The Greatest Hits: A Trip Like This Needs a Soundtrack!-A July 2012 TR Upd. 5/5!

[smile4stamps]

Wo-Hoo for the AP!! I have my voucher and will be turning it in for the real thing on October 12!! I will also be getting the TiW card!!

 

[emma212010]

Umm, somehow I missed this update! Oh well, I'm here now!

Yay for getting your first AP!!! That's exciting!!!! A very good deal for all of that too!

I love that you stalked the wedding party!! How cute! I love seeing weddings at Disney!!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Hello! I found your TR from a comment you left on Marissa's TR. Your writing style has me giggling out loud...so much so that my DBF looked at me quizzically for a moment before the light dawned, and he said, "Reading Disney TRs again?" Ah, he knows me so well!

Aaaaanyway, I'm really enjoying your adventures and can't wait to read more!!

 

[therussells08]

Thanks for the little sneak peaks of Shades of Green. I have never been to the resort (and who knows if I will ever go there because I have no affiliation with anyone in the military!) so it was cool to see!

I would have totally stalked that bride too

HOLY COW $975 for all of that!? LUCKY LUCKY that's seriously a fantastic deal. WOW!

PLUTO PLUTO PLUTO! He's my favorite too! I'm so glad you understand

Downtown Disney.... Food.... hmmm I can't WAIT for the next update!

No problem! I'm glad you enjoyed the very brief look at the resort! It's a beautiful resort, but I don't think we'll ever stay there. Personally, I just don't think it has that Disney feel to it!

Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one! I wanted to see all of her wedding details, since she was cool enough to get married at Disney!

Thanks! We were pretty excited about getting all those tickets for such a great price! Now the only problem is my annual pass is burning a hole in my pocket!

Isn't he the best? I love him so much! Now I have my Pluto AP and Pluto pillow pet! I'm all set!

It's gonna be gooood...thanks to you and Kristen!

What is Tables of Wonderland Cards???


I did a little research.. and found it...

TABLES IN WONDERLAND is a dining discount program for eligible Florida Residents, Disney Vacation Club members and Annual Passholders 21 and older, good for 20 percent off food and beverage at a number of Walt Disney World Resort hotel and theme park restaurants and lounges. The discount is good for up to 10 guests in your party. Thank you ALLEARS.NET

That's a great deal...

TexasBelle
Carolyn

Yep, you got it! It really is an awesome deal! I love having it, and it saved us a ton of money on our trip!

I've been keeping up with your trip report ever since you started. It just keeps building up my anticipation. We are leaving for our vacation in 31 days and we are so excited!! We have started a tradition of going to Downtown Disney first. We usually have dinner at T-Rex. After reading so many trip reports though, I really want to try Earl of Sandwich. So I've included it in our itinerary. I would love to get an annual pass but I'm not sure I would use it enough.

Hi! Thanks so much for reading along! I'm so glad to hear it's helping you get excited for your trip, which is SUPER CLOSE! That's awesome!

I love T-Rex so much! EoS is amazing too! DTD has so many awesome food choices!

Having an AP is so great! Honestly, I would just sit down and see how many trips you plan on taking in the next year, and do the math to see if it's worth it. You'd be surprised by how quickly it pays for itself!

That's so awesome that you got to get an AP! I dream of owning one of those one day. And I think that's a great price y'all paid for all of those tickets!

And Yay! for getting a TiW card, too!

Can't wait to hear where the 1st meal was!

Thanks! I am so excited to have it, and I know I will keep it forever- long after it expires! We really did get a good deal on the tickets! I was so happy!

Thanks! TiW is a great program! It saved us a lot of money!

Ahh I know just where that fountain is! What a beautiful place to get married! I totally would have stalked her too. In fact, when Allie and I were at the Boardwalk, a bridal party there was having photos taken in the lobby and we totally stalked them. It was fabulous.

YAY military tickets! Those things are beautiful. Me gusta.

I totally would have detoured into World of Disney and someone would have had to forcibly remove me. Props to your self-control!

I totally know where you ate. Tehehe. I can't wait to hear ALL about it though! Hope you had a great first day back at work!

HAHA yay! Another bride stalker! It must be a frump thing? I just love seeing all the details of any wedding, especially a DISNEY wedding!

