Trip Report 7 Day Journey with a Couple of Twenty Somethings

Hello everyone! I am so excited to be writing my first trip report about Walt Disney World from October 13th-19th. I brought back many pictures and a lot of memories that I'd like to share. The first thread I created had some image problems so hopefully they will work this time around.

My name is Matt and I went to Walt Disney World with my girlfriend, Melissa. Here we are on the Magical Express.

We probably had the best bus driver. He was super friendly and had an amazing accent. I took a video because I loved it so much.



So on we went to the Wilderness Lodge. I was so excited to get there because it has been 9 years since I was last in Disney. We finally get there to check in and was bummed because there was no way we would be able to use Magic Bands. Wilderness Lodge started testing the bands the following day after our arrival so there was no way of getting them. Oh well! Onto our room!

We have a studio room booked in the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. My girlfriends parents are DVC members so we were able to use some of their points. Thank you! As we are heading to our room, we find out there is so far from everything else in the hotel. I couldn't believe how long the hallway was. It just kept going and going. Finally we get to our room and first thing I do is capture a quick video of the layout.



One problem with the room though, there is a musty urinate smell...

We decide to grab food because we are starving at this point so we head to the Roaring Fork to get a meal. I end up getting a pulled pork sandwich with zucchini salad.

After we eat we head back to the room. The smell was still lingering so we had to call the front desk to complain. Within minutes they gave us a new room! Thank goodness because it ended up being really close to the main lobby, Merchantile and the buses! So close to everything so I'm glad there was a smell that allowed us to change rooms. A little less walking to do.

Anyways, after we unpacked we wanted to head straight to the Magic Kingdom. By the time we left for the park, it was around 5 or 6pm.

I took some photos of the WL on the way out to the boat.

Finally the boat has arrive and we are on our way to the Magic Kingdom!

It was so surreal stepping into the Magic Kingdom after so long. I still couldn't believe that I made it. On our way in, we decided to grab a couple photos.

The Halloween Decorations were so cool!

 

[zeebs758]

We asked a couple of woman to take our photo in return we would do the same for them. I couldn't tell ya how many times this occurred during out trip. Don't be afraid to ask others to help you out with a photo if there aren't any photopass people around.

On our way to Adventureland we stumbled around a photopass photographer and asked him to take our picture. By the way, none of the photos you see will be from Photopass cameras. Everything was taken on my Canon T3i.

We made our way to Adventureland and decided that Pirates of the Caribbean had to be our first ride.

I haven't seen it with the added Jack Sparrow animatronics. I thought the additions were pretty cool for the updated ride. It was good to see Disney updated a lot of their older rides.

After that we headed over to Frontierland to see what the wait times for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were like. They were still pretty long at that point so we decided to grab a Fastpass for BTMR. I would much rather wait in the queue for Splash Mountain than BTMR. The line tends to be much hotter and uncomfortable in the BTMR queue.

After grabbing the Fastpasses, we continued on through Frontierland and headed for the Haunted Mansion.

I noticed that added a few new things especially the hitchhiking ghosts at the end. They did a cool animation and switched the heads of my girlfriend and I! Thought that was awesome.

We kept making our way towards New Fantasyland because we had Be Our Guest ADRs at 9:15. Neither of us has been to New Fantasyland and thought they did an amazing job capturing each tower and castle from the classic Disney films. And Tangled, of course.

The hanging lanterns by the restrooms were awesome. Made me feel like I was in a fantasy movie.

We decided to check out the Little Mermaid dark ride.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed and thought the attraction was pretty lame. I felt they relied too much video animation and had mediocre animatronics. Probably one of my least favorite things from the whole trip. Sorry Disney, you could have done better.

 

[zeebs758]

By the time we were done with that, it was just about time to eat at Be Our Guest!

I tried getting a reservation way in advance but had no such luck. I would check every now and then to see if anything opened up. Finally one day in September a spot was open! If you haven't had any luck, I suggest to keep trying because you never know. I also talked with some people throughout the trip and they said they were able to get a table at the last minute for a late meal. Guess people don't want those late reservations. More for us!

It was so beautiful inside. We were met by two Minotaurs holding up part of the castle.

We then entered into the beautiful as our hostess gave us a tour of the restaurant. The attention to detail was simply stunning.

There was a nice little rose napkin folded onto of our plates. Later in the night after dinner, we stumbled across a cast member folding rose napkins. We asked him if he could show us how its done and I couldn't believe how simple it actually is.

