"I bet they get Charmin" A May 2014 Girls Trip **04/03 THE END**

[MarieLightning]

Day 8, Part 11: "And all our Wishes will come true"

Our last FastPass of the trip was really a no brainer for us.

Back in October, we had gotten to experience sitting and relaxing in the Rose Garden while viewing Wishes, and we felt that was just an awesome way to do it. It pretty much guarantees a good view, with sitting perks!

So after making our initial FP+ selection, we checked in every day or so to wait for the Parades and Fireworks FastPasses to be released (I think now they're there at the same time as everything else, but at that point they were still being released closer to 30 days out, really just at random) and we luckily managed to snatch those Wishes FPs+! Having linked Hayley on our MDE account, we were also able to select one for her so she'd be able to join us as she had throughout the day.

So after meeting the Princesses, we headed back over toward the main Hub and got in line to enter the Rose Garden. We sat ourselves in a good spot - which, admittedly, we did so by disregarding the directives of a Cast Member, although it wasn't really a command as much as a suggestion. She was mentioning how there was more room further down in the garden, but at that point there would be trees in the way, which we pointed out. She snarkily remarked they were fireworks - we snarkily responded that Celebrate the Magic is on the Castle, not in the sky.

Ultimately, there weren't even that many people that anyone had to sit in that far off section.

We settled down, and Hayley got another shot of us as we were getting seated.

Clearly, we hadn't gotten all the silly out yet.

Celebrate The Magic started before too long, and then it was Wishes. Amber prefers IllumiNations, and I love all fireworks show really, but I don't think anything can fully compare to the essence of magic you get from Wishes.

And I don't think I'll ever be able to take a trip to Disney World in which the last night does not involve seeing Wishes. Well, there may come such a time, but it'll be lacking something for me.

So we watched, I teared up, and much too soon it was all over.

Thankfully, the same couldn't be said for our night as the park wasn't closing for another two hours or so, and then there were Extra Magic Hours, and so we had a potential of four more hours of soaking in the magic!

We decided to start that time out by getting some ice cream. I mean, what better way right?

We all headed to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, got our selection, and made our way across Main Street to take seats next to Casey's Corner.

Veronica got the Plaza Ice Cream Sundae, and was as impressed as ever by our need to take a picture of her ice cream as she set it down on the table.

Traci got herself the All-American Sundae, which she'd obviously already dug in at this point (can you blame her?)

Eli didn't want too much, so she opted for the Mickey Mouse Kids' Cone (sans cone), with a scoop of raspberry sorbet.

Amber and I decided to split an Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, with chocolate chip cookies and birthday cake ice cream.

I admittedly had the bigger share of it, because Amber also decided to treat herself to a Rootbeer Float.

And Merranda also got herself an Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, with chocolate chip cookies as well, and mint chocolate chips ice cream.

All happy campers!

Eli is missing from the picture as she was also craving something salty, so she went in Casey's to get herself an order of fries. Also, Veronica looks like she's modelling for an ice cream add, but her eyes say "if one more person interrupt my ice cream eating with a picture, I'm gonna make them eat their camera"

All was well though as we all enjoyed our snack with no more photo interruption, and then we headed on our way toward Adventureland! We decided to make a few more photo stops first, because we were just not done being crazy for the night.

At this point, Eli told Hayley she should really countdown before taking her pictures. I assumed that meant she hadn't been ready for the previous shot.

I was wrong.

We next headed over to take a few pictures fountain side.

I'm fairly sure comment isn't necessary.

At that point though, it was getting darker out and pictures weren't coming out as well anymore, so we decided to snap one last shot and officially call it quits on the photoshoot.

Superhero shot! Amber is Sailor Mooning it up.

That taken care of, we finally made our way (for real this time) into Adventureland!

We had a couple of friends to meet, so we stopped by and got in line so we could visit the Pixie Hollow gals!

TinkerBell was my solo meet, but Hayley also really wanted to meet Tink one last time in her original meeting setting, as at that point she would be moving over to the Town Saqure Theater soon, and this place had a strong meaning to her.

Before too long, we got ourselves shrinked to pixie size and headed in to meet our first fairy friend - Rosetta!

Amber and I were excited as we'd never met her before, and we knew that with Tink's moving, it would be our last chance to meet a new fairy friend. We'd met Periwinkle in November, before we'd gotten in the TinkerBell movies (which, the latest one is great but also incredibly sad guys), and in October we'd met Tink flying solo. At least by meeting Rosetta, we were able to check another fairy off our list! Hayley had met her several times before though, so she opted out of this picture.

Next, we moved on to our very excitable friend!

Hayley went in first and gave her a present of green pixie dust, before getting a picture (which I don't have as she took it on her phone).

I went in next and got my own solo picture.

And then everyone else moved in! Traci was very taken by how glittery she was, and complimented her on it.

Eli then asked for a selfie while bringing her phone up, but Tink suddenly got worried. She was scared she might get sucked into it, the silly fairy.

We reassured her she wouldn't, and she gladly obliged.

And then of course, we wanted a group picture with her center stage!

And she took us to our word.

She had us cracking up so hard, it was hilarious! Honestly, such a stellar meet. There are really some characters, and sometimes performers, that make me want to go up and give a good comment to Guest Relations, but it would be pretty tricky to pinpoint them without knowing the name of their friend.

After a her mini photoshoot, she did step back and join us, and we got our group photo.

We bid her goodbye and stepped outside.

