Surprise September Trip: A Shooting Star, Dinner at CRT and an Engagement! U/D 9/16!!

[BadgerGirl84]

Hi, my name is Elizabeth and welcome to my very first trip report! I have been to Disney World many times, but my most recent trip to the World has me itching to tell everyone about it. As you can see from the title, I got engaged during my trip. While I have told "the story" to my immediate family and closest friends, I thought that writing a trip report would be the best way to capture the memories and share my engagement story with anyone else who is interested. I tend to tear up when I tell the story, and it takes at least 10 minutes, so I figure it's easier to save the Kleenex and direct folks to this TR!

In this trip report you will learn the answers to the following questions:
• How long does it take, exactly, to get from the C terminal to the A terminal in the Detroit airport while running in flip flops and rolling a giant pink suitcase?
• What is the best way to get a toddler to stop throwing sugar packets, crayons, menus, and dinner rolls off the table in the CRT?
• What is the best way to dry your socks if you get drenched during the JAWS ride at Universal Studios?
AND
• How, exactly, did I get engaged?

Cast of Characters:

Me (Elizabeth): I am 26 years old, live in Madison, WI, and am a self-proclaimed Disney nut. Disney World is my favorite vacation spot--I went quite frequently when I was a kid, and I've also gone many times as an adult. When I got hired at my first "real adult job" I blurted out to my sister that I would take her to Disney World, so we went when I was 22 for a week in October and most recently I went with my mom, sister, and aunt in January of this year. We have always stayed off-site, as we like staying at hotels with free breakfast and renting a car to check out new restaurants and the beach.

I grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006 with English and History degrees. In December of 2006 I started working for a large healthcare software company as a project manager in Madison. To explain briefly, I manage the installation of electronic medical records at various healthcare organizations around the country. The cons of this job are the long hours and the frequent travel (2-3 trips per month), but the pros are that I get to rack up the frequent flier miles and Marriott points. All recent hotel stays in Florida have been paid for with Marriott points--which means more money for park tickets, souvenirs, Dole Whips, turkey legs, and Mickey ice cream bars!

In my free time (which is few and far between with my work schedule), I enjoy decorating my house (I bought a house in June of 2006), spending time with my "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters, working out, cooking, and shopping for clothes at Forever 21.

Me at DHS in January of this year--this was actually one of the warmer days of the trip!

Me and my sister at Soarin' in January--look how many layers we have on!

David (Dave): He is 27 (turning 28 this month) and is from West Bend, WI. He currently lives in Waukesha (20 minutes west of Milwaukee) and works as salesman for Canon selling document imaging systems to large companies. He is handsome, kind, generous, and HILARIOUS. (Hey--that rhymed…must be the English major coming out in me.) He is crazy-busy as well--he currently works full time and attends school full time in the evenings. He is wrapping up his BA and then moving on to get his MBA.

He enjoys working out (Cross-Fit), playing video games now and then (not one of those crazy-addicted gamers--whew!), watching action and comedy movies, working on computers, and keeping up with politics. He has been to Disney World twice--once when he was 5 or 6, and once again when he was 12.

Dave at dinner during our Memorial Day weekend trip to Door County, WI.

Quick recap of our relationship: Dave and I met online (quick plug for the website that brought us together: OKCupid) in November, 2009. Meeting online was most likely the only way we would have met, as Dave was living in West Bend and I was living in Madison--about 2 hours apart. We exchanged many rounds of e-mails and began talking regularly on the phone about a week after we were "introduced." Dave drove to Madison for our first date on November 21st and we both liked each other right away. I had a good (and correct!) first impression of him because I remember texting my mom while he was in the bathroom that he was "Really nice and really cute!" We have seen each other every weekend (we typically alternate weekends in Madison and Waukesha) since our first date. We share common views on values, religion, money, politics--basically everything--and we are constantly cracking each other up. The only thing we don't agree on is the NFL--he's a Packers fan and I'm a Cowboys fan.

Dating Dave has been an absolute dream: he gives me compliments all the time, helps me with things around my house just because he wants to (mowing the lawn, hanging pictures, installing light fixtures), sending me flowers at work, and once drove all the way to Madison from West Bend while I was out of town to buy tickets to a sold-out concert from someone on Craigslist because I said I was sad to be missing the concert. Now before you all fall too much in love with him, I will say that he loves to tease me by flipping me upside down and pretending to dunk my head in the toilet and also sneaking into the bathroom and turning the shower to cold--not nice!

Dave and I near the Jefferson Memorial in DC this spring.

