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]

A Disney endorsement would be the cherry on top of your ever growing cake of new and exciting adventures!

You are so right!

Happy belated birthday! I celebrated my 50th last year at DLP - and my favorite picture from that weekend is my birthday hug from Mickey

Thank you! There's no better place to celebrate!

I have never visited either Waterpark at WDW even though they are always included in my ticket.
Some how I always have better things to do.

I wish I could love them! I really tried.

 

[susan lees]

Friday, July 21

One of the many perks that comes along with being passholders is the ability to purchase discounted tickets for the water parks. Not only can we purchase them for ourselves, but each of us can purchase 3 additional tickets for other people. Each ticket is $35 (+ tax), which is a pretty great deal if you ask me.

My parents also have a house in Florida (for their someday retirement), so every year when my brother and nephew come home to visit, the whole family comes to Florida for vacation. The deal was sweetened this year with being able to visit Dylan and I. My brother wanted to take my nephew to a waterpark, so I suggested utilizing our discount and doing a Disney park. He chose Blizzard Beach, so that was the plan for the day!

It was a beautiful, hot Florida day- perfect for a waterpark! However, please note the dark, threatening cloud hanging out in the sky.
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We took care of getting everybody's tickets and were soon making our way into the park.
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We rounded the corner and Olaf came into sight.
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We stopped for a few group shots before going to claim a spot. My mom and dad are on the right, then Dylan and I, my nephew and my brother, and my brother's girlfriend and her daughter. It was always a longwinded conversation when CM's asked us where we were from... My parents live in Pennsylvania, we live in FL, my nephew lives in Arkansas, and the rest live in North Dakota.
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The sun was right in our eyes, so you'll have to excuse us.
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We found a few chairs in the shade to put our things, but we also got a locker to store our valuables. We noticed this interesting sign as we walked around. How many times has Rule #1 been broken that constituted the need to put it on a sign?
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I didn't take many pictures because I put my phone in the locker. Also, it rained most of the day. The park "temporarily closed" for like 2 hours after we had ridden one slide. It finally reopened long enough for us to ride one more before closing again. That closure only lasted about a half an hour before they reopened, so it wasn't as bad. As annoying as it was to sit around and wait with nothing to do, it was great because most everybody left. So when everything did finally reopen, we walked right on multiple times.

We ate lunch at Lottawatta Lodge and it was fine. The group tried a variety of things, but I had the chicken tenders and they were pretty good. I also had a frozen hot chocolate and it was YUMMY. We were able to use our AP discount, so that was a plus.

We rode all of the slides except Summit Plummet. Dylan was brave and did Slush Gusher, but the rest of us sat that one one, too.

Runoff Rapids is closed for refurbishment, so we didn't get to try that one.

My favorite was the Downhill Double Dipper, followed closely by Teamboat Springs.

We spent a little bit of time floating in Melt Away Bay, but I prefer more intense waves in my wave pools. We also made the full loop around Cross Country Creek.

Thoughts on Blizzard Beach.. We had fun, but I'm not a waterpark person. I thought that maybe a Disney waterpark would change my tune, but it really didn't. I find them incredibly boring and am ready to leave within an hour of being there, lol. I would like to try Typhoon Lagoon just for the sake of doing so, but I really don't feel the need to return to Blizzard Beach. I've seen others have a blast at the waterparks, so I really think it's more of a personal preference as opposed to the parks not being great.

I'll leave you with one last picture.
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I enjoy TL better. I can't quite get my head around the winter theme in BB and the Christmas tunes in the searing Florida heat

 

[myhappyplace]

I requested to follow you...ammers18 on Instagram

 

[blreinsel]

I enjoy TL better. I can't quite get my head around the winter theme in BB and the Christmas tunes in the searing Florida heat

I actually enjoy that part of it.. I love Christmas! Lol. Alas, even Disney and Christmas put together can't make me love waterparks.

