Oh It's A Jolly Holiday With Katie! - Beach Club / Grand Floridian

[TheLittleKatie]

OMG The Mighty Boosh. When i request Bailey's Irish Cream for any reason, i just tell my husband i'd like some "creamy beige"! Ha! I'll never be able to ride small world again without thinking of it!

Also, hi... I've been lurking (i think... Maybe i posted before. Who knows!?).

Love your photo with Tiana. The green in her dress and the orange swag look really good together!

(In the voice of Old Gregg -) Hi there.. and

Haha that's so funny!! I'm not that into the show as a whole, but I love the Old Gregg sketch, and the Milky Joe sketch (when they're on the beach with the coconut people) Oh no, I've probably ruined that scene on It's a Small World for a few people!

Aww I know, I love Tiana! She was really chatty as well which I like, she has a lot of sass and personality

You got another update in when I was commenting before--so.....I'm back!

I can't believe you saw Barbara! I always get a little teary when I see her video. She's just so dang happy and full of Disney Magic! Love it!

Jamie does a good impression of a statue. Next time, a great alternative pic would be



Yeah--she actually scolded us-the grown ups-that you're not supposed to pick your nose. But DH and I laughed and laughed over it. It's pretty sad when your then 6 year old is more mature then you are

Barbara is the epitome of Disney magic!!! She radiates happiness I love her

Haha that's great, and it's hilarious that she scolded you for it!! I bet she secretly appreciates her fun parents though

Oh Katie, I am obsessed with Resort Welcome Mats. Thanks for this.

This is the second TR I've read recently that had a resort change on the same say as Magic Kingdom. Gutsy.

I still don't understand why I haven't collected any Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom cards. They're cool, and free is totally within my price range.

... And then for some insane reason didn't go into Country Bear Jamboree.

And for the second update in a row... YOU'RE GONNA GET WETTTTTTTTT!!!! YEAH!!!!

Darn.

... End comments.

Oh what the heck, I'll take the chance.

I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING BARBARA!!!!!!!!

Oh c'mon... Stop Teasing!!! Skipped for Small World???? Katie!!! That alone should have a parental advisory.

I love the welcome mats too! I hope to have a different one at every door in my future home (yes, I mean the door to the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc.)

I know, I was surprised we only picked up some cards on one of our days. I fully intend to get some more this year

Ughh I know, we didn't do the Country Bear Jamboree for the whole trip!!! Shame on me. I actually haven't seen it since my childhood, so I'd like to make some time for it this year.

Oh dear, that photo is SO ugly thanks so much for sharing it in multiple comments (note: sarcasm)

OMG you have a photo with Barbara!!! That's amazing. I really wish I'd had my photo taken with her when I saw her! She's a legend! Such an awesome personality! Also - does she have her hand on your head..?!!

So with that abrupt ending, am I safe to assume that whenever you're confronted with a photo of It's a Small World, you stop reading and shut down..?! Hahah, you crack me up I'm sorry I skipped the Country Bears for It's a Small World, I hope our friendship can get back on track..

 

[pkondz]

You MUST watch it

Whoa. I just got threatened by Katie.

Well I'm not completely innocent or anything, but Jamie is definitely the bad influence!!

I love the fact that it's a good 10 minutes long

You know, I never thought of that... but you're right! It is a long ride!
I think in the future I'll have to make this more of a priority.

I did actually get a funny video of Jamie doing it later that night when we were back at the hotel!! I'll be sure to include it

Yes!

 

[sailored]

I have managed to spend a majority of my day off reading your trip report. I really have enjoyed it though, I've already been following along on your current PTR. I can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Yes, message me on your next trip anytime you run into someone dodgy (see what I did there w/ the British slang ) and I will advise you what to do!
OMG your pics with Tiana I love her, she is so pretty!

So long Beach Club! But I am so excited to see your pics of GF

Barbara! She is the epitome of Disney Magic - I wish all CM's could be as awesome as her

I am seriously traveling to WDW the wrong times of year - the parks are so empty while ya'll are there! It's always so busy when I go. I am going to ask you your dates from now on and plan on going then - this works twofold: It won't be busy AND I get to hang out with you and take bunk bed/pickle ornament selfies. But NOT with selfie sticks

 

[blklotus]

The woman at the fire station taught us how to play the game, and as we thanked her she said,

“Oh you guys are an adorable couple, I can’t STAND it!”

