Have A Nice Trip [Report], See You THIS Fall! UPDATE - 8/10!

[DanniDeer]

Howdy!!

I'm so glad you're here, and I can't wait to share all the adventures this season has in store for us!

That's right: SEASON!

We've got so many cool things and trips coming up this fall, and I want to document all of them!
Plus, this is just the kick I need to get back into taking pictures!

I think this would be a good place for introductions...

My name is Danni!
I'm 23 years young, and have lived in the Sunshine State my entire life!
I'd like to say I don't always look that ridiculous in photos, but let's face it:
I absolutely do.
I love arts & crafts, cooking & baking, ampersands, and the oxford comma.
Some of my Disney favorites include:
Park – Magic Kingdom, followed closely by Hollywood Studios
Ride – Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion, and the left track of Space Mountain.
Snack – I am absolutely in love with all things caramel. Especially caramel apples. But I don't think I could ever turn down an American Dream from Epcot!
Pixar Movie – UP! Hands down.
Disney Movie – I was the girl growing up that, when asked about my favorite princess, would say Aladdin. But Tangled was phenomenal, and I loved every second of it.

You can find me on
Twitter as DanniDeer,
Instagram as DanniDear,
or on my blog!

This is Johnny. He's 22, and my best friend in the entire galaxy.
His family is from Pittsburgh, but he's lived here for most of his life.
He's the goofiest, sweetest, and dimpliest guy I know, and I'm out of my mind in love with him.
He is a fountain of random trivia, especially about old movies, history, and Disney.
His favorites are a little different than mine
Park – Epcot, hands down.
Ride – Haunted Mansion at the top, no doubt. But also, Great Movie Ride and Star Tours.
Snack - Churros. Boy loves his churros.
Pixar Movie – Finding Nemo
Disney Movie – I asked him this once, and his actual response was “god, there are so many Disney movies.”

And this is the most accurate picture of us, to date.
We love Disney [obviously], traveling, coffee dates, learning, video & board games, and everything about Fall.
This is our most favorite time of year [also when we met!], and the perfect time to document our expeditions!

We always joke around that our relationship was based on five things:
1- LOST, the tv show
2- 90's nostalgia
3- Disney
4- Continental breakfasts
5- Hockey.

I'm a huge Tampa Bay Lightning fan, with a gigantic soft spot for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's all about the Pens, and has learned to love my Bolts. It works. Most of the time.


We live on the Space Coast of Central Florida with our 2 ½ year old puppy, Holly [short for HollyWeen because we got her in October. Told you we like the season...], and are fixing to renew our Disney annual passes for the third year. Those little passes certainly get their workout!

Potato Pup, for reference, and added adorability.

This year, however, we're adding something to our Orlando theme park repertoire...
Universal/Islands of Adventure passes!
I know, I know: “The Dark Side”.
But we have our reasons!
I'm a humongous Harry Potter lover [sorted Hufflepuff!], and have recently gotten Johnny seriously into it.
I've seen the Wizarding World of Harry Potter before, but he hasn't.
Even though he's been sorted into Slytherin , I still want him to experience the whole thing!

I think that is about all for now...
I'm trying to keep some of our plans under wraps!
But starting this is so exciting!
Let me know if you're following along ​

 

[DanniDeer]

Chapters!

1 - 2011: Turning 21 Around the World
2 - August 9, 2013: Yer A Wizard, Johnny!

 

[Kristi391]

I stubbled upon this thread and I'm so glad I did! Anyone who loves Disney, random trivia, Harry Potter and hockey has got to be one of the coolest people in the world!

I love all of those things too! In fact in the past few days I was crunching numbers to see if a trip to the World/Wings@Bolts game is in the cards for me in December! Anytime I can combine my love of hockey and love of Disney it's a win win! So far I've only been able to do it with Disneyland but now that the Wings are in the east...

Anyways, can't wait to read more of your adventures!

 

[DanniDeer]

I stubbled upon this thread and I'm so glad I did! Anyone who loves Disney, random trivia, Harry Potter and hockey has got to be one of the coolest people in the world!

I love all of those things too! In fact in the past few days I was crunching numbers to see if a trip to the World/Wings@Bolts game is in the cards for me in December! Anytime I can combine my love of hockey and love of Disney it's a win win! So far I've only been able to do it with Disneyland but now that the Wings are in the east...

