Cue the magic, Mickey bars, Ferrari and rain - we've got a 5th Anniversary trip report!

Every trip I return with the full intention to do a trip report, and often I get sidetracked. However, this one is happening!

First, here we are, DH - Rich (31) and myself, Jessica (28)

Disclaimer: This was taken very early in the morning, forgive the tired eyes, we were heading to the WDW Speedway for Rich's drive experience which we needed to be at for 7:30 am.

We don't always look like zombies. However, sometimes we can be a little, hmmm, what's the word - stone-faced?

We of course decided that our 5th anniversary must be celebrated at our happy place. Originally the trip started as a birthday gift for my husband. The gift wasn't the trip itself, but that I booked him to drive the Ferrari 458 Italia at the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway. At our Kingdom Konsultant Agent Education Program back in January, us lucky agents were able to do thrill rides in the exotic cars. Meanwhile, my husband was back home in cold Massachusetts, working and tending to the house and dogs. To say he was jealous was an understatement. So, naturally, feeling so horribly bad for him, I booked him a driving experience for his birthday. (It had nothing to do with the fact that if we were going to travel all the way to Florida for him to drive a Ferrari it would make sense to just make a trip out of it - nothing at all)

Once he found out about his drive experience, we decided to make it a week-long stay celebrating our 5th anniversary (my plan worked). We stayed from September 14 - 21, at Pop Century. On the 16th, my father and stepmother would be arriving at Caribbean Beach Resort (they live in North Carolina) and would meet up with us throughout the day. This was also my first trip with my new SLR and I came back with nearly 4000 pictures (I won't post all of them, I promise) so that was a celebration within itself. So now that we've gotten the introduction out of the way let's move on. Everybody neat and pretty? Then on with the show!

 

[Disney_Belle]

Wow. Great pics. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks lebeau!

 

[Disney_Belle]

I love it!! AK seems to be where I always am when it rains, too!

Usually I'm at MK when it rains. This was a totally different kind of rain than we had all week!

 

[Grumpy-Fan]

Nice TR and loved the pics as well. I also just purchased the T3i and our Dec trip will be my first with a DSLR. I was wondering which lens(s) you used.

 

[sam_disney]

loving your report! Your pictures are actually amazing! x

 

[Disney_Belle]

After a crazy busy weekend I'm finally settling down to finish this report!

Day 6: September 19

We got a bit of a later start than we had wanted and were heading for Disney's Hollywood Studios. We made it to the park around 10:00 am (we were aiming for opening - fail) and immediately made our way to the times board to see what the wait time was for Toy Story Mania. It was 55 minutes and FastPasses were for 4:30 - 5:30, which wouldn't work for us as we had 4:45 reservations at Tutto Italia. We made the decision that the next day we would be there for park opening!

We were both a bit hungry and I told Rich about Starring Rolls. He hadn't been there yet but I stopped there on my last visit a few months ago in May/June. I figured he'd go for the chocolate croissant, but he surprised me and went with a cupcake. The chocolate peanut butter cupcake to be exact. Well, since he was making this a cupcake breakfast, I was too! I chose the Butterfinger cupcake.

Rich's chocolate peanut butter cupcake:

Butterfinger cupcake. Should be illegal, seriously. So delicious!

Rich, not being a sweets guy really, completely surprised me by finishing every last crumb of his cupcake. I, on the other hand, didn't make it very far...

After our seriously sweet breakfast, we walked around a couple of stores while we digested.

Love this...

The next showing of Beauty & the Beast was starting in about 25 minutes. B&tB is one of my favorites, and seeing that we'd missed my other favorite show (Festival of the Lion King), I gave Rich the look that I must see it. He agreed to suck it up and deal with it and watch the show with me We grabbed our seats and by this time my father was texting Rich that him and Jen were on the bus to DHS. They showed up about 5 minutes before the show began and sat with us.

Really wish I'd brought my zoom lens this day. Or at least sat closer.

Be our guest!

Why is it every time I watch this show and this scene starts someone decides to cut onions?!

And they lived happily ever after...

We skipped Tower of Terror. As always. I used to love it when I was younger. Not so much anymore. And neither does my stomach. Rock N' Roller Coaster was up next. Apparently we're all boring and decided to skip out on this one. Jen loves Aerosmith, so we stopped in the store for her to do some shopping (she's a pro)!

I hadn't visited The Magic of Disney Animation in quite some time, so that was our next stop.

 

[Disney_Belle]

We wandered inside for a bit. The Incredibles, Pooh and Sorcerer Mickey were doing meet and greets, but all of the lines were quite lengthy. We played around with the character games for a bit and headed toward the exit. Much to our surprise (well, not really), it was pouring. We decided to stay in the building.

Rich decided to test out a bench.

There was an Animation Academy class beginning in about 10 minutes, so that's what we were going to do. I've always loved drawing and had a strong interest in animation, so this was right up my alley. Today's character was Grumpy!

