Trip Report We'll Do As Dreamers Do... *COMPLETED*

Another fall has arrived at Walt Disney World, and so have we! For our 4th annual September trip, we returned to the basics that we fell in love with. A lot of resort hopping, getting a little wet at the water parks, and food (snack credits...so many...help!) It was a wonderful 9 days, and I can't believe I have room in my heart to love Disney even more, each and every time. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing these. Let the memories begin!

The cast: My husband, J, and I. People call us Mickey & Minnie.

Travel dates: September 3rd - September 11th, staying at All Star Music.

Pre-trip report: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/weve-fall-in-in-love.913624/

We began with the earliest flight I could possibly find, getting us into the promised land at 8:30 AM. Win! With a speedy check-in at All Star Music, we were off to Animal Kingdom...Lodge!

For the first time ever, we decided to take an entire non-park day to fulfill a bunch of dreams that we've always had on our bucketlist. We did so on our first day because it was the Saturday of a holiday weekend and hoped to avoid the crowds that way.

It definitely felt weird not heading straight to a park to begin the trip, but I really did appreciate the relaxing start. Just us and a quiet, beautiful morning sky at AKL.

Still in awe at how unique of an experience it must be to stay at AKL. It will be done in this lifetime!

On the way to 'breakfast' at The Mara (yup, I'm already talking about food), we passed by this beautiful waterfall area that I didn't notice the last time we were here. I was instantly wowed - the reality of it is that Disney can truly transport me to another place.

The Mara is the perfect stop for breakfast, because the perfect breakfast is...

Zebra Domes! Been absolutely CRAVING these for the past two years, and the time has finally come. It was everything I had hoped it would be.

J points out that I look ridiculous when photographing my food, but I needed to remember this moment.

We sat by the pool and snacked, not truly believing that we were here yet. It always takes a while to sink in, but what is perceived as mere decoration and foliage always mean something a little more to me.

The day had started off cool, but you could already feel that Florida heat doing work. Not fully acclimated yet, we retreated to the great indoors of Jambo House to look around some more.

Next stop...Kidani Village!

 

[belledream]

Strategically, it makes sense to ride Goofy's Barnstormer after Dumbo, right? Man, I love those cushy-looking airplane seats that are deceptively and hard.

We walked through New Fantasyland, where everything glowed in the light.

Let me in!!!

It's so beautiful. New Fantasyland is a wonderful gift to Magic Kingdom. I'm so glad every came together the way it did. I can see myself here when I'm old and gray and feeling just as happy as I was back then.

You treated us well today, Be Our Guest. We'll be back!

We went on our tradition nighttime ride of the Carousel.

Probably because of the crane and construction, we hadn't paid much attention to the back of the castle yet. But we weren't snoozin' on it now. Just magnificent.

Speaking of lanterns, we found ourselves, once again, loitering outside of the Tangled restrooms.

Pirates of the Caribbean remained eerily empty so we sauntered right in for another go. Smell that smell!

And that was the last ride of this epic day.

We headed back to the hub as the clock ticked towards park closing, but we weren't ready to leave yet.

 

[belledream]

How can we leave?

We plopped down on one of the little turf courtyards in front of the castle and just gazed.

Trees were sparkling, fountains were flowing, music was playing, and I found myself jingling my feet like a happy dog.

We sat for close to probably an hour. Only one other person was in the courtyard with us, and she was chowing down on a Casey's Corner corndog meal...giving J some serious inspiration. But she left shortly after, and it was just the two of us. I was so incredibly happy. What a fun-filled day, and there was no more fitting way to end it than to sit here together and reminisce on what an adventure we've been on so far. Will never forget this night.

When we finally got up to leave, we walked through the Main Street shops and found all these shirts that were very accurate depictions of us. I just had to smile.

One last shop appreciation post of the day...

And it was Good Night Magic Kingdom!

Thanks for fifteen hours of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy!

 

[Trisha Lynn]

I loved reading about your entire MK day. Also, J's sense of humor and sarcasm reminds me of my hobbit.