Seriously, they are amazing! I hope they keep that program going forever!

Thanks! I was pretty proud of myself for not getting distracted by shopping, but honestly it was only because I was about to starve, so I wanted to get our Guest Relations stuff taken care of so I could EAT. Haha, the only thing that can keep me from shopping in Disney is eating in Disney!

Yes you do! And it was all thanks to you and Jess that we ate there- a WONDERFUL recommendation, might I add!

Shades of Green does look very pretty. My uncle and aunt, who have a house about a few hours away from Disney, stayed there for a weekend and loved it. It must be much better to see in person. LOL @ your little bride-stalking endeavor. WOOT to your AP too (with such a great deal )! I guess this was mean to happen someday and I like your little "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" reference. I was always into Goosebumps at that age, not sure if I saw AYATD, but I watched a few episodes and I think it's awesome. They don't make shows like that everyday anymore.

Sorry to hear about your little parking trouble. I can see how complicated it may be getting parking in DTD. When I was there as an Honorary Cast Member for the day, thank you very much, even our CM bus driver had trouble maneuvering us to the right spot. But you got in! Huge props to being able to bypass the entertainment and World of Disney aka the store of gods. So cool you got a PLUTO AP! If that ever happened to me, I would have a little conniption. Though, thinking about it, probably would get Donald if that ever happened And to the Tables in Wonderland card, it seems that is the way to go now, may have to check it out one day. My guess is you will use it first at... Wolfgang Puck and I'm going out on a limb with that one (my gut keeps saying EoS, but we'll see).

Wow, I can't believe you are already starting school already. I have basically a whole month ahead of me. We'll hope all this goes smoothly since I have AP work. I really am regretting not taking a second English class now, I'd rather write a long essay on something then read and take notes from a non-fictional chapter book and text book, BLEH! Anyways, hope you get to be on the DIS as much as you can so we won't have to wait too long for the next TR installment!

I've never stayed at SoG; I've just been there to pick up park tickets, but it's really pretty! I was super excited about our deal on our tickets! YAY MILITARY DISCOUNTS! Oh my gosh, my sister was absolutely obsessed with Goosebumps books! They were so scary to me when I was a kid! Remember the one where the kid gets the mask stuck on his face? That freaked me out.

Ugh yeah, parking at DTD is a total nightmare. But it's worth it, because there's so much amazing shopping and FOOOOOOD. That's a good guess about where we ate...stayed tuned!

Wow, that's great that you still have so much summer left! Enjoy it! I'm sure you'll do great with your AP work! Hopefully you can take an extra English class next year...they are the best, after all!

 

[therussells08]

It's so funny you followed the wedding party...I've done the same thing before!

Ahh getting an annual pass! That is my dream to one day spend enough days in Disney to get a pass. So cute that you got Pluto!

Can't wait to see where you end up eating! I'm going to take a guess and say Wolfgang Puck Express?

Haha yay! I'm glad someone else has done this too. I felt like a creep, but I didn't care!

I love having an AP! I hope you can get one too someday! It's actually really surprising how quickly they pay for themselves! I love that I got Pluto! He's my favorite!

That's a great guess! Stay tuned!

SOG is such a beautiful resort. We've never stayed there but have been there to purchase tickets as well. I hope to renew our wedding vows there one day...just have to convince the hubby Too funny about stalking the wedding party And yay for getting an AP

It really is a gorgeous resort! Awww, renewing your wedding vows there would be amazing! That's such a sweet idea! I was so excited about my AP!

I'm usually a lurker who just reads random TRs but yours are SO good and enjoyable that I actually created a DIS account just to comment and tell you (well, and possibly to do a PTR and TR for my upcoming trip but still)!

It looks like the trip is off to a great start!

Ahh thank you so much for making a DIS account for commenting on my TR! That is such a huge compliment! I'm so glad you enjoy my reports!

I think it would be a great idea for you to do a PTR and TR! They're so much fun to write, and I would love to read about your trip!

Hi! Just thought I would jump in and tell you how much I am enjoying your trip report! Can't wait for the next update!

Thanks so much for reading along; I'm really glad you are enjoying my TR!

Morning!!!
Sometimes I am so blonde...
But I just realized that at the top of your updates, you have the song underlined,
which means that if I put my curser on the song title and click on it: the song plays for me... or for us...

