Trip Report Tokyo, Anaheim, Orlando & The Seas... 2 countries, 8 parks & a sail on The Dream! Our Disneymoon!

So, when you’re travelling around Asia and America for 3 months and getting married somewhere in the middle, what else is there to do as a massive Disney fan… other than try to throw in as much Disney along the way as possible?! And so that’s exactly what we’re doing!

Ok. So my fiancé and I love travelling- we’ve constantly got itchy feet! And when it came down to planning our wedding, we thought, why spend so much money and planning on one day, with too many people and family politics… when we could use those resources on a smaller wedding and a load of travelling?! I’ve always kind of imagined a wedding overseas/on a beach anyway and we both love Florida- plus an overseas wedding (we’re from England!) would mean an intimate ceremony with the people who matter most. So it all kind of fell into place!

We thought about all the places we wanted to see and decided on Asia and America because being from England, we’ve been to a fair bit of Europe so far and it’s also very easy to get to. Asia however, neither of us have been to and we thought that it would probably be off the cards for a good while when we (hopefully) have kids and settle down after the wedding. We also both love America and wanted to return to some cities/states we have already visited as well as a lot of new ones!

So with a travel plan decided, of course we were going to add in some Disney! Originally we thought it would just be WDW after the wedding- with family- and a revisit to Disneyland when in California. Then I realised we could fit in a Disney Cruise too, which we haven’t done before- and since we were visiting Tokyo anyway, why not make a day or so for Tokyo Disney too?! So that’s how we have incorporated so much Disney into our travels!

Don’t worry though, I’ll only be posting the Disney parts here (and maybe a few photos from Universal- we will be taking a day to visit!) and won’t be posting about the rest of the travels- there’d be way too much in between all the Disney awesomeness! If anyone wants to see any of that though, I will be posting on Instagram (my name is @WanderingPrincess86 ) along with a separate account that is just the Disney parks and the Disney Cruise (to save filling my friends’ newsfeed up with the bazillion Disney pics I’m bound to take lol!) that will be under @Disneymoon2015 .

So… when is this all happening? Well, it already is! We spent November travelling around Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan before flying to America via Hawaii and we arrived in Orlando on Monday 7th December. We’ll be in Orlando until this Friday December 11th when my two sisters and brother in-law arrive and we head down the coast to Vero Beach (no, not the Disney resort though- ha!) for 5 nights… for the wedding! My Dad, Stepmum and little brother arrive the following day, and my Mum and Stepdad already arrived in Orlando back on December 1st. And that is the whole wedding party!

Whilst in Orlando for 4 nights we have a few wedding things to finalise, but apart from that we just plan to chill- there’s no Disney Parks yet- that’s after the wedding. We have taken a wonder down to see how Disney Springs has taken shape and just today we have visited Universal!

So… on to the Who, Where and When!

Well, the two main players in this traveling game are me, Sam and my fiancé/soon-to-be-husband Russ.

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The other members of the party joining us for the wedding and then the first 5 nights we’re in WDW are: My elder sister Vicky and her husband Nader, my younger sister Annie, my Mum & Step-Dad and my Dad, Step-Mum & little brother Archie.

Now, here is the first part of INCREDIBLE Disney Magic! We were meant to be staying at Coronado Springs (our favourite resort so far) for 8 nights, with two further rooms for Vicky, Nader, Annie and my Mum and Stepdad for the 5 nights they are staying.

However, back in September we got an email from our travel agent to let us know that a huge convention was happening there during our stay and Disney intended to move us- most likely to Riverside or Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was SO panicked and upset about this as Coronado is our “home” resort and we love it- and we had really wanted to share it with my family. We just love the atmosphere it creates, especially with the lights and ambience on the lake. Even the thought of Animal Kingdom for this trip didn’t seem right! If it was any other trip it probably wouldn’t have mattered- and AKL would have been great. We definitely didn’t want to stay at Riverside either as we had had a not so great experience at Port Orleans before. So we emailed back and forth a few times, I asked for our great disappointment to be expressed and our agent asked if there was a top three of other resorts we would prefer- and that she would try (no guarantees of course) to see what they could do. Completely not expecting to get moved to there, I suggested two Deluxe’s and then Animal Kingdom (thinking that’s probably where they would send us).

