Trip Report UPDATE 9/5...The adults only, picture laden, lots of food, gorgeous weather trip report!

The small cast of this wonderful adventure is myself (Bill) and my wonderful wife Meagan. We’ve been together now for almost 10 years…..married since 2011 and got engaged in 2009 on Main St USA. Remember that fact as it will come up again later in this trip report about an incredible, coincidental experience during our trip.

This trip came about in a multitude of ways and reasons but it was an anniversary type trip but also a “because we want to” trip as well. We have never gone on a vacation on our own……even after we got married, we decided to do a family honeymoon to WDW with my two kids (from my first marriage) in 2011. Thank God they love her and she loves them so it was an awesome vacation. So good that we went together again in 2014 when the kids were 16 & 13.

2011

2014

This was my 7th trip and Meagan’s 10th but our first trip to WDW as adults only alone. We’ve been planning this for several months with great anticipation and excitement. The idea of travelling to WDW with only my wife…no kids to worry about at the airport, the park…anywhere was so incredibly exciting to both of us. This along with the fact that we are best friends and absolutely love to spend time together and go on adventures made this trip so incredible.

OK….on to some trip facts.

When: May 7th – 12th, 2016

Where: Pop Century (our favorite)

Pictures: 357 Photopass pics, 645 other from our phones (not all will be shown…….lol. Pics are fantastic on our phone (Droid Turbo 2). Some food will also be available.

Goals: Have fun!! LOL Actually we had a bunch of different things we wanted to do that perhaps we’ve either never done before or for another reason. One big one was the Kiss Goodnight! Another priority was Meagan wanted to hit up every single Photopass photographer we saw (for the record we did pics with 74 different PP cast members….including the few character meets and that’s not including the 24 ride pictures). The other priority was to make this a culinary adventure. For months prior, we went thru every menu on property along with the Flower and Garden booths to make a list of all the different foods we wanted to try. Some have been in WDW for a while but we haven’t had a chance to try (primarily due to fairly picky kids) and others are new or exclusive to the F/G festival booths. Thanks to Meagan, there will be some food to follow.

As we first decided on dates, we originally were only going Sunday thru Wed for a short trip, but when the fares for our dates for Southwest came out, we were able to score such an incredible deal if we left Saturday night. We then we decided to stay thru Thursday so we’d have 6 days especially since our flight would leave MCO @ 9:40 so we basically had an entire day before we’d have to be picked up by the DME. Our flight left Albany, NY on the 7th @ 6:00pm arriving in Orlando @ 9:00 so we had all day to chill out……or win a lot of money!!!

When we actually booked our dates, it didn’t dawn on us our departure date was the day before mother’s day. But as we got a few months away, it clicked. My Mom passed in 2013 so we only had to plan some time to see her mother. We planned to spend time with her on Saturday, take her and my sister-in-law out to breakfast (since she has a 2.5 yr old). After breakfast I would babysit my niece for a few hours and they would spend some time with their Mom. My mother-in-law likes the Saratoga Casino & Raceway so she wanted to go there for a few hours to gamble….lol My wife doesn’t like to gamble much at all but she went so they could spend time with their Mom. Well…… 2+ hours later, my wife who hates to gamble, texted me that she won $900!!! Nothing like a nice going away present! She came home around 1:30 so we could get everything wrapped up and we could relax for a bit before leaving for the airport @ 4:00.

At 2:30, as we were watching tv, I got a text from Disney telling us our room was ready!!! How freaking awesome! Building #, room # floor #, etc…..!!! We got just what we wanted, preferred room in the 70’s building, top floor, near the food court, buses, everything!

That was a bonus and started our perfect trip. When we arrived @ Albany airport @ 4:15 there was barely a soul in the building….it was awesome. As we brought our DME tagged bags towards the Southwest counter, we looked around in amazement at how empty it was. Kind of cool actually.

We went up and went thru security quickly as we were the only ones in line….lol After security, we went to have dinner at a nice café in the airport. While waiting for our plane we chilled out by the window watching the baggage guys play Frisbee while waiting for our plane to arrive……it was pretty entertaining.

The plane was half full (which as awesome) and when the pilot came on to greet us and tell us the flight would arrive 30 minutes early, we were all pretty psyched. When we knew of our flight time, I knew I may have the opportunity to be able to watch a sunset while in flight so I asked the flight attendant upon boarding what side it would be on so we positioned ourselves on the right side on the plane….me in the window seat and on our way we went.