Dave being his normal self: SILLY!

Now that you know the cast of characters a bit better, I hope you stay tuned for the rest of my trip report! Next up: How I Almost Got Stuck in Cincinnati the Night Before Going to Florida--EEK!

 

[Melissa79]

I'm in! Congrats on getting engaged! Can't wait to read about your vacation and your engagement!

 

[patches07]

Congrats on getting engaged! Can't wait to read about your Disney Vacation

 

[EeyoreEma]

Congrats on your engagement! I can't wait to hear more of your story!

 

[MylilTink]

Congrats on the engagement! I can't wait to 'hear' the story!

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Congrats on the engagement! I can't wait to 'hear' the story!

Congrats on your engagement! I can't wait to hear more of your story!

Congrats on getting engaged! Can't wait to read about your Disney Vacation

I'm in! Congrats on getting engaged! Can't wait to read about your vacation and your engagement!

Welcome, all, to my trip report! As a creative writing major, I have to say I'm enjoying getting back into the writing groove. Even more so, I'm looking forward to capturing the highlights of my trip to share with you all, as well as friends and family who have steered here to hear the whole story. Of course, I'm shared the story with immediate family and best friends, but to tell the story to everyone woud require me taking a week off work.

Stay tuned for the next installment tonight!

 

[BadgerGirl84]

As I mentioned in my last post, I travel quite frequently for work. This past week I was in Cincinnati, OH from Wednesday through Friday supporting a hospital going live on my company's electronic medical record. On Wednesday morning I was sitting in the "command center" where we triage help desk calls and troubleshoot issues, and I got a text from Dave saying, "Call me as soon as possible."

On the phone, Dave asked if I could take Tuesday off. While I told Dave that it would be really challenging for me to take Tuesday off, he convinced me by saying I needed a break and by going on about how nice it would be to have the long 4-day weekend together. Both of which are true--and as you may remember, we are a somewhat long-distance couple, so long weekends are extra nice for us!

I had a Marriott free night stay to use before September 23rd, so we had been brainstorming ideas on how to use it during the Labor Day weekend--focusing on areas within driving distance: Chicago, Minneapolis, Wisconsin Dells. So, you can imagine how shocked I was when I received an itinerary from Travelocity in my email not more than 10 minutes after getting off the phone with Dave for AIRLINE TICKETS TO ORLANDO! I got all teary (this will become a trend for me over the weekend…), as I was so touched that Dave wanted to spend the weekend with me at my favorite place on earth and I just couldn't believe that we were going. I did a happy dance in my chair and was not productive AT ALL at work for the next couple of hours.

My moments of shock, bliss, and complete excitement were short-lived, as I realized that I was booked on the last flight from Cincinnati to Detroit and the last flight from Detroit to Madison, arriving at 10pm. The flight to Orlando left at 7:20am the next morning--if either flight was cancelled I wouldn't be able to make it on the Milwaukee flight in the morning! As I have been stranded in Detroit before in the past year, and the Detroit to Madison flight has about a 9% cancellation rate (yes--I did check the flight stats, I was that paranoid!), I began devising a plan to try to get home sooner--come hell or high water.

On Wednesday and Thursday nights, while I enjoyed planning (booking a hotel, rental car, checking out what rides would be down for renovations, etc.), I was not fully engaged, as I had a pang of anxiety over the possibility of not making it home in time to catch the Orlando flight.

Thankfully, I arranged to be sent home from the go-live a half day early on Friday, and while I had called Delta's Gold Medallion line to arrange a confirmed seat on an earlier flight about 10 times throughout the day (hoping I would catch the ear of sympathetic airline worker) there were no seats to be had. So, I decided to wing it and fly standby. As a backup plan, I confirmed with my company's travel department that they would spring for a one-way rental car from either city if I happened to get stuck. A 6-8 hour drive would not be ideal, but better than not going to Disney at all.

There was a 1:20 flight out of Cincinnati to Detroit (if you are wondering, there are basically only direct flights to Madison, WI from Minneapolis, Detroit, and Chicago) and I was determined to get on it. Bad news: the flight was full and there was only one person who had not checked in, so the chance of getting on with standby was slim, as there were 8 other people on the list. Miraculously, the one person never checked in and I got the single empty seat (thanks to my Gold status on Delta). When they announced my seat assignment I started pumping my fist in the air and yelling "Yes! Yes! Woohoo! Yes!" I was one city closer to getting home!