As our appetizer we ordered Assorted Cured Meats and Sausages served with Cornichons, Pickled Onions, and a Toasted Baguette. It had a lot of interesting meats that I've never tried before but I loved them all. My girlfriend... not so much ha.

For Dinner I ordered Braised Pork that is slow cooked for eight hours with mushrooms, onions, carrots and bacon served with Mashed Potatoes and green beans. The meat seriously melted as I cut my fork into it. It was some of the most tender meat I have ever eaten. So delicious!

Melissa tried the Layered Ratatouille that had Oven-baked Zucchini, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Caramelized Onions sliced and layered on Quinoa served with a Bell Pepper Sauce. That was amazing as well.

We met a a couple of nice women from the Netherlands who were sitting next to us. They were on their last day of their trip that began 13 days earlier. They gave us some great Food & Wine Festival tips. We asked them to take our picture and in return we would take theirs. They happily agreed.

 

[zeebs758]

After finishing our meal, we decided to skip dessert and head on out. But before you leave, you have a chance to meet the Beast! My girlfriend asked where Belle was and he told us that she was off reading somewhere. He was a hoot.

Now before I left on the trip, I told myself that I would get a selfie pic with every single character I had to chance to me. It definitely made it a lot more fun to meet the characters. So here is my first selfie with Beast.

After meeting Beast, we decided to explore the restaurant a little bit. In another dining area, it has the torn picture of the beast and the enchanted rose. Both really cool to see.

When we were heading out, I almost completely forgotten about the beautiful stain glass window of Beauty and the Beast. I want one in my house.

After a wonderful meal at Be Our Guest, we moved our way back over to Frontierland to Ride BTMR and Splash Mountain. I'm not even sure how we were able to handle it but we kept our food down ha. We went on BTMR first.

We then headed to Splash Mountain which leads to an interesting story.

As we descend down the final drop, our boat comes to a sudden halt at the bottom! Melissa and I are in the back and I immediately am afraid that the next boat will ram into us. Thankfully that didn't happen, phew!



We were sitting there for probably like 15 minutes. A guy came to our rescue but had to wait for someone else to get us out of the boat. I guess for safety precautions, they have to have two cast members. We had to walk along side the rest of the ride and eventually the cast members lead us into a back stage area. Two other cast members were handing out fast passes for any ride! Score! They expired in 2 days so we had time to use them.

It was after 11 by this point and we decided to head back to the hotel. Magic Kingdom was open until 3am that night but there was no way we could do that ha.

I couldn't help but get a few more pictures of the castle.

We couldn't help by get ice cream on the way out. It was the homemade ice cream parlor on Main Street but I can't remember the name. I forgot to take pictures of the desserts. Sorry...

Well that wraps it up for Day 1 in Disney and that wasn't even a full day. I can't wait to share more with you guys. Coming up on Day 2 is Animal Kingdom and the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

 

[ml123_9]

I agree with you about the new LM ride. For the hoopla that surrounded it, I believe the ride itself was a huge disappointment. The queue was the best part of the ride.

 

[Tigger19]

Great start, can't wait to read more! Oh selfies! I really want to do that haha

 

[zeebs758]

I agree with you about the new LM ride. For the hoopla that surrounded it, I believe the ride itself was a huge disappointment. The queue was the best part of the ride.

Yea the queue was really cool. I made sure to get a bunch of photos of it.

 

[zeebs758]

Great start, can't wait to read more! Oh selfies! I really want to do that haha

Thanks! I think I got 19 selfies all together to be prepared for more ha. I'm assuming all my photos and videos are working. I was having a problem with it earlier.

 

[zeebs758]

Here we are on Day 2 of our Disney Vacation! Our plan was to spend most of the day at Animal Kingdom and then go to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at night. We woke up pretty early but I made breakfast while Melissa slept a little longer ha. To save a little money, we bought a dozen eggs, English muffins and jam at the Mercantile in our resort. I was expecting the eggs to be an absurd price
(only $2) but I found that it was cheaper in Disney than here in New Jersey (only $3). Anyways!

We made sure we were at the park for its opening. The first we did was rush to Expedition Everest to ride it and grab a fast-pass for later. I would usually be taking pictures but we wanted to get to Everest as quick as possible. When we arrived to Everest, it was only a 5 minute wait so we hopped right on but grabbed a fast-pass before doing so. This was my first time riding Everest so I was really excited about it. We even got front row which made the ride so much better. I loved it but was disappointed the the yeti still isn't working properly. Oh well.

