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]

Ahhh can't wait to see!

Those are from my last trip in August 2012, with the famous star fish! My sister gave me a bunch of other cute ones for my birthday in July.
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Omg I'm in love!!!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Hello from the World!!!! We did AK today and tried out the Flame Tree BBQ after I read about it in your TR .... It did not disappoint - It was pretty good! I took some pics of the tasty food which I will post if I ever write a TR myself! But really I had to post today because we decided to check out AK Lodge today on a whim to see if we could get into Boma!! Once again I was inspired by your TR! Lucky for us we were able to get in with our kids at 4:30 and we had a blast! The food was really a great culinary exploration for us with so many flavors to choose from (the seafood gumbo in particular was OMG good!) and the Zebra Dome totally lived up to its hype. So, so, so good!! So a quick thank you to you from us down here at the World!!! 7 more park days to go - woo hoo!

I'm so jealous! Glad I inspired you to try something new!!! And I'm glad you enjoyed or I would have felt terrible! Zebra domes are AHHHHHH MAAAAAAAAZINGG! Wish I was there with you! Have so much fun!!!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

All I can say is WOW! Just WOW! What a great trip report and AWESOME photos! Enough said I suppose and thanks.

Thank you so much for reading! You made my day!!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

We were as pretty as princesses as we took our usual before going out photo in the room!



Took some more selfies on the bus.. you can never take enough! Can you sense our excitement?!



The familiar sound of the horns went off as we approached. I felt like Magic Kingdom was becoming my second home, we'd been here so much! The bag checkers knew us! Now that's something!

We saw the princess wait time was only 20 minutes, so what the heck! We needed to find Rapunzel. Our princess mission was still on! We hoped and prayed she was inside!







She was the sweetest girl! I think she may have been one of my favorites. We told her we checked out her village earlier in the week, and she told us she was glad she wasn't high up in the tower. She liked coming down to meet her friends. We also told her we tried meeting her a few days ago, but were told her hair was tangled. She apologized and showed us how hard it was to maintain her hair. I was smitten with her!

Up next was the ever famous Aurora.. we should be on first name basis with these princesses! Princess Nicole should have a meet and greet LOL.















She was so cute as well. My friend was in her own world, talking like the best of friends with her. She is convinced Aurora is her twin. We all complimented each others dresses.. I asked if she wanted to trade. I would love to wear her pretty pink dress for a while! She asked if this was our first adventure together, in which we told her yes. The first of many more to come! She agreed.

Lastly was Cinderella, she made us do some cute poses and we all discusses how much work it is being a princess. She was very funny. All the posing, man it is a tough job!











I absolutely love meeting the princesses and talking with them. I swear I could have a conversation with them for hours. I love how in character they are.. it's nice to hear their stories!

We ventured back outside, and saw it must have rained while we were chatting with our friends! What perfect timing to come out!



Headed over to get a snack.. who says you can't have dessert first?!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

We both got snacks from the Confectionery. My friend got a chocolate covered rice krispie treat with peanut butter chips, and I got a red velvet cake pop. That thing melted in my mouth it was so moist and delicious! I wish it was bigger, I could have eaten like 10 of them! Okay, maybe not but it was too good to be true! We knew we had dinner reservations soon but you only live once, might as well eat dessert first!





We sat outside at a table that had a checkerboard, and challenged each other. Who else plays checkers in the middle of the Magic Kingdom?! You can't get any better than that! I lost, but I was in my happy place.. so therefore I still won!



Went shopping along main street and found an Alex and Ani Disney bracelet! It was the castle! I had to get it. My friend got one too! These bracelets are the big thing up in the Northeast! A woman was standing with us while we were purchasing them and ended up getting one for herself as well. We talked with her about the craze up where we live for these bracelets, she told us she was a local from Florida and never even heard of them. Weird how different things take off in certain areas!





Everyone was lining up for the parade, so we found a spot to watch. We were ready to dance!





The whole thing was so interactive, a CM even told some of the dancers they better watch their backs because we might take their jobs! We were dancing and singing along, clapping and waving to the characters. I love when you know they are waving directly at you. Some of them even blew us kisses, it was the best. Crazy how you can feel for characters!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

I took a lot of pics of the parade, I just get so excited! I can't help myself.