Say hello to Meagan’s travel helper, Treyv!!! That purple penguin and Adavant help her fly! LOL

We arrived 30 mins early and arrived to an empty Orlando International Airport @ 8:35…..lol

On the tram.....first ride of the trip.

Obligatory!

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

ARRIVAL NIGHT (conclusion)

Upon arrival to the DME section, we were given our line # and by the time we got to the end, we were escorted onto the bus….all was going way too smoothly……

When the driver pulled away he informed us that we would be stopping @ the Yacht Club, then Caribbean Beach, then to Pop….a 55 minute trip….ugh…..there went our 30 minutes….. It was no biggie in reality b/c it just meant we would be arriving @ Pop Century at the originally planned time which would allow us to get to Magic Kingdom by 10:30. We had scheduled Fastpasses for Peter Pan for 10:00-11:00 and SDMT for 11:00-12:00 and we would be in time for both.

We arrived home @ Pop Century @ 9:55 with all the excitement of 10 year olds. We were floating, not walking across the red carpet and into the lobby. WE WERE HOME!!!! In 2011, the kids thought the picture of Peter Max was absolutely hysterical so we took a quick pic and sent it to them saying hello.

Went to the room, dropped off our carry ons and away we went to MK!!!!!

As would be the case for almost every time we needed a bus on this trip, when we got to the bus stop……POOF….a bus for the destination we needed appeared….lol The MK pulled up as we got in line and there were only 2 other people in line so in a flash we were on our way.

To me, there’s not a better feeling than on arrival night heading to MK. The bus arrival, walking towards the entrance under the monorail and then making the turn to see the train station is like no other feeling. Arriving @ MK at 10:30 was actually pretty cool and we were as wide awake as anyone could be. Walking through the train station and smelling the popcorn was the moment it officially became real. Getting thru town square to look at the castle………

We strolled up Main St…..weather was amazing…about 75 degrees and we were standing at the hub….life was good!

We went thru the castle and over to Peter Pan for our fastpass and off to Neverland!!!

Like I mentioned, one of our main goals for this trip was to make this a culinary adventure and all of the food choices we wanted in MK were all closed….. L So out culinary adventure started with the only food place that was open……Cosmic Ray’s…….some adventure huh? LOL It was fine and we got to listen to Sonny so it was all good.

We then walked over towards Mine Train and we approached Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, there was no one in line and Meagan loves it so on she went…..alone! I don’t do anything that spins….ever. I’ve been on 300’ roller coasters with no issue but no spinning….lol

Then over to Mickey’s Philharmagic!! My favorite attraction on property. On our last trip in 2014 it was under refurb the whole trip and it sucked. My youngest son also loves it and was as bummed as me. I planned to do it at least 3 times to make up for ’14……

After that we headed to the Mine with all the Dwarves. We really enjoy the attraction and this was the first time in the front (both prior rides were in the middle). You definitely feel the cars swaying more in the front than the middle.

When we got off Mine Train it was 11:55 so we decided to head, VERY slowly, towards the hub……time for a Photopass person!!!!

We decided to shop a little bit through the emporium and it was about 12:25 when I heard some music……wait…..really???!!!

Yup!!!! The Kiss Goodnight!!! On arrival night and by accident!!!! Talk about an incredible way to kick of what turned out to be the most magical trip we’ve ever had.

Afterwards we headed to the buses and shockingly it wasn’t that crowded at the bus stop. We arrived @ Pop around 1:00am…….need to be up @ 6:30 for early EMH @ AK tomorrow morning!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Following along! A kid free trip sounds amazing. We have a 5 and a 3 year old, so we have a long ways before we can enjoy that!

 

[myhappyplace]

Sounds like a magical trip!! Everything going your way on the first day, already!!

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

DAY 2

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS – (SUNDAY, MAY 8TH)

Up and out of the room @ 7:15 for the quick jaunt to DHS for early EMH on a glorious Mother’s Day. As we walked to the bus stop…..POOF…the DHS bus appeared. As we have on the previous 3 trips, Kashii Island Vanilla (dry) with a bottle of water as our breakfast every morning ….great way to start off the day.

As we got to the entrance of DHS, Meagan got randomly chosen to go thru the metal detectors. It actually happened at every entrance for the entire week but once….lol

They handed out flowers to all the Moms in line and since Meagan is a step-Mom she got hers!