THAT'S BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!

I love that I can hear the song that you've connected to your update!!!! That just good!!!! Way to go!!!

Have a great day!
TexasBelle
Carolyn

Hahaha yay! I'm glad you saw that and now you are enjoying the songs with the updates! Now you are getting the full TR reading experience!

I love reading your trip reports! Makes me laugh out loud. I wish I could figure out how to do one myself. I could so be entertaining considering the relatives I travel with could join the circus at any moment Sorry you had to go back to work already. I teach 6th, 7th, & 8th grade literacy and here in the northeast, we don't go back till after Labor Day. Hope you have a smooth and stress free school year!

Thank you so much for reading along; I'm so glad you enjoy my reports and I can make you laugh! Making a TR is really easy! All you have to do is start a new thread, and update your photos to some kind of photo sharing site (I use Photobucket). I would be happy to help you if you want to start one- just PM me! It sounds like your TR would be very entertaining!

I was not thrilled about going back to work so early, but luckily we get to get out early in the summer too, which is really nice! That's so great that you don't go back until September! Enjoy your break, and I hope you have a great school year too!

That really is a great price for all the tickets that you guys got! I love that Disney has a military discount! Thanks to your DH for his service!

Now enough with the chores! Get to the Disney fun!

Thank you so much for saying that about John, it really means a lot! We love the military discount so much! Disney is really kind to offer that for our men and women in uniform!

Haha I know right! I felt like Michelle Tanner in the Full House Disney episode. "When's the fun gonna start?!"

 

[therussells08]

APs - so exciting! We're upgrading our 10 day MYW package tickets (with free dining) to APs in November! First time for us too! I'm hoping it works out smoothly. If I have calculated correctly, , after we apply the Disney Visa rewards credit we have built up, we should only have to pay about $100! That's kind of a no-brainer, right? Which means, there should be at least one more, but very possibly 2 or 3 more Disney vacations for us over the next year! I'm still undecided about TIW. I mean, since we won't be getting the dining plan for any other trips, I think it would make sense. But we may wait until our next trip for that...still not sure. At the very least we'd be able to use it for alcohol on this trip. We will be there for F&W afterall

I would have also totally photo-stalked the wedding party! Their location looked so pretty!

Where'd-ya-eat? Where'd-ya-eat????

YAY for updating to APs on your trip! That sounds like you are going to get a great deal! Definitely a no-brainer! I highly recommend TiW! Plus, if you're pretty sure you're going to get it eventually, I would go ahead and get it on this trip so you can get a lot of use out of it!

I just had to see more of this wedding! I love weddings in general, but especially DISNEY weddings!

Stay tuned! I'm posting that update very tonight!

Yay I love your trip reports! I can't wait to hear about all the things you did on this trip! Seriously awesome you got an AP too, totally jealous

Thank you so much for reading along and for your sweet comment! I was so excited about my AP! It's great!

YAY! Finally to WDW! I can't wait to read where you went first. Congrats on your AP and TiW card! Jealous!

Sorry you are back to work already. I hope you have a great school year! (I don't have to go back officially until November, thanks to my maternity leave.)

We were so relieved to finally be there! Thank you! I was beyond excited to get both of them!

Thanks so much! I don't really mind being back so early, because that means our summer starts early too! Still, it's hard adjusting to getting up early in the morning! Enjoy your extended time, and congratulations on your new addition!

Congrats on the AP. I am so jealous. The wedding stalking cracked me up. Last time we stayed at BWV there was a wedding reception in the little grass area right outside our room. I definitely stalked, but did not even think to take pictures.

Thank you! I was so excited about getting that AP! Hahaha yay! Another wedding stalker! I felt like straight paparazzi taking all those pictures, but I just had to share it with you guys!

Lol love the food rating system! Looks like a fun TR

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!

Yay for annual passes! I want to be an annual pass holder so badly

Aww the wedding looks so cute! The scenery is perfect for it

Haha the picture with you and your pass is so cute You look very excited! I would be bouncing off the walls and probably singing and doing a little dance

Thank you! I have been wanting an AP for so long. It's so awesome having one! I hope I can justify renewing it next year, and I hope you are able to get one soon!