Anyways, can't wait to read more of your adventures!

Awh yay! I'm glad you accidentally found me!

My dad grew up in Detroit, so he was a big Wings fan! And games in Tampa Bay are awesome, with the Tesla Coils and everything!

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

You know I'm on board! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TRIP!

 

[danimaroo]

I'm following along of course!! I'm so happy you've started a PTR! This fall is going to be epic for you.. plus we get to hang out, so there is that, too.

I'm a little excited.

 

[DanniDeer]

You know I'm on board! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TRIP!

I'm following along of course!! I'm so happy you've started a PTR! This fall is going to be epic for you.. plus we get to hang out, so there is that, too.

I'm a little excited.

Yes. Yes. Yes. YEEEEESSSSS.
I'm not excited at all...

 

[DanniDeer]

2011: a picture review <3

We got our first annual passes August of 2011, and aside from two other quick trips, our first real day was Epcot, for...

Johnny's 21st birthday!!

which just so happens to coincide with...

The Food & Wine Festival!!

Talk about an epic 21st birthday celebration!

we weren't alone, though
accompanied by his brother & sister, and their [at the time!] fiances!
Both are since married :]
And J is the youngest of 5

Drinks were had

all around the world

a lot of drinks.

delicious drinks.

And let me tell you, Disney does not skimp on the amount of alcohol they put in those beverages.
Especially once they see that “Happy Birthday” pin...
Like in the Happy Lychee, the CM literally finished the bottle of vodka into Johnny's cup.

one of our first pictures together, as a couple!

...that's more like it.

Lunch was a Welsch Dragon from Rose & Crown

just kidding. It was the delicious brisket.

To this day, Rose and Crown remains one of my favorite places in all of Walt Disney World to eat.
I love it so much! And I enjoy that you can bring back your receipt to get into their viewing area for IllumiNations!

Johnny chose the Beer Flight, and I'm pretty sure I ended up drinking his StrongBow.
I'm a huge cider fan, and while he likes it, it's definitely not his favorite.

We did venture out to find more amazing drinks around the World Showcase

and into shops where dreams are made.

I have a Werther's problem. That shop is my Achilles' heel.

but ultimately, the day ended with my favorite ice cream by the fountain.



My next post will probably be our 2012 adventures at Disney World, and hopefully an actual trip update....but I'll just leave this here...

Up Next: Yer A Wizard, Johnny!

​

 

[wiigirl]

Following along.

 

[PrincessBrittany06]

cant wait to read more!

 

[DanniDeer]

Following along.

yay! I'm so glad!

cant wait to read more!

that makes me so happy! I can't wait to write more!

 

[DanniDeer]

I'm kind of going to “Tarantino” these next two updates...
As in the director, Quentin Tarantino.

If you're unfamiliar with this terminology, let me explain...

Tarantino (tair-un-TEE-no)
verb - to tell a story or joke by revealing the ending or punchline first.


I'll start with a quick recap of this past week.
The original plan was to spend Friday [yesterday] at Islands of Adventure with one of my best friends, and we were going to pick her up to ride together, as her annual pass was already active and we could use it for parking.

Well, her dad and younger sister [also passholders] caught wind of these plans, and decided they wanted to stay the night in Orlando on Thursday to be at Islands of Adventure early Friday.

They were kind enough to extend the offer of a sofa bed to Johnny and I, which we graciously accepted! Especially since passholders get into Islands of Adventure an hour early until September 2nd, and we really wanted that extra hour advantage on normal park crowds.

The ability to start our day in Orlando was awesome, considering the time we would have to leave home otherwise. Let me break it down for you:

8:00 am park opening
-15 min travel time from garage to entrance
7:45
-1 hr 30 min drive from my BFF's house to Universal
6:15
-35 min trip from our house to hers
5:40
- ~45 min to get dressed, take care of the pup, and eat breakfast.


That puts us getting out of bed BEFORE 5 AM, people.
Not including the time we would have spent at the ticket booth getting our confirmation pages turned into actual passes.

Now on to the chronologically incorrect adventures of our two days in Orlando!

Thursday night, we met up with A, K, & K [my best friend, her dad, and sister]

Everything A & I had read listed Universal closing at 10.
There was no specific directive this night, other than to convert Johnny and I's passes over and maybe ride anything with a short enough line.
It was about 8:45 when we were meandering down CityWalk,
and were greeted at Universal by closed gates. All of them.
We just assumed the websites were wrong and they were closing at nine.

