Trip Report Winter Break at the World - January 2015

Hello, everyone. Forgive me if I'm not doing this completely correctly, or forget a detail here or there, as this is my first report - but regardless, this is my Disney trip from January of this year! Our tickets were part of a package for my sister's dance competition at Wide World of Sports.

Attendees: Me (7th trip), my mom (9th trip), my friend Alexis (1st trip)
Resort: All-Star Sports
Tickets: 4-Day Park Hopper w/ Magical Express
Plans:
Day 1: Check-in, Downtown Disney
Day 2: Magic Kingdom
Day 3: EPCOT
Day 4: Animal Kingdom/Hollywood Studios
Day 5: Wide World of Sports/Magic Kingdom

So here goes...

Day 1: Check-in, Downtown Disney

After all waking up at around 6:30 in the morning (Alexis had stayed over the previous night), we headed out to the airport and played Disney ABCs to pass the time. As always, we flew JetBlue (free TV = awesome) so it went by pretty quick despite being around two hours, and there were no problems to report.

Post-landing, we set out for our collective first-ever DME ride! We found our bus after some initial confusion about which terminal we had to go to, and our driver was a lot of fun. I also distinctly remember all of us applauding as we passed through that wonderful yellow gate for the first time!

Our wing of All-Star Sports was in the tennis section - right behind a wall of trees so there wasn't much of a view. The decor reminded me a lot of when I stayed in the Fairfield at Disneyland, and naturally we all felt right at home.

Thanks for the tips.

After settling in, we headed to Downtown Disney for our Rainforest Café reservations. Alexis and I decided to look around at the merch for a bit while waiting for the food. She liked the stuffed animals and I liked the polished rocks, but we didn't actually buy anything. I got the Planet Earth Pasta and it was quite delicious!

After the meal we all figured we'd look around at the sights and shops. I didn't get any pictures of Disney Springs construction, but it really seemed to be going along nicely.

The Empress Lilly.

Close-up on a cup I saw in one of the shops.

Alexis and I loved the LEGO store.

And on a chance visit to a pin store...could it be???

I couldn't take my eyes off these! We couldn't get any right then, as the ones in that display were exclusives for...I don't remember what...but I'd find one of them eventually. More on that later.

I eventually picked up the Toy Story Infinity play set, a Jack Skellington figure, and four Power Discs at Once Upon a Toy.

Day 2: Magic Kingdom

We woke up at around 7 AM to the alarm I'd set (specifically...what else...the SpectroMagic song) and headed out for breakfast...because I couldn't decide on any single thing I got the bounty platter. Then it was on to the park!

I immediately snapped a bunch of Main Street pictures as a reference for the Infinity Toy Box I was making. Here's one...

They had characters meeting in the area, but we decided the lines were a bit long and just wanted to get to exploring.

After walking only a bit further down, we ran into a friendly Cast Member named Fred and chatted with him for a while. As it turns out, he was a manager for the Festival of Fantasy later that day and wound up picking the three of us to be the Grand Marshals, as well as giving us a paper FastPass! We were beyond stoked...we weren't even to the castle and this day was already magical!

On to the castle...dang crane...

The first characters we met on the day were Alice and the White Rabbit. She told us to look for her during the parade!

Got a great picture of the Mine Train...

While we were in Fantasyland, we hit the teacups and Pooh, then paid Pooh and Tigger a visit. My mom made it a point to tell Pooh that my first word was "Pooh". She wasn't lying.

Because my mom always has to at least once every trip, we rode Small World (not that I was complaining!). We then headed over to Village Haus for pepperoni flatbreads and chocolate cake.

Upon heading back to the Mine Train, we discovered that it'd gone down temporarily. In the meantime, there was a Dream Along starting soon, so we headed to the castle to catch it, and for amusement I counted every time they said the word "dream". There were 73.

I wanted to ride one of the mountains at some point on this trip, and it was about an hour or so before we had to report to Frontierland for the parade, so I hit Big Thunder Mountain while Mom and Alexis stood by the gate. Can you spot me?

Parade time! There was reportedly a drizzle about to hit, but it wasn't enough to stop the festivities. Our motorcar escort was such a thrill...I made sure to say hello to everyone I could and hype up the moment for them.

Away we go!

The only damper on things was that, due to the impending weather, they couldn't bring out the whale unit. And yes, Alice found us at the end!

To be continued...

 

[RadiatorSpringsRacer]

We hit Storybook Circus, and Mom and I rid one of my sentimental favorites...Dumbo! Alexis, being afraid of heights, decided to sit it out.

