Aren't Graduations Grand! - May 2015 TR (New 10/30 - MK and California Grill)

[ALEXandFAB]

Following along! Thanks so much for the AoA pics...my family and I will be staying there on our trip next year! Can't wait to hear/see more about your 2 weeks at WDW

 

[cinderkelly]

AoA is such a great resort! Your pictures really made me miss it! We've only been to DW once ( so far) and stayed in a Cars suite, it was fantastic! They really did do an amazing job at this resort!
I also thought Landscape of Flavors was great, lots of space and great food choices. Funny when we were there we walked over the bridge to check out Pop Century! I love that it's such an easy walk between the two.

 

[glennbo123]

Caught up. Thanks for all of the great AoA pictures. I'll have to remember that about the chips...that could be something I would totally overlook and pick cole slaw as a side instead. (And end up living an unfulfilled life. )

 

[Dugette]

I don’t even really like chips, but they looked different so I thought I’d give them a whirl.

I feel the same way about chips - don't really care for them, unless there is something special...or if they are Fritos. Glad the gamble paid off for you!

I just love those guys!

Me too!

The plants and other landscaping in the Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo sections look like they came from the bottom of the ocean. If you look back at the pictures of the Lion King, the plants are very different! This is one of the things I love about Disney – their themes are completely immersive and no detail goes unnoticed.

AoA seems to really be a place that embodies the theming and detail that Disney is known for. The little bit of time I've spent there has just blown me away. Thanks for the little tour!

I look forward to checking out the Cars section of the resort next time.

Ahhhh, that's the one area I did see - and it was awesome!

 

[AussieMumma]

I can't get the freshly made chips out of my mind....yum!!! I think I'd take a trip there just for them

 

[Tracy161]

Awesome pictures of AoA, Jenny! I was also so excited to get to explore so much of that resort given the proximity to Pop. My only regret is that I never did venture over to actually eat But there's always next time!

I'm excited to hear more about the next reveal(s)... and who might you be meeting up with at your Dismeet?!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I love the pictures of AoA. It's too bad you couldn't wander over to see the Cars section. The theming looks like a kids dream (and Disney loving grown ups ). I hope you two get well rested and ready for the next day.

Thank you! I plan to see the Cars section on a future visit - I have high expectations after seeing the rest of the resort! The theming was just incredible at AoA - they did a FANTASTIC job!

One of us did take a nap - the other one (me) was far too excited to be there to spend time sleeping. I wandered around and took pictures instead!

Hi Jenny! I'm excited to join your TR! What a great graduation gift for Anika. I'm a big fan of rewarding special milestones with a WDW trip!

Wow! What a dream trip with 4 resorts! I loved the reveal video. Sounds like Anika's gonna want all the details before you are ready to reveal everything! Great job putting this all together. (I'm a big US fan now that we've ventured off-property starting last year so I'm excited to hear that part of your trip as well.)

I would love to tour AoA and eat at Landscape of flavors. Thanks for sharing your photo tour and dining experiences. Hmmmm ... caprese and house made chips, that sounds pretty good about now. The cupcake looked good - bummer that it wasn't as spectacular as the rest of the meal.

I'm looking forward to hearing all about your trip.

Brenda!!! I'm so excited that you found me and you're here!

I may have gotten a little carried away in the planning process, but it all worked out EXTREMELY well. Anika wasn't thrilled that I videotaped her, but I'm so glad that I have that on record now. She did hear about many of the plans along the way so she wasn't completely in the dark day-to-day - the only two secrets I wanted to keep as secrets were the reveals for Universal and the Grand Floridian. Did I succeed? Stay tuned!

AoA was SO well done and I was incredibly impressed by Landscape of Flavors. As you know, I'm a big Disney World restaurant fan so I don't tend to eat much quick service, but I will happily make an exception to eat at Landscape of Flavors. The food was super fresh and there was great variety, so it didn't feel like a cafeteria at all. The cupcake was super-cute but it was just average in flavor (not bad, only average). Thankfully, there were better desserts to come!

I look forward to telling you all about it!