Continued our trek up main street, there wasn't a large crowd so we took a lot of pictures. It was nice to just be in the midst of main street, usa. I wish I could really live upstairs in one of these buildings. Preferably, the confectionery.. or the emporium. Whichever









There we a lot of photopass photographers out and about.. we stopped at almost every one. You can, so why not! Everyone loves a million photos of the castle, don't they?! It's the most beautiful sight on the planet.





The one man was really fun, and made us do our best monsters pose for the monstrous summer. We told him we loved monsters university. He said he could tell! Look at how scary we are!










It was getting close to dinner, and we wanted to explore the Grand Floridan, so we hopped on the monorail. I would love to stay at a monorail resort one day! Oh the convenience! We walked inside and my breath was instantly taken away. It is GORGEOUS. I want to stay here.. I want to LIVE here. This place is unreal!





In a way, I felt like I had stepped aboard the Titanic, that's what they style reminded me of! Everything was perfect.. it was so fancy! I felt like royalty!



There was even a band playing instrumental disney songs.. it was crazy!









I couldn't believe we could have a dinner reservation in this place. When I say nice, I mean nice. Now if only I can stay here one day for real!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Acting like a princess was fun. I don't think I've ever been inside somewhere so nice. There just aren't classy joints like this in Jersey! It felt kind of antique-y inside.. like we had traveled back in time to when girls were ladies and men were gentlemen. Does this make any sense? I can't find the appropriate words to even begin to explain the Grand Floridian!









Still had time to kill, so we headed outdoors. Again, simply beautiful. I have no words.







Here I am doing my best princess pose.. hey disney, if you're hiring.. here I am







A very nice man ran over when he saw we were taking pictures of each other and offered to take one of the both of us. I swear, when it comes to things like this I will keep paying it forward. Whenever I see a couple struggling to take a photo of themselves, I run over and offer to do it for them. The people in Disney are just the nicest. Thank you mister! I love how this came out!





We headed over to look across the way at the Polynesian.







We continued to take it all in, step by step. I want to stay on my honeymoon here! I want to win the lottery and stay here!



Here I am again with a pole!





My friend couldn't contain her excitement that it was almost time to eat!



We went and put in our names.. the best was yet to come!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

First you take your photo in front of this huge mural.. it's really something! I love how light and bright these came out! We look like we're in a movie!





We got seated right away, and walked in to Prince Charming and Cinderella dancing. They were so romantic. We had no idea Cinderella was here! We thought it was only Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters! What a pleasant surprise. We just met Cindy earlier too... man that princess has a busy schedule.





We headed up to the buffet for our first plates. I filled mine up with all sorts of salads. They have so much to choose from! The Cesar salad was my favorite!



Before we knew it, Cinderella was at our table! Guess she wanted to say hi to her friends she met earlier at MK! Haha! We told her we loved her dancing, and she blushed.





Next up was the prince. I had never met a prince before! I was so shy around him.. I guess it's different meeting princes versus princesses! Now if I had met Prince Eric, I may have passed out. But Prince Charming, I was calm and collected. We told him we were glad he didn't marry a step sister!










Soon came Drizella.. she was a riot! She made the best faces and was so honest and blunt. It's a nice change of pace meeting these characters. She complained to us about Cinderella and how she was showing off before dancing with Prince Charming. She told us it was gross.





She also told me to fire my dressmaker, because they forgot to give me enough fabric for the front!!



I complimented her bow and she said she knew it was wonderful. I loved these characters! The whole attitude persona was great.



My next plate I tried the stir-fry. You pick what you want, and the chef makes it just for you. I had rice, chicken, mushrooms and broccoli. I enjoyed watching him make it right in front of my eyes, it was so hot and fresh! The variety has this buffet shocked me. I was not expecting all that was offered!



Lady Tremaine was up next, and she was the best. She keep calling us "Dahlings". We told her she looked great, and she kept saying "Oh stop it, stop it, I know." She was too good at what she was doing. I was bursting out laughing every time she came near us. She would stop and say, "I look great, don't I, dahlings. I'm just beautiful." I swear some of these characters should be given an Oscar with how well they pull of these roles. I was definitley impressed! The whole place loved her!