By this time Mine Train was working again, so we decided to head back to that area of the park. We all rode Little Mermaid, and by the time we exited, the sun had set. I wound up doing Mine Train alone - Alexis and Mom weren't feeling it.

We caught a quick dinner at Pecos Bill's so we could get to the night shows on time...Alexis and I got bacon cheeseburgers (it was better than I expected), and Mom had a chicken sandwich and a plate of grilled onions.

We headed back to Main Street and caught CTM and Wishes, then headed back to the room. What a way to start the trip!

Day 3: EPCOT

The day started much like the previous day, so I'll spare the details and show you Spaceship Earth!

As a big Finding Nemo fan, Alexis wanted to jump right on Seas, so we scheduled our first FastPass for it. And the Seabase was incredible!

Just for the sake of getting to be in the pavilion that used to be so wonderful (I can't recall if I'd ever ridden Imagination before Dreamfinder got gutted), I wanted to visit Imagination, so we hit that one next. I hadn't heard good things about the ride beforehand, but by no means did I want to just be complaining the whole time and ruining it for everyone else. I warned Alexis and the people behind me in line to hold their nose when Figment says "let the good times roll", and I couldn't help but sing along to One Little Spark at the end.

Weebo!

This "Colors" dial was part of the Dreamport in the original ride.

Stairs up to the second floor...*sigh*

And the beam that used to hold the sign. Can you see the mounts?

I ended up getting a little Figment plush. We then went outside and got some flavored popcorn...I had a mix of the cheddar and the sour cream, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

By this time, the preliminary rounds of the competition were starting soon, so Mom left to catch my sister in action. Alexis and I continued to The Land and did the boat ride.

We took a breather and hung around Future World East, since we had a Test Track FastPass coming up soon-ish.

To be continued...

 

[RadiatorSpringsRacer]

Alexis, upon seeing Test Track, found the ride too fast for her liking (not that I judged). I went on and designed a boxy gold muscle car with a wing on the back (wish I'd saved the commercial I made in the postshow so you could see it).

Another car I made in the postshow, since they apparently put new design stations there. Looks like a red Batmobile!

On to World Showcase! We looked around Norway first.

Something something, first to pass this way, something something last...

By the time we got to China, Mulan was about to start greeting, so we got in line.

By the time we wanted to get dinner, we were nearest to Liberty Inn and decided to eat there. We both got the steak and broccoli. On the way out, we met a pair of newlyweds on their honeymoon, and I distinctly remember running into a trash can while waving goodbye to them...only me...

Alexis loved France more than anywhere else in World Showcase. We spent a while in all the shops.

I had my SSE FastPass still to be used, so I went on (it got stuck at that tunnel just before the cupola and I'm pretty sure I could make out a program screen) and then we came back.

Aurora was outside when we came out of Impressions de France, so we got a picture with her.

I wanted to catch Reflections of China, so we raced back to that pavilion and saw the show. Soon after, it was time for Illuminations! I didn't get any pictures (my phone had been dead for a while), but the show was amazing and a perfect example of the original spirit of EPCOT. I left feeling inspired to help create a better world...and in particular couldn't stop thinking about people like Blake Brockington and Leelah Alcorn (look them up if you're not sure who I'm talking about).

To be continued...

 

[FlaggNL]

By this time, the preliminary rounds of the competition were starting soon, so Mom left to catch my sister in action. Alexis and I continued to The Land and did the boat ride.

Great to see Anton van Leeuwenhoek, although here in Holland we say Anthoni van Leeuwenhoek Have to find the sign during our next visit in October

Thanks for sharing the TR! Following along!

 

[mrdrift]

Great start to the report. All of the pictures with the characters were really special for my kids since Pooh and Tigger were there first characters they meet for there first trip to Disney World. Following along.

 

[RadiatorSpringsRacer]

So I said I was going to fill you in on how I got one of those Spectro pins...well, as luck would have it, they had a few in the resort's store! The specific one I got was the Brer Bear/Brer Fox one.

Day 4: Animal Kingdom/Hollywood Studios

We decided early on that we wanted to split a day between DHS and DAK due to all the closings/construction in the former park. Mom wanted to catch more of the competitions, so while she did so Alexis and I set off for the parks.

Upon arriving, we took in the sights at Discovery Island and Dinoland...

We flirted for a bit with the idea of hitting Dinosaur, but decided instead to go to the Nemo show since there was one starting soon and I knew Alexis wouldn't want to miss it. Have I mentioned yet how catchy Go With the Flow is?