To our complete amazement (and excitement and gratitude!!) they upgraded all of our three rooms to our top choice- The Polynesian!! I had suggested it as it seemed the only place that would be romantic and create a tropical atmosphere, like how Coronado Springs creates a Mexican/Beach atmosphere… but of course the Poly’s atmosphere is on a much higher level! And we got it! We’re still pinching ourselves, it’s almost been a running thing where one of us will stop and go- are we actually staying at the Polynesian?! We’ve never stayed there before or at a Deluxe so this is a really magical Honeymoon treat!!

So here is where I also have to give a MASSIVE shout out and THANK YOU to Carissa (aka @sissa216 ) at Kingdom Konsultants!! You have made all of the booking and planning processes for both WDW, Disneyland and the cruise seamless! Thank you so much for all your help and answering my endless questions! Seriously anyone planning a trip- give these guys a go! They can take over the planning as little or as much as you want. Really came in handy! Especially with all the other planning I was doing. I cannot recommend them and Carissa’s services enough! Every step of the way Carissa was helpful, understanding and efficient- and she was happy to answer any questions with great detail. I don’t know what I would have done without your help Carissa- organising, reminders, discounts, free dining and help as a cruise newbie! So THANK YOU!!

And now back to WDW lol! My Dad, Stepmum and Archie will be staying for 3 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge. They’re actually checking in one day before us so will only be there for two of our days. If they’d have stayed longer I probably wouldn’t have minded being moved to AKL ourselves as much- but I am SO glad I persevered with a different option in the end!

So we’ll have 5 days with family and then Russ and I will have 3 further days to ourselves before our cruise. Hopefully that might make a nice balance of family/alone time! I’m so excited to be there with my family though as it’s been 15 years since I have been with my elder sister! I was 14 and she was 19 the last time we went. My Dad, Stepmum and Annie have been in recent years so Archie (he’s 6) has also been before- but he was 2 and 3 at the time, so I am excited for him to experience everything properly now- and at a great age for it too! My Mum hasn’t been for 15 years apart from one day trip to Epcot last year along with my Stepdad.

So, to the next part- Russ and I will then be taking a 4 night Bahamian Cruise on the Disney Dream! Soooo excited about this, it’s our first cruise! Shout out too to @prfctlyximprct as I was quite inspired by your cruise trip report last year!! It really made me excited about a cruise and helped me make some decisions! The photos of Castaway Cay you took looked like a dream world- and I’ve had that image of the beach in my head on long cloudy days here in England, knowing at some point I will be there and everything else will be a distant memory. Cannot wait to experience Castaway Cay and everything a Disney Cruise has to offer!

So, after our cruise… we still have another 3 nights at WDW! Yep Russ and I just had to have a few more days, it being the Honeymoon and all! And this is the funny (but amazing!) part… As a treat as we’ve never stayed Deluxe before, we decided for just three nights to book one (obviously this was before our amazing upgrade) so we booked the three nights at… The Contemporary in a Tower Theme Park View Room!! So whilst before we were thinking we’d have 3 nights in a Deluxe as a Honeymoon treat… it has now turned out to be our second Deluxe of the trip, both of which are in the MK Resort Area!! SOOOOOO excited about this!!

And soooo excited to stay at The Contemporary! We loved California Grill when we tried it on our last trip- and the view! And we loved the feel of The Contemporary so we booked this to round off the Florida based part of our Disney trip. We’ll also be there for the 30th December, so we are planning to have a pre-New-Year’s-Eve-New-Years since they show Fantasy in the Sky at Midnight on the 30th as well as the 31st! So we get two New Year’s Eves as we’ll be leaving on the 31st to spend actual New Years in a different state! I’m really looking forward to seeing Fantasy in the Sky as I never have before. And with an easy walk to The Contemporary and the park staying open until late it should be quite a fun evening!

So, onto the other parks… in Tokyo Disney Resort we stayed just for one night (so 2 days at the parks) at the Hilton Tokyo Bay (one of the Disney resort area hotels). And last but not least, for Disneyland we have booked 3 nights at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel in a Theme Park View Room. We have been once before to Disneyland and we stayed on Harbour Boulevard, so I know there are lots of other much cheaper options there than the Disney Hotels- and that the Disney Hotels in CA are not themed in the same way as WDW’s hotels. But, I absolutely loved DCA and really Ioved the idea of being able to look out over the park from our hotel room- especially in the early morning hours and at night. So a Theme Park View Room here seemed worth it to us for this trip.

