Trip Report * COMPLETED* The Let's Never Go Home Trip

Hey everyone! I don't have all my pictures and videos sorted or anything yet but its a rainy cold day here in Buffalo so why not work on my trip report :) I took over 4000 videos and pictures (I started a youtube channel for my videos :happy: ) so bear with me as I sort through them all! All and all we had a great trip and I wish we weren't home already :(

For those of you who want to see my PTR here it is: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-dole-whip-extravaganza.910063/

Let's get started!

Who?:
From left to right: My Dad (Jeff), My Mom (Mary), Nick (Jill's Boyfriend), My Sister Jill (@Disney Dentist ) and Me (Megan!)
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When?
Jill and Nick were there from April 29 - May 6
My parents and I were there from April 30 - May 12

Where?
We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter! Its our favorite hotel (moderate wise) for sure and it did not disappoint this trip :) We had a great time there and after not having stayed there for a few trips we really enjoyed being back at our "home."

Why?
Why not? We planned this trip before my mom and I went to DL and WDW by ourselves; it was originally a trip to help us get through our post Disney depression from February 2015 but we also ended up going twice more before this....haha

The Title?
We were there for a record (for us) 13 days and it seemed like we were never going to have to leave...unfortunately day 13 did come and we did eventually have to go home. Even after being there for so long I still wasn't ready to leave!

T-1 Day to go:
Jill and Nick were already in Disney but my parents and I could not leave until Saturday because I have clinic on Fridays which is non-negitionable (we get our vacation in two week blocks so technically my vacation didn't start until May 2 but luckily I was able to get the weekend off before). Anyway we had Jills dogs to take care of for one day. I was off my from regular rotation in the morning which was nice because we had time to get our nails done. However, just about an hour before I had to go to clinic my sister's one dog had some issues :hungover: Here I am bathing him (with my fresh manicure) right before having to go to work...
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Meanwhile this is the text I get when I am at clinic....
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Must be nice...;) Anyway we got him cleaned up and when I got home from work we got the dogs all situated at their respective places to stay. We then checked we packed everything and I made my Dad sit down with me and make sure he had everything he needed. This will come into play later since he really wasn't paying attention to me :happy:

Day 1 Travel Day
Well our flight was leaving at 6:50 am so we got up around 4:00 am to get ready to go. Luckily we live close to the airport but still planned on leaving around 5 am to make sure we had time. I had a weird feeling all morning that the airport was going to be packed so I was a little more anxious than usual
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Anyway we shoved our five (yes five, and my 2 were both full size) suitcases into my Dad's car and off we went to the airport. We ended up leaving a little before 5. We got to the airport and we parked and had to drag our suitcases into the terminal. Its not that far but I was spoiled by our last few trips where my Dad dropped us off at the door haha. Anyway as we were on the elevator I was super anxious and my Dad was like calm down its never that crowded. Literally as soon as he said that the door opened and what did we see? A HUGE line for security...like out the entrance for it all the way through the airport. :eek::confused: I almost panicked but instead thought "oh no worries we almost always get TSA pre-check." So we check in and the tickets come out and no pre-check for my Mom and I. My Dad always gets it because he is a government/army employee. He was going to wait in line with us but I told him to go ahead so in case we were so long we didn't get to board on time he could save our seats. I also assumed maybe he would get us breakfast...spoiler alert he didn't haha
Anyway my poor mother had to deal with me through the almost hour we waited in security..I was so nervous we were going to miss our flight (or at least boarding). Luckily we got out around 6:15 and our boarding was 6:25.
My mom and I met my Dad at the gate and while he didn't get us breakfast he did get us cookies so there is that :) Thumbs up we made it on time, as I am sure many people did not make it! In fact our flight definitely left without some people.
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My penguin and dinosaur were ready to go!
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We were in the early A's so we got a good seat and immediately put on our magic bands :)
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Next up: traveling continued
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day One continued
We headed in the hotel to check in for dinner at California Grill. Our reservation was at 8:50 but we checked in at 8:20 so we could grab a drink. They asked us if we were celebrating anything and I said yes but could not get into the details. I will explain that in a bit...
As soon as we sat down at the bar our table was ready so we were seated at a table in the main dining room overlooking the castle!
This a terrible picture I'm sorry...
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Take notice of the confetti on the table...we were definitely celebrating something! Before the trip I kept talking about wanting to order a cake because I knew it would likely get us a better table for Wishes (this has worked for us before) but I could not think of something to celebrate. So, I racked my brain for awhile and finally came up with something. Everyone knew we were getting a cake but no one knew who it was for! They had to wait to find out!
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We started off with bread service. We usually have great service at this restaurant but I have to say our waiter did not start off strong. He promised us bread and then forgot twice to bring it...I was so hungry otherwise I would not have even noticed haha
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For drinks my Dad and Nick had a Side Car
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My Mom had a Monte Ray
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Jill and I both ordered wine. She got Moscato and I got Riesling. The waiter accidentally poured me a sip of Moscato and then accidentally poured Riesling in there as well. He felt bad but told me to try out the combo. He also never poured my actual glass of wine for like another 10 minutes so I was left with the mixture (which in case anyone was curious was not good haha) :D:confused: Here is my "glass" of wine....
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My Mom and I stalked all the menus on the website before heading to Disney and they must have changed this menu the day before because it was different than what we saw at home!
Anyway we ordered some appetizers. We got two flatbreads to share and Jill got soup.
The soup was Florida Sweet Corn Bisque which she said was great
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We got the Lamb Sausage flatbread
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This was spicy but good. I enjoyed it even though I typically don't enjoy lamb
We also had the Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread...we really enjoyed this one too!
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In case anyone was wondering the waiter vastly improved after the wine incident haha