 

[belledream]

I loved reading about your entire MK day. Also, J's sense of humor and sarcasm reminds me of my hobbit.

Haha, they are fun to be around, aren't they? Thanks for reading! More to come!

 

[MinnieM123]

Wow. Your photos just keep getting better and better!!

 

[belledream]

Wow. Your photos just keep getting better and better!!

Aww thank you! The nighttime ones aren't the best, but they help me visualize and remember the moments at least!

 

[belledream]

We woke up this morning brimming with excitement and the unknown. Today would be different for sure. We were making a return to Disney Water Parks after a five year hiatus. Back in 2011, we were also using a waterproof disposable camera...so the ability to document everything around us was not quite there. That lead to fuzzy memories and pretty much feeling unfamiliar with the parks themselves. So essentially, many things would feel like we were experiencing them for the first time. Yay for those feelings!

Blizzard Beach didn't open until 10 AM, so we enjoyed a 'late' start to the morning and still arrived at BB before 'rope drop'.

A melting ski resort in Florida...too ingenious.

We walked around just so so happy and wondering what today would have in store for us. As it wasn't 10 yet, we dumped our stuff off on a chair and were stopped right before the Chairlift while CMs talked about various topics of safety and informed us about the area. It was still early morning, so the ground wasn't too tough on our bare feet...yet. Luckily for us, Disney is thoughtful enough to have sprinklers wetting the ground for both our comfort and amusement.

But soon, we were off the ground and in the air, on one of the most awesome experiences you can have at Blizzard Beach. I was in awe and as giddy as could be.

You know, we often look at Blizzard Beach and see the snowcapped mountains and think it's normal, because it's just totally Disney. But for someone who's looking at pictures who doesn't really 'get' the Disney experience, it must look very absurd! Speaking of Disney details...

We disembarked the Chairlift to walk up some stairs, further to the top. Overlooking Toboggan Racers as we walked got my heart racing. I love that thing. Cannot wait!

The height and views of this thing is pretty unbelievable.

The thing I'm referring to is Summit Plummet, of course. Looks super scary, and honestly, I'm not even scared of the heights or the drops. I just fear the pain of my body being beaten by water constantly, at a fast pace. But how can you go to Blizzard Beach without riding Summit Plummet? That's blasphemous!

It's a rite of passage.

So here goes nothing.

 

[belledream]

Summit Plummet was just how I remembered it. Painful and unflattering to disembark (wedgie galore). It's not that scary, as I can't be freaked out if my eyes are closed so they don't get rubbed raw with chlorine.

Well, we started big, and worked our way down, going on the neighboring Slush Gusher next. I don't have a picture from that, but I had the memories of limping my way up many flights of stairs.

That's something you always overlook about the water parks. Stairs, so many stairs! But lovely views as you walk. And the destination is even better. Toboggan Racers, I love you so much! I love being the only ones on this, I love the mats because they feel nice, and I love the feeling that I might be catching a little bit of air!

The similar-but-different Snow Stormers was up next. Similar riding-style as the above, but inside of straight up-and-down, the ride is completely side-to-side!

As we climbed more stairs, we discovered more of that Disney theming. Blizzard Beach is slowly melting - help!

The Downhill Double Dipper was more thrilling to me than Summit Plummet! A pretty steep drop while on a tube? I definitely caught air on this one and because I could see that it was happening, I definitely screamed.

It was the most lovely day. In fact, it seemed that every day since we had arrived had become more blue, more bright, and more beautiful. A great day for taking a break at the water parks, for sure!

Next up was a ride on Teamboat Springs, a long and adventurous raft ride. We rode with this foreign family, and the dad had the funniest, more infectious laugh. We all laughed the entire way down, but I knew J was laughing at the dad, and not because of the ride. Though the ride was pretty enjoyable, so maybe he was having fun too.

We ended up skipping one slide, Runoff Rapids, and decided to hit the favorites again. Toboggan is love, Toboggan is life.

And Snow Stormers to round out the morning at Blizzard Beach.

