Trip Report 10 days goes too fast in Disney World! July Trip Report

So.. I debated back and forth on whether or not I should write a trip report! Bringing back all my Disney memories is bittersweet, I wish I was still there! However, I do not want to forget anything about my wonderful, amazing trip so here goes! Hope you enjoy

I went to Disney from July 14-23, got stuck in Orlando so we didn't really leave until the 24th, with my best friend. This is my fourth trip to Disney and this was her probably 14th, haha. We had never been on vacation together, but we are inseparable at home, so we knew we'd have no problems!! I'm an Ariel lover, Disney World obsessed fan, who comes on these forums WAY TOO MUCH My name's Nicole and the girl with the brown hair is my best friend! Her favorite princess is Aurora, and is pretty upset there isn't a sleeping beauty ride, or show, or really anything in Disney World! We had tons of plans, we wanted to do the cupcake challenge, where you eat a different cupcake everyday, we wanted to drink around the world, we had a ton of things on our must do lists. Disney here we come!

Day One:

Our flight to Disney was at 6:00 AM from Newark so we had to be at the airport around 4 AM! We TRIED to go to sleep early, but all our adrenaline and excitement made that impossible! Finally around 10 PM we fell asleep, and set our alarms for 3:15 AM to go to the airport. When my alarm went off, I was a little cranky and wondered why we picked such an early flight, but then the excitement of going to Disney World crept up, and I was fully awake.

I'm the blonde!

Our flight there was super fast, and we arrived at 8:40 AM. We planned this right! We'd have a full day!! Off it was to find the magical express, did I mention, my friend and I are directionally challenged.
We went all the way downstairs and saw a bunch of Disney cruise buses only to find out we were on the wrong side of the airport, the magical express in on the B side just so everyone knows Back up the stairs and off to the other side we went.



We found the magical express area right away, and since it was early, it wasn't crowded at all! I remember when I went to Disney in November the lines being super long, but the lines were really short when we arrived! We hopped right on the bus, and we were off! Driving through the Walt Disney World sign gave me goosebumps, I could not believe I was really here! My level of excitement increased with each big purple sign with Mickey ears on top we passed.

Stop one was Old Key West Resort, stop two was Saratoga Springs, and stop three was our new home, Port Orleans French Quarter! I had never stayed here before, but just seeing the signs saying "Welcome Home" made me all teary-eyed. I'm such a Disney sap.

We checked in immediately, there was no lines at all, and since I had done the online check in, our room was ready! We were in building 4, room 4309, near the bus stop and food court. We had a garden view, and the room was so pretty! We couldn't have asked for a better room!







We quickly unpacked our carry-ons since our luggage hadn't arrived yet, and then began exploring! We each packed all our headwear in our carry-ons, so for our very first day we decided to wear matching minnie-ears. While we unpacked, we watched Stacey! What kind of Disney trip is it if you don't watch her must dos! Unt pretzel, unt beer!





We walked along the Sassagoula River, checked out the pool area, and checked out the food court. This resort is BEAUTIFUL. It's small and easy to get around, and the landscapers were even the friendliest people. They offered to take our picture in front of the fountain. Thanks again!











After we made our way full circle around our resort, it was off to Magic Kingdom! It was around 1130 AM when we hopped on the first Disney bus to the parks! Hearing the themed music, where the horns are blaring to welcome you to the Magic Kingdom, made me instantly emotional! We put our key to world card up to the new Mickey turnstiles, watched Mickey light up green, and were inside! AHHHH!!!

We hurriedly picked up our photopass and continued on. That first walk down main street is still a blur in my mind. As soon as I saw that castle, I realized I was truly here, my happiest place on earth. The tears started welling up in my eyes, I could not believe it! After months of visiting these forums and looking at everyone's pictures, it was finally my turn! I was so happy and overwhelmed and then BAM the "move it, shake it, celebrate it" parade started going on. I swear it's like they were celebrating our arrival We both were laughing and dancing, and waving at every character that passed by. It was the best entrance I've ever had.









We couldn't decide what we wanted to do first, we had no plan! So we started wandering! We took as many photopass pictures and we could, and then decided to head to new fantasyland. We both had last visited in 2011, so we were excited! On the way, we saw a Tiana, and there wasn't a line, so we had to meet her right away! She was extremely nice, and really pretty!



