Ring & Rain & Roses, Memory Maker Poses, Disney, Disney, Then We Came Home! COMPLETE!

[AAshleySEG]

We Did It!!

We are now back from our 7th Anniversary Disney Vacation and I can't wait to get started on the trip report! To find out all about the pre-plans for this vacation you can check them out here on my Pre-Trip Report! That will also give you some background info on who we are, if this is the first trip report of mine that you have read!

Trip Dates: June 12, 2014-June 17, 2014
Resorts: Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village & Disney's Grand Floridian Villas

I kept every single one of my receipts from every day of this vacation so if you saw how I budgeted, you will find out if we kept within that budget or not Our plans definitely did change a little. But you will have to read along to find out all about that!

Lastly, if you are curious to see our Photopass Photos you will have to bear with me until at least July 1st, since we are going on another trip in such a short amount of time I am going to try and overlap our Memory Maker package, so I can have photos from both vacations which mean I can't officially download them until the 29th of June, but I definitely am going to put them on here in order when that date hits!!

We took loads of video on the trip which is good news for some who wanted me to make a Trip Video for this vacation! I should have enough...I hope! That I will be working on and should have that available to everyone at the conclusion of this Trip Report! So grab yourself some popcorn and we can get started!

Trip Report Links:

June 12, 2014
What Time Are We Leaving??
Hey! You hit King Candy!
Is that a Museum...In the Mall???

June 13, 2014 (Friday the 13th!)
Just Keep Swimming!
Do You Wanna Do The Maharajah Jungle Trek??
The Blue Umbrella & Victoria & Albert's

June 14, 2014
My Backpack's Got Jets, I'm Boba the Fett!
Hey You Jawas! Give Me Back My Camera!
Excuse Me, Do You Know The Concept of Personal Space?
Why Yes! I am Mandalorian, I Have a Name Tag to Prove It!

June 15, 2014
It's A Jolly Holiday With Jeremy!
Would You Care for Some Afternoon Tea Sir?

June 16, 2014
A Grand Check-In!
Keys to the Kingdom - Part One (Spoiler Alert)
Keys to the Kingdom - Part Two (Spoiler Alert)
Keys to the Kingdom - Part Three (Spoiler Alert)
The Chef Has Prepared Something Special For You!

June 17, 2014
Help! I'm Being Taken Away by Balloons!!
Does That Say "210 Minutes" Wait Time??
Final Budget Post! How Did We Do?
See Ya Real Soon! Really Really Soon!
​

Vacation Video!​

What's Next For Us??
Harambe Nights, Frozen Summer Fun, and More! July 23-27th, 2014 Pre-Trip Report
​

 

[AAshleySEG]

Thursday June 12, 2014​

I woke up this morning with no light coming through the windows. With my head still on the pillow, I kept debating with myself if it was too early to get up. By the time I decided yes, I picked my phone up only to find out that it was 4:47am!!! Every time I go to Disney, I get so antsy that it is hard for me to get back to sleep, this morning was no different. It took lots of talking myself into falling back asleep to actually make it happen, I remember looking at the clock at 5:23, so it was at least after that. By 6:23 I was up again, but this time I did not go back to sleep. There was no denying this time that I was completely awake and ready for this day to start!!

After I let the dogs out...and then back in, I went straight to my computer and sat down. I had to check DISboards! I am addicted, is there such thing as DISboards Anonymous?

After catching up on my "reading" for this morning, I also checked my email, then transferred our Vacation Savings Amount for this vacation out of the Savings Account and into the Checking Account, because as soon as we left the house, it would start coming out! By about 7:00am I decided I would start to get ready for the day. I also needed to make sure that I had everything packed and loaded into the car. As soon as Jeremy got home from work I knew we were going to be jumping in the car and getting on the road!

Originally Jeremy was going to leave work just a little early so we would leave by 2:30, then it changed to him taking half a day, which would have put us leaving at 12:00 or so. The actual time Jeremy got home from work...9:45am. We only live about a mile from his office, so he went in at 7:00, got everything in order for while he was gone, and then got right back in the car and came home. We went through the house together and did one last check to make sure that we had not forgotten to pack anything and/or load it into the car. When we were satisfied, we said goodbye to my Dad, went over one last time everything with him, I gave my puppies some love, and then got into the car to start our journey!

