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 ) 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!)

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 Here I am bathing him (with my fresh manicure) right before having to go to work...

Meanwhile this is the text I get when I am at clinic....

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

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

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. 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.

My penguin and dinosaur were ready to go!

We were in the early A's so we got a good seat and immediately put on our magic bands

Next up: traveling continued

 

[Doc Disney]

Too bad! One of the most fun water slides we've ever been on. It's like a water roller coaster since you go up and down hills...not just down like a regular water slide. I think Em and I rode it 7 or 8 times in a row.

I have seen videos of that slide and I have no idea why I have never been on it before I think its probably because I spend almost all my time there in the wave pool since I love it so much!

I would have walked right up to those girls on the bus and said to them "I'm about to drop some knowledge on you!" No ones a Disney expert unless they are here on the forum! Lol.. And who am I kidding, I'm shy..
Loving you day at typhoon lagoon! I have a day mapped out for it this trip since BB will be closed, let's just hope that day is sunny and hot in November. Now I need to go get me an underwater camera...

Haha! I am too shy too actually, but later in the trip I did finally speak up to someone who was telling his family completely wrong information. I felt like I had to step in haha. I hope its warm in November too! I really like TL better than BB anyway, mainly because of the wave pool! An underwater camera is a must...haha

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 8
When we got back to the hotel we got changed and then headed back to the bus stop to get a bus for Blizzard Beach. Blizzard Beach you say?! Weren't we just at Typhoon Lagoon?! Yes, but this was our final destination:

Mini Golf!!!

This was new for us! We used the free coupon that came in the mail packet full of coupons for this. The guy who worked the desk said most people forget they have these coupons and pay full price. We were stuck behind a family with a guy that brought his own mini golf club . They would not let him use it
We chose the winter side to play on

We had so much fun on this course! There were a lot of downhills so it was actually easy to get a hole in one! I am one of the worst mini golf players so it was a nice change for me
I'd like to think my Dad is making this face because for once he wasn't dominating mini golf haha

All the little Disney touches were so cute!

Next up: continuing to golf

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 8 continued
They had some really cool holes too!
Like this castle one

And this one that your ball goes through the North Pole

Chimney

Its like getting Christmas pictures taken haha

My Dad was losing so started taking Mini Golf more seriously haha

We really had so much fun doing this! One of my Mom's patients actually suggested we do this awhile ago but we never felt like we had the time to go so this long trip was perfect! My Mom and I ended up in a tie and my Dad lost for once in his life

We will definitely be back again someday if we have time! I am not sure if they will keep giving out coupons or not but I know you can get discounts with the AP too
We headed to the bus stop after and actually waited almost an hour for the bus to come! We met some super nice people while we waited, though, who made the wait go much faster. For once I was not stressed out about the bus because I wasn't in a huge rush to get somewhere so it was nice to relax and meet other people

Next up: a meal prepared by a famous chef (who happens to be a mouse)

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 8 continued
After getting back from Mini Golf we all got dressed and instead of relaxing decided to head to the MK for a quick ride! This was supposed to be one of our off days, but since we upgraded to Annual Passes we could go into the parks so we had too! Even if just for one ride
This photopass thing is kind of weird but I like it

It was relatively quiet in the MK so we stopped for some pictures

We had yet to make it on Dumbo this trip so I made a Fast Pass and we headed over!
My Dad isn't super fond of Dumbo so he stayed off and watched
I don't think I ever noticed the lights in Dumbo...they are so cool!

We hopped out of Dumbo and on the monorail to our final spot for dinner: The Contemporary!

We were early for our reservations so explored some shops. I thought these luggage tags were cool

Next up: Dinner Time

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 8 continued
Soon enough it was time for dinner at Chef Mickey's! None of us had ever been there before so we were all excited to try it
We checked in and got our picture taken

We had a short wait and finally our pager went off! We sat down an immediately grabbed some food
First plate...I don't like things touching haha salad, cheeses, fruit

Second plate: ribs, bread, mini corn dogs, corn bread, mac and cheese

Third plate: ribs (again), beef, mashed potatoes and it looks like I took one small potato haha

The characters came around between plates!
First came Donald! My Dad told Donald to sit down and relax and he did in a chair next to us! Then my Dad asked if he wanted something to drink and he said yes and pretended to drink our pop

Then Minnie came over. My Dad was killing it with character interactions at dinner. He told her she looked very beautiful
My Dad was clearly talking during the picture haha

Then Pluto came over. My Dad asked Pluto how he kept his apron so clean and Pluto said he licked it clean

I have way too many pictures for one post...

