Fairy Tale Engagement and Birthday Celebration!

Fashionista007 · Oct 8, 2010

Then it was time to ride Toy Story Mania again! The CM at the Fast Pass door really liked Jason’s shirt (World of Warcraft fan) so he gave him a special card that apparently helps them determine wait times. It made Jason feel super important!

We got the same basic scores as before, it was pretty funny. Jason got the high score in our car for the day!

We decided to leave Hollywood Studios and go back to Animal Kingdom until our ADR at the Hollywood Brown Derby later that evening.

We had a delicious lunch at the Flame Tree Barbeque (which unfortunately did not agree with me):

Then we had a nice serene walk in the Tree of Life Gardens and got some good shots:

Fashionista007 · Oct 8, 2010

Then we rode the safari again with no wait and our car was pretty empty. The driver was not as funny this time but the animals were out en force!

Then we went back to the room to shower and change for our ADR at The Hollywood Brown Derby. I’ve always wanted to eat here and I have never had the opportunity. I didn’t want to blind everyone with the flash so some of our pictures are pretty blurry.

We started with an appetizer of the Blue Crab Cake. We are from Baltimore so we know crabs. This was the only picture I was able to get and that should tell you all you need to know about this dish!

I had a yummy non-alcoholic beverage with a glow cube:

Jason had his usual beer:

Jason ordered the salmon:

I had the filet:

Fashionista007 · Oct 8, 2010

Everything was excellent and we nearly licked our plates! We never eat out at fancy restaurants at home and it’s just so nice to be able to treat ourselves for once. We had to stuff in dessert which ended up making me sick but oh well it was totally worth it!

They brought me a birthday chocolate mousse:

Jason had the cheesecake:

I had the grapefruit cake:

I guess I didn’t really realize that I don’t like grapefruit. If I did, I’m sure I would have loved this cake. Oh well everything else was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, I had been on a strict diet and lost 40 lbs and all the fat and grease I had eaten over the past few days finally caught up to me. Luckily, I came prepared with what I called “The Box” which was a plastic cosmetic type box full of meds. Oh wait, we had left it in the room so we could look dressy for our dinner! I was feeling pretty sick and Fantasmic had just let out so the lines for all of the busses were outrageous. Jason ended up finding us a cab instead. Best $20 we spent! I immediately felt better with the AC in my face. I took some meds and got a good night’s sleep.

Fashionista007 · Oct 8, 2010

Day 6 – September 24th, 2010

I think the worst day of a Disney trip is the day you get your Magical Express tags for the trip home. This was our last full day and we were starting to get sad about leaving but we’re so excited to plan a Fairytale Wedding!

We went over to EPCOT and got Fast Passes for Soarin’. Then we went to see Captain EO and who should sit right next to us but the couple we made friends with the previous day in line for Toy Story Mania! Talk about bizarre!

I really enjoyed this show. I was incredibly surprised at what an immersive experience it was. The entire theater moves and shakes almost like a simulator ride! And we got a kick out of seeing young George Lucas in the preshow.

It started raining pretty hard after that so we hopped over to Journey Into Imagination:

I took this picture because I thought it was interesting that Kodak was still on the logo. It was sad to see the shop at the end of the ride. That place used to be so cool and now it’s all boarded up.

We went over to the World Showcase and I caught up with my pal Belle:

She was really cute. She congratulated us on our engagement and asked Jason to tell the Beast where he got the ring because she didn’t have one yet!

Fashionista007 · Oct 8, 2010

Then it was time for our lunch ADR at Les Chefs De France. I was a bit disappointed here because the server was obviously new and seemed a bit nervous. Remy did not come out while we were there even though I checked the schedule beforehand and scheduled our ADR accordingly. My stomach had also been giving me problems so I wasn’t that hungry and ended up wasting most of my delicious food. It was heartbreaking.