I slept on the flight from Cincinnati to Detroit, and the moment I landed at 2:40, I called the Gold line to see if they could get me a seat or on a standby list to the 3:15 flight out of Detroit. Miracle #2, I was already given a seat on that flight and all I had to do was show up! I was feeling incredibly grateful to be arriving home in Madison in the early afternoon instead of 10pm.

However, as we pulled up to the terminal, the pilot announced that we had to wait outside the gate until a crew member could direct us into the gate (you know, those guys with the orange cones who are always wearing shorts and knee pads). After about a 10 minute wait (that made me very nervous, as I was already cutting it close on my connection), the pilot announced that we were now waiting on a flight crew member to pull the jetbridge up to the plane. Now I started to get really antsy, as I was down to 35 minutes to the time my flight to Madison was taking off. We waited, and waited, and waited. Some customers mumbled about lousy service, the high baggage fees, and I may have sworn a few times under my breath (oops!). After another 10 minutes of waiting, a person finally came down and very, very, very slowly drew the jetbridge up to the plane. They must have a different primary job, as it took them about 5 attempts.

I bolted off the plane, grabbed my carry-on roller bag (bright pink--can't miss it!) and began charging for the A terminal. Only problem was that I was on the far end of the C terminal, so I had to run through that entire terminal, through a long underground tunnel, jump on a tram to take me from one end of the A terminal to the other, and run down several escalators to get there. All while wearing strappy sandals--cute to walk around in, very floppy and flimsy to run in. I do my best to be a very polite person, so I think I said "excuse me" and "pardon me, sorry" at least 35 times during my journey. Sixteen minutes later, huffing and puffing, I arrived at the Madison gate to find my plane was still waiting there. The flight crew asked me if I was Elizabeth, and I said yes. Then they said that I couldn't board because they had already closed the flight door--but they said not to worry because I was already rebooked on the 10pm flight home (the one that I was originally booked on and was certain was going to get cancelled).

I'm not sure if it was the work stress of the week, or my anxiousness to get home, but I lost it right then and there. I was SO CLOSE to ensuring an early trip home, and I had to see my plane take off without me. I started crying and breathing hard, and basically made a complete fool of myself. I expressed my frustration to the Delta employee, as it was the crews fault as to why I was late, not because I was sitting around eating a Cinnabon and forgot my flight was boarding. When I got my wits about me again, I stopped by the gate of the 5:30 fight to Madison and the crew assured me that while they could put my name on standby, there was no way I would possibly get a seat, as the flight was in an oversold situation.

Defeated and disappointed, I went to the Sky Club for a snack and a drink. On a whim, I decided to try the flight staff in the Sky Club to see if they could get me bumped up on the 5:30 flight. To my astonishment, she told me that she could print me out a boarding pass right then and there with an actual seat assignment! I said thank you about a million times, and she apologized as it was a middle seat. I said, "Middle seat? That's fine, I wouldn't mind sitting in the bathroom!" The flight staff cracked up and said that they wished that everyone could be as excited as me.

I relaxed in the Sky Club, boarded my 5:30 flight (got upgraded to First Class-bonus!), and landed in Madison at 5:30 (time change). I said a bunch of prayers when we landed, as I was only a quick drive away from Milwaukee and well on my way to making my surprise Disney trip a reality.

I greeted Dave with a big hug when I got to his house, and that night we stopped at Target to get a few last minute items (socks, ponchos, travel-sized toiletries) and to get a quick dinner. Lights out by 10:30, as we had an early flight the next day!

I only have one picture from Thursday--me playing with Dave's cats that he adopted from his sister earlier this year. I used to hate cats, but these two little critters have grown on me.

I apologize if the travel details in this post were above-and-beyond...just the frequent flyer coming out in me. Tomorrow's post will be filled with lots of Orlando fun and sunshine, as I'll be telling you all about our first day in the World! Here is a preview:

 

[mom2kazkids]

Jumping in to keep up on this thread. I figured from your screen name that you were from WI. I lived in West Bend for 2 years before moving back to my hometown of Green Bay.

Great start.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I've been swamped with work. I have just had two days at home following my Disney trip before heading to see Dave this weekend, then jetting down to Houston on Monday for a business trip.

Trip update will be coming on Saturday.

Today is Dave's birthday! We will be celebrating by having dinner with his two best friends tonight then a larger friend dinner tomorrow.

 

[LutheranChick82]

Congratulations on getting engaged - I'm in

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Okay--I'm a day late with my update. It's been a really busy weekend! It was Dave's birthday on Friday so we did dinner at Bonefish Grill with his best friend and his wife and yesterday we had a larger birthday party/engagement party with some friends. Without any further ado...

