Trip Report The Stalker Surfaces - A First Report for a Long Time Creeper Feb 2019!

Hello everyone!

My name is Annie and I am your friendly undercover WDW Magic Trip Report Stalker. I feel as though I know so many of you personally, as I have read SO MANY trip reports over the years. I travel for work, and often on these travels I find myself passing the time on the boards.

In my childhood, my family was of the "yearly vacation at Disney" sort until I went away for college:
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(some things never change!)

I spent a lot of time during my college years and early professional life dreaming of my return to the World. In 2015, I finally became an annual passholder when I started a new job at a medical school here in Maine and began to travel the country (and Central Florida) quit a bit for conferences, events, etc. I have had MANY Disney World trips paid for by the University over the past few years, as well as fun ones with my friends and family!

I was prompted to write this report by my fiance, who suggested that I repay the favor of all you fine folks sharing your Disney adventures. So.. here we go!

When: February 1, 2019 - February 9, 2019

Who: Me (Annie) and my fiance (Ian)
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Where: Polynesian Village Resort (renting DVC)

Why: Celebrating our ENGAGEMENT! Ian proposed one month prior to our trip after 6.5 years! We survived long distance, civilian service for the Navy separating us, and much more that made us feel deserving of a treat!
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I went to get my nails done with my future sister-in-law this night directly after work. I waited until the very last minute because I wanted my nails looking as fresh as possible the following Tuesday for our engagement photo session on the grounds of the Poly-Grand :inlove: Fun fact: Ian has a twin brother and his wife is who I went with. People like to joke about how I know what my future children will look like based on his and his wife's (she favors me and I her).

This brings us to our next stop. Before I headed home post nail appointment, I had an important question to ask my nephew:
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(he said YES! lol.. the dollar helped :hilarious:)

Once I had solidified my ring security for the big day, I headed home to my future hubby who had only just started packing UGH. I had been packed for nearly two weeks, but that is beside the point. My annoyance with his lack of packing motivation quickly turned to thoughts of "I can't believe I get to marry this man" when he handed me these upon my arrival:
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Day 1: Friday, February 1, 2019
We live on the southern seacoast of Maine, so we are fortunate to live near a decent sized airport in Portland BUT I wanted a flight that would get us to Orlando ASAP. So naturally, I got us up on our first day of vacation at 2 AM to get to the bus station for our ride into Boston for our 6 AM flight. WORTH IT. Or.. not? We ended up delayed nearly two hours. How will we deal with the disappointment?

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BREAKFAST PIZZA! And not pizza that has eggs and sausage.. actual pizza just eaten in the morning :hilarious:

Ian is NOT hugely a morning person, mostly because most days at home he either wakes up for work at 3 AM or works overnights. I told him I found the perfect snack for him:
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Luckily, after almost 7 years he knows to expect this kind of behavior from me! As a side note: during this delay we were dealing with some drama back home. My older sister is getting married in the same year as me which is THIS ONE 2019 (her in June in Colorado and me in October in Maine). Isn't it interesting how some fun aspects of our loved ones personalities shine through during wedding planning? Ian had to keep reminding that we were on vacation and to deal with the drama upon our return but not a minute sooner!

We finally boarded around 8:30 AM and no sooner had we sat down, then Ian had already fallen asleep
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That's right fella, rest up for the mouse!!

We had a very uneventful ride down, and soon we were taking a fonorail ride to our next destination and hopping on the DME!
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(my sister made me the Future Mrs ears for the trip and I got so many compliments on them!)

To be continued...
 

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annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I absolutely LOVE that shot of you guys with the monorail in the background. The colors are just perfect and you guys look fantastic! Congrats again! It looks like you guys had such a great time so far.... Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much! And my photographer would be happy to hear you love the monorail shot because she worked HARD to get it 😂
 

annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 6 continued..

Oh man, I woke up from my nap feeling SO ILL. Ian was adamant that this was caused by my ONE TINY glitter beer. No way dude. I am the daughter of a first generation Irish Catholic, I can handle beer. I took my time getting ready, but I kept having to sit down for a few minutes to rest. I was CHUGGING water at this point because I had not had my fill of Epcot yet and I didn't want to miss out.

We finally made our way to the monorail. On the ride over I started to feel better THANK WALT IN HEAVEN!

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We had no real goals for this evening apart from exploring WS. Before we headed back that way, there was an Instagram worthy snack I wanted to try. Ian could not resist pulling a face for my photo

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I have to say - these were actually VERY good. They were still warm. I only wish that the chocolate dipped tops covered the whole churro because it was so tasty!

We needed to cleanse the palate quickly

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I wish I could show you Ian's reaction to Beverly, but I cannot because he didn't try it! I am not a master in the art of subtlety and Ian definitely knew something was up. Dang it!

What a goober!