The current time was now 10:20. The first thing we did was to stop and top off our gas tank, so we would not need to stop again during the drive to Charleston. This also gave me the very first receipt of the trip!!! Woohoo I am so proud that we remembered to get this one, usually we just press No on the pump. So it is sort of a habit to just press it, but we did it! Victory for pressing Yes!!

We were about to turn right out of the Gas station and onto Hwy 211, and my worst fear had been realized!!! I remembered that I had forgotten all of the Cash in the drawer downstairs! Luckily, I thought about it before we got out of Southport! We quickly drove back home, Jeremy ran in, grabbed the cash, got back in the car, and we were back on the road by 10:29.

I got out my phone and entered in the first stop on our journey into the maps app, and we started the first leg of our drive today! By 11:05 it started to rain on us...is this some sort of sign for things to come??? It didn't last long at all though and we just kept on driving! By 11:45 we had made it to Myrtle Beach, SC. We were just casually driving down the road and then I just glance to my right and this is what I saw...

At first, I had one of those moments where you can't believe what you are seeing, a flash that you think, that is real. I was quickly brought back to reality when we realized that it was a Hollywood Wax Museum. Out of nowhere it was a little convincing was it not?? The closer we got to, the cooler it sort of looked!

With King Kong now in our past we started to get a little hungry. If we would have stuck with our original plans then we would have eaten lunch before we left home, but now it is an added expense that we were going to have to incur in our trip budget! So at 12:20 in Pawley's Island, SC, we went through the drive-thru at Mcdonald's! I didn't want to spoil my appetite for Panera Bread later, so I just got a Cheeseburger Happy Meal with a bottled water, Jeremy had 2 Mcdoubles and a Large Sweet Tea! The closer we got to Charleston we started running into Road Work, which considering we left much earlier than we were originally going to, it was not a big deal at all!

When we were about 20 minutes outside of Charleston we started to notice little wooden stands on the sides of the road. At first most of them were empty, but the closer we got they all seemed to be overflowing with Sweetgrass Baskets! If you have never been to Charleston or heard of Sweetgrass baskets here is a website that will give you some more information about them!!

We were definitely feeling like we were almost there

and then we crossed over this bridge, and we knew we were!!


Budget:
Our original budget didn't have us leaving until 2:30 in the afternoon. So there were no funds set aside for this time frame. With that in mind I will try and list what our original budget numbers were alongside our actual funds spent during each leg of the trip!

Original Budget:
1st Tank of Gas $50
Anything before dinner at Panera Bread $0

Actual Spending:
1st Fill Up of Gas: $15.45
Mcdonald's Lunch: $7.96

Total Spent: $23.41
Budget Status: $26.59 Under Budget!

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[MarbleBob]

Cool! Great start to your TR. My grandparents lived in Charleston, but I haven't been there in 7 years, so reading about the sweetgrass baskets brought a flood of memories of watching the ladies make them every time we would visit the Market in downtown.

That giant King Kong was too cool!

Looking forward to reading along

 

[disney meema]

Great start to your trip and nice to get on the road earlier than planned : ) We live in Utah and part time in Califlornia as well but my husband was born raised southern and forever from Charleston ... Our house is filled with many sweet grass baskets and always a pitcher of sweet tea lol
Following along and looking forward to your outfits and anniversary trip : )

 

[martinmont]

So excited! Following again!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

I'm in and dreaming of Disney and also filling up a full tank of gas for just $50 - oh to be in the USA now

 

[MidnightParade]

Wooooooooooooo!!!!!!

Yay! You're back!

Yay, you've started!

Oh man! Forgetting something, worst vacation fear! Thank goodness you weren't too far away. How awesome is it to get to leave early! What a treat!

Love KingKong! That is awesome and hilarious.

Can't wait for more!

 

[AAshleySEG]

joining in

Yay! You have got your popcorn and everything!! Yippee!