At that point, Amber wasn't feeling very good. She'd been feeling off for a bit of the evening, and by now her heart was pounding and she had a headache, so she didn't think she could keep going. It was definitely sad because she wanted to, but she didn't feel up to it at all. I was uncertain about sticking around without her - it didn't feel right to spend the last bit of Disney time without her - but she convinced me to stay, and headed back to the hotel with Eli, who was also done for the night.

She left her MagicBand with us so that Hayley could join in if she wanted to get on rides though, as it was getting closer to Extra Magic Hours.

First thing we did after splitting up was head back into Fantasyland. Upon exiting Princess Fairytale Hall earlier on, I had come across something I'd been wanting but hadn't seen any of thus far in the trip - Anna and Elsa Animator Dolls! Of course, the amount of Frozen merchandise was extremely limited in the first place, so that wasn't surprising. Now, they had some in stock though!

Seeing as I'd already gotten my Tink doll at Downtown Disney, I was reasonable and picked out Anna. Traci got herself a shirt, and we moved on to our first ride of those Extra Magic Hours.

For the occasion, we picked a classic the girl had not done, and although Eli would miss out on it, I just could no condone skipping it - It's A Small World!

I know, we really know how to make the most of EMHs.

We ended up getting on the boat at the same time as a frump some of you may know - Kristen. She was there with a friend at a time, though I didn't really get to talk to her as Hayley sat behind them and I sat in the back row, but I did mention how I'd enjoyed her TRs.

We decided to ride the Haunted Mansion next (which again, felt a bit wrong to do so without Amber as she'd been looking forward to riding it at night again, but we went on anyhow), and then headed toward Frontierland to close off the night with one last ride!

We got on Big Thunder Mountain, because it's more awesome at night, but we were sitting a bit closer to the front so it wasn't exactly that exciting. It was still a nice ride through in the dark though, and once we got off, we decided we were ready to pretty much call it quits for the night.

We made our way back toward the front of the park, where we got ourselves a final (for real this time) photoshoot picture, because Merranda and Veronica had discussed doing a boy band pose earlier that day, so we had to do it!

And then we got a very last photopass picture in front of the castle, to close things off properly, with Walt over our shoulder.

We walked down Main Street U.S.A. for the last time, and stopped by the Emporium to do some last minute browsing. Veronica decided to get Amber an Agent P plush to help her feel better, and also as a thank you for the trip.

Hayley also had to leave at that point, so she returned the MagicBand she'd borrowed and we thanked her for the pictures and for spending the day with us. We finished up our last few purchases, made our way over to the bus stops and headed back to the resort, where Amber and Eli were already asleep, and after a long, eventful day, we followed their lead before too long.

Click for next post​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Hmmm, a lot of snark floating around there huh?

This really is a very unique perspective and vantage point to view Wishes. Of course even though it is a Wishes FP, Celebrate The Magic becomes a nice bonus.

Wishes is fuel for the soul. Period.

I especially love seeing Wishes knowing there is still a good chunk of open park time still to come!!!!!

Aww man, I wish they would bring back the Fairy Friends. So many of them I never met.

OMG I LOVE THOSE TINK PHOTOS!!!!! How precious is she??? That is super awesome!

Aww Bummer that Amber wasn't feeling up to staying. That's the worst. The heart and mind so willing buy the body just won't give in.

 

[courtneybelle]

Woo Dominican Republic! Wish I were going somewhere warm...two more months.

Tiana is so beautiful!!

I also enjoy a good nap on the PeopleMover.

Love all of your FoF pics though I'm especially partial to the one of Philip...

HAHAHAHA oh my gosh, I love the pic of everyone holding Amber!

NAVEEN he's so handsome!

Your photoshoots are unreal.

Ughhhhh I miss ice cream from The Plaza!!!

I'm cracking up at Tink's photos!! She is TOO funny!

 

[Newsies]

"She snarkily remarked they were fireworks - we snarkily responded that Celebrate the Magic is on the Castle, not in the sky" WOOF! The SHADE of it all! Approved!

That ice cream looks fab-u-lus.

Oh my goodness. The group shots. This WHOLE TR could be, like, an informational pamphlet designed to get people to go to WDW with their friends.

That Tink meet was stellar! She's so cute!

Aww, what a nice way to end the day. HM, IASW, and a photo in front of the castle- perfection

 

[MarieLightning]

Hmmm, a lot of snark floating around there huh?

This really is a very unique perspective and vantage point to view Wishes. Of course even though it is a Wishes FP, Celebrate The Magic becomes a nice bonus.

Wishes is fuel for the soul. Period.

I especially love seeing Wishes knowing there is still a good chunk of open park time still to come!!!!!

Aww man, I wish they would bring back the Fairy Friends. So many of them I never met.

OMG I LOVE THOSE TINK PHOTOS!!!!! How precious is she??? That is super awesome!

Aww Bummer that Amber wasn't feeling up to staying. That's the worst. The heart and mind so willing buy the body just won't give in.

What can I say - I don't like passive aggressive If you try to make me sound stupid, I'll make you sound stupid right back. I mean, I get that it's their job and we are always first in line to follow CM instructions, but there really was no reasoning to it at this point - it's not like they'd been sending people to sit down in order from left to right and we were next to follow, people plop down where they want. Why pinpoint our group to send us off into uncharted territories?

