Give Me an SEC football game, and my heaven is complete!

Hello! Welcome to my 1st trip report about my 5th trip to Disney World! This trip was one I had planned in my head for a loooong time and I am so glad it finally happened!

When: September 6-12
Where: Disney's All-Star Music Resort
Who: Me (Katie, 25) and my Mom (Sharon, a young princess : ) )

 

[KappleB2]

Day 1: Our Travel Day

Unfortunately, I woke up with a fever this day . I mean, I count down for over 200 days and I wake up with a TEMPERATURE the day I am supposed to leave!? So, we slept a little later than originally planned and got going at about 9am. I had body aches and was generally yucky on the outside but on the inside I was jumping up and down! I could hardly contain the excitement! We drove to Ocala, FL today, about 9 1/2 hours and stayed at an empty and pretty nice Microtel. Not feeling well, I wanted to go to sleep pretty early but Mom wanted to watch the Democratic convention. Only about 5 min after the President started we turned it off .

Day 2: Wake up! We are going to see Mickey Mouse and Chris Tomlin today!!!

It was FINALLY here! The day I had been dreaming of for so long! In just a few hours we would be in Disney World and leave all my cares behind. If I was still feeling ill I didn't notice because I was at Disney World!!! So we left around 9:30am and were on Disney property by 11am!

This was our first time staying on Disney property and we stayed and the All-Star Music resort. I had checked in online in only a few minutes we got our (first!) Key to the World cards and were ready to go to the room!

Towel Mickey greeted us when we entered and we sat and rested for a few minutes. We were too excited to sit so were headed off to Downtown Disney!

 

[KappleB2]

Day 2: Continued
Downtown Disney and NIGHT OF JOY!!
Our first stop at Downtown Disney was World of Disney to get a gift card, I wasn't interested in carrying around a bunch of cash. So we did that and I tempted myself with some pins but held off cause I was on a budget!
It was about lunch time and I had heard wonderful things about Earl of Sandwich so that's where we went! I got The Full Montagu and Mom had the All American.

Now that was a gooood sandwich, but honestly I liked Mom's alot better. Those cranberries in the sandwich were awesome! Next time that is what I will get.

From there we saw a parade of Bibbidi Boppity Boutiquers which was SO FUN and made me want to be 6 yrs old again! My Mom talks to everyone so she clapped and stopped some of the Moms to say how fun it was and I could tell it was going to be and interesting 5 days ​

I work at a Specialty Toy Store so Toys interest me . I had to go in the toy store down there and I LOVED all the Mr. Potato Head parts!

I ALMOST got one, but like I said, I was on a budget.​

We also visited the Lego store which is so cool! I especially like the Snow White and Toy Story things they built.​

We only had tickets for Night of Joy tonight so we couldn't into the park until 4pm. In the meantime we tried to rest in the hotel until it was time.​

We headed into Magic Kingdom via the monorail. I usually love the boat but it was set to rain any minute so I felt the monorail was the place least likely to get wet. We got in, got our Night of Joy wristbands and headed for Pirates, which we basically walked on to . It started to rain while on the ride so we waited it our for a bit in the shop then headed over to Pecos Bills for dinner.

We split the Deluxe Cheeseburger and fries and with full tummies and our ponchos on we head out to Tomorrowland. We rode the Peoplemover (which Mom loves) and then Buzz Lightyear where Mom's domination began. She kicked my butt every time! This ride we even got stuck on the ride for about 5 min. She racked up the points and apparently I have really bad aim

Next we headed over to the Castle Stage for the first concert- Needtobreathe.

Let me take a moment to explain that Night of Joy is the whole reason we decided to come at this time. I LOVE DISNEY WORLD and I LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC and CONCERTS so to be able to do that all at the same time is heaven! On top of that Chris Tomlin, my absolute fave, was there!!! All I needed was an SEC football game and my heaven would be complete. Seriously. So first up, Needtobreathe. They are awesome and FUN. It was my first time seeing them and I really enjoyed it. But NEXT was who was waiting for. Chris Tomlin.

 

[KappleB2]

CHRIS TOMLIN!!