She was so sweet!

But I could tell Jamie was fighting the urge to tell her we were brother and sister...
You know, just to be an awkward jerk.

Okay, so now it's my new life's goal to hang out with you guys because this 100% sounds like something that would go down in my household/with my friends. It's also my favorite thing today!

 

[tdashgirl]

Great updates as usual!!!

Those rude people at DHS. UGH. In Disneyland, the worst offenders of the flash are on POTC. It just totally ruins the whole vibe of dark rides. And that guy who was jumping into people's photopass photos???? Seriously, not funny.

Jamie almost telling the CM that you guys are brother and sister ... now that's funny

 

[beckyx3]

That's so cool!!! Omg, the World Series Defence is BRILLIANT! I just need to throw this in here..

Hahah I know, before I took the trip I never expected Old Gregg to make an appearance in my trip report That's funny that you know it though! Even some of my friends here in England don't know that the show exists

Omg! The letter! Have you ever seen Utley's response??

So funny!

 

[marypoppinswannabe]

Just spent the afternoon reading your trip report and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to read more!

 

[kellyfam03]

catching up ... rude people... can't wait to see more resort pics

 

[mlegerto]

Just joined in and caught up!

Wonderful TR Katie..can't wait for the next update...hurry up already hahaha!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

I have managed to spend a majority of my day off reading your trip report. I really have enjoyed it though, I've already been following along on your current PTR. I can't wait to read more about your trip!

Hey, thank you for reading, I'm so glad you're enjoying it!! I'm updating today

Yes, message me on your next trip anytime you run into someone dodgy (see what I did there w/ the British slang ) and I will advise you what to do!
OMG your pics with Tiana I love her, she is so pretty!

So long Beach Club! But I am so excited to see your pics of GF

Barbara! She is the epitome of Disney Magic - I wish all CM's could be as awesome as her

I am seriously traveling to WDW the wrong times of year - the parks are so empty while ya'll are there! It's always so busy when I go. I am going to ask you your dates from now on and plan on going then - this works twofold: It won't be busy AND I get to hang out with you and take bunk bed/pickle ornament selfies. But NOT with selfie sticks

"Someone dodgy" hahaha I love that! I will be sure to message you on Facebook if anyone starts to misbehave! I'll just have to think, "What would Veronica Do?" Maybe every day I'll write WWVD on my hand to remind me to be a bit more tough..!!

I loooved meeting Tiana, and it was funny because he voice was SPOT ON. As in her tone and her accent, it sounded exactly like it does in the movie! She was so sweet.

Meeeep I'm so excited to post my GF photos too! I'm kind of drowning in school work right now, but I've got the updates for the rest of our time at the Magic Kingdom done, so I'll update with those today, then get to work on the room / exploring the resort photos!

I really regret not getting a photo with Barbara! I hope she knows how appreciated she is

OMG girl, I think our crowd levels were a complete anomaly. It was sooo quiet, but I think we'll be in for a shock this year when we hit the Food and Wine festival crowds That sounds perfect!!! We would have so much fun and we'll have a drink around the world and go swimming in World Showcase Lagoon

Okay, so now it's my new life's goal to hang out with you guys because this 100% sounds like something that would go down in my household/with my friends. It's also my favorite thing today!

Hahah I'm so glad you appreciated it!!! But he's actually much more likely to pull this kind of thing with someone we know.. So if (/WHEN) we get to hang out, you better watch out for him trying to get you...!!! Actually, coincidentally, I shared a story with Rob on his trip report yesterday about a time when one of Jamie's friends had a girlfriend, and both of their surnames were Thompson. Jamie actually managed to convince me that they were cousins. SERIOUSLY. Obviously I was like "Shut up, stop trying to fool me!" But he was adamant and SO convincing, and he told me that their families had even disowned them because of their relationship. And I ended up believing him for a few weeks.

Great updates as usual!!!

Those rude people at DHS. UGH. In Disneyland, the worst offenders of the flash are on POTC. It just totally ruins the whole vibe of dark rides. And that guy who was jumping into people's photopass photos???? Seriously, not funny.