I’m really looking forward to Disneyland! Taking it all in properly this time- as last time it was brand new and a little overwhelming/confusing! We didn’t get on Radiator Springs Racers as well as several of the rides in Disneyland due to time and refurbs, so hopefully we will get to this time. World of Colour was also down for refurb so I can’t wait to finally see that! And try some more food items and restaurants! I’m especially excited that all the Diamond Celebrations will still be going on- along with the new Paint the Night Parade! So much to do. AND they have Seasons of the Force going on which we just missed the opening for in WDW! LOVE Disneyland’s Space Mountain so we can’t wait to try out Hyperspace Mountain!! Russ is a massive Star Wars fan!

So finally… onto the When!

28th November 2015: Hilton Tokyo Bay, Tokyo Disneyland Resort

16th - 24th December 2015: Polynesian Village Resort, Walt Disney World

24th – 28th December 2015: 4 Night Bahamian Cruise on the Disney Magic

28th – 31st December 2015: The Contemporary Resort, Tower Theme Park View, Walt Disney World

13th – 16th January 2016: Paradise Pier Resort, Theme Park View, Disneyland

And so those are the plans! Coming up next will be the Tokyo Disneyland Report- it’s not quite done yet but hopefully I will have it up in the next few days!

I plan to then post a few bits from our visit to Disney Springs as well as Universal… and then to post live as much as possible from WDW and the Disney Cruise! If I can keep up with it all I plan to do the same for Disneyland, but we’ll see how it goes! I will eventually get everything on here though. Plenty of train and plane rides to fill the time on after WDW, so I should have the chance to get everything written up lol!

So if you’re still reading… thanks for doing so! Coming up soon… Tokyo Disneyland Resort!
 
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Ariel1986

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Original Poster
So here are a few more pics from last week when we visited Disney Springs. Really loving what they're doing there! It's going to be great when it's all finished. We went twice, walking from our hotel both times so we got to walk over the new bridge to it. First night we went to Jock Lindsey's which was so well done and a lot of fun! Great food too- too much food really ha ha! We over ordered the appetisers. Second night we went to Raglan Road- a first for us! No reservation, we ate at the bar- full menu! Great tip at a few places, eating at the bar I find. We also had a few drinks at the Lava Lounge which we always like. So thumbs up to Disney Springs! It really looked beautiful- especially at night and especially the new walkway across the water.

So Disney Springs photos (will be over three posts)

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Ariel1986

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Original Poster
Ok I'll skip posting some Uni pics to get on with the current trip!

So we left Vero Beach Wednesday morning with my sister and brother in law to get going to DISNEY WORLD!! :D

Got my Mickey sunglasses, genie socks & Dooney & Bourke bag- I'm prepared!

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Took us just under 2 hours to get to Orlando to pick up my younger sister from my Mum & step-dads (they were joining us later) and then we were on our way- ten mins to Disney!

We did drive under the sign and we did get pics but they're on Russ' phone so can't upload them right now. We drove under the MK sign too which felt a bit strange to do when checking in as we've never stayed at the MK resort area before! When we got to the Polyneisan Resort gate the security guy let us through but we went the wrong way- then couldn't find a space- then somehow managed to leave the car park and had to drive round again ha ha! We rolled down the window to the security guy again just saying "um hi again... we made a wrong turn!". Lol. This time we made right turn! Parked and then lugged our crazy amount of luggage across the car park to the lobby.

Now I'm a pretty positive Disney person and it almost pains me to have be a bit negative here- and I am so, so greatful for our upgrade and the chance to stay here when it's on so manys Disney bucket list. But... we didn't have the best check in experience. When we arrived one of the CMs outside with iPads greeted us and waved us inside- he was walking ahead and waving us towards check in- however we were clearly struggling with pushing/carrying our bags along, but he kind of just seemed to be impatient with us and was almost saying "hurry up" with his hand gestures towards the check in area. Anyway. That was very minor- it just seemed to set off the check in process! Our magic bands were not there- they had gone to Coronado! Was a little upset as we had personalised ours as Bride & Groom but the CM seemed to shrug & said its fine I can give you regular ones. She let us choose the colour but I asked if our personalised ones could be found. The other thing that didn't go great was that the CM checking in my sister Vicky was a little sharp- when she mentioned the bands weren't here and would it be ok to have normal ones to Vicky, Vicky replied that's ok but maybe I (her sister) would be upset as we had just got married & put bride & groom on them. It was just a general remark as part of the conversation, but the CM grumpily replied "Mam, I'm checking in you- NOT your sister, thank you!" and it took Vicky back abit- not the best first impression! :(
We were also put in the rooms facing the pool construction which I then requested to be moved from- and they did straight away at least.

