Trip Report The Most Magical and Most Crowded Honeymoon

It has been five days since I have set foot on Disney property and I am already itching to go back.

This was my first time to Disney World and we dealt with insane crowds, some blister issues, and lots and lots of strollers. But we had the most magical time.

Plus probably the most entertaining Tower of Terror ride photo you have ever seen.

This is my first attempt at a Trip Report and I did my best to take notes and document everything.

Who: Me (Kaci) and my hubby (Matt)
When: February 22-28 and the 29th off property
Where: Pop Century
Why: Our Honeymoon!

Friday 2/21 Pre-Arrival
After the slowest day ever Friday it was finally 5pm and time to head home to finish packing. Packing is a little bit of a tricky situation for us. Our dog Raven is a rescue and deals with some pretty bad separation anxiety. When we pack to go on a trip we have to do so without her knowing. She can never see the suitcase(s). This makes packing a little more difficult. Matt had might some plans with some friends so he didn't arrive home until 10:30pm. Which meant I didn't start packing until then. After lots of rearranging and re-organizing we were all packed and I was ready to take a two hour "nap" before we had to leave for the airport at 2:30AM.

Saturday 2/22 Arrival Day
We arrived at the airport at 3:15AM. Security didn't even open until 3:30. I was literally the third person to go through security.
After a short wait I was on my first plane of the day headed to Charlotte. We had some crazy airline miles that were about to expire so I was able to fly First Class to Disney on American Airlines and my poor hubby was stuck traveling Southwest.


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Why not start off the morning at 4:55 with a free cocktail?

After a slight delay we landed in Charlotte. I had enough time to get off the plane use the restroom and it was time to board the second plane to Orlando. We were slightly delayed here as well since the plane had to be de-iced.

The flight attendant was super nice but she kept bringing me drinks without me asking for one. At this point in the morning I have had several cocktails and no food. Finally I snag a 100 calorie pack of Graham Crackers and of course she brings me another drink.

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After what seemed like the longest travel morning ever I was finally reunited with my hubby and we were on our to the Magical Express!

We got super lucky with the Magical Express. We waited about 10 minutes to get checked in and then we were sent to a bus that was pretty much full except the last few rows. The bus was only stopping at Pop Century. After we boarded and got seated the bus took off.

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So excited to finally be in Orlando!

We arrived at Pop Century around 12:45. Matt wanted to wait in the check in line because he appreciates a personal experience.

We got super lucky and our room was actually ready! We were staying in a preferred room. Room 5451. It ended up being an excellent location. We were super close to the main building and also the Skyliner.

We took a slight detour on our way to room and got a Pina Colava from the pool bar.

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After a quick refresh we decided to head out to Disney Springs. Disney Springs ended up being a mad house. The line for every counter service was out the door. We quickly decided to take a bus to the Rivera Resort and take the Skyliner back to Pop.

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Our first Skyliner adventure!

We made it back to Pop safely and decided to hit up the food court. This was the first meal I had all day and it was delicious

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Bacon Cheeseburger, Fries, and an ice cold Corona.

Matt had chicken strips but I wasn't able to grab a pic in time before he devoured them!


Coming up next: My first glimpse at Magic Kingdom, Fireworks from the Polynesian Beach, and Ohana!
 

kbarry117

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After a delicious lunch we decided a little nap was in order before venturing out for the evening. My husband is 100% a nap taker. He will take all the naps he can get whenever and wherever. I am the complete opposite. I am typically not a nap person but I do enjoy some relaxation time. I had every intention of just laying in bed watching a few vlogs and relaxing. I think the moment my head hit the pillow I was out. I slept so good. Disney Naps are magical.

After a glorious two hour nap we woke up refreshed and ready for the evening. We had reservations for Ohana this evening so we decided to watch the Fireworks from the Poly Beach. We arrived at the bus stop and there was a Magic Kingdom bus just waiting for us!

Just seeing the outside of the Magic Kingdom for the first time made me emotional. I think this is where it hit me that we actually were at Disney World.
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We were then met with the longest Monorail line ever. It took us a good 35 minutes just to get on a Monorail. But soon enough we made it to the Polynesian. Another surreal moment.

