A long time ago (ok, not too long..) in a land 1,164 miles from Chicago and 1,007 miles from Philly

Aloha everyone!

For those of you who don’t know me my name’s Rachel (19). Blackhawks fanatic, volleyball player, and Disney enthusiast! I am constantly on the boards creeping on everyone else’s trip reports because I love to reminisce and also hear about how magical other people’s trips are. I did start a TR last summer when my 3 best friends and I took a trip in June ’12, but unfortunately with college and stuff I have not finished it If you would like you can read the first half of it here http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...e-a-bobby-pin-”-june-2012-trip-report.840226/

So my very latest trip took place back in January. January 2nd-8th to be exact I went with my best friend, aka my mommy! Here is a picture of us from the lovely Brookfield Zoo in Chicago during my spring break.


IMG_3329 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr

So if I didn’t finish my last TR you’re all probably wondering “Why the heck is she starting another one, especially if it’s all the way back from January?!” Well.. it’s because chances are I won’t be taking a trip to the World this summer (I’ve been going every summer since Kindergarden! ) because I want to buy a car to bring with me to school in the fall, so that’s pretty costly.. and it seems like everyone I know is going to the World this summer, so I just want to reminisce all of the good times. AND my Blackhawks are down 3-2 in the series against the Detroit Fairy Wings, and even though I’m very hopeful and confident in my boys, I need something to do to keep my mind off of that series for a little bit

Enough chit-chat.. Are we ready?! Alright then, ON WITH THE SHOW!

 

[TheMouseFan]

I'm in! Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Day 1- January 2nd
Orlando we have arrived!

So after all of the wonderful Christmas festivities, my mom and I packed our bags and had my daddy drive us to Midway airport around 4:30am for a 7:05(?) flight.

I love to snapchat

IMG_0849 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


I also love seeing this on my “Days Til Disney” countdown app!

IMG_0859 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


Security was a breeze, we stopped for 2 delicious Potbelly’s breakfast sandwiches.

IMG_0852 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


One more snapchat before we board!

IMG_0856 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


Before we knew it we were up in the air heading to Mickey’s House!

IMG_0872 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


This may look promising, but I only wrote on one page.. so unfortunately my report will be mostly from memory

IMG_0876 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


Hey that girl AND picture look familiar?! It’s Annie from my last TR Thanks to Santa my mommy and I played on our iPads the whole plane ride, which made the time fly!

IMG_0878 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


Pretty clouds <3

IMG_0879 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


So nice to see sunshine after a Chicago winter!

IMG_0880 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr


For all you Brewers fans out there (if there are any on this board..? haha) we pulled in next to this cool lookin’ plane!

IMG_0887 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

I'm in! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Yay, I'm so excited to write it and share with everyone!
Thanks for reading!

 

[Allie_Marie]

Yay, so excited to read this! Considering I totally creeped on all of your Insta pix while you were down there!!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Ugh soo nice to see this as my weather..
instead of this!

YAYAY WE LANDED!!



I had to take this picture for Annie and Jill (sorry it’s not the best pic) since they’re BIG Harry Potterheads Even though I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan myself I did LOVE TWWOHP and wish we could’ve gone on this trip. But who goes to Universal when they're vacationing in Disney?!



We picked up our lovely Dodge from Alamo and were on our way!



AAHH just seeing a picture of this sign right now makes me want to cry tears of joy!



We were even more excited once we saw this sign! I was actually lucky enough to get a quick glance of the resort last June because our DME bus stopped there first before we got off at Pop, but the last time my mom had seen AoA was in July ’11 when we were peaking through the tarp set up at the end of the Generation Gap bridge. She was beaming with excitement and so was I! It was weird thinking that I had seen it before my mom because we usually witness all Disney things together, ew is that a sign of growing up?!



I absolutely LOVE when the security guards say “Welcome Home!” Thanks, we felt so happy to be home!



The first curve you drive around to start entering the parking lot is a sharp one! But then we were surprised with this stunning view!



Watch out guys, I’m starting to get artsy here!



And then back to just regular iPhoneography..



The main “chandelier” when you walk in is just breathtaking!



And then I turned to my right and saw the check-in area and was basically down on the ground wheezing and crying....



My mom practically had to ask me if I even wanted a room for the 6 days we would be there or if I just wanted to sleep on a bench in the lobby because I didn’t want to leave! I just stood there with my jaw on the floor staring at the wall of murals and all its wonderfulness!