But that was that. I hate being negative and also feel ungrateful to complain when we had a great upgrade- but it wasn't quite the magical check in I had imagined or the best impression of friendly happy Disney to my sister & brother in law who have never stayed on site! Oh well. And our personalised bands were later delivered. So it's all good.
We got going & went to the room.

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We also had special bride & groom leis which was cute! My Dad, Stepmum & little brother were already in MK at this point so decided to drop off our things and get ready to go the MK- pics coming up next!
 
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Longers

Well-Known Member
OMG what a trip you've had and are going to have that is one hell of a honeymoon. Congrats on the wedding (looking forward to pics of that) have fun in the most magical place on earth
 

Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
OMG what a trip you've had and are going to have that is one hell of a honeymoon. Congrats on the wedding (looking forward to pics of that) have fun in the most magical place on earth

Thank you! :happy: It's been quite an incredible trip so far- and a lot more to come!
I'm already falling behind with this "live" report but hopefully I can catch up soon! A lot to share! And I'll post a pic of the wedding soon too then! Wasn't sure anyone would want to see! :)
 

Ariel1986

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Original Poster
And we were off!

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There it is!

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We weren't in it too long, but I really liked what I saw of the new hub! Great space- and looked well done and pretty to me!

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Now here is where I have begun to learn that coming to Disney with a lot of different family members is not always the easiest! My Dad and Stepmum have been a few times before, but aren't really planners or understand everything here. My Dad rang me on the way to MK to ask if we had a meal booked in MK in the next hour... nope... they hadn't wanted to originally so I hadn't booked anything! I had spent the past 3-6 months trying to ask them what to do, but had to just try and decide for them in the end and work out some kind of schedule instead. Which they now wanted to change! We had the dessert party booked that evening (for Russ and I, my two sisters, Mum and Stepdad- my Dad had said not to bother for him and my Stepmum and little brother, after originally saying yes- and after we'd already booked for them- as it would be too late). So I had thought we'd probably grab a quick service somewhere so as not to fill up too much and to have time for the rides with my Dad and Stepmum and little brother. But... my Stepmum now wanted to stop for a proper meal... as soon as we arrived. I tried to explain the booking process... but my Stepmum had already spoken to a CM and found out that the new Skippers restaurant was taking walk ins. So that became the plan... I was slightly stressed as we had rides booked, however we decided to still do our first FP+ before eating, as we had met up in Fantasyland and Peter Pan was the first FP+. So that bit went to plan at least! I rode with my little brother (he's 6) and Russ- and it was magical as Archie LOVED it! He was so memorised. My little brother has made the trip so far to be honest, as he's just at that perfect age where it's all so magical for him.

So anyway, back to the food situation... after Peter Pan we made our way through Fantasyland to then cut through Liberty Square to Adventureland and to Skipper's Cantina. I was also anxious as I had our other meals already booked and we would now be using our points for this (we have free dining) meaning we would probably have to now pay somewhere else! This isn't the kind of thing my Dad would understand though since he has never had the dining plan so I let it go.
It's so strange being here with family- half of them are all on a different pace to what me and Russ have gotten used to with Disney! They have enjoyed the fact I've booked rides for them though, so they haven't had to que... so that's something!
Now I must confess I have never been on Jungle Cruise! So I haven't been following this restaurant opening or what it entails. I did know however that it would have a more Prime Time type CM interaction- and I knew that wouldn't be my family's thing! And I was right- they were a bit confused with what the CM's were talking about and why they were making cheesy jokes! But hey ho. Here is a pic of the room we were in- and mine and Russ' food:

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Char Siu Pork

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I had the Mac and Cheese. It had a bolognese underneath- tasty, but wasn't worth a table service unfortunately. Oh well!