We had just enough time to grab a drink from Trader Sam's Tiki Terrace. I had the Spiky Pineapple and Matt had the Rosita's Margarita. Both were very strong and very delicious.

We found the perfect spot for the Fireworks.

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After the Fireworks we headed inside and to Ohana. We checked in and about 10 minutes later our "cousin" was leading us to our table.

I have heard mixed things about this meal but we were still excited to try. The bread was delicious and the salad arrived quickly after. We also order two Backscratcher drinks. This might be one of the strongest drinks I have ever had. I could barely finish it!

We had heard that this meal can definitely feel rushed and we experienced that to some extent. Our platter arrived pretty quickly. (Sorry no pic of the actual platter but this was my plate)
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This was so good. I absolutely loved everything that I tried.

The shrimp skewer was the next to arrive and Matt said that was also delicious. The Chicken was next and honestly that wasn't my favorite. I am weird when it comes to the texture of meat and it just wasn't working for me. Matt enjoyed it. The Steak was last to arrive. It had a really good flavor and was probably my favorite of the meats. Matt enjoyed it as well.

Up until this point our meal had lasted about 35 minutes. Which is quite quick. Then we waited another 35 minutes to receive dessert. We had felt so rushed up until this point and then all of a sudden we were at a standstill.
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This was well worth the wait. We hardly put a dent in it but dang it was so good.

Overall we had a pretty fantastic meal at Ohana. It is just so much food. I think we will definitely be back though!

After dinner we took a Lyft back to Pop and crashed for the night.

Coming up next: Our first actual Park Day!
 
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kbarry117

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sunday February 23rd. Our First Park Day

We woke up bright and early around 7:30 ready to start our day. Our first fast passes were beginning at 9 and we wanted to get to Epcot because we weren't sure how crazy it would be with the half marathon going on.

There was little to no line at the Skyliner so the ride to Epcot was a breeze and soon we were arriving through the International Gateway.
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I got a little emotional when Mickey's head turned green for the first time and I was officially in Epcot. We got super lucky and encountered next to no line at Starbucks. With coffees in hand we set out towards our first rides.

Matt had a Fast Pass for Mission to Space and I had one for Turtle Talk with Crush. Matt split off and headed towards his ride.

They were re-directing traffic because of the half marathon and I had to wait in a crowded line to go around some cones to get to the other side of the walkway.

I ended up getting extremely lucky. Right has I crossed the pathway they opened up a new one and I was actually able to navigate myself to where I needed to go. I took my time soaking up the fact that I was actually in Epcot. I stopped by a merchandise stand and had a lovely chat with a cast member.

I made my way to my first attraction. Turtle Talk with Crush was adorable. I didn't have high expectations and I knew this was basically a throw away fast pass but I had no desire to ride Mission to Space and wanted to experience everything I could.

At this point Matt had ridden Mission to Space twice (both on the orange side).
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We noticed that Soarin had a 20 minute wait and decided to meet at the Land Pavilion. We had a great ride on Soarin and got super lucky because once we got off the wait time had jumped to 65 minutes. Since we were in the Land Pavilion we decided to get in line with for Living With The Land. At this point we had about 30 minutes until the end of our next Fast Pass. This line ended up taking a little longer than expected.
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After our boat ride we hurried over to Nemo and made it within minutes of our Fast Pass grace period. This was a seriously cute ride! I loved all the little details.

Our next Fast Pass was approaching and this was the one I was most excited about. Frozen is my absolute favorite. I have so many memories associated with it and I could not wait to ride!

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Our first ride photo! Next on the agenda was meeting Anna and Elsa! We had about a 25 minute wait but it was so worth it!
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This was such a fun interaction!

Coming up Next: Our first look at Festival of the Arts and the best pretzel!
 

kbarry117

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After our meet and greet with the Frozen Sisters it was time to walk around World Showcase a little bit.

Holy crowded. This place was a mad house. It seemed like everything had a super long line but we knew we wanted to at least try a few times. I got in line to get a pretzel and a beer from the Germany cart while Matt went to get something from one of the festival booths.

He went to Cuisine Classique and got the Frozen Rose. ($6.50)

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This was absolutely delicious and so so refreshing.