Nothing like waking up bright and early on the morning of a vacation! Think 3AM early and pitch black outside. We didn't have the alarm set until 4:30am, but the second I woke up I started thinking about walking through Main Street USA and watching Mickey's Philharmagic. I know I needed more sleep, as I had been working 13 hour shifts for work all week, so thankfully I was able to doze off a bit until it was really time to wake up.

We finished packing and hit the road by 5:15. I wore my Wisconsin Badgers shirt, as it was the first football game of the year. No traffic on the ride to the airport, and it was fun riding in Dave's brand new Toyota Rav4. The sun was just starting to rise as we approached to the airport and I saw a bright light moving quickly through the sky--for a second I thought it was a plane coming down--eek! I soon realized it was not a plane (thank goodness), but rather, it was a shooting star. It doesn't take much to excite me, especially on a Disney trip, so I started dancing in my seat and told Dave that it was a sign that our trip was going to be very magical. (If I only knew then!) From then on, "magical" was our catchword for the trip. Here are a few things we described as magical: the coffee at the airport, the monorail train at MCO, and the hot wings & Sam Adams beer at Hooters.

The security line at the Milwaukee airport was huge! We were hoping for a sit-down breakfast, but after the 25 minute security line, we decided against that. So, instead, we split up. I hit the shop selling smoked sausage bagel sandwiches (only in Wisconsin!) and Dave hit the Alterra coffee line for a latte and a mocha. We brought our food and drinks on the plane and we were on our way.

Dave with a mocha on the plane

As you remember, this whole Disney trip was a surprise to me, and on the plane ride down Dave presented me with another surprise. While we were waiting in the security line, Dave asked me if I'd ever been to any of the character lunches or breakfasts. I said that I hadn't, but that I was hoping to go to them once I had kids in the future. On the plane, Dave brought up the character meal topic and again and told me that he wanted to have a really nice dinner while we were in Disney, so he booked dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table inside of the castle at the MK. I was so overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness that I immediately started crying. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have a boyfriend who booked a surprise trip to Disney, then a dinner at the CRT on top of it. I was on cloud nine.

We landed early at MCO (hurray!) and our first stop was the Thrifty car rental desk.

On the monorail at MCO

We worked with a VERY aggressive clerk who tried very hard to threaten us into getting their rental insurance, (telling us how much they would bill Dave's credit card if something happened, demanding to see his insurance card, etc) but we declined all coverage and picked out a Ford Focus. We made it to the hotel by 12:30. I booked us at the Fairfield Inn at the Marriott Village. I typically stay at the Residence Inn, but due to not wanting to blow all my Marriott Points on a short vacation, I booked the more point-friendly Fairfield. The Marriott Village had beautiful landscaping and I was really pleased that we were given an upgrade to a suite when checking in.

Outside the Fairfield Inn

After relaxing in the room for a little while and discussing the best way to spend the afternoon (Downtown Disney, lounging at the pool…) we decided to go down to the Disney Boardwalk because Dave has never been there and I was hoping to finally eat at the ESPN club. On the last three trips my mom and I went to the Boardwalk in hopes of eating and watching a game there, but we faced huge lines each time and ended up going somewhere else.

After roaming around the bar area for about 10 minutes waiting for a table or a couple stools to free up (unlikely--we were there during the Florida v. Miami (OH) game and everyone was firmly staying put) we grabbed a beer (Sam Adams Octoberfest--yum!) and got in the line to be seated at a table. Surprisingly, we were seated in about 10 minutes in the main dining room with all the TVs. We decided to get an order of the nachos and a Cuban burger& fries to share. The nachos were okay--not terrible, but not great. Just sort of blah. Perhaps I'm spoiled by the nachos at a local BBQ restaurant where they have freshly fried and seasoned corn chips topped with melted cheddar, green onions, sour cream and beef brisket. I think it was the fake cheese sauce they used on the nachos that made them not that appealing. The Cuban burger, however, was really great. The meat was juicy and well seasoned, and it tasted really good topped with ham and swiss. Overall the ESPN club was a place I was glad to finally try out, but I don't see myself going back to eat again, due to the high prices.

After lunch we spent about a half hour roaming the shops at the boardwalk, then we headed back to the hotel. After relaxing for a bit at the hotel, we headed out to the hotel to pick up some bottled water and souvenirs at Walmart. I know that Walmart doesn't sound as glitzy and fun as Downtown Disney, but they really to have a ton of nice, authentic Disney souvenirs available. Dave picked out some stuffed animals, a towel, and a mug to take back to his friends and family, and I picked out a picture frame (featuring the castle and fireworks) and a blue tank top.

