Food, friendship, flowers and a touch of the Force. A May '13 TR; Updated 02/6

Just got through reading all your updates and I really love the photos! Can't wait to read the rest... this is getting me through my PDD (post Disney depression) since we just came back and don't know when we'll get to go again... guess I shouldn't complain too much - we were blessed to be able to go three times in the last year and once at Christmas!

Keep it coming!



gina
 
Wow, your fireworks photos are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing them! It sounds like you had a great trip!
 
Great update!! I'm not a Star Wars fan by any means, but those fireworks look absolutely incredible. I bet it is really just amazing to see fireworks at DHS too though, no matter what the context! Great video too. And WOW did it get packed!!!!

Thank you for that link of Bullseye doing the Single Ladies dance. :worship: My life is now complete! :rotfl: I was crying from laughing so hard!!
 


I'm following all three of your TRs. I'm insanely jealous of how often you are able to visit DW.

Franklin's photos are some of the best I've ever seen! Nothing short of amazing!

Not a Star Wars fan, but that party looked like it was a lot of fun.
 
Welcome back, friends! We last left off with a Star Wars party at DHS.

It was a beautiful morning at Disney. But then again, when isn’t it a beautiful morning when you’re at Disney? We were up bright and early, ready for our first full day at the parks. One of the perks of our 1-bedroom villa was the full kitchen, which gave us the ability to make real breakfasts before heading out for the day.

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As Disney surprises, I’d gotten Meghan and Laura goodie bags with a string backpack to carry in the parks and a set of modified Minnie ears so they could pick bows each morning from my (increasingly large) collection of Magical Ribbons bows. So who picked what?

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Meghan picked the Spaceship Earth bow, I chose the Snow White bow and Laura was too in love with the sparkly Minnie bow that came with the ears to change it out. We headed out into the delightfully cool morning air. With a quick trip over the skybridge...

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… we arrived on the Grand Canyon Concourse.

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And as we made it to the top of the escalator, the monorail arrived. Nice transportation luck to start the day!

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One stop later, we arrived at the TTC and went down the ramp, then back up the Epcot monorail ramp and waited less than two minutes for a monorail. Good morning Monorail Orange!

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This ride totally beats waiting in this line to park!

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The Epcot monorail is Franklin’s favorite because of the loop it makes in the park before pulling into the station.

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Man, those trees outside the land have gotten really tall. I hadn’t noticed until I saw this photo!

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Once we were inside the park, we headed for something a little out of the norm for our typical Epcot mornings.

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First up was the head mouse.

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Then everyone’s favorite puppy.

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And finally, the fashion mouse herself. She was so excited to see all our ears and she couldn’t stop pointing to all our different bows!

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I needed a one-on-one photo with my girl.

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We headed toward The Land but were waylaid by one adorable chipmunk. Hey Dale, where’s Chip?

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He said his brother was hungry, so he went for a snack. I don’t think I’ve ever met one chipmunk without the other before.
 
We got back on track and found our destination.

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It was time for a West-coast-bound flight.

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And just one more warning before take off: No dancing!

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It was a lovely flight, but man that film on Concourse 1 could really use a cleaning. Lots of black spots! We came back out into The Land. It never ceases to amaze me how bustling this building is in an otherwise quiet morning park.

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With a fun ride under our belts, we made our way back to the World Showcase. There was some more Limited Time Magic fun to be had! So if yesterday was May 4, that made today May 5. Yes, my friends, it was Cinco de Mayo and we were headed for Mexico.

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But before we got there, there was more Flower and Garden Festival beauty to take in.

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The centerpiece installation was for this summer’s big release: Monsters University.

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These monsters cracked me up, so creative!

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So now that we were in the World Showcase, what exactly was our plan? Well, as part of Limited Time Magic, the Three Caballeros would be meeting at the Mexico pavillion. I knew this would be a very popular meet and greet. So we wanted to be in line early for the 11:00 meet!

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It’s too bad we had such a terrible view while we waited.

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Thank goodness we got in line when we did. There were just a handful of groups in front of us. And within minutes, the line had grown exponentially.

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We were up where the trees began, so there were LOTS of people behind us. While we were waiting, lots of CMs kept coming up to the adorable pregnant lady in front of us (who was decked out in a cute, retro, Three Caballeros T-shirt). Meghan, Laura and Franklin started to laugh at me because in listening to what the woman was saying, they all figured out that this girl was living my dream life. She was pregnant with a little girl and she was one of the managers of the Mexico pavillion at Epcot, having worked at Walt Disney World for almost a decade. Aaaahhhhhh, so envious. A girl can dream, right?