We decided to go in and head towards RNR and TOT and then make our way back to the top of Sunset for our pictures. As we walked down Sunset with very few people, we heard a cast member say “happy mother’s day”. What was funny though was that there was a tall, black man closer to the cast member than we were and we didn’t even see her…only heard her. So we joked with the man and we talked some more. As we approached the entrance to RNR plaza, my wife “introduced” me to him….lol His name was Dave and he was really cool. He was by himself b/c he and his family were leaving that day in the late afternoon and neither his wife nor his kids would do RNR and TOT with him so he headed over to go on both by himself for his first time. Instead, we became quick friends and bonded over that we were both 49ers fans, both had 2 boys and both loved WDW........and had to ride these alone.....lol

If anyone knows this man, please private message me. I only got his first name and wished I got more info. I meant to get his # but ….just didn’t.

I told him that the front row is the best for RNR so we got right in and waited one car for the front and away we went! Although I'm not sure what the hell I'm doing with my hands....I'm a dork.

He was a little terrified at first actually….lol As are most first timers.

We went backstage to check out our picture and he was hysterical. As we walked outside to see my wife (and her coffee), it was still a walk on so……another ride it is. This time we took whatever they wanted to give us…..and we got the back! LOL

This one I decided to do the "sleeping picture".....

One of Meagan’s favorite things in the world is coffee…..maybe even her favorite thing. Her favorite coffee in all of WDW is the Joffrey’s cart outside the exit of TOT. So whenever I go to RNR, she gets coffee. It’s a trade! LOL She doesn’t do really any of the thrill rides @ WDW…..not her thing. I’m very fortunate that she will tell me to go on the rides I want.

When I checked our Photopass pics later in the day, I noticed Meagan had her own little photo shoot under the RNR sign and had some fun while having her coffee.

Upon departure, we went over to Tower together….for the first of my two rides.

After the first ride, he had to go meet his family @ AK so we said our goodbyes. I went back on for my final ride. At this point it was only 9:05!! I LOVE EARLY EMH!!!

Some "couple" RNR pictures....

We walked back towards the corner of Sunset and Hollywood. Shopped some…took some pictures and headed towards Animation Courtyard.

We walked over to do our Fastpass for Toy Story knowing it’s now a dead end at the end of Pixar Place so we’d “start” there and work our way back.

One Man’s Dream! Meagan is a huge fan of Walt and the history of the parks.

Then VOTLM….one of Meagan’s favorites.

We shopped a little prior to going to see Doc McStuffins for our 2.5 yr old niece.

As we planned for this trip, some attractions would be either “sacrificed” for time or just ones that we did with the kids b/c they like it…..Star Tours and Indy are two of them. The GMR, Muppets and meeting Mickey and Minnie weren’t to be sacrificed but they would wait until we came back later for Fantasmic!

We also had planned for lunch in Epcot and do a few countries b/c DHS is not a full day park at the moment. So we headed over to do Beauty and the Beast Live’s 11:00am showing as it is definitely a big favorite of Meagan’s and I’m really beginning to enjoy it.

After BatB, we headed over to Epcot and decided to walk since it was absolutely gorgeous out and it was another way to explore the grounds and have some more fun.

But first another Photopass pic!

 

[Ciara]

Following along

 

[rshell68]

Loving your report. I kept reading and kept thinking....

I mean seriously who gets in a security line now a days at an airport with NO line!

 

[sheriffwoody]

I'm in! Sounds like a great trip so far.

 

[Belle_MTL]

We're thinking about going to WDW for our anniversary without our kids (5 & 3), but are worried about the guilt. Your post is very inspiring! It's great to see we're not the only ones, lol.

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

We're thinking about going to WDW for our anniversary without our kids (5 & 3), but are worried about the guilt. Your post is very inspiring! It's great to see we're not the only ones, lol.

You'll have time to take them. Going as a "couple" and not parents was wonderful.

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

Tha

I'm in! Sounds like a great trip so far.

Thank you....it gets better!!! LOL

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

DAY 2 CONTINUED.......

We decided to walk to Epcot and have some fun on the way over. Got some good and different pics towards Tower of Terror……and Meagan got some of the ducks.

Along the way, Meagan decided to walk along the edge of the water.

It was such as awesome time we had on the way. When we got to the Boardwalk, we found someone on an otherwise very empty boardwalk to take our picture and we both loved this pic.

We entered through the International Gateway and were heading directly to Morocco for lunch but first a Photopass photographer!!!

