Trip Report Livin' La Vida Local

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

For those of you that have been following my adventures for awhile now, welcome back! For those of you that are just joining my adventures, I'll do some quick introductions before we jump on in!

I'm Brittany and this is my prince, Dylan. We are from Pennsylvania and got engaged at MK a little over a year ago. We took a page from Walt's book shortly thereafter and chased our dreams, leading us to central Florida. I teach 1st grade and Dylan works at the Magnolia/Palm (Disney) golf courses located across from the Poly and Grand Floridian. After living in FL for a full year now, we are 100% certain that we won't be moving back to PA. We are Floridians through and through and can't imagine living our crazy life together anywhere else.

You'll see lots of faces in my report (including some of yours!), but this is the one you'll see most often. This is my very best Disney friend, Brooke (@wishes2013)! We met through this site and were brought together when we realized that we would both be teaching 1st grade at the same school. I'm not exaggerating when I say that you can either find us at school or Disney... we're together more often than we're not.

You can find the ongoing trip report that chronicles our first year living in FL and being passholders here. This report will serve as more of a "highlight reel," rather than detailing every moment of every trip we take to the parks. But fear not, there will still be lots of report to read! If you're looking for your Disney fix or a way to chase those Disney blues away, you can most certainly find it here.

To all who come to this happy place, welcome!

 

[blreinsel]

Monday, December 9

I managed to snag a Flight of Passage FP for Brooke and I, so we were off to AK! We obviously had to go see Lion King, but were running behind schedule and cutting it close to making the last show of the day. FoP took forever to load, plus we got the extended preshow, so I was really stressing. Never in my life have I wanted FoP to be over sooner.

We finally made it off the ride and sprinted over to Harambe Theater (in the rain), keeping our fingers crossed that the CMs would either take pity on us or think that we looked crazed enough to not turn us away. We got there 5 minutes after the show started and ended up being put in the second row of VIP - SCORE! Sometimes being late pays off.

We lucked into seeing the "tumble monkey twins," so I was really excited! I've seen them separately, but I've never gotten to see them perform together. I'm aware that this isn't something that most people would get excited about.

We tried to meet Chip and Dale next, but they weren't out because it had been raining on and off all day. We settled for eating some Flame Tree and a gingerbread cupcake from Restaurantosaurus. The cupcake was really good but extremely rich - neither of us could finish it! We were tired of being rained on, so we headed out after we finished eating!

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, December 14

Dylan and I had park hopping on the schedule today - we decided to park at Epcot and then monorail back and forth to MK. Wayyy easier than dealing with the mess that is MK transportation.

It was a beautiful day!

I LOVE THIS MAGIC SHOT.

Bao bun from Shanghai - very good!

Flatbread and pasta from Italy - also very good!

And of course, dessert.

We decided to head over to MK so started toward the exit. We bumped into Caitlin on our way out, so we stopped for a quick magic shot.

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, December 14 cont.

We arrived as the flag retreat was getting ready to start, so we watched from the train station. This was my first time seeing the retreat and it was moving.

We waited around the tree for awhile until a photo pass photographer finally came back out. I was getting frustrated because I wanted a picture while it was still somewhat light out. There were a bunch of other people waiting for the same reason, and everybody cheered when he finally came out lol.

We had a few FPs to attend to, and then we headed out before the fireworks crowds got too crazy!

 

[blreinsel]

Monday, December 16

I had to squeeze one last trip in before blackouts, and I bet you can't guess where I ended up.

My only two goals were to watch FoLK and see the chipmunks, both of which I accomplished. I had a FP for FoLK, but tried to make it into standby for the show prior. Just as I got to the theater, the CM said that they had reached capacity. However, the meant that I was first in the FP line for the last show of the day! I ended up chatting with one of the CMs for a long time while we waited, and he kept encouraging me to apply to work there since I love it so much. Someday! The show was great, as always, and then I was on my way to hug some chipmunks.

I didn't have too long of a wait before I was chatting it up with the best boys in Dinoland!

I bid the park farewell until January and headed out!

