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!

 

[wdisney9000]

Saturday, April 22 cont.

We started making our way out but stopped for some pictures first. We also ran into one of the gift shops to get 20th anniversary pins.
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And a few more outside. I was really happy with how these ones turned out, however most of them were crooked. I had to zoom and crop them quite a bit to get them to look decent. Not sure how you manage to take a crooked picture when the camera is on a tripod.
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We had a ton of fun celebrating Animal Kingdom! The crowds were surprisingly manageable and the weather was great. We accomplished everything we wanted to and enjoyed the time spent together.

I remember C and I were at AK the same day. Every time you posted something on IG, we had just left whatever area you and D were at.

 

[wdisney9000]

Monday, April 23

Not much to say because I'm so behind and @wdisney9000 beat me to the punch, but Dylan and I got to have another Magic meet up!
We had a lovely evening sitting outside on the Tiki Terrace enjoying drinks and the good company! Keith reminded me that we basically already met last year when our June trips overlapped and we rode a bus to AK together. That was back when I was too shy to say hi to people from the forums. I really tried to sell C on Florida life so they can move here and do Disney all the time with us, but she wasn't so sure. I'll keep working on her.

We popped upstairs to grab the most epic of Magic meet up pictures before parting ways. I'm so happy we were able to make our schedules align and look forward to their next trip so we can do it again!
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Truly an EPIC with Georgia and Florida members of the Tambooo delegation representing together! And I still laugh at how C and Dylan had an expression of "what the heck is this all about??? , even though we explained it to them. They should consider themselves lucky to be members of Tambooo by marital association.

I think you did a better job convincing C than you give yourself credit for. She agreed to a trip in July which would have definitely NOT happened prior to our meet up. And we had a great time hanging out with you and The Golf Guru. We joked about how we probly asked the same questions everybody asks about moving to Florida and being close to Disney, haha. But hey, you guys are "Livin' it up" and inquiring minds want to know!! C was teasing me about how you and I could probly just sit at the bar and talk about the forums and parks all day long and have just as much fun as riding rides, which is probly true, . Hopefully next time Tambooo wont be so packed or perhaps we can just meet at PizzArizzo (@Tuvalu ) and then hit Baseline. We will be down in a few weeks so we will be in touch and plan something out!

 

[wdisney9000]

Technically, yes. But I fail to see the point unless they are filming their family trip and adding in a few scenes from the dogs perspective. But why TWO Go Pros instead of just one? Families become attached to their dogs even if its just a family dog, but for Service K9's the bond can often be deeper as the dog can and perhaps has prevented serious medical issues from occurring or even fatal ones. Did you see this at Disney or just out and about?

 

[blreinsel]

The 20th anniversary cupcake looked yummy! My son can’t wait to try the Flame Tree Mac & cheese. It looks sooo good!!

It’s sooooo good! Definitely make it a must do!

I remember C and I were at AK the same day. Every time you posted something on IG, we had just left whatever area you and D were at.

Lol! Good thing we made up for it the next day.

Truly an EPIC with Georgia and Florida members of the Tambooo delegation representing together! And I still laugh at how C and Dylan had an expression of "what the heck is this all about??? , even though we explained it to them. They should consider themselves lucky to be members of Tambooo by marital association.

I think you did a better job convincing C than you give yourself credit for. She agreed to a trip in July which would have definitely NOT happened prior to our meet up. And we had a great time hanging out with you and The Golf Guru. We joked about how we probly asked the same questions everybody asks about moving to Florida and being close to Disney, haha. But hey, you guys are "Livin' it up" and inquiring minds want to know!! C was teasing me about how you and I could probly just sit at the bar and talk about the forums and parks all day long and have just as much fun as riding rides, which is probly true, . Hopefully next time Tambooo wont be so packed or perhaps we can just meet at PizzArizzo (@Tuvalu ) and then hit Baseline. We will be down in a few weeks so we will be in touch and plan something out!

They really are lucky. Maybe after future meet ups they’ll start to realize just how lucky they are.

We do get a lot of the same questions, but we don’t mind answering! We realize how crazy and spontaneous our decision to pick up and move was. Always willing to make it clear just how great of a decision it was, especially when talking with others who are considering the same move. I’m glad that I was able to help in opening up C’s mind to they fact that she CAN survive the humidity! Lol. But she’s 100% correct... we could talk Disney over some drinks and pizza all day.