After Everest, we headed straight to Kilimanjaro Safari. I took so many pictures of it but I'll only share my favorites.

I guess they changed the route up a bit because I remember poachers being involved and we drove through their territory or something. I liked it because it added a little more story to the ride. Our guide wasn't great and I wished she was able to involved the people in the truck.

The fast-passes we had for Everest were ready to be used so we made our way back over there. I finally began taking pictures of the park.

Animal Kingdom is such an amazing park and has so much detail in it. Every area is so authentic and it totally immerses you into the environment. There is always argument as to whether Animal Kingdom is a half day or full day park. I think it is a full day park and there is always something new to discover. Unfortunately we only spent a half day there on this trip. It's okay because I know I'll be back.

We found a nice little lookout point with a beautiful view. There wasn't anyone around when taking pictures in this spot.

We started making our approach on Everest once more. I took so many pictures on that mountain. Looks like I'll have to go to the real one soon so I can compare...

 

[zeebs758]

I think Everest has the best queue out of any ride in WDW. There is so much to look at and discover about the Himalayas. I wish I took more pictures of it and I'm shooting myself in the foot for it. We moved through the queue pretty quickly and there was always a herd behind us trying to get to the ride. This is one of those queues where I wouldn't mind stopping and looking at everything before moving forward. Next time, I'll just let the people pass me so I can soak it all in. Through the queue, Disney is telling the riders to beware of the Yeti. So when you are waiting to ride on Everest, don't be afraid to stop and look around.

I couldn't resist but to take one more photo of the mountain before we continued with the rest of the park.

There were some great views of Discovery River. All I wanted to do was take a boat out but they closed the boat ride attraction a long time ago. Looks like with the Avatar expansion they will be bringing back as a night time cruise and immersing you into the world of Pandora.

This was one of my favorite spots to sit and relax. I loved all the camping gear just hanging around. I was tempted to take one for myself. I don't think Disney would noticed, would they?

There were a bunch of monkeys climbing on this structure. Thought it was pretty cool.

I am assuming that this was where you were able to board the boats to travel down the river but I'm not certain. Made for a good picture though

If my mind serves me correct, we were headed for It's Tough to be a Bug inside the Tree of Life. I had to convince Melissa to go on the attraction because she hates the part when the bugs sting you in the back. Always freaks her out ha. But luckily she was a good sport and went on with me. She just made sure to lean her back forward so she wouldn't be bothered. I forgot how scary it could be for some kids. There were a lot of parents that had to escort their kids out of the theater. I always enjoyed the show but I think the 3D effects need to be updated a little bit. I think was just spoiled because I saw Gravity in 3D before we left for the trip ha.

The queue for It's Tough to be a Bug is always cool to walk through. The animal carvings in the tree are amazing. I think I remember reading that there are over 300 animals carved into the branches and roots.

This is probably one of my favorite photos from the trip. I wish I had a boat like that and a river of my own to ride it on.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Loving your AK pics! I agree that AK is an all day park. In fact, we have spent two whole days there the last two trips with the whole family. We always mean for the second day to be a half day, then we get sucked in and before you know it, it is closing time! Can't wait to read more!

 

[zeebs758]

My mind is pretty foggy at this point but I know we went on Kali River Rapids at some point after its Tough to be a Bug. We came prepared for it because we did not want to get soaked ha. We bought ponchos for $1.50 at Target before the trip specifically for this and in case it rained. Our sandals were in our backpack so before we hopped on the ride, we changed out of our shoes and into them. My co-worker let me borrow a waterproof bag that she brings with her when we sails and I put our phones and my camera in it. Honestly, we were the most prepared people there. Everyone was coming off soaking wet and we were the only ones wearing ponchos. Yes we may have looked like idiots but we didn't care ha. It was a fun experience!

After rapids we were pretty hungry and couldn't wait for our 2pm reservations at Tusker House. As I changed stuff around in our bags and saved a table, Melissa went to go grab us some food. She came back with two egg rolls and some delicious, what I think was, mandarin chicken.

