Trip Report * COMPLETED* The Let's Never Go Home Trip

Hey everyone! I don't have all my pictures and videos sorted or anything yet but its a rainy cold day here in Buffalo so why not work on my trip report :) I took over 4000 videos and pictures (I started a youtube channel for my videos :happy: ) so bear with me as I sort through them all! All and all we had a great trip and I wish we weren't home already :(

For those of you who want to see my PTR here it is: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-dole-whip-extravaganza.910063/

Let's get started!

Who?:
From left to right: My Dad (Jeff), My Mom (Mary), Nick (Jill's Boyfriend), My Sister Jill (@Disney Dentist ) and Me (Megan!)
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When?
Jill and Nick were there from April 29 - May 6
My parents and I were there from April 30 - May 12

Where?
We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter! Its our favorite hotel (moderate wise) for sure and it did not disappoint this trip :) We had a great time there and after not having stayed there for a few trips we really enjoyed being back at our "home."

Why?
Why not? We planned this trip before my mom and I went to DL and WDW by ourselves; it was originally a trip to help us get through our post Disney depression from February 2015 but we also ended up going twice more before this....haha

The Title?
We were there for a record (for us) 13 days and it seemed like we were never going to have to leave...unfortunately day 13 did come and we did eventually have to go home. Even after being there for so long I still wasn't ready to leave!

T-1 Day to go:
Jill and Nick were already in Disney but my parents and I could not leave until Saturday because I have clinic on Fridays which is non-negitionable (we get our vacation in two week blocks so technically my vacation didn't start until May 2 but luckily I was able to get the weekend off before). Anyway we had Jills dogs to take care of for one day. I was off my from regular rotation in the morning which was nice because we had time to get our nails done. However, just about an hour before I had to go to clinic my sister's one dog had some issues :hungover: Here I am bathing him (with my fresh manicure) right before having to go to work...
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Meanwhile this is the text I get when I am at clinic....
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Must be nice...;) Anyway we got him cleaned up and when I got home from work we got the dogs all situated at their respective places to stay. We then checked we packed everything and I made my Dad sit down with me and make sure he had everything he needed. This will come into play later since he really wasn't paying attention to me :happy:

Day 1 Travel Day
Well our flight was leaving at 6:50 am so we got up around 4:00 am to get ready to go. Luckily we live close to the airport but still planned on leaving around 5 am to make sure we had time. I had a weird feeling all morning that the airport was going to be packed so I was a little more anxious than usual
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Anyway we shoved our five (yes five, and my 2 were both full size) suitcases into my Dad's car and off we went to the airport. We ended up leaving a little before 5. We got to the airport and we parked and had to drag our suitcases into the terminal. Its not that far but I was spoiled by our last few trips where my Dad dropped us off at the door haha. Anyway as we were on the elevator I was super anxious and my Dad was like calm down its never that crowded. Literally as soon as he said that the door opened and what did we see? A HUGE line for security...like out the entrance for it all the way through the airport. :eek::confused: I almost panicked but instead thought "oh no worries we almost always get TSA pre-check." So we check in and the tickets come out and no pre-check for my Mom and I. My Dad always gets it because he is a government/army employee. He was going to wait in line with us but I told him to go ahead so in case we were so long we didn't get to board on time he could save our seats. I also assumed maybe he would get us breakfast...spoiler alert he didn't haha
Anyway my poor mother had to deal with me through the almost hour we waited in security..I was so nervous we were going to miss our flight (or at least boarding). Luckily we got out around 6:15 and our boarding was 6:25.
My mom and I met my Dad at the gate and while he didn't get us breakfast he did get us cookies so there is that :) Thumbs up we made it on time, as I am sure many people did not make it! In fact our flight definitely left without some people.
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My penguin and dinosaur were ready to go!
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We were in the early A's so we got a good seat and immediately put on our magic bands :)
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Next up: traveling continued
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 6 continued
While Jill, Nick and I were on the Trek my parents wandered around AK!
Their first Fast Pass was for Primeval Whirl and my Mom got the coveted red card!
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They said there was a short line for Dinosaur so they headed over there!
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They had a Fast Pass for Kilimanjaro after this so headed in that direction and had some Photopass pictures along the way!
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While they were in line for the safari we actually finished our trek. They were actually in line for quite a long time because the lines were still recovering from the broken down truck halting things for about a half hour. My Mom said there was a women in line in front of them that said Disney brainwashes everyone and no one should listen to them when they try to explain why the lines are long :eek:. I mean in a sense they were "lying" because they said an animal was in the road but still, they weren't brainwashing anyone haha
Anyway, while we were waiting for my Mom and Dad Jill, Nick and I decided to grab a drink. I know Jill wanted to try a Dole Whip with rum so we headed to Tamu Tamu
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She really enjoyed her first Dole Whip!
Neither Nick or I wanted a Dole Whip so we went to the Dawa Bar and I got a Sugar Cane Mojito. This was great...and so was the sugar cane! Nick made me try it haha
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Nick got a Lost on Safari I think
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Next up: continuing in AK
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 6 continued
While we waited for my Mom and Dad we saw these birds flying over us, I'm assuming from the bird show
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Soon enough my parents found us! We were still wearing our sunglasses straps that they have you wear on the safari...we look like huge nerds but we kept these on for almost the rest of the trip haha
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We did some serious shopping after this in the gift shop that is attached to the Creature Comforts bakery. This is my favorite shop in all of Disney! They have the most unique gifts and I bought a ton of stuff. The best part about it is I shipped it back to the hotel and forgot I bought a ton until I had to fit it in my suitcase at the end of the trip...:p:D
Well it was time for Everest after this. My Mom and Nick decided to stay off so it was just the three of us
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Jill's name showed up. I was walking fast through the line hence the blurriness
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Selfie time
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Oh hey Dad!
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We had a great ride as usual. Jill said she forgot how big the hill is haha
We also literally can never stop laughing at this picture thanks to the epic guy in the front
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These are of my favorite Everest pictures
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Next up: Lunch in a Rainforest
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 6 continued
I forgot to add in some Photopass pictures we took on the way to Everest
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This one is weird...haha
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Jill's Captain E.O. shirt was actually one that I bought Nick but it shrunk in the wash (not even the dryer) so she took it haha
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We split up after this. My parents and I planned on eating lunch at Rainforest Cafe and Jill and Nick planned at eating lunch at POFQ. First my Dad and I tried to recreate an old photo
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It did not turn out quite as well so we just took a different one haha
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Rainforest was pretty crowded, but the bar was empty so we just sat there to eat
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For lunch my Mom and I split the mozzarella sticks and the pita quesadilla
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My Dad got the China Island Chicken Salad
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The food here is not the best food I have ever had but we enjoyed our meals and it was great for lunch
The food came out so fast that we actually got back to the hotel only like 10 minutes after Jill and Nick did because they waited for a bus for awhile :)
I got these gummy spiders to eat and I was making a short film about them on the bus
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I was pretending it was crawling all over my Dad and me and in the end I ate it. The people sitting across from me literally could not stop laughing at it haha. I'm pretty sure they prob thought I was a 16 year old kid or something but glad I could make them laugh!

Next up: pool gifts and Cinco de Mayo?
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Jill's Captain E.O. shirt was actually one that I bought Nick but it shrunk in the wash (not even the dryer) so she took it haha
I always have this problem! I never dry my Disney shirts, but they still end up shrinking. I wear almost all of my husband's shirts and I only wear mine around the house because they are so tight :p I buy a size larger now that I've learned my lesson.
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
I always have this problem! I never dry my Disney shirts, but they still end up shrinking. I wear almost all of my husband's shirts and I only wear mine around the house because they are so tight :p I buy a size larger now that I've learned my lesson.

I don't think the quality is very good in Disney's clothing. I always buy the men's t-shirts, because I think they last longer; and because they're cut bigger, I don't worry about any possible shrinkage.
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I always have this problem! I never dry my Disney shirts, but they still end up shrinking. I wear almost all of my husband's shirts and I only wear mine around the house because they are so tight :p I buy a size larger now that I've learned my lesson.
I don't think the quality is very good in Disney's clothing. I always buy the men's t-shirts, because I think they last longer; and because they're cut bigger, I don't worry about any possible shrinkage.

That is definitely true of Disney shirts but this shirt was from a different website that I have bought other shirts off of. None of them every shrunk before :(
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Loved your trek review and photos! I am so tempted to add it on to my next trip, but I think my plans are already at capacity! Why did you have to make it sound soooooo amazing?! Loving your report... Helping me thru these days!