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After the meal we headed to our next FP- Seven Dwarfs! Now Russ and I have been on this before and we thought it was fun- and the animatronics were great- but that it was fairly short and not too fast. This time however we really, really enjoyed it! It seemed much faster than before and it was really fun! Even though the pic looks like we're bored ha ha! You can see my little brother loving it though he he! Bless him.

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After that we headed to Small World. This is actually my Dad's favourite ride ha ha! And on which my dad told us all about a documentary he watched on this once with all the different sound tracks it uses and mechanics! He's so funny, he isn't a Disney planner person or obsessive- and wouldn't know half the Disney films there are or things about the World, but he LOVES Small World and the People Mover- which he calls Transportation Station- and will only ever call it that! It was funny hearing him talk in detail about the ride!

So Small World was fun- and after we started walking towards POTC for our next FP, however it was down! So we headed over to Under the Sea. Now me and Archie, my little brother, have played this song so many times when going places in my car- we sing it out at the top of our lungs and he loves the song! So when we got to the Under the Sea bit he was so in awe and happy! It was so cute- he left the ride going "That was AMAZING! We went Under the Sea!" I'm probably being overly gushy towards my little brother as I look after him a lot- and whilst we've been travelling I haven't seen him for ages! And as I'm behind on this report, MK was two days ago and now (Friday) he has left Disney. And I miss him already!

Anyway. So by this time (because of the meal and some family back and forth, dallying and a little stress- I won't go into it!) we were getting close to the time of the dessert party, where we were meeting my Mum and Stepdad. We said goodbye to my Dad, Stepmum and little brother (so many family's to co-ordinate on this holiday ha!) and then Russ, my two sisters, brother in law and myself met with my Mum and Stepdad at Tomorrowland Terrace. I actually forgot to take any pictures of the desserts or table or even family lol! And then decided to only take a few pics of the castle and just enjoy the fireworks- I did take a slow-mo video of Tink flying though which is quite funny! I'll put that on Instagram.

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The dessert party was nice- and my Mum and Stepdad loved it which was good! The desserts were tasty and it was nice not being in the crowds. I will agree it's not the best angle for fireworks, and I probably wouldn't do it again, but it worked for us this time with all the family. We also all got a Mickey Mouse Christmas cup/hot chocolate stein thing, they were on the tables when we arrived. My Stepdad snagged mine though for his grandkids/my step nephews/nieces! Lol, I have too much stuff already anyway!

Wishes always makes me cry!! I love this show. It has my most nostalgic film soundtracks included- Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin- extra sad hearing Robin Williams briefly! First time we've seen wishes since he passed :(. I can't wait to watch again with me and Russ in a couple of days though- I have to admit the stress of some family things and our not so great check in put a little dampner on the day! But we're in DISNEY. Any day at Disney is better than not! :)

Ok so that was day one!! I will try and post day two and three tomorrow so that I can start posting live! (Future me laughs at my optimism in achieving that... :joyfull:).
 
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Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Ok and so here's a couple pics of our wedding! I actually had an Alfred Angelo Disney Dress- a Belle one! Along with a Beauty and the Beast cake! Of course I had to have plenty of Disney in the wedding! :D And I walked down the aisle to an instrumental of I See The Light from Tangled as we love the film and song. It was a really beautiful and perfect day! :happy: :inlove:

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Vero Beach is beautiful by the way if anyone gets to go! We didn't stay at the Disney Resort, but the whole area is so relaxing. We were at the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa.

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Longers

Well-Known Member
Thank you! :happy: It's been quite an incredible trip so far- and a lot more to come!
I'm already falling behind with this "live" report but hopefully I can catch up soon! A lot to share! And I'll post a pic of the wedding soon too then! Wasn't sure anyone would want to see! :)
Absorb every minute! And of course we want wedding pictures!
TR's take a lot of time (until you write one you don't fully appreciate it) and doing it live is a challenge (I have done 2 that way and what seems like a good idea before you leave becomes difficult when you're back from a park and tired but still feel obliged to update - but there are people reading so we appreciate it!
 

Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Absorb every minute! And of course we want wedding pictures!
TR's take a lot of time (until you write one you don't fully appreciate it) and doing it live is a challenge (I have done 2 that way and what seems like a good idea before you leave becomes difficult when you're back from a park and tired but still feel obliged to update - but there are people reading so we appreciate it!