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We had fun becoming one with the art

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I could tell that Ian was enjoying Epcot far more than he had earlier in the day. I think that the heat really drained us. In the cool of the evening we were able to take it all in with new energy.

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(or maybe we were delirious IDK)

I was excited about a newer (at the time) PP opportunity. We waited in a short line for this shot

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I love this one!!

We made our way around the world, me showing Ian little details here and there. I really wanted a photo in Japan, and this was making Ian uneasy. You see, the line for the PP shot was filled with VERY drunk young people. Not "drinking around the world having some fun" drunk people, but "flashbacks to my time in a sorority and watching fraternity guys almost die" drunk people. Ian does not suffer fools. Don't get me wrong, he partakes and enjoys a good beer, but this was UNREAL. And the PP CM was really egging them on. I begged Ian to just be patient and not engage. We eventually made it to our turn (20 minutes later)

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(he would not stop making jokes about one of the drunk guys who was still lingering around during our photos so I am laughing in every shot. He kept calling the guy Boozy the Clown")

Ian decided he deserved a reward for surviving this experience

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The cookies and cream funnel cake won him over

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I am not big on funnel cake, but this was actually really good!

To be continued..
 

annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 6 continued..

We continued our world tour after a nice snack. We were in no rush, as we had decided to grab a FP for Illuminations as to not stress over finding a decent spot to watch.

I told Ian I found a nutcracker created in his image in Germany

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Uncanny

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As the queen of pretzels, I was very tempted by an ornament but I managed to resist. I always get a new ornament on my trip, and I had a different one in mind.

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OOPS I forgot to mention that I pushed Ian to meet Aurora with me in France as she had no line. He does NOT like interacting with face characters but he loves me so...

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While in Germany we realized it was time to go get seated for Illuminations. I decided we needed a snack for the show

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YUM! We could have just stayed here all night and soaked in the smell!

We clowned our way around toward the FP viewing area

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We made it just in time and had a decent spot. Time for what I thought would be my last time viewing Illuminations (I wasn't sure about this upcoming conference at the time)

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We really enjoyed the show! Ian was still hung up on his amazement with HEA so he was comparing the two and how much better HEA was. Agreed buddy!!

We joined the masses making their way out of the park and eventually we were on a monorail headed home to the Poly. Another night of crashing almost immediately.

I have to say that earlier in the day on our ride back to the Poly and during our break I felt SO frustrated. Obviously I was hot and tired too, but I felt annoyed with Ian for giving up so easily on the first portion of our day. I snipped at him a bit until we finally sat down and talked about why it bothered me and discussed a game plan for the evening. I mention this just to say that our vacation was not without frustration - though it was pretty close to perfect!!

Day 7 to come soon..
 

BrerWayne

Well-Known Member
Day 6 continued..

Oh man, I woke up from my nap feeling SO ILL. Ian was adamant that this was caused by my ONE TINY glitter beer. No way dude. I am the daughter of a first generation Irish Catholic, I can handle beer. I took my time getting ready, but I kept having to sit down for a few minutes to rest. I was CHUGGING water at this point because I had not had my fill of Epcot yet and I didn't want to miss out.

We finally made our way to the monorail. On the ride over I started to feel better THANK WALT IN HEAVEN!

View attachment 379481

We had no real goals for this evening apart from exploring WS. Before we headed back that way, there was an Instagram worthy snack I wanted to try. Ian could not resist pulling a face for my photo

View attachment 379482

I have to say - these were actually VERY good. They were still warm. I only wish that the chocolate dipped tops covered the whole churro because it was so tasty!

We needed to cleanse the palate quickly

View attachment 379483

I wish I could show you Ian's reaction to Beverly, but I cannot because he didn't try it! I am not a master in the art of subtlety and Ian definitely knew something was up. Dang it!

What a goober!

View attachment 379484

We had fun becoming one with the art

View attachment 379485

I could tell that Ian was enjoying Epcot far more than he had earlier in the day. I think that the heat really drained us. In the cool of the evening we were able to take it all in with new energy.

View attachment 379486
(or maybe we were delirious IDK)

I was excited about a newer (at the time) PP opportunity. We waited in a short line for this shot

View attachment 379487

I love this one!!

We made our way around the world, me showing Ian little details here and there. I really wanted a photo in Japan, and this was making Ian uneasy. You see, the line for the PP shot was filled with VERY drunk young people. Not "drinking around the world having some fun" drunk people, but "flashbacks to my time in a sorority and watching fraternity guys almost die" drunk people. Ian does not suffer fools. Don't get me wrong, he partakes and enjoys a good beer, but this was UNREAL. And the PP CM was really egging them on. I begged Ian to just be patient and not engage. We eventually made it to our turn (20 minutes later)

View attachment 379489
(he would not stop making jokes about one of the drunk guys who was still lingering around during our photos so I am laughing in every shot. He kept calling the guy Boozy the Clown")

Ian decided he deserved a reward for surviving this experience

View attachment 379490

The cookies and cream funnel cake won him over

View attachment 379491

I am not big on funnel cake, but this was actually really good!

