Trip Report If you don't have a bag "entah" through the "centah"

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away a family visited a planet called "Walt Disney World" and all was right in the galaxy.

That's right folks I have only been home for 4 days and it seems like a lifetime ago that I was floating through my days in a magical bubble where I didn't have a care in the world. A place where I woke up at 7 am because I wanted to and only thought about food and FP+ reservations. A place where money wasn't accepted and a magical mickey head paid for all of your wants and desires. A place where the air didn't hurt your face and a Frosé was an acceptable substitute for your morning coffee. I don't know what it is but whenever I am in Disney I often feel like I am my best self. I am not riddled with anxiety and everything just seems perfect while I am there.

As expected we had a magical time filled with some unexpected moments, family squabbles, magical memories, happy tears, exquisite meals, loads of laughter, delicious drinks, and we even managed to make lifelong friends.

If you didn't read my pre-trip report you can follow along here https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/who-needs-christmas-presents-lets-go-to-disney.929947/
or I will give you a quick run down on our cast of characters.

Myself (Alisa) and my Handsome prince Charming, Jerome. We landed in the world on December 7th and after many days of vacation creep didn't leave until December 16th.

Notice how I am dressed like it is the arctic and Jerome has on shorts and a T-Shirt. I will get into that later in the report.

My parents and my little sister, Jilly. They were in the world from Dec 7th - December 13th.

and my in-laws. They were in the world from Dec 8th - December 13th.

with cameo appearances by @Ariel1986 and her husband.

The majority of this trip was spent at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter. Me and Jerome transferred to the Dolphin on December 14th.

With that let's put this Trip Report into hyperdrive..........

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Love the TOT picture of your in laws! We wanted to try out Baseline but just never did get around to it. We will have to addit to the list of things to do for next time!

 

[dclfan]

The story about your dad getting lost reminds me of my grandfather on a family vacation. Him, Grandma, Mom, and I (age 9 or so) were trying to get back to the hotel after dinner. "Trying" being the important word because he was determined he knew where he was going. I was sitting in the back seat looking at the map and I kept telling him he needed to take a certain exit. Of course, he refused to listen to me because I was just a kid after all LOL. Well after getting lost and seeing the same bridge for like the 7th time (!!!), Grandma forced him to listen to me. And you know what? We quickly found our way back to where we were staying I actually didn't even need the map at that point because I had memorized it after seeing those same roads so many times!

OMG isn't that the worst when you know your right but no one will listen. Men can be super stubborn sometimes. I feel like my dad is getting worse the older he gets. He is probably going to be just like your grandpa or already is haha

 

[dclfan]

Love the TOT picture of your in laws! We wanted to try out Baseline but just never did get around to it. We will have to addit to the list of things to do for next time!

Isn't it the cutest. They are relationship goals haha.... I would definitely recommend Baseline on your next trip. The snacks were great and the atmosphere was awesome especially on a warm day. It was nice to just relax and people watch. I'll have to try a different drink next time to give the bar menu a second chance.... Do you have another trip on the books yet?

 

[Matt and Kelly]

No not yet. I think this year we are going to try to Aulani. We are thinking Disney world September 2019. Although I feel like Disneyland is being neglected now. What about you guys?

 

[dclfan]

Day 2 Continued:

We were finally called to our table and were led to a lovely booth table near the back of the restaurant. We were soon greeted by our server who told us it was our lucky day. Even though we were on the regular dining plan we would ALL be receiving one appetizer, entree, and desert but that was not all. We all got FP's for the 8:30 showing of Fantasmic. I'm not sure if we received this sprinkling of Pixie Dust because I noted in our reservation that were celebrating my in-laws first visit or maybe it was just a slow night and Mama was feeling generous. Either way our dinner was off to a fantastic start.

We all started our dinner with some drinks. Dad and Jerome were once again riding the Smoked Turkey train. My sister had a citron vodka and cranberry, mom had a Pinot Grigio and my FIL was feeling particularly boring and went with an Ice-T. My MIL started her first meal of the trip with a Magical Star Cocktail.

and I went with the Bella Italia Wine Flight: Placido Pinot Grigio, Luce Della Vite, and Sogno D'Italia Chianti. All in all it was very good. I'm not a huge Chianti fan so I had to take a few sips of that pour to go but I still ended up finishing the whole flight. You will notice a trend of me ordering tons of flights in Disney since it's an easy way to try some new wines. I have found some of my favorite wines this way.

and look what made an appearance in the corner of the photo.... The Infamous SMOKED TURKEY. I highlighted it for future reference haha.

 

[Stacey LeDuc]

Loving your trip report.

 

[krisri18]

Following! Great start to what sounds like a great trip!

 

[Big Hair]

I am really enjoying your trip report. You approach the " Magic" just as I do. Excitement, waking up way too soon cause you can't wait to get to the parks, enjoying the food and adult beverages throughout the day, and aggressively maximizing ride time. I have to give kudo's to the park commando father because I am the same. No time to wait in line that long for a cup of coffee when there are rides to be rode and park miles to be covered. Keep up the excellent report!