After shopping, we decided to hit the pool. The pool at the Fairfield is really nice. It's very large, has a kids water-play area, and has big fountains spraying into the pool. For whatever reason, Dave thought it was a great idea to have me get sprayed by the fountains as many times as possible. Sometimes he would drag me through the part of the pool where the fountains hit, and other times he put me on his shoulders and walked through the area. Dave also loved the lizards that had taken over the wood-chip covered area around the pool patio. He tossed around the idea of trying to take one home--but we both agreed that would be a bad idea.

After we were all swam-out, we got ready and headed out to Hooters for a beer and a snack before bed. Now, I know that Hooters is not everyone's cup of tea, but I LOVE their wings and always have had a fun time going to the Orlando location. The outfits that the bartenders wear are not bad at all--I honestly saw more revealing outfits the next day at the park! We sat at the bar, got some more Sam Adams Octoberfest,and split an order of the 10-piece wings in the Three Mile Island sauce. The Octoberfest was extra-yummy because they had special Sam Adams glasses made just for the beer. The bartender was super nice and we chitchatted with her about her home town in Maine. We told her that it was Dave's birthday coming up (that following Friday), so after not too long, a bunch of the Hooters girls came up behind Dave and put stickers all over his back and shouted Happy Birthday at him. I was really funny and made for a nice photo-op.

We were exhausted from our busy work weeks and getting up early for the flight, so despite being really excited about Magic Kingdom the next day, we fell asleep as soon as we got back to the hotel.

Next up: Fun in the sun at the Magic Kingdom! Oh yeah--and a big, sparkly surprise!

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Jumping in to keep up on this thread. I figured from your screen name that you were from WI. I lived in West Bend for 2 years before moving back to my hometown of Green Bay.

Great start.

Welcome! I spent most of the weekend in West Bend--Dave's mom lives there and he was helping her install a sink and countertop. My favorite place in West Bend is Toucan's for frozen custard!

Congratulations on getting engaged - I'm in

Thanks! Glad you are here!

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

Yay I love "meeting" fellow Wisconsinites on DIS. Especially ones with Wedding/Engagement stories (DH and I got married at WDW in Jan.) We were there Labor Day weekend too!

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Dave and I got a good nine-hour's rest and woke up for our day at the Magic Kingdom. I was excited about the day ahead from the moment I woke up--the MK has always been my favorite Disney park and I was looking forward to visiting all my favorite spots, but more so, sharing the experience with Dave.

We put on our park gear (cargo shorts and a polo for Dave, a new Mickey tank and shorts for me) and we both wore our comfiest shoes. I also packed disposable ponchos--which would come in handy on both park days!

Getting ready at the hotel

I'd never stayed at a Fairfield Inn before, and while I knew not to expect a deluxe breakfast (like they have at Residence Inn's), I had to say I was disappointed with the breakfast offerings. To sum up the options, Carbs, Carbs, and MORE CARBS. Choices included: toast, bagels, juice, muffins, cereal, and waffles. We did find a fridge that had hard boiled eggs and yogurt, thank goodness. I'm not a no-carb person, but I do like to stay away from a lot of refined carbs--plus protein keeps me full a lot longer than carbs. We made the most of it and made hot waffles with peanut butter and sliced bananas on top. I found a hair on one of my eggs (yuck!) so I decided not to eat those…

We left the hotel at around 8:30, and hit the MK parking lot by 9AM. We purchased our one day tickets from the electronic kiosk in the TTA (no lines!) and opted for the ferry boat over to the MK. It was a beautiful morning--it was warm and the sun was shining--I was beaming with happiness standing on the boat next to Dave headed for the MK.

Getting readt to get on the Ferry Boat!
While we missed the morning opening show, I didn't mind so much as Dave said we could stay for the Wishes fireworks show at 10pm, which I had never seen before. Once we walked through the turnstiles, we walked through the tunnel and picked up a guide map, then took in the beautiful fall and Halloween decorations in the Main Street USA area.

Our first stop was to pick a Birthday button for Dave since his birthday was coming up in less than a week. I'd never been to the MK with anyone celebrating his birthday, so I was looking forward to what kind of special treatment we would get by the cast members.

