Trip Report Girl's Weekend, Disney Style: A Tale of Two Sisters Getting Their Disney On!***COMPLETED***

Hello, new Disney friends and fellow Disney enthusiasts!

About me:
I am a fairly new member and have enjoyed getting my Disney fix by following many wonderful trip reports here when I am missing Disney…which is pretty much ALL THE TIME! Unfortunately for me, I don’t get to make it down as often as I would like, but I have made it down a few times, my first time was a weekend trip in 1991, a day trip to Disneyland in 1992, a full week trip in 1998, and then I took a loooooong hiatus and didn’t get back down there until 2016, which awakened my Disney passion and I got to go back in fall of 2017, and then most recently, beginning of June 2019. Though my husband enjoys DW, he doesn’t want to go as frequently as I do, so luckily for me, I have a sister who loves it, too, so I went with her on my last two trips. For my 2017 trip, I tagged along with her family and it was her first time there and she instantly fell in love with the place! So that brings us to 2019, when it was the dead of a miserably cold winter for both of us since we live in the north, and Florida was calling. We decided to do a sisters getaway weekend, and since I am a teacher, we had to wait until June. It was a long wait, but when the time came, we were more than ready. So let’s do this! This is my first time doing a trip report so I have no clue what I am doing so will be learning along the way, but since I have enjoyed so many trip reports on here, I thought I would give back and give it a try in hopes it can bring a smile to someone's face who needs a little Disney joy. I have lots to share with you and hope you enjoy tagging along with us down memory lane and I will tell you right now…when my sister and I get together and Disney and cameras become combined, it is Ham-It-Up City! You have been warned!

Who: Little Ol’ Me and my fellow Disney Addicted Sister.
That's me in the pink, and my sister in white.
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What: Long weekend girl’s trip, Disney style!

When: June 7-June 11, 2019

How: Very bumpy plane ride, crazy weather from sunny and hot 102 heat index to monsoons of cold rain and thunderstorms with swimming through puddles, to very pleasant cloudy and overcast days, lots of buses and boat rides, a couple rope drops, and of course, lots of food, characters, shopping, and rides!

Where: Stayed at Pop Century, and over the course of the weekend, visited many resorts (Art of Animation, Fort Wilderness, Contemporary, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge), Disney Springs, and did two park days: Hollywood Studios and Epcot one day, and Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom on the other.

It was a lot to pack in for our 3 ½ days, but our Disney adrenaline was pumping and we tackled it all! It may have taken me all week to recover when I got home, but you know…YOLO!

So as Slinky Dog says, “Let’s go!”

Day 1: Friday, June 7, 2019
Travel: Yuck. I won’t bore you will all the gory details, but I had to get up at 4 in the morning, drive to our huge, international airport, navigate parking, stand in a very long security line, made it on the plane in the nick of time, suffered lots of air turbulence…the kind that makes you want to kiss the ground when you land…but I finally made it! Ahhhh…Orlando airport…I love seeing this! So exciting!
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I only had to wait a little while for my sister’s flight to land and then we were off to the Magical Express!

Check In to Pop Century. This was my second stay here and let me just say, I LOVE the smell of the lobby there. So after some discussion with my sister on what that smell could possible be (like orange cream but more lemon-y maybe? We will never know), we looked around the lobby and headed to our room. We enjoyed the walk down memory lane…not to age ourselves, but we certainly remembered these:
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Magical Occurrence #1:When I stayed at Pop a couple years ago, I was all the way at the back of the resort which added a lot of walking. I did request a closer room this time, but I don’t know if it was because of my request (I never heard anything back from them) or if it was just luck, but we were a lot closer this time, in the 50s building, just a few minutes walk from the lobby and transportation. Our feet certainly appreciated that after miles of walking all day. Also, when I stayed there a couple years ago, I was lucky enough to get one of the newly refurbished rooms so new they were nice, and now they are all done, so was happy my sister would enjoy them, too. Modern, clean, comfortable, and at a good price…what’s not to love! And we love the art above the beds! Fun!