I absolutely love Art of Animation. It is by far one of my favorite resorts; I wish they gave discounts on the standard rooms because I would be staying these a lot if they did! I also really love the food court. I have been known to make special trips there just to eat.

Can't wait to read about resort reveal #2.

I don't think it nabbed the top spot from me, but I really thought AoA was awesome. I would be very happy to stay there someday! I understand why they don't discount the standard rooms (as they don't really need to - they're popular enough without the discounts!) but it would be nice if they did. I may have to make a trip to eat at Landscape of Flavors on my next trip - it was that good!

It's a pretty stellar reaction.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I wanted to do the same thing, but just never had the time!
So glad I can live vicariously through your posts!

I'm happy to make that possible!

And that's why you won't see that many great shots on my TR this time around.
I didn't want to make Kay wait as I took my time composing shots.

Many of my pictures are not "composed" - it's a shot and run scenario a lot of the time!

Really? For a graduation gift the first thing you do is take her to a school (of fish)?

Hey, it's fitting - she was a swimmer for years.

What? I thought I was your favourite dude!
I'm crushed!

(See what I did there? Hunh? Didja?)

Very crafty.

That looks like fun for an adult!

It does!

Whoa. It really is. I wonder if they still pipe the music underwater?

I haven't heard otherwise, so I would assume they still do? I'd love to stay here sometime in order to confirm it!

I couldn't resist.

Ugh. I don't remember about the All-Stars... I don't think I ever ate there, even though we stayed there twice.

I don't remember my experience at the All-Stars, either, but they do have that setup at the moderate resorts.

That first swipe... filled with angst and excitement.

So true!

Well.... of course you did.

Absolutely! It's a requirement!

It's not polite to brag, Jenny.

Seriously, I had to go back and look at your dates. I'm surprised it was already that hot in May!

I think the temperatures were pretty normal for May in Orlando (maybe a smidge warmer or more humid, but not by much). What really killed us is Iowa had a very cool spring and we hadn't really had any hot weather yet. It does get hot and humid in Iowa - it just took its time last year!

We did get used to the heat and humidity after a few days.

No way! I really wish I'd known that!

It certainly appeared that way. The bowl was running low at the food station and someone came from the back with a platter that they poured into the bowl. As my chips were warm without having time to sit under the heat lamp, it seemed to me that they had just been made. They were delicious!

Looks really nice!

For a food court it was incredibly impressive. I just loved wandering around and looking at the decorations!

Pretty!

It was even better in-person!

I had heard about that, I think that's so cool.

It's really neat to see it in-person. I've seen AoA featured on a Disney World travel special - it's an entirely different experience to stand in that lobby than see the video from the special. It was really well done.

I've seen that light on someone else's TR... it's really impressive.

It is. And HUGE.

They just may have been the best part of the movie.

Yes!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one...

Man... the theming just goes on and on and on...

It does. They knocked it out of the park when they designed that resort.

Perfect!

No detail went unnoticed.

Ah... There she is...

Yes - and she was very colorful!

Funny. I saw the picture first, and was going to leave a comment like "That's huge!" and then read what you wrote about it.
But, man! It really is!

The statues at AoA and Pop (and the All-Stars as well) are gigantic. I don't think you can fully appreciate how big they really are until you're standing next to them.

That just blows me away.
Incredible. Just, incredible.

I believe I heard about that in the same special that featured the resort so I took time to look for it. Their horticulture team did a fantastic job.

Good call!

No need to burn out early.

It's a nice bridge, I managed to set foot on it... once.
Didn't cross it, just stepped on it.

I would highly recommend walking across it sometime if you return to Pop - AoA is worth the walk!

Can't wait!

If I don't have a chance to put it up tonight, I'll definitely have it up tomorrow night!

It really is a great pool and a beautiful area. They really nailed it on this one!

They truly did. It hardly feels like a value pool at all!

I had one. I agree 100% with your opinion of it.

But it did look like Mickey, so that always makes it just a little bit better.

Yes, Mickey does elevate it from average to above-average... but taste alone, it was definitely only okay.

When I was a young warthog!!!

