Hello Humans! Welcome to the laugh floor! I am your monster of ceremony today in this wild ride of the wilderness. Stop jumpin' around, you'll run out of breath!Why don't you sit back and calm yourself? You can hurry on now if you must.We'll do what we like, 'cause...That suits us. Yes, I found it absolutely necessary to quote a ride from each land in the MK. You're welcome for getting Splash Mountain stuck in your head.
Should I continue? It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small, small world. Really, don't mention it.
Welcome! Disney Fanatics, to my first trip report! I am your host,entertainer, story teller, fastpass runner, and if you don't laugh at my jokes, your swimming instructor.
Our report begins here, in this introduction. Here where you see pictures of some of our crazies, as they appeared in their crazy, insane state. Kindly step all the way in please, and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now.
Just a little faith, trust, pixie dust, and off we go.
You should always start at the beginning and when you get to the end, stop. That's logic. (Read in Alice's accent!)
Introductions are always a great place to start. Why, hello there. I'm Emily. I'm going into my junior year of high school and I absolutely love Disney. I've been going since I was in my mom's uterus. Nothing makes me happier than driving through that magical arch that signals your arrival to the holy world. I am known by my friends as the "Disney Freak" and I'm proud of my title. I am most like Peter Pan. I never want to grow up and sometimes I just want to drop everything and fly to Never Land or Disney works fine, too. He's my favorite Disney character and I had the honor of meeting the fine lost boy this trip.
Amy is my little sister. She will be turning 14 and is going into her freshman year. She falls more and more in love with Disney every trip. Her favorite thing in Disney is the drawing class at DHS. Oh, and she dragged me on Everest this trip. She loved it. Me, not so much, but hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Some pics of Amy and I.
The parental units:
My Mom- In Disney World, she is a nut who thinks an 11:00 PM closing is for amateurs. In the real world, she is an art teacher, who insists I be home by 9:30 the absolute latest.
My Dad is my best friend. He works for a publishing company in India. He loves Disney, but this trip he moved the fastest when it was time to go home. I was quite the opposite. He loves his family, Jerry Garcia, and the Orioles. Hopefully, in that order.
This trip took place August 3-8 and we called the Swan home. We our the proud owners of FL Resident APs.
We went absolutely crazy this trip. Extra magic hours were our best friends. We are also rope drop people and I am like a drill sergeant in the morning in order to make that happen.
Now as they say "Look alive" and we'll continue our little TR later.
I had been up since 6:30. The princesses then needed to use the princess room. I texted my friend a picture of her favorite IASW doll and she said she was going to sleep. I told her to leave her window open for Pan. I was kidding, of course. I would never sleep with my window open. Not even if I lived in Rapunzel's tower.
We then went to go visits some people on the other side.
Here's a prime example of how I am always right. Always. Even when I'm wrong, I'm right.
The queue splits in to two and you need to pick a side. My darling family wanted to go on the fun side with the activities and I wanted the quicker one. I was outnumbered and so we we opted for the fun side. The CM closed the door just as we were walking up because we went on the long side. It wasn't a big deal, but I was right and they were wrong. See how that works?
I took the opportunity to take some pictures and scare Amy. I tickled her back with my finger and she jumped a 100 feet in the air. Don't work, Team Amy people. She got her revenge later on.
Pretty soon we were inside, starting our tour. There were some college boys who screamed really loud. I LOVE the Haunted Mansion late at night.
We passed by Peter Pan and the wait was 20 minutes. My mom asked me I wanted to ride with her and I told her no because I have my dignity. As much as I love Peter Pan, I will never wait for his ride.
My dad decided to go back to the room. He woke up early to do some work and then was the one who drove, so he was exhausted.
My mom requested we go on Cindy's Carousel. I've heard that Cindy has her horse on this ride and its tail it marked by a gold ribbon. I walked around every horse a good 3 times trying to find it and I couldn't. The ride was about to start so I had to hop on one of the step-sisters' million horses. I also was nowhere near my mom and sister. As soon as the ride started, I found it. Ah, well. Next time.
We decided to go to the Hundred Acre Wood to go visit my very special friends, Gopher *whistle* and Christopher Robin.
I kept trying to take a picture of the little guy.
I stood there for a good minute, trying to get a good one and then gave up.
Everyone gathered together to say.... Hooray!
And Hooray for you, too!
It was 1 AM and we decided to head over to the land of tomorrow. Once there, we discovered a CM 'painting' with water. At 1 in the morning. Only at Disney. We decided to watch for a few minutes and either Amy or my mom started asking him questions like "What kind of water is that?" Whoever said that, had a brain that was functioning any more. The next morning, my mom's inquiries got us some MAJOR pixie dust.
The CM then gave us a lesson on how he makes them. It was very interesting.
We went on Buzz not once, not twice, but three times. It had no line. On our third time, the CM motioned us over and told us to go ahead since we already made it this far.