It really is a perfect place for a wedding!

Thank you! I was SO excited! I carried that thing around all night!

 

[therussells08]

I used to love Are You Afraid of the Dark. There was this one episode where the Mowry sisters turned into chameleons or something...? That I watched a million times.

YAY Annual Pass! You got a fantastic deal on all those tickets. Kudos for Disney giving such great military discounts!

I don't blame you at all for stalking the wedding...Especially since it was a Disney Wedding.

Hmm.. I'm guessing you ate at either Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck's...

I REMEMBER THAT ONE. God, that show was terrifying. I remember this one where this girl gets turned into a porcelain doll or something...helloooo nightmares.

Thanks! I was really happy with that price. Disney is really good to the military!

I am obsessed with all weddings, but ESPECIALLY Disney Weddings!

Those are good guesses! Stay tuned!

Well, now I'm freaked out. I HATED Are You Afraid of the Dark?....cause, yeah, I was totally afraid of the dark. Was? Okay, AM. I know that the stories were hokey, but I still couldn't bring myself to watch, just in case one really spooked me. Just the opening was spooky. ::shivers::

Jealous of your AP! I keep thinking that if I get one, Brandon will HAVE to let me take more trips! Brilliant!

Hahahaha I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up some repressed memories! You're right, the opening was terrifying. I looked it up on YouTube a while back and it STILL scares me! Some of those episodes were really creepy!

I love having an AP, and it's definitely an excuse to go more often! You should get one!

Oh my back to work already? I know you all ended before us but that gave me a little panic attack -- I am so not ready for the staff to return! So much to do first!! (really want to put the smilies with the hair that stands up in here, but I am on the mobile app and have no idea how to make anything but a regular smile...) I hope that you have an excellent opening of school and that the year is terrific

Wonderful deal on the park passes and well deserved. Thank-you to both you and John!


I love seeing the weddings while we are here -- we usually see one somewhere on the Boardwalk -- always so pretty.

We are here now and have had a wonderful first day and a half. We had dinner at Artist Point last night and if you have not been I highly recommend it! Was sooooo good (and had an AP discount ---- I love having an AP this year, just felt so good knowing it was there I bought my son one on Tuesday because we are here for 10 days and then he is returning in October with his grandparents, so now I am already planning how to work in another trip next summer before it expires! )

Seriously, I can't believe we're already back in school! Although, I'm happy to be back so early because it means my summer starts really early! We are finished with the school year on May 25th next year!

Thank you so much for your kind words; John and I both really appreciate it! It means a lot!

AHHH getting married at the Boardwalk sounds pretty much perfect. Shoot, getting married anywhere in Disney would be perfect!

That is SO EXCITING that you are there right now (or at least were there when you wrote this...not sure when you're trip ends!) I'm so jealous! I love Artist Point SO MUCH! John and I went there in 2010 and we keep meaning to go back! That's so great about both of you having APs! I hope you're able to squeeze in another trip before yours expires! Also, I hope you are having/had a GREAT TIME!

Awesome prices for the Tickets (the Military community deserves them)! I'd rather not discuss what I just paid I used to love Are You Afraid of the Dark? I must admit, that the theme song used to freak me out and more than once I turned it off when it came to the swing and the clown (I think I remember that right).

Downtown Disney is one of our favorite places...EoS, WPE, Paradiso 37, D-Street...need I say more? Looking forward to your first Disney meal

Thank you so much! It really is super nice that Disney offers such great military discounts! Seriously, that show opening was TERRIFYING. I remember that clown very well. I also remember covering my eyes every time it came on TV!

I totally agree! DTD is amazing!

I am in. Looks like a good read. I always love to hear out the food and find new things for our trip.

Thank you so much for reading along! I hope you enjoy it!

OMG I love Disney weddings! They were getting ready for one at the Beach Club one morning, and the bride was so beautiful! And I loved the bridesmaids dresses, they were this pretty light pink and short, so perfect for the Beach Club...yeah I stalked them for a little while! I didn't take any pictures though!

Yay for AP's! I'm so sad I won't be getting one more use out of mine. I hope I will be an AP holder again, it really does feel like you're a member or some special club or something!

Oooh first Disney meal of the trip, where did you guys go? I'm gonna guess WPE?

