To Infinity and Beyond: A May 2011 Pixar Weekend Trip Report

Less than one month after returning from my April trip, and just two months after our wedding/Disneymoon trip, Brett and I were back at the World. How’d it happen, you ask? Well, on a rainy Friday morning, two weeks prior to Pixar Weekend, Brett sent me an email detailing some of the rare characters expected at the event and ended it by stating that we should totally go. I think he was half joking, because my response, “Let’s do it,” isn’t really what he was expecting. We decided to meet up for lunch that day and after discussing expenses and planning out a budget, we realized a short three-day weekend trip was totally doable. Huzzah!

We booked an AP rate at CBR the very same day. However, after more discussion that evening, we decided to switch to a value resort and upgrade our APs to Premium passes with the extra money we would’ve spent on the moderate! We had planned to go to a water park at least once during this trip and decided that, the upcharge for premium passes would pay for themselves after two water park visits. And bonus… merch is 20% off with a premium pass!

What we didn’t do, was book a lot of ADRs. :eek: Shocking, I know! Instead, we decided to just go with the flow and save a little cash since it was a bonus trip. We made two ADRs (the Wave and Kona) and figured we’d just wing it from there.

Pixar Weekend here we come! Thursday, May 12 – Sunday, May 15. Scratch that… Monday, May 16. Yeah, once we got there we totally ended up adding another day. :D

The cast… Mr. and Mrs. Hollybelle!

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Oh yeah… two new minor obsessions came of this trip: Vinylmation trading and Pook-a-Looz love! But more on that later… right now, I have a little Pixar preview for anyone out there who may or may not have a panic attack if they have to wait much longer (I’m looking at you, Karen!).

Booooooo!

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diddy_mouse

Well-Known Member
Erin! I'm so excited to find someone who knows Butterfly's music! A lot of her songs have become favorites for my run mix. She actually opened for Katie Herzig at a little hole in the wall type bar in Atlanta... it was one of the best shows. If you don't know who Katie Herzig is, do yourself a favor and check out her most recent album "The Waking Sleep." It has found it's way onto my Best Albums Ever list - and that's no easy feat.

And yeah, Feist was just as amazing live as you would expect her to be!

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check her out! I'm up for some new tunes since my commute has gotten longer and I actually have time now to listen to a full playlist.
 

diddy_mouse

Well-Known Member
You never fail to capture the magic that is mornings at the Magic Kingdom. I know I've said it before but I have grown to love them and I always smile when I see pictures heading up Main Street.

The Tomorrowland pictures are great! Stitch is just too cute.
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
I agree, those pics with Stitch are hilarious!! I love really great character meetings like that. I like the characters to play around a bit. We usually have the best luck with Chip N Dale. It's always me and my sister, so each munk gets a girl.. lol

I'm itchin for the W&D report! I can't wait to read your review on it :animwink:
 

Ariel484

Well-Known Member
Fabulous report, friend! I'll second Tammy on the Stich picture love. :)

Looking forward to your next few reports...you'll be all caught up soon! :lol:
 

Soaringirl

Member
Great report Holly!! Congratulations to Brett, I love the way you guys celebrate!

I just want to say that you always look so pretty in your skirt outfits!

I can't believe all the characters you were able to meet, for me it would have all been about Boo. Boo will always remind me of my daughter. Monsters Inc. was the first movie we saw just after she was born and of course we felt she resembled her with the dark hair and we laughed and cried about how cute Boo was and thinking about our little girl growing up and wondering what she would be like. When my daughter turned 3 Monsters Inc. was her favorite movie, we watched it all the time and we would put her hair up in pig tails and she would run around dressed like Boo and say "Kitty" exactly like in the movie, it was just adorable the way she always indulged our love for Disney. (And now she is one of us :)

So happy that you were able to ride Star Tours!!! Can't wait for that one myself.

I love the way you decide to extend your vacation, that is just the best. It's so great that you drive there and have that flexability.

Thanks again for all the great pictures and commentary. I'm very much looking forward to your next two (really?!) reports. We will be there in December and I always enjoy reading your reports to get even more excited for our upcoming trip. :wave:
 

Lexi

Active Member
We stopped at Downtown Disney for two very important purchases, and ended up taking home three.

The first was a little bubbly to be stored away for our first anniversary. Mmm… Fairytale Cuvee.

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Love your trip reports!!! Where in downtown can you buy the champagne??
 