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We had a few hours until our dinner reservation so thought we would walk over the bridge walkway between the two resorts to check out Art of Animation in case we would ever want to stay there on a future stay. Now, it can get hot in the Midwest where we are both from and we can suffer extreme temperatures throughout the year, but this year, it has been rainy and cool for pretty much forever so we had not gotten a chance to acclimate to hot weather yet. So we were NOT prepared for the level of hot it happened to be at this particular time in the afternoon as we walked around. We pretty much thought we would burst into flame at any minute.

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Just to survive and not look like one of those skeletons who didn’t make it in the desert, we had to dodge inside for some air conditioning here and there. We managed to not spontaneously combust and enjoyed seeing all the character statues around the resort, and made it back to Pop and thanked our lucky stars for the man who invented air conditioning…seriously, he should get his own holiday!

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After recovering for a little while, it was time for our first big event of the trip: Hoopty Doo Review! This was both our first time checking out the dinner show and we were super excited! And hungry! Magical Occurance #2: The bus to Magic Kingdom was there and we didn’t have to wait! Yay! So off we went to the MK, got on the ferry to cross the lagoon, and there we were at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds with plenty of time to spare. So we looked around a bit, did a little shopping in the gift shop, my sister did some pin trading, and took some pictures. It was still hot, but overcast at this point so that helped and the sun wasn’t as high in the sky so we were happy about that.

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JosieBee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Continued:
Day 4: Monday, June 10, 2019: Animal Kingdom/Magic Kingdom

After Splash Mountain, I scored ANOTHER FP for Haunted Mansion! This is one of our favorite rides so eagerly headed over there and couldn’t believe our luck because the line was something like 90 minutes. Not only did we score a FP, but we also came across a photographer in the line and got some awesome Haunted Mansion Magic Shots!

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After the ride, I also found this in my photo account. LOL! We were not ready at all…my sister was fixing her ears and I was trying not to fall asleep because we were feeling the Disney exhaustion at this point, and I was sitting, and it was dark! 😴😴😴 I guess I was too tired to be scared.

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We were having so much fun, that we lost track of time and realized it was getting late and our stomachs were reminding us of this fact! We popped into Casey’s Corner to get a hot dog and fries. The park was crowded and lines at the food counter were long. I did mobile order and my sister did not. It took her about 15 minutes more in the line, and I was able to use my waiting for her time to find us a seat. This goes to show that mobile ordering is a time saver!

While I was waiting for her I SCORED ANOTHER FP to Pirates! This is when I realized that snagging extra Fastpasses was my secret superpower! Who knew?! I might need Edna to design me another suit! So after our dinner, we headed over there and about 10 minutes later, we were on. Afterwards, since we were back in that area, we knew there was a Magic Shot with a giant Dole Whip that we wanted that you could get in Adventureland, but we couldn’t find any photographers at that time to get that one. Bummer! Oh well, I guess we will just put that on the list of fun goals for next time!

***pretend there is a photo of us drooling over a giant Dole Whip right here***

At this point, it was time to go pick a spot for fireworks viewing and we got there about an hour before the show and the hub was starting to fill up, but we found a good spot and got to sit on the ground and just hang out, rest, and watch the castle light up as the night drew in.

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🎶 Isn't she lovely???? Isn't she wonderful???? 🎶

About 15 minutes before the fireworks would begin, they made us all stand up to squeeze everyone it. I know this is a space issue, but it would be so nice if you could sit on the ground and watch the show, and then everyone could see with no one in your way. I always feel for weary parents who have to hold their children so they can see (the ones on their hips...up on shoulders just adds to the problem). Anyway…I digress!

Finally the show began! On our last trip, we had seen the HEA show, but we were way down at the end of Main Street so this was completely different being close up to see all the projection details and I feel it was worth getting there an hour early to get a good spot. Those projections are so amazing to see how they transform the castle!

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Let the fireworks begin!

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Oooooooooooh!!!!!

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Aaaaaaahhh!

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At this point, I had to squeeze myself over my sister's shoulder, because as you can see, the person who was in front of me kept holding her phone all the way up over her head, which means instead of seeing the lovely fireworks, I got to have her phone in my face. Her arm eventually would get tired and she had to put it down, and I thought it was safe, but then she would pop it back up again. For the record, I don't have a problem with people taking photos and videos during the fireworks, and I obviously was doing the same. However, I try to be mindful and usually hold it in front of me where it is not in anyone's way.