Showing off the Birthday pin--loved that they did the "i" in David with a Mickey Mouse

This was a character on Main Street USA--she was hilarious! I couldn't get the camera working right away to take this picture, and after I finally took the picture she sputtered "oil!" like the tinman and made me bend her arm back down!

Since I know MK inside and out, and Dave hadn't been there in years, he let me take the lead on our plan of action for the day. First stop: Fantasyland! I picked this tip up from the Disboards a couple years back and it always works out great--knock out Snow White's Scary Adventures, Pooh, and Peter Pan right away before the lines get long. Even in the slow season, the lines mid-day for those rides run between 30-45 minutes, and the rides are so short that a Fast Pass or a long wait just don't make sense for me. I didn't know what to expect as far as Dave's reaction to these "kids" rides, but no complaints from him--and he even appeared to enjoy them! (Throughout the day I took mental notes gauging his reaction to the park to try to figure out if he was a "Disney" person or not--so far, so good!).

In front of the Dumbo ride

Next stop, Tomorrowland. We got a FP for Space Mountain (even though it was only a 30 minute wait), then rode Buzz Lightyear and watched the Carousel of Progress . Despite Dave's video game skills, I beat him on Buzz fair and square. I guess I had more experience? If anything, he had the advantage because I let him control the joystick that spun our car around.

Look who the Galactic Hero is, AWWW YEAH!!!

My favorite part of COP, by far, is singing along with the "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of everyday…" song. I know the narrator doesn't invite the audience to sing until the 3rd time around, but I start in right away. Looks like they have added a few touches (flat screen tv, flat screen monitor) to update the final scene, but they could still use some more updates, in my opinion. The dining set is SOOOO 1992!\

Our FP time for Space Mountain was up by the time we got out of COP, so we went through the line with no waiting and had a blast. It was around 1pm by this time, so by the time we got off the ride, we were pretty hungry. We checked out the food options at the walk-up in the center of Tomorrowland (under the Astro Orbiter) but decided we weren't in the hot dog mood. So, I decided to take Dave to my favorite lunch spot at the MK: burgers at Pecos Bill's.

I love Pecos Bill's because they have tons of indoor seating (it's usually nice to cool off in the middle of the day) and because of the huge toppings bar for the burgers and fries. Dave got the burger with the onion rings, bacon and BBQ and I got a regular cheeseburger. We loaded up with the cheese sauce, mushrooms, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayo (hey--don't judge--we were on vacation!) and got a seat. We probably shouldn't have stuffed our faces as much as we did, with our CRT reservation coming up at 6:45, but we couldn't resist. For whatever reason, Dave likes to take embarrassing pictures of me eating--here is one for you to enjoy:

After lunch we got a FP for Splash Mountain, then hit up Adventureland. The wait for Jungle Cruise was only 10 minutes, but I'm sorry to say that our tour guide was not the best. She told the same jokes as everyone else (like saying "he got the point in the end" when passing the scene of the rhino chasing the guy up a tree) but was lacking in enthusiasm. Maybe she was worn out or tired, but she appeared to be having an off-day. I joked to Dave that my dream job would be a tour guide on the Jungle Cruise because of how much I love Disney and how good I think I would be at cracking those corny jokes. I would like to be that, or a waitress at the Texas Roadhouse because it looks fun to do that line dance in the middle of the restaurant every hour. I'm joking about both jobs--I'd probably be bored after a week in either position!

If there's one thing you should know about Dave, it's that he LOVES ice cream. So of course, we had to stop and get my favorite ice cream treat at the MK: a Dolewhip! Pineapple and vanilla-swirl, to be exact. Well, again, we decided to be little piggies and we each ordered our own. Tip, sit in the shaded patio just to the left of the Dolewhip stand or closer to Pirates…unless you like smoke. The section with the rock seating just in front of the stand is a smoking section. We initially sat there, then decided to move. I could post a picture of Dave feeding me a spoonful of Dolewhip, but I'd rather not.

After our ice cream break we watched the Pirates show (the actor does such a good job at looking and acting like Davey Jones!) and rode the ride. I tried to trick Dave by telling him that there was a huge drop on the ride just like Splash Mountain, but I'm not sure if he believed me or not. The lines for the day were not bad at all and we were making really good time. I was expecting long lines during the holiday weekend, but thankfully they were not bad at all.

Waiting in the Dolewhip line

Pirates show

Posing with Pirate Goofy. We had to wait about 5 minutes in the front of the line for him to come back because the cast member working with him said that he had to go "check on his pirate ship"--whatever THAT means?!?