From the Germany cart we got a pretzel to share and two of the cider beers.

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This pretzel was everything. NYC street pretzels are my favorite food. I didn't think I would ever find anything to compare to them. This pretzel was 10 times better. So delicious.

We continued on our crowded trek.

Our next and sadly final stop was L'Art de la Cusine Francaise.

Here we got the Crème de Brie en Petit Pain: Warm Creamy Brie in a House-made Bread Bowl

This was so delicious. And we also got some extra bread for dipping.

We also sampled the Frozen French Martini: Grey Goose, Vodka, Chambord Liqueur, Pineapple, Orange and Grape Juice with Lemon-Lime Foam – $14.00

This was also very good and very refreshing.

We would have loved to stop at my more booths and experience more of the festival but it was so crowded and we were in desperate need of a mid day break.

After a nice little break we returned back to Epcot for the Disney on Broadway Concert Series.

I am an avid Broadway fan. I love all things theatre and when I saw that we were going to be at Epcot at the same time this concert series was happening I knew I had to attend.

The stand by line looked insane but the cast member reassured everyone to let us know that we would definitely get in and get a spot.

Also forgot to mention that Matt really wanted to try the Banana pudding from Regal Eagle. So he got in line while I was waiting in the standby line for the show. A cast member noticed him and asked what he was there for. Matt mentioned that he just wanted a banana pudding and a soda. The cast member pulled him out of line and gave him the banana pudding and soda for free. True Disney magic.



We maybe waited for 10 minutes and was able to grab a pretty great spot.

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We saw Josh Strickland and Ashley Brown. Josh was the original Tarzan on Broadway and Ashley was the original Mary Poppins. I was lucky enough to see both of them in those roles on Broadway.

I am really glad we got to experience this. It was just a quick 30 minute set but I totally enjoyed it.

After this was over we had a quick walk over to dinner. Dinner tonight was Via Napoli. Matt and I were both looking forward to this.

When we got there it was super crowded. It took us about a 20 minutes just to check in. And then another 20 to be seated.

I had the Via Napolis Earth Cocktail

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And Matt was super creative and got a Bud Light
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We ordered and pretty quickly our food was brought out.

I order the Quattro Formaggi Pizza and Matt had the traditional Pepperoni

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These were so delicious. Totally worth the hype. But so so filling.


This is where I see a downfall of the Dining Plan. We were both so full but of course we felt obligated to get dessert.

I went with the Cookies and Cream gelato and Matt had tiramisu. We were also given this little cake for our honeymoon.

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These were all so good. But we were so full that we barely could put a dent in any of them.

Coming up next: Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios and the most terrified I have been in my entire life.
 
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kbarry117

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After a wonderful dinner we took the Skyliner over to Hollywood Studios since it was extra magic hours beginning at 8pm. We arrived around 7:50 and it seemed empty. We timed this up almost perfectly with Fantasmic.

A little backstory: I am not a huge thrill junkie. But I enjoy most rides and I will pretty much try anything once. I had told myself that if we were spending all this money to go to Disney I was going to ride every ride we could at least once. The one I had been dreading the most was Tower of Terror. Give me a roller coaster that goes upside down and corkscrews any day. I hate the "drop rides".

I had been so nervous about riding Tower of Terror that we decided it was best I just get it over with early on in the trip and then I wouldn't have to worry anymore.

First we had to stop for a quick pic outside. You can't really tell from this picture but I was a nervous sweaty mess.


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We make it to the ride and there is no line what so ever. We make it to the pre-show in record time. I am in full on panic mode. But it was too late to turn back now.

And now I present to you photographic evidence of the most terrified I have ever been in my entire life

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That is 100% genuine fear and also 100% the reason why we purchased the photo package.

Yup Tower of Terror was a one and done for me. Never ever again. I hated the feeling and I hated the ride and I am still terrified. But I did it!

After our horrifying adventure we decided to head over to Rocking Roller Coaster and catch a limo. We were still having pretty good luck with timing and only had to wait about 20 minutes.

And now I present to you another gem.
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After humoring Matt and going on two of his favorite rides it was time for me to finally see Toy Story Land. This is what I had been looking forward to most.