New fantasyland did not live up to my expectations, I guess because the huge mine train is in the middle of everything. It kind of takes away from the whole immersive experience. I think I may have rathered they open everything up at once, instead of in stages. Don't get me wrong, all the detailing in this area of the park is one the reasons I love Disney World so much.. they truly go that extra mile.

 

[prfctlyximprct]

We went to Gaston's tavern, had a Lefou's Brew and sat down in the tavern just soaking everything in. The brew was really good, in my opinion. It's kind of like a slushy apple juice with a marshmallow aftertaste. The tavern was a little smaller than I expected, but it was very well themed, I truly felt as though I walked into the movie. We then decided to get a fastpass for the little mermaid ride, since the wait time was pretty long. Unfortunately, we forgot the fastpasses are by Philarmagic, not by the ride, so we had to go back. I should have remembered this!!









We get our fastpasses, and start wandering again. We decide we are hungry, and we had talked earlier about eating at Pecos Bill's so we head that way. The line for Pirates of the Carribean is only 10 minutes, so we hop on that first. This is where we see the first sign of tour groups. We ride pirates, and I looked everywhere for the mermaid addition but I did not see them.. I swear I am oblivious sometimes though! It may have just been all my first day excitement, that made me miss out on them! After the ride it's off to lunch!

Pecos Bill's was really yummy, this was my first time ever eating there. I had a bacon cheeseburger and fries, (hey it's vacation) and a chocolate cake with mickey sprinkles for dessert. We were on the dining plan, BTW! Man, how I love those little cakes!





We were both SO FULL, so we decided Philarmagic would be a good option. I love that show! It's seriously so cute. And it's a great way to cool down and digest after a huge meal! After that, our fastpasses were ready for little mermaid, so back to new fantasyland we went!!


Thanks for following along

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Rode the little mermaid ride, it was cute, but I was not blown away. I do think Disney needs as many as these type of rides as they possibly can have. They can accommodate a whole family, and are fast moving. I love the music of the little mermaid, so this ride brought a smile to my face Prince Eric's castle is breath-taking.. It really feels like you are at the beach!


Didn't use flash!!



After her ride, I told my friend I had to meet Ariel in her grotto! I had to meet her in her fin! The wait time was only 20 minutes, thank goodness, or I don't think my friend would have waited





I told her she was my favorite princess, and she gave me the biggest hug. I love the fact that even though I am 25 years old, the characters still treat you respectably. I love meeting the characters, and love hearing their stories that they tell. These CMs truly are exceptional people. I showed her my nails since I had painted them the colors of her outfit and she asked me if I used jellyfish goo. She was seriously so great! This is why she is my favorite princess!! I usually get speechless meeting the characters, but this visit I was able to talk a little bit.

After meeting Ariel, it was off to do more rides. We picked up a fastpass for Peter Pan, then rode it's a small world. This continues to be one of my all time favorites.

 

[gaga4disney]

Great so far!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Then we rode the many adventures of winnie the pooh. The queue is really cute because they have a bunch of things for little kids to do, however this line moved incredibly slow!! We enjoyed playing with the honey screens!



By this time, our fastpass was ready for Peter Pan, and off we soared into neverland. I absolutely love this ride, but I don't understand why the wait times are soooo high!

After Peter, we headed to new Rapunzel restrooms, and my are they beautiful! I probably sound crazy including restrooms in my trip report, but this whole area was so adorable! You definitely have to check it out!





Our original plan had been to go back to the room and rest and shower, mind you we'd been up since 3:15 AM, and our legs were feeling it! We also, didn't plan our first day very well, and wandered here and there in the Magic Kingdom. However, the plan to go back went out the window because it was already pretty close to our dinner reservation at Be Our Guest at 8:05 PM. Thank god for Disney magic, I don't know how we made it through that day!

We decided we needed ammunition, so off to sleepy hollow for snacks! Thanks to this forum, I found my snack of choice, the cookie ice cream sandwich Let me tell you, GET THIS. BEST THING EVER.



