Trip Report Meet the Floridians

Hello humans!

Most of you know me by now, but for those of you who haven't followed my past TR's (particularly my most recent), I'll do some brief introductions. Feel free to check out my past reports (in my signature) if you'd like!

Who: I'm Brittany! I'm 25 and completely Disney obsessed. My better half is Dylan, also 25 and not quite as Disney obsessed. Prior to meeting me, he had never been to WDW! It was obviously top priority to remedy that.

This is our baby, Tink. She also loves Disney.

We got engaged in Magic Kingdom in June.. my dream come true! Though our wedding won't take place in Disney, it will be Disney themed.

While we were enjoying our time in the World, I accepted a 1st grade teaching position in Osceola County, Florida. Fast forward a month, and we packed up a U-Haul to relocate from Pennsylvania to the Sunshine State!

We currently live 20 minutes from Disney property, and one of our first purchases should come as no surprise. This report will be a collection of our adventures as annual passholders, and I'll update it with a Table of Contents as we go. Now, without further ado...

To all who come to this happy place, welcome!

 

[blreinsel]

O

M

G

That pavilion! I still think we should have climbed through the gate that day for pictures I would LOVE to shoot in there! So glad you had the opportunity to see it.

Also sorry I totally fell behind on this. I stopped getting the notifications for some reason But I'm back in!

AGREED. Can you imagine if they had been open? We would have missed our breakfast reservation for sure.

Welcome back! Can't wait for you to make another appearance in just a couple of weeks!

 

[Bullseye1967]

Friday, December 15

We haven't spent a whole lot of time at Disney Springs since moving here.. we typically go to DS with a single destination in mind and that's the only place we go. Tonight was a different experience and was the first time that I've actually taken the time to walk around and take in the evening atmosphere that DS has to offer.

We started with dinner at The Polite Pig.. we had a decent wait before placing our order, but our food came out quickly after doing so. Dylan had the BBQ Cheddar Sausage with sweet potato tots. I had the Smoked & Fried Chicken Sandwich with mac and cheese. Our mains were pretty good but the sides stole the show. DELICIOUS!
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After dinner, we just started walking around and checking out the nighttime scene. We stumbled across this band, Mighty Swell, which turned out to be amazing! They play every Friday and Saturday night, so I'm hoping to get back to see them again in the future.
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We were also entertained by these people dancing.
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We had a really fun evening and I think that this experience will encourage us to spend more time at DS in the future. It really does have a lot to offer!

That's Eddy He is a Disney Springs legend of sorts. We first saw him there in 2009, but he is there several nights a week. Here is a story on him from a few years ago.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-most-fascinating-eddy-maserati-20140912-story.html

 

[LadyBelle]

Also sorry I totally fell behind on this. I stopped getting the notifications for some reason But I'm back in!

That happens to me a lot, too.

 

[blreinsel]

That's Eddy He is a Disney Springs legend of sorts. We first saw him there in 2009, but he is there several nights a week. Here is a story on him from a few years ago.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-most-fascinating-eddy-maserati-20140912-story.html

Too funny! #lifegoals

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

I am so behind on this, but that wedding pavilion!!!

 

[blreinsel]

I am so behind on this, but that wedding pavilion!!!

Stunning!

 

[gdisneyfans]

Loving all of your photos, but the Wedding Pavilion as many others have said

Did you happen to catch Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings right before the holidays? A couple got married in the Wedding Pavilion and oh my....my daughter (she's 15) and I were watching and she said that this is where she wants to get married Well good thing we have plenty of years to save lol! But wow - we had DVR'd the show and kept rewinding back to the part inside the chapel as everything about it was stunning - especially when they were saying their vows and their guests could see Cinderella castle in the background But it was fun to see the other sitting areas of the Pavilion as well. So glad you were in the right place at the right time!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

It’s 2:20 AM but I’m back up to date!!

I am going to have wonderful princess fairytale wedding dreams now. That pavilion is FREAKING GORGEOUS. I think I would have fainted stepping foot inside. You are too cute with all the pics, and I thank you for giving me a glimpse inside!

Do you think it’s too late to scrap the Poconos and put a deposit down on the Wedding pavilion?

 

[blreinsel]

Loving all of your photos, but the Wedding Pavilion as many others have said

Did you happen to catch Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings right before the holidays? A couple got married in the Wedding Pavilion and oh my....my daughter (she's 15) and I were watching and she said that this is where she wants to get married Well good thing we have plenty of years to save lol! But wow - we had DVR'd the show and kept rewinding back to the part inside the chapel as everything about it was stunning - especially when they were saying their vows and their guests could see Cinderella castle in the background But it was fun to see the other sitting areas of the Pavilion as well. So glad you were in the right place at the right time!

I didn't see that special but that's probably for the best... it likely would have made my obsession with getting married in the pavilion even worse! Pictures will never do it justice! I'm so happy that I stumbled across the open gates!

It’s 2:20 AM but I’m back up to date!!