Jason had a Kronenbourg:

And the lobster bisque:

I had the French onion soup:

We had to wait an exceptionally long time for our entrees. At least we got an interesting perspective on the show outside:

Finally our food arrived. I had the ribs:

Jason had the Mahi Mahi sandwich:

Everything was incredible and I wish I had felt better so I could have enjoyed it more. We ended up skipping dessert but they brought me some French Vanilla ice cream and sang Happy Birthday to me in French. It was very magical

Afterwards we rode Soarin’ again and then went back to the hotel for naptime.

We got to the Magic Kingdom in time to see the Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes. We got pretty good seats on the benches near the Crystal Palace. It was a good view of the parade going into Liberty Square which is not a perspective that I usually see. I usually sit at the car barn but it was so darned crowded even 1 hour before the parade. It was good but I really prefer Spectromagic. I think the music is better and there is more character interaction. After that we used my trick of avoiding crowds by walking up Main Street in the shops. I came up with that one after all the shops got connected together and it’s SO much faster than moving with the herd up Main Street. We stood at the Railroad Station to watch Wishes and make a quick escape to the Resort Monorail so we could go to EPCOT for evening Extra Magic Hours. Unfortunately the Monorail to EPCOT broke down so we ended up taking a bus. When we got to EPCOT we saw the broken down Monorail and it still had people in it:

We mainly did shopping that night for souvenirs and I found a line of “I Love Nerds” gear that I had to get. I ended up getting a TShirt, Nightie, and Tote Bag. I love walking around EPCOT at night when the crowds are down. I got my Kringla Sweet Pretzel which I never got to take a picture of because it’s too delicious and Jason got a beer in Germany. I guess we were too sad to take pictures that night!

Fashionista007 · Oct 8, 2010

Day 7 - September 25th, 2010 Our Last Day

We got up early, showered, and packed. We ended up having to send some boxes home because we couldn’t fit all of our souvenirs into one bag. This ended up costing us about $50. If we had just brought one more suitcase it would have been $15 baggage check fee on AirTran. Lesson Learned. Jason called for a Bellhop and then went to wait in line at the concierge to send our packages while I waited in line for the Magical Express Baggage Check. The line was outrageous. Next time I will definitely wake up earlier on the last day. This ended up taking us an hour. The poor family in front of us ended up having to check their bags at the airport because they were in line too long and it was time for them to get on their bus. They were pretty upset. We got everything done, checked out and made our way to EPCOT.

We started out with some Fast Passes for Mission: Space. Then we did The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. I really love this attraction. Last year we did Germany and Norway. This year we got to do the UK and France. Hopefully we’ll finish it up on our next trip!

We stopped at the Patisserie in France and I got the best croissant I’ve ever had:

We made our way to our last ride, Ellen’s Energy Adventure. I love this ride but I was so tired that I nearly fell asleep. It’s so nice and cold and dark in there! We got on the bus back to Animal Kingdom Lodge for the last time. We ended up meeting a really nice family with 2 little boys who were playing with Jason. Their father told them what it meant to be engaged and he told the little boy to congratulate us. It was so sweet! It was the perfect end to the perfect trip.

Fashionista007 · Oct 8, 2010

Wrap up and final thoughts

I was a bit disheartened that only 2 CMs told me to “Have a Magical Day” the entire trip. Overall the attitude of the CMs was good but I missed hearing that.

The Basic Dining Plan – If I had to pay for it, I would not opt in. We just don’t eat enough of the food and we almost always waste our desserts. I also don’t like that appetizers are not allowed to be substituted for dessert. I didn’t feel like we needed to have a sit down meal every single day although it is nice. I felt like even though we had the Basic Dining Plan, we still ended up spending a lot on food because of appetizers, alcohol, and tips. I think that for us we would save more money being DVC/AP + TiW members. That’s my plan for our next trip in June which will hopefully be Star Wars Weekends.

iPhone Apps

TripIt (Free) – This is a must have for all vacations, Disney or not. I kept copies of all of our hotel, transportation, and restaurant reservations and itineraries. I can’t even believe this is a free service. It even shares information on Facebook if you opt in.