I requested to follow you...ammers18 on Instagram

Yay!

 

[DonnaOnTheRocks]

I'm late but here now! Amazing trips so far, living vicariously through you until my next trip.. trying to convince my hubby to go before the end of summer... wish me luck . I also agree about water parks, I'll go down a slide or two then I'm over it and ready to go. Thank you for sharing your adventures!

 

[susan lees]

I actually enjoy that part of it.. I love Christmas! Lol. Alas, even Disney and Christmas put together can't make me love waterparks.



Yay!

Of course it might be something to do with Christmas being cold in Scotland so when I'm at BB I am expecting it to be cold lol.
I love Christmas and I love Disney so I need to definitely do a Christmas trip at some time

 

[sheriffwoody]

Totally with you on water parks. My husband doesn't care anything about going either, so I doubt we ever will.

I always associate water parks with danger. I remember hearing about a kid drowning at one in my town when I was pretty little, so I am pretty sure that is what planted this fear in me. It's just one of those things that stuck with me, especially since after that place closed, I never really went to water parks again!

 

[Doc Disney]

We love the water parks but only for like 2 hours then we leave Long enough to do all the slides and wave pool then we peace out. I hate sitting for an extended period of time so the idea of sitting on a beach is torture. I don't know how I ever made it in Punta Cana . Since it is included in our AP I don't mind going for just a few hours. However, if I had to pay I don't think I would

 

[blreinsel]

I'm late but here now! Amazing trips so far, living vicariously through you until my next trip.. trying to convince my hubby to go before the end of summer... wish me luck . I also agree about water parks, I'll go down a slide or two then I'm over it and ready to go. Thank you for sharing your adventures!

Welcome! Good luck convincing him of another trip! A girl needs her Disney. Thanks for coming along!

Of course it might be something to do with Christmas being cold in Scotland so when I'm at BB I am expecting it to be cold lol.
I love Christmas and I love Disney so I need to definitely do a Christmas trip at some time

I'm sooooo excited to see the Christmas decorations this year!

Totally with you on water parks. My husband doesn't care anything about going either, so I doubt we ever will.

I always associate water parks with danger. I remember hearing about a kid drowning at one in my town when I was pretty little, so I am pretty sure that is what planted this fear in me. It's just one of those things that stuck with me, especially since after that place closed, I never really went to water parks again!

Yikes, that would be enough to scare me off too lol. It does seem like a pretty easy scenario for something bad to happen.. especially because we've all seen the lack of parenting/supervision that tends to happen at Disney.

We love the water parks but only for like 2 hours then we leave Long enough to do all the slides and wave pool then we peace out. I hate sitting for an extended period of time so the idea of sitting on a beach is torture. I don't know how I ever made it in Punta Cana . Since it is included in our AP I don't mind going for just a few hours. However, if I had to pay I don't think I would

I would probably go once a month or so if it was included in my pass, just for the sake of riding the fun slides and whatnot. But I'd be like you.. 2 hours max and I'd be gone lol.

 

[blreinsel]

Thursday, July 27

We had plans to go to Disney today, but the actual events of the day unfolded as a result of a comment made by Dylan jokingly:

"We should just go ride our favorite ride in every park."

Challenge accepted. Well, kind of.

We arrived at Epcot at 3:30pm, just as the light rain was letting up. Woohoo! The CM on the tram told us that "the park closes at 9pm, so at 10:31pm sharp this tram will turn back into a pumpkin and the driver and I will turn back into traffic cones."

Dylan asked if we'll ever go to a park without me having to document the entire thing. NOPE.

How would we prove that we visited each park in one day without a picture??

We had a FP+ for Test Track (our favorite Epcot ride), but it was closed due to weather. We were given wildcards to use on another ride anytime before the park closed. We decided to wait it out and see if TT would open back up rather than using the FP+ on a different ride.

Nemo was a walk on, so we decided to use that as a time killer.