When I was a young warrrrt-hoooooooooooog!!

Very nice.

Thanks.

Look at Little Mermaid and then look at Cars... They really did an awesome job.

They truly did.

NOOOOOOOO!!!!! You missed the best part!!!!

But I get it.

I know, I know... but I know I'll make it back someday so it will be okay!

I remember in 2008 when we stayed at Pop, DW, my sisters and I all sat out there one evening for a couple of hours just having a few drinks and talking. It was one of those random, seemingly non-memorable things that I always look back on as a great memory.

That sounds very nice. Sometimes those casual, unplanned events of a vacation end up becoming the best parts.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Following along! Thanks so much for the AoA pics...my family and I will be staying there on our trip next year! Can't wait to hear/see more about your 2 weeks at WDW

Thanks so much for joining in!

You made a great resort choice - AoA was really impressive. From the décor to the pools to the food court - home runs all around! I think you'll love it!

AoA is such a great resort! Your pictures really made me miss it! We've only been to DW once ( so far) and stayed in a Cars suite, it was fantastic! They really did do an amazing job at this resort!
I also thought Landscape of Flavors was great, lots of space and great food choices. Funny when we were there we walked over the bridge to check out Pop Century! I love that it's such an easy walk between the two.

They really did a great job! Thank you for your very nice compliment! I'd love to stay in one of the suites, but it never makes sense considering the small number of people I travel with! Maybe someday!

Landscape of Flavors exceeded my expectations. Two thumbs up!

I don't see why you wouldn't walk to the other side if you have enough time - there's lots to see on both sides!

Caught up. Thanks for all of the great AoA pictures. I'll have to remember that about the chips...that could be something I would totally overlook and pick cole slaw as a side instead. (And end up living an unfulfilled life. )

You're welcome!

I highly recommend the chips, especially if you can get fresh ones. You don't want to take a chance on having an unfulfilled life!

I feel the same way about chips - don't really care for them, unless there is something special...or if they are Fritos. Glad the gamble paid off for you!

I'm a big Fritos fan myself - especially if chili is involved! I'm glad I went with the chips - they looked different enough that I felt they were worth a shot. It shows that sometimes you should take the gamble!

Me too!

I think everyone loves them! They're wonderful comic relief!

AoA seems to really be a place that embodies the theming and detail that Disney is known for. The little bit of time I've spent there has just blown me away. Thanks for the little tour!

You're welcome! I completely agree that the theming there is all-encompassing - they did such a spectacular job at that resort!

Ahhhh, that's the one area I did see - and it was awesome!

I can't wait to go back and see it myself!

I can't get the freshly made chips out of my mind....yum!!! I think I'd take a trip there just for them

Landscape of Flavors is worth the trip, whether you pick something with chips or not. Touring the incredible resort is an added bonus!

Awesome pictures of AoA, Jenny! I was also so excited to get to explore so much of that resort given the proximity to Pop. My only regret is that I never did venture over to actually eat But there's always next time!

I'm excited to hear more about the next reveal(s)... and who might you be meeting up with at your Dismeet?!

Thank you! If you find yourself back at Pop (and even if you don't) I'd highly recommend Landscape of Flavors. I thought it was really good!

The next reveal was pure gold - my favorite that I caught on video!

As for the DIS-meet, goodness me, I wonder who it might have been...

 

[dancingtodisney]

Loving your trip report so far! I always travel to WDW with my sister, it's great that you were able to organize all this for her with surprises along the way.

Excited to read more!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

GIRL I'm finally here! What an awesome TR this is going to be, I'm enjoying it already

First of all, this is so precious and I think I see Anika wearing my sweater

Yes it is!


Once.

And a few.... a very few... know what it is.

He's very cryptic, I'm glad somebody called him out on it

I guess you'll just have to remain nameless.

I'm going with Pedro.

The final big surprise is that we were spending several nights at her dream Disney resort, the Grand Floridian.

To say I was excited was a MASSIVE understatement.

Eeee I'm so excited for you I bet this blew Anika's mind

HOW do you both looks so fresh after a 3:15am wake-up call ?!?!?