Jamie almost telling the CM that you guys are brother and sister ... now that's funny

Hey, thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it

Ugh I know, there's ALWAYS some on Pirates.. All the photos turn out bad anyway, with or without flash I always complain about the locker system at Universal, but it can actually be a good thing when it comes to no one having cameras on the rides

Hahah he's such a joker, I'm so glad he didn't though! Thankfully he doesn't really do that kind of thing to strangers

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Omg! The letter! Have you ever seen Utley's response??

So funny!

OMG, I had not seen this!!! That is so hilarious! Thanks for sharing!!

Just spent the afternoon reading your trip report and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to read more!

Hey, thank you for reading! I'm really glad you're enjoying it! I'll be updating today

catching up ... rude people... can't wait to see more resort pics

Ugh I know, thankfully the excitement of moving resorts quickly took over my irritation!

Just joined in and caught up!

Wonderful TR Katie..can't wait for the next update...hurry up already hahaha!

Hi and !! Thanks for reading! And I'm so glad you're enjoying! Haha I'm updating today.. finally!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 8
(September 9th 2014)
Moving to the GRAND FLORIDIAN!
Part 3 – Galactic Heroes meet Anna and Elsa!

After lunch we had a highly coveted fastpass to use…

Can you guess yet?!
(If not, you need to pay more attention, because it was in the title )

Meeeep!

Anna and Elsa!!!

I was so excited to meet them!
They were both so precious!

I don’t remember everything we talked about, but I know that they were a lot of fun and spent a good amount of time with each guest.

Anna asked me if Jamie was my personal ice harvester!
I told her, “Yes! Isn’t it great to have them around when it’s so hot outside?!”
Then she asked me, “You didn’t just meet him today did you?”



She was soooo cute and funny and bubbly!

I LOVED meeting her!

Next I met Elsa!

Elsa was much more calm and collected than Anna, as you would expect.

And she was SO pretty!

This is such a weird photo of me, but look how gorgeous Elsa looks!

She said she loved my backpack, and asked if it was a reindeer

I was so glad I got hold of this fastpass! It was so much fun meeting them both.

We left Princess Fairytale Hall, and Jamie decided he wanted to try and crack Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, now that he knew where the special targets were.

So that’s where we went!

When we got to Buzz, I was given the strenuous responsibility of safely delivering this to the front of the line.

SERIOUSLY?
I already have the HUGE responsibility of saving the galaxy from the evil Emperor Zurg.
And now you’re throwing me this curveball??
The pressure was too much.
And it was reflected in my space ranger performance.

Also, it didn’t take long before I started to regret telling Jamie where to aim..

He beat me, BIG TIME.

Jamie was now obsessed with the thought of maxing out his score.

So we rode again!

This time, the ride broke down briefly in the volcano room, and we had a great vantage point for a certain target…!

This meant we were able to build up our scores a little bit, and by the time we got to the final room…

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

We so smug.

YAY!



Of course, we HAD to claim our Galactic Hero buttons!

When we got back down to Earth after saving the galaxy (no big deal) it was 12:30pm and getting pretty hot, so we hopped on the Peoplemover!

I looove to relax on the Peoplemover!
I wish they had an Adventureland equivalent!
Aladdin's Magic Carpets should have been a Magic Carpet "highway in the sky".
Hire me Disney.

When we went through Space Mountain and into darkness, Jamie accidently set himself up for a running joke that we always throw at each other…

He asked,
“What would you do if you came back into the daylight and I'd disappeared?”

and I started to sing,

“…Haaaalleluuuujah.. Haaaalleluuuujah..!”



He also pulled this great face for the camera.

And here I am, getting into the spirit of daft photos, whilst trying to capture some Tomorrowland scenery on the ground below…

And failing miserably.

After the Peoplemover, it was still super hot, so we darted over to see the Carousel of Progress and bask in the air conditioning!

"What year is it?
Oh, right around the turn of the century.
And things couldn’t be any better than they are today!
We can travel from New York to California in less than seven days!"

It was perfect as usual, and by the time it finished, it was 1:10pm!

Only 1 hour and 50 minutes until check in!!!!