I saw on another TR that someone went solo and took a funny pic, so I decided to try one. I had been up for 19 hours and was starting to get a little crazy.
Mr. and Mrs. Lightyear.
In case you're interested in finding a guy like mine, there's plenty more available.
We were exhausted and my finger was sore from defeating Emperor Zurg so many times. I did get my highest score EVER.
We got back at around 2:15 and the hallway to our room was FREEZING. Amy and my mom started running to the room. There was no way I was running.
We went to bed at 2:30. Yea, EMH for the next morning was pretty much out the window. After being up for 20 hours, I woke up 3 hours later and could not go back to sleep.
And that's the end to the first twelve hours at Disney. Extra Magic Hours is my best friend.
August 4th:
Something you all should know up front, I might appear to be an innocent girl who loves Disney and while this is true, in my opinion, I have another side you should know about.
I am a drill sergeant. Clear the image in your mind of me playing a trumpet like they do in the movies. I am not that talented. My talent comes in the form of opening the curtains. I don't even have to say anything, just open those bad boys and there we go.
On this fine Saturday the curtains opened at 7:30 and the original plan was to go Hollywood Studios for EMH, but it was too late, so we decided to raid Epcot on this hot morning.
Amy was sleeping right next to the curtains and actually was the first sign of life. She got up and CLOSED the curtains! Dude! Who's side are you on?
Dad got out of bed and showered. One down, two to go. I put a double chocolate chip muffin on the table and Amy was the newest member of Team Soarin' instead of Team Snorin'. Mom was the last one to go and we ended up waiting for her.
When we were finally ready to walk out the door, my mom insisted we put on suntan lotion, but she couldn't have told us as we were sitting on the bed waiting for her for a good 10 minutes. Whatever.
With some faith, trust, and pixie dust, we were out the door at 8:50. Not bad for coming back at 2:15. We're usually much better and leave at around 7:30.
Oh, and here's some more magic. I didn't talk a bag. I sported my sunglasses on my head, umbrella in my back pocket, and my Vera Bradley tech case with my camera, giftcard, and AP.
I was beginning to get a little nervous since we missed rope drop and checked the waits on my phone. So far, so good. I came up with the plan that Amy and I would scurry for Soarin' FPs and we would meet the padres in Innovations.
My Dad gave me the APs to hold and Amy was upset that she didn't get to hold them. Amy is not very responsible. She is SO smart, I mean she's a freshman in Alg 2 honors! Need I say more? But being responsible is an issue for her. I finally gave her the APs to get her to be quiet and guess what happens.
One of my favorite parts of staying on Crescent Lake is walking through WS before it opens. SO pretty! Oh, and SO empty!!
A guest comes up to and hands us two of the APs, which was super nice. I mean she could of easily said "Yay! Two more APs!" I quickly took them back. It was 9:30 at this point and our FPs were for 10:30 and the standby was only 20 minutes Not bad.
Notice the four seasons on the balls!
We met mom and dad at Innovations. This was like my first time there. The only thing I had ever done was Sum of All Thrills. I thought it would be a good idea to really explore it while the crowds were low. The only popular thing we wanted to do was Soarin'.
I noticed The Great Piggy Bank Adventure and talked the fam into giving it a shot.
You break up into pairs. I went with mom and Amy and dad went together.
My mom wanted to save for college, but I decided to save for a vacation. Screw college. Totally kidding! I do plan on going to college, but in this perfect pig game, I decided to pretend I had a full scholarship.
I was a disadvantage because my mom stinks at video games. I mean, she's terrible. In the GPBA that is how you make your money. See the problem?
Aren't the pigs adorable? Warning: the pig doesn't leave with you. Besides, I'm not sure what TSA would think about a pig that weighs a good couple pounds. That thing isn't that light.
Neither team saved enough for a vacation, but we got a cute GPBA sticker as a "Nice try". I brought it home to put in my room, but it's not as good as a vacation. Ah, well. I'll have to get my mom on the wii to practice.
I wanted to do some other things in Innovations, but dad decided it was a more of a rainy day activity and wanted to do some things before it got rainy or too crowded. We decided to go look for Nemo.
Once in Sea Base, we went exploring. We have never spent the time to look around in here before. We ride the ride, visit Crush, and then leave. I had no idea how much stuff they had.
We saw Crush, which was cute as always.
Coming up next: The biggest pixie dust we've ever received!
I'm drowning in school work and need to go back to Epcot.
These two make a cute couple.
And this poor, unfortunate soul is forever alone.
Dad went to the bathroom, Mom was talking to a CM asking him questions about Sea Turtles for an Art Class she has coming up, and I was with Amy taking these pictures.
A not-so-hidden-mickey.
The CM mom was talking to was going backstage to the top of the tank, was allowed to bring four guests, and we were the chosen ones.
We went through a secret door that you can't tell is there unless you're looking for it and went up a narrow, spiral staircase. At the top, we were asked to take anything out of our pockets,take off our jewelry, and leave our belongings at the top of the staircase. (It was locked.) This is because if anything falls into the tank, the CMs are in big trouble.