Thanks! Yes it's harder than you think! But like you I love reading reports-including yours! I like how you always mention the Florida grass- that's always something we notice and love ha ha! So I know writing a report and updating is appreciated!
 

Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Ok some photos from Thursday- we spent the morning in Animal Kingdom with my sister Annie, Dad and little brother, then we all met up at 7pm for a meal at Califonia Grill (our fave!) before my Dad, little brother and step mum left WDW. It was a nice day! And very hot! It's cooled down this weekend but the last 2 weeks have been amazing! 80's and above every day. So definite shorts and t-shirts weather! We also got to see Holiday Wishes from California Grill which was a bonus! Those perimeter fireworks are awesome!! Food delicious as always, service great. Wasn't quite the same being there with everyone as it was on our own- but we have a meal booked there after the cruise just us ha ha!

I'm probably sounding really negative here- which is hard for me! It's just some of our family like to just turn up, maybe do one ride, not walk too far and then go get something to eat. They're not bothered about doing a lot or planning too much. I should of remembered this ha then it could of been slightly less an (internal) clashing of plans. Plus I've realised some members of my family have just not "got" Disney, which has made it a little hard to keep positive when with them. So the atmosphere among some of us has been a little strained at times. Plus, throw in we had no hot water in our rooms Thurs & Fri and we weren't given the best apology or treatment by CM's at the Poly over it (it's ok now as we've had a nice outcome, which I'll go into when I get to Friday's report!) so that didn't help. But I'm still focused on my Disney love & our upcoming days on our own! Gotta just accept not everyone will experience Disney like we do or like it like we do.
Also on Sunday I'm going to go to MK with just my sisters, which will be really nice- we're just gonna be like little kids again!

Some photos from the day:

I wore my sparkly Vans today that I found in Orlando last week (and probably got over excited about them!:p)

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First FP+ was Kilimanjaro Safari! Of course Archie loved it- and he actually thought our driver, called Jason, was talking directly to him- he kept replying "Thanks Jason!" everytime Jason said something about the animals, it was quite funny. We also saw a lot more animals than usual- maybe it's the time of year? But we got some great views of the Hippos (didn't capture a photo, but one was actually out of the water which I have never seen before!) Rhinos, Elephants and Lions!

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Next we decided to grab something to eat, and whilst my Dad, Annie and Archie went for Pizzafari, Russ and I shared a Starbucks Frappaccino and egg and bacon croissant! Still love the Disney Starbucks cups.

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Next we were off to Dinoland, where Archie enjoyed the play area and then we went on to Dinosaur (FP+). It seemed to have a few new animatronics to me... but I'm sure that can't be true. We really enjoyed it although Archie was a bit scared- but he loves dinosaurs and was upset that he had closed his eyes and missed the T-Rex!

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Ariel1986

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Original Poster
After Dinosaur my Dad and Archie headed back to their hotel for a rest and Russ, Annie and I headed onto Triceratops Spin, then made our way over to Everest (love this ride- and never saw full Yeti so I don't know the difference!), before heading out of the park. It was such nice weather today and a nice afternoon!

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So after we went back to the hotel we chilled for a bit and then got ready to go out for dinner at 7pm.

California Grill awesomeness!

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Charcuterie Board

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Spicy Kazan Roll

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Pork Two Ways

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Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sundae Sampler

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Banana Fritters (Russ had already started eating them lol!)

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It was a nice meal and we also did a little secret santa as this was our "Christmas" meal, since we are all going to be in different places this year. It was lovely all watching the fireworks afterwards too, especially as they were Holiday Wishes! My little brother was in awe- he lent back at one point and said "I'm just so amazed!". I love seeing it all through his eyes. It was funny also as he was SO hyper and excited afterwards, that he was doing this funny crab like walk with his legs and hands back to the table! Nutter! Unfortuantely we had to say goodbye to Archie, my Dad and Jane after the meal as they were now leaving WDW! It was nice to be able to be here with Archie for these few days though.

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Now after the meal... we still had a midnight showing of Star Wars to go to! Woo hoo! I'd also inadvertently booked the 24 hour dine in theatre, so we had waiter service for drinks and popcorn throughout the showing- excellent! Still not sure how we managed popcorn and M&M's after California Grill but... hey, Disney Magic! Ha ha.