I made a deal with Anika that we would split the window seat for our two flights – she got it on the Chicago flight and I got it on the Orlando flight. (I may have twisted her arm slightly to get the Orlando leg – I wanted a chance to spot Disney World from the air! And I did! )

You seem like such good sisters Jamie and I have such a battle determining who gets the window seat.. Including one of us quickly moving all our belongings and swapping seats when the other is in the bathroom

What can I say? We walk pretty fast.

Yes... You "walked fast" through the airport...

Here we are! Welcome to room 5418:

I really like the rooms at Pop! I actually prefer them to the standard Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation, so I think staying at Pop and walking over to AoA to explore was a good call

This was our view from our room:

Awesome!

I was SUPER excited about exploring the Art of Animation Resort! I was hoping to make it there on our 2013 trip, but there was never a good time to squeeze it in. Although I was excited about finally seeing (and staying!) at Pop Century, another big reason for booking there is so I could finally see Art of Animation!

We went to explore AoA last month too, I really like the grounds and the lobby/shop building.. It smells SO good and clean!

Here’s our food… Anika chose the Mongolian Beef Stir Fry, with multigrain rice, some sort of spinach (you could pick a side, so I'm not sure exactly was it was!), and Naan:

I decided to get the Caprese Sandwich, which was tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and balsamic on ciabatta bread. I choose to get the chips instead of the coleslaw:

We also had to get our first cupcake of the vacation:

* salivating *

The restaurant wouldn’t be the same without its namesake… landscapes!

I quoted this above to ask if they were supposed to be landscapes from the four movies, but you ended up answering it already

The restaurant is full of background pictures from the four movies featured at the resort - Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid.

In that case, I love this!

I really loved this light fixture in a skylight near the entrance of the Ink and Paint Shop:

Yes yes yes, how do I get that light fixture in my home?!?!

What’s so impressive about each section of Art of Animation is their attention to detail, all the way down to the plant life:

Totally noticed this too! They did such a good job with it

Loving this so far, excited to hear more

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Loving your trip report so far! I always travel to WDW with my sister, it's great that you were able to organize all this for her with surprises along the way.

Excited to read more!

Karen! Thanks for joining in!

I love traveling to Disney with my sister - we travel very well together and she loves the magic just as much as I do. The girl also loves to eat - that's a requirement!

Planning this trip was SO much fun. It was great to reveal things along the way (and this method drove Anika CRAZY, so that's an extra bonus!).

GIRL I'm finally here! What an awesome TR this is going to be, I'm enjoying it already

Yay! Katie! I'm glad you're here!

First of all, this is so precious and I think I see Anika wearing my sweater

Thank you! We had quite a few great Photopass pictures so it was tough to pick "the one" for the beginning of the TR. What a fantastic problem to have!

Yes, that is absolutely your shirt! She LOVES it and even brought it to college with her!

He's very cryptic, I'm glad somebody called him out on it

I'm going with Pedro.

Eeee I'm so excited for you I bet this blew Anika's mind

You have no idea.

HOW do you both looks so fresh after a 3:15am wake-up call ?!?!?

Oh, thank you! I can only thank Disney excitement for the fact that we look so awake!

You seem like such good sisters Jamie and I have such a battle determining who gets the window seat.. Including one of us quickly moving all our belongings and swapping seats when the other is in the bathroom

We try. (I may have also pulled the "I paid for this vacation" card in order to get the window during the Orlando leg... )

Yes... You "walked fast" through the airport...

What?! No! We would never do that!

I really like the rooms at Pop! I actually prefer them to the standard Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation, so I think staying at Pop and walking over to AoA to explore was a good call

I was really impressed with Pop. I thought it was a very nice resort and Anika and I agreed we would be happy to stay for a longer visit sometime.

Awesome!

I couldn't believe our luck! How on earth did we get this room considering I paid a discounted rate and booked it on a third party site?!

Who cares! We loved it!

We went to explore AoA last month too, I really like the grounds and the lobby/shop building.. It smells SO good and clean!

It's a GORGEOUS resort!