So remember I said it was raining? Well it stopped for a bit during Needtobreathe but it returned in between them and Chris Tomlin. He was supposed to start at 9:50 but didn't start until 10:15 or so. It was still raining but they brought out a tent and he did and acoustic set. He said he didn't want us to miss out on anything! Chris himself ended up standing in the rain, he liked it closer to the crowd. About half way through his set the rain stopped and half way through my favorite song the rest of the band came in! It was so cool!! To top it off, he sang a song that only people at his church had heard before! That was the coolest!
And now, I dump my Chris Tomlin pics. And if you can, imagine me, standing there in front of the castle listening to my favorite singer, crying tears of joy. Not to get into details but my life is NOTHING like I ever imagined and I have been having a hard time lately. I NEEDED this moment so much. I get teary thinking about it now and am so grateful to God for the opportunity to take this trip

Sigh...what I would give to do that again. It was wonderful. We were so tired that unfortunately we didn't last to see Casting Crowns that night. We strolled down Main Street and enjoyed the Halloween decorations, which I loved!

Tomorrow, we got to Animal Kingdom and enjoy the second evening of Night of Joy.

 

[OswaldTheRabbit]

I am so happy for you that you had a wonderful night! Rain or not it sounds great! Can't wait for the rest of your report!

 

[imagination30]

No pics of my boys ... ( need to breathe ) .. boo.... but yea they are awesome.. glad you liked them... .. sorry you got sick.. ( cant wait to hear the rest of the trip!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

As a college football fan, more specifically an SEC football fan (even more specifically, a Florida Gators fan! lol) let me say, I love the title of this TR!

I have one of Mr. Potato Heads. My mom and aunt scrambled to get it together for me one night in 2010 when we were there. They sent me to find my cousin who had "wandered off" (on purpose and kept hiding from me) so they could get all the parts. Awesome Christmas present for sure!

 

[wiigirl]

Love the pics!

 

[MaxsDad]

We were there that Night too. It was great.

We went to ride Haunted mansion when it looked like rain would delay the show. When we got back, he was already playing. I wondered how much we had missed. Thanks for letting me know it was not that much!

Casting Crowns was worth the wait.

A line up similar to this played two years ago. I would hope you have a chance to see him again.

 

[KappleB2]

As a college football fan, more specifically an SEC football fan (even more specifically, a Florida Gators fan! lol) let me say, I love the title of this TR!

I have one of Mr. Potato Heads. My mom and aunt scrambled to get it together for me one night in 2010 when we were there. They sent me to find my cousin who had "wandered off" (on purpose and kept hiding from me) so they could get all the parts. Awesome Christmas present for sure!

I still love the Mr. Potato head. My sister will be there in October so I may be dropping a few hints And GEAUX TIGERS!! But I graduated from UT so this weekend its a big GO VOLS

 

[KappleB2]

We were there that Night too. It was great.

We went to ride Haunted mansion when it looked like rain would delay the show. When we got back, he was already playing. I wondered how much we had missed. Thanks for letting me know it was not that much!

Casting Crowns was worth the wait.

A line up similar to this played two years ago. I would hope you have a chance to see him again.

I wish we could have seen Casting Crowns but I was totally wiped out. I will be on the lookout for them nearby and will really try to catch them.

 

[KappleB2]

Day 3: Animal Kingdom and Night of Joy Night #2

Day 3 started early (like they all did) with breakfast in the room. Honey Nut Cheerios and bananas to be exact Then we headed over to Animal Kingdom.

Our first stop was Expedition Everest. Mom grabbed a coffee while I happily walked right on to the train

I really like this ride! Especially the backwards part! Sadly, I did not even see the Yeti. Not even doing the disco! By the way, I wrote "not even disco yeti" in my notebook and my mom thought I was crazy but I know you will understand.

Next we walked over the Africa to ride the Safari. I really enjoy this and so does my Mom. I always have my camera ready but do not generally take too many animal pictures, what am I going to do with those in the future? BUT this time the animals were very active! The giraffes were amazing! A few of them were so close I could have reached out and touched them if I wanted!

I am happy to say we seemed to have a very knowledgeable guide who really enjoyed his job! It made a difference! Also, I liked it without the elephant poacher thing. I didn't feel like anything was missing at all. Everything flowed very well.
We walked through Pangani Forest Trail and enjoyed trying to identify the birds. We only found 3 or 4. We then headed over to Camp Minnie Mickey for the Festival of the Lion King. We were in the giraffe section and cracked up every time we had to make that noise! It was fun!