After that, we were feeling pretty hungry, so it was off to find some grub to power us through the rest of this day!

 

[belledream]

We passed Cross Country Creek, deciding we would spend some quality lazy river time at Typhon lagoon instead. As we walked, I took note of all the décor and foliage, as it was bound to change drastically at TL.

We decided to eat at Lottawatta Lodge, which had just opened. Literally, we were the only souls there.

The food wasn't bound to be very good, but I appreciated the attention to detail all the same. On par with the parks themselves.

J got the Black Diamond Burger, which was meh to me, but in true J fashion, it "wasn't that bad!" More power to him.

This terrible picture is reflective of how terrible my Chicken Wrap was. When I saw it was pulled out of a fridge, I was like...welp...that's not gonna be very good now is it? I did, however, enjoy my bagged apple slices. But yeah, don't get it and you won't be disappointed.

It had only been two hours or so, but had known from the start that the majority of our day would be spent at Typhoon Lagoon. So as we left, we popped into Beach Haus just to see what was around.

Immediate thought: I am a fan of shopping at water parks.

Love these shirts!!

Our time here was short, but sweet and fulfilling. We did everything we wanted to do, and it was like getting an extra dose of Disney magic that we had missed for so long!

Getting to Typhoon Lagoon was a little less magical. We waited at the BB bus stop for a bus to Coronado for the longest time, I pretty much just wanted to walk there! Once the bus came, we proceeded to be very confused about which stop we were supposed to get off of, and didn't know if we 100% trusted the bus driver when she told us to get off at the fourth stop. By the way, why do people knock the All Stars for sharing buses when places like Coronado have so many stops? Also we totally saw places like Contemporary/Polynesian sharing buses as well. Seems kinda hypocritical...anyways...I digress. Luckily, we caught a Disney Springs/Typhoon Lagoon bus immediately after we got off and were on our way.

Seeing Disney Springs gave me one of those moments of heart-stopping excitement. We'd be visiting later, but we had so much in store for us at Typhoon Lagoon first!

 

[MinnieM123]

I really like the Downhill Double Dipper! It's not too scary. (I could never go on Summit Plummet--you have guts!) On Snow Stormers, do you have to lay on your stomach, and go face first on that mat? I'd like to go on that sometime, but I don't like those face down rides--if you can sit up on the mat, I'd be o.k. with that.

 

[belledream]

I really like the Downhill Double Dipper! It's not too scary. (I could never go on Summit Plummet--you have guts!) On Snow Stormers, do you have to lay on your stomach, and go face first on that mat? I'd like to go on that sometime, but I don't like those face down rides--if you can sit up on the mat, I'd be o.k. with that.

I think you'd have to go face first. I totally understand why that might be uncomfortable or scary, but I really like the mats. There are handles that to hold onto and it helps keep you away from the "edge" of the mat, so it's really not that bad!

 

[belledream]

So we finally made it to Typhoon Lagoon! So ready for those water rollercoasters, wave pools, lazy rivers, and every stark contrast from Blizzard Beach's theme.

It was probably around 1, so we had about four hours to do all of that, and you know we'd need to be doing certain things multiple times.

The views is stunning. We often get to see Blizzard Beach from afar, but not so much with Typhoon Lagoon. Our excitement was palpable!

We'd have to stop by Singapore Sals before leaving.

But we marched on through the lush theming of this place. Was seriously getting flashbacks to our time spent in the Bahamas and Caribbean!

Thoroughly enjoy the fact that the park map was displays on a canvas/sail like this. Those details have such a unnoticeable but huge impact on the theme!

We set our stuff down and went straight for Crush n' Gusher, those water rollercoasters I keep going on about. The theme is an abandoned fruit-processing plant, and you can choose any of the three chutes to go down: Pineapple Plunger, Coconut Crusher or Banana Blaster. Too fun!

What I really love about these slides...besides the fact that they are more thrilling and powerful than any ordinary water slide, is that you can ride tandem. Makes it so much more fun when you can share the experience together. I even helped carry our tube up all those stairs. Teamwork!