 

[sheriffwoody]

I'm not a huge Chianti fan

Me neither! The whole Silence of the Lambs connection doesn't help

 

[dclfan]

No not yet. I think this year we are going to try to Aulani. We are thinking Disney world September 2019. Although I feel like Disneyland is being neglected now. What about you guys?

We are trying to plan a trip in May if everything comes together with @Ariel1986 and our schedule... OMG we are going to stay at Aulani for part of our honeymoon to Hawaii this year When are you planning on going? We have never been to Hawaii but are super excited. I wanted to try and hit Disneyland on our way home from Hawaii but now I've gotten ambitious and want to go to Tokyo Disney instead lol. I mean I am practically in Tokyo by the time I'm in Hawaii. It only makes sense to go.

 

[dclfan]

Loving your trip report.

Thank you so much for following along.

Following! Great start to what sounds like a great trip!

Thank you so much for following. The trip was amazing and only gets better from here.

 

[dclfan]

I am really enjoying your trip report. You approach the " Magic" just as I do. Excitement, waking up way too soon cause you can't wait to get to the parks, enjoying the food and adult beverages throughout the day, and aggressively maximizing ride time. I have to give kudo's to the park commando father because I am the same. No time to wait in line that long for a cup of coffee when there are rides to be rode and park miles to be covered. Keep up the excellent report!

Thank you for following along. I just love being in the parks. I feel like I could walk around in a circle for hours and still have the best day. Nothing beats the magic and wonder of a Disney Park. The food, adult beverages, and rides definitely enhance the magic though . haha my Dad is the best. I know it sounds like I give him a lot of grief in this report but he is super fun to go to Disney with. He will be the first one up and last one to sleep just like a little kid. I'm embarrassed to be on of "those" coffee people but Disney is not the best place to try and kick the coffee addiction hahaha.

 

[dclfan]

Me neither! The whole Silence of the Lambs connection doesn't help

I'm embarrassed to say I've never seen that movie but I can only imagine it was pretty

 

[dclfan]

Since I'm stuck inside for the bomb cyclone hurricane blizzard that's happening outside my window I will try and get some serious trip reporting done.

Day 2 Continued:

Last we left I was having a mini photo shoot with my wine flight. With that out of the way I could move onto more important things, FOOD. We started with 7 appetizers. Yes you read that right, 7 and I'm embarrassed to say all of them were finished. A few selections were Carne d'Italia Flatbread, Rosemary Chicken Flatbread, Oak Fired Mussels, and Fresh Mozzarella and Vine Riped Tomatoes. I believe we doubled up on some of the flatbreads. Everything was amazing. I ate the whole Carne Flatbread by myself. Unfortunately you will have to take my word for it because again I have 0 photos of our meal. All thought of photos is lost when food is placed in front of me but I will try better next time. For dinner I had Wood Grilled Chicken and Penne Pasta. I can't remember what everyone else had but I know there was no complaints. Is it weird I can remember everyones cocktails but not their food?!? Wait, don't answer that. For desert she brought out a series of desert samplers since everyone was wayyyy to full to order an actual desert. Filled to the brim we all happily waddled out of the restaurant with one tiny cup of Chianti in tow . Our next destination was Sunset Boulevard to see Sunset Seasons Greetings. We left the restaurant a little after 6:00 which we thought was perfect timing. We joined the hoards of people waiting on Sunset and we waited



waited and waited some more. The first show of the night didn't start until 6:53. So very random. I was so excited for this show and I am sad to say I was a little underwhelmed. I thought the projections were a little hard to follow and all in all it wasn't very memorable. I did like the "snope" element but that was about it. After the show everyone went off to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid while me and Jerome walked around and just soaked in the atmosphere of DHS at night.

and even got to play with a real life lightsaber.

After playing with the photographers we decided to grab a spot for Jingle Bell Jingle Bam. The whole time leading up to this trip me and Jerome were obsessed with the title of this show. We were on a road trip to Nashville and we would try to say it three times real fast and then put a big emphasis on the Bam almost like how Emeril Lagasse would say it. Anyway I wanted to try and get the hot chocolate flight but it was getting crowded so I decided to just stay put on the pavement and wait for the rest of our party to arrive. They found us about 10 minutes before Disney Movie Magic started. I really enjoyed Disney Movie Magic. I thought it was a great addition now that the GMR was closed. I felt like it was the last scene of the ride only on a grander scale.

I could tell I was losing my FIL because after MM he fully just laid down on the pavement next to some stranger. It was weird because there was plenty of room next to us but he still ended up going next to this random person and laying practically on top of him. The stranger said he didn't mind and would give him a pillow. It was all very embarrassing. haha. I wish one of us thought to take a photo instead of just staring at this grown man who essentially decided to give into the tiredness and fall asleep on the ground but we didn't. I guess this whole debacle will just live on in our memories.

 

[Rista1313]

I'm in!

 

[dclfan]

Day 2 Continued:

Soon it was time for the main event.