I am going to have wonderful princess fairytale wedding dreams now. That pavilion is FREAKING GORGEOUS. I think I would have fainted stepping foot inside. You are too cute with all the pics, and I thank you for giving me a glimpse inside!

Do you think it’s too late to scrap the Poconos and put a deposit down on the Wedding pavilion?

Lol! I could just sit inside for hours and be perfectly content. It's NEVER too late!

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, January 6

Happy New Year! We were home from the PA arctic and I was ready to get my Disney on, block out dates finally lifted. I technically could have gone before today, but the weather had been CRAP and the crowds weren't much better. I was able to snag a few FP+'s for HS, so I decided to brave the cold and lingering holiday crowds.

I arrived with time left before my first FP+ window was open, so I decided to duck into the shops to browse and keep warm! It's been awhile since I've went into any of the shops so this stuff may not actually be new, but it was new to me so I had to take pictures to share! @prfctlyximprct, you may want to take more than a carry on.

I'm OBSESSED with this entire display.

I couldn't find a good angle to capture the details on this beautiful glass.. you'll just have to take my word for it.

I have absolutely no use for this, but it has Belle on it so... NEED.

Possibly the world's cutest tea set.

New (?) ears! I've seen a few different designs popping up in the last couple of weeks.

 

[Swissmiss]

I too was in HS on 6 January

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, January 6 cont.

Crowd AND stage-free

I was excited to see the tree still standing in all its glory

I still had time before my FP+, so decided to pop into Baseline Tap House for a snack and drink. I had heard great things about this new addition, but hadn't had a chance to try it for myself yet. I decided on a pretzel (with beer cheese fondue and spicy mustard) and a California Sunset. @wdisney9000 already called me out for getting slightly tipsy off of this drink, so I won't deny it...

The verdict? I am OBSESSED. The atmosphere is phenomenal, inside and out. The pretzel and dips were DELICIOUS. I really didn't have a favorite, though I didn't find the mustard to be spicy (and I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy). The drink was PERFECT and was obviously pretty strong. I'll be back to this place time and time again. It's the perfect spot for WDWMagic meet ups, IMO.

I think I walked onto Star Tours after finishing up at Tap House. I know I rode it, just not sure at what point in the night. I also met Olaf, but my pictures won't download from the website. I told him that since it was cold outside, I figured he was the perfect person for a warm hug! He obliged, but really the meet and greet was subpar. Apparently this Olaf wasn't in the mood for warm hugs with the tipsy 25 year old.

I moved on to take advantage of my FP+ for RnRC. Sunset Blvd was still in the Christmas spirit! I took a minute to watch the projections on TOT.

Time to rock!

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, January 6 cont.

I finished up with one last FP+ for TOT.

I was back to being sober by the time I was done so decided to head out. Goodnight HS!

 

[blreinsel]

Friday, January 12

I've come to the conclusion that no matter how tired I am, I will never be too tired for Disney. It was a long first week back to school, and I needed a little MK in my life. I didn't realize it until after the fact, but I barely took any pictures. I was just enjoying a night with my favorite guy and guess I forgot.

Before heading to MK, we stopped at DS to have dinner at Blaze. The line for Blaze has been out of control the last several months.. I guess people have started to realize how awesome it is, resulting in never ending lines. Fortunately, the line typically moves pretty quickly.

We decided to park at the golf course and walk to the Poly to catch the monorail to MK. HEA started as we walked, and we were able to pause at the Poly to watch the last half of the show before actually making our way to MK.

We had a FP+ for Space as soon as we arrived, so off to Tomorrowland we went!

I was hungry for a snack, so we walked to Auntie Gravity's for a sweet treat. Dylan had a hot fudge sundae, I just didn't get a picture.

We finished our treats on the way to Under the Sea... I love this ride for some reason. Dylan pretends that he doesn't like it, but I'm not fooled by his facade.

We were tired and didn't feel like waiting for anything else, so decided to head out. A random, 3 minute show started on the castle as we made it to the front of the park... I've never seen it before. I forget what song they played, but the color projected on the castle changed every few seconds with the music. Nothing spectacular, but definitely new.

A short night at MK, but a perfect Disney date night all the same.

 

[blreinsel]

Sunday, January 14

This will be another post without many pictures, so just bear with me. We started our evening with an Everest FP+ that resulted in this neat filter on our ride picture. I kind of like it! I feel like this used to be what the ride pictures looked like, but it went away for awhile?

We had plans to wait standby for FOP, but before getting in line I insisted on getting a drink from Starbucks. We met up with friends shortly after, so stopped in Pandora to get them and Dylan Mo'ara Margaritas to enjoy while waiting. The wait time was posted at 175 minutes, but we only waited a little over an hour.

AK closed at 8pm (while we were in line), but MK was open until midnight. MK here we come!