There was no wait to these pictures
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It was about 9:15 at this point and Toy Story Mania was posting a 25 minute wait. Since this was the one ride in Toy Story Land we didn't have fast passes for later in the week we decided to hop in line. Figuring we would still have plenty of time to get in line for Slinky Dog Dash after.

Oh how wrong we were. This ending up being more of a 45 minute wait. By the time we were finished the line for Slinky was already closed.

We ended up meeting a really friendly cast member and he gifted us a Slinky fast pass to use the next time we were at Hollywood Studios.

After a quick ride on the Skyliner we were back at Pop Century and ready for bed.

We had a very busy and productive first day in the parks.

Coming up next: We almost sleep through the Safari
 

kbarry117

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
February 24th: Where we almost slept through the Safari

Today was the only day that we had planned to spend time in Animal Kingdom. We weren't able to get Fast Passes for the two Pandora Rides so it wasn't really a high priority park for us but we still wanted to experience it.

Our first pass of the day was for the Safari. Our Fast Pass time ended at I believe 9:55am.

We had set our alarms for 7:30 to give us plenty of time to get up and get to Animal Kingdom.

Well we both must of been super tired because suddenly at about 9:00am Matt popped out of bed and realized we had slept through our alarms.

In what I can say might be the biggest accomplishment to date we managed to both brush our teeth and get dressed and were in Lyft on the way to Animal Kingdom by 9:12.

We made it just in time for our Fast Pass and had an amazing Safari. We got to see quite a few animals.
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We had a Fast Pass for Everest coming up but Matt wanted to check out the single rider line. Since we had a Fast Pass for later I decided to sit this one out. He had a wonderful ride and I found a place with a wonderful view.
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After Everest Matt wanted to experience Its Tough To Be A Bug. I don't remember much from my trip to Disneyland 16 years ago but the one thing I do remember is how terrified I was of Its Tough To Be A Bug. After my traumatic experience with Tower of Terror yesterday I felt perfectly okay sitting this one out and enjoying my view for a little bit longer.

After Its Tough to Be a Bug we met up at Finding Nemo the musical. This was cute! We both absolutely loved it!

Now it was my turn to face the Yeti. I actually really enjoyed this ride!
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Up Next: Animal Kingdom Cont.
 

kbarry117

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
February 24th Animal Kingdom Cont:

We wondered around Animal Kingdom a bit and took some pictures
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The photographer told us to look scared. I am not exactly sure what Matt is doing.

It was time for our next Fast Pass. Dinosaur.

I think our picture pretty much speaks for itself.
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We of course had to meet Daisy

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And Dino Chip and Dale

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This was seriously such a fun meet and greet! Most of those poses were orchestrated by Dale. He kept coming up with ideas and they were so much!

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After our fun meet and greets we decided to head over the yak and yeti quick service. Matt had orange chicken and I had some fried rice and an egg roll. This was actually delicious and one of my favorite quick service meals of the trip.

We decided to head to Pandora next to at least experience it. Plus there was a drink I really wanted to try

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So good! And totally worth all the hype.

We walked around Pandora a bit before deciding to call it a day.

We had a big night ahead of us.

Coming up next: Dinner at 1900 Park Fare and After Hours!
 

kbarry117

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We had originally scheduled this dinner for 5:20pm. Luckily after our long day at Animal Kingdom we were able to push it back until 6:40.

After a nice rest and refresh we were in a Lyft on the way to the Grand Floridian.

Stepping into this hotel was another surreal moment. It was gorgeous.

We had waited about 10 minutes to check in to 1900 Park Fare. And about another 5 minutes to be seated.

This restaurant was huge. We were seated and in the blink of an eye we were greeted by Lady Tremaine
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Next we met the two step sisters. They were so funny. They asked to see pictures of my wedding dress and kept asking Matt if he was sure he did't have a brother.

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Matt thought the coast was clear and went up to the buffet. I grabbed a selfie with Prince Charming. And Matt realized what was happening and demanded his own picture.
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Next was Cinderella!
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This was a wonderful character meal. We really enjoyed the interactions and the food was pretty good as well. The Strawberry Soup was a favorite!

After our meal we stopped for one last picture
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Then it was time to head to Magic Kingdom for Afterhours!
 

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