The day was still holding strong as 'the most beautiful day yet'.

Oh gosh...cannot begin to describe this moment. How excited and ready I was. This is the true spirit of having fun.

Here we go!

 

[belledream]

Down and up we splashed, marking sharp turns, being sprayed by water so that we couldn't see, and therefore experienced more surprising drops and turns! It's like the circle of life. Except that we had to get back in line and up those stairs to try the other two!

Not complaining though...these views, man.

I used to think I liked Blizzard Beach more than Typhoon Lagoon, but already this far into the day, we knew Typhoon Lagoon is truly where it's at.

And we were back again. For the last time (for now!) Here I am, admiring the names of the slides themselves.

Where all three coasters end up. Ahh...water slides will never be the same again!

As we walked along deciding what we wanted to do next, we also took the time to stop and smell the flowers. Because the natural beauty around this place is exactly that: natural.

We ended up at Shark Reef, which would be closing soon. Last time we were here, I refused to do this, and opted to watch J do it himself. I don't know why I was such a little chicken back then, but I would not be sitting out this time! Plus, this attraction would be closing soon, so it was now or never!

The line wasn't too long at all, considering the pace and capacity of this attraction. We got out snorkeling gear and went to our brief info session where we were basically told to just slowly but steadily make our way across the reef with our arms, not legs. Simple enough.

The water was cold, I definitely felt the salt on my lips, but I immediately felt submerged in another world. It was very quiet...all you can hear is the sound of your own breathing.

First sighting was a leopard shark.

This experience is pretty unique, and so we wanted to make sure we soaked it all in and take our time to appreciate it, before it was gone forever.

 

[belledream]

As good amount of fish flurried by us as we continued across the reef. I read that since Shark Reef has closed, animals in here have been relocated across various places around WDW. Wonder if they've been united with their kin at The Seas.

I can't say that sharks make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside...and if this bonehead shark was any bigger...I would have peaced out real fast...but I experienced more awe than fear today.

Plus, how can you not enjoy swimming with an abundance of tropical fishies?

And a few stingrays. Besides that fact that these look super creepy, my fear of them has abated since we did the Stingray Adventure at Castaway Cay.

Shark Reef was such a cool experience. I feel a real sense of gratitude that I got to do it before it closed, after missing out the first time around. It's one of the unique and innovative experiences that you'd almost expect to be a premium, additional cost* type of experience. But we did it, it's under my belt, and we are officially in the history books, people!

This was to a one-way ticket down Mount Mayday!

Feelin' on top of the world, we got great views of Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool and Castaway Creek.

And here, we have a great view of Miss Tilly. From broken windows to the overgrown plants to every strewn cargo item, the detailing on this was solid and a treat to the eyes and imagination.

And again, today was just gorgeous.

It ain't no Summit Plummet, at 'only' 214 feet downhill at a 60-degree angle, but it's enclosed in complete darkness.

That's gotta count for something right?

 

[belledream]

We went right back up for more. at Storm Slides! These three are those comfy, open-aired slides that just give you the idea of leisurely floating down a hill.

Well...so it seems. Might be a little rockier than that.

Especially with names like Jib Jammer, Stern Burner or Rudder Buster.

Twisty and turny we go!

We were having so much fun. It was just a wonderful change of pace, interest, and dynamic in a day at Walt Disney World. I don't think my face was without a smile the entire time.

One more big one before we decided to slow it down and engage in lazy river mode at Castaway Creek...the temptress that it is!

Taking in the fresh doses of Disney decoration as we made our way over to Mayday Falls.

Again, with the appreciation of detail in the 'queues' and rides themselves. It tells such stories of mischief!

I mean, this was my view as I got in my tube and was sent packing. You know how much I love waterfalls...so how cool is that?

This is the highest and longest waterslide at Typhoon Lagoon that takes you into caves and under bridges and past waterfalls like the above...

...there's nothing quite else like it!

 

[belledream]

Need to take a moment and appreciate how cool this is:

Water gushing out from the lazy river onto the pavement, making my feetsies and toesies feel the love.