 

[AAshleySEG]

Cool! Great start to your TR. My grandparents lived in Charleston, but I haven't been there in 7 years, so reading about the sweetgrass baskets brought a flood of memories of watching the ladies make them every time we would visit the Market in downtown.

That giant King Kong was too cool!

Looking forward to reading along

I love watching the baskets being made! 7 years, sounds like its about time to get back! We have even planned to stop in Charleston again on our trip in July

King Kong was so unexpected, it definitely warranted having a space in the TR!! Thanks for joining me over here too!!

 

[AAshleySEG]

Great start to your trip and nice to get on the road earlier than planned : ) We live in Utah and part time in Califlornia as well but my husband was born raised southern and forever from Charleston ... Our house is filled with many sweet grass baskets and always a pitcher of sweet tea lol
Following along and looking forward to your outfits and anniversary trip : )

It was so great being able to leave when we did! Usually we are in such a rush trying to drive down there as quickly as possible, and stay on some sort of time schedule...this was the first drive I actually remember being leisurely! That is fantastic that he took some of his southern along with him to the west! My husband would be the same way if we moved! I hope you enjoy the TR and also my outfit choices...

 

[AAshleySEG]

So excited! Following again!

Aww!! Thank you for continuing to follow along!! I know you guys are so excited to be going soon! Your dates keep getting closer and closer!! Hopefully seeing my TR will get you even more in the mood, if that is even possible!!

 

[AAshleySEG]

I'm in and dreaming of Disney and also filling up a full tank of gas for just $50 - oh to be in the USA now

Welcome Welcome!! I'm always dreaming of Disney Even though I have a really small gas tank even $50 seems like a lot! How much are you guys paying for gas??

 

[AAshleySEG]

Wooooooooooooo!!!!!!

Yay! You're back!

Yay, you've started!

Oh man! Forgetting something, worst vacation fear! Thank goodness you weren't too far away. How awesome is it to get to leave early! What a treat!

Love KingKong! That is awesome and hilarious.

Can't wait for more!

Woooooooooooo!!!!!! Must be banana time!!

It is almost inevitable that I would forget something, only because I try so hard not too...if I didn't worry about it as much it probably wouldn't happen...haha!!

King Kong may be the new "thing" we have to take a photo of every time we go that way...LOL It will signify that we are actually headed to Disney World

You want more...you got it!! Thanks for sticking with me!!I can't wait to read your TR!!! October is coming up quickly!

 

[AAshleySEG]

Once we crossed over that bridge we started looking for our exit of Meeting Street! When we finally got onto it, there was a little bit of traffic trying to get down to the market area. It wasn't too bad though and in a decent enough amount of time we got to where we needed to turn left to get to the parking garage!

Charleston is really great because it has city owned parking garages all over the city and for only $1 per half hour it is a nice shady place to park on hot summer days!! When we turned right in the Charleston Place Hotel drive there was a Silver Jeep Grand Cherokee in front of us. Well, there was someone behind us as well, so with those cars stopped, we had nowhere to go. Suddenly and without warning the Jeep started backing up towards us...we were stuck!!! Jeremy started frantically beeping the horn so they would stop backing up...but to no avail! We knew it was coming and then we heard and felt it...they backed up straight into us!!!

As soon as they did it, not a moment later they took off hurriedly and out of sight into the Charleston Place Hotel gated parking area...so we assumed they were staying there or worked there or something. The parking area we were going to was a right turn and they went left. However, I did write down their license plate number in case there was any damage which we would check when we got into the parking deck!!

So, if you are reading this Silver Jeep Grand Cherokee with Florida Tag 246-YRY, you need to take a peek in your rear view mirror before you back up!! With that whole thing over we did finally get up into the deck and parked. There wasn't any damage to King Candy as far as we could tell. We had made it to Charleston by 2:00!

So we took the elevator down to street level and starting walking our way over to the Historic Market!

One of the first things that greets you as you enter are of course those amazing Charleston Sweetgrass baskets!! We walked around just taking in all the sights and smells of the market and before long we came across this place! Charleston Hat Man!