It's definitely nice to be able to relax and enjoy it all, and I love seeing Tink fly right above us! I guess that won't be the case anymore with the new plaza location, but I'm still gonna be curious to see how that pans out. And I love Celebrate the Magic so much, so having a great view of it definitely is a bonus!

Is really is! It's wonderful. It feels magical (although 1000% less so) even watching it at home on a computer screen.

Come to think of it, I don't think we've ever been in the park and seen Wishes when it was closing off the night. We've always had time to spend in the Magic Kingdom post fireworks. We do typically plan our days around EMHs though. I know some people prefer avoiding those, but it's usually worked well for us.

I know! I think they do still have them all meeting at Disneyland, because they have a whole Pixie Hollow meeting area over there, but I wish I'd gotten to meet Iridessa or Fawn or Silvermist. Or even Vidia. They are all ethnic groups other than caucasian though, save Vidia, so they probably don't have quite as many friends to work with. Actually, I'm not sure how often I've even heard of people meeting these gals at the Magic Kingdom.

Tink was soooo awesome! We've met our share of great TinkerBells, I think that's really one of the reasons she climbed up my spot of favorite characters. And the fact that, although it took us forever to give in to her new movies (because at first it was like, really? That's not TInkerBell), they are really good. Though now that they've cancelled what were to be the last two, 7 and 8, we'll never know what happened and why she left Pixie Hollow to join in with Peter. Amber maintains they all die and Tink gets away. I don't think they would have put that in a Disney movie though, so I think she just fell in love with Peter and decided to leave. I guess the deaths would explain why she's so jealous and jaded in Peter Pan though. We'll never know.

It was the worst. She felt so badly about not being able to stay, and I hated seeing her go. She just couldn't keep going and needed the rest though, so she had to go with the wiser decision.

Woo Dominican Republic! Wish I were going somewhere warm...two more months.

Tiana is so beautiful!!

I also enjoy a good nap on the PeopleMover.

Love all of your FoF pics though I'm especially partial to the one of Philip...

HAHAHAHA oh my gosh, I love the pic of everyone holding Amber!

NAVEEN he's so handsome!

Your photoshoots are unreal.

Ughhhhh I miss ice cream from The Plaza!!!

I'm cracking up at Tink's photos!! She is TOO funny!

Woooo indeed! Leaving tomorrow! And it's okay Courtney, you'll be in sunshiny Florida for six whole months!

She is gorgeous, always and consistently! It's amazing really.

PeopleMover is legit one of the best Magic Kingdom rides. If we ever go to a 24 hour day (we were gonna try this year, but money isn't looking good for that) we'd probably end up spending a lot of time on the PeopleMover.

I love Festival of Fantasy so much! Amber still resents it some. But Philip is pretty flawless

It turned out pretty good, didn't it? Wasn't she a silly for not wanting to do it? Honestly, like we'd drop her

He is! He was really smooth, too. It was really great meeting him by himself.

Glad you're liking it! We had so much fun with it, honestly. Well, mostly the second part. We were just on a high and cracking up the whole time, it was great.

I miss it too! I miss everything Disney. I wish I was going tomorrow. I wish I could live in Orlando!

Tink was really awesome! Honestly, one of my favorite meets from the whole trip I would say. She had us all laughing.

"She snarkily remarked they were fireworks - we snarkily responded that Celebrate the Magic is on the Castle, not in the sky" WOOF! The SHADE of it all! Approved!

That ice cream looks fab-u-lus.

Oh my goodness. The group shots. This WHOLE TR could be, like, an informational pamphlet designed to get people to go to WDW with their friends.

That Tink meet was stellar! She's so cute!

Aww, what a nice way to end the day. HM, IASW, and a photo in front of the castle- perfection

When you gotta throw shade, you gotta! Seriously though, did she think we had no idea of what was coming? Eesh.

It was! Though, I try to vary my picks when I get an ice cream cookie sandwich, and although I love birthday cake ice cream, I'd probably go with something else next time. It's the kind of ice cream that's more enjoyable in small quantities, and they really pile it up in those things!

Well, we'd probably have a section featuring what not to do, because it definitely was not a success the whole way through, but ultimately I do think we managed to have a pretty good trip!

She really was adorable, and hilarious!

It would have been more perfect with the whole group there, but you gotta do what you gotta do. And you always need one last picture in front of the castle

 

[amberg93]

Tomorrow Marie and I will be on our way to the Dominican Republic for a week in the sun! However, we really wanted to get this finished up before we left so that's what we've got for you, the two last updates, a trip overview and final thoughts from each of us. Have a very Happy Easter and pixie dust to you all.

Departure 1: Parting of the Ways

On departure day we'd have three different times people were leaving because of flight situations. Since Marie and I wanted to see everyone off, that meant getting up with the first person who happened to be Veronica. Her bus was at 6:35, so we woke up at 6. This was a lot easier for me than it was Marie since she'd stayed out later but we all managed.

Veronica presented me with the Agent P plushie she bought me the night before, which was really kind of her. I loved it and he lives in my bedroom now, watching over all of our bows.

It might have been early, but you bet I documented our walk again.

I love the calmness of a resort this early in the morning.

I really like that this display actually showed the winner of the marathon, that was pretty cool.

We got Veronica checked in.

And I forced her and Marie into a very tired looking picture.

We stayed until the Tragical Express pulled up and then I made my way back to the room. Marie stopped off for some breakfast but I had the camera so there are no pictures to prove what I'm saying is the truth. Just trust me. I like you guys, I wouldn't lie to you.