 

[MinnieM123]

I grabbed a rice crispy treat

OMG! I've never see a Mickey rice krispie treat with all the M&M's on the outside! That looks decadent and delcious!!

 

[MinnieM123]

Too bad! One of the most fun water slides we've ever been on. It's like a water roller coaster since you go up and down hills...not just down like a regular water slide. I think Em and I rode it 7 or 8 times in a row.

I've always wanted to go on that, too, but do you know if you can ride it alone? It looked like a 2-person tube ride from the various photos I've seen, so I didn't venture over there, any of the times that I went to Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[Doc Disney]

Goofy came next. My Dad pretended to help him clean off his apron since its so dirty haha

Finally the main Mouse came by! My Dad thanked him for dinner On a side note my Dad also burped super loud during dinner...I'm pretty sure Mickey heard it haha

In case you were worried we skipped dessert we did not
I tried some (read all) the dessert haha

We really enjoyed our meal here and left with very stuffed bellies! I feel like Chef Mickeys gets a bad rep for food and while it wasn't fine dining we really enjoyed our meal...especially the ribs (we are from Buffalo, so all your people with good ribs don't judge haha).

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went to bed pretty early.

 

[Doc Disney]

OMG! I've never see a Mickey rice krispie treat with all the M&M's on the outside! That looks decadent and delcious!!

It was a bit much for me honestly haha. I am a purist, though, and like the plain ones the best

 

[Tuvalu]

I've always wanted to go on that, too, but do you know if you can ride it alone? It looked like a 2-person tube ride from the various photos I've seen, so I didn't venture over there, any of the times that I went to Typhoon Lagoon.

Yes you can ride solo (unless it has changed since we last went.)

@Doc Disney, we love Winter Summerland mini golf! Now at Christmastime whenever I hear the Beach Boys "Little Saint Nick" I am immediately back at WS holding a golf club!

When my kids were growing up, we went to Chef Mickey's for dinner ALL the time. Middle son was crazy about the Parmesan mashed potatoes.

 

[Doc Disney]

Yes you can ride solo (unless it has changed since we last went.)

@Doc Disney, we love Winter Summerland mini golf! Now at Christmastime whenever I hear the Beach Boys "Little Saint Nick" I am immediately back at WS holding a golf club!

When my kids were growing up, we went to Chef Mickey's for dinner ALL the time. Middle son was crazy about the Parmesan mashed potatoes.

We will definitely be back to mini golf if we have time again someday! Plus it was free...can't beat that price! We loved Chef Mickeys. I also loved that even though we were a party of all adults the characters spent a lot of time with us. Maybe it was the fact that I look like I'm 17...haha either way it was nice to not be skipped/rushed over. Garden Grill is the same way, they spend a lot of time with you even as adults!

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 9
Its so weird, in our usual trips this would have been our last full day, but instead we still had a lot of time to go! It was nice! This day was Mother's Day so we named it "ladies choice" day aka my Mom could decide what she wanted to do.
Mom decided that she wanted to have a relaxing morning so decided on going to Disney Springs for breakfast. Only, there really are not many places that have breakfast there. With some convincing (since they have waffles) she picked Wolfgang Puck Express (originally she said she did not want to eat there, she has some weird thing about not liking Wolfgang Puck restaurants even though she never ate there...lol).
Anyway we hopped on the bus for DS and ended up making a full loop to Riverside and then still somehow ended back at POFQ before going to Disney Springs. I don't think the boats were running yet. It didn't matter we had plenty of time
We finally arrived, my Mom snapped this picture of me outside Rainforest Cafe

WP Express was not open yet so we waited outside with a few other families.

We ordered our food and my Mom and I grabbed a table outside. It is not often we get to eat outside, especially breakfast, so we really enjoyed it.

Its kind of weird how it works here. You have a waitress but its not completely like a sit down restaurant as you order your food at a counter and grab your own drinks and such. I didn't really get it.
Anyway our food finally came
My Mom of course got a waffle. She said it was OK but not great

I got the bacon and cheddar omelet. The omelet was fine but the real winner was the potatoes. OMG they were so good!

My Dad got the Mushroom and Spinach omelet. His potatoes were not as good as mine

Anyway breakfast was good although honestly we probably wont be back seeing as how we never spare the time to go to DS in the mornings
When we were done eating the shops were not quite open yet so we sat down and relaxed a little

But of course that never lasts long so we walked around and took some pictures

Next up: continuing in the Springs

 

[ScarletBegonias]

We loved Chef Mickey's too! We had a great experience there!