* salivating *

Tell me about it. Sometimes doing these trip reports is torture as I can still taste the food.

I quoted this above to ask if they were supposed to be landscapes from the four movies, but you ended up answering it already

In that case, I love this!

It was very well done, especially since it's decoration in a FOOD COURT!

Yes yes yes, how do I get that light fixture in my home?!?!

Totally noticed this too! They did such a good job with it

They really did. Their attention to detail went above and beyond their usual standards.

Loving this so far, excited to hear more

A new post is coming up shortly!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

We’re Meeting a Stranger from the Internet?!
Day 1 – Part III

We returned to our room and the glorious, glorious air conditioning. Since Anika was kind enough to allow me the first opportunity to open the door using out magic bands, now it was her turn:

We were shocked to find that our bags had already been delivered to the room – way to go, Magical Express luggage delivery!

Anika immediately staked out a spot on her bed and was ready to conk out. I’m terrible at sleeping at Disney (I can sleep at night just fine, but I have to be pretty darn tired to nap during the day) so I turned on Stacey. Ah, how I've missed you and your must-dos!

Anika was out like a light in no time at all. After watching Stacey for about an hour (doesn’t everybody get sucked into the wonder that is Stacey?!) I became a bit stir-crazy and couldn’t stay in the room another minute. I shut off the TV and very quietly opened and closed the door.

I was still pretty warm so I didn’t want to do much walking, but it was wonderful to stand outside the room and soak up the pretty views. A room down the way from us had this fabulous sign in their window:

Why thank you, I will!

I also wandered around the corner and watched the action at the Hippy Dippy pool – this is the advantage of being on the 4th floor!

While I stood outside I also gave our mom a call. I’d sent her a text from the airport to let her know we’d arrived and were headed for Disney on the Magical Express, but I thought she’d like to know about our room, tour of AoA, and lunch at Landscape of Flavors. She was excited that we’d arrived and were already having fun.

Once I was finished speaking with Mom, I snuck back into the room and found that Anika was still sleeping. I thought it might be fun to reveal the next resort this afternoon so I started preparing the gift bag that would accompany this reveal.

And honestly, I just couldn’t bear to keep the secret much longer.

I sat on the bed and waited. And waited. And kept waiting.



Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and prodded her awake. It’s easy to prod someone awake when you tell them you’ll reveal the next resort on their mysterious vacation.

Keep in mind that she’d just woken up when I filmed this:

SUCCESS!!!



She was completely and totally baffled followed by complete shock. Total win!

During the months leading up to our trip she had been somewhat baffled that Jenny, the mega-Potter fan*, was choosing to bypass Universal on our extended vacation. I’d played it off well, stating that adding Universal would just be too expensive as you’d have to get to Universal, pay for another park ticket, blah, blah, blah. Every time Anika would see a commercial promoting Universal and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter she would turn to Mom and Dad and ask if they could PLEASE convince me to visit Universal as she REALLY wanted to go. (I know this because my mom would call me and tell me this and we would have a good laugh. This happened more than once.)

It turns out that being a theatre major can in fact be useful later in life!

*Not an exaggeration. I LOVE Harry Potter. I’ve read every book multiple times – I have them in both hardcover and Kindle form and read them all at least a few times a year. (For the record, my favorites are book 3, 7, 6, 4, 5, 1, and 2, in that order. I realize it’s unusual to rate Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as #1, but it’s always been my favorite. It introduces you to Sirius! And Lupin! And the Maurauder’s Map! ) I’ve seen every movie (although very well done, the movies do not even COME CLOSE to the wonder that can be found in the books). Anika and I visited Hogsmeade at Universal’s Islands of Adventure back in 2012 and I was absolutely blown away. When I heard about the expansion and building of Diagon Alley, I HAD to get back to Universal. WHERE IS MY BROOMSTICK? GET ME TO THE WIZARDING WORLD!!!

(Where is a flying broomstick smilie when you need it?!)