I have a three year old granddaughter, and thanks to her, I have become quite versed in all things Moana and she makes me watch it, and sing the songs to her all the time, so I recorded the whole Moana portion of the show for her and now she wants to watch that all the time, too! One of my favorite parts of the whole show was when Moana’s Grandma’s manta ray spirit soared up the castle! There she is at the bottom of the castle getting ready!

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More coming right up!

 

JosieBee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Magic Kingdom Continued!

The villain lovers in us appreciated the villain representation and enjoyed the appearance by Maleficent!

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Wowwie Wow Wow! Disney fireworks are hands-down the best!

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Not a great photo, but still a perfect ending to our Sister Trip!

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The park was open for a couple more hours so we decided to just hang out on Main Street and do some more shopping and enjoy the ambiance before leaving. When we finally did say goodbye to MK and headed back to the resort, we were just looking forward to sweet slumber! We both were out as soon as our heads hit the pillows!

Tuesday, June 11: Bye-bye Disney World!😭

We both had to fly out the next day so got to sleep in a little before getting ready to go on what I like to call the Tragical Depress! My sister was scheduled to leave 30 minutes before me, so we waited together for her bus, gave each other hugs and goodbyes, and she got on the bus and waved to me from the window. I sat down to watch her bus pull out and the bus driver came over to me to ask if I was waiting on a bus so I explained mine was coming up. He said he had room on his bus if I wanted to hop on. My sister wasn’t paying attention to this because she was on the phone talking to her family, so imagine her face when she saw me get on! You know that face when Sully gets to see Boo again? Yeah, it was like that.:happy:

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So we got to ride the bus together to the airport after all and got an unexpected extra hour together! This was our last Magical Occurrence for the trip and we had so many, that I lost count!

And just like that, our Sister Weekend Disney Extravaganza was over and back to the real world. We had such a wonderful time and made so many special memories that we will cherish forever. We both really needed this trip after a very tough year. I would like to dedicate this trip report to our beloved father who we lost last year. When we were growing up, he made sure Disney matinees, Disney Channel, and toys were a part of our life. Though we never got to experience Disney World with him, he was definitely in our hearts during this trip.

If you have made it to the end of this TR, thank you for sticking with me and hope you enjoyed our tale! I loved “meeting” you and sharing our love of Disney together. This definitely helped those Disney Blues! Since I am late to the TR party, I have a couple trips from the last few years that I am thinking of revisiting and possible sharing sometime. I figure better late, than never, so we will see!

Take care, everyone, keep sharing those reports, and I hope that Disney magic stays alive in your hearts no matter where you are!💕
 

JosieBee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I really enjoyed your TR!! It was so much fun!! Please revisit your past trips--you can count me in!! Also, you have a three year old granddaughter????:jawdrop: I was shocked when I read that--you look like you're in your 20's!!
My 20s!!! LOLOLOLOLOL!!!! I wish! Well, thank you for that! You made my day! I am well into my 40s and believe me, all the signs of that are starting to knock on my door! Disney keeps me young at heart, though!
 

LeighM

Well-Known Member
I really enjoyed your trip report!!! I saw plenty of nighttime shows through someone else's camera so I understand that frustration lol.
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
My 20s!!! LOLOLOLOLOL!!!! I wish! Well, thank you for that! You made my day! I am well into my 40s and believe me, all the signs of that are starting to knock on my door! Disney keeps me young at heart, though!
Glad I made your day!! I sincerely meant it--I was floored when you said you had a granddaughter. I am well into my 40's also & unfortunately I know exactly where you're coming from!!
 

Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
What a way to end your awesome WDW visit, at MK with beautiful fireworks, nonetheless!
Loved your TR, from beginning to end, I was smiling and giggling with every post you made, and that got my husband, Frank intrigued about your adventures too, btw! 😄

I'm sure your Father was (and is) with you, what a beautiful way to honor His memory.

Thank you for sharing with us! This was such a fun and heartwarming read! 😊
 
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debpeduz

Active Member
Such a fun trip report-thank you for taking us along!
It’s amazing how Disney can help you hold on to such fond memories and experiences with family!
 

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