To be continued..
Day 6 continued..

Oh man, I woke up from my nap feeling SO ILL. Ian was adamant that this was caused by my ONE TINY glitter beer. No way dude. I am the daughter of a first generation Irish Catholic, I can handle beer. I took my time getting ready, but I kept having to sit down for a few minutes to rest. I was CHUGGING water at this point because I had not had my fill of Epcot yet and I didn't want to miss out.

We finally made our way to the monorail. On the ride over I started to feel better THANK WALT IN HEAVEN!

View attachment 379481

We had no real goals for this evening apart from exploring WS. Before we headed back that way, there was an Instagram worthy snack I wanted to try. Ian could not resist pulling a face for my photo

View attachment 379482

I have to say - these were actually VERY good. They were still warm. I only wish that the chocolate dipped tops covered the whole churro because it was so tasty!

We needed to cleanse the palate quickly

View attachment 379483

I wish I could show you Ian's reaction to Beverly, but I cannot because he didn't try it! I am not a master in the art of subtlety and Ian definitely knew something was up. Dang it!

What a goober!

View attachment 379484

We had fun becoming one with the art

View attachment 379485

I could tell that Ian was enjoying Epcot far more than he had earlier in the day. I think that the heat really drained us. In the cool of the evening we were able to take it all in with new energy.

View attachment 379486
(or maybe we were delirious IDK)

I was excited about a newer (at the time) PP opportunity. We waited in a short line for this shot

View attachment 379487

I love this one!!

We made our way around the world, me showing Ian little details here and there. I really wanted a photo in Japan, and this was making Ian uneasy. You see, the line for the PP shot was filled with VERY drunk young people. Not "drinking around the world having some fun" drunk people, but "flashbacks to my time in a sorority and watching fraternity guys almost die" drunk people. Ian does not suffer fools. Don't get me wrong, he partakes and enjoys a good beer, but this was UNREAL. And the PP CM was really egging them on. I begged Ian to just be patient and not engage. We eventually made it to our turn (20 minutes later)

View attachment 379489
(he would not stop making jokes about one of the drunk guys who was still lingering around during our photos so I am laughing in every shot. He kept calling the guy Boozy the Clown")

Ian decided he deserved a reward for surviving this experience

View attachment 379490

The cookies and cream funnel cake won him over

View attachment 379491

I am not big on funnel cake, but this was actually really good!

To be continued..
Beverly is an absolute assault on taste and decency. I can’t imagine the creator tasting it and thinking yep, that’s exactly what I was going for.
 

Captain Barbossa

Well-Known Member
Sorry for blowing up your alerts, but I'm all caught up. First of all, welcome to the forums! Second, I'm enjoying your TR! You're doing great for your first one so keep up the good work! And thirdly, congrats to you and Ian! I thought the engagement photos looked amazing. Once again, welcome, and I'm looking forward to the rest of your TR! :)

P.S.
Good call by Ian with the pontoon rental. Did y'all go over to Bay Lake any or just stay in Seven Seas Lagoon?
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Love your engagement photos!!! I did some for @blgauger at the Grand, but I wish I'd thought to get them in front of the monorail! Also wish the wedding pavilion gates had been open. :cry: So pretty!
Looks like you need to bring your "big camera" again so we can get the ones that we missed. 😉 1st anniversary shoot coming right up! Lol

Thank you so much! And you did such a fantastic job on her photos. We were lucky to get to walk around inside the wedding pavilion - what a dream!

Aww thanks! :) She really did take some amazing pictures for us! We joked that we were going to jump the gates so we could take pictures inside the wedding pavilion. 😂 I ended up getting to walk through a few months later but it would have been so cool if they had been open that day!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Looks like you need to bring your "big camera" again so we can get the ones that we missed. 😉 1st anniversary shoot coming right up! Lol
🤣 for sure!! And I'll probably just need to go ahead and stay at the Poly or the Grand Floridian so it's convenient 🤑. Definitely doing evening next time though cause that intense morning humidity was getting on my nerves.
 

annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm back! I hope y'all had a great weekend. I finally picked up my wedding dress :inlove: exciting stuff! Even though my wedding is only 4 short months away, I have not focused much on it as of late because my older sister is getting married in 2 weeks!!! My poor parents LOL. I am hoping to get this report DONE this week because next week I will be back in my happy place for both work and fun! I will do a short trip report for that one as well :)

Day 7: Thursday, February 7th 2019


The first part of this day was very up in the air for quite some time prior to the trip. We had purchased tickets for our very first After Hours event at MK, so I wanted to take in slow in the morning. I left it up to Ian, and ultimately he decided on a couple hours at AK followed by resting up before our fun night.