WDW Maps ($2.99) – I have mixed feelings about this one. It was incredibly awesome until it crashed on day 4 and was down for about 2 days. It did come back on its own but that was pretty inconvenient. Other than that, the map was very accurate and you can walk around and your marker moves with you on the map. Needless to say we never picked up a park map while we were there.

WDW Hours (Free) – An absolute must have for quick info on what’s going on in the parks on a daily basis. And it’s free to boot!

WDW Waits (Free) – I did not end up using this one because WDW Lines and Undercover Tourist have the same information and I paid for them

WDW Dining (Free) – I used this one occasionally and I really like that it has full menus and prices. However, Undercover Tourist has something similar and the interface is better.

What 2 Ride (Free) – This is cute but I never really ended up using it.
WDW Lines (need to be a member at touring plans, app is free) – Incredibly accurate wait times and also has some show information. I felt that this app had more accurate wait times than the actual times posted at the rides.

Undercover Tourist ($3.99) – I think this is a must have even if you have WDW Lines. I really like the interface and it also includes dining information and the ability to save an itinerary. This was the app that I used the most throughout the trip. It’s basically an all-in-one. It even has GPS enabled maps so I used this as a backup with WDW Maps crashed.

GateGuru (Free) – This is a neat app that lists what is nearby at any airport in the US. Using this app, we were able to find a Burger King to chow down at Orlando International.

iTripBook ($0.99) – I am so glad that I got this app and kept a journal the entire time. Not only did it make it easier to write my TR but now I have a journal full of memories of my vacation! I am the kind of person that if I don’t write it down, I won’t remember! I used my bus riding time to keep an up to date account of every event on our vacation.

I hope you have enjoyed my September 2010 Trip Report! We are planning our Disney Fairytale Wedding and Honeymoon (aka Disneymoon) for December 2011. If we get a good deal on a DVC resale, we want to go back in June 2011 for Star Wars Weekends. We’re waiting until December for our wedding for the weather and value season. We’re going to do an Escape wedding with 18 guests hopefully at Sea Breeze Point. I also want to have Mickey & Minnie at the cake cutting reception, an Illuminations Dinner and/or Dessert Party, and a portrait session at the Magic Kingdom. I’ve been doing research, I just need to call and talk to a wedding coordinator!

I seriously cannot believe this is all happening. When I think about all that we’ve been through over the past few years, I am so proud of us that we dug out of the financial and emotional hole we were in. I have been dreaming of a Disney Fairytale Wedding since I was a little girl and I had seriously thought it was too expensive. I am pleasantly surprised that they have added affordable packages so you don’t have to spend $10k. We will only be surrounded by immediate family and that is fine with me. I’m not the type of person to have a big wedding anyway. I can’t wait to book everything and start my countdown!

Have a magical day! :wave:

PeoplemoverTTA · Oct 11, 2010

Congrats on your engagement! I really enjoyed your TR, and I'm looking forward to your wedding planning trip

Fashionista007 · Oct 12, 2010

PeoplemoverTTA said:
Congrats on your engagement! I really enjoyed your TR, and I'm looking forward to your wedding planning trip

Thank you! I can't wait to go back and I just want to book something so I have a countdown! I feel lost without something to count down to

We're planning 2 trips for next year - June and the wedding/honeymoon in December 2011. I think it's funny that I can book the honeymoon now but I can't book the wedding until April (it's a max of 8 months in advance for Escape weddings).

It seems that some of my pictures aren't showing up because my Photobucket account is full. I just paid for Pro so they should be showing up soon.

TinkerChelli · Oct 12, 2010

:sohappy:Congrats to both of you!!!!! Love your Trip Report and pictures.
Enjoy your engagement :wave:

WishIWasAtWDW · Oct 12, 2010

congratulations again on your engagement! it looks like you all had a wonderful vacation! so exciting about planning a disney wedding and honeymoon! great trip report! thanks for sharing.

