Trip Report THE November ('14) Engagement Trip

ScarletBegonias · Oct 13, 2015

I'm in!!! I just love engagement stories! Looking forward to reading more!

SeanWM48 · Oct 13, 2015

DAY ONE - JUST GET ON WITH IT

Let me start by saying I seriously love the Magic Express experience. I mean everything about it. Keep in mind we travel on the earliest plane possible so at this point, after some iced coffee with espresso on an empty stomach, my brain is essentially scrambled eggs. The Express is just what the doctor ordered for times like this - it lets me know I'm on vacation.

HOWEVER, this time around I have an engagement ring in my pocket. I probably didn't even need the coffee with how wired and focused I was at this point. My plan was to get this done on our opening day. This way....
A) Kristen gets to wear the ring in all the pictures
B) I can do Disney all week without having this hanging over my head. I mean, I was excited, but at the same time I just wanted to ask her and make it happen after all these months of buildup.

always get the back seat

So we head to Fort Wilderness Campground. It is the only place we stay and is our 'home away from home.' FW is probably the main reason I became a DW guy.

(gotta flex while you drive that golf cart around)

We hit Trail's End first for lunch. The plan was to head to Downtown Disney afterward. I went with that to give her a reason to dress up and whatnot. In the meantime, Jane and I were texting about our big setup. The idea was to head to the beach, where a picnic style blanket would be waiting for us with lights, champagne, and music.

perfect.

As we left the cabin to go Downtown I suggested we do a lap around the campground first. Anybody who has ever rented a golf cart at FW hears me on this - it's awesome. Even just riding around checking out other campsites or seeing the boat picking people up for the MK ride at the beach.

We arrive and this was the very first moment I'd felt serious nerves. I was white-knuckled as I drove that cart, and once Jane let me know she was ready for our arrival the rest of the event was a blur. I stumbled along the beach trying to get Kristen to walk towards the setup, which was fairly simple but exactly what I asked for. I told her everything on my mind at that very moment - no speech written, no notes, no rehearsal. Then I hit one knee and asked her to marry me.

That's a yes right there

Look, getting engaged at the parks is a thrill I'm sure. But this campground has been such a big part of our lives the last few years. This was exactly where it had to happen. The whole thing felt right and I really give props to Jane and her team for coming up with a nice, simple, thoughtful setup that went right along with what I was requesting. I don't know if I should post links or contact but if anybody wants some background on how setting this up went, feel free to ask. She caught some very great moments with way more photos than I expected, and let us keep them all on a flash drive. She even had an iPod with speakers playing the 'Marry Me' tune from Pirates of the Caribbean (At World's End). She nailed it.

This really was one of the happiest, proudest times of my life. We hung out on the beach having the champagne as the boats drove by. I lucked out with the weather and the crowds. It's as if everything slowed down for us and let us have this moment together with some peace. If you gave me the chance to start over and do a whole new proposal to Kristen I would not change any of it.

and boy what a weight off my shoulders. Time to get ourselves together and head Downtown

lostpro9het · Oct 13, 2015

SeanWM48 said:

Im glad she said yes or else that sign would have made no sense!

SeanWM48 · Oct 13, 2015

lostpro9het said:
Im glad she said yes or else that sign would have made no sense!

right?? the sign was kinda cheesy but made us all laugh. Definitely got me to loosen up at that point

---oh, and the bug spray lol

ScarletBegonias · Oct 13, 2015

WOW. That's a great proposal! I love that it was not the normal, crowded, people watching you proposal (I love the quiet proposals, myself. ). It's perfect because as you said there is so much history with the resort! Also, very smart for doing it first!! I bet it made the week that much more magical!

SeanWM48 · Oct 13, 2015

ScarletBegonias said:
WOW. That's a great proposal! I love that it was not the normal, crowded, people watching you proposal (I love the quiet proposals, myself. ). It's perfect because as you said there is so much history with the resort! Also, very smart for doing it first!! I bet it made the week that much more magical!

thank you very much. yeah it absolutely made the rest of the trip easier on me haha. i'm drafting up my recap of the rest of the week now and it's hard to beat the opening day story. the way it all worked out with timing and weather was pretty amazing. Jane was pretty booked that week too if i recall and she almost couldn't do it.

for what it's worth i tried doing this with Disney directly first but they really did not have much to offer. they had a photographer that could meet me somewhere but that's about it, and they were very hesitant about shooting anything that involved movement (only do still photos). i was surprised because i was willing to pay for it but they really could not make this happen. luckily i found about Jane her her crew who do things like this regularly.