Hornswaggled, but it was not a trip in vain...

we are OFFICIALLY owners of these bad boys.

We moseyed back up toward the cars, stopping at assorted random shops just because we could.
A pit stop for food on the way back to the hotel was necessary, and delicious.

It turns out A's dad had gotten a free upgrade, which left Johnny and I in a second bedroom with a king sized bed, and its own bathroom.

King bed with no 60 pound dog = way more room than a full sized bed WITH dog.
After a shower and some cartoons, we slept like logs.
I'm just assuming logs are notorious for their ability to sleep.
Which was good, because we had an awesome morning ahead of us.


Friday, August 9th

6:15 came awfully early, for Johnny.
I was up at 5:30 because I was too excited.
Plus, Tom & Jerry was on.

We were up and dressed by 6:55, and finishing up a continental breakfast COMPLETE WITH MICKEY WAFFLES by 7:15.
It was a beautiful thing.


Let me just digress here for a minute.
My favorite game in the entire world is,
“pick coordinating outfits for Johnny and I, and see how long it takes him to notice.”
I think it's the most hysterical thing in the world to be out in public, for him to realize we're dressed the same.
I always pack our clothes when we go on trips, and I've gotten pretty good at subtly asking what he's wearing each day.
My record is about 7 hours last October, ruined only by a Cast Member at Mission: Space declaring us the cutest couple ever, and asking whose idea it was to match.

This day was stripes.

and a very specifically colored hair bow I had made a few days prior.
Why black and yellow, you ask?

Because I am 140% Hufflepuff!
If that doesn't give away our plans, I don't know what will!
I don't have a lot of pictures of Harry Potter stuff in this post,
but just giving you a heads up in case you don't wanna see any...

[Digression #2: I have been placed into Hufflepuff by every single Sorting Hat-type fashion possible. Pottermore. The professor of a Harry Potter literature class I took in college. A Twister board style spinning pin at the gift shop on CityWalk. All of them.]

We had a date at Hogsmeade!
This would be Johnny's first time visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and we were both out of our minds excited.

He's recently starting reading the books for the first time
[BLASPHEMY, I KNOW!]
and has absolutely fallen in love with the series.
Getting to watch him experience everything in the park,
and be able to point out different things from the books
[he's currently on the bed behind me reading Goblet of Fire]
was amazing to see.
[He's sorted Gryffindor, and is pretty much Ron Weasley. It fits with his family. Trust me.]

Our first stop, while we had about an hour head start on the other Muggles was towards Hogwarts!

The whole queue is perfectly done.
I really don't want to ruin it for anyone that hasn't seen it,
and my mediocre cellphone pictures don't do it justice.
So I'll just leave this here.

I will say that Forbidden Journey is the best, and my favorite, ride I have ever been on.
Johnny agreed, and he was pretty much in awe his entire first time.
I actually had ridden FJ before I'd ever been on Soarin', so the first time I went on that,
I kind of channeled my inner Shania Twain - “that don't impress me much”.
I appreciate Soarin', but really it's apples to wizarding oranges.

After that, it was Flight of the Hippogriff!
I love seeing Hagrid's hut.
It's seriously magical.

I tried taking a video, but it was too bright.
However you can see A's dad and sister in front of us,
and get a pretty sweet view of Hogsmeade :]

Before continuing on, we stopped for the second thing I was most looking forward to watching Johnny experience....

his first butterbeer!!

You can get it cold, much like a soda,
or you can get it frozen.
They're two completely different awesome tastes.
I prefer the frozen, but we got one of each.
And he liked the cold better!
...weirdo.

Deliciously refreshing beverages in hand, we got in line for Ollivander's Wand Shop.
Which is actually an adorable little show before being spit out into the actual shops.
But can we talk about how gorgeous of a day it was?!
Definitely hot [It's August. In Florida. Come on.], but there was actually a nice breeze!

Universal really put a Disney-level of detail into this area,
and I really can't wait to take my big camera on a photo adventure soon.

The walls are just lined and filled with wands.
Floor to ceiling. It is incredible.

The last thing we rode before heading out of the Wizarding World was the Dragon Challenge.
We did it once on each side: Chinese Fireball and Hungarian Horntail.
Chinese Fireball [aka – red side] felt a lot more flippy and twisty.
And the [blue side] Hungarian Horntail seemed just faster and crazier.
At least to me. I preferred the Horntail.