My Grumpy:

Once were done in the Animation Academy, the rain was still coming. It was close to 1:30 and my father and Jen wanted lunch. They decided upon ABC Commissary. Not my favorite place, but it was dry inside, which at this point was my main concern. Rich and I ordered burgers. They were actually better than I'd expected. And while inside, it really started pouring hard. We took our time on lunch and left around 2:45. The rains had let up quite a bit. It was time to head to Epcot so on our way out, we walked through the stores along Hollywood Boulevard.

One can never have too many balloon photos.

Due to the weather, the Friendships weren't operating, so we went to get a bus to Epcot. We had a 4:45 ADR at Tutto Italia. Because we'd had a late lunch (and really, Rich and I were still feeling the aftermath of the cupcakes), none of us were hungry. Especially for a heavy dinner like pasta. Discussing our options, we cancelled the Tutto dinner and decided we'd go to Downtown Disney and go to T-Rex later in the evening. Rich loves T-Rex. Loves. So we had time now to do what we wanted. None of us felt like going back to our resort, so I'd asked my father and Jen if they'd ever visited Animal Kingdom Lodge. They said no, so to AKL it was! I was really hoping to introduce my camera to AKL, so this made my day.

One of my favorite lobbies in all of WDW.

 

[Disney_Belle]

There are just so many details!

After spending some time at AKL, we got a bus to Downtown Disney. We took our time wandering through the stores and as we made our way to T-Rex.

It was about 6:00 now. So Rich and I headed to T-Rex to put our name in at the podium while Jen and my father were in World of Disney. They showed up about 20 minutes after, and we were called up to be seated about 5 minutes later. While we were waiting...

SQUIRREL!

I honestly forget what everyone else ordered, but I got buffalo wings and a salad. Both very good!

Babies!

Another baby!

After dinner, my father and Rich stopped and had cigars by the water. Jen and I went into LittleMissMatched and Marketplace Fun Finds. When the guys finished doing their guy stuff, it was time for my favorite store - Disney's Days of Christmas! I don't care what time of year it is, it is never too early to enjoy a little Christmas cheer

And let me add in here this little issue I have when we go to WDW. I always save my shopping for the end of the trip. I really wanted to buy an ornament to recognize our 5th Anniversary, so while in DDoC, I looked and browsed, but decided I'd wait to get something at Magic Kingdom the next day. And never did. I do this every trip. I wait and wait and wait, and then don't buy it.

I want all of these ear hat ornaments.

After popping in a couple more stores, we headed back to the room. We had one full last day left and we were going to maximize it to the fullest, so a good night of rest would be needed!

 

[Disney_Belle]

Day 7: September 20th

Rich and I were up and out early today. My father and Jen were doing their own thing today as it was our last full day, and would meet us at our 5:00 ADR at The Crystal Palace.

Our first stop was to head to DHS and get on Toy Story Mania. We got there for park opening as planned and bee-lined it to TSMM. Rich grabbed FastPasses (which were for between 10:15 and 11:15 already) and the wait was only at 5 minutes, so we headed right in. I won round one!

After our first round, we headed to Star Tours. I hadn't been on the 3D version yet. I was afraid it would make me queasy (I had some issues with the original ride). However, it didn't bother me in the least! I loved it!

After Star Tours, I was on my way to one final mission I had left to accomplish on this trip. I previously mentioned we don't do a lot of character photos (Rich isn't into it), but that I had a couple on my must meet list. First - Dug, which I checked off at Animal Kingdom. Second - Phineas and Ferb. Rich was actually more than willing for this. He loves P&F and we often find ourselves watching the show together. Don't judge. We found where P&F were located and there was one family in line. We got our picture taken with them (on PhotoPass). So fun! After that, we saw Lightning McQueen and Mater - no wait for them, so we got pictures with them as well.

We made our way back to TSMM to use our FastPasses. Rich won the second round.

Rich and I wanted to have lunch at ESPN Club, so we took a Frienship over. We sat on the back bench of the boat, and in between taking pictures, I was basking in the sunshine that was peeking through. Oh how I just love that Florida sunshine. I was soaking up every last bit of it knowing I'd be coming home to a chilly Massachusetts the next day. It was glorious.

So long, Hollywood Studios!

 

[Disney_Belle]

We arrived at Boardwalk a little before 11:00. We had about half an hour until ESPN opened for lunch, so what else do you do when waiting? Why shop of course!

Normally I take a lot of merchandise photos. Not this time. Only one picture, but it has a very important message:

After browsing, we had about 10 minutes, so we pulled up a bench and relaxed.

 

[Disney_Belle]

We had a great lunch at ESPN. We both ordered the Dinger sandwiches with fries. After lunch, we walked over to Epcot.