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 9 continued

Finally some of the shops were open and my Mom and I headed the Crystal Shop and my Dad went to the World of Disney. The crystal store was actually closed the few other times we tried to go there! I was looking to get a necklace so I could add some variety to my day (since I wear the same Mickey necklace almost everyday). Instead, I found something else I wanted:
*this is a picture of it at home obviously haha

My Mom and I both fell in love with this carriage and both got one. The woman who was working the counter was so slow!!!! It literally took her over 20 minutes to ring these up (the AP discount was too much for her) . Meanwhile she was telling us about how she should get one of these for her cat to play with since it rolls around . Good idea except it was expensive haha
Anyway finally we escaped and did some more shopping and wandering. We hit up the hat store, but the hats were too big for my head so we moved on
I'm a sucker for cute pillows that say funny things so I am not sure how I escaped The Boathouse with no purchases

My Dad and I checked out the Star Wars store

We both loved the BB8 remote control thing but did not buy it...not only is it super expensive but we really didn't need it haha
This is like a paparazzi picture of my Dad and I I bought an outfit for my stuffed penguin Petey in T. rex lol

Anyway, ladies choice continued and my Mom wanted ice cream so we headed to Ghirardelli
My Mom got the Ocean Beach Sea Salted Caramel Sundae

And I got a cone with Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. As per usual I ate about two bites, I don't know why I order ice cream haha

After this we hit up a few more shops so I could grab some stickers for scrapbooking and headed back to the hotel. Our room was not clean yet so we grabbed our stuff and went to the pool.
My Mom and I did not go in the pool yet and were just thinking about getting in when we heard a loud whistle and every had to immediately get out of the pool.

Someone clearly had some sort of accident in or around the pool and the Mousekeeping CMs came to clean something up
The pool was closed for a long time actually so we ended up just going to the bar, grabbing some drinks and some pretzels and chips (because we didn't eat enough this morning...)

Next up: Epcot

 

[Doc Disney]

We loved Chef Mickey's too! We had a great experience there!

Did you go for breakfast or dinner? I can't remember from your TR haha. We loved dinner but would also like to try breakfast sometime

 

[joshsprincess921]

Love your red and white polka dot shorts! So cute!

 

[Beckett]

Love your red and white polka dot shorts! So cute!

Yes! Your outfits are lovely you should give Disney style tips!

 

[MinnieM123]

My Mom and I both fell in love with this carriage and both got one

I buy very few souvenirs when I'm at WDW. But I have to admit, that coach is darling. I think it's cute that both you and your mom bought one apiece!

 

[Doc Disney]

Love your red and white polka dot shorts! So cute!

Thank you! They are from the Lauren Conrad Disney collection. I own like three things from that collection but honestly the clothes were not the best quality. The zipper broke on these shorts before I even wore them one time! I had to take it to a tailor haha

Yes! Your outfits are lovely you should give Disney style tips!

Thank you so much! Thats so sweet of you! I spend a lot of time planning my outfits

I buy very few souvenirs when I'm at WDW. But I have to admit, that coach is darling. I think it's cute that both you and your mom bought one apiece!

Hahah coach was the word I was trying to think of when I wrote this but could not so wrote carriage instead! We both loved it so much that we both had to get it

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 9 continued:
Just in case anyone was curious what I bought Petey at T. Rex...a safari outfit!

After getting back from the pool we changed and headed to Epcot. I rushed my parents out of the room because I saw a golf cart show up and I thought it may have been something I was waiting for..more on that later! First up we had Fast Passes for Test Track.

Since it was "ladies choice" we let my Mom design the car

What a beauty! When we got up to the line I tapped my own Magic Band as well assuming it would just give me a stock car. Well, my stock car ended up winning and my Mom was so annoyed haha. It was then we realized it was actually the car I designed a few days ago and it was still stored on my MB! Pretty cool!
After this we headed over to the Land to ride Living with the Land. This was not ladies choice as my Mom hates this ride, but she was a good sport

Mickey!

On the ride I changed our FP for Nemo so that it would start when we got off the ride. The fact that MDE lets you do so much more with the Fast Passes now is amazing! It was so nice adding on extra Fast Passes without having to go to a kiosk
First we took some pictures

Next up: the Seas