I love Disney weddings too! AHHH that Beach Club wedding sounds perfect! Gosh, why didn't I get married at Disney?!

I'm sorry you won't be getting another use out of your current AP, but hopefully you'll be able to get another one!

That's a good guess! Stay tuned!

 

[therussells08]

Hope your school year is off to a good start! We go back Sept 4, students start Sept 5th...but I am wishing summer would last forever!

I am going to guess you eat at Earl of Sandwich!

Random story: I have been stalking an ADR at Le Cellier since 180 days- we've never eaten there. Then I chatted with some friends who have eaten there and read your TR and others where the food (specifically the soup! haha) was raved about, and I became determined to get that elusive ADR. My hard work paid off today (18 days out!!!) and I got an ADR. So excited. So I am chatting with my ten-year-old son about it, and our conversation goes like this:

Me: "So you get this delicious pretzel bread and order cheddar cheese soup. And you dip the bread into the soup-"
Aidan: "And it gives you MAGICAL MYSTICAL POWERS?"

Seriously? What a wise guy! Can't he just embrace and appreciate my Disney food obsession?

Thanks! It's been a pretty smooth start so far! That's awesome that you still have like a whole other month before you go back! I'm jealous!

That's a good guess! Stay tuned to find out!

AHHH yay for getting your Le Cellier ADR so close to your trip! That's awesome! You are going to LOVE it, and so will wise guy Aidan! He'll understand once he tries it...it really does feel like you have magical mystical powers!

TWIN!!! I'm all caught up and GUESS WHAT? I actually read your updates on the plane last night! While I was waiting I opened up the updates on my iPod in separate pages so I could read them and it made me a lot happier!

Let's see if I can remember what I wanted to say...

Springhill Suites are nice, but they're not Disney! It must suck to be so close yet so far, even for one night!

Where on earth is Shades of Green? Like seriously, I saw signs for it all week staying at an MK resort and I don't even know what it looks like!

HOORAY FOR YOUR ANNUAL PASS! Omg jealous. I can't believe I don't even know when I'm next going to Disney. Like I know I got back less than 24 hours ago but aghhhh I miss it so much.

Your elevator sounds so terrifying hahah. My sister probably would have had a panic attack. Anyways YAYYY for Disney fun officially beginning!

TWIN. I'm sad your trip is over, but I'm also SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK. I've missed you, and I'm super pumped about your new TR!

Aww yay! I'm glad my updates made you feel a little better as you were flying home! That's what I'm here for!

Yeah I'm a total Disney resort snob. Even one night in a non-Disney resort is almost too much to handle!

SoG is kind of tucked away in it's own little section past the Polynesian. It's out there with a bunch of golf courses, so I guess it needs a lot of open space.

Thanks! I love having my AP, even though I don't think I'll be able to use it again until March. At least you know for sure you're going to Disney with MEEEEE! YAY!

That elevator was a nightmare. I had a mini panic attack every time the doors failed to open.

Yay for a new trip report! I'm excited to read about all the details with John and your mom. You're so adorable that you have a cupcake rating system!

I've wanted to read The Help for a while, but I never had the opportunity to do so. I hope to read it within the next few years, haha. I wish I could read in the car the way you do. I'd definitely get carsick.

HAHA, your reaction to the energy drink is hilarious. I can't drink that stuff because I'm supposed to avoid caffeine due to heart palpitations. I always thought they tasted gross based on what I've smelled off my kids when they have Monster when we go to the roller rink in October for a field trip.

The hotel sounds pretty good for being a non-Disney one. I'd freak at that elevator though. That's the one thing I don't like about living in an apartment! I don't know what I'd do if I ever got stuck in an elevator!

That really is such an awesome deal on so many tickets AND an annual pass for you! It really does feel like such a secret society! It's nice knowing that we can technically go back whenever we want ... well, at least until the middle of April!

Yay Rachel! I'm so glad you're here! I am seriously behind on your TR! I need to catch up like NOW!

The Help is such a great book! I highly recommend it! I used to get really carsick when I read in cars, but for some strange reason it went away! Thank goodness, because since I can't really sleep in cars I would get really bored without my books!

You're not missing out on the energy drinks, trust me! They are pretty gross usually, I think. The one I had wasn't bad because it tasted like lemonade, but John said the others are nasty!