Although it was a lady behind the counter! False advertising...LOL I love hats, and Jeremy does also! When there is a large selection of them, I think it is so much fun! I quickly found a hat that I liked and modeled it for Jeremy! You can tell when he takes the pictures since they are blurry Sorry Jeremy, I do love you though!!!

It took a few tries for him to find a hat that he liked, but he finally did and it seemed to fit him perfectly!!

With our hats purchased we continued to walk down the market, looking at different things here and there. Once we made it to the end we started walking back up the street to the real reason we came to Charleston today...

Last time we were in Charleston, which was maybe 3-4 years ago we stopped inside this shop and I remembered getting some kind of thing with pecans, caramel, and chocolate. I wasn't sure what it was called but I knew I wanted it again! We made it inside and immediately smelled those pralines they are so famous for, they even make them right there in the front so passersby can see them and be drawn in!

I wasn't looking for Pralines this time though! We went all the way towards the back of the glass display cases and Jeremy found a few things that he wanted to get including some truffles and a coconut cluster. I was still in search mode trying to find what I had come in for!

I debated about getting some chocolate covered marshmallows because that is what I usually always get at Goofy's Candy Company in Downtown Disney, but I pressed forward trying to find what I was after...then I spotted them!!

Dark Chocolate Bear Claws!!!! I knew that it was going to be so sweet and decadent that I only wanted one! So we got all of our treats ordered and bagged up, went outside and started heading back toward the parking deck to the car!

By 2:48 we had made it safely into the car and the shade and now I was able to take a bite of what I had been so looking forward to when we decided to stop in Charleston only a few days before! It was so super sweet that I was only able to take one bite, I decided I would save the rest for later!

We didn't want to eat dinner too early because we had pretty much just eaten lunch at McDonald's, so we needed to find something else to do, but what?? Eventually we just decided that we would put Panera Bread into the GPS and see what we saw on the way...



Budget: We are still in a part of the trip that was unplanned, therefore, there were no funds allocated yet. Another note is that the Cash was not in the budgeted total of funds in the Checking Account. So as far as the budget is concerned only the debited funds will go toward the Total Spent.

Original Budget:
$0

Actual Spending:
Charleston Hat Man $54.25
Market Street Sweets (Cash) $6.33
Charleston Place Parking Garage (Cash) $2.00

Subtotal for This Post: $54.25

Total Spent:
$77.66

Budget Status:
$27.66 Over Budget

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Welcome Welcome!! I'm always dreaming of Disney Even though I have a really small gas tank even $50 seems like a lot! How much are you guys paying for gas??

I have a very very tiny car (toy car by USA standards and a full tank costs about $90. Our standard car costs much more for a full tank.

 

[AAshleySEG]

I have a very very tiny car (toy car by USA standards and a full tank costs about $90. Our standard car costs much more for a full tank.

Yikes! I would really never drive if it cost that much! Luckily, when we are at home in Southport, I either just ride my bike or Vespa around. Everything is pretty easily accessible in this town! Even if we take the ferry to the beach we take our bikes. At least us driving even with gas at $50 a tank, is still much less than flying down there. I can totally feel your pain!

 

[disney meema]

Oh Charleston place!! (( love )) We stayed at Charleston place for a week while Christmas decorations were up and so so beautiful. The furniture in the rooms are amazing and the cutest balconies. Amazing rooms, horse carriage rides and to walk to restaurants was fabulous. I loved the location of the hotel and how the downtown area has the old and very new within a few stores.
It was so nice seeing your pictures of the market and your both looking good in your new hats : ) I love how you've planned to stop and enjoying your way to WDW it really makes it fun and my kind of road trip! Following along and enjoying your adventures to WDW as you can probably tell.

 

[ilikewarmhugs77]

following along- you're the very first TR I am officially following. Yay! excited to read about your trip.

 

[MidnightParade]

Nooo not King Candy!!! That sucks, what a jerk! Happened to me once in a mall parking lot and it was a senior citizen in the other car. Thankfully my big old Pontiac 6000 could handle it!

Yay hats! So cute. I want to be a hat person but I think cause I'm just not used it that it always looks weird on me.....plus I kinda have a big head. lol

Oh man, those treats and bear claw looks soooo yummy!!! I need a chocolate fix now!!