SeanWM48 · Oct 13, 2015

OK. So now it's time for vacation.

There is no better way to kick off a Disney week than drinks and appetizers at T-Rex. Ok, just my opinion. But boy, I've now gone 3 years straight on opening night and 'Rex is always jumping. Crazy environment, high energy, loud and ridiculous. Really fired up at all times and I dig that.

The 'Caveman's Punch' is tasty and you get to keep the glass. We now have 6 of these glasses at home haha

T-Rex-adilla always delivers. That weird green sauce tastes better than it looks I promise.

We wandered around and had a couple margaritas at Paradiso as well. It was a real shame that they closed Captain Jack's Margarita Bar but I hear the new place is great and we'll give it a try next year. Big fan of the Lego store and all the shops. Downtown is almost as good as a park to me really.

A combination of tequila and Disney bliss walked me right into making this wonderful purchase...

what a great carry-on for the trip home!

Note the pin, which was one of the very first things on Kristen's mind after we left the beach engaged. If I recall we went directly to the lobby at Fort to get one. I will give Disney a lot of credit on this - their staff really does make an effort to acknowledge the pin and gave us so many congrats. I know there are thousands of other people walking around with pins but it just gives you the impression that you're a special guest. It made her day every time somebody said something to her, and it gave her an excuse to show off the new piece on her finger.

DisneyFans4Life · Oct 13, 2015

That's awesome man! I proposed to my now wife at MK and I was like you...wanted to get it done first thing in the morning. I was sure glad when it was over (and she said yes lol).

SeanWM48 · Oct 13, 2015

DAY 2 - RAIN EVERYWHERE

So the funny thing about this Monday was that it was my "rain day" as a backup for the proposal. The very much opposite happened, as I got the good weather opening day but was absolutely poured on throughout this one instead.

some people take it to another level with their cart customization

We started with breakfast at Trail's End, my favorite meal on property. The buffet always delivers and the staff at Trail's is fun. It's been generally the same crew all three years we've gone and they fit right in with the country atmosphere. I do get the sense they care about their job and their customers. They are mostly older and have been here a long time. Nobody is 'mailing it in.' Ask for my boy Darnell if you can. The lunch is usually so-so but the buffet dinner and breakfast are a must.

Anyway, with ominous clouds above we finished breakfast and hopped on the boat to go to the Kingdom for our first park day.

Can't go wrong. I know the Starbucks at MK wasn't everybody's favorite addition....but it's probably mine haha

and here is what awaited us. It was our first rainy Disney day - ever - so I can't complain. You make the best of it and move along.

Crowds picked up throughout the day as the weather cleared a bit. You can see the Christmas decor was up and running. I wasn't exactly in Christmas "Mode" yet but they do a great job. Our previous trips were always in October and with the fall/Halloween setup so this was quite a change. I think they do a little more work for Christmas. Personally I prefer the fall look but we wanted to see what Disney Christmas was like. Our tickets for the Christmas party weren't until later in the week though.

Jingle Cruise!

Unfortunately rain came back strong around 3 or 4. We hit some indoor rides like my all-time favorite Pirates and one of her favorites Peter Pan. With dinner reservations for 8 and pouring rain with no sign of stopping we decided to head back to the Fort to change and hop BACK onto the boat for our dinner date at the Wilderness Lodge.

Let me tell you. Traveling on the boat in a storm in the dark was unforgettable. We had a late dinner at the Artist Point restaurant. I don't have any pictures from that part of the trip because it was literally raining sideways. What a fun ride though; we got absolutely soaked and the boat was almost completely empty and rocking all over the place. Awesome.

That is the "Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo" (stolen photo, I did not take). I liked this a lot and I remember Kristen enjoying her meal too but something was missing from Artist Point. My expectations were sky high because that resort is beautiful, and it's not that I "disliked' the restaurant. Something just didn't quite feel right in there - maybe it's the high ceilings, which give it a bit of an empty feeling. Not to mention this was a Monday night in the middle of a huge storm, so it felt kind of dead in there. Good food though.
Sadly no Christmas tree in the lobby yet. The resorts were not too dressed up at this point.....but that changed as the week rolled along. More on that later.
.

ScarletBegonias · Oct 13, 2015

I love the Starbucks on Main Street too!

DisneyPrincess5 · Oct 13, 2015

Congrats on your engagement!