It was lunch time and thanks to wdwmagic suggestions we headed to Yak & Yeti counter service!

We split the sweet and sour chicken and a side of chicken fried rice.

We thought it was pretty good! Thanks for the suggestion!
Oh I almost forgot! Before lunch we met Baloo and King Louie!! On my 1st visit 12 years ago I saw them but did not get a picture and have wanted one ever since. I finally met them!

Baloo nearly tackled me when he ran up to me for a hug! So fun!!!
We ended our afternoon at Animal Kingdom with a visit to It's Tough to be a Bug! First we got a kick out of the broadway signs in the waiting area.

Me and the Dung ball from the Dung and I

And don't miss A Cockroach Line!
I totally forgot how fun that show was! The ladies next to us had NO IDEA what was coming so it was really fun to watch them experience it! I had some idea but was still surprised by that sting! haha
It was then time to say goodbye to Animal Kingdom and go "home" for a rest

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Great TR so far...love that Baloo bear hugged you guys. I remember him bear hugging my younger one on their first trip and it was a riot. Can't wait to read more!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

As a college football fan, more specifically an SEC football fan (even more specifically, a Florida Gators fan! lol)

OK...I read this and all I can hear in my head are memories of being in Ben Hill Griffin stadium and stuck in the middle of a chorus of --ORANGE!!!!!/BLUUUUUUUUUE!!!...well, that and my brother and SIL screaming things about Gator Bait, It's Great to be a Florida Gator, and of course- Mr. 2-Bits. Ahhhh- back in the old days when we lived in Gainesville.

 

[KappleB2]

Day 3 continued...
We left off leaving the Animal Kingdom for a rest. So...

My thoughts on Animal Kingdom. While I could see this being a full day park, we just never seem to have the time and there are so many other things to do elsewhere. Otherwise, I like it there. Good atmosphere and the animals feel so close!

Now, back to Magic Kingdom for Night of Joy night #2. Tonight I am happy to say there was no rain! The first thing we did was set sail on the happiest cruise to ever set sail!

I love that ride. We lived in California until I was 10 and small world is the one thing I remember about Disneyland. It was fun to sit in front of a little boy with his grandmother. It was apparent that this was not his first ride and before it was even over her asked if he could go again! So cute! And that nice grandmother for enduring that song over and over... so sweet!
Next it was the Haunted Mansion!

I have heard mixed reviews about the new cemetery queue area and was unsure how I would like it but I gotta say, I really enjoyed it. Especially since, at least when I was there, you didn't have to go through there if you didn't want to.

Sadly, because of Night of Joy, the middle schoolers were abounding and made their presence known. They were especially loud on this ride. While I know the narration, it is still more fun to hear our " ghost host" say it and they screamed and were VERY loud the whole way through. Thank goodness we would be in the Magic Kingdom again tomorrow because they really ruined it.

Next I was excited to see Storybook Circus! My Mom just didn't get my excitement and the chance to see over the wall into the new Fantasyland!

DUMBO! I was excited about this. I hadn't done Dumbo since I was little! I think the tent with the play area and the lines to both spinners in very well done. And it is all so shiny and new and beautiful!

OH! And I think I forgot to mention, we have 1st visit buttons! This was actually my 5th and Mom's 4th visit but our first stay on Disney property so the CM at the hotel gave them to us! To be honest, when asked if we were enjoying our first visit, we totally fibbed! It was kind of fun

From there we headed over to Tomorrowland which seemed to be our land of choice this trip. We did Buzz Lightyear again, and I won! But just barely...Mom is so good at that! We also did the Peoplemover which my Mother talks about often. I would say that is one of her very favorite rides
Next up, Chris August. He was good! And I am very glad we waited around to see him.

And then back over to the castle for Lecrae. Also awesome! The bass was booming with him which I thought was fun and Mom thought was just loud! haha

We got some treats at the Main Street Confectionary. Mom had a Mickey candy bar and I had this little beauty

Rice crispy, dipped in chocolate and covered with M&Ms. Seriously one of the best things I ever ate!
We saw Third Day, rode Peter Pan and saw MercyMe and then called it a night!

Goodbye castle! Until tomorrow!!

 

[KappleB2]

Day 4: Magic Kingdom

Good morning....rain. I kid you not, we walked into the park at about 9:10am and the rain started. I tried to get my Mom going to see the opening show but we didn't make it...next time .
Our first stop was the Main Street Bakery for a cinnamon roll! I had heard about these and couldn't wait to try it! It was so big! Mom and I shared and were full.