We started with a walk-on ride on Pirates, followed by a walk-on ride on Haunted Mansion. We waited about 10 minutes for Big Thunder, and then cut through the hub to grab some popcorn for a late night snack. We all wanted to ride Space, but it was posted at 45 minutes. We decided to go for it, and ended up waiting about 10.

Late nights in MK are the best! We got a lot accomplished and weren't there for long at all. It's rare that Dylan and I have the same days off, so this was a real treat for us.

 

[blreinsel]

Monday, January 15

I had been craving BOG French Onion Soup and was lucky enough to find a lunch ADR earlier this week. Back to MK we go! We arrived before our reservation and had time to go and see Hall of Presidents, something Dylan has been waiting to see for months. I've never had any interest in seeing it, but Dylan was incredibly disappointed when it went down for refurbishment shortly before our trip in June. We waited in the rotunda area for around 10 minutes before being let into the theater. There were lots of neat things to look at while we waited, and Dylan was loving every minute.

This was my first time seeing the show as well, and I was thoroughly impressed. I'm not a big history or political person, but this show is extremely well done and easily held my attention. Dylan really liked it as well and said that he didn't expect it to be what it was. He thought the whole thing was just a movie, so was pleasantly surprised by all of the animatronics.

We had a FP+ for Space, but we only had about 20 minutes before our reservation time and I didn't think we could make it. We walked to BOG and attempted to check in early at around 1pm for our 1:20pm reservation. We were turned away and told that we could checkin 5 minutes prior to our reservation time. Well alright then. We decided to window shop in Bonjour Gifts while we waited.

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Saturday, January 6

Happy New Year! We were home from the PA arctic and I was ready to get my Disney on, block out dates finally lifted. I technically could have gone before today, but the weather had been CRAP and the crowds weren't much better. I was able to snag a few FP+'s for HS, so I decided to brave the cold and lingering holiday crowds.

I arrived with time left before my first FP+ window was open, so I decided to duck into the shops to browse and keep warm! It's been awhile since I've went into any of the shops so this stuff may not actually be new, but it was new to me so I had to take pictures to share! @prfctlyximprct, you may want to take more than a carry on.
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I'm OBSESSED with this entire display.
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I couldn't find a good angle to capture the details on this beautiful glass.. you'll just have to take my word for it.
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I have absolutely no use for this, but it has Belle on it so... NEED.
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Possibly the world's cutest tea set.
View attachment 256664

New (?) ears! I've seen a few different designs popping up in the last couple of weeks.
View attachment 256668

Oh man why must you do this to me!!!! LOL

 

[blreinsel]

Monday, January 15 cont.

We returned and checked in 5 minutes early.. now allowed to proceed down the left side of the bridge. When we exited the restaurant after our meal, there was a HUGE line waiting on the right side of the bridge. I will never understand why people don't preorder. I get that you might not know what you're in the mood for until the day of the meal, but I ordered our food in the car on the way to MK, so that's really not a reason.

ANYWAY. Hello, BOG.

I don't think I'll ever eat here without taking this picture.

Or this one.

Dylan wanted to eat in the West Wing, so the food picture lighting is a little off. We waited around 20 minutes for our food to come out, which was out of character for this restaurant.

Braised Pork for Dylan, which he really liked.

French Onion Soup and a Master's Cupcake for me.

I really don't think that I'll ever get tired of BOG. I've had some so-so meals, but I still come back over and over again. The soup and dessert have always been top-notch, so those things alone will keep me coming back. One thing that was different since I last ate here in November.. Dylan's bowl and the plate my cupcake came out on are paper, but my soup was still in the usual bowl. It makes sense since this is technically a QS lunch option, so not sure if this is a permanent change or not.

We had other FP+'s scheduled for the afternoon, but we made the decision to cancel them and head out instead. The park was really busy and we opted for a quiet, lazy day at home. Donald sent us off with a wave!

 

[blreinsel]

Oh man why must you do this to me!!!! LOL

Lol! Just trying to help you prepare.

 

[Songbird76]

Saturday, January 6

Happy New Year! We were home from the PA arctic and I was ready to get my Disney on, block out dates finally lifted. I technically could have gone before today, but the weather had been CRAP and the crowds weren't much better. I was able to snag a few FP+'s for HS, so I decided to brave the cold and lingering holiday crowds.

I arrived with time left before my first FP+ window was open, so I decided to duck into the shops to browse and keep warm! It's been awhile since I've went into any of the shops so this stuff may not actually be new, but it was new to me so I had to take pictures to share! @prfctlyximprct, you may want to take more than a carry on.
View attachment 256665

View attachment 256666

I'm OBSESSED with this entire display.
View attachment 256660

I couldn't find a good angle to capture the details on this beautiful glass.. you'll just have to take my word for it.
View attachment 256661

View attachment 256662

I have absolutely no use for this, but it has Belle on it so... NEED.
View attachment 256663

View attachment 256667

Possibly the world's cutest tea set.
View attachment 256664

New (?) ears! I've seen a few different designs popping up in the last couple of weeks.
View attachment 256668

I see a wedding registry in your future....