We had some breakfast at Captain Cook's before we left

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I don't have a picture, but I'm guessing Ian had something with potatoes judging by the ketchup in the background 😂

By some magic of constant app refreshing, I found us a 10 AM FP for FOP. Ian was SO EXCITED because this really blew him away. After our lazy morning, we basically had to speed walk all the way to Pandora after arriving via bus to AK. Fortunately, we made it in time and enjoyed ourselves once again!

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We found a FP for EE at 11, so Ian suggested we do something silly. Carnival games! Another WDW first for me. We decided to battle each other in a few games. My favorite part was when both of us won a game each, we would find a child in the area to give our spoils to. I got all the warm and fuzzies when they/their parents were so appreciative! (We would ask the parents first if it was okay, as to not saddle them with another unwanted toy for the day LOL)

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We had a bit more time to kill, so we decided to wait to meet Chip and Dale in their adorable dinosaur outfits. We waited quite a bit, and when we finally got the the front of the line - Chip had some errands to tend to. Not to worry, we still enjoyed our time with Dale!

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He was trying to win me over from Ian!

Finally time for our EE FPs!

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(There goes Ian snoozin' again)

Our ride was such a blast that we decided to ride again single rider.

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So we joined the line.. with a huge tour group. Not USUALLY too much of a bother to either of us.. but something about the interactions here really bothered me. This was an American group, with girls probably in middle school. I kept overhearing their conversations bashing their friends about weight/acne/etc. I knew it was going to upset Ian, but I had to say something. I have been a big girl my whole life, and I knew what it was like being on the receiving end of those comments. It wasn't until a few years ago that I lost 100 pounds, and even still I hear negative things said about my body. Right before the group in front of me made it to the CM I said "Imagine how you would all feel if people said those things about you? It would really hurt wouldn't it?" .. I know it's not much, but I felt better having said SOMETHING.

To be continued...
 

annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 7 continued..

At this point, we were ready for our afternoon break. BUT not before getting the pulled pork mac n cheese from Flame Tree BBQ again. SO GOOD!

We headed for the buses, and decided to hop on whichever monorail resort bus came first. Contemporary it was!

I showed Ian, and he was .. less than impressed. I think he was happy I chose the Poly for our trip!

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Once we made it back to the Poly and our room, I headed for the pool and Ian for a nap. These breaks did two things for us typically. 1 - they allowed us to rest and 2 - usually afforded us some time apart.

I knew I wanted something cold to enjoy with my book

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Did somebody say Spikey Pineapple?

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This was SO good and super refreshing. A Disney first for me, but certainly not a last!

Soon it was time to head back to the room to get ready for our first After Hours event! I returned to find a refreshed Ian ready to go, and so I quickly changed and we headed for the monorail!

We were about an hour early (you could begin to enter at 7PM for this particular event), but luckily they gave us our wristbands and since we had park admission we were allowed in!

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We decided to get some rides in as the crowd was finding spots/watching HEA. Up first: Haunted Mansion!

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Next, I wanted to show Ian the Tangled bathroom area at night!

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I was hopeful we would be able to get a lantern picture, but the line was out of control. While Ian was using the facilities, I spotted a FP CM in the area standing by himself. I asked for my picture, and I got this one! With no line!

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Up next (still pre event) Pooh! A first for Ian

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Ian likes to call me a mixture of Pooh and Eeyore .. the whole spectrum I guess 😂

To be continued...
 

annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 7 continued..

After our Pooh adventure, we were just slowly taking it all in. HEA was about to start and the park was relatively quiet. Ian suggested a ride on the People Mover. I'm on board!

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Two happy people!

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We even managed to see some fireworks on our ride! We could have taken another spin, had Ian not challenged me to become a Galactic Hero first!

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(whomp whomp)

By the time we finished with Buzz and our galactic failure, the after hours event had started! We headed for SM to start! They were aggressively checking wristbands and we happily obliged.

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I think we rode 4 times in a row, only having to go back through the line 1 additional time! SO MUCH FUN. We were laughing and filled with some serious energy. That energy quickly converted to hunger LOL time for some of the perks!

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(OOPS. Looks like SOMEONE got a little too much sun at the pool 😂)

Onward and upward!

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Time for Dumbo. We really used this After Hours event to largely ride things we had not had the opportunity to thus far

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(scary eyes reporting for duty!!)

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Time for Ian's first pinch of pixie dust. He loved this and it made my heart swoon! I will note here that Mine Train was down almost the entire event, so Ian never got to ride. Oh well, more excuses for another trip (not that I need them)

As we made our way toward Frontierland, we were really struck with how empty the park was.

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To be continued..
 

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