IMG_0915 by LeCellierLover, on Flickr

After I was able to pull myself together and STEP AWAY from the pictures, we went and grabbed resort mugs #204 and #205. Alright, now I know people should not be cheapskates and bring old mugs, but seriously our cabinet is getting pretty full of them!
At least we would never bring our big, old Port Orleans or AKL mugs from like 2001.. even though I would definitely be in favor of Disney bringing those designs back because they were so stinkin’ cool! Although I guess they are kind of replaced by the park specific mugs now, which by the way are also ADORABLE!


After picking up our mugs we went to the food court to get ourselves some drinks since the plane ride had made us very thirsty!



After quenching our thirst we took a leisurely walk to where we were staying which was Princess Ariel’s side of the resort.
First, we visited Nemo’s and literally said “DUUUUDDDE (that’s awesome)!” when we saw the pool area!

O also FYI, I really like the Panorama effect on my iPhone, just sayin’

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

O MY GOODNESS THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE PART OF THE RESORT (or maybe the Cars area is..? Heck I just love it all!) I can just hear Hakuna Matata now..



Had to post this to Instagram for Annie to see since The Lion King is her favorite movie!




BOO HIISSSS Scar..
Although I must say, he does looks quite menacing on that rock!



Have no fear, Zazu is here!


We’ve made it! *Queue Angel hymns*

I must say it is a little bit of a hike from the main building to the Little Mermaid section, but since we had a car and were able to park nice and close it didn’t bother us!


So many new palm trees! All of the landscaping still looked so young, but that was the cool part seeing everything so new! Can’t wait to see what that resort will look like once everything is all grown in


We were in the Ursula building






Our room!



Mickey towel present on my bed!



Seriously love love LOVED these rooms! The design was amazing from the beds to the bathroom area, the colorful carpet to the chest as the dresser and the little chairs and table with the music sheets built in (SOO CUUTE!).




“I call the bed closest to the window!”



I know these aren’t new, but I also love how someone can be changing in the bathroom area while others change in the actual bedroom part. Plus the characters on it are super adorable!



Shout out to PartOfYourWorld for loving this picture frame as much as I do!



I thought seeing this huge life-sized Ariel on the shower curtain was cool..



UNTIL I opened the curtain and literally thought I was under the sea with Ariel’s “Whose Its and Whats Its” galore! I must say a shower has never impressed me so much! I guess that’s Disney for ya?!



Of course I had to send a snapchat to all my friends back at home (both in the Midwest and the East Coast) with my girl, Ariel!



My mom and I were also a big fan of the decorative mirrors! Just for you HollyBelle!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

This was by far my favorite mirror!



The view was pretty good from outside of our room, this was if we looked to our left. We could see the whole lake and all of Pop Century if we looked to the right!



Once we checked out our room we decided to go pull the car around and bring our luggage up.
It looks like Ursula’s trying to control the resort!






Haayy Simba and Mufasa!



Once we were all unpacked it was time to freshen up and head out because we had a lunch ADR with Mama Melrose!



Oo here’s that pretty view that I was talking about just a minute ago!



More Ariel lovin’!



We pulled into Hollywood Studios (Diamond Club parking, HOOLLA! ) and saw the sun setting beautifully through some clouds.



Hooray for Hollywood!


While we were making our way towards Mama Melrose’s we stopped in the Streets of America to see the Osborne lights before they turned on. In the daylight it’s so amazing to see just how many lights there are!



We stopped into the Christmas shop right outside of Mama’s. I LOVE these new decorations that they had with the different versions of Mickey’s hat! I really liked a lot of them, but my absolute favorite was the Rapunzel ornament because she’s my favorite Disney princess (although after this trip Ariel comes in a close 2nd)!


Oopsies, I spilled some paint....

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Helllooooo deliciousness! We did have quite a bit of a wait before we were seated. Since we were catching the end of the Christmas vacationers the Studios was VERY crowded that night! O well, we were just happy to be in Florida!



I absolutely LOVED the inside of this restaurant! It was so pretty! I was so giddy and happy and just on cloud 9 that I was in the happiest place on earth with my mommy!



First, we were served some yummy warm bread and vinegar.



I got the Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana (I think..) and my mom got the Penne alla Vodka (alright I may be making that one up, sorry I can’t remember ).





For dessert we each had a cappuccino. We were on the regular Dining Plan. We do the dining plan every time we go. I know some people think it’s too much food, but for us it’s just right. In the summer months when it’s hotter we tend to have a lot of snack credits at the end and end up bringing home a lot of Disney snacks, but I noticed in the winter months that I was actually hungry at our reservation times since it was colder.
So we both just got waters and saved the “drink” part of our dinner for our cappuccinos. The waiters/waitresses are always very accommodating with being able to save our “drinks” until the end when we want cappuccinos.