My best friend ate there on his solo trip in November and raved about it. He’s not the type of person who is prone to hyperbole so and since we wanted a culinary adventure……this is where it truly began.

The chicken and lamb swarma combo platter was fantastic to say the least. So much food too!!! The hummus was ehhh but the rest was soooooooo good. We ate in the little back corner of the Tangerine Café which was nice and quiet. Before the trip, we decided we’d split most dishes so we’d be able to try more things……it worked wonderfully.

We then explored the entire Moroccan pavilion.

Random SSE picture….loving my phone camera pictures.

We had planned on doing a few countries that day so we headed over to Japan and work our way over to Canada doing those 5 (Japan, Morocco, France, UK, Canada) and then do the rest on our Epcot day.

As we got to Japan, we looked @ our list on our Evernote app as to what Epcot food we wanted to hit and realized the Smokehouse booth @ the USA pavilion was on our list so we went to find it since it was right next to Japan. The Burnt Ends hash was on our list and it didn’t disappoint. While we would have preferred the meant to be cooked a little longer it was still very, very good. Perfect size to share and more than reasonably priced.

My wife has a serious tree nut allergy so there are things we have to pay attention to. At the Smokehouse we knew they had a Chocolate Fudge cupcake/brownie with a bourbon salted caramel drizzle but it was topped with pecans. When I got to the window to order the Burnt Ends dish, I asked if they were pre-made b/c of my wife’s allergy. The young man said “I’m sure the chef could make one without the pecans”. We weren’t sure we’d be hungry after the hash so we waited to order it. However, when I went to pick up the hash, that same young man came over and he had one made without the pecans for us and handed it to me and said “have a magical day”. It was awesome of that young man named Joshua. Disney magic definitely continues to exist in WDW.

As we sat and ate at the American Adventure pavilion, the American Music Machine was singing and they were dynamite. They’re an a Capella group who sings everything from 60’s music to modern hits but they only seem to sing the recognizable parts of songs which was pretty cool

After finishing our “snack” (LOL) we headed into the Japan pavilion to look around.

We shopped some too and had some stuff sent to the resort…took our time enjoying lots of great views.

As we were leaving Japan, we had to stop at the F/G food booth for the Frushi! That was on our list as well. It was very good but we both said we’d prefer if it was served much colder…that would have made it excellent.

France up next…….

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

THE CONCLUSION TO DAY 2.

The Flower and Garden festival in our opinion is a lot better than Food and Wine and offers better scenery. The Beauty and the Beast topiaries were awesome.

We ventured thru the streets of Paris and then headed to the UK for some more food. We both love Salt & Vinegar chips and never knew they had a booth of them @ the UK pavilion so that was next. After a good shake of the bag, these chips were fantastic…..another great food choice. We chilled out in the shade and took some more pics of topiaries and…..wait for it……..another Photopass dude!!! It was Richard…..the same guy that took our pics in Japan! LOL Funny thing is we’d see him again 3 days later.

After going all through the UK it was on to Canada where I got a few of my favorite pics on this trip. It is gorgeous over there and most people don’t even know it.

Who is that gorgeous woman standing at the door? Yup.....she's with me! I definitely outkicked my coverage.....LOL I love this picture!!!

We then walked towards the entrance to Future World b/c I had to use the rest room so of course we had to stop for a PP person on the way back to the International Gateway for the boat back to DHS.

Upon returning to DHS (around 4:30ish), we went over to do Muppets. We have enjoyed this every trip…..until this time. It feels horribly flat and boring to the point we both actually started to doze off. Not sure why we’ve had such a change of opinion but I think it will be skipped going forward unless there’s a change.

Then it was off to see Mickey and Minnie!! We both loved the new meet and greet area, especially for Mickey.

I was interested to see the changes to the Great Movie Ride since the TCM make over. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I think they could continue to do more but the narration adds a lot to it and I was impressed.

I went to Trolley Car café to get a couple of the specialty cupcakes (Strawberry Lemonade and the Thumper White Chocolate Raspberry) for later and Meagan went to get food.

Another food choice we wanted to try was the Pulled Pork Mac-n-cheese @ Min & Bill’s. It smelled good and the pork and crispy onion topping tasted good……..but the actual mac-n-cheese was pretty nasty. We ate the top and pretty much tossed the rest.