DisneyFan1003

Active Member
Great report Holly! I'm a bit behind so I decided to blow off work for a bit this afternoon and finish up (nothing wrong with that...right? :shrug:)

Congrats to Brett on his graduation - you two celebrate in style!

Looks like you both, again, had a fantastic time. You and Brett seem to travel the same way Chrissy and I do (or did until Addie came along!)!

Where did you find the champagne in DTD?!

Thanks for helping me kill the aftenroon....three weeks from today I'll be wandering down Main Street myself! I think you guys have a trip coming up soon as well...right? Have a great time!
 

PartOfYourWorld

Well-Known Member
I love awesome character interaction! Stitch and Chip and Dale are always so adorable!!!

And I love the Pook-a-looz as well! I'm upset they weren't as popular as hoped. In January I bought a big Pluto, I thought he was so cute with the little tongue sticking out from the collar! :) Glad to see some more Pook-a-looz love!
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Love Pook-a-Looz! We have a Pluto one! I think I need that Sully one!

Hooray! We have Pluto now, too. And he is one of my favorites! In fact, we've accumulated quite a few because they're disappearing fast.

That sequence of you and Stitch leaning over is hilarious!! I love it!

That particular Stitch was a riot!

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check her out! I'm up for some new tunes since my commute has gotten longer and I actually have time now to listen to a full playlist.

Uggghhhh... I, too, now have a commute that allows for a full album to be played. Best thing I ever did was get my car fitted with a dock that supports my iPod. Speaking of playlists, my favorite day of the week may be Wednesday's now, because Brett always makes me a "Hump Day Playlist!" :lol:

You never fail to capture the magic that is mornings at the Magic Kingdom. I know I've said it before but I have grown to love them and I always smile when I see pictures heading up Main Street.

The Tomorrowland pictures are great! Stitch is just too cute.

Sigh! Mornings at the Magic Kingdom are the BEST. It was weird because, as I was writing about this particular day, I realized that on our most recent October trip, our last morning was almost identical - spent in Tomorrowland!

I agree, those pics with Stitch are hilarious!! I love really great character meetings like that. I like the characters to play around a bit. We usually have the best luck with Chip N Dale. It's always me and my sister, so each munk gets a girl.. lol

I'm itchin for the W&D report! I can't wait to read your review on it

Great character interactions seem to happen in the morning, when there aren't huge lines and the characters have the freedom to play around.

And yeah... I love that Chip and Dale both get a girl. :lol: When we meet them, it's more of a fight, either them against Brett or them against one another!

I hope to be quick with my July trip, so I can get a move on with the Wine & Dine report. I already put down all my thoughts on the half marathon portion of the trip so that I don't leave out any of the details! I promise to get to it before next year's race. :lookaroun

Fabulous report, friend! I'll second Tammy on the Stich picture love.

Looking forward to your next few reports...you'll be all caught up soon!

Thanks, friend!

Great report Holly!! Congratulations to Brett, I love the way you guys celebrate!

I just want to say that you always look so pretty in your skirt outfits!

Gloria! You are too sweet. Thank you. Is there any better way to celebrate than at Disney World?! I think not.

I can't believe all the characters you were able to meet, for me it would have all been about Boo. Boo will always remind me of my daughter. Monsters Inc. was the first movie we saw just after she was born and of course we felt she resembled her with the dark hair and we laughed and cried about how cute Boo was and thinking about our little girl growing up and wondering what she would be like. When my daughter turned 3 Monsters Inc. was her favorite movie, we watched it all the time and we would put her hair up in pig tails and she would run around dressed like Boo and say "Kitty" exactly like in the movie, it was just adorable the way she always indulged our love for Disney. (And now she is one of us)

I absolutely love this story. I can only imagine how much you would've flipped over Boo... she was so perfectly in character.

So happy that you were able to ride Star Tours!!! Can't wait for that one myself.

I love the way you decide to extend your vacation, that is just the best. It's so great that you drive there and have that flexability.

Thanks again for all the great pictures and commentary. I'm very much looking forward to your next two (really?!) reports. We will be there in December and I always enjoy reading your reports to get even more excited for our upcoming trip.

It is really great to be able to drive to the World... it opens up a whole lot of possibilities - take this trip, for example, it wouldn't have happened on such short notice if we weren't able to just get in the car and go. We may move closer to WDW one day, but one thing I know for sure is that we won't move farther away. We want to be sure we can always make the drive.

It's actually going to be three reports before long. :lookaroun :eek:


Love your trip reports!!! Where in downtown can you buy the champagne??