At that point it was time to wake Traci up because she had a departure at 7:30.

Before we knew it we were walking back up to airport check in to get her all sorted out. We also brought Eli and Merranda to get breakfast if they wanted while we were seeing Traci off.

Jealous of the people going to the parks.

Selfies in my half off Flower and Garden festival shirt. (My hair was so shot not even a year ago)

Another departure picture.

But this time I get one too.

Once Traci left we still had a bit of time before our bus so we headed back to our room to get all of our things packed up and squared away, as well as cleaning up any loose ends.

So much sleepiness.

Food tray proving that food was indeed bought and consumed.

Once everything was squared we made our way back up to the airport check in desk for the third time that day. This time though, Marie and I got to check-in which was a new thing for us. Usually flying Air Canada we can't check our bags or check in at the resort and we had to admit that it was really nice to take advantage of this service.

Merranda's flight would be a few hours after ours but she didn't want to wait alone at the resort, so for the Magical Express stuff we fibbed and said she was on our flight so she could leave with us to the airport.

When bored I have nothing better to do than take pictures of everyone.

And signs.

Continued in Next Post​

 

[MarieLightning]

Departure 2: Longer than Expected

As we waited for our transfer to the airport to arrive, Amber and I decided we needed a we-sie to commemorate our departure.

Wait... that's much too happy.

Okay, that's better.

You can also notice I'm sporting a beautiful sunburn mark from my bag. I'm skilled at awkward tan lines.

Also, prompts to anyone that noticed I'm a weirdo who wore two different shirts on the same morning, because I'm a clutz who spilt stuff on herself.

We waited some more as buses passed by but headed further down, not stopping for us.

Ultimately, the dreaded moment arrived and our Traigcal Express stopped in front of us. We boarded and settled in our seats.

And the most tragical part of all - we got a yellow Mears bus. Such an unmagical way of finishing up a trip. I'm already depressed guys, did you really have to kick me when I'm already down?

The ride itself went by smoothly and way too quick. Once we arrived at the airport, we unfortunately had to part from Merranda as her flight and ours were taking off from different terminals. We gave hugs and said goodbyes, and Amber, Eli and I made our way toward our check in area.

We waited in the disaster zone that is Orlando Airport TSA, but ultimately we got through with minor hassle.

We hopped onto the Fake-o-rail, which is much less exiting upon departure time than it is when arriving.

And we arrived in our terminal, with a bit of time to spare before boarding time.

We decided we might as well kill that time with an early lunch, so we headed toward the restaurants section and we all split up to get our respective (sadly non Disney) food.

Amber got this pizza thing (okay, Calzone, but pizza thing works too right?) from... somewhere. I don't remember what the restaurant was called. They sold pizza things.

She ate some of it, but ultimately there was a lot of cheese in there which got to be too much at some point.

Eli and I headed over to Burger King, where I got a chicken sandwich.

And she got a Whopper.

With our bellies full of pixie dust lacking meals, we made our way toward our gate, where we would be flying JetBlue once more. Boarding went well and was on time, and we departed right about the time we were supposed to, at 1:37 pm.

We had a bit of a bumpy ride, which didn't agree with Eli in the slightest, but ultimately we made it back in one piece and landed in Newark on schedule at 4:20.

We headed toward bag check and got our luggage situated. At that point, we parted with Eli as well, as her mother would be coming to pick her up, and we had to check back in for our return to Montreal. Or so we thought (dun dun dun).

For those of you who have followed along, you may remember (or you may also not because it was a fairly unimportant detail at the very beginning of this trip report) that we were given a bit of the side eye when crossing the boarder as I, a Canadian, didn't have a return ticket. The reason for that was that we were flying home on standby.

What standby is, for someone like me who works in the travel industry and gets certain perks with their partnered airline (in this instance, Air Canada), is a highly discounted (basically taxes) flight ticket. Airline employees typically have unlimited amount of those, I get five a year (as do Amber as my spouse).

The tricky part about standby, however, is hinted by what it's called - it's not a confirmed ticket. Meaning if there's a seat on the plane, I get on. If not - too bad so sad.

Normally, that's not a problem, especially not from Newark area. Worse comes to worse I can even head over to LaGuardia or JFK and get home from there.

However, silly me did not take one very important thing in consideration as I went about planning our standby return.

Victoria Day.

We were coming home on Sunday, the 19th of May. This year, Monday the 20th was Victoria Day, which is a statutory holiday, and so equals to a long weekend. You know, long weekends aren't necessarily enough to go off to far off places.

Going from Montreal to New York though?

Yeah, apparently it's a popular thing.

I came to that realization at some point during the trip, as I was checking the seats available on the flights for both Sunday and Monday, from all three New York airports. And guys, they were not good at all.

So we went in pretty anxious to find out what would happen. We'd put on standby for the flight leaving at 7:55, which was set to arrive Montreal at 9:21. When standby is very tight, they board everyone else first, and then if you're in luck, they call you up.

Boarding was finally completed when the gate agent came to us with the news. One seat.

There was one seat left on the plane. I knew the next, and last, flight of the evening would be full. Tomorrow's flights were also not looking good at all. I had to be at work on Tuesday, so we really couldn't risk it. But I didn't want to leave Amber back alone, and she didn't want me to stay back either.

We had to turn the seat down and turn on a dime.

And our only other option, at this point, was the bus.