Dylan asked if I wanted to go upstairs to see the dolphins... YES! I've actually never explored any part of The Seas aside from riding Nemo and Turtle Talk. Another Disney first!

We stopped to see the manatees first.

The CM tossed some lettuce in just as we walked up, which they promptly inhaled!

 

[blreinsel]

Thursday, July 27 cont.

We continued walking around and looking in all of the tanks.

Then, we happened across a sign that said "Dolphin Presentation" which noted that the show would be starting in 15 minutes. We walked back the hallway and were fortunate enough to overhear a CM telling other guests where the best place to stand was. We planted ourselves there and patiently waited.

The show focused on a dolphin named Calvin, who is being trained to identify different objects using a series of squeaks and squeals. During the show, he would come to our window, identify the object (which the CM would either confirm or deny using hand signals) and then he would report to the window on the other side of the tank to tell another CM what he had seen.

We were able to hear Calvin's responses using some sort of microphone system, which is the device you see on his head.

Here's a video to give you a better idea.


At the end of the show, all 4 dolphins in the tank were called down for pictures. Is this not the most adorable picture ever!?

I didn't even know that this show happened, but I am SO glad that we stumbled across it! I'm so anxious to get back to Epcot to watch it again. It was really interesting and super entertaining. Calvin was a doll. I can't recommend watching it enough!

We left the aquarium and the app showed TT was running, so we made our way back over to use our FP+.

He posed all by himself... I didn't even have to prompt him this time.

Because we had only ever ridden in the single rider line, Dylan was unaware that there was a "design your own car" option. I let him take the lead on our car.

With our Epcot picture and ride both checked off of the list, we made our way back to the parking lot and onto the next leg of our journey!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I had no idea about the dolphins! We will have to check it out

 

[blreinsel]

Thursday, July 27 cont.

Our next stop was Hollywood Studios! The CM on the tram encouraged everybody to ride GMR, as it's closing in August. He also shared that GMR is the last ride original to the park, meaning the last ride that was running on opening day. You learn something new everyday.

First, some pictures.

Dylan apparently didn't get the "act scared" memo.

He gets so embarrassed when we do magic shots because he doesn't know why they photographers are making him pose in weird ways.

Our favorite ride in this park is Rock n' Roller Coaster, but there weren't any FP+'s left at the time we needed them. We grabbed one for Toy Story Mania instead because we enjoy the competition. I kicked his booty in June, but would I maintain my status as champ?

He's so weird.

My streak continues!

With tired arms, we made our way back to the front of the park and onto the next!

 

[blreinsel]

I had no idea about the dolphins! We will have to check it out

You'll love it! They were so fun to watch!

 

[blreinsel]

Thursday, July 27 cont.

Park #3 was Magic Kingdom!

Dylan noticed this gorgeous view as we walked through the TTC and informed me that it would make a good picture. I'm wearing off on him. Now if only I had a nice camera to capture such moments...

We decided to take the ferry in lieu of riding the monorail this time.

It is a much more relaxing ride than the monorail. There really weren't many people on with us either, so that made it even more enjoyable!

You just can't beat these views.

We were feeling rather adventurous today, so our chosen MK ride seemed only fitting (though it's also not our favorite ride in the park).

We made it just in time for our FP+ with some pirates!

Can we all agree that this is the most awkward placement for a ride picture? I fully expected it to be as you go down the hill. Always keeping me guessing, Disney.

 

[blreinsel]

Thursday, July 27 cont.

After our ride, we both agreed that we could use a snack to hold us over until our late dinner. For me, there's really only one snack in MK.

We had some visitors while we waited in line for Dylan's snack.

I may or may not have stolen a few bites.

We sat and enjoyed our treats for a few minutes and watched the crazy people start claiming their spots for Happily Ever After almost 2 hours in advance. Nope.

A picture to prove we were here. This is actually one of my new favorites.. the sky is beautiful.

We headed out for our final stop!