Soon the birds flew in. I was so excited! When it was our turn, Panchito grabbed my hand and started twirling me around, dancing. Donald got a bit jealous and grabbed me for a hug. Jose was a little more shy but wanted a hug too.

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Donald was a big fan of Franklin’s shirt, I wonder why?

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Group shot!
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After watching everyone be disappointed in Limited Time Magic all year long (and being slightly disappointed in the January offerings on our last trip), we really felt like we’d hit the jackpot. First a blowout Star Wars party at DHS and now a meet and greet with a really rare group of characters???!!? I was on a serious Disney cloud nine!
 


Signing on! Normally I'd just be a lurker but I'm trying to break the habit :goodvibes

Your pictures are gorgeous! Especially the Ohana food ones - YUM!! Can't wait for more!
 
Ahhh! You guys are just too cute in your matching Minnie ears :) But I love that you each had a different bow. I'm definitely ransacking your box'o'bows for my next trip!!

That's awesome that you met the Three Caballeros! Very cute group pictures!
 
LOVE the ears! I have the Minnie ears with the red bow and also I just bought the Snow White T you have on at the Disney Stores mega sale they just had!
 
Great update!!! Loved the photos!
Your breakfast in your room looks pretty good-just like a CS breakfast! But fast and priced just right!:thumbsup2
 
Great pics and update.

That line was really long but it would definitely be worth it.
 
As I am reading this, I am just starting to realize DH must have been reading these updates a couple nights ago, because he was saying really random things like, "I like how the monorail goes through the park at Epcot" and "I didn't know Chip & Dale sometimes meet alone!" :lmao:

Anyway...

The F&G pics are really amazing. Those colors! I hope we get to go to WDW for F&G one year. It looks really beautiful in pictures.

Cute pics with Minnie! I made my first Magical Ribbons order a week ago hoping to get them in time for our October trip, but I'm not sure if they will arrive before then.

How freaking fun that they had the 3 Caballeros out for Cinco de Mayo!!! Good call getting in line early. I definitely wouldn't have wanted to wait in that long line that formed!!
 
Longtime lurker on your other reports. Love seeing the May the Fourth and Cinco de Mayo festivities so far!:thumbsup2
 
Hey Missy! I followed you over from twitter (thanks for the link to your engagement TR!) and now I've read all three of your active reports! Love them all and love the one at BWV cause I'm staying there for the first time in September and your (Franklin's) pics are getting me so excited!
 
Signing on! Normally I'd just be a lurker but I'm trying to break the habit :goodvibes

Your pictures are gorgeous! Especially the Ohana food ones - YUM!! Can't wait for more!

Thanks for coming out of lurkdom! And thanks for following along. We love :love:'Ohana, it's definitely one of our must-dos on each trip!

Ahhh! You guys are just too cute in your matching Minnie ears :) But I love that you each had a different bow. I'm definitely ransacking your box'o'bows for my next trip!!

That's awesome that you met the Three Caballeros! Very cute group pictures!

Not only do you get the box-o-bows, you get the bag-o-Disney jewelry as well! The Three Caballeros meet was so much fun!

LOVE the ears! I have the Minnie ears with the red bow and also I just bought the Snow White T you have on at the Disney Stores mega sale they just had!

I love the Snow White tee, she's a totally underrated princess! If anyone is looking for the modified Minnie ears or the Disney bows, check out Hayley's work at Magical Ribbons, she's soooo talented!

Great update! :thumbsup2

Thanks! :thumbsup2

Great update!!! Loved the photos!
Your breakfast in your room looks pretty good-just like a CS breakfast! But fast and priced just right!:thumbsup2

Breakfast in the villas have been something we really value since buying into DVC. Even in a studio, it's so easy to just pop some Eggos in the toaster and some (non-Disney) bacon in the microwave and you've got a breakfast that will tide you over until your first Dole Whip!

Great pics and update.

That line was really long but it would definitely be worth it.

I think the special character meet and greets have been some of the most successful Limited Time Magic stuff (though that's setting the bar pretty low :rotfl:). I hope Disney is paying attention to how much people like to meet the "long lost friends."


As I am reading this, I am just starting to realize DH must have been reading these updates a couple nights ago, because he was saying really random things like, "I like how the monorail goes through the park at Epcot" and "I didn't know Chip & Dale sometimes meet alone!" :lmao:

This totally cracks me up. Before Franklin started really getting into the Dis, I would pepper him with cool things I'd learned or the Disney news of the day. But now when I try to do any of that, it's clear he's already read the same threads I have. :rotfl2:

Anyway...

The F&G pics are really amazing. Those colors! I hope we get to go to WDW for F&G one year. It looks really beautiful in pictures.