So we left the gate and headed back out to the arrivals area. We inquired about how to get from the airport to Newark Greyhound station, which was another adventure in itself - we were directed outside to a certain line and told it was a free transfer. So we headed outside, looking for that line. We were told, outside, that there was no such thing as a free transfer from where they were. We went back inside, tried to reconfirm the line, and got vague information.

Ultimately, we sucked it up and bought a ticket on a bus that would take us down there.

Before too long, we made it to the Greyhound station, bought painfully costly last minute departure tickets to Montreal with a transfer in New York, and sat in the station to wait for our 8:50 departure. It would get us to New York within 45 minutes or so, and then we'd get on the bus to Montreal at 11, set to arrive at 6:20 am the following morning.

This is the face of a person who was not happy with this turn of event, at all.

We made it to New York in good time, and joined the stretching long line for the bus to Montreal. The bus line employee came around looking at everyone's passports, and then we had another issue.

Amber, at that point, had gotten her permanent residency approved. However, she hadn't received her card yet. We'd gotten mismatched information about whether she could travel out of the country and then come back in without it, so we ended up checking with the government directly. The girl on the phone said it wouldn't be a problem, to just bring the document we had that was supposed to serve as the permanent residency confirmation, although that paper does state not valid for travel.

So that's what we did. Had we flown home, it wouldn't have been an issue.

The bus guy, however, was not having it at first. As she was traveling with a US passport, she had to have either the PR card, or a return ticket. She had neither. He wasn't wanting to let her on.

At that point, we were tired, cranky about having to take the bus in the first place, down as you are on the departure day post Disney vacation, so I was definitely not having any of it. We'd been told by the government she would be fine, so there was no reason she wouldn't be. And if he wanted to be that way, then I'd just go buy her a ticket back and cancel it later for a refund. There was no way we were not getting on that bus.

In the end, we argued hard and long enough that I think he just kind of gave up and figured worse came to worse, the bus would have to leave her at the border.

We got on and prepared ourselves for a painfully long bus ride (not the longest ever - before I could fly cheap, we'd visit each other by bus. It's 20-24 hours from Montreal, QC, to Muskegon, MI). The worst part of the bus ride through the night between New York and Montreal, though, is the Albany stop, which falls around 2 in the morning, and requires everyone to get off and wait in a small station with limited seating.

Thankfully, the ride itself went without too many complications or delay, save the lack of comfort and the fact that neither of us can really sleep on a bus.

Around 4 am, we were seeing this.

We breezed through customs (take that, NYC bus guy) and were back on the bus before too long for the last leg of the ride. We arrived in New York right about on time, and took the subway to the downtown city bus station, where we boarded another bus to the South shore.

From there, we waited for my dad to come pick us up.

Not at Disney anymore + sooo tired = No happy

Finally, my Dad arrived and we loaded everything in.

And twenty minutes later, we were finally home.

Trust me, typically, home coming after Disney World vacations sucks.

This time, boy were we glad to be back!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[amberg93]

Overview

Wow, this trip was filled with a lot of different things and so much happened over the whole time, so I'm going to go back and find out how the numbers break down.

Days spent in each park
Magic Kingdom: 3
Epcot: 2
Hollywood Studios: 2
Animal Kingdom: 1

Number of times seeing night time shows:
Wishes: 2
IllumiNations: 2
Fantasmic: 1
Symphony in the Stars: 1

First Ride Ridden: Stitch's Great Escape

Last Ride Ridden: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Amber & Eli) / Big Thunder Mountain (Marie, Merranda, Traci & Veronica)

Ride Most Ridden: Star Tours
It was ridden 4 times by Veronica and Marie (Though only 3 times by Merranda and 2 times by Eli, Traci and Amber. )

New Ride/Attraction Experiences:
RockNRollercoaster - On our first trip it was down for the day we were in the park for most of it and the wait was too long when we saw it was back up. On our second trip I was not up to riding it, so May was our first time experiencing this attraction. Verdict = We loved it. Amber rode it 3 times and Marie rode it 2 times.
Tower of Terror (Amber only) I chickened out on our first trip and was definitely not in the mood our second trip. I ended up riding it twice during this trip due mostly to other people and I'm still terrified of it. Honestly, it will never be my pick of attraction. Verdict = I am scared of it, still.
Great Movie Ride (Cowboy scene) It's pretty much the same as the gangster scene but oddly a bit more satisfying. You end up with your guide for a little less time if you're in the cowboy scene but if you've never gotten it before it's fun to have a twist. As always, the guide makes or breaks it. Verdict = Cowboys are good.
Festival of Fantasy The parade is undoubtedly amazing, with great floats, magical technology (a fricking fracking firebreathing dragon!) and very catchy music. It's worth seeing even if you aren't a parade person. Verdict = Amber: "It's good but not an every time activity. I'm still bitter about the center wreaths leaving. The dragon isn't worth it." Marie: "I love it, it's beautiful, I love the costumes, I love the floats. I love it all. It's magical."

Character Meets: 40 (Including repeats)
Daisy, Donald, Pocahontas, Dug and Russell, Phineas and Ferb, Vanellope and Ralph, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Gaston Ariel, Anna and Elsa, Aurora, Buzz and Woody, Jedi Mickey and Leia Minnie, Stormtrooper Donald and Darth Goofy, Chip and Dale Ewoks, Alice, Pooh and Rabbit, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Gaston, Minnie, Daisy, Tiana, Naveen, Snow White, Aurora, Rosetta and TinkerBell

New Characters Met: 2
Rabbit. A totally unexpected meet that we were so thrilled to have. Rabbit is like, awesome, and rare. Score.
Rosetta. It's really sad that the fairy friends no longer meet with Tink but we're glad that we were able to meet Rosetta, who was a total sweetheart.

