with me. But I digress (Artie, if you're reading this, skip the next picture because spoilers!)

After we chilled at the ABC Commissary and my brother bought his BB8 water bottle, we made our way towards Fantasmic.

I got in an argument with my brother about the importance of Victory Gardens while my dad was in line for a beverage so I made him take a picture of it.

So we promptly get to Fantasmic an entire hour early! Why? Because I was overly enthused about seeing my favorite show and we had no where else to be. My brother and I ended up sitting in the very very front row while my parents sat back out of the splash zone (wimps!). As we were waiting my mom and myself ventured up to the top to use the restroom and look for some munchies but quickly dismissed that I idea because of the absurd pricing. When we returned, my dad and brother went up top and decided $5 for a bag of chips was a good idea...haha but it is what it is!

About 40 minutes into waiting for the show, the skies open and buckets of water start pouring down upon us. Rather than leaving with the masses we decided to wait it out since we weren't planning on melting. Five minutes pass...ten minutes...fifteen..still we stick it out because we think surely Disney must be looking at the weather dopplar and see that the rain will only last a little longer. Then comes an announcement that the show is...postponed! So we're right, the weather is surely going to pass in fifteen minutes! Well fifteen minutes later they tell us that Fantasmic is....cancelled! But don't fret because we were given a pity show in return!

The pity show begins with the rain song from bambi as the water fountains begin to dance (that's right, we were watching a show about rain, while being rained on). Then the finale of Fantasmic begins to play out (minus Mickey); which sounds nice, only without Mickey it's difficult to anticipate fireworks and other such explosions. So, we're soaking wet, watching a show about rain, and having heart attacks over random canon blasts! This being said, when the "show" ended, we just laughed and made our way out of the park. With the rain not letting up we all made the mutual decision to return to Hollywood Studios another night for round two of Fantasmic and Osborne Lights.

I know you can't see it, but my shirt say "bear with me" with a picture of a bear on it!

Up Next - It's an Armidillo, Not a Bird!

party like it's 99 · Feb 23, 2016

Day 2 - It's an Armidillo, Not a Bird!

When we returned to our room after the great Fantasmic let down, the rain had finally stopped and my brother informed us that his girlfriend was able to dryly watch Illuminations in Epcot that night...lovely. Since we were wet anyway, I somehow managed to convince dear ole dad to go swimming with me! Within minutes we were in our bathing suits and ready for a 10 o'clock dip in the pool! Well, in case you weren't aware, the pool near the bus stop side of the hotel was closed for renovation, so we planned on using the main pool. However, no one informed us that the main pool gets locked up after 9 o'clock. Now, call me crazy, but 9 o'clock seems absurdly early to close a pool.

The following events took place within the span of thirty seconds:
Upon seeing the pool was closed my dad and I stood about ten feet away from the gate and just stared in disbelief. Then, a little critter comes waddling across the sidewalk into the bushes. After seeing this critter, my dad protectively stands in front of me and goes "What the heck was that" where I swiftly replied "an armadillo." My dad accused me of watching too much animal planet and asked if we should report it (yes dad, lets report a harmless innocent armadillo because you never learned what they were). Right after this, a sprinkler right next to us bursted on, causing me to jump back onto my dads foot and scream like I just witnessed a murder. My dad says "you're not phased by a wild armadillo, but a sprinkler is too much to handle?!" to which I replied "I thought it was a bird" (I have an irrational fear of birds).

After all of this excitement we went back up to the room and had a good laugh about the series of events that just happened and got ready for bed.

Up Next - You Sit on a Thrown of Lies!

lostpro9het · Feb 24, 2016

party like it's 99 said:
Picture #1 - Why do I look so creepy? Good question.

My soul felt threatened....

I enjoyed the then and nows!

party like it's 99 · Feb 24, 2016

lostpro9het said:
My soul felt threatened....

I enjoyed the then and nows!

Hahah oh man :hilarious:

More then and nows coming your way, and not quite so creepy next time!

prfctlyximprct · Feb 24, 2016

Love your reaction to the sprinkler! I would have been screaming bloody murder. It's the funny moments that make the best trips. Even though the situation leading up to this, the pool being closed, and being rained on, I'm sure you created funny irreplaceable memories! Loving this

party like it's 99 · Feb 24, 2016

prfctlyximprct said:
Love your reaction to the sprinkler! I would have been screaming bloody murder. It's the funny moments that make the best trips. Even though the situation leading up to this, the pool being closed, and being rained on, I'm sure you created funny irreplaceable memories! Loving this

Haha you're right, it was definitely one of the more memorable parts of our trip! The whole night was one of those situations that we just look back and laugh about how ridiculous it turned out!

DW Aficionado · Feb 25, 2016

Great trip report !!! Your parents sound wonderful taking you both on such a fantastic vacation !!!

party like it's 99 · Feb 25, 2016

DW Aficionado said:
Great trip report !!! Your parents sound wonderful taking you both on such a fantastic vacation !!!

Thanks dad!

Trip Report It's an Armadillo, Not a Bird Trip Report

Shane7694

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12in12

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party like it's 99

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lostpro9het

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party like it's 99

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party like it's 99

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