Jingle Bell Jingle Bam was also underwhelming as well. I didn't understand the little elves and I can't even remember the music. I'm not a big Christmas person so I partly blame myself for not being blown away by the DHS Christmas offerings. I am a huge firework fan and I love the nighttime offerings at WDW in general but the Christmas shows just didn't do it for me. I'm glad I took the time to see everything but I still wish Osbourne Lights would come back in the future. That was my favorite Christmas spectacle of all time and I don't think the new shows come close to the wonder that were Osbourne Lights. It makes me sad that Jerome never had a chance to see them in person.

When the show was over my mom, sister, and FIL through in the flag of defeat. They hugged us goodbye and headed off to the buses for a quick trip back to the French Quarter. The remaining survivors walked against the crowd to put our bonus FP for Fantasmic to good use. I stopped off to grab some water bottles and by the time I found my family in the Hades section it was time for the show. Fantasmic is one of those shows that I don't normally see every visit but always enjoy it when I do. I am obsessed with Mickey and I love him in this show. I just die when he marches around the stage and uses his power to raise the water and put out the flames. swoon. Isn't he just the best?!? and how can you forget the end when he is at the top of the mountain being all majestic and then magicallu appears at the bottom.
"some imagination, huh". I want to cry right now just thinking about it. It is pure Disney Magic.

Totally unrelated to my show but has anyone seen when Dopey falls on top of Goofy during the steamboat section? Link below in case you haven't seen it.


Anyway everyone enjoyed the show and my MIL declared it the best show of the trip. She had only been in Disney for 12 hours at this point but still I considered it a successful first park day. We slowly made our way down Sunset with the other stranglers and safely to our car. Happy to report there were no wrong turns in today's rental car adventures and we were quickly back at the French Quarter. We briefly stopped at the food court for some water bottles before saying our good nights. Tomorrow would be an early start we had EMH at Animal Kingdom to get too. Pandora waits for no one.

Up Next: EMH and Animal Kingdom.

 

[dclfan]

Day 3 December 9, 2017 - Animal Kingdom

Another Disney Day, another bright and early wake up. The plan today was to rope drop NA'VI River Journey at 8:00 during EMH so I was awake at 6:00 to get ready to go. Of course I would have been up at 6:00 regardless because, DISNEY. I peeked outside while I was getting dressed and I could already tell the 85 degree sunshine we enjoyed the day before was long gone. It was grey, cold and kind of rainy. I kissed my shorts goodbye and reluctantly put on my jeans and a hoodie with the hope that the sunshine would break through and burn off these rain clouds.

Spoiler Alert: It didn't

Still a rainy day at Disney is better then a sunny day anywhere else. Not even the weather could get me down because today I was seeing Pandora with my very own eyes. I remembered when this was announced back in 2011 and today was finally the day I could see those floating mountains come to life.

At around 7:20 I went outside to find everyone already dressed for the day. The only thing was Jerome, Dad, and FIL ALL had on shorts and T-shirts. I spoke to each one individually and said are you sure you don't want a sweatshirt but each one stubbornly said no. Okie Dokie then we're off. We split up on our way to the parks with my dad, mom, and sister heading to the rental car and the rest of us to the buses.

This is where the title of my trip report comes into play. When we pulled up to the bag check there was an old man with a headset whom I can only assume was from South Boston yelling into his microphone "IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BAG ENTAH THROUGH THE CENTAH". I don't know why but we all thought this was the funniest thing we had ever heard. It was like his whole life was preparing him to say that line at the entrance to Animal Kingdom. I loved it and we pretty much said it to one another throughout the rest of the trip. Bag check was simple after that and in no time at all we were in the park. I was half running towards Pandora because I was so stinkin excited. Finally we came to the bridge next to Nomad Lounge and gone were the construction walls that existed last October this time I was allowed to enter.

WOAH it was even more breathtaking in real life.

You can't really understand how impressive the floating mountains are until your standing under them. I was obsessed with the waterfalls running through them and all the different textures and colors of the landscape. I could have spent all day looking in all of the little nooks and crannies of the new land and not have been satisfied.

living my best life.

 

[mcstensrud]

I’m loving your trip report as I am also living in this “Bomb Cyclone “ storm. 15 inches here so far! How much have you gotten?
BTW my dads name was Jerome! Great name!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Kelly works as a dental assistant, so most of her holidays are based on when her boss takes time off. So we were thinking of doing aulani end of August before the girls head back to school. Then we were thinking Disneyland in October. It's a lot cheaper for us to fly down to California than Orlando. It's hard to coordinate time with school and extra curricular activities. When are you going for your honeymoon? We did Honolulu when Kelly was pregnant with Lenny and it was amazing.

 

[wdwfamilynh]

Love the name of your TR and we would have fallen down laughing had we heard that, too! No idea how, but our 4-year old son has a wicked New England accent...we certainly do not

Hope you weathered the bomb OK. I can’t wait (insert @Tuvalu snark here) for the forecasted high for tomorrow...below ZERO Global warming, you say? I say, “nay, nay.”