We stopped at Promenade Refreshments along the way and I had myself a water, Rich got a beer. We parked it on another bench for a few minutes to soak in the atmosphere (and more sunshine). On our way to the monorail, we stopped for one more ride on SSE. I didn't take any pictures at Epcot. We didn't wait long for a monorail. One pulled up about 3 minutes after we arrived. The last monorail ride of each trip is always bittersweet.

Once we arrived at T&TC, we took the ferry to MK. The Main Street Philharmonic was making their way down the street.

The entire week we'd been there, it was warm. Mid 80's - low 90's pretty much every day. This day's temperature was a bit lower, however it was very sticky. Very sticky. So in an effort to cool down, we went to the Hall of Presidents. I for one really enjoy HoP, however I think Rich is in it for the a/c. But on this day, I can't say that didn't have a little bit to do with it. While waiting for the doors to open, a man announced to the entire group of people waiting (probably about 80 people) that it was his son's 23rd birthday and he wanted us all to sing to him. So we did. His son was quite embarassed, but he was a good sport about it. That's what Dads are for!

Once we exited HoP, it was about 2:30. We hadn't seen Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade, and so we found some seats in Frontierland and waited. And what a treat, Miss America 2012 was the Grand Marshal of today's parade!

Hi Mickey!

.

 

[Disney_Belle]

Oh it's a jolly holiday with Mary!

Mary giving some sass!

Off to Neverland!!!

 

[Disney_Belle]

So many parade pictures, sorry

She's just too adorable!

 

[Disney_Belle]

As soon as the parade ended we took full advantage of the fact that the parade still had a ways to go and we headed straight for Big Thunder Mountain. The wait time was listed as 10 minutes, but it was more like 20, still not too bad. For the first time ever we got the front seat.

Our Crystal Palace ADR was at 5:00. We made our way over to CP. My father and Jen texted us that their bus had just pulled in to MK, so I checked us in. I noticed something that in all of my trips in WDW I'd never seen before. In front of CP, was a table set up with two big water dispensers and cups so guests could get water.

My father and Jen showed up soon after, we had a great dinner and visit with our 100 Acre Wood pals. After dinner, we stopped in the Emporium. Rich and then headed out on to Main Street to get a PP photographer to snap our picture. It was exactly 6 years on that day that he'd proposed to me on Main Street At this point, Jen and my father came out and met us and said they were heading back to their room. We said our goodbyes (even though we'd see them in the airport). I made my way across Main Street to Uptown Jewelers. I bought myself a mini barrel bag Dooney with the retro pattern and a Mickey Alex & Ani bracelet. That was the extent of my shopping the entire trip lol! After my major shopping spree, we headed toward the exit (with a tear in my eye of course) and bid our favorite place a see ya real soon. It was about 6:30 and we were meeting Shalon at the Polynesian to watch Wishes! from the beach.

The boat was at capacity, so we waited for the next one.

And once on the boat, I just couldn't resist how beautiful the sky was, and went a bit overboard (no pun intended) with pictures.

 

[Disney_Belle]

We arrived at the Poly and met Shalon in the lobby. We headed out and grabbed some chairs on the beach. We had about 45 minutes to go until Wishes! began. In the mean time, Mother Nature was putting on a show for us. Behind both the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary, lightning was flashing behind the clouds. Wishes! began at 9:00 on the dot. About 3 minutes later, we started feeling little drops of rain. And then they got bigger and more frequent. We decided it was a good time to start putting on the ponchos. Before we knew it, it was pouring. Rich booked it into the lobby, Shalon and I stood on the walkway in front of the Hawaii building and toughed it out and watched the rest of Wishes! with my poncho and her umbrella. After it was finished, Shalon went and got her car and was awesome and drove us back to Pop. We spend the night packing up and resting up for our return to reality!

Before Wishes! began, I was able to get a shot of the amazing lightning show behind the Grand.

The next day was just us checking out, riding DME and heading home. Nothing eventful. My camera was packed up so I didn't take any photos. We had a great trip, and I'm having the worst WDW withdrawal I've ever had, but I know we'll return again!

Thanks for reading!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Awesome report, Jess. Loved loved all of the pictures!!

 

[Disney_Belle]

Awesome report, Jess. Loved loved all of the pictures!!

Thanks Tammy! I loved loved taking them!!!

 

[miriamsolana]

Jess, thanks for sharing! Great TR and, My God! Your photos are GREAT!!!

 

[Disney_Belle]

Jess, thanks for sharing! Great TR and, My God! Your photos are GREAT!!!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that! Glad you enjoyed them

 

[KBelle_]

Loved your trip report and your photos, amazing! I'm also thinking about taking my SLR on my next disney trip, was just wondering what lenses you took and how was it carrying it all around at the parks? I def think its worth taking now looking at your photos

 

[sam_disney]

loved your report.. I'm going to try and take artistic shots myself next time or try to.. at least!!!