Rivers of Light construction...

Everest!

Already having wandered to Asia, we saw the swinging siamangs and went on the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The tigers were a wonder to behold...not sure why I didn't get a picture.

Tough to Be a Bug was next up, and we met some nice kids from Portugal in the queue. One of them took this picture.

The Tree of Life!

After we finished walking the Discovery Island Trails, it was almost time for our MuppetVision FastPass, so we got quick cream cheese pretzels and hopped on a bus to Hollywood. If only we could have taken this one...

My phone died on the way there, so no pictures, unfortunately.

After we got to the half or so of the hat that was left and I made my peace with it, we headed towards Streets of America and saw MuppetVision. After that, we got a quick dinner at Backlot Express - I had a hot dog and a Baymax cupcake. I almost felt guilty eating the little guy.

Star Tours was next, and WOW, was it immersive! I was really impressed by the whole thing (granted, I never went on the original).

Fantasmic! was our final FastPass. Mom reunited with us about 45 minutes before we had to report and said she needed something to eat, so Alexis and I let her get to the Brown Derby while we looked in some shops.

I should mention that around this time I started to develop a cold. Not a good feeling, but at least I was still in Disney.

The three of us once again got back together and headed to Fantasmic in the nick of time. I loved it...the show is just so reflective of the whole spirit of Disney!

To be continued...

 

[mrdrift]

Great start to Animal Kingdom. Not sure if I like Hollywood without the hat but I don't get much say in the matter either. Star tours is awesome and family favorite. I hope the cold doesn't ruin your trip. Following along.

 

[RadiatorSpringsRacer]

Day 5: Wide World of Sports/Magic Kingdom

The finals for my sister's competitions were early in the day, so we all headed to Jostens Center at WWOS first thing. I was thoroughly impressed with everyone's routines!

Here's my sister's team getting motivated before one of their performances. They would up 5th and 7th in the two categories they entered!

And here they are with the shiny trophies!

After exchanging congratulations and letting her know how proud we all were, we got something to eat back at the hotel, then headed to the Magic Kingdom for our last park day.

The Haunted Mansion was first on the agenda (it would be the first time for all of us), and the sun was beginning to set right as we hit the queue. Alexis was a little spooked and was suspecting the ride was going to be really scary, but I - along with two adventurous kids named Joey and Ella that we wound up next to in line and had been on the ride ten times before - convinced her it was more whimsical than she was making it out to be. She agreed, and we all got on. The ride ended up getting stuck for a moment in the ballroom of all places.

When we got out, night had fallen, and Mom really wanted to go on the Magic Carpets so we gleefully hit that one next - there was barely any line, and Celebrate the Magic was going on as we were riding so that was quite an experience!

Soon to follow was what I'd waited all trip to see - the Main Street Electrical Parade. We got a seat on Main Street early and met a boy named Sam and his grandparents. We all chatted to pass the time (and Sam and I had a staring contest...he won) until the parade finally began!

We shopped around, and Alexis got a Mickey hat that you'll see later. I spotted a gorgeous EPCOT bracelet (not sure why they were selling it in MK, but it still looked nice) but it turned out it was a bit pricey. By the time we were done, Mom wanted to get back to the hotel since it was late, but said Alexis and I were free to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours that night if we wanted to. We agreed and caught the next CTM as well as Wishes. Standing next to us, as it turned out, was someone that not only was a Jeff Gordon fan like me, but had worked on the park's show systems in the past! I wish I remembered their name.

After the show we found a Cast Member on Main Street that I noticed was wearing a Tigger pin. I complemented them on it, and just like that they gave it to me as a gift! I was at a loss for words...in a good way.

We headed to Memento Mori to check out the merch, but we actually spent more time talking to the Cast Members there - they were very funny! There was also a kid named Ruthie visiting with her mom that kept insinuating Alexis and I were ghosts and that she smelled our fear. We played along.

Tomorrowland was our next stop considering we'd hardly been there on this trip. We hit Buzz, then COP, and finally the PeopleMover. After hanging out in a Tomorrowland gift shop for a bit, we decided to call it a night and got one last look at the castle from the very place our journey began four days prior. Someone generously agreed to take this picture of us just moments before we left.

By morning, Magical Express was all set to take us home, and of course we wish we could stay. But all in all, this journey to Walt Disney World - and I said this as we left the resort - was one of the most fulfilling I'd had in a long time.