My next plate I had mashed potatoes and corn, and I tried some of the gumbo. Again, it was all so good. I wish my stomach was bigger so I could hold more food in it!



The restaurant is carrousel themed, and it reminds me of the olden days at the beach.



Anastasia came to us next. She kept screaming for her mom. She would SCREAM at the top of her lungs. The whole place would turn to her. It was really something!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

My next plate.. can you believe I'm STILL eating?! Well my next plate was pizza, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, roast beef, and strawberry soup! The strawberry soup was sweet, it was cold and hit the spot. I can see why this is a craze! I would love to sit outside on a hot day, have someone fan me, and sip my strawberry soup. So good!



And here I am stuffing my face.. I was a endless pit that night! I'd regret it soon enough! We were so full we could not move! I could barely even stand up to go get dessert. The buffets in Disney really are a great option when you're on the dining plan.





We loved watching the princess with her prince. They danced again and asked little kids to join in. The prince danced with a little girl, and Cindy with a little boy. It was adorable. Those kids must have felt like a million bucks! I took some paparazzi stalker type photos. I was in the presence of royalty!





Although I was stuffed like a turkey on Thanksgiving, I had to find room for dessert. I got a nice array... I can't believe I'm not 1000 pounds thanks to Disney!





Anastasia made up her own dance... she was spinning around with her arms out. It was hysterical!





We said good-bye to our lovely hosts and waddled out the door. I don't think in my whole life I've ever been as full as I was at Disney. I swear after every meal I was stuffed! Vacations are good excuses to eat!



We checked out some of the rides they had outside.. I guess they used these for weddings! I keep telling my Dad he's gonna have to dress up as King Triton for my big day and take me to the wedding in a horse drawn pumpkin coach. He thinks I'm kidding... HAHAHA.



Take me away!






Hoped back on the monorail, never been so thankful to have a seat! We were back at the Magic Kingdom before we knew it! We wanted to take a slower pace, we were so incredibly full.
I tried to make a heart with my hands and pose, but it just looks like a circle! Oh well! It's the circle of life! I love this freaking castle!











The crowds were forming for the parade and fireworks, but we decided it would be a perfect opportunity for us to walk on some rides. The night was young!

 

[FlaggNL]

Keep on posting It makes me sooooo jealous but also so full with cheers! At the end of July and the beginning of August we were for 10 days in Disneyland Paris, so you can expect me to fill a report with a lot of pics and describtions! But love to keep on reading yours!!

 

[pumpkin7]

Loving your TR!
We had the pleasure of walking through the GF for a fleeting moment. I was amazed. It is just like a fairytale in there. They didn't have the band on, but they had a solo pianist and he was playing a song from Tangled. I'm not sure what it's called but it was the romantic one when Rapunzel and Flynn are on the boat. It was amazeballs. Though I felt like I was tresspassing like a naughty kid!

Can't wait for more!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Keep on posting It makes me sooooo jealous but also so full with cheers! At the end of July and the beginning of August we were for 10 days in Disneyland Paris, so you can expect me to fill a report with a lot of pics and describtions! But love to keep on reading yours!!

Thank you so much for following along!! Your comments make me happy!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

1900 Park Fare looks so good. I'm debating dining right now (I just convinced my brother that Boma is a good idea!!!), we have like 6 TS (maybe 7). Your reviews are so helpful! Plus, Cinderella is my favorite, we did the Royal Table when I was little. But the stepsisters and Lady Tremaine...that sounds so fun.

Your pics in front of the castle are so cute, but I couldn't help noticing the strollers to your right. Holy strollers batman - those look like the things parents put on the back of their bikes to tow kids. They're massive!

I'm glad my reviews are helping! I feel like I loved everything, so I might be bias! I'm a somewhat picky eater, and found things to eat everywhere I went.. I think we did our dining options well!

There were so many strollers EVERYWHERE!!! I don't know how some parents maneuver them around! I can barely walk through the crowds sometimes!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Loving your TR!
We had the pleasure of walking through the GF for a fleeting moment. I was amazed. It is just like a fairytale in there. They didn't have the band on, but they had a solo pianist and he was playing a song from Tangled. I'm not sure what it's called but it was the romantic one when Rapunzel and Flynn are on the boat. It was amazeballs. Though I felt like I was tresspassing like a naughty kid!