Castaway Creek time...finally! We meandered slowly down the river, with no purpose or destination in mind. All we could do was feel like we were somewhere else amongst all the foliage, the quiet, and the fresh feeling of water all around us.

There may be a Hidden Mickey in this picture...

From here, we journeyed into a cave that of course, had water pouring down from it for your comfort and pleasure. And the funniest thing happened. J, who had been using two tubes (one to sit in, and one for his legs to rest of), was robbed of his leg-tube by a woman who screamed bloody murder as she got wet, jumped off her tube, grabbing his, and then laughing and not giving it back. For the rest of our journey, when they floated near us again, J was so salty.

We emerged from the lazy river after some time to the one...the only...Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool. One word I can use to describe this place: adrenaline.

First, let's talk about how nice it felt to be off our feet, not just from today, but from all days. Floating in the water felt therapeutic.

Second, let's talk about atmosphere and detail. The water leaking from the dam, Typhoon Tilly spouting off, the blueness of the water contrasting with the blueness of the sky, and the palm trees that surround you.

Third, of course, the epic sound of the 'boom' and the immediate formation of waves that tumble directly towards you.

As you can imagine, we stayed here for a while, and a lot of things happened.
1. We swam to the deep end (as far as they let you go) and waited for the waves. J was able to surf all the way back to civilization. I was not. And once the exhausted of the day and treading water started hitting me, I stayed back while J continued to do so for more rounds. I even got a video of him where the waves brought him all the way back to where I was in the water, and he almost crashed into me! Oh, memories.
2. I lost my goggles. The waves were that powerful. R.I.P.
3. I got lots of piggy back rides and water taxi service.
4. So many people were filming themselves in the waves - it was pretty funny.
5. We just relaxed. How often do you get to break in Disney in a giant wave pool that is the perfect temperature, protecting and soothing you from the Florida sun? Not that often.

After a while, we just sat on the 'beach' and could still feel the power of the baby waves that came our way. But we sat together and relaxed. Swimming is exhausting.

 

[belledream]

Guess where we ended up again? MORE CRUSH 'N' GUSHER PLEASE!

J and I have this argument all the time. He peels bananas upside down, holding it by the stem like a lollipop and peeling it from THE BOTTOM. I have never seen anyone do that and I think it's so weird and so wrong. He even calls the stem a 'handle'. No, just no! But when he saw this sign, he was like, "SEE?!" I have to question my life decisions now.

We retreated to Castaway Creek again, for another leg that we hadn't experienced yet. I was completely mesmerized by the geothermal vibes I got. I was totally like, where has this been all my life!?

Feel like I'm living in Living with the Land at the beginning in the rainforest. Dreams come true much?

This isn't something to worry about, right? Gettin' Jungle Cruise vibes now.

Or am I in Wild Africa Trek?

Banana spotting! Still mad about that sign...

After that otherworldly-relaxing experience, we went back to the wave pool to end our day of adventure at Disney's water parks.

Really soaking in these moments because I knew one of our most anticipated days of this trip would soon be over. Or would it be?

We sat again, feeling the water on our skin, watching the sun sparkle on the water, and just trying to comprehend how much fun we had today.

Of course, we had to stop by the shops to see the cute little designs that we wouldn't find anywhere else. Speaking on unique shops, we were on our way to Disney Springs for a wonderful evening of food, shopping, and entertainment - our way!

 

[dukeaboy]

Great trip report...it's nice to see how much you truly enjoy the Disney experience....your report has added to my excitement for my December trip...nice job...

 

[oufpat]

Thanks for doing this marvelous trip report and I really like the way you do Disney!!

 

[belledream]

Great trip report...it's nice to see how much you truly enjoy the Disney experience....your report has added to my excitement for my December trip...nice job...

That's so great to hear! Hope you have a wonderful time enjoying all that Disney has to offer!

Thanks for doing this marvelous trip report and I really like the way you do Disney!!

Thanks so much! So glad you are enjoying it, and yeah...we do Disney a little crazily for sure.