Back to the reveal! Here’s a picture of the second resort reveal document:

The item she pulled out of the bag was her Platform 9 3/4 lanyard that I'd purchased for the Universal leg of our trip. You can catch a picture of it in my PTR, but you'll also see it through the Universal pictures to come. I was so worried she'd look in my carry-on and find the lanyards and the folded gift bag, but I guess I did a good job of hiding them!

Soon after the big reveal I received a very important text message – my very first DISmeet was about to occur!

I’ve been on the boards since 2011. I’ve read many fabulous trip reports and have always been amazed by how many people seemed to meet in-person after “meeting” on the boards. It was something I’d always wanted to do but not yet had the opportunity. As my luck would have it, several DISers were planning trips in May and I was finally going to be able to meet a few of them. I was SUPER EXCITED!!!



Anika? Not so much. She’s a somewhat shy person until she gets to know you – she’s always nice, just quiet. The thought of making plans to meet strangers was not at all appealing to her. Add in the fact that these were strangers that I knew from the Internet? Anika was not buying into this DISmeet business. She thought I had lost my mind.

She went along with it, though (mostly because she had no choice)!

We headed out to the Hippy Dippy pool to meet the sweet and fabulous @Tracy161 .

Tracy had spent a week at the World on a wonderful solo vacation. She’d managed to catch the last day of the Flower and Garden Festival and experience the 24-hour day. It was great to hear how her trip (and her plans to ride the thrill rides) had gone!

Of course, it didn’t happen unless you take a picture:

We even matched! How awesome is that?!

We spent a long time talking with Tracy about her trip, her plans for her last evening in the World, and our upcoming plans. I let her know that Anika had just learned about the Universal visit so we excitedly talked about that. Tracy had been following along on my PTR so she knew about all of the surprises in store, but she very graciously kept her knowledge to herself. Thank you, Tracy!

Tracy also complimented Anika on her Mickey graduation ears – I’d bought them from the Disney Store prior to the trip to make sure we could get them. I’d heard they were very popular and often sold out. It was a good thing I did as we didn’t see any of them (except on people’s heads!) during our entire trip. If you’re planning on buying graduation ears for May or June, buy them early and bring them with you!

After chatting with Tracy for quite some time (I think it was almost an hour?) we finally parted ways. It was so delightful talking with Tracy that I didn’t even realize so much time had passed until I glanced at my watch. It was like meeting a long, lost friend that I’d known for years (instead of weeks!). She was such a nice woman and was the perfect first DISmeet, especially for my somewhat nervous sister. Thank you DISboards for making it possible!

(And if you have the chance on a future trip, meet up with Tracy! She’s awesome!)

With our first successful DISmeet in the books and about an hour to kill before heading to dinner, we decided to go back to the room, change into swimsuits, and sit by the pool.

That’s exactly what we did. It was glorious.



We headed out to the Pop bus stops around 6:30. There were extra magic hours at the Magic Kingdom that night so the bus line was extra-long. We waited longer than expected for a bus, probably around 15-20 minutes. There were so many people that we didn’t make it onto the first bus that arrived, but thankfully there was another one right behind it.

I love the first bus ride of a Disney vacation! Even the fact that we were packed in like sardines didn’t diminish my happiness. We were finally here and headed to our first ADR of the trip!

It was tough to arrive at the Magic Kingdom only to veer right past it and onto a boat headed elsewhere. At least we were headed somewhere fun!

Fort Wilderness, here we come!

The boat ride to Fort Wilderness was really nice – we were on a slightly bigger boat and had a spot right next to an open window. It was lovely!

Here are a few views along the way:

I also managed to grab a picture of this elusive spot, Disney’s River Country:

Do you see the wooden posts on the left side of the picture? You can spot River Country on your way from the Wilderness Lodge to Fort Wilderness on your right (and the opposite side on your way back). Anika didn’t care much about it, but I was amused!

Soon we arrived at a resort we’d never been to before. Hello, Fort Wilderness!

I had left for dinner pretty early given we had to catch both a bus and a boat to get here, so we ended up having some time to kill once we arrived. Our first order of business was visiting the ticket window to pick up our entry card for the show:

It was going to be our first visit to the legendary Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue! I believe you can also pick up your tickets at your resort, but we had no problem getting ours less than an hour before our show.