Thanks, Lexi! We got it at Mickey's Pantry - the kitchen store beside the Earl. They have a wine rack to the left of the main doors!

Love the Stitch pictures! I love it when the characters interact like that

Thanks, Joanna! Me, too.

Great report Holly! I'm a bit behind so I decided to blow off work for a bit this afternoon and finish up (nothing wrong with that...right?

Congrats to Brett on his graduation - you two celebrate in style!

Looks like you both, again, had a fantastic time. You and Brett seem to travel the same way Chrissy and I do (or did until Addie came along!)!

Where did you find the champagne in DTD?!

Thanks for helping me kill the aftenroon....three weeks from today I'll be wandering down Main Street myself! I think you guys have a trip coming up soon as well...right? Have a great time!

My pleasure, Mike! I've burned my own afternoons (and mornings) at work doing exactly the same thing. :D

Three weeks! For us, it's two. You'll be checking in two days after we check out. I know Addie's been there before, but will this be her first Christmas at the World? Oh the memories... so special!

The champagne came from the kitchen store - Mickey's Pantry! I believe you can pick it up at some of the sundries shops in the deluxe resorts even.

I love awesome character interaction! Stitch and Chip and Dale are always so adorable!!!

And I love the Pook-a-looz as well! I'm upset they weren't as popular as hoped. In January I bought a big Pluto, I thought he was so cute with the little tongue sticking out from the collar! :) Glad to see some more Pook-a-looz love!

My favorite part about our Pluto Pook is his tongue!! Isn't it the saddest that they no longer carry them at WDW?! Because they really can't be bought at the World anymore, Brett started a little "Pook-of-the-Month Club" for me! :lol: :lookaroun Seriously... there's a new Pook on my doorstop on the first of every month. Only on November 1st there were TWO. Obviously, you can't buy Chip without Dale, or Dale without Chip. You'd give the other one a complex! :lookaroun
 

DisneyFan1003

Active Member
My pleasure, Mike! I've burned my own afternoons (and mornings) at work doing exactly the same thing. :D

Three weeks! For us, it's two. You'll be checking in two days after we check out. I know Addie's been there before, but will this be her first Christmas at the World? Oh the memories... so special!

The champagne came from the kitchen store - Mickey's Pantry! I believe you can pick it up at some of the sundries shops in the deluxe resorts even.

Yep - this will be her first Christmas season at the World (her 2nd trip). She actually turns 2 today, so this trip is a little belated birthday trip for her! We cannot wait....crossing our fingers that she travels as well this time as she did the last time!

Thanks for the tip on the champagne....I see a bottle (or two!) in our future!

Have a great trip...sorry we'll miss you!
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Yep - this will be her first Christmas season at the World (her 2nd trip). She actually turns 2 today, so this trip is a little belated birthday trip for her! We cannot wait....crossing our fingers that she travels as well this time as she did the last time!

Thanks for the tip on the champagne....I see a bottle (or two!) in our future!

Have a great trip...sorry we'll miss you!

This trip may also be a little belated birthday present for mom and dad too, right?!! :D I hope you write a report!

No problem. I'm sure you can find a million things to toast to with the Fairytale Cuvee! I know we always find something.
 

DisneyFan1003

Active Member
This trip may also be a little belated birthday present for mom and dad too, right?!! :D I hope you write a report!

No problem. I'm sure you can find a million things to toast to with the Fairytale Cuvee! I know we always find something.

A birthday trip for everyone....why not!!?? :ROFLOL:

Definitely plan to write a report....it'll be my Christmas break project!
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I must say, your VinylMation adventures on this trip has gotten me really excited to pick up and trade 1 or 2 for my upcoming august trip!

This is what I like to hear! My mom and I did quite a bit of VM trading during our July trip... so I've got even more VM love coming up! :sohappy:
 

WDW_Princess24

Active Member
As always, wonderful TR Ms. Holly! Can't wait to see the next two, and I will have to keep my eyes peeled for myself in any of your pics from the wine and dine marathon weekend!
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
As always, wonderful TR Ms. Holly! Can't wait to see the next two, and I will have to keep my eyes peeled for myself in any of your pics from the wine and dine marathon weekend!

Thanks, Nicole! As I've followed along with your trip, I don't think our paths crossed, but we'll just have to see!
 

kstella

Member
I agree about a new husband's wedding ring being very sexy. I look at my finacee's naked finger and try to picture what his ring will look like after our wedding.
 

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