Next up: continuing with the food
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 1 continued
The waiter did space out our stuff nicely so that we would enjoy Wishes from the table. I have been there before when they kind of rush you through so it was nice to take our time.
Onto the entrees!
Jill and I both ordered the Oak Fired Filet of Beef. Similar to @Tuvalu I was disappointed that there was no risotto with this, especially since two days before we left the tomato version was still on the menu. I am Irish, though, so I really could not be disappointed with the potatoes as they were delicious, as was the steak!
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My mom ordered the Joyce Farms Chicken. This was also different from the usual menu chicken offering but she still enjoyed it!
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I will say she was not too keen on the tamale at first but overall said it tasted good haha
My Dad ordered the Seafood Ramen...looked gross he said it was good
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And Nick ordered the Wild Caught Alaskan Halibut per the recommendation of the waiter (at least I think thats what he got..I wrote down Tilapia and thats not even an option haha). Whatever he got he enjoyed it!
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We were all very full but still had dessert to come! The waiter wanted to wait until after Wishes to bring out dessert so we got settled around the table and enjoyed Wishes. This was the first time my Dad and Nick were able to enjoy Wishes from the California Grill. It is so nice to watch it from such a different perspective and extra nice we were able to stay at our table the whole time instead of having to go outside. I mouthed all the words right along with it because I have the soundtrack memorized and even shed a tear or two. Seeing a Disney show is what always solidifies it for me that we are officially in Disney and boy was I happy to be there!
After Wishes my mom looked at her plate and thought she saw a dead fish on it...hahaha it was just part of the Tamale thing but for a moment it did kind of look like a dead fish...in the picture it definitely does not.
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Anyway soon it was cake time! Who will it be?!?!?!
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I picked my Mom since it was her three year cancer free anniversary! Notice the pink ribbons on the side! When I called to order the cake I asked for something for breast cancer they were more than willing to add on pink ribbons for me :happy:
Better view of the ribbons
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We also got the creme brûlée since we were celebrating. I think it was Peaches and Cream or something...I wasn't a big fan so just stuck to the chocolate cake which was super good!
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Our waiter was kind enough to take a picture of us at the end of our meal
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After leaving I fully anticipated that the monorail would be crazy busy but it actually wasn't! We did split up and my Mom, Dad, and I were on the monorail with a bunch of people with drinks in their hand. I didn't know that that was allowed!
When we got to the MK station the crowds were unbelievable, but the bus stop for POFQ was nice and quiet and we were on the first bus ride home. This is another reason we love that resort, typically less lines for the bus because its so small :)

After this it was off to bed!
Next up: Epcot/Drinking Around the World Day (hey, we did drink water, does that count?;))
 
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Tuvalu

Premium Member
I literally didn't even notice hahahah. I think the pink ribbons pulled our focus no one actually read the cake :bored::rolleyes:
Truthfully, the only reason it stood out to me was I had a cake made at our Publix bakery that said, "Congrulations" and it's been a family joke for years. (I guess "Congratulations" is too long a word for cake decorators to put on top of a cake!)
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Truthfully, the only reason it stood out to me was I had a cake made at our Publix bakery that said, "Congrulations" and it's been a family joke for years. (I guess "Congratulations" is too long a word for cake decorators to put on top of a cake!)

That happened to us too with a banner for my sister spelled "congradulations". Luckily it was for her graduation so it looked like a clever pun! I told my mom about this cake and she said she remembers us both saying it looked weird but never focused on the words haha
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I have a quick bit of free time here so lets see if I can knock out some TR!
Day 2
Our plan was to sleep in this day so of course we woke up by 7:30 am! I was super chill this trip about making it to the parks on time (in fact I actually didn't even know what time Epcot opened this morning) so we took our time getting ready and headed to the food court for some breakfast
My mom got her usual waffles
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And my Dad and I split a breakfast bowl! This is new (to us) at the Food Court. It had eggs, breakfast potatoes, green peppers, onions, bacon, cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese. It was amazing, but I'm glad we split it! It was huge
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After eating we decided to go ahead to Epcot without Jill and Nick because Nick was still sleeping
We hopped on the bus to Epcot and got there just about 10 minutes after the park opened. How's that for not even trying to be there on time?!
Well, my mom and I got picked for security this time. So did my Dad. My mom and I went through and where was my Dad? Chatting to security about the Buffalo Bills and the guy told him he didn't have to go through because he was a fellow Bills fan!:eek:
I mean, how rude! We were all wearing Bills shirts and I am the true Bills fan with the season tickets after all ;) Just kidding about it being rude though, it was actually pretty funny
As soon as we walked in we could see all the cool Flower and Garden Festival. I immediately picked us up some passports since I never got one from the Food and Wine Festival!
There she is....
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Our first stop was going to be Spaceship Earth but we saw Pluto on the side and had to check him out
This picture makes me laugh
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After a nice visit with Pluto we headed to Spaceship Earth