Number of times Amber and Marie split up: 4

Wild alligators spotted: 0

New Dining Experiences:
Wolfgang Puck Express. 10/10. Phenomenal food, great prices and there is still day dreaming going on about going back. We recommend everyone goes if they haven't already; you will not regret eating there.
Ghiradelli's. 10/10. Expensive but you don't need your own dessert. Split the desserts and everyone will be happier. So delicious and amazing. If you can get your sundae topped with chocolate chip cookies ask to substitute for toffee cookies instead, you'll thank us later.
Sunshine Seasons (Breakfast) 10/10 Everyone was happy with what they got and we finally understand all that hype over the strawberry shortcake. If you haven't given into the hype, give in and you won't regret it.
Ohana 8/10. It was a great experience but largely for our travel companions. The pork was amazing, as was the pineapple bread, the pot stickers were good too but everything else was take or leave. If we hadn't had the girls to chow down on all that shrimp it probably wouldn't have been worth the price.
Studio Catering Company 6/10. Hollywood Studios isn't exactly known for amazing quick service options and this is no exception. Nothing on the menu was amazing but it was decent food. The vanilla cake was a bit of a let down.
Les Vins des Chefs de France 9/10. Those slushies are pretty awesome. Expensive, but they are alocholic drinks and worth drinking. The Grey Goose slush is preferable to the Grand Marnier slush but that was personal preference.
SciFi Dine In Theater 10/10. Great food, great atmosphere, and relatively inexpensive. It's a fun experience with such great themeing that it will definitely be a restaurant we return to in the future.
Via Napoli 10/10. The pizza here is to die for. Seriously, do yourself a favor and get one. Splitting one between people isn't that expensive of an option and it is not your typical Disney parks pizza. Marie still goes on about this place.
Crystal Palace (Breakfast) 7/10. For our reservation it was in the 10/10 range but if you aren't getting in before park opening it doesn't deserve the 10. The character greeting is awesome and the puffed french toast is amazing, but otherwise the food is pretty standard and everyone knows early morning is the best time to get park things done.

Other New Experiences
DVC Tour: As a couple who was curious about DVC it was definitely interesting to get to know more. If you have any interest, taking the tour won't hurt. Our guide wasn't pushy at all and you get free ice cream out of it.
Memory Maker: For a group our size, definitely worth the investment. Ride photos are the best part but also not having to fumble around with your camera during character meets allows for more and better pictures. If you're a smaller group, a share would help make the most of your money.
Star Wars Weekends: We missed a lot of activities, but the special character meets were really amazing, the merchandise was great and Symphony in the Stars is a fantastic fireworks show. If you're a fan of the series, it's worth a visit to Hollywood Studios for this special event if you can fit it into your schedule.
Flower and Graden festival: Epcot looks stunning when it is all done up in the flowers. The food booths also add some extra fun and were really well received by our group. Check out the festival center and the butterfly garden. If you're going near the last day of the festival you may be able to score discounted merchandise!
Tables in Wonderland: For our group size (a group that would always have to pay the 18% gratuities) and for our plans to visit again while the membership was still good, it was worth the $100. We saved money in the end, which was the objective. Remember though: it is subject to blackouts and can't be used with things like the Fantasmic Dining Package.

We basically just fit a lot into this trip.

Continued in the next post​

 

[amberg93]

Final Thoughts

I'm blown away that this trip was almost a year ago now and how much my opinions have changed from when I first started writing this TR. The anger and hurt about the drama and things not going the way I'd imagined really tainted this trip for me when I first got back. However, the nostalgic factor is already present now and the 'minor' bumps in the road don't seem so bad anymore. I'm more easily able to look at the good things that happened here and be really proud and happy that we took this trip the way we did.

I do have a couple of specific things I wanted to touch on:

First is the time of year. I'd honestly rank May (our middle of the month time frame anyway) to be the second best time we'd visited. Not exactly in terms of crowds, but just in terms of overall experiences. For me it is above October simply because while there was comparable weather and crowd levels, Epcot was super gorgeous. Epcot is my favorite park and I was blown away with how beautiful it looked. Sure, October has Food and Wine, but Flower and Garden has enough booths that you get that taste of the world as well. Plus, with Star Wars Weekends starting, it really gave another special twist to things that was really quite awesome. May is a great time to visit (though I hear past Memorial Day it starts getting a bit crazier).

Second would be the resort. I love the All Star Sports. I know that a lot of people complain about it and the other All Stars but I have to say I love it the way it is. True, it's no French Quarter love but I really enjoyed staying there. It's got a homey feeling for me, I like the layout and I enjoy the music being themed to the different sports in the sections. Something about walking past the Surfs Up section and hearing the Beach Boys makes me feel at home. Oh wait, that's those years of working at an amusement park and hearing those songs all summer. Either way, if you're going value, the All Stars are the cheapest and their bus stops are closer than the Pop and AoA ones.

To wrap it all up though, I just wanted to say that I am so grateful to everyone who has followed us along on this journey. I'm thankful to my friends who made this trip what it was and for all the memories that we made. I'm so glad I have an amazing wife who wants to travel with our friends. Basically, I'm just a really lucky person who was really lucky to have been able to take a trip like this. Friend trips can be an amazing time, just remember that they won't be perfect and maybe double think if you can actually spend a whole vacation with someone or if it'd be better to split up a lot more.