Mom@disney · Oct 13, 2015

Congratulations on your engagement! What a simple but beautiful and intimate moment. Looking foward to reading more!

SeanWM48 · Oct 14, 2015

appreciate the kind words. writing this up has been a fun experience as I haven't "re-lived" that moment in a long time. A year flies by doesn't it.

will be updating this later today with the next day. the big part of the trip comes at the animal kingdom as we went on the 'Wild Safari Trek" guided tour behind the scenes and whatnot.

RyPat · Oct 14, 2015

SeanWM48 said:
will be updating this later today with the next day. the big part of the trip comes at the animal kingdom as we went on the 'Wild Safari Trek" guided tour behind the scenes and whatnot.

Looking forward to that! - we're considering the Wild Africa Trek when we go in april

officialtom · Oct 14, 2015

Keep it coming! And congratulations!

SeanWM48 · Oct 15, 2015

EPCOT DAY - STONE COLD

As stated earlier this was our first holiday trip. Christmas definitely takes over the parks, but this Epcot day showed us a new side of Fort Wilderness as well.

(To-Mater sighting again too)
The cool dry air was nice enough to inspire us to go out on a jog before leaving for breakfast, and we immediately noticed new trim added to all the bus stops and buildings. Very classy touch without being too 'in your face' or taking away from the campground atmosphere.

Pioneer hall all done up

A few people had their campsites done up but the resort itself shifting in Christmas mode was one of the more memorable sites of the whole trip. As you can tell by the outfit this was seriously chilly weather for Florida. It was in the high 40's that morning and stayed there well into the afternoon, only letting up when the sun peaked out.

SO, Epcot. Cava is easily my favorite spot here. I'm a real fan of a nice smokey Mezcal and they have that here. Two favorite brands are Sombra and Vida. I really recommend trying a Mezcal Margarita, the guys at the Cava are more than happy to make it for you and it provides a strong smokey flavor instead of the typical overly-sweet taste. You can get a lot of margaritas on WDW property but nothing else like this.

Canada is underrated. Very pleasant and some great merchandise to look at. We grabbed a nice hot coffee with some kind of alcohol in it and it really hit the spot.
Also these guys put on a real good show. I recall there being lots of debates when it joined the Canada pavilion but i'm a fan; so much so that we went back at night as you can see in the pic:

well done Lumberjacks.

Now I don't know if any of you have ever tried drinking 'around the world.' All I can say is after a couple countries I figured I'd give it a shot. I made it through SEVEN countries and felt like absolute garbage and stopped. I refuse to throw up at Epcot. This was real tasty though; the "Tipsy Ducks in Love"

If I could do it again I would not attempt 'Around the World.' It was freezing and I was wasting my money and basically just getting myself sick. I did find a few favorites though, and next time would just get an extra Mezcal-ita or something.

always cool merch within the showcase. Note the gloves. She gets compliments on those almost every time she wears them, to this day. Only something like 15 or 20 bucks in the USA pavilion.

Dinner was at Teppan-Edo after a long break for me to relax and level out with some (tons of) coffee. Teppan is solid. If you have a lot of hibachi this doesn't offer anything too over-the-top besides a few Disney touches by the cooks, but it's a good meal and a fun time.

We did the night show and headed back to our cozy cabin. There is nothing like coming home to a cabin, which gives you some actual privacy. No neighbors on the other side of the wall. And for what it's worth - I know this was a hotbutton issue over the summer - we got plenty of awesome towel animals. No, we did not take any home. But all week we were surprised with stuff like this...

if they really won't do these for guests anymore I think that's a shame. Long live towel animals. Next day report coming soon.

ScarletBegonias · Oct 16, 2015

I cannot imagine being in florida and wearing long sleeves and pants. Every time I'm there it's roasting! I think that'd be kind of cool! Even more so because the Christmas decorations are up and you were camping!

LilWalt · Oct 16, 2015

Congrats! It was cold in February of this year. It was in the 30s.

SeanWM48 · Oct 16, 2015

i must say disney in the cold is a very different experience. at first i was begging for mercy but after a while you get a hot drink or something and warm up a bit. i am not a winnipeg jets fan, but you see me in that hat in the pics because i grabbed it at epcot.

anyway, once you're dressed right and warmed up a bit you find yourself a lot more energetic. no humidity, crowds seem lower too. the cool air really added to the atmosphere of the christmas party a day or so later (will touch on that in next installment of trip report)

Trip Report THE November ('14) Engagement Trip

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lostpro9het

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