 

[blreinsel]

Sunday, December 22

Caitlin and I have been wanting to go to Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk for months, and CMs get in free on Sundays (there's a $15 cover charge). We decided to take advantage of being on break and Dylan not having to pay! Dylan and I got to the Boardwalk a little early and walked around a bit, taking in the decorations at Boardwalk first.

I love their little gingerbread men!

We continued our stroll and walked over to Beach Club to see the carousel.

 

[blreinsel]

Sunday, December 22 cont.

Yacht Club was up next! Caitlin arrived around this time too - just in time to meet a special pal!

We were actually in line for Minnie, but she switched out with Mickey before we got to the front. We didn't mind!

WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE.

As we walked away from Mickey, I felt somebody tap on my shoulder and I turned around to see a familiar face who is friends with Minnie. Turns out that she would have been the Minnie we had met, so we were a little bummed that we hadn't gotten in line sooner! We bid her farewell and headed over to Jellyrolls around 8pm.

We got inside and claimed a table in the second row with a great view. The waitress brought over a basket of popcorn (unlimited throughout the night) and took our drink orders. They offer several beers on tap/in bottles, a pretty full bar, and some limited time speciality drinks. There were a few of the specialty drinks that Caitlin and I wanted to try, so we ended up buying the cups that come with discounted refills. The drinks were still pretty pricey, so I wouldn't recommend coming here for the purpose of heavy drinking lol. We lucked into Piano Rob, which we had been hoping for. All of the performers were great and we had a blast! It was pretty calm for the first couple of hours, but things started picking up the later that it got. We stayed until about midnight before heading out (they play until 2am). We really enjoyed Jellyrolls and I would recommend trying it at least once for something different to do while on property! The only downfall is that they don't have food aside from the free popcorn, so make sure you eat before you get there.

 

[blreinsel]

Tuesday, December 24

Our Christmas Eve tradition since moving to Florida is to visit all of the MK area resorts to look at their decorations. This is the first year that we've gotten to carry out our tradition just the two of us (due to Dylan having to work, having visitors, etc.), so it was a really special way to spend our first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs. We parked at the golf course and walked over to the Poly to start.

We grabbed some Pulled Pork nachos from Capt. Cook's before continuing on to the Grand Floridian. As we walked along the beach, I noticed that the wedding pavilion gates were open! I was super excited because Dylan was working the year I got to go inside on Christmas Eve! Unfortunately, the buildings ended up being locked, but we were still able to walk around back to the arch!

We could hear the Once Upon a Christmastime parade music from the MK while we walked around, so that added to the atmosphere.

We continued on toward the Grand.

And soon we were here!

 

[blreinsel]

Tuesday, December 24 cont.

We decided to pop into the Enchanted Rose since I still hadn't gotten to see it, but we didn't stay long. Their menu did not appeal to me at all, which was kind of disappointing. It was still beautiful!

We hopped on the monorail and moved on to the Contemporary. I wish they would change this up at least a little bit each year.

We grabbed coffee/hot chocolate from the lobby and then walked back to MK to catch a boat to WL. In hindsight, we could have just hopped on a boat from the Contemporary to WL, but we enjoyed the walk anyway. ☺

Helloooooo gorgeous! This is actually the first time that I had seen WL's decorations. They did not disappoint. WL also has a really great pin board if any of you are pin traders, FYI. I got one that's part of one of the collections I'm working on right now, so I was stoked!

We walked around the lobby for a little while, enjoying the fireplace and ambiance of the lodge. We eventually made our way out and headed home, pleased with how much we accomplished in a relatively short amount of time.

 

[myhappyplace]

That sounds like a GREAT Christmas Eve tradition!!! Love all of the updates....

 

[castlecake2.0]

I finally put it together! I was reading your trip report and was like these two look so familiar! And then I got to the part where you had a cruise countdown and it hit me! I helped you guys on the Dream in the shops. I remember talking about how Dylan worked for the golf course and you guys had just been married! Love reading your trip reports and seeing all the great photos. Hope to see you again some time!

 

[blreinsel]

That sounds like a GREAT Christmas Eve tradition!!! Love all of the updates....