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 14, 2010

Catching up on TRs, finally!

Loved your report! Your engagement was so perfect. It was personal and private in a place where a moment of solitude just isn't easily found. Your ring is beautiful! Y'all are adorable! Aaaaand, you're having a DFTW! Color me jealous! How awesome! I'm so excited for you!

Your DF sports some cooooool tees! My fave was the Pac-Man one. Good stuff!

I love that your wrap-up included your thoughts on various apps. I have Lines but think I'll check out the trip journal one and the Undercover Tourist one. Thanks so much for that info!

The dining plan. We paid to do it once back when appetizers & tip were still included. It was sooooo much food. I gained 10 lbs. on that trip. Seriously! We felt like we spent our days chasing ADRs so we could get the maximum bang for the buck. The problem was that it got in the way of relaxing and going with the flow. We decided the DDP wasn't for us. However, if they're giving it to us for FREE (next month) then I'm in. I won't pressure myself to make it to all the ADRs because I want to get my quarter's worth. Ya know?

I totally enjoyed every detail of your report! Good job! :sohappy:

And congrats to you two love-birds! Here's to a lifetime of happily ever afters! :wave:

Fashionista007 · Oct 14, 2010

TinkerChelli said:
:sohappy:Congrats to both of you!!!!! Love your Trip Report and pictures.
Enjoy your engagement :wave:

Thank you so much! I always love reading other people's trip reports and it feels really good when people like mine

WishIWasAtWDW said:
congratulations again on your engagement! it looks like you all had a wonderful vacation! so exciting about planning a disney wedding and honeymoon! great trip report! thanks for sharing.

Thank you! I have never had a bad Disney vacation and this one was definitely the best so far! I have major wedding updates coming soon :sohappy:

sweetpee_1993 said:
Catching up on TRs, finally!

Loved your report! Your engagement was so perfect. It was personal and private in a place where a moment of solitude just isn't easily found. Your ring is beautiful! Y'all are adorable! Aaaaand, you're having a DFTW! Color me jealous! How awesome! I'm so excited for you!

Your DF sports some cooooool tees! My fave was the Pac-Man one. Good stuff!

I love that your wrap-up included your thoughts on various apps. I have Lines but think I'll check out the trip journal one and the Undercover Tourist one. Thanks so much for that info!

The dining plan. We paid to do it once back when appetizers & tip were still included. It was sooooo much food. I gained 10 lbs. on that trip. Seriously! We felt like we spent our days chasing ADRs so we could get the maximum bang for the buck. The problem was that it got in the way of relaxing and going with the flow. We decided the DDP wasn't for us. However, if they're giving it to us for FREE (next month) then I'm in. I won't pressure myself to make it to all the ADRs because I want to get my quarter's worth. Ya know?

I totally enjoyed every detail of your report! Good job! :sohappy:

And congrats to you two love-birds! Here's to a lifetime of happily ever afters! :wave:

Thank you, you're so sweet

We're so very excited for our big day!

A lot of people have commented about DF's (that's the first time I've called him that in this thread!) shirts! Our neice who is 7 looked at the picture of us at MNSSHP with Mickey and Minnie but she was most interested in his shirt! It was hilarious

I am very into technology so the iPhone app wrap up was my pleasure! I'm really glad it helped you and you really should check out Undercover Tourist and iTripJournal. I used those + Lines every single day!

I'm with you on the Dining Plan. If you really add up what you eat, sometimes it does not add up to a savings. It does when you do it right but I did not like the feeling of being restricted to certain foods. For example, a turkey leg counts as a MEAL. Really? Why would anyone waste a meal on a cheap turkey leg? Plus it's really not that convenient when you have to tell every CM that you have the dining plan. I had a lot of CMs who rang us up before I could even get the words out, then they had to cancel the transaction and start over. But when it's free, it's totally worth it.