Can’t wait to see you guys soon!!

Technically, yes. But I fail to see the point unless they are filming their family trip and adding in a few scenes from the dogs perspective. But why TWO Go Pros instead of just one? Families become attached to their dogs even if its just a family dog, but for Service K9's the bond can often be deeper as the dog can and perhaps has prevented serious medical issues from occurring or even fatal ones. Did you see this at Disney or just out and about?

It was just past security at AK.

 

[blreinsel]

Friday, April 27

Dylan and I started our evening at HS with a Star Tours FP+.

After our flight, we were ready for snack so made the short walk over to Baseline. This was his first experience here so I was excited to see what he thought!

We shared the pretzel, he had some beer that I can't remember, and I had an Island Sunset. He wasn't crazy about the beer, but everything else was great. The atmosphere here alone makes it worthwhile. We'll definitely be back, especially since they do swap out the beer selection every so often.

We finished our drinks on the road as we walked to our next FP+.

We were sitting on the wall outside of RnRC when we were offered free churros! The stand was closing up for the night so we were just in the right place at the right time. This is actually the first Disney churro I've ever had.. it was okay, but I didn't love it. Not sure what all the hype is about when there are so many other amazing snacks to choose from.

We finished our snacks and drinks before going inside for the concert!

Our last FP+ of the evening was for TOT. The kids in front of us were a riot, especially the little girl. She chatted us up while waiting in line and informed us that this was her first time riding. She loved it, though her brother wasn't as sure.

It was almost closing time, so we decided to go wait standby for Toy Story Mania before heading home. He beat me again, but not by much. I won't let him forget that I was undefeated for all of 2017.

It amazes be that people can get scores like 571,500. My arm is killing me after my measly 172,800.

The park was now closed so we headed out!

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, April 28

Dylan was supposed to work until 9pm so the plan was for me to meet him at the golf course and then we'd walk to MK for a few hours. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans. He ended up not getting out of work until way later than planned so our time was short. We still managed to have fun though.

We waited standby to battle Zurg.

I am SO BAD at this. He kicked my butt fair and square.. I won't even try to deny it.

We then went to ride Pirates.

And... that was it. I want to say we got a snack of some sort but I don't have any pictures to prove it. It was after midnight so we were ready to head home and get some sleep!

 

[blreinsel]

Friday, May 4

Since Dylan doesn't particularly care for Epcot (nor do I outside of festival times), it's rarely our park of choice when our work schedules align and we get to go together. We had no interest in HS with all the Star Wars junkies likely crawling all over the park and I pointed out that he hadn't gotten to experience Flower and Garden yet, so in a shocking turn of events we were off to Epcot!

First stop, Test Track! I think that we had a FP+. We joked about our terrible car and how it was going to lose every test.. and then nobody else in our car scanned their bands and we ended up the only car being tested. Winners by default!

Next, we headed for World Showcase to grab some food! We went straight for my favorite booth: Germany. I couldn't resist getting the pretzel bread again, but we also decided to try the potato pancake. OH MY WORD. The pretzel bread was as good as I remembered and the potato pancakes were AMAZING!

We were still a little hungry so we continued on, stopping once we arrived in America. Howdy partner! My favorite part about this topiary is that he has the pull string in his back.

I repeated the Pulled Pig Slider and Dylan had the Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and Smoked Pork Belly Slider with Garlic Sausage, Chorizo, Cheddar Fondue and House-made Pickle. They were both good!

Dylan stopped at the little stand in America and got some sort of beer but they didn't have anything that sounded good to me. I found something once we got to Morocco. I don't remember what it was called but it was yummy! Adult slushies for the win.

We found a bench to sit on and people watch for a few minutes before Illuminations started. We watched from the bench for a bit before starting to head toward the front of the park to avoid most of the crowds. Dylan was kind enough to stop while I took this lame picture.

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, May 5

Our plan was to spend a few hours at HS and then hop over to MK for fireworks.. stay tuned to see how that plays out. First up, RnRC with a FP+!

My favorite historian was performing so we queued up for Frozen! I was extra excited when his typical partner (my favorite female historian) was performing as well! It had been awhile since I'd caught them together. They did not disappoint!

We used our FP+ for TOT next. We were fortunate enough to endure the preshow and then wait in the boiler room behind a group of teenagers/cheerleaders. Luckily they were directed into the other elevator so we didn't have to listen to them on the actual ride. I'm SOOOOO glad they're mostly gone now. Although the Brazilian tour groups are starting... I can't win!