I look forward to it every year! Finally found some time to update while I’m off of school. I’m soooo behind on TRs - reading & writing.

I finally put it together! I was reading your trip report and was like these two look so familiar! And then I got to the part where you had a cruise countdown and it hit me! I helped you guys on the Dream in the shops. I remember talking about how Dylan worked for the golf course and you guys had just been married! Love reading your trip reports and seeing all the great photos. Hope to see you again some time!

Oh my gosh, hi!! I totally remember you! Does that mean I spent too much time in the shops? We were actually just looking at itineraries tonight as a possible summer trip, so we just may bump into each other again! Thanks for reading!

 

[macefamily]

Loved going through this thread. Your pictures are amazing. We're from PA as well, and you have done what we want to do. We're older with 3 kids still at home, so it's tough for us to just pick up, sell our home and do what we want. But it will happen someday. Keep posting pics !

 

[castlecake2.0]

Oh my gosh, hi!! I totally remember you! Does that mean I spent too much time in the shops? We were actually just looking at itineraries tonight as a possible summer trip, so we just may bump into each other again! Thanks for reading!

You can spend as much time as you want in the shops, we don’t mind at all! Haha I’m actually spending the next few weeks in the parks before I get back on the ship for my next contract, I’ll say hi if I see y’all! If you have any questions about any of the itineraries you’re looking at just let me know

 

[DisneyJeff]

Oh my gosh, hi!! I totally remember you! Does that mean I spent too much time in the shops? We were actually just looking at itineraries tonight as a possible summer trip, so we just may bump into each other again! Thanks for reading!

If you're looking for a good time to take a cruise this year, I suggest the Dream from 6/21 - 6/26. You never know who you may bump into on that trip!

 

[sheriffwoody]

WL also has a really great pin board if any of you are pin traders, FYI. I got one that's part of one of the collections I'm working on right now, so I was stoked!

Excuse me, ma'am!! When did you start pin collecting?!

 

[blreinsel]

Loved going through this thread. Your pictures are amazing. We're from PA as well, and you have done what we want to do. We're older with 3 kids still at home, so it's tough for us to just pick up, sell our home and do what we want. But it will happen someday. Keep posting pics !

Aww, thank you! We’re so happy that we made the decision to pick up and move when we did. We knew that if we waited, we would end up too established in PA to be able to do it. Now we’re established on FL and won’t be moving back.

You can spend as much time as you want in the shops, we don’t mind at all! Haha I’m actually spending the next few weeks in the parks before I get back on the ship for my next contract, I’ll say hi if I see y’all! If you have any questions about any of the itineraries you’re looking at just let me know

Lol! Well great because I don’t think I could stay out of there even if I wanted to. Enjoy your time off before heading back! Please do say hi if you see us! We’re out and about in the parks pretty often (obviously lol). I might take you up on that! We loved the itinerary we did last time so are going back and forth between taking the same one or trying something new. First world problems.

If you're looking for a good time to take a cruise this year, I suggest the Dream from 6/21 - 6/26. You never know who you may bump into on that trip!

Oh my gosh.. that’s literally one of the ones we’re considering. That would be amazing!!

Excuse me, ma'am!! When did you start pin collecting?!

Lol! I’m not hardcore but I do dabble. There are a few from the latest wave that I’m trying to collect, so that’s gotten me a little more into it lately!

 

[blreinsel]

Friday, January 3

Blockouts are finally over & where else would I be? Sorry, these are a little out of order because I’m posting from my phone and it’s being difficult.

 

[blreinsel]

Friday, January 3 cont.

This is... horrifying.

Had to grab a picture of this wall before it leaves!

Finally caved and bought a Wishable but lucky for me, I got the one I wanted!

 

[blreinsel]

Friday, January 3 cont.

I couldn’t just go to one show and be done.

I also had a FP for Everest, so used that before heading out. The park was actually SUPER busy today, which was annoying. Some lingering Christmas crowds mixed with all of the passholders like me finally being allowed back in. I got what I came for.

 

[LisaBelle]

Finally caved and bought a Wishable but lucky for me, I got the one I wanted!

OMG! He is sooooo freaking adorable! I want one!