For our actual desserts, I cannot seem to find the actual names of them, but I know I got the one that was chocolate cake with a hard chocolate shell on the outside with a Nutella topping. My mom got the tiramisu. I know I’ve heard mixed reviews about the desserts and even the food here, but I’m giving Mama Melrose’s a double thumbs up! I loved my dinner, my mom said hers was pretty good. I’m not sure if my mom liked the tiramisu as much as she likes Tony’s Town Square’s tiramisu. I LOVED the Nutella part of my dessert! I read reviews about the cake being dry and it kind of was, but the good outweighed the bad for me and I can never seem to find the bad in Disney food. Hey it beats my college’s cafe!




After our great first ADR we started to walk to the Streets of America to see the Osborne Dancing Lights! Along the way we saw Phineas and Ferb. I kind of wanted to get a picture with them since they had cute Christmas clothes on, but the line was a weeee bit too long so I opted for the crumby paparazzi picture.



We arrived just in time to see Santa Goofy and some teenagers (who were very good in front of the camera) turn on the pwetty lights!



We patrolled the little pop up shop they have along the side of one of the streets to see if they had any special Osborne Lights merchandise. We got long sleeve shirts years ago with Donald on them covered in lights and they say “Lighting Crew”. My dad’s a union electrician so it was a perfect shirt for him!
I just had to take a picture with these cute Perry the Platypus ears. I love how they have so many different versions of the original Mickey ears now!









TA-DAH!



Alright I won’t bore you guys with a ton of Christmas light pictures because heck, it’s summer! But here are a few more..













This guy had a vest FULL of pins! I just had to stop and stare..

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Yay, so excited to read this! Considering I totally creeped on all of your Insta pix while you were down there!!

YAY I'm glad you're as excited to read it as I am to write it! Bahaha it's alright I guess that's what kind of happens with social media off the Dis boards, you get to see the vacation before the trip report!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

So after we were done watching the pretty lights dance we decided to take a stroll along Pixar Place and Mickey Avenue.
I had to take a picture of this billboard to text home to my brother because it is one of his favorite movies. He is a big gamer and he goes to college at an Art school in Chicago so they go all out for Halloween and guess what he was? Ralph! I think he did a pretty good job with his costume and from what I heard he was a big hit!






We walked past Toy Story Midway Mania, but the wait was still a little long so we kept walking.
We stopped in here! We don’t always stop in during every trip, but when we do decide to go in I always really enjoy everything!






Grandpa Walt



I LOVE THIS QUOTE



This whole display for the New Fantasyland was spectacular! It made me even more excited to be going to the Magic Kingdom the next day to check it all out!



Then The Great Movie Ride was practically a walk-on so we decided to hit that up next!











Then we went and watched Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I haven’t seen this show since I think I was like 8, but since we were staying with Ariel, this trip was Little Mermaid themed!









From the looks of the pictures I remember us taking one last loop back to the Streets of America because I wanted to walk under this canopy of dancing lights! SOO PRETTYY!



Then we decided to go say hello to our Muppet pals! I love watching this show (and seeing these signs)!






My roommate's birthday is January 2nd so I just had to take a picture with these ears on to wish her happy birthday for the 40th time!

 

[disneyfan1995]

Awesome trip report so far!! Can't wait to read more!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Awesome trip report so far!! Can't wait to read more!

Thank you so much! I should hopefully be putting more up tonight!

 

[mousefreak]

Great TR. Don't worry about finishing your other TR. We didn't finish one from our Sept 2012 trip. Life gets in the way sometimes.

 

[jhoff3405]

We share the same hometown! Enjoying your TR, and how great that you got to go with your mom. My youngest and I went for a short weekend trip last Memorial Day and it was awesome to spend time with him.
Looking forward to more!

 

[Raven66]

Loving the TR so far. Can't wait to read more and see some more pictures!

 

[Sandurz]

Definitely staying tuned for this one. Our visits were almost exactly the same time! We came in on the 2nd and left on the 9th. And we used the awesome Diamond parking (for the first time) too. Time to relive my own trip from an alternate timeline!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Great TR. Don't worry about finishing your other TR. We didn't finish one from our Sept 2012 trip. Life gets in the way sometimes.

Thank you! And I'm glad someone else understands haha. That's exactly right though! I had every intention of finishing, and my friends still even ask me if it's done because they love to reminisce, but now I don't even know if Photobucket still has all the pictures.. O well it was just a rough draft for my future ones I guess? haha

We share the same hometown! Enjoying your TR, and how great that you got to go with your mom. My youngest and I went for a short weekend trip last Memorial Day and it was awesome to spend time with him.
Looking forward to more!