At the bottom of the container was rice and veggies. It was awesome and makes for a great quick meal. It was near the Yak and Yeti restaurant but I'm not sure where she got it from. We also made conversation with a family next to us that was from Tennessee if I remember correctly. The mother saw us with the ponchos and was asking us about Kali River Rapids and how wet you could get. She also asked us about Expedition Everest and told us her husband was too scared to go on it. Another nice interaction with random strangers on our trip. We did a lot of that.

After we ate we made our way towards Dino land but on our way we stopped at a few character spots. First we tried Dug and Russell from Up but as son as we hopped in line, they went for a break. So decided to just go see Mickey and Minnie.

And yes, I did get a selfie with them

After that we went go to meet Tigger and Pooh. First up was Pooh!

The only time I saw someone else taking a selfie with a character was a teenager who took one with Pooh.

And Tigger was right after that!

After we were done with them, we headed to ride Dinosaur!

I forgot how much I loved Dinosaur, such a great ride.

 

[zeebs758]

After Dinosaur, we started making our way towards Africa for our lunch reservation. We stopped by to see Dug and Russell but they were once again on break by the time we got back. It just wasn't meant to be ha. We decided to go on some of the trails located in the park to see what we could Discover. If we didn't wonder off the main path we wouldn't have been able to find this amazing spot in front of the Tree of Life. Another favorite photo of mine from this trip.

On the trails we discovered a lot of cool animals along the way!

Here are some flamingos just chilling. I think they sleep on one leg and every so often they switch to the other leg.

We found a kangaroo hanging out with a vulture. The vulture blends into the photo a bit but hes on the branch.

Not sure what kind of bird this is but I think it may be a stork. Correct me if I'm wrong ha

These guys looked like really sleepy porcupines but not sure if they are porcupines because they were huge!

This parrot was hanging out with a lot of other parrots so don't worry, he wasn't lonely.

I thought the waterfall and the Owl carved into the tree made for a good photo.

We made our way out of the trails and found another good spot to take a photo of Everest. You can find peace and quiet in the Animal Kingdom. You sometimes forget that there are thousands of people scattered around you.

It was around the time for lunch and we made it back to Africa.

 

[zeebs758]

We arrived at the Tusker House and we were ready to eat. Tusker House is a buffet and they have so many different choices of food. Before you enter, you get to meet Donald outside.

Got another selfie of course.

I honestly can't remember the names of the stuff we ate! Between the two of us, we tried so many different things. We kind of just picked off of each other plates. I got some kind of fruit alcoholic beverage but I don't remember the name either. It was really good though ha. Melissa got this great African beer that was great as well. The food is just slopped on our plates but everything was so good. The dessert was delicious as well but we ate it too quickly before I snapped a photo. I made a later reservation so we can fill up before the Halloween Party.

During lunch we met a bunch of characters and I got selfies with all of them!

Love Goofy! He's my favorite character!

I couldn't resist but do the duck face with Daisy. I'm ashamed...

Lunch was awesome and I highly recommend Tusker House. If your kids don't like the food, they have plenty of other things for them like sandwiches.

I didn't really take anymore photos after lunch because we decided to head back to our hotel and take a nap. It was 3 at this point and we were going to head to the party by 6. I'll have to talk about the party at a later time but I hope you enjoyed our day at the Animal Kingdom because we sure did!

 

[zeebs758]

Loving your AK pics! I agree that AK is an all day park. In fact, we have spent two whole days there the last two trips with the whole family. We always mean for the second day to be a half day, then we get sucked in and before you know it, it is closing time! Can't wait to read more!

Thanks for reading! Animal Kingdom is amazing and I can't wait for the Avatar Expansion!

 

[Tigger19]

Loving your TR so far.. the selfies are hilarious! My favourite one has to be the one with Daisy

 

[zeebs758]

Loving your TR so far.. the selfies are hilarious! My favourite one has to be the one with Daisy

Thanks! Doing the selfies was a great time! Daisy is one of my favorites. I still have a lot more coming

 

[BoardwalkGlenn]

Great report so far. The character selfies are awesome!

We're staying at the WL Villas for the 1st time in December. I'm hoping for a clean-smelling room.

 

[zeebs758]

Great report so far. The character selfies are awesome!

We're staying at the WL Villas for the 1st time in December. I'm hoping for a clean-smelling room.

Glad you like the report

You'll love the villas. We stayed in a studio apartment and was enough room for the both of us. Our second room smelled just fine ha. Disney will help you guys out if there is a problem.

 

[KB LUVS MGM]

Looks like a great time. I agree with you, I love taking in AK. So much to appreciate!