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This trip through Spaceship Earth was the only time our pictures worked the entire trip!
After Spaceship Earth my Dad asked if we could go on Ellen's Universe of Energy. Odd request, but he never says anything specific he wants to do so we headed on over. I'd like to say this was my face when he suggested it...haha
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Ellen's
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Well, I settled in for a 45 minute nap after this, but instead found myself enjoying the ride again. Maybe it was because Soarin' was closed but all the nice scenes in there were cool to look at. The only annoying part is that part in the ride where its just a radio talking haha. On a side note, this ride terrified me as a kid when it was just the Dinosaurs. Maybe thats where my hatred of the ride Dinosaur came from!
Jill and Nick were in the park after this so my parents and I headed towards Starbucks to meet them!

Next up: more Epcot fun
 
Just caught up on your report - enjoying the pics and narrative :) We usually fly out of Rochester, but have been to Buffalo a few times because the cost made it worth the drive. The security wait has always been minimal. We are flying out of Buffalo in November - early morning flight. Will have to keep in mind the 5am TSA opening.
 

prfctlyximprct

Well-Known Member
Will you be upset if I say that I HOPEEEEEEEEE they give me some mashed potatoes at Cali Grill?? The risotto kind of scares me a little.. Don't kill me! LOL

Loving your pictures, and congrats to your mama! What a special cake, I'd be a big mess with the cake and Wishes and creme brulee and all my Disney feelings. Crying for sure!

Can't wait for more!
 

bebert

Well-Known Member
POFQ, best resort on property. Great report, look forward to more updates.


Day 1 continued:
After getting all our Magic Bands in order we headed to the pool area to find Jill and Nick. Could not resist a few pictures along the way!
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Look at the cute shirt my mom bought! She was nervous it was "too young" for her because it opened in the back (which it actually didn't on her anyway) so she originally came out of the bathroom with another shirt over it :p
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Anyway we found Jill and Nick at the pool
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They asked what our plan was and I told them we were heading to the Magic Kingdom and they wanted to come so we were going to meet them in the lobby
On the way out of the pool we snapped some pictures with these guys...but we noticed the one with his mouth all the way open is missing!!! :(
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While we waited for Jill and Nick in the lobby one of the CMs came around and handed out Mickey stickers! They usually hand them out to the kids but we got some too :) When he handed it to my mom he slid it down his arm and said "now you can say someone slipped you a Mickey" :confused:
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Soon enough Jill and Nick met up with us so we headed to the bus stop
Everyone looks thrilled? haha
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The bus came fairly quickly and soon enough we were on our way to the MK!!!!
(I think my mom thought I was taking a video haha)
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Next up: MK!
 

MississippiBelle

Well-Known Member
Our first Fast Pass was for Splash Mountain!! It was a nice one too since it was like 90 degrees out and we came from 40 degree weather so a good cool off was already in need haha
All of my Splash Mountain pictures were taken with my new waterproof camera! Nick held on to my good camera for me since he doesn't like rides so he didn't go on

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Jk Jk ;) Loving the trip report! Can't wait for more :D
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just caught up on your report - enjoying the pics and narrative :) We usually fly out of Rochester, but have been to Buffalo a few times because the cost made it worth the drive. The security wait has always been minimal. We are flying out of Buffalo in November - early morning flight. Will have to keep in mind the 5am TSA opening.

Thanks for reading! Yes do keep it in mind for November. We fly out early in November too and plan on getting there just a little earlier

Thank you for sharing! I love it! Congratulations to your Mom!:D:):joyfull:

Thank you so much!
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Will you be upset if I say that I HOPEEEEEEEEE they give me some mashed potatoes at Cali Grill?? The risotto kind of scares me a little.. Don't kill me! LOL

Loving your pictures, and congrats to your mama! What a special cake, I'd be a big mess with the cake and Wishes and creme brulee and all my Disney feelings. Crying for sure!

Can't wait for more!

haha the potatoes are probably there to stay. That being said risotto tastes like a creamy potato with cheese so its pretty good! I cried my way through Wishes as I usually do...first night always gets me, maybe because we are usually so tired haha

I was out when I after the first picture of Bills fans ;)

Kidding aside! Nice start and good photos!

hey now! No hating the Bills :) I mean everyone does, but they are terrible so if anything I will take all your pity haha
 

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