Remember how I mentioned that Dave had a great time making me get sprayed in the face by the fountains at the pool at the hotel? Well, he absolutely loved making me stand in the middle of the totem poles that spray water near Jungle Cruise, and he also loved making me stand on the bridge in front of Splash Mountain! I put up a fight, but not too big of one, because it was really hot out and felt good to cool off. After riding Splash, we got FPs for Big Thunder Mountain RR and headed to Liberty Square.

We were going to watch the Presidents show first, then I decided I was "dying of thirst" too much to sit through the show without water, I told Dave to wait for me while I bought something to drink. I decided that the line at the fruit stand right outside the show was too long, so I went walking in search of a water fountain to fill my water bottle with. I must have missed some, because I didn't find one until I was all the way in Fantasyland. By then, we'd missed the show, so we did the Haunted Mansion, then watched the Presidents show afterwards. I really like the new movie that is narrated by Morgan Freeman--the old one had it's perks but it was time for that song about the brothers fighting in the Civil War to GO. In case you are wondering, Dave does an excellent President Obama-Robot impression.

Waiting for the Hall of Presidents show to start

Philharmagic is my absolute favorite attraction at the MK. The 3D movie is stunning and they picked the absolute BEST sing-along-songs from the Disney movies. I also love all the attention to detail with the wind, scents, and even Donald making a surprise appearance in the theatre at the end of the show. Oh yes, I sang along--but not too loud.

At this point in the day, I was feeling great. The lines were short and Dave (thank goodness) was really enjoying the Magic Kingdom. Even the lines that we did have to wait in weren't so bad because we were constantly cracking each other up. He even mentioned coming back in the not-so-long-term-future!

After the show, we only had two things left on our (well…my) must-do list: the Monsters Inc Laugh Lounge and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority train. I did my best to pick out seats for the Laugh Lounge to get us on camera, but we didn't get picked--next time I'm getting an aisle seat! For those who haven't seen this show--make sure you see it the next time you are there--it is HILARIOUS and it's really neat how the animated characters interact with the audience. By the time we got out of the show it was 6pm and raining. We decided that the perfect thing to do would be to relax and ride the TTA until it was time for our dinner reservation at the CRT. While riding, it started pouring! Thank goodness I had brought my ponchos, so at around 6:30pm, we put them on (we looked lovely!) and headed out to the CRT for dinner.

I was very excited to get to see the inside of the castle!

Coming Soon: The Moment We've all been Waiting For…Dinner at CRT!

 

[redlight]

Congratulations on your engagement!

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Yay I love "meeting" fellow Wisconsinites on DIS. Especially ones with Wedding/Engagement stories (DH and I got married at WDW in Jan.) We were there Labor Day weekend too!

Can't wait to hear more!

Sounds like we have a lot in common! I really enjoyed the labor day weekend there, crowds weren't bad and it was nice and hot. I was there in January of this year and FROZE.

Congratulations on your engagement!

Thanks! It's a really exciting time for me and Dave.

 

[LisaKeys]

Enjoyed the first part of your TR. How exciting to take a last minute trip! Looking forward to reading about your dinner at the CRT.

 

[ChiCat]

Subscribing, LOVING your report so far

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Enjoyed the first part of your TR. How exciting to take a last minute trip! Looking forward to reading about your dinner at the CRT.

Subscribing, LOVING your report so far

Thanks, and welcome! Glad you are enjoying my short-and-sweet trip report--I'm hoping to get my next update in late tonight.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Dave and I arrived at CRT at 6:40--just a few minutes ahead of schedule. I was so glad that I decided to buy ponchos in advance, because it was raining during our walk to the castle. My excitement grew when we walked into the tunnel through the castle--I hadn't walked through there in about 10 years and I couldn't believe that we'd actually be eating dinner inside!

Dave checked us in and they quickly brought us through the doors and into the lobby. The lobby was beautiful--it looked just like how you think the castle would look like on the inside--high ceilings, lots of brick and wood, and majestic. In the lobby we waited to get our picture taken with Cinderella. I wasn't sure of how close to stand next to her, so I think I look a little awkward in the picture! Here is one they took with our own camera--we were also given a photo in a paper Disney frame at dinner.

We waited for about 10 minutes before they called us in for dinner. They had to call us several times, because they were asking for "Lord Charland" (Dave's last name is Charland) and we thought they were asking for someone named Lori!