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We're going to see Star Wars! I swear, Russ has been excited all year I thought he was going to burst- when he had a silent tear during the first trailer earlier this year I told him he better cry at our wedding too!! :joyfull: Ha ha ha. He did :p

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It was also quite cool walking through Disney Springs at nearly 3am after the film, as it was completely empty!

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And so that was Thursday :)
 
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Ariel1986

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Original Poster
So Friday was a strange day...! Quite a few downs... but some ups too and a start back to a normal Disney holiday feel in the end...

We had all decided to relax in the morning/early afternoon after the late night last night with Star Wars, and then head over to Epcot about 3 or 4 for the afternoon with dinner at Via Napoli. However, when we went to get ready... no hot water! Again! As mentioned before, there wasn't any water on Thursday and it took over an hour to get someone out to fix it. So I was getting quite annoyed now, especially as my sisters and brother in law weren't getting the best view of Disney or their customer service! I rang the front desk manager I had spoken to yesterday... she was very apologetic, but didn't offer much of an explanation. She offered us some compensation, but it felt a bit brushed off at that point. My sister was also on the phone to a different manager at this time, I later found out- and this manager had told her that the building had had a leak so they shut off the hot water. So the manager my sister had spoken to offered her a room move- so I decided to go with her as I was quite fed up by now (I haven't mentioned how our room was also quite out of the way, and the windows were not clean- and with it being on the second floor so no patio or balcony, it felt quite shut in and dark, which didn't help with how we were all feeling!). I wanted to see if we could all move, as all our rooms were next to each other and had the same problems. Also, I haven't mentioned yet that my younger sister Annie has minor learning difficulties, so we didn't want to be too far away from her room.

So, we went to the lobby and spoke with the front desk manager Alicia. I actually almost started crying! I was just a bit overwhelmed with the last two days (my family had also played a part, not just the Poly) and explained to Alicia that with the check-in mix up, rude CM, general brush off from staff over the rude CM and the no hot water yesterday- and now again today- this wasn't turning out very magical and I had just wanted to show my family the magic of Disney resorts- along with wanting a nice stay for our honeymoon! She was very sympathetic and friendly- which was all I had really wanted this whole time to be honest, just someone to genuinely apologise. She had been looking at moving us to other rooms... which actually faced the pool construction(!), however after talking with us she asked us to wait in the lobby and she'd see what she could do. And then faith was restored a little... Alicia came out and said she had got three rooms she was going to move us all in to... in the Hawaii building, which was also club level! They were on the first floor with a patio, a much nicer view with the beach (previously we had just been facing another building) and of course club level comes with our own concierge and the club lounge with snacks, food and drinks. Plus, she gave all 3 rooms $250 room credit!! Now that definitely made a difference!! I hadn't been looking for so much, just some empathy from the staff- so this was more than expected, but very much appreciated.

So off we went to repack and head over to our new rooms! Bell services picked up all our luggage and after about 45 mins we were over in Hawaii! A much, much nicer room and even a view (between the bungalows ha ha!) of the castle! :happy:

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Now by this time it was nearing 5pm... so our Epcot afternoon was falling behind a bit! My sister Vicky had still not had a shower (the rest of us had cold ones before we packed up and left!) so she started to get ready. The Disney World nerd in me was soooooo impatient but I tried not to let it show! Then when she was ready she wanted to get some snacks from the lounge... fair enough as we hadn't really eaten most of the day now, but it meant we didn't get going till 6pm... our dinner at Via Napoli at 7.30pm wasn't looking likely if everyone still wanted to do some rides! My brother in law was also not feeling too great- today was just not seeming like we were supposed to do anything! I had said why didn't Vicky & Nader just hang back, it didn't matter we could go on our own with my younger sister Annie- but they wanted to try and hang with us. I started to feel a bit down, even after the move, as everything just seemed to be going wrong and didn't feel very Disney still (including the weather, it had become quite cool and windy today!). And Vicky is my best friend, we hang out all the time and I love her, we're inseparable. She never annoys me- but she was starting to here at Disney! That didn't sit well with me, I didn't want to be annoyed, especially at Vicky! So I tried to snap myself out of it.