With the important thing accomplished, we spent the rest of the time walking around the resort. This was our first stop:

What a nice place! It doesn’t seem possible that a place like this is so close to the craziness that is Magic Kingdom!

We also sat on the stone wall outside Pioneer Hall and people watched. They had cleverly placed a merchandise cart right across from the Hoop-Dee-Doo location and we saw many parents coaxed into stopping by their kids. We also saw many a Frozen pin set leave the merchandise cart with an overjoyed child. The Frozen madness is far from over!

We waited for many of our dining companions to take their picture and eventually get into line and finally decided it was time to do the same. It was time to Hoop-Dee-Doo!

Up Next: The Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue

 

[KathyM2]

Loving your TR so far!!

I used my magic band for my first food purchase of the vacation – that was pretty exciting! Not to mention, oh so easy!

Isn't that just the best? Though it does make it so easy to spend money...

it was large, comfortable, and had tons of tasty and interesting choices. I look forward to returning one day and getting a chance to explore the Cars area (and perhaps eat more chips!)

I'm not sure if they are the same, but they had house made chips at POFQ too and I loved them!

It was going to be our first visit to the legendary Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

Such a fun show!

 

[afwdwfan]

We’re Meeting a Stranger from the Internet?!

Sounds like something my family would say.

I’m terrible at sleeping at Disney (I can sleep at night just fine, but I have to be pretty darn tired to nap during the day) so I turned on Stacey. Ah, how I've missed you and your must-dos!

I'm the same way... Too much to see and do!

Once I was finished speaking with Mom, I snuck back into the room and found that Anika was still sleeping. I thought it might be fun to reveal the next resort this afternoon so I started preparing the gift bag that would accompany this reveal.

And honestly, I just couldn’t bear to keep the secret much longer.

I sat on the bed and waited. And waited. And kept waiting.

You were totally sitting next to her staring at her in a stalker-ish way while she was sleeping, weren't you?

Keep in mind that she’d just woken up when I filmed this:

Because who doesn't want to wake up to a camera in their face?

She was completely and totally baffled followed by complete shock. Total win!

Well done! I'm glad it was a success!

It turns out that being a theatre major can in fact be useful later in life!

*Not an exaggeration. I LOVE Harry Potter. I’ve read every book multiple times – I have them in both hardcover and Kindle form and read them all at least a few times a year. (For the record, my favorites are book 3, 7, 6, 4, 5, 1, and 2, in that order.

I might have to give them a chance. I've seen the first movie... I thought it was alright, but it didn't exactly make me turn around and watch the rest. I do enjoy reading though so I might have to download a book or 2 and give it a chance.

(Where is a flying broomstick smilie when you need it?!)

Sorry, this is a Disney board.

I’ve been on the boards since 2011. I’ve read many fabulous trip reports and have always been amazed by how many people seemed to meet in-person after “meeting” on the boards. It was something I’d always wanted to do but not yet had the opportunity. As my luck would have it, several DISers were planning trips in May and I was finally going to be able to meet a few of them. I was SUPER EXCITED!!!

I know the feeling. I think I'll finally pull a Dismeet off in January.

The thought of making plans to meet strangers was not at all appealing to her. Add in the fact that these were strangers that I knew from the Internet? Anika was not buying into this DISmeet business. She thought I had lost my mind.

Yeah... I could never do a Dismeet with the family.

We even matched! How awesome is that?!

It took months of planning and coordination.

It was tough to arrive at the Magic Kingdom only to veer right past it and onto a boat headed elsewhere.

That would be so hard to do! I always want to get into the parks as soon as possible!

But it looks like you have fun plans for the evening. I'm looking forward to seeing how you enjoy Hoop Dee Doo.

 

[pkondz]

We’re Meeting a Stranger from the Internet?!

That title alone made me laugh!

Since Anika was kind enough to allow me the first opportunity to open the door using out magic bands, now it was her turn:

Seems fair.

We were shocked to find that our bags had already been delivered to the room – way to go, Magical Express luggage delivery!