It was sooo good! Warm and gooey, sweet but not too sweet! Yum!
Then it was out into the rain, we did our best to make the best of it. The crowds were already VERY light and this morning with the rain there was hardly anybody!
I was not very good at taking notes or pictures this morning because of the rain. I know we did Pirates again and Mickey's Philharmagic. People are very inconsiderate in the rain. I know you don't want to be all wet from your poncho but come on! Neither do I! They laid them out all over the seats in front of them, then they dripped on us, but that also meant they missed some of the fun effects of that show cause they were covered up. We explored the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

We then made our way over to Tomorrowland. We rode Carousel of Progress and everyone was nice and sat down . They even sang along! We rode Buzz Lightyear again, and Mom beat me AGAIN. She is so good at that! We did the Peoplemover and then I walked right on to Space Mountain!
We had about an hour left before lunch so we headed into the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. We had a great show! And we especially liked exploring the waiting area, with their employee bulletin board and stuff. That is what is so wonderful about Disney, all the details! It stopped raining while we were in there! And now it was time for the meal I had been waiting on...Liberty Tree Tavern!

We checked in and waited maybe 5 min. We were escorted to the George Washington room and I took a minute to explore. I have a history degree and the American Colonial period just happens to be my favorite time in history so I LOVED all the details in here! We each ordered a coke and our food and waited just a few minutes for our food to be served.
I really like the mugs!

Mom had the Pot Roast. Talk about good! We could smell it coming and Mom (and me) couldn't wait to take a bite!

I had the Pilgrim's Feast, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and green beans. The turkey was kind of dry but the rest was fantastic!

Then it was time for Mom's surprise! Her birthday was just 3 weeks away, so I put that we were celebrating on the reservation! They really surprised her when they came out ringing a bell and announcing her birthday to all in the room! It was fun! Maybe more for me then her, but fun

All in all it was a FANTASTIC lunch! Our server Tyler was wonderful and we had a great time! I would recommend Liberty Tree Tavern to everyone really! I can't wait to go back! As I read my notebook I see that I wrote " can't wait to come back" 4 times in my short entry about this lunch so it really left an impression
When we left lunch the rain was still gone! Feeling the rain could be back any minute, I wanted to try to ride Big Thunder Mountain while I could. And the wait was just 10min!

When it was time to load, the little girl in the family in front of me was flipping out. She really didn't want to go, but they told her she had to try. Long story short, she rode and as we were returning the station to unload I heard her say "that was it?!". She loved it! As we exited I gave her a high five and that family turned around and got right back in line LOVE THOSE MOMENTS!

It was time to head back to the room for a rest since we had Extra Magic Hours tonight and this was our first chance ever to use them! On our way out we caught some of the show at the castle.

 

[maryszhi]

i love your pictures!!!!! i am so glad you had fun

 

[corey154]

love it, can't wait for more!

 

[KappleB2]

Whew! I have had one crazy week and am happy to get back to this report!
Let's see, we left off with going to the room for a break!
Annnnd we're back at the Magic Kingdom!

First stop? Mickey and Minnie!! There was NO line so we walked right in! Sadly, there was no photopass photographer . The CM did ok, but Mom and I prefer the waist up rule when taking pictures .

Then on to the princesses!
First up, Cinderella! She said she liked my shirt, in fact she had a sleepover with Ariel the night before and Ariel insisted she sleep in the bathtub! Cindy was wonderful!

Then Belle! She was happy I was on a "no beasts" trip but said her beast would never let her go on a trip

Next up, Rapunzel. I am so sad to say, I was reeaallllly looking forward to meeting her and had heard some wonderful things but she was a dud. I wondered if she wasn't feeling well or something. I hardly even got a hello out of her. Especially after those two WONDERFUL encounters just before her, I left very disappointed. Perhaps if I was 5 and not 25 it would have been different, but it shouldn't have been.
N

I am so happy to say that after all that rain in the morning, we now had BLUE skies! It was beautiful!

It was on to Jungle Cruise which I was so surprised we had yet to do! We had a great skipper but she was almost ruined by that guy who knows all the jokes and says them before she can. Luckily, he restrained himself. Now on to dinner, a BBQ slaw dog from Casey's Corner! I was looking forward to this, and it delivered.