In respect to my wife that got sick b/c of it....no picture! LOL

Not long after we threw it away, Meagan started feeling absolutely awful. We were originally going to chill out and relax while waiting for Fantasmic and Symphony in the Stars but after a little bit she felt so sick we decided to leave and go back home (Pop Century home of course).

But first…she saw a Photopass person….lol She was a trooper during our little photo shoot. Me taking care of my princess!

After the pics, we left to go back to the resort. We laid around our room for about an hour or so and shockingly Meagan said she was hungry. We went over to the food court and nothing jumped out at us so we walked over to Art of Animation’s food court. It was beautiful out and was an awesome walk. We got the chicken satay meal which was above average so all in all a worthwhile venture to Pop’s sister resort.

A few nice pics on the way back to Pop to prepare for another early EMH hours…this time @ Animal Kingdom.

 

[cheypebbs02]

Amazing so far enjoying your trip and loving the pictures!

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

DAY 3

ANIMAL KINGDOM (MONDAY-MAY 9th).

Some REAL early morning pics at Pop on the way from our room to get Meagan’s coffee…..

Up and out @ 7:05 to the food court for Meagan’s coffee….lol As we walked out of Everything Pop towards the Animal Kingdom bus stop, like most of the WDW transportation was for us, the bus was there within a minute and off we went for early EMH and one of the worst jokes ever by my lovely wife.

On the way to AK!

On the bus on the way to Animal Kingdom, we were standing towards the front of the bus and there were two kids sitting in the front. We were chatting with their parents about a variety of things and every now and then I would look over towards the kids and noticing they were up to something. Not sure what but it was making me crack up because they kept giggling. After a few minutes, it finally became clear....they were both so cold, that they figured out a way to both get into ONE sweatshirt!!! It was pretty cold on the bus that morning but this whole thing was hysterical. Because there were a bunch of people between them and the parents, I asked if they wanted me to take a picture and text it to them. I will not take random pics of other peoples kids thank you. They were both cute as heck. I'm sharing it but I modified it so their faces aren't in the picture out of respect for them and their parents.......

As we approached the Pop bus stop @ Animal Kingdom, Meagan looked out and said, “hey look, Animal Kingdom has a new animal”. I looked over at her with a puzzled look and she said….”it’s a crane” and then pointed to it….

I know……horrible! However in that same picture, see that interesting looking, whispy “lightning” cloud…..it would be the only cloud we’d see until Tuesday afternoon.

I have a question. Why, for whatever reason, are there are still people who struggle with entering the park with the new touch Mickeys? It boggles my mind that there are this many stoopid people roaming planet earth.

It was an absolute glorious morning and I cannot begin to describe how perfect it was. Mind you, most morning in WDW are fantastic but every morning we had was truly epic for this trip.

As we walked through the Oasis towards the Tree of Life there were not a lot of people (which was another common theme throughout this trip) and we came out of the right side and out of the left side….POOF!!! A photopass photographer!!

These pictures are at 7:59am and having pictures in front of the Tree of Life with NO ONE in the picture was something special. These were also great pictures.

After our “private” photo shoot, it was time for Kilimanjaro Safari.

This was the hands down the best safari in regards to the number and variety of animals that were out in view.

Here’s only a few samples (not like you’ve never seen these before right? LOL)

The lion in the photo below looks so thrilled huh? LOL

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

After the safari, we had originally intended to go directly to Rafiki’s Planet Watch as Meagan had never been over there and I hadn’t since 2007. However, after we got off the safari @ around 8:40, we found out that Rafiki’s didn’t open until 9:30 so we decided to do some shopping and exploring the Tree of Life area (as much as we could due to some walls near the base).

As 9:30 approached we headed back towards the train station to take our train to Rafiki’s, I wanted to get pictures at one of my favorite spots on property….the rear of Tree of Life. This is where some of the best pictures of us ever were taken.

Then to Rafiki’s. It was cute and enjoyable but smaller than I remembered. Meagan made a friend with “Flower” the goat. She brushed him for like 10 minutes and whenever she stopped, Flower would follow her……so it never ended…lol

Then we saw the derpiest (my kids word for dunce/clueless…lol) Alpaca ever….

After our return trip to the “homeland” it was then over to Everest for the first of 4 trips that day. It was approaching 11:00am and we had fastpasses for EE from 10:30-11:30.

On the way to Asia, we walked past Flights of Wonder with the new roof and it looks fantastic. However the new seating and theming for, what was then, the upcoming night show on the water looked absolutely amazing. It enhances the area in Asia so much and also in the area that stretches around in front of the Finding Nemo entrance.