Click for Day 8, Part 4!​

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 8
(September 9th 2014)
Moving to the GRAND FLORIDIAN!
Part 4 – Join the party, a castle party!

When we exited the Carousel of Progress it was 1:10pm – so we headed back over to Frontierland to use our 12:30-1:30pm fastpass at Splash Mountain!

The Dream Along With Mickey show was on the castle stage as we walked through the hub!
I was so happy to catch it

I love the songs in this show so much.

“Join the party, a castle party,
You’re all invited to come and join the fun!
So let’s get started, so much to do,
Come join the party where dreams really do come true!"

“Any dream is possible,
Wishes do come true!
You can reach the stars if you just believe!
Share the magic in your heart,
There’s nothing you can’t do!
Anything is possible so find a dream inside of you!”

I love when you accidentally stumble across things like this.
It just seems like there’s magic happening around every corner!

After the show we continued through Adventureland towards Splash Mountain.

I apologise for the abundance of photos.

You may not know, but,

I LOVE THIS RIDE.

Did I mention that yet…?!



(Plus, this is a pretty empty update in order to make the next updates work, so I may as well fill it with extra photos!)

I love Jamie’s “cool guy” pose in the photo!

LOVE!

I really wish they did more Splash Mountain merchandise.

Like, does anyone else feel like they try to pass off Thumper as Br’er Rabbit in the Splash Mountain gift shop?!

I have the attraction poster and some little plastic toys of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear that I had as a kid.

But I REALLY want to get hold of plush versions of the gang!!!
Like really bad.
It’s a problem.

(edit: Click here to see why Dis-ers are the best people...!)​

After Splash, we stumbled upon some fastpass kiosks, and found some Space Mountain fastpasses for right now!!

We must have walked so far today because we walked back and forth across the park a bunch of times!

Back to Tomorrowland we go!


Click for Day 8, Part 5!​

 

[disneyguy4life]

so we darted over to see the Carousel of Progress

I have never been. I am going to make a point to go next time I am out there.

 

[mlegerto]

AHH Katie..I swear I am not stocking you, but happened to log in JUST as you were posting your next installment.

Sounds like you and Jamie had a wonderful morning thus far at MK. Aww, my favorite. CAN'T wait for the next visit.

I love your excitement for everything Disney and the way you write up your reports. So refreshing, keep it up.


Would you mind sharing your Disney playlists? I see that you keep dropping lyrics here and there and it put me in such an excited Disney mood. I'd like to get a list of songs you listen to so I can update my playlist.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I love that dream along show! The first time we saw it, the girls got really into it and were yelling along "I believe in dreams!" Or whatever they say. I can't remember because when I looked at the girls, all believing in the magic and making dreams come true, I lost it and the tears were rollin! Darn you Disney Magic!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 8
(September 9th 2014)
Moving to the GRAND FLORIDIAN!
Part 5 - It's time to check in!

So you know how I mentioned earlier that Jamie was now obsessed with the idea of maxing out his score on Buzz.
Well before we went to use our Space Mountain fastpasses, we played Buzz Lightyear another FOUR times.

There was nobody in line so every time we exited, we walked past the empty line and Jamie would say,

“ONE more go!”
Like an infant

So in total we ended up riding it 8 times today!

We kind of lost our touch on this round though, and we just couldn’t get it.

But we already had our Galactic Hero buttons so IT’S FINE.

Then we used our Space Mountain fastpasses!

I don’t know why I videoed this. But I did.

And I don’t know what is wrong with me in this photo.

But I look really tanned soooo..

Space Mountain is soooo much more fun in the front seat.
I was screaming and laughing so much I forgot to breathe and almost choked.



In fitting with the ‘back and forth’ theme of the day, after Space Mountain we trekked back over to Adventureland to get a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle!

We stopped at a photopass photographer and got this really precious picture of us!

YAY.

We carried on walking and I was really excited to see that there was NO ONE stood in front of the castle!

So I excitedly jumped in for a photo.

The clouds had started to look a little ominous…

But it’s OK,

BECAUSE IT’S 3PM.

IT’S CHECK IN TIME!

But I still had Dole Whips on my mind.

So that’s where we went.