We had a REALLY good drop sequence! I love this ride more and more every time I ride it. We headed out of the park after and drove over to the golf course. On our way there, it started raining... HARD. We ducked into the pro shop to chat with some of Dylan's coworkers and wait out the rain. We ended up running down to cart storage and eventually into Shades of Green. It was neat to see inside of a resort I otherwise will probably never go into. It's beautiful and they have so many cute Disney touches... like this! I love the fireworks on his ears!

We walked through the lobby and back outside, only to be greeted by the still torrential downpour. We decided that making the wet trek to MK wasn't worth it, especially since there was a chance that fireworks would end up being delayed/cancelled. You know what they say about the best laid plans.

 

[blreinsel]

Friday, May 11

I had scored a Mine Train FP+ for @wishes2013, Dylan, and I about a month ago so we headed there shortly after school was done for the day. Dylan ended up having to work so it turned into a girls night! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a super basic picture in my shirt and ears.

I took a super awesome picture of @wishes2013 but I'll let her share that. We also watched a dad taking what we assume was a birth announcement picture.. he had setup Mickey and Minnie ears with one of the car topper Mickey ears and had the castle as the backdrop. We hopped in line for some photopass pictures after our own photo shoot.

We had a FP+ for Buzz so we were off to battle Zurg! I again attempted to become a galactic hero (with Brooke's help) but it wasn't meant to be. When pigs fly...

We started walking toward the hub to claim a spot for fireworks. The sky was absolutely breathtaking.

We claimed a good spot beside a family from Canada with the CUTEST little boy dressed as Prince Charming. We honestly enjoyed watching his reactions more than we enjoyed watching the show.

We still had a bit of time before our Mine Train window opened so we hopped in the standby line for Pooh. When we exited into the gift shop, I noticed somebody standing off to the side that made me do a double take. Dylan had found us in the most interesting way...

Me: What are you doing here!? How did you know where to find us?
Dylan: I checked your location (on his phone).

Creeper in the sweetest of ways. He said that we had given him a run for his money with our back tracking trying to escape the after-fireworks crowd lol. We decided to go get some food at Cosmic Ray's so we were off to Tomorrowland. We did mobile ordering.. Brooke and I both had mac & cheese with a side of purse carrots and Dylan had the rotisserie chicken. There were two "service dogs" laying under the table next to us, and when they got up to leave, the lady apologized for her dog getting so close to our table. I reassured her that we were dog people and had enjoyed watching the dogs while we ate. She then whipped a small container out of her bag and asked us what our favorite breed of dog was.. I, of course, replied dachshunds and she handed me a small, silver dachshund charm. Brooke loves golden doodles so she gave her a golden retriever. She then gave us both a poodle charm and said that we needed them since we'd gotten a poodle butt in our faces just minutes earlier. It was so strange but it's a great memory that we surely won't forget lol. She was super nice and the dogs seemed to be very well trained, so maybe they were the real deal.

Anyway, our Mine Train window was now open so we walked that way! Our ride pictures never showed up, which has been happening more and more lately. We waited in the short standby line for Buzz afterwards before heading out for the night. In case you were wondering, I did not get galactic hero.

 

[blreinsel]

Our magic bands for our Yacht Club stay arrived and gave me all the best pre-feelings! Our big anniversary celebration is on Thursday and I AM SO EXCITED! I can't believe it's already here! I'll do my best to finish updating before then so I can (maybe) post some live updates while we're there!

 

[Tuvalu]

On Friday May 11, Woody and I watched HEA from the GF. This photo shoot was going on the entire show.

Can’t even imagine what it cost.

 

[mlegerto]

We also watched a dad taking what we assume was a birth announcement picture.. he had setup Mickey and Minnie ears with one of the car topper Mickey ears and had the castle as the backdrop. We hopped in line for some photopass pictures after our own photo shoot.

heart melting!

 

[wishes2013]

Here’s the picture @blgauger took, on her first try, might I add

Don’t mind the backwards ears

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, May 12

More Flower and Garden festival with @wishes2013? You don't have to twist my arm.

Our first stop proved to be one of my favorite F&G offerings. We both tried the Warm Wild Berry Buckle with Pepper Berry Gelato and were NOT disappointed.