Meagan doesn’t ride Everest but gave me her magic band so I’d get two rides (at minimum) while she went to get her favorite dessert in all of WDW…..Mango Pie from Yak & Yeti. She loves it so much!! She actually spotted a photopass photographer on the way back to Everest to take pictures of her and her Mango Pie.

I was able to use our fastpasses to get two front row rides on Everest. The front is hands down the best way to ride it and for the best views.

Here’s one of the ride photos where I took my phone out to mimick a pose that my oldest son uses every single time he takes a selfie. I figured it would be fun (and stupid).

Waterfall was working nicely!

When I got off my 4th Everest trip….yes 4…….I finished off the remaining mango pie. I was able to hop on 2 more times in the single rider line. I do love my wife for being patient and understanding.

Then it was off to Dinosaur but first………yup…..another PP photographer!!!

Dinosaur was very good but seemed darker than usual. I do love the queue, from entrance to boarding. I love the music, the sounds, the smells….every thing. We did the same "Steven pose" on Dinosaur....lol

Afterwards, we were hungry so off to lunch. We decided ahead of time we wanted to try some of the food at the Harambe Market. We got the chicken skewers with green papaya slaw and onion/tomato salad. It was excellent!! The sides were so good I wished we could have ordered some more of that. I wished we had a picture of that.

We did however get a picture of the African milk tart which was also spectacular.

After lunch, it was time to head over for our Fastpass for Festival of the Lion King. We used our 3rd FP for the 1pm show since we know we’d have done everything we wanted to do.

Festival of the Lion King is one of our favorites. IMO, the best show on property. The singers were a little underwhelming this time however but it still doesn’t detract from the show that much.



We didn’t do some of the other attractions b/c we knew with some limited time since we wanted to get to Disney Springs. We both love Kali but neither of us wanted to get wet so we skipped it. We then headed towards the exit and shopped for a while before heading out to get a bus to Pop and then Disney Springs.

I love this picture....especially because it shows off my shoes....lol Nike Fingertrap Max

Up next….the conclusion……

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

We left AK around 2:00pm. We got the bus to Pop Century and as we arrived @ Pop, we got off the bus and again….POOF……the bus for Disney Springs was there continually saying thank you to my late Mom “helping” us out along the way…lol

When we arrived it was pretty hot so Meagan played in the water area near the entrance by the Marketplace. And wouldn’t you know it? A PP photographer was there

And another one outside the Christmas store….we couldn’t sit on the bench with Pooh and friends because it was about 3 million degrees!!!

And we found one near the carousel outside of Earl of Sandwich where we went to eat. I really wanted to use the Pop Century sticker so here’s where I used it…lol

I know it's kind of a dorky pic but.........

We ate at Earl of Sandwich and it was good. Just good. The potato and pasta salad sides were excellent but the sandwich wasn’t anything special IMO. Nothing I can’t get anywhere at home. I’m not sure why everyone thinks it so great. We wanted to try it since we hear so many great things but….ehhhh……we wondered if there are lame sandwich places across the country.

We went to Disney Springs to shop, eat and to upgrade to Annual Passes!!!!!!

We were planning on upgrading anyways but my wife’s winnings the day of our departure basically paid for them. Thanks Racino!

Did a lot of shopping and then took a walk around to explore the new area near the Town Square….or at least what we could. Everything would open a few days later unfortunately but were able to see what else?? A Photopass Photographer!! LOL (I hate this pic of me though...)

After some more strolling about and more shopping (too much actually)……..it was time for ICE CREAM!!!! Meagan loves Ghiradelli Hot Fudge sundaes and I’ve become just as fond. We were able to go in and get a fantastic dessert.

After a little more shopping and a stop @ Goofy’s for some treats to bring home for the kids, we headed out to the busses. Wait for it………..yup……..a Pop bus was waiting for us! I know it’s always coincidental but not to us!

We went back to Pop to bring the treats for kids to the room to put in the fridge.

Then hopped a bus to DHS so we can see Fantasmic and Symphony in the Stars that we didn’t get to see the night before because Meagan got sick.

We arrived @ DHS around 7:30. We shopped a little and took some pics…..some of our own but of course……with a PP photographer……lol I thought these were great in the dusk.

Had to dip her for our anniversary.....

We visited the Villain store on the way to a single rider ride on RNR and a FP for Tower of Terror.