We both ordered a Pineapple and Vanilla Dole Whip Twist Cup

The plan was to grab our Dole Whips and eat them as we walked out of the park.
But we couldn’t really do that because they looked like THIS!

SO GOOD.

We sat down in Adventureland and enjoyed our Dole Whips, and by the time we’d finished, Festival of Fantasy was right around the corner!

We walked back out to the hub and the Festival of Fantasy crowds had gathered down Main Street .

We decided to just hang out and wait for the parade to finish so that we could get down Main Street without having to push past people.

We were sat at the Partners statue, when this AMAZING photopass photographer approached us and asked us if we wanted a photo.

Of course we did!

So he stood us in a VERY precise spot (“Shuffle half a step to the left!”) and waited for people to move out of the shot, saying,
“Wait for it….. WAIT FOR IT….”

And he snapped this GREAT shot of us!!!!

Cinderella Castle: Check.
Partners Statue: Check.
No prominent people stood close by: Check.
FESTIVAL OF FANTASY’S TANGLED FLOAT: CHECK.
Blue skies and sunshine: Check.

I am in love with this photo!

This guy deserved an applause-o-gram SO much, and I feel really bad that I didn’t make the time to write him one.
He really made an effort to get this great shot for us, and I hope he knows I’m very grateful!

After this pretty magical moment, I just couldn’t contain my excitement anymore, so we headed down Main Street alongside the parade, and out of the park to check into our new resort!

Eeeek, we’re on our way!

There’s our destination!

We boarded Monorail Orange at 3:20pm and went allllll the way around Seven Seas Lagoon, before departing at 3:35pm HERE!

YOU GUYS.

YOU GUYSSSS.

This resort is soooo beautifullllll.

I felt like royalty as soon as I set foot in there.

We went downstairs and checked in with a lovely Cast Member who gave us a map of the resort and directed us to our room!

She almost forgot to give us our new set of Magic bands so I had to remind her.

But pretty soon we were on our way!

We made our way over to the Big Pine Key building…

And we were up on the 5th floor…

Up next: The Grand Floridian room 9513!!!!


Click for Day 8, Part 6!​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Can you guess yet?!

OK, I was seriously thinking this HAS to be a trick question since, yeah, the title. My attention span is short, but not tha... SQUIRREL.

Did you find the FP line for Anna/Elsa to be really quick. I've read that in a lot of reports and it was my experience as well. Just a few groups.

Then she asked me, “You didn’t just meet him today did you?”

Yeah, like she's not the impulsive one.

I loved Anna in pretty much all her forms throughout the parks. Her character is probably top for me just because she's so adorably quirky.

This is such a weird photo of me, but look how gorgeous Elsa looks!

You match up quite well I assure you.

I always hate to talk about characters "out of character" but Elsa, as pretty as she is, just never looks right to me and it's definitely the hair. It just never looks good to me.

You should have done what I did when given the red wait time card at Buzz. Completely forget to turn it in until after the ride is over.

WOW. That may be the first double max out I've seen. Impressive, and congratulations.

After the Peoplemover, it was still super hot, so we darted over to see the Carousel of Progress

I love this!!! You are officially a Disney World nerd!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! (this is a good thing by the way)

I accidentally stumble across Dream Along All the time, and pretty much always stop to watch at least some of it. It was actually years before I sat and watched the whole thing beginning to end, lol.

Plus, this is a pretty empty update in order to make the next updates work, so I may as well fill it with extra photos!

You do that too, huh?

Oh Splash Mountain you magnificent beast.

OMG my new favourite Space Mountain Photo. How to ride Space Mountain after Drinking Around the World and then singing the entire Frozen soundtrack!

Honestly hard to believe that is the same person that was apparently "celebrating" in the Space photo. This is a lovely picture of you two.

I hope you did the right thing and told the little girl that the parade is the other way.

That is AWESOME!!! Should have been the Ariel float but whatevs. But you know how I love hearing about awesome CM's. Love this!!!!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I LOVE when you can ride something as many times as you want because there are no people! Woohoo! We are lucky that we love the tea cups--there's rarely a wait there and we just do the run around and hop back on!

Castle picture--Disney perfection!

And the gif of Charlotte is exactly right for entering the Grand Floridian!