We sat for a little while, then decided to go get fastpasses for Splash Mountain. It started sprinkling a little bit so we headed to the hall of presidents afterwards. There was 10 minutes until the next show so we just hung around this area. This attraction really blows my mind. I love seeing all the presidents together in one room, moving and talking, it's incredible. This also helped our achy, tired feet have a break.






(no flash)



We stopped in some shops, and then decided to just ride the train for awhile since we were so tired from walking! On the way to the train we saw this long lost friend, no idea who it is!



We got off at the main street station, because every time we got food or a drink, the CMs were asking for a pin. We never received a pin, so we had to go make one at city hall! The CM helping us was great, and could not believe we had been awake since 3:15 in the morning. We were real troopers she said! Stopped for some photo-ops before hopping back on the train!







We got off at the new fanstasyland station, this circus area wowed me! I did not expect to be so amazed at this area!



There was a short line to meet Goofy and Donald, so there we went!





They were super fun, and I like the new setting to meet them in. We decided we had enough time before out fastpass for splash mountain to ride dumbo, so that was next!







We ended up cutting it pretty close, so we ran to the train and rode back to Splash!

 

[Billy6]

Great start!!

The mermaid addition on POTC is right before you go over the drop, left hand side... I hope you were able to pick it up later on your trip!

Keep it going!!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Splash Mountain is my favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom so I was extremely excited we were getting on it on our first day there. I also read about the refurbishment here on the forums, so I really wanted to check it out. I remember reading someone complaining about everything working except for one chicken, so I told my best friend to keep her eyes peeled! We get up to the loading area and turns out we are in front row! We had 10 minutes until our ADR at Be Our Guest, we definitley did not time this right! Off we go into the log, and my friend is screaming at me about how wet you get up front! I tell her no, no, it's the back that get's the wettest! Well, turns out, I was wrong!



We were soaked! It looked like we had just gotten out of the shower! My butt was soaked, my hair was dripping, my make up was all down my face! And we were supposed to be at Be Our Guest now! We were gonna be late! Oh the drama! Anyways, the ride was exceptionally well done, everything was in perfect working order and there were things I had never seen before happen. I never remembered a rabbit coming down from the ceiling yelling at you before you go up the final hill. I also could not find a broken chicken anywhere. The paint was bright, the scenes were loud and clear, and it showed me what Disney magic is all about! We hurried off the ride and sprinted to Be Our Guest! Literally, running through the park. We were only 10 minutes late, and the CMs were fine about it! This turns out to be a trend throughout our visit! Oh well





They took us in right away, I guess an upside to being late? But... we were still soaked! This restaurant is stunning, you walk in and your breath is taken right out of your mouth. And, we looked like drowned rats. We sat in the ballroom and watched the snow come down out the window. We felt like we were in a classy five star restaurant, however our wet outfits and mickey ears reminded us we were still in Disney World.



It's pretty dark in here, so my pictures aren't too clear (I'm sorry) but it is truly a place you have to see to believe. The pictures online do not do it justice.

Every half hour or so, they play this epic music and they announce your host, the beast!! He comes out and does a little bow, it's freaking adorable I almost cried!



I got the grilled strip steak with garlic-herb butter and pommes frites, and it was all DELICIOUS. One of my favorite meals the whole trip. The steak was cooked just to my liking, and it melted in your mouth. The fries had some sort of seasoning on them, and they were to die for! I was still so full from all the food we had that day but I managed to finish my whole plate!





I also had to have my first drink ever in the magic kingdom, so I ordered a glass of pinot grigio.

I felt like royalty! We tried to eat slowly, so we could really soak up the environment, but soon it was time for dessert. I had the strawberry cupcake (remember i'm trying for one a day!) and my friend got the chocolate creme puff. They were both delicious! I keep seeing mixed reviews on Be Our Guest but I must give it two thumbs up and five stars and whatever other praise I can!



After our meal, we got to meet the Beast, he was extremely tall and didn't say much!



We asked our server if we could explore and he said to go right ahead, it was pretty late at this point, and not too many people were there!

















I'd recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone! It was the best first night meal! By the time we left, it was almost 10, and we figured we'd made it this late, we might as well stay for wishes. We were both sooooo beat, but watching those fireworks light up over Cinderella's castle was really the icing on the cake for the most perfect first day ever. I was in tears, yet again. The part where Peter Pan comes on and it goes "I never wanna grow up, off to neverland!" gets me everytime. I was so happy and wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. Wishes is my favorite night time show, and I could watch it again and again and still get all emotional! We trudged along main street afterwards, got right on a POFQ bus, and passed out almost instantly when we got to our room. It was the best day, but we had many more best days to come.

 

[LizC]

What a great first day! I'm glad you had such a good experience at Be Our Guest, I have heard mixed reviews and was debating trying it for our trip but I think I will go for it.

Looking forward to the rest!

 

[GSP Guy]

I'm enjoying your trip report! Nice pics an I LIKE THE WAY YOU EAT for a young lady!

 

[WDW_Princess24]

This has me so excited lol I'm also from NJ, right by the airport actually, and also Ariel obsessed! I love love love the spread of tiaras you ladies brought!! I'm staying at POFQ so loving your pics and review. Can't wait to read more.

 

[prfctlyximprct]

I'm enjoying your trip report! Nice pics an I LIKE THE WAY YOU EAT for a young lady!

you ain't seen nothing yet! haha this is only day 1!!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

This has me so excited lol I'm also from NJ, right by the airport actually, and also Ariel obsessed! I love love love the spread of tiaras you ladies brought!! I'm staying at POFQ so loving your pics and review. Can't wait to read more.

thank you!! nj is the best! except it's too far from the world! i guess we are lucky tho with such a short plane ride!!

 

[englanddg]

Like the new avatar.

Sounds like an awesome trip so far! Can't wait to see more. Especially enjoyed the parts about POFQ, as I'll be there in a few weeks, and am quite excited for it.

Cheers!

 

[GSP Guy]

you ain't seen nothing yet! haha this is only day 1!!

LOL..... looking forward to it!

 

[Zortek]

Great TR so far!!! And that kid in the second to last row on Splash Mountain is hilarious...I think his parents may have forgotten to tell him about the drop.

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Day Two:

Animal Kingdom! This might just be my favorite park. I change my mind daily though. To me, AK is more than a theme park. And it's not a zoo! It's the best themed park, hands down. Everything is so detailed and intricate, I still find things I never noticed before when I go in. I could spend hours just looking at the animals, watching them interact with each other and their environment. I am an all around animal lover. My best friend, she isn't yet sold on AK. She sometimes even skips this park altogether! OH THE HORROR!! I was up to the challenge to change her mind! AK had extra magic hours this morning, so we were up bright and early to make it for 8 AM. So much for sleeping in on vacation!





Of course I had to wear my animal print ears! And we planned before our trip to wear animal print to this park. Aren't we so cute?!





There was a ton of photopass photographers out, so we took full advantage!













Make sure you ask for magic shots! Sometimes they won't offer it, but if you ask they are more than happy to let you know which ones they can do! We wanted to do them all!






This picture cracks us up every time.

After our photoshoot, it was off to Kilimanjaro Safari, I read on here that the animals are awake in the morning and it turned out to be true! This was the most animals I'd ever seen in all my trips!















Sorry my photo taking skills aren't the greatest!!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Zebras!! I was so ecstatic when I read the zebras were back! They are my favorite! I hope they behave so they can stay on the safari! After our wonderful ride, we wandered around Africa for awhile. We walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trails.. I love this area! Again, the animals were all awake!

This duck was pacing back and forth, back and forth. He was too cute! Later on in the trip, my friend had duck for two meals (NOOOOO!!) and I kept joking with her that it was our friend from AK. He was so cute just swimming his laps.





The trails were so quiet, we must have been the only ones there! It was nice to just joke around and be goofy. I always feel like these memories make the best of the trip.





We then decided we were hungry, and I had been dreaming of that elephant cupcake that you can get at Kusafiri Bakery, so we went in search of food! It was around 9 AM at this point, and I guess normal people do not eat cupcakes for breakfast, because we didn't see it anywhere on the menu! C'mon people! I pulled up the disney food blog on my phone, and showed the CM working what cupcake I had been drooling over. She said she could check for me and YAY!!, they had them available! We thanked the CM profusely for helping us crazy girls, but we were on a mission! Cupcake for day 2!!! We also shared a bagel, so it was kind of a nutritious breakfast! LOL!!

This cupcake was really, really good. The coconut on top probably made it my favorite cupcake of the trip. It's also really huge, the two of us could barely finish it! Also, the iced coffee everywhere was a real life saver!

We then decided it was time to head to Asia, and get on a ride! We didn't wanna ride Everest yet, because we were sooooo full! So we grabbed fastpasses and headed to Kali River Rapids..

Took more photos on the way!

 

[GSP Guy]

Oh yeah..cupcakes for breakfast!!!
I am so jealous! Can't wait for my November trip!

 

[righttrack]

Beautiful pics! Love the smiles and childlike abandon. That is what Disney does to people

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Ah, so beautiful! I can still remember my first trip to Disney and looking out at the amazing mountain being built. And then in 2006, riding it when it was in the oh so great A mode. Truly was one of the greatest rides. I still think it's amazing, but the yeti and I are currently having our differences. Please stop discoing!!













Kali had about a 30 minute wait, but we were still so stuffed we thought it'd be a good idea to just stand in line. I took a lot of pictures of the queue! We get on with a family and two boys who were all very nice! I love how friendly everyone is in Disney. It truly brings out some of the best in humanity We kept joking with everyone about who was going to get the wettest. My friend joked about wearing her poncho but I insisted that was cheating. It was hot out anyway! Again, I told my friend that back in November I barely got wet on this, and she tried to argue with me that we'd get soaked. Turned out, she was right, AGAIN, and we got SOAKED. That last hill we spun around backwards, and a tidal wave came up and soaked us bad. My whole dress was drenched. I could wring it out for hours. The guys on it with us were laughing so hard at us.. we were a sight to see!

After Kali, our fastpasses were good for Everest, so we thought this would be a good time to get blown dry! We watched the monkeys for a little, then went on our way!



The family that was on Kali with us ended up being on our same coaster for Everest, and we all agreed to sceam like little girls! I think this feat was accomplished!



This ride rocks! I love when you are at the top and can see for miles, the DHS hat, the tower of terror, the swan and dolphin, and the Epcot ball! My friend swears she does not remember the ride being this scary, see AK is the best!! The yeti wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, however if you blink at this moment you might miss him! And the part where he rips up the track was still there.. I read somewhere it wasn't but it was! They also had smoke going at the loading area, it was nice to see all these special effects! Now if only they could make that yeti's arm come down again

Next up was Finding Nemo: the musical.. neither of us had ever seen this so we were excited! We originally planned to get fastpasses for Dinosaur and then go to the musical, but the next show started in 5 minutes so we decided to just go inside.



We didn't really expect much from this but WOW, it was good! I'd say this is a must see! They performers do a really great job of telling the story, and I was never distracted by the people who were holding up and acting out the characters. The puppetry shocked me. I didn't think I'd enjoy it so much, but there I was, clapping and singing along! It goes through whole movie, I didn't believe the story would be told in the time frame, but they accomplish it. It's really cute, they did an excellent job.

Next up was Dinosaur! We waited in line, it was about 35 minutes.





I always forget how terrifying this ride is. I don't understand how young kids can ride this no problem! My friend and I were clutching each other the whole time, I knew a dinosaur jumped out, but I couldn't remember when!! It was so fun, we were screaming the whole time.





Got off Dinosaur, and decided it was time to eat! Headed to my favorite quick serve, flame tree bbq!



We both got the chicken and ribs combo and since neither of like coleslaw they were able to substitute! Did not know this! It never hurts to ask, my friends! I got double beans, and my friend got a side of grapes instead. She got key lime mousse, and I got chocolate... mmmmmmmm my mouth is watering thinking of this meal.





Flame tree has the best seating options, we got to sit across from Everest.. such a beautiful sight to see.



As you can see, the clouds were rolling in, and by the end of our meal we were huddled underneath the eating area's covering, debating if we should go back to our room or stick it out. It was pouring! We still had more we wanted to do at AK, and I HAD TO see the parade, but we weren't sure if we wanted to come back here another day. Decisions, decisions! We checked the times guide, and saw Festival of the Lion King was starting in 10 minutes.. should we run for it??