It was a pretty nice hotel, despite being non-Disney and having a scary elevator! I got stuck in an elevator once when I was at the beach, and I have never been so afraid in my life. I hope you never have that experience!

I know what you mean, I LOVE that feeling! Although I'm also kind of stressing out about squeezing in as much Disney as possible before next July!

Wo-Hoo for the AP!! I have my voucher and will be turning it in for the real thing on October 12!! I will also be getting the TiW card!!

YAY for getting your AP so soon! That's exciting! You will LOVE it! Also, YAY for TiW! It's really a great deal!

Umm, somehow I missed this update! Oh well, I'm here now!

Yay for getting your first AP!!! That's exciting!!!! A very good deal for all of that too!

I love that you stalked the wedding party!! How cute! I love seeing weddings at Disney!!

Thank you! I was so excited about my AP! I love it!

Haha I love seeing weddings in general, but Disney weddings are just doubly interesting!

Hello! I found your TR from a comment you left on Marissa's TR. Your writing style has me giggling out loud...so much so that my DBF looked at me quizzically for a moment before the light dawned, and he said, "Reading Disney TRs again?" Ah, he knows me so well!

Aaaaanyway, I'm really enjoying your adventures and can't wait to read more!!

Hi and ! Thanks so much for jumping over from Marissa's TR! I'm so glad you enjoy my writing style and my weird sense of humor!

 

[therussells08]

"At Last"- Etta James​

July 7, 2012​

At last
My love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song​

When I left off, John and I had been to SoG, bought all of our park tickets, activated my AP, and bought our TiW card! We had been very productive, but by this point I was feeling like Michelle Tanner in the Full House Disney episode- “When’s the fun gonna start?!” Not to mention I hadn’t eaten anything since my Greasy McGreasies from McDonald’s around lunchtime, so I was MORE than ready for some sustenance, Disney style.

I had been planning this dinner location for quite some time, thanks to some wonderfully written food reviews and delicious pictures from two of my greatest DIS friends, Jess (DisneyFreak508) and Kristen (DisneyFreak616). So, where exactly was this location? To those of you who guessed Wolfgang Puck Express, you were right!

We had never been here before, but I was dying to try the four cheese pesto pizza. I was also dying to try the macaroni and cheese and secretly hoping John would order it so I could steal some, but that didn’t quite pan out. I tried to talk him into it (“I’ve heard it’s reeeeeeally good!”) but he had his heart set on pizza too!

I was very impressed by the stylish decor inside the restaurant!

Just a little bit of info for any other newbies, WPE doesn’t accept TiW, but they do offer an AP discount! So we placed our order, got 10% off, grabbed our drinks, and went off in search of a table. The restaurant was not that crowded at all, especially for a Saturday evening at 7:30, but we decided to eat outside anyway. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and not hot at all. Seriously, I totally forgot that it was July in Florida. It was perfect first night in Disney weather!

We found a table, and I continued to obsess over my new AP and TiW card!

Our server came over and brought us some silverware and introduced himself. His name was Mario, and he was very friendly!

It didn’t take long for our food to come, but it felt like an eternity! I was SO HUNGRY. See the pained look on my face in this picture?

Yeah, that’s because my stomach was eating my spine. True story.

John was excited for his first Disney meal too!

FINALLY, after fifty million years (or about ten minutes) Mario brought our food! I, of course, got the four cheese pesto pizza!

And John went with a plain pepperoni pizza!

So, let’s use our dining review system to evaluate our first Disney meal, shall we?

Service: Mario was just fine. He was very friendly, and he brought our food quickly, even though it seemed like we waited forever just because I was hungry.

Atmopshere: The atmosphere was PERFECT! We ate outside near some beautiful flowers, and there was a speaker behind me playing Disney music. DTD plays the absolute best Disney music, too. We even heard “Prince Ali” while we were eating! Also the weather was gorgeous!

Food Quality: My four cheese pesto pizza was absolutely phenomenal! The flavors mixed together perfectly, and the goat cheese on top was a great final touch! Seriously, pesto and goat cheese should be best friends, because they are perfect together! Here’s what was left of my meal:

So yeah, I really liked it.