The second time we were in line, a girl in the group in front of us eavesdropped our entire conversation.

And by “eavesdropped”, I mean fully turned around so often to listen, you would have thought she was part of our group. She even made eye contact with me while I was talking.
I get super creeped out by strangers sometimes, and this was definitely a sometime.
The level at which I can no longer cope with people was slowly being reached.


We also walked through the shops, but it was getting so crowded in the small stores.
I cannot handle being in overly congested areas, and this was enough to push me over that people limit.

Our group headed towards Jurassic Park, stopping along the way for

popcorn and drinks!

Obviously, I took this picture at home
[if you look closely, you can see my HM wallpaper desktop...]
but as a passholder, buying the popcorn tubs and souvenir cups are SO worth it.
$.99 to refill either of them, or free for ice water.

We rode Jurassic Park River Adventure, which is kind of short, but pretty great.
It is a water ride, and I've seen people get DRENCHED,
but our row escaped pretty unbuttered.
[I just looked up a synonym for “dry”, and unbuttered was a suggestion.
It's completely irrelevant, and I love it.]
My shorts were soggier from sitting in the bench water from a previous run than our actual ride.
Great success!

At this point, it was around 3, and we found our way to Marvel with the intentions of riding either the Hulk or the updated Spider-Man, but both had waits longer than we were willing to take on.

So Johnny and I said our goodbyes to A and her family, with all of the gratitude to her father for letting us crash in their room!

After trying to find something specific in the stores on CityWalk with no luck, we decided to stop for food before heading back home.

It turned out to be a good thing because it poured down rain as we were eating.
It turned out to be a bad thing because a 2 mile drive down the road ended up being a 25 minute ordeal because one car intentionally wouldn't let me over into the lane I needed. Some very unDisney-like, and unladylike words were screamed at other drivers.

We got home in the early evening and snuggled our puppy while we watched Gravity Falls and took naps.

Thanks to Matt & Danielle for getting us thoroughly obsessed with that show. It's too good.

It was a very awesome second day in Orlando.

Guess you'll just have to stick around and see what we did the day before!​

 

[beachphotog]

Love this! You guys are adorbs! One thing I am so excited about my move is getting AP's for Disney- and Universal! I used to be anti-Universal, my parents raised me to be a good, Disney abiding citizen. But, HARRY POTTER! I mean, it's only right that I get an AP to enjoy Potter world!

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

Such great photos! I seriously need to go there at some point. Also, as I've already mentioned, I love the bow. HUFFLEPUFF FOR LYFE.

I really want to try butterbeer. More than anything.

Also, in case you didn't know, you and Johnny are the best. Yup, that's all there is to it.

Also also, as of today: ONE MONTH!

 

[DanniDeer]

Love this! You guys are adorbs! One thing I am so excited about my move is getting AP's for Disney- and Universal! I used to be anti-Universal, my parents raised me to be a good, Disney abiding citizen. But, HARRY POTTER! I mean, it's only right that I get an AP to enjoy Potter world!

Awh thanks!

If I had to choose, it'd be Disney over Universal any day, but the fact that annual passes for universal cost less than a two day ticket kind of sold us. Wizarding World is so perfect, it's ridiculous. It seriously has a Disney-level of detail that is more than missing from the rest of the two parks. Though the new Simpsons Springfield expansion in Universal looks amazing, and I can't wait to explore that, plus Diagon Alley when that opens!

 

[DanniDeer]

Such great photos! I seriously need to go there at some point. Also, as I've already mentioned, I love the bow. HUFFLEPUFF FOR LYFE.

I really want to try butterbeer. More than anything.

Also, in case you didn't know, you and Johnny are the best. Yup, that's all there is to it.

Also also, as of today: ONE MONTH!

HUFFLLLLEEEEPUUUUFFFF!!!

and we're only the second best, to you and Dani

I cannot believe your trip is in less than a month.
mind literally blown.
It seems like yesterday you guys were just hitting 180.

bahhhh!! I cannot wait.

 

[HollowGrl]

Hello!! I'm in, I'd love to read more!
We will be in Orlando next October and we will be going to some halloween events, HHN, Howl O scream, MNSSHP...
Btw, best dog name ever