We ducked into the Mexico pavilion for a boat ride and were greeted with this crazy line. Fortunately it moved pretty quickly, though we did get the pleasure of riding with a teenager who was "so scared" of everything until we passed the temple.

We continued around WS and stopped off in China for some Fried Chicken Dumplings with Peanut Sauce. They were good.. nothing I needed to repeat.

All of that food had me pretty thirsty, so we stopped in Italy for a beverage. I had the Bellini (sparking wine and peach purée) and really liked it!

Let's take a moment to appreciate just how beautiful Epcot is during F&G.

We were done snacking for awhile so decided to venture under the sea with Nemo!

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, May 12

It didn't take long before we were hungry again. Back to WS! Our next stop was France where I tried the Macaron au Chocolat en Sucette (large chocolate macaron lollipop). I'm kicking myself right about now for not getting back to have another one of these. It was soooo chocolatey and delicious! Sorry for the poor picture quality.

I often forget about the special offerings at the Joffrey's booths, but I'm glad that I got to try this one! We stopped at the American Adventure booth for Frozen Piña Colada and Strawberry with Rum.. that's how it's worded on Disney Food Blog lol. It was really good.. another thing I wish I would have gotten again before it was gone.

Last but not least, we returned to Germany where I had the potato pancakes again. Just as good the second time around!

We stood on the bridge to watch Illuminations before heading out for the night.

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, May 19

As the old saying goes, a rainy day in Disney is better than a sunny day elsewhere. Dylan and I met @wishes2013 and some other friends from school in a mostly empty AK! It rained the majority of the day, but we made the best of it and still had lots of fun!

We had a FP+ for the safari and it turned out to be one of the best I've ever been on! The animals were extremely active and we got to see some of them up close and personal. Still no Augustus sighting, but this one was walking around!

Speaking of up close and personal... this sweet baby was actually this close!

There were a lot of giraffes wandering around.. we watched a young one trying to eat leaves off of a tree that was way taller than he could reach. It was so cute but so sad at the same time.

Our driver must have been around for awhile because she kept making comments that related to the old script about Little Red. It was odd.

Both cheetahs had been up walking around but of course I just missed snapping a picture.

The most exciting part of today's safari was definitely the lions! The male was moving around a bit but the female was jumping from rock to rock and got REALLY close to us (yes I know there are hidden barriers ). Even more exciting than that, she was roaring! It was absolutely incredible to experience and it didn't sound anything like I expected it to. Lion King has been teaching us all wrong.

Back to being his usual lazy self.

 

[sheriffwoody]

Our first stop proved to be one of my favorite F&G offerings. We both tried the Warm Wild Berry Buckle with Pepper Berry Gelato and were NOT disappointed.

THIS WAS SO GOOD! I need to find a recipe for it.

 

[blreinsel]

Saturday, May 19

One last safari picture.. there was a train of warthogs walking around! There a little hard to see, but I promise they're in there!

Our next stop was Everest.. the line was pretty short so we just waited standby! @wishes2013 refuses to ride Everest (or does she??) and Dylan had to run an errand so it was just the 3 of us.

Our next stop was Pandora for a little Flight of Passage action. We had a a short wait (relatively speaking) before we were on the backs of banshees! I had scored fast passes for Dylan, Brooke, and I so we got to go right back on after our first flight. I will never get tired of this ride. Also, next time you ride... look down at the bottom of the screen at the very end when you're sitting still looking out over the ocean. You won't regret it. Dylan noticed something new that had us cracking up!

Na'vi River Journey had a 5 minute wait so we got to have the full Pandora experience tonight. I really do like this ride, contrary to popular opinion. I agree that it's not worth much of a wait, but it is a really well done ride!

Our last stop of the evening was a final disco with the Yeti where Dylan convinced Brooke to ride with us rather than wait in the gift shop like usual. I'm super irritated that our ride picture didn't show up, but I swear it happened! Lol.

 

[blreinsel]

THIS WAS SO GOOD! I need to find a recipe for it.

Right!? I would eat an entire carton of that ice cream, too!

 

[DisneyJeff]

Our last stop of the evening was a final disco with the Yeti where Dylan convinced Brooke to ride with us rather than wait in the gift shop like usual. I'm super irritated that our ride picture didn't show up, but I swear it happened! Lol.

I don't know. Without actual proof, how can we be sure that @wishes2013 actually went on Everest??? I think we need actual photographic evidence before we can believe it really happened!!!