We've still got our September TR going on and our November trip to look forward to, so while we're ending this chapter of our Disney lives we're still moving forward and bringing the lessons we learned on this trip onward.

You're all amazing, take care, and I'll see ya real soon.

- Amber​

Looking back on this trip, I can only be happy with it. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. There were definitely a lot of rocky moments, tears that could have been avoided, and things that could have been done better. At the end of the day, no, I wouldn't re-do it exactly the same. But yes, I would do it all again. Being at our favorite place in the world with our favorite people really was amazing. We had such a blast, because they're the people that make us laugh and with whom we can share pretty much everything, and so it was only natural to share out love of Disney with them, even though I'm not entirely sure that we've converted them a hundred percent just yet (but hey, we're still young )

If I try to look at this vacation from all the angles, there's very few things I would ultimately change about it though.

Like Amber, I really do think we picked a good time of year to go. Yes, there were days that were pretty crowded - but I mean, first day of the first Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios? - but it wasn't worse than what we'd experienced in October. The weather was overall pretty nice, we didn't experience too much rain and until the last day, it wasn't overwhelmingly hot either. Actually, even the last day wasn't so bad, it was just extremely bright and sunshiny out. The Flower & Garden Festival really is something worth seeing, too, so that's another point for May - especially if you got during the last weekend of it and can take advantage of discounted merchandise! Bonus perk. A lot of the things we were also worried about from this time of year were completely unrelevant - we'd heard a lot about people talking of how buggy May is, and I don't think I remember coming across a single bug. It also wasn't as hot as expected, which was a bonus for me as I get really hot, really easily, and I can't handle heat well.

Staying at the All-Star Sports was also a great decision for us. We had to be budget conscious of course, and for staying on property, you really can't beat a Value pricing. We were also lucky to get our request of connecting rooms, which made things very convenient to us in many instances - the fact that Eli wasn't technically booked in our room, so her MagicBand opened the other girls' door, or even just when we checked in and only one of the two rooms were ready, we were able to drop off all our bags in. And it was really actually somewhat lucky, because more than half the rooms at the Sports are connecting - which is another plus to consider toward staying there, if you're traveling in a group that won't fit in just one room but you still want to be all together. The layout of the Sports is so much better than the Music, fairly compact with a short walk to basically any building. It is the first stop to drop off or pick up in the event of shared buses - which, if you think that's a down side to the All-Stars, don't let it sway you. It's very seldom that they will share buses, save for Animal Kingdom.

I loved being able to contribute to this Trip Report (although I did fall off course a few times, but that's why we decided to co-write it, because my wife is much better at keeping everything on track!), and I love that being a part of this amazing community allows us to not only share our memories, but relive them through all your reactions to it. Honestly, it's amazing to me that our daily Disney life is interesting enough that people want to hear about it, and I do want to thank everyone that's followed along our journey - people who've commented to let us know their thoughts and appreciation, and people who silently read along but still enjoyed it all.

I know I'm an incredibly lucky person in life, to have such an amazing Disney partner who shares my addiction and obsession and love for the Mouse, and to even be able to fuel that obsession. I'm lucky to have the friends I have, and to have been able to share the Disney love with them - and I'm incredibly thankful for their contribution to this trip, for making it what it was.

Thanks to everyone who joined in with us! It's sad to relive the ending to this trip, but it's amazing to know it's only gonna be one of many - and I'm looking forward to sharing many more with you all! After all, this is really just the beginning of our Disney adventures.

I wish you all amazing trips of your own, full of pixie dust, and hoping to see you all again soon!

- Marie

The End​

 

[abarriger]

I have so enjoyed following along with your trip! A little sad to no longer be able to read it. Your group photos absolutely crack me up-- almost makes me want to take a big group to Disney! (Except not quite. It actually seems kind of exhausting-- and right now I kind of treat our trips as alone time with my partner.) Enjoy your tropical adventure!

 

[courtneybelle]

Oh my gosh, just reading about your trip home was exhausting--I'm just glad they let Amber back into the country!!

Thank you guys for an absolutely fabulous trip report! I know it wasn't always the most fun, but I really enjoyed reading it and getting to know your friends. And now I'd like to keep track of how many character meets I do on a trip...or maybe over 6 months

Enjoy your trip to the DR guys!! Can't wait for your next Disney trip!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

That is so sweet of you to get up so early to see Veronica off. Of course I'm not surprised, but it is still very sweet.

You guys are seriously the sweetest hosts.

I didn't get to do resort check-in either. If I have a connection next trip maybe I will. Then again, I'll still take a direct flight any day.

I try to look at it a differnt way. Leaving Disney sucks so a yellow Mears bus actually helps me. There's nothing Magical about this express.

Oh my goodness Marie. I would have seriously been in a panic the entire day knowing what could potentially be in store with no confirmed flight home. I certainly admire your gumption, but I don't think there is any way I could do that. Wow, what a rough trip home.

Haha, yup, that park breakdown is generally about right for me most trips.

I definitely do feel the sadness associated with the wreaths. Big time. But FoF for me is absolutely an every time activity. At least so far (when it doesn't rain).

It's been a while since I've done a Spring visit and my favourite thing is Flower and Garden. I don't really care for the "extras", it's just that to me, Epcot never looks better.