Then in to see Fantasmic! It looked better than ever in both of our opinions. We loved it.

We then headed out to see Symphony in the Stars. We found a great spot in front of Min & Bill’s. There was hardly anyone there…everyone was packed onto Sunset.

I’m not a big Star Wars fan actually but I love the music of John Williams and the music for Star Wars is excellent. My best friend is a huge Star Wars geek so between that and knowing WDW would not put out a disappointing fireworks display, we both wanted to see it.

I will say…..it was the best fireworks show we’d ever seen in WDW. We both were speechless. My wife who could care less about Star Wars but she was completely floored.

When it ended we were going to leave with the masses but realized it was 9:55 and the park closed @ 10:00. I decided to take a left on Sunset to do RNR again…lol Meagan was game of course.

On the way down Sunset Blvd, I called my best friend Steve to give him a live review of Symphony. He thought I called to brag but it was just to tell him how incredible it was as he is a Star Wars geek. His favorite ride in all of WDW hands down is RNR so I asked him if he wanted to stay on the phone while I went thru the queue and into the recording studio. He said “absolutely” so I put the phone on speaker and then out to the alley for my limo he was still on the phone. I took him off speaker as I was about to board the last limo of the night. Yup, we got to be on the final ride….it was kind of cool. There were only about 6 people on the whole coaster. I got on the front car and told Steve I was going to keep talking for the whole ride. He thought I was frieking nuts……..along with the people riding near me…..lol

See the picture. They all thought I was out of my mind for staying on the phone but it turned out to be a great memory.

Up next.....Magic Kingdom and the one of the most unbelievable events that could ever happen!!!

 

[21stamps]

DAY 2 CONTINUED.......

We decided to walk to Epcot and have some fun on the way over. Got some good and different pics towards Tower of Terror……and Meagan got some of the ducks.

Along the way, Meagan decided to walk along the edge of the water.

It was such as awesome time we had on the way. When we got to the Boardwalk, we found someone on an otherwise very empty boardwalk to take our picture and we both loved this pic.

We entered through the International Gateway and were heading directly to Morocco for lunch but first a Photopass photographer!!!

My best friend ate there on his solo trip in November and raved about it. He’s not the type of person who is prone to hyperbole so and since we wanted a culinary adventure……this is where it truly began.

The chicken and lamb swarma combo platter was fantastic to say the least. So much food too!!! The hummus was ehhh but the rest was soooooooo good. We ate in the little back corner of the Tangerine Café which was nice and quiet. Before the trip, we decided we’d split most dishes so we’d be able to try more things……it worked wonderfully.

We then explored the entire Moroccan pavilion.

Random SSE picture….loving my phone camera pictures.

We had planned on doing a few countries that day so we headed over to Japan and work our way over to Canada doing those 5 (Japan, Morocco, France, UK, Canada) and then do the rest on our Epcot day.

As we got to Japan, we looked @ our list on our Evernote app as to what Epcot food we wanted to hit and realized the Smokehouse booth @ the USA pavilion was on our list so we went to find it since it was right next to Japan. The Burnt Ends hash was on our list and it didn’t disappoint. While we would have preferred the meant to be cooked a little longer it was still very, very good. Perfect size to share and more than reasonably priced.

My wife has a serious tree nut allergy so there are things we have to pay attention to. At the Smokehouse we knew they had a Chocolate Fudge cupcake/brownie with a bourbon salted caramel drizzle but it was topped with pecans. When I got to the window to order the Burnt Ends dish, I asked if they were pre-made b/c of my wife’s allergy. The young man said “I’m sure the chef could make one without the pecans”. We weren’t sure we’d be hungry after the hash so we waited to order it. However, when I went to pick up the hash, that same young man came over and he had one made without the pecans for us and handed it to me and said “have a magical day”. It was awesome of that young man named Joshua. Disney magic definitely continues to exist in WDW.

As we sat and ate at the American Adventure pavilion, the American Music Machine was singing and they were dynamite. They’re an a Capella group who sings everything from 60’s music to modern hits but they only seem to sing the recognizable parts of songs which was pretty cool

After finishing our “snack” (LOL) we headed into the Japan pavilion to look around.

We shopped some too and had some stuff sent to the resort…took our time enjoying lots of great views.

As we were leaving Japan, we had to stop at the F/G food booth for the Frushi! That was on our list as well. It was very good but we both said we’d prefer if it was served much colder…that would have made it excellent.