Actually, I have read your past TRs and I knew that we share the same hometown (sorry if that's weird.. haha)! Your older son and I went to the same high school I think! Yeah I love going with my mom! Even though I know I'm growing up I will still always love when just the 2 of us go! Don't get me wrong I love love going with friends and my brother and dad, but my mom and I actually stop and smell the roses and that's when I see all the little stuff that Disney creates and I appreciate everything so much more than I already do haha!

Loving the TR so far. Can't wait to read more and see some more pictures!

Thank you! Can't wait to write more! I was hoping to get some done yesterday, but I was at a family party all day! I have tons more pictures to put up (about 400 in fact)!

Definitely staying tuned for this one. Our visits were almost exactly the same time! We came in on the 2nd and left on the 9th. And we used the awesome Diamond parking (for the first time) too. Time to relive my own trip from an alternate timeline!

YAY! Wow we were there at the same time (jealous you got to stay a few days later! ) The Diamond parking is honestly the way to go (even though one time we got a closer spot at the TTC in the "regular" parking haha)!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Day 2- January 3rd
FINALLY we see a New Fantasyland!

So the next day we woke up nice and early to a foggy morning. Magic Kingdom opened at 8am for an Extra Magic Hour. We had breakfast reservations for Chef Mickey’s at about 10:15am so we ended up parking over at the Contemporary. I don’t know why we felt kind of guilty parking over there so early before our ADR, but the security guard didn’t seem to have a problem with it (even though at first I was afraid he would turn us away since we were too early)! So we parked and took the walkway from the Contemporary over to the Magic Kingdom. This is probably one of my favorite things to do! I don’t know if it’s seeing the back(ish) side of Space Mountain, seeing CMs driving into work (hoping one day that’ll be me), or seeing the monorail drive right over my head, but I think the walk over is so much fun!







I was definitely wearing my Illinois pride today with my Illini tank AND jacket









Sorry for more Christmas spam during the summertime....













There were a bunch of “head honcho” CMs out and about with a camera on Main Street examining one of the buildings, but of course I wasn’t sure why.



Oo soo foggy.. But hey a foggy morning in Disney is better than a foggy morning in the Midwest or East Coast.






Alright now can I get a drumroll pleeaase?! IT WAS TIME TO STEP INSIDE THE NEW FANTASYLAND FOR THE FIRST TIME! AHH I cannot even begin to tell you guys just how EXCITED my mom and I were! Because of college and everything I literally read nothing about the New Fantasyland! I had only seen pictures of the “official” opening show. It was so weird thinking that I had no clue what I was going to see next, but I was SUPER excited! I have to say I was a little nervous too because at first I didn’t know if I was going to enjoy all the change. I know that Disney does need change though from time to time because we never want it to become a museum! I’ve learned over the years to definitely trust Disney Imagineers because I always love everything they do! I’m a little nervous about the Avatar land that’s supposed to be coming to AK because I don’t see how that will fit in with Disney, but again, I know that I will just have to trust the Imagineers
Alright so ANYWHO (sorry for the little detour in the story..) It was finally time to step past the castle borders!



We walked past Enchanted Tales with Belle and my mom kept telling me how much people raved about it on the boards! The wait time was already at 120 minutes so we decided to keep walking and go back later on in the trip.



Then we headed towards the Little Mermaid to see how long her wait was. The sign at the entrance said about 20 minutes, I think, so we got in line! Boy was I SOO excited!



The queue was absolutely beautiful!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

My glow-in-the-dark shoes while on the ride



I have to say I was IN LOVE with the Little Mermaid ride! I think everything was so wonderfully done! From the minute I stepped into our clamobile I was singing along to all the songs! The audio-animatronics were just amazing! Even though I know some complain about being able to see the building if you look up during the “Under the Sea” part I think that it’s just cool to think about how the whole ride fits in that building! But I guess that’s just the part of my that wants to see the backsides of Disney (since I want to work there so bad!). But I can understand how it ruins the magic for some people.



After our wonderful experience with Ariel we walked over to Gaston’s Tavern!














The LeFou’s Brew was so yummy! I loved the apple and then whatever was in the whipping on top gave it that perfect kick that made me want a whole galloon of the drink! Of course we had to get the souvenir cup this time!



We took a stroll inside Gaston’s gift shop afterwards and I very much enjoyed a lot of the merchandise (especially the catchy tshirts)!






After that we went to go see if Ariel’s meet and greet had a long wait. We hopped in line, but then found out it was about a 20 minute wait, which isn’t bad, but we wanted to keep moving so we got out of line. I snapped this picture of the lighting in Ariel’s Grotto, very cute!



Then we wanted to go check out the Be Our Guest restaurant (or at least the inside of the castle). We asked if we could just take a peek inside because it wasn’t even open for lunch yet since it was only about 9am. The cast members were more than happy to let us go in and have a look around!












Just stunning!