I know you love the All Stars (probably a lot for the same reason I love Pop). There is a small chance this might be home for the next trip, so it's always nice to hear some praise for it.

Girls, thank you so much for sharing your story, good and bad. I'm so grateful I got to know you on here and your summary was so beautiful.

 

[Newsies]

Awww, I'm so sad this is over

I'm so happy that you all got home safely (but apparently slowly as well).

You guys are seriously the sweetest hosts.

Yeah, what Rob said

You guys are super nice and I'm so glad you felt like your trip was an overall success despite the drama. I can't wait to hear about your future travels!!!

P.S; I'm about to reread this trip report

 

[amberg93]

I have so enjoyed following along with your trip! A little sad to no longer be able to read it. Your group photos absolutely crack me up-- almost makes me want to take a big group to Disney! (Except not quite. It actually seems kind of exhausting-- and right now I kind of treat our trips as alone time with my partner.) Enjoy your tropical adventure!

We're glad that you enjoyed it! Group trips are a special kind of animal, fun but you're right in saying also a bit exhausting. Couple trips are a lot more manageable and lots of fun. We had a great time in the Dominican, so thanks

Oh my gosh, just reading about your trip home was exhausting--I'm just glad they let Amber back into the country!!

Thank you guys for an absolutely fabulous trip report! I know it wasn't always the most fun, but I really enjoyed reading it and getting to know your friends. And now I'd like to keep track of how many character meets I do on a trip...or maybe over 6 months

Enjoy your trip to the DR guys!! Can't wait for your next Disney trip!!

It was soooo exhausting. I hate the bus so much. Sooo much. I was super tired by the time we got home.

We're glad you were here! Totally keep track of your numerous character meets, I'm sure you'll fit in a lot in a 6 month period

We had an awesome trip, but I can't wait for our next Disney trip either!

That is so sweet of you to get up so early to see Veronica off. Of course I'm not surprised, but it is still very sweet.

You guys are seriously the sweetest hosts.

I didn't get to do resort check-in either. If I have a connection next trip maybe I will. Then again, I'll still take a direct flight any day.

I try to look at it a differnt way. Leaving Disney sucks so a yellow Mears bus actually helps me. There's nothing Magical about this express.

Oh my goodness Marie. I would have seriously been in a panic the entire day knowing what could potentially be in store with no confirmed flight home. I certainly admire your gumption, but I don't think there is any way I could do that. Wow, what a rough trip home.

Haha, yup, that park breakdown is generally about right for me most trips.

I definitely do feel the sadness associated with the wreaths. Big time. But FoF for me is absolutely an every time activity. At least so far (when it doesn't rain).

It's been a while since I've done a Spring visit and my favourite thing is Flower and Garden. I don't really care for the "extras", it's just that to me, Epcot never looks better.

I know you love the All Stars (probably a lot for the same reason I love Pop). There is a small chance this might be home for the next trip, so it's always nice to hear some praise for it.

Girls, thank you so much for sharing your story, good and bad. I'm so grateful I got to know you on here and your summary was so beautiful.

We only get to see our friends every so often, I couldn't not see them all off properly. I do hope they enjoyed it too. Plus, I felt bad for skipping out early the night before, so I double didn't mind getting up early.

Direct flights are where it's at, but I do enjoy being able to check my baggage at the resort. It's a very nice option.

I'd rather prolong the magic a bit more and have a Magical Express bus though, you know? Tragical or not, I'm still pulling for those special buses.

It's a risk we don't usually take. Most times we fly confirmed, this was a very special case and we were both very unimpressed with the turn of events.

Yeah, I know I'm in the minority but c'est la vie. I'll miss the Mickey wreaths for a while still I'm sure.

Flower and Garden Epcot is beautiful usually but so much more then.

I stubbornly defend the things I love. Plus, I feel like they just don't get enough love, so I may as well speak out about mine. But if you stay at Pop or the All Stars, either way it's a Disney trip that will be amazing.

Thanks for followign along Rob and we're definitely glad we got to know you here too.

Awww, I'm so sad this is over

I'm so happy that you all got home safely (but apparently slowly as well).



Yeah, what Rob said

You guys are super nice and I'm so glad you felt like your trip was an overall success despite the drama. I can't wait to hear about your future travels!!!

P.S; I'm about to reread this trip report

All good things must come to an end, unfortunately.

Safe but slow does describe the trip back home for certain.

Thank you Kaitlyn, we are so glad you followed along and we'll be having lots of future travels if we're lucky.

Go right ahead. It's better as a complete story.

 

[amyrella]

Hi! Jus letting you know that I was here and have been reading since the beginning. I'm a total lurker! Thanks for sharing you trip with us! I don't get to go to Disney as often As I'd like so reading these reports helps with my fix! Looking forward to reading the rest of your September trip, thank you again!

 

[amberg93]

Hi! Jus letting you know that I was here and have been reading since the beginning. I'm a total lurker! Thanks for sharing you trip with us! I don't get to go to Disney as often As I'd like so reading these reports helps with my fix! Looking forward to reading the rest of your September trip, thank you again!

Well thank you! That's really flattering and great to hear. We're glad you enjoy our reports and that you too the time to mention it. Lurking is awesome, so it's totally okay.

 

[tinkerjlee]

Boooooo! You're trip has come to an end.
I was so glad to come across your TR! You all are awesome!
Thank you for sharing your adventures with us! It helped until my WDW trip comes real soon.