We decided on cancelling Via Napoli, and having 3 and a bit hours for rides and some snacks and drinks. We were finally here! Hello Epcot!

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I haven't mentioned yet that before we even arrived, due to the move of resorts, we also were given 3 extra FP+ per person... they were supposed to be over the trip, but they ended up being per person, per day! So yes, 3 booked FP+ and 3 bonus any time, any ride FP each day per person! Now I bet you all think I'm mad for being negative this holiday! I think I had just been SO excited beforehand, it hadn't quite met that level yet (flash forward to Monday when I'm writing this, and it's all ok, so bear with me! :oops:).

So, with our bonus FP+ we decided to head to Spaceship Earth. We so didn't need to use it there though ha ha! Oh well. Was a fun ride as usual- and this time we headed to a future in Space at the end! ;)

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Then we headed to Test Track. I really love the "new" version of this, it's so much fun! I like the "Tron" feel. Vicky and Nader also loved it, which was great.

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Things were starting to feel a bit more Disney and we started to head towards World Showcase to eat and drink the evening round the world...We grabbed some margaritas in Mexico, started walking... it was feeling like the start of a good evening! We stopped for our first snacks of Curry Chicken Puffs in China (yum!).

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And then... disaster struck. Nader suddenly became very ill and couldn't move! It wasn't sickness or food poisoning, he was just in pain. I felt so bad for him, and my sister. And just couldn't believe the run of events these last few days! After a while of trying to decide what to do, Vicky said to take Annie to grab something to eat and see if Nader started to feel any better. So that's what we did. Russ, Annie and I headed to America as Annie wanted a hot dog, and we kept in touch to see how Nader was doing. He wasn't doing great, but the pain started to fade a little so they decided to make there way back to the resort and told us to try and enjoy the rest of the evening.
After being reassured Nader was ok, and the pain was subsiding, he was just ill, we decided to try and do what they said and make what we could of the evening. Annie was still pretty happy and excited to be here (she can be oblivious to things sometimes, part of her learning difficulties!) and she was desperate to go on Soarin as she hadn't been on it before, so we decided to walk around World Showcase (and stopped in France for an Ice Cream Martini!) and make our way there.

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Now we have been on Soarin before, but weren't too impressed with it after the hype- probably as we were a few rows back and I couldn't distract myself from the feet in front our our heads. This time however, we were in the front top row- and it was awesome! I don't know if it was just the combination of the day, but the sensation of flying and the whole show just lifted me up- I almost cried! It was so good. And the orange smell worked this time! I completely changed my mind on Soarin. I now love it!!

So by this time it was quite cold and windy, and the park was closing as illuminations started. We began to walk out, via a stop at Mouse Gears where we finally found our wedding hats! We had been looking in so many shops so far and hadn't found them. I always buy ears as soon as we arrive so it had felt strange not wearing any! So finding these, along with Soarin, had started to lift the evening. It was starting to feel ok again! And Vicky had text to say Nader was no longer in pain, which was good.

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Russ, Annie and me

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Hats!

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So we made our way home! Russ and I had a few drinks in our room, and I fell asleep looking at our Mickey Hats.
Disney World... I think I'm here again!
 

Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Oh my gosh I am so behind on this report now! I think a live one has gone out the window now! :rolleyes: I'll just write it up as soon as possible (I have a 7 hour train ride from New Orleans to Alabama in a week, that'll probably help!) At least writing it in the past tense I can put more detail- and better photos as more time to look through them all. I would like to get it all up before Disneyland though as I think that would be fun to post as we go.

So we're currently on the last day of our cruise! And just been at Castaway Cay- and oh my god what a place!! Absolutely beautiful, amazing and dreamlike :inlove: I can't wait to report it all! Back at Disney for a few more days from tomorrow now. So I'll report more soon! :)
 

Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wow so over a month since I posted! And we are now back home in England. Very strange! Obviously I didn't manage to get the rest of WDW up or Disneyland live! Just didn't get the time along with having problems transferring photos on to my laptop. But now we're back (and the depression and withdrawal is setting in! :() I'll be excited to relive everything and post a full report for the rest of the trip! I also still have some notes on Tokyo since I only posted photos. So hopefully there'll be some updates from me soon!

P.s. When can I go back to WDW?! And Disneyland! Sigh... :(...:p...:inlove:
 

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