We weren't allowed to take any pictures, so I'll have to do my best to explain it.
The CM opened another door and we were at the top of the tank, which was like a giant sphere. It was cold and the walkway was slippery and narrow. We got to see the trainers interacting with some animals and the CM taught us a lot about the marine life. We got to see how the tank is separated into different sections to prevent some fish from fighting and learned how the sea turtles bully some of the fish.
Did you know that there are 2 million gallons of water in the tank and you could easily fit Spaceship Earth inside of the tank?
We were up there for a good 15 minutes. It was so magical and very cool. We thanked the CM and then went to go see the Dolphin show.
It was then 11:00 and we had Soarin' FPs burning a hole in our pockets.
Amy decided to model my sunglasses.
Hello Patrick!
Nice work, Pal.
We all loved Soarin' as always. Soarin' is amazing, but I would have to say the best part is the seat belts all un-clicking at once. I wish I could make it my ring tone.
Moving on.
I felt a grumbly in my tummy and decided we needed to have lunch. We decided on eating at the Electric Umbrella because we hadn't been there in a couple years and got there just before the lunch rush. Epcot mojo!
I had the meatball sub, which was amazing. I highly recommend it. You can also get it at Pinocchio, Pizza Planet, and most resorts.
It came with french fries too.
Mom and Dad both had a salad.
Amy had some kind of wrap off the kids menu. She wouldn't let me take a picture of it because she had already started eating it, so I had to improvise.
Amy and I then went to Mouse Gear while Mom and Dad sat at EU talking. I bought a purple keychain for my backpack which broke last week. Yea, it's time to get back to WDW ASAP.
I also bought a mickey charm for my knockoff pandara bracelet. The charm started to tarnish before the trip was even over. Never again! The CM ringing us up asked if we had an AP and we saved 10%. We later found out we could save 20% with a coupon from a CS before noon. Whoops.
Amy bought some candy, which was something she was really excited about when she found out we were going to Disney.
My mom said she never saw a happier kid in her life when I met Amy for the first time, but I think Amy beat me here. She was SO happy about the two dollars she spent on candy. It's the little things for her.
We came back to where Mom and Dad were at the EU and Mom dropped a bomb. She said she wanted to go to Typhoon Lagoon. At first, I thought she meant during Spring Break or Summer. Nope. She wanted to go today. We've never stepped foot inside a Disney WP and know nothing about them. Amy was excited to go, but I'm not a huge water park fan. I'm sorry, but being brutally pushed around by gravity on a water slide is torture, not fun. I only wanted to go if Dad wanted to go. Dad and I decided to skip it and spend the day just the two of us. I'm a Daddy's Girl and was so excited because the best day of my life was spending a day in Disney with just my Dad seven years prior.
Amy and Mom got the FL. Resident after 2 PM AP. Dad and I will get ours next summer. A and M left right then to go back to the resort and get there stuff, but Dad and I weren't done in Epcot just yet.
We paid a visit to Figment and then walked back to the IG, stopping in every single air conditioned establishment along the way. It was brutal out. We took the boat to the Boardwalk and walked the rest of the way back to the Swan. We rested in the room for about 45 minutes.
I snacked on these new Cape Cod chips. I normally only like normal potato chips. I hate when my potato chips are tampered with weird things, but these babies were addicting.
We went down to the grotto pool, got towels, took off our clothes, and Dad put them in the beach bag BUT did not zipper it up.
Not 2 minutes after we get in the pool, it starts raining. It was only a sun shower, so we stayed in. I mean, we're already wet in the pool anyway. Only thing was, I was trying not to get my hair wet. I tried to hide under the bridge, but it got wet anyway. Eventually, I just gave up. The rain got heavier and heavier, but it was as sunny was could be and there wasn't any lightning or thunder. When it let up, they evacuated the pool.
We dried off and our clothes were SOAKED because genius Dad, did not close the bag. We didn't make that mistake again. I remind him about it everyday. The skies opened up as we were walking back to the room. The lobby is FREEZING! I was shivering by the time we got back up the room and my hair was soaked. So much for not getting it wet. I showered, washed my hair, and dried it, and then we got ready to go back out.
This pool day is one of my fondest memories of the summer. It was so much fun splashing around with Dad in the rain in Disney World and then having our clothes get absolutely soaked. I'll never forget it.
Since it was just Dad and I, he said we could have dinner wherever I wanted.
I chose where I wanted to eat and it required us to take a boat to get there.
I decided to sport my Mickey Ears on this evening.
i started reading it today and i caught up in one sitting... i'm more or less the drill sergeant in my family trips bc i don't wanna miss a moment i could be having at the parks. hope you post more soon
i started reading it today and i caught up in one sitting... i'm more or less the drill sergeant in my family trips bc i don't wanna miss a moment i could be having at the parks. hope you post more soon