We walked up a circular red-carpeted staircase up to the dining room. The dinning room was stunning--high ceilings, big beams and very regal looking. The host directed us through the dining room and seated us at a table for two in front of a window at the center of the room. The window overlooked Fantasyland and it was obviously the best seat in the house. Our waiter came by to take our drink orders and to give us our menus. Dave ordered a diet Coke and I ordered the pomegranate lemonade.

Everything on the menu looked delicious, but Dave and I ended up ordering the same appetizer and entrée--the crab cake appetizer and the beef filet entrée. Dave ordered the chocolate mousse for desert, but I said that I needed a little more time to think about what I wanted.

Right after we ordered, Dave said he had to go to the bathroom and he left the table. This surprised me a little bit, because we had just stopped at the restrooms within the last hour. I decided not to spend too much time dwelling on his bodily functions and just enjoyed my surroundings while I waited for him to come back.

I knew our spot was in a good table, because while Dave was gone, three kids came up to the table to look outside the window over Fantasyland. Speaking of kids, there was a little guy (I would say he was 2) sitting behind us who was captivating his family by throwing everything he could get his hands on up and over his head. Here are some of the things he managed to throw across the room (but thankfully not on me): sugar packets, salt shaker, pepper shaker, crayons, coloring book, napkin, fork, knife. When they brought out the rolls and butter to his table, he starting throwing those things too. The parents did make an effort to pick up what he was throwing and to take some things out of his reach, but they thought that the whole event was hilarious and even started taking pictures of their child throwing things in the dining room. I'm not here to judge parenting techniques, but the CRT seemed to me like a dining spot where you would not want to encourage this behavior.

The crab cakes arrived at our table just as Dave returned and they were really good. They were actually salmon and crab cakes and you could taste both types of seafood.

While we were eating, Dave and I talked about out favorite parts of the day. Dave asked me what the most "magical" part of the day was, and I said, "the tugboat," because when I had asked Dave what his favorite part of the day was he had said the boat ride over to the MK. Then he asked me what my real answer was and I said "Mickey's Philharmagic" because I liked singing along so much. Dave was actually videotaping this short conversation on his digital camera--it's really cute to watch it back.

The waiter refilled our drinks and brought out our entrees. On the plate was sliced filet, asparagus spears, this crispy whipped potato swirly thing, and hollandaise sauce. I LOVE hollandaise sauce--I rarely have it since it's so rich--but it was a nice treat.

While we were eating our entrees, they began introducing the princesses (the CRT is a Disney Princess-themed character dinner). I had thought that the princesses would just be roaming continuously, but rather they made an audio announcement with music and a quick back-story on the princess, then introduced her to the room first. After that the princess began visiting every table for autographs and photos.

Princess Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty) came first, followed by Snow White, and Dave posed with both princesses.

There was one more young couple dining in the room without kids (like us) but they didn't opt for any photos--party poopers! The princesses fawned over Dave and wished him a very happy birthday. Ariel (Little Mermaid) and Belle (Beauty and the Beast) came next and I posed with them. Belle is my favorite because she was a book worm--just like me! I asked her advice on turning a beast into a prince--she thought that was hilarious.

Remember my favorite two year old sitting behind me? The butter & roll thrower? Well, as soon as the princess started coming by, he turned into a little Prince Charming. He loved the princesses and gave them big hugs and kisses when they came to visit him. So cute!

Because we pigged out on burgers and Dole Whips, Dave and I didn't finish all of our dinners, despite how good they were. I settled on the Crème Carmel (kind of like a flan, if you're familiar with that) for dessert. They started bringing out the desserts to the guests who were seated at the same time as us--everyone had their dessert on a plain white plate. Two waiters brought out dessert to me and Dave--one put Dave's mousse down on the table and the other put a large white platter with a white domed lid down in front of me. When he put it down he said, "a special dessert for the princess."

After he set down the platter, he lifted the dome, and this is what I saw:

The platter was covered in red rose petals and on top of the rose petals was a small glass slipper. Inside the slipper was an engagement ring with some rose petals stuffed through it to keep it sitting upright in the slipper. I WAS IN COMPLETE SHOCK (in a good way!). The next few minutes were a complete blur. I instantly started crying when I saw the ring and I was overwhelmed by my childhood dream coming true.

Dave stood up from the table, took my hand, and had me stand up. While I can't remember every word he said (like I said--it was a blur), I do know that he whispered in my hear "Remember when we saw the shooting star on the way to the airport? Dreams really do come true." Then he got down on one knee, held out the ring, and said, "Elizabeth, will you marry me?" I think I remember nodding my head yes before he got down on one knee, but I said yes and we