I'm so glad that you enjoyed my report! I have learned so much reading yours and other people's TRs and I'm very happy to hear that my personal experiences have touched other people!

Fashionista007 · Oct 14, 2010

FYI for those who are interested....I started a Wedding Planning Report.

ABigBrassBand · Nov 27, 2010

Haha, Jason's "I'd Hit That" shirt :lol:

That's so romantic, flying over London to a proposal :'), sounds like you had a great trip, thank for the fun report.

4everDory · Nov 27, 2010

Great TR! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Can't wait to hear all about the wedding plans! Nice to hear they've added some more affordable weddings. Congrats!

Thumbelina · Nov 27, 2010

I loved reading your trip report! Thank you for sharing. I stayed over at animal kingdom for christmas last year, it was fun. I love the rooms! I loved looking out my window and seeing the animals. It never got old. Im with you Chip & Dale need to wear their Rescue Rangers out fit more.
That show was/is still one of my favorite shows. hehe all your hidden mickeys made me smile.
I love finding them. Thanks for the info about the apps. Congrats about gettin engaged, I deff need a tissue. I cant wait to see you trip report about you wedding!

figureskater · Mar 4, 2011

Congrats on your engagement! Getting engaged over London on Peter Pan is so romantic!!

Your monorail shirt is AWESOME!

Fashionista007 · Mar 5, 2011

I'm so sorry I didn't realize there were responses to this thread that I hadn't responded to! Bad Shelley!!

0ogabooha said:
Haha, Jason's "I'd Hit That" shirt :lol:

That's so romantic, flying over London to a proposal :'), sounds like you had a great trip, thank for the fun report.

Thank you so much! I'm pretty sure you'll see a repeat of that shirt in our other trip reports I'll be writing this year

I buy his video game shirts from MyTeeSpot.com.

The proposal was perfect!! We'll think about it every time we ride PPF

4everDory said:
Great TR! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Can't wait to hear all about the wedding plans! Nice to hear they've added some more affordable weddings. Congrats!

Thank you! I'm glad they added the Escape and Memories collections. It's funny, my first instinct was to get prices at non-Disney hotels in the Downtown Disney area. I didn't even think we could get married at Disney, let alone the Wedding Pavilion! The Escape Collection rocks. I also love it because I work more than full time and I don't have time to coordinate vendors. The Escape Collection includes all of the basic necessities so there's not much else that I need to do!

Thumbelina said:
I loved reading your trip report! Thank you for sharing. I stayed over at animal kingdom for christmas last year, it was fun. I love the rooms! I loved looking out my window and seeing the animals. It never got old. Im with you Chip & Dale need to wear their Rescue Rangers out fit more.
That show was/is still one of my favorite shows. hehe all your hidden mickeys made me smile.
I love finding them. Thanks for the info about the apps. Congrats about gettin engaged, I deff need a tissue. I cant wait to see you trip report about you wedding!

Yeah another Disney Afternoon fan! Have you seen the new Vinylmations they have? I think I might have to start collecting those now. I think having the iPhone apps really helped, especially for dining. We didn't want to rush through our table service meals but at the same time there is so much to do and see that we didn't want to spend 2 hours eating every day. So we would look up the menu while we waited so we knew what we wanted when we got to the table. It really helped to save us some time!

figureskater said:
Congrats on your engagement! Getting engaged over London on Peter Pan is so romantic!!

Your monorail shirt is AWESOME!

Thank you!! We were recently interviewed for an episode of Inside Disney Weddings and Jason talks about how the proposal went down. It was so fun being interviewed about our wedding! You should definitely listen to the show since you are also planning a Disney wedding. It's chock full of great tips and information.

Thank you for the compliment on my monorail shirt

I've gotten a different one for each of our recent trips from Zazzle.com and I always get compliments from the CMs.

Our next TR will be coming up in May for some wedding planning and Star Wars Weekends! We can't wait!

Fairy Tale Engagement and Birthday Celebration!

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