Mmmmm...seriously, my mouth is watering right now!
We went back to Mickey's Philharmagic, which I love! We really enjoyed the little boy in front of us who was totally engrossed in every moment, looking around as Goofy walked around "backstage" and stuff. Those times really make our trip so much more.
We did a little shopping and waited for Wishes! Too bad we couldn't make it to a night with the parade, but with no park hoppers I had to pick and choose, and I chose Wishes and EMH

A little Wishes

Did I mention I LOVE the fall decorations!

Now it was our 1st EMH! Dorky, but I was excited to see how it went! First stop, PoTC where we were squeezed into the front row, 4 good sized adults. We walked right on so I didn't see ANY need to do that but my Mom is so friendly we got to know each other.
Next up, the Tiki Room! I don't think I had ever seen it, and Mom remembers it from when she was a kid.

We made our way around to Haunted Mansion, Small world, Peter Pan, Pooh and finally to the Speedway. Mom doesn't ride Space Mountain so I went on to Space while she rode the cars.
I ran into another funny kid here. At first I thought he had a British accent but by the end I wasn't so sure. I rode with him and his sister in our rocket and he kept turning around telling me what to expect. During the ride! It was so cute! When we got back outside they turned around and waved goodbye. Sweet kids having the time of their lives!
These encounters really made me see how I could enjoy a solo trip, people are so nice!
Buzz had ZERO wait, so of course we did that again! And Mom beat me, again.

Then it was time to sleep. We made it almost to midnight, as late as we could stay. We still had 2 more days, but leaving the Castle made me feel like I was going home all together. I got a little teary.

Goodbye Castle! Till we meet again!

Tomorrow we go to Hollywood Studios and my FAVORITE ride EVER!

 

[KappleB2]

Day 5: Hollywood Studios

We woke up Monday morning and headed to Hollywood Studios just in time for rope drop!

We made a beeline for Toy Story Midway Mania and I was glad to see that our fastpasses were only for 10:30am! We went hopped in line next! I don't think I had ever been through the standby line, I really enjoyed all the details. Especially Mr. Potato Head.

I am also so happy to say that I DOMINATED in this game! Now I know my scores could be much better BUT Mom was kicking my butt on Buzz and the tables were turned this time around.
Round 1

I like Mom's prize better though
After that fun ride we went across the way to meet Buzz and Woody! I never met them before and was really excited! I like the queue too!

With the guys! This turned out to be one of my favorites from the trip!

Wandered around a little and then it was time for our fastpasses! And round two of
domination!

I had never been in to One Man's Dream before but thanks to wonderful comments on here I thought I would give it a try. I really liked it, especially all the models.

Little Dumbos!

The movie at the end was also fascinating! Very cool.
We took on spin through the movies on the Great Movie Ride and had a pretty good tour guide. I recently saw the Youtube video of the ride getting stuck in munchkin land with all the munchkins malfunctioning and secretly hoped the same would happen so I could see it myself!

By this time I was itching to get to my very favorite ride EVER. TOWER OF TERROR. But Mom was hungry, so that had to wait.
There she is. That beauty.

We had a cheeseburger and chicken nuggets for lunch somewhere on Sunset Blvd. I thought the chicken was pretty good, Mom was too fond of the cheeseburger.

We finished just in time to go across the street to see Beauty and the Beast! I think its funny how they condense that whole story into that short amount of time. I feel there is something missing,which of course there is.
Finally, I get to go on what I have been waiting for! Even better, there is only a 10 minute wait posted! And better than that!? Its a walk on!

The details are just incredible throughout this ride.

After this ride my endorphins are through the roof! I laugh during the entire drop sequence. There is no other feeling like it!!
I turned right back around and went on again but the line was a bit longer.

We didn't seem to do anything that was next to each other this trip so next up, the Magic of Animation.

We stayed long enough to watch that little show with Mishu and then Mom wanted to see the American Idol show. The theater was maybe half full, but the singers were good. My Mom really enjoyed it and I just thought it was ok.
After the show, we headed "home" for a nap. By now, these early mornings and late nights were catching up to us.We grabbed a Red Velvet cupcake from Starring Rolls(which on my list of foods to try) on the way out. Mmmmm,mmm!! It was delicious! Mom thought it was too sweet, crazy woman.