 

[blreinsel]

Thursday, July 27 cont.

Here we are!

I think these people like Toy Story, but I'm not sure. I'll admit, it's pretty awesome.

We stopped to get our picture, but the Tree of Life Awakens was happening. We had to pause and wait for each show before the CM was able to take pictures.

Maybe I just missed the memo on this, but the CM informed us that each show ends with the animal being featured ending in its spot on the tree. An example... The first show we watched featured the fox, and at the end of his show, he "laid down" on his carving on the tree as the lights faded out. It. Was. AWESOME!

These shows really are impressive.. make sure you stop and see at least one. They're short, you have time.

We literally had the best photographer ever. His name was Cory (I think from Massachusetts?) and he was so over the top friendly and happy. The epitome of a Disney CM. He's here for the college program but is hoping to land an internship (he's a communications major specializing in film) and eventually a permanent job with Disney. We chatted throughout the shows as we waited for our picture, and he gave us both hugs before we parted ways- lol. It's all about the Disney difference.

 

[blreinsel]

Thursday, July 27 cont.

We were starving by this point, but I wanted to wait to eat so we could try Satu'li Canteen! The layout of this restaurant is not logical... at all. It was like walking through a maze lol.

I had a Satu'li Bowl with Grilled Beef, Mixed Whole Grain & Rice, and Creamy Herb Dressing. Dylan had the same, except he had the Red & Sweet Potato Hash rather than rice. These were REALLY good, especially for being a QS. We both loved our meals! The boba balls were a little odd, but they did taste pretty good. I did find it a little strange that they serve with actual dishes and silverware rather than paper/plastic. We'll definitely be back here! I want to try the cheeseburger pods.

The plan was to wait standby for Flight of Passage, but the wait time was posted at 160 minutes. Dylan always approaches it with the "it won't actually be that long" mentality, but when we walked outside and saw the line snaking the entire way into the walkway, we knew it wasn't happening. We had about 5 minutes to find a ride and get in line before our challenge was ruined!

Dylan wanted EE, but there was no way we were making it there in time. We detoured into Africa and hopped in line for the safari at 9:59pm. We, of course, walked right onto a truck and into the wilderness we went!

It was obviously difficult to get pictures with it being so dark, but I'll include a few for the sake of talking about what we saw. The rhino was out and walking around, enjoying a midnight snack.

Our driver told us that this is how the wildebeests sleep in the wild. Half of the group sleeps while the other half stands on the outskirts of the circle to monitor for danger. Then, halfway through the night the groups trade places.

We also saw a group of springbok sleeping, and our driver told us that they're the smallest of the antelope family. I only remember that because I thought they were adorable.

Hard to see, but I thought it was neat seeing the flamingos huddled together as opposed to spread out all through the water like during the daytime.

The elephant and her baby were out, but it was difficult to see them let alone get a picture. The lions were also out, and the male was actually up walking around. Our guide stopped the truck for a few minutes in hopes of letting us hear him roar, but he chose to keep his temper under wraps for the evening. We saw the hyena walking around for a split second before she walked behind a rock and out of the open.

That was my first time on a nighttime safari and it was definitely a different experience. I enjoyed it for a number of reasons, but I wouldn't recommend it as your only time doing that attraction. It was hard to see many of the animals and you definitely can't get good pictures.

And with that, my friends, our day was complete. We finished the challenge and I felt very accomplished in checking something off of my Disney bucket list. But I'll tell you this... we were EXHAUSTED! It was a lot of rushing around, but we had a blast!

 

[Swissmiss]

That sounded like a really fun day; what a great read with my morning coffee! Being so close, you can make up all sorts of wacky challenges to keep visits different (what sprung to mind would be focusing on rides beginning with a certain letter, or a certain number of words or letters in their name, or every X number ride listed alphabetically for the park).

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

4 parks in one day? So fun! And that swirling yellow sky at MK...I can't even.