Its literally so amazing! But, it also takes up a whole morning so keep that in mind when considering it haha. I'm glad my report is helping you pass time. Its helping me too! I hope you and @Longers and I get to meet :)
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 6 continued
Back at the hotel we spent some time at the pool but for some reason it was chilly when the wind blew making it semi- too cold to swim. My Mom and I relaxed at the pool side with Jill and Nick while my Dad braved the cold water. While we were sitting there some guy asked me if I had sunscreen and if he could use it. Usually I don't wear sunscreen aside from my face (this is terrible doctor advice, always wear sunscreen!) and I usually don't carry it, but for some reason I had it on me. I was like sure...then he proceeded to use like half the bottle......:confused::jawdrop:. He was a grown adult man by himself...get your own sunscreen next time! My Mom and I literally could not believe it haha
I started to feel a little sick from sitting in the sun so shifted over to the bar area to sit under the umbrellas.
Nick stole my Mom's phone and took like 35 selfies...here is one haha
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Everyone else eventually joined and grabbed some drinks (aside from me) and we decided to exchange gifts.
My mom had her usual Moscato Colada. They gave her a bunch so she gave me her small cup to share but I didn't really care for it. My Dad and Nick had hurricanes and Jill had a Nola Cola ? Not sure
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We picked names before we left to buy for one other person. We have done this the past few trips and its a neat way to buy something/get something you may have not bought for yourself. My Mom took the pictures so of course they are not flattering at all...:p
My Dad had me and got me this super cool wallet!
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My Mom had Jill and got her this cool wind chime like thing (its not a chime, but it spins in the wind....not sure what to call it haha)
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Jill had my Mom and got her ornaments and an Alex and Ani
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Nick had my Dad and got him a cool African mask and this shirt...he wears this shirt like everyday now...
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I had Nick and got him these cool bookends from Memento Mori (he loves reading and the Haunted Mansion)! You can kind of see them through the bag...haha
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After exchanging our gifts we got ready to head to Disney Springs. Our original plan was to go to Mexico in Epcot to celebrate Cinco de Mayo but Jill and Nick got another reservation for Morimoto Asia because they enjoyed it so much the first night. My parents and I didn't feel like going to a park either so we also decided to head to Disney Springs. Jill and Nick decided to take the bus to Disney Springs and my parents and I the boat. We decided we would see who got there first!
When we got to the boat dock there was a pretty big line. Turns out a boat broke down and had to be towed. Well, we definitely would not be winning the race to DS :cool:
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When the first boat finally came some guy in line was literally screaming at people to get off the boat and hurry because he was hungry. There was a poor man who was clearly sick with something (wearing a mask, etc) struggling to get off the boat while this guy was screaming at him. Everyone was telling him to calm down and stop being so rude. I felt so bad for the poor man getting off the boat :arghh:
There were a few people on our boat who had reservations on the West Side (House of Blues I think) so our captain was nice enough to get permission to drop them off over there
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Next up: continuing a DS
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 6 continued
We finally made it to the Marketplace side
My Mom loves Pooh and my Dad loves Tigger so this was a perfect picture opportunity
Also, my Dad is already wearing his favorite shirt haha
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Our destination for dinner was Earl of Sandwich! We don't have any around us so we are always excited to eat at one!
My Dad and I both got the Holiday Turkey sandwich. This was my Dad's first time having one and he really enjoyed it! I loved it as usual
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My Mom got a grilled cheese. She was not a big fan of this only because it was literally one piece of cheese on a roll haha
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Still nerding it out with the sunglasses strap
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We walked around Disney Springs a bit after this but we were all pretty tired so grabbed a snack of ice cream for my Mom and popcorn for my Dad and I and people watched for a bit before deciding to go back to the hotel.
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Nice relaxing boat ride home...
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It was the end of another great day and off to bed we went!

Next up: Jill and Nick's last day :(
 

prfctlyximprct

Well-Known Member
Its literally so amazing! But, it also takes up a whole morning so keep that in mind when considering it haha. I'm glad my report is helping you pass time. Its helping me too! I hope you and @Longers and I get to meet :)


I agree! We must meet up! One of my favorite youtubers will be in Disney the same time as us as well.. She has a bunch of Disney trip vlogs, Gillian At Home is her channel... I can't believe how popular of a time our trips are :) :)
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I have those ones! i spent the whole 9 hour flight home wondering if they were going to make it in one piece

haha bringing stuff home always gives me anxiety. Its such a relief when you open your suitcase and everything is in one piece

What is the Red Card?

It's not really that special haha it just helps them track wait times but we are always excited when we get one
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I hope we all get to meet too :)

I agree! We must meet up! One of my favorite youtubers will be in Disney the same time as us as well.. She has a bunch of Disney trip vlogs, Gillian At Home is her channel... I can't believe how popular of a time our trips are :) :)

Yes please lest definitely try!!! Oh I will have to check out her YouTube channel! I started my own YouTube Disney channel, but its not very happening yet haha It would be weird if someday people recognized me haha
 

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