John was really happy with his pepperoni pizza too. It wasn’t quite as exciting at my pizza, but he said it had a great flavor and he loved the crispy crust!

Overall Dining Experience: First night in Disney + delicious food after a day of not eating + perfect weather and Disney music in the background = an amazing dining experience!

Overall, this meal receives the following rating:

Category 1- Remy

This meal was WONDERFUL! If you’ve never been to WPE, I highly recommend it! THANK YOU, Kristen and Jess, for helping me find a new favorite!

After we finished our delicious meal, we were ready to wander around DTD for a while! We were both exhausted from being in the car all day and getting up so early, but we weren’t ready to leave the Disney bubble yet so we just let ourselves be immersed in the Disney joy.

We went into Design-a-Tee since we were already right there. I was planning on making trip shirts for my mom and me, but I wasn’t quite ready to do it yet, so I just looked at my options and got some ideas for what I might want to do when I made them later that week! Then we went into that little stationery store that’s between Design-a-Tee and the Art of Disney. I saw these adorable notepads!

Aren’t they cute?! They even came on little hangers!

Next we went into Art of Disney! We absolutely love that shop, and go in there constantly, even though we usually don’t buy anything. (But we did on this trip! Foreshadowing...) I just love looking at all of the art. It’s all so beautiful!

I found a gorgeous castle mosaic!

And I also found about a million and one things I desperately wanted to buy, so we decided it was in our best interest to move on to another store before I spent all of our trip money before the trip even started!

We went to the pin trading store next! I love all of the punny pin signs they have with all the different Disney characters!

I wanted this pin bag SO BADLY. If I ever get to go to another pin trading even like I did in 2008, I’m going to get it!

While I was in the pin store I traded my first pin of the trip!

LOOK AT THESE PINS.

They’re family portrait pins! Aren’t they adorable? I wanted them all! They were $20 per pack, and each pack came with one open window pin and one mystery pin! I resisted the urge to buy a pack, because then I knew I’d be obsessed with completing the whole set!

Before we left the pin store I bought myself a new lanyard and a holder for my AP and TiW card! I figured it would be convenient to keep all of my stuff in there rather than trying to dig through my bag every time I needed something. That ended up being a great idea!

John needed to go to the bathroom, so I went in Tren-D for a second to wait for him. I loved this stylish Mary Poppins window!

That store is seriously dangerous. They have so much cute stuff. I made a solemn vow that I would get some of the quote pillows later in the trip, but this time I left without buying anything. Little did I know, I would be making a very exciting purchase there later! (MORE foreshadowing! Muah ha ha!)

We were both super tired, but we decided to stop in World of Disney before we left! That place was ridiculously crowded, as always, so we didn’t stay long.

I tried to talk John into getting this hat:

But he didn’t like the color. BOO.

I found a t-shirt that I really wanted, so I decided to go ahead and get it. I didn’t want to buy too many souvenirs on our first night, but I live in constant fear that I won’t be able to find a shirt I want in my size ever since I missed out on a super cute Disney shirt a few trips ago that still haunts me.

I didn’t mention this earlier, but I got a 10% AP discount on my new lanyard AND my t-shirt! I had already saved money on dinner and shopping within an hour of getting it! AWWW YEAH!

After we got my shirt we decided to go ahead and head back to our hotel room. I was not happy about leaving Disney at all, but I knew that we were getting up super early to come back, so I was okay with it! We were good samaritans and saved our parking spot for a desperate looking couple who appeared to have been driving around for awhile, then we were on our way out of the Disney bubble!

Actually, we sat in traffic in the Disney bubble for about an hour. UGHHHH. I was seriously done with traffic by this point. We ended up getting back to our room at about 10pm.

When we got back I called my mom, watched Stacey (of course) and stole the little bottles of Paul Mitchell shampoo they offered. Hey, it’s Paul Mitchell. I’ll use that stuff later! Plus, it's not stealing if it's complementary! Then I was more than ready for bed! Before laying down I took pictures of my first day purchases!

Here’s my shirt:

And my new lanyard:

I fell asleep quickly, already dreaming of checking into the Beach Club in just a few short hours!

Up Next: A VERY lucky first morning! Stay tuned!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

HAHAHA I love the song choice for this update. So appropriate.

YAY the four cheese pesto pizza of NIRVANA AND JOY! I'm so glad you loved it!!