France up next…….

Lovin' it!!

I literally just had a flashback to my adult only F&W days. I'm following and looking forward to the rest of your report !

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

Sorry it's been so long before continuing....life got in the way, a friend unexpectedly passed away and I had to find pictures from 2009 that were no longer on our computer since we got a new one. We moved a few months ago so I had to locate where we packed up all of our discs from the previous laptop. So here......we......go.

Tuesday was Magic Kingdom day...the day I was looking forward to the most. MK had EMH so it was up and out by 7:00 and the bus was right on time so we arrived around 7:30 to see the Welcome Show.

Best way to start the day!

Before the soon to be mayhem!
7:47am.....

I mentioned at the beginning of this report about an incredible event and coincidence.....well, here it is narrated by Meagan.

Back in 2009 we were on a family trip when Bill proposed to me. Bill had planned on proposing to me in the rose garden in front of Cinderella Castle later on that day. Private, just the two of us. As things worked out, he proposed on Main Street in front of my whole family…and hundreds of guests as cast members were roping off for the 3:00 parade and saw what was happening and stopped to watch causing everyone behind them to stop and watch. Bill is really shy and doesn’t like to be the center of attention so he was really nervous.


Running joke about Bill not getting on one knee circa 2009

The photographer that day was really awesome and animated and a lot of fun. He made the whole experience even more fun and special that it would have been on its own. His name was “V” and he was the best Photopass person we’ve ever encountered. He really went out of his way to make the moment fun. He went and got us a whole bunch of “I’m celebrating” buttons; Engaged, Just married, my first visit, etc.

Yes.....same two people but now less 160 pounds total.....


Fast forward to 2016. After working our way up main street taking pictures we decided to stop at the hub to have pictures in front of the Partners statue. The statue is one of my favorite things in all of Disney World so we thought we’d take advantage of the thin crowds and short lines for better pictures. We got in line with one of the 6 Photopass photographers around the hub and then decided to go to a different line because one of the parties in front of us was large and doing multiple pictures. While in the new line I turned to talk to Bill and saw a familiar face. I got Bill’s attention to confirm that this was really the same photographer… It was V! Or “Viscy”…Vistacion (spelling?). We got his attention and, to make sure it was him, asked if he was there in 2009 which he proceeded to say yes. So we told him he’d taken our engagement pictures in 2009 and recounted the story of everything he had done. We asked one of the other photographers to take a picture of the three of us…not knowing that the other photographer was V’s best friend Edwin. We filled him on the back story too and he thought it was the greatest thing......and insanity ensued.


Now, unknown to me once again, my husband had a ring in his pocket. He had bought anniversary bands and had planned to recreate our engagement and “make good” on the whole getting on one knee. Once again he had an intimate setting in mind; just the two of us. Once again, circumstances changed and opportunities presented themselves. He lets V and Edwin in on his little secret and the two of them seriously sprang into action to recreate the proposal. V even threw his hat on the ground for Bill to kneel on! So my husband (finally) got on one knee and “proposed” and V took the pictures and Edwin took pictures of V taking pictures of us. They made it so fun and such a big deal telling everyone I said yes. Multiple people clapped and cheered and two women nearby actually came running over in tears saying "congratulations"........ unaware I said yes 7 yrs ago...lol

V even offered Bill his hat for him to kneel on.

Edwin taking pictures of V taking pictures of us.

Edwin then moved us over to right in front of the statue to get this shot which I LOVE!!!

V asked us if we had “20 minutes”. Edwin and V then asked us to come down to the theater to wait in the air conditioning while they did “something”. Everyone in the theater in the photo area were really nice and kept us entertained while we waited. After about 20 minutes V came back and with help from other staff presented us with a surprise. They had us close our eyes and placed bride and groom Mickey and Minnie ears on our heads. They were embroidered with our names too! We also were gifted a chocolate covered apple and were escorted in to meet talking Mickey.

It's hard to see the Mickey head on the ring b/c of the glare....

We wanted to have a "normal" picture taken with V. He was so amazing!!

I still can’t get over the chances of running into the same photographer that took our engagement pictures…or that once again my husband wanted to surprise me with a ring in Disney…or that he wanted an intimate setting with the two of us and TWICE we became a spectacle. It really is evidence of the Disney magic.

Bill will continue coming up next......

 

[FlaggNL]

Thanks for sharing this great report! Following along!