F&G is so incredibly beautiful. I really hope we start taking some longer spring trips so we can really explore the topiaries better. Hmmmm, just added that to my plans for the solo part of next May's trip.

Cute pics with Minnie! I made my first Magical Ribbons order a week ago hoping to get them in time for our October trip, but I'm not sure if they will arrive before then.

She seems to be (finally) catching up with the orders, did you put a "need-by" date on your order? I placed my custom bridal order this week and she thought I'd have it in time for the wedding, so you order order should come in time!

How freaking fun that they had the 3 Caballeros out for Cinco de Mayo!!! Good call getting in line early. I definitely wouldn't have wanted to wait in that long line that formed!!

I was doing that M&G, no question. I just didn't want my friends to have to wait too long in line for it, so lining up beforehand seemed a more reasonable way to go.

Longtime lurker on your other reports. Love seeing the May the Fourth and Cinco de Mayo festivities so far!:thumbsup2

Thanks for joining (and commenting) I'm always happy to see new faces. We really lucked out big time with May the Fourth and Cinco de Mayo. ::yes::

Can't wait to see more of franklin's pics. Love your trip reports

Thanks, lots more of franklin's pictures coming up!


Hey Missy! I followed you over from twitter (thanks for the link to your engagement TR!) and now I've read all three of your active reports! Love them all and love the one at BWV cause I'm staying there for the first time in September and your (Franklin's) pics are getting me so excited!

Thanks Susie! You will LOVE BWV, it's such a beautiful resort and the whole Epcot resort area is just breathtaking. Make sure you plan to spend some time outside the parks, just taking it all in! And let me know if you have any questions about BWV or BC/YC for that matter!
 
We last left off with a fantastic meet and greet with the Three Cabelleros. Being as it was Cinco de Mayo, we decided it was 5:00 somewhere and headed for La Cava de Tequila for some refreshments.

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Meghan had the blood orange margarita, Laura had the avocado margarita, Franklin had the jalapeno margarita and I had the cucumber margarita. All were delicious on this really warm day. We also shared an order of guacamole and at least three plates of chips.

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As much as we enjoyed the margaritas and chips, we were all ready for a real meal. So I floated the idea of lunch at Beaches and Cream. I was dying for Meghan and Laura to see the Epcot resort area, since I rave about it so much. Everyone was game so we took what was left of our drinks for the walk.

On our stroll, we passed something I needed to point out to Franklin: The kiosk with the Rum Dole Whips! He didn’t want to ruin his lunch, but he made a note of it for later.

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There were more topiaries along the way, including the Winnie the Pooh gang!

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Very quickly, we arrived at Beach Club and she was looking good on this fine day.

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Not shockingly, there was a bit of a wait to get into the restaurant. So we grabbed a table overlooking the pool to wait.

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The 30 minute wait was actually 10 minutes and we were buzzed to a table.

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What did we order?

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Franklin had the bacon cheeseburger.

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I had a hot dog.

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And Laura and Meghan each had a club sandwich. Everyone was too full for dessert, but there was no way I had walked all the way to Beaches and Cream and wasn’t getting ice cream. No way, nuh-uh. So I ordered a brownie sundae.

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And they brought it out while singing Happy Birthday to Laura and our waitress tied a balloon to her wrist.

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Completely full and in desperate need of walking off lunch, we made our way back to Epcot. Along the way, I waived longingly at Boardwalk.

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At lunch, Franklin realized he had lost his Key to the World card. Coupled with the problems I’d had charging a pin purchase to my KTTW before lunch, I was worried someone had picked up Franklin’s card and had charged to the room’s limit. So our first stop back at Epcot was guest relations in Future World to sort out the card mess. Luckily, no one had charged a thing to his card. So they canceled his other card and printed a new one and had us go over the charges in our folio to double check everything. Everything was great and the CMs were phenomenal (both at Epcot and back at BLT on the phone). With our issues worked out, we needed to figure out what to do next. I was beat and could really use a nap. Franklin, Laura and Meghan really wanted to get their ride on, so we split up. I monorailed it back to BLT...

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... while the other three stayed at Epcot to play. That's where we'll leave off for now, but there's lots more Epcot fun ahead!​
 
we arrived at Beach Club and she was looking good on this fine day.

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ITA!!!

You gals look adorable in your Minnie ears and ribbons! Love all the meet & greet pictures at the Character Stop and later in Mexico.

Gorgeous pictures from the monorail. I love that loop!

Margaritas chips and guac look super yummy!

Spoiler alert- I STILL haven't made it to Beaches & Cream yet and heresy: we sadly didn't end our Sci-Fi meal with a sundae. We were seriously sundae-deprived on our trip!
 

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