I love the Mary Poppins window too! Tren-D is the most dangerous store EVER.

I have that shirt too! SO cute!

Can't wait to hear ALL about the Beach Club!!

P.S. They announced that they're extending the military ticket/resort discounts through Sept 2013!!!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

YAY for AP discounts...just another perk of being in the "club"!! Puck's has never disappointed me, which is why it's a fave; and your new shirt is adorable!

BTW, have you heard about the Fantasyland expansion sneak peek that's going to be held in November for AP holders? I am BEYOND excited! We went to the AP sneak peak for EE (get it, sneak PEAK?) and rode it 20 times!!! Be sure to register your AP on Disney.com, and they'll send you newsletters with all the info!

 

[__disneygirl]

YUUUUUUUUUUUM. Wolfgang Puck's is one of my all-time favorite places! Ever since I first had that pesto pizza & mac and cheese in 2008, I haven't been able to stay away. My mom and I actually went there THREE times on our 2010 trip and got that every time! Plus we had leftovers, so we were basically eating that pizza almost every day. LOL. We are WPE freaks. You must try the mac & cheese next time, it's the best in the world. However, I really wanna branch out and try other things on the menu since everything looks so amazing.

Aww, those family portrait pins are adorable! How creative!

LOVE the shirt you picked out. I've had my eye on that one for awhile, hopefully I'll be able to get it in October!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

YAY for an update! I needed this tonight!

Aww Joni, you're precious! YAY I'm glad our reviews helped you out!!

Oh my God... that awful moment when you're starving to death and you're waiting for your food but it's not there yet. That's the WORST. I completely understand.

The pesto pizza is obviously to die for... but I feel like the classic pepperoni would still taste amazing. WPE is fantastic!!

You're so welcome!

I'm glad that you were taking advantage of the annual pass discounts! I told you they were awesome. So many perks.

 

[WDWlover89]

Oooooooo I love WPE! We go at least once every trip ever since Mom found the BBQ chicken pizza. That cheese pesto pizza looks and sounds amazing so I might have to try that the next time we go.
Your shirt and lanyard are super cute. Looks like y'all ad a great first visit to DTD. Can't wait for more!

 

[amandaw]

WPE - YUMMY! Love the pizza there....it is soooo good!

Your purchases are very cute! And I love those notepads. I have a bit of a notepad obsession.

Can't wait to hear about the future purchases!

 

[theEncode]

Sounds like a great start to a great trip!

LOVE the new purchases...I am always sooo tempted by everything I see since I worry I will either forget (more than likely) or not find it again. I try and tell myself, if I REALLY want/need this, I will not forget and can come back to get it later. LOL.

So excited to hear more and thanks for the review on WPE, I have been torn about going here, may just have to give in to temptation and hit that for lunch one day

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

I really need to try WPE! I am heading down to visit my folks in Florida next month. Flying into Orlando was cheaper even though they are in the Ft. Meyers area, so they are picking us up there. We already have Raglan Road for a Disney fix after they pick us up. Maybe we will have to do WPE as a Disney fix for the return flight!

 

[lurkernj]

Ooooh, WPE is my fav CS. They have great pizza, and that's coming from someone in Jersey.

I would absolutely have taken that shampoo too! It's Paul Mitchell and complimentary, of course you should take it!

I can't wait to hear about your Beach club arrival!!! I really want to stay there one day.

 

[TexasBelle]

Morning!!!
So excited to have another trip update... Thanks!!!
WPE looks amazing... I'm so hungry right now... We ate there 1 time a few years ago and I absolutely loved it. I had some kind of flat bread chicken thing... It was yummy!!!
I loved your T-Shirt... I hate finding something (T-shirt, etc...) the very first day I get there and not buying it and then when I go back to get it it's gone...
Your song choice was so perfect... I loved listening to it while I read your post.
Looking forward to another update...
Carolyn

 

[Cinderella16]

WPE looks so delicious!

Nice purchases and it's even better because you got an AP discount! I kept forgetting that you get discounts with an AP on our trip. I was grateful when a CM would remind me or ask if I had an AP or Disney Visa.

I cannot wait for your check in day at Beach Club and your reviews of it because DH and I decided to stay there on our next trip!