Woot!

I’m terrible at sleeping at Disney (I can sleep at night just fine,

At first I was a little shocked. Can't sleep at Disney?!?!? Everyone sleeps good at Disney!
Then I read the rest.

(doesn’t everybody get sucked into the wonder that is Stacey?!)

Nope.
I've never seen her on TV in the room.
I don't turn the TV on at Disney.
I'm either in the park, planning my park attack, or sleeping.

A room down the way from us had this fabulous sign in their window:

Love it!

I also wandered around the corner and watched the action at the Hippy Dippy pool – this is the advantage of being on the 4th floor!

Although I did very little of it... I did do some.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and prodded her awake. It’s easy to prod someone awake when you tell them you’ll reveal the next resort on their mysterious vacation.

I picture you sitting there getting more and more excited by the second.

Keep in mind that she’d just woken up when I filmed this:

Darn. At work. Gotta watch it when I'm home.

It turns out that being a theatre major can in fact be useful later in life!

*Not an exaggeration. I LOVE Harry Potter. I’ve read every book multiple times – I have them in both hardcover and Kindle form and read them all at least a few times a year.

Okay! Okay! I'm convinced!

although very well done, the movies do not even COME CLOSE to the wonder that can be found in the books

I'm not entirely sure I've seen the last movie or not.
But you're right. As in all things, the movie can't compare to the book.

Although The Martian did a really good job.

WHERE IS MY BROOMSTICK? GET ME TO THE WIZARDING WORLD!!!

Most women I know would not be happy if they were associated with riding on a broomstick.

The item she pulled out of the bag was her Platform 9 3/4 lanyard that I'd purchased for the Universal leg of our trip.

Nice.

Anika was not buying into this DISmeet business. She thought I had lost my mind.

We headed out to the Hippy Dippy pool to meet the sweet and fabulous @Tracy161 .

What?!?!?!?!? You met... TRACY??!???!???!?

Sooooooo lucky!!

A beautiful picture of two beautiful women.

(And if you have the chance on a future trip, meet up with Tracy! She’s awesome!)

I'd love to. Maybe someday... maybe someday.

With our first successful DISmeet in the books and about an hour to kill before heading to dinner, we decided to go back to the room, change into swimsuits, and sit by the pool.

That’s exactly what we did. It was glorious.

I never have time to just lounge like that.
Trips are too short, too full.

I love the first bus ride of a Disney vacation!

It was tough to arrive at the Magic Kingdom only to veer right past it and onto a boat headed elsewhere.

I seriously doubt I could do that!

I also managed to grab a picture of this elusive spot, Disney’s River Country:

Good catch!

They had cleverly placed a merchandise cart right across from the Hoop-Dee-Doo location and we saw many parents coaxed into stopping by their kids.

The evil that is Disney.

The Frozen madness is far from over!

Oh, I know.
I was visited by an Olaf and Elsa or two on Halloween.

 

[Tracy161]

"We're going to meet a stranger from the internet?!" This cracked me up when you first mentioned it in May but it's STILL funny!!!!!!!!!!

Awww, the big reveal was SO amazing!!!

I can't thank you both enough for our fabulous Dismeet, and all the kind things you said. I had such a wonderful time with you two and felt so honored that you spent part of your arrival day with me. It really did feel like we'd known each other for years. You both are SUCH lovely ladies.

So excited to see how the rest of your day was!

 

[pkondz]

I finally saw the video!!

And it's awesome!!
I loved her reaction!

And @Tracy161

 

[jandlinz]

I loved Anika's reveal. You can tell what a surprise it was for her. Your DISmeet sounds like it was so much fun. It's nice to talk with another Disney fan. I'm looking forward to your Hoop de do Revue, review.

 

[Stefy]

Loving everything so far, especially the video reveals. Your sister is too cute with her reactions

Art of Animation is such a beautiful resort, on our trip last year we stopped by to check out Lanscape of Flavours. Next time you should try create your own pasta, it's delish.

Oh and having the third Harry Potter book as your fab is not unusual as its my favourite one too

Looking forward to reading more