Can't wait for more!

The Grand Floridian is definitley like a real life fairy tale come true. I felt like a true princess just setting foot inside. It doesn't get any better than that!

 

[englanddg]

The Grand Floridian is definitley like a real life fairy tale come true. I felt like a true princess just setting foot inside. It doesn't get any better than that!

It's so interesting you say that, because...I used to adore it (back when it was new), and now I just feel like it's needlessly pretentious! I much prefer the Polynesian...

It is a beautiful hotel though. You should go back and see it decked out for Christmas sometime. I remember doing that when it was new, and it was beautiful!

 

[epcotisbest]

Enjoying the trip report and the photos though my wife said I seem to be looking at your pics a little too much. I assured her I was just admiring how fashionable you two are. That and wishing I was enjoying some of that strawberry soup. We like to park hop, and walking around GF is fun but it seems a little stuffy to me. I am more of a Wilderness Lodge kind of guy. Really like the night photos in front of the castle! Frame worthy.

 

[englanddg]

Enjoying the trip report and the photos though my wife said I seem to be looking at your pics a little too much. I assured her I was just admiring how fashionable you two are. That and wishing I was enjoying some of that strawberry soup. We like to park hop, and walking around GF is fun but it seems a little stuffy to me. I am more of a Wilderness Lodge kind of guy. Really like the night photos in front of the castle! Frame worthy.

You dog!!! <grin>

 

[prfctlyximprct]

We had not really been over to Tomorrowland much, usually this is where I head first! We were really slackin'! We decided since we were skipping Wishes we could get a lot done fast! I love tomorrowland, I know it gets a bad rap for not being too futuristic, but in my mind it is!



My friend really wanted her photo underneath the sign, look at how good this baby turned out. I'm a pro what can I say. It's like a where's waldo book LOL!!



We got distracted because there was a stage dance party going on! The Disney characters in Space outfits?! Now that's something you don't see everyday! We jammed along to a few songs before heading on our way.







Is that Michael Jackson, or is it Goofy?!







We headed for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. I love this ride but now that I've been on Toy Story Mania as well, I don't know which one I like better! Buzz really whips you around if you make it. We both were equally bad!





This is my failure of a picture trying to capture our scores. I'm pretty sure I won, but I have no proof!



I love how our picture came out. We look determined! We are ready to join Buzz in the big leagues.



Next, we decided on the Carousel of Progress. There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of everyday. There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away!

I love the fact that this attraction is purely Walt. It is a classic that I must go on every time I am there! The family makes me so happy. I love seeing the different kitchens, I think that may be my favorite part. My friend and I always insist we were born in the wrong time period, so it's nice to travel back in time on this show! This is the next best thing to time travel! And who doesn't love the song! It was stuck in my head the rest of vacation!



Our third mountain would finally get accomplished tonight.. here we go to outer space! My friend was leery going on it still, we were kind of full from dinner still, but the wait time was the shortest we'd seen it yet so I convinced her it was fate. We make our way to our rocket, and I could just feel the excitement growing with every step. This ride was awesome. I swear I do not remember the series of drops that happened ever happening before. My stomach went up and down multiple times! You know that feeling when you're stomach seems like it's in your chest for a few moments? Yeah, that happened! We were whipped around and around and I was screaming so hard! I started hysterically laughing and I couldn't breathe because I was laughing so hard. I kept thinking about how funny it was going to be when we got off and I would have to face my friend. I did not remember Space Mountain being so thrilling! This ride is actually pretty long! And this coaster rocks! I want to go on again! I think this may have been the hardest I'd ever laughed in my whole entire life!





This is my attempt at capturing us in space. Clearly, my future is in photography.



After our wild ride, we headed back to the front of the park. The second main street electrical parade was going on for the night, so we caught a few of the floats going by. We bopped back and forth to the tune. The music gives me goosebumps, it's so happy and just reminds me of childhood. I loved the dragon, I think he was my favorite! I love looking at all the lights twinkling, it really is such a fun parade! I didn't know where to look!

 

[englanddg]

That last pic of Elliot is awesome!

 

[epcotisbest]

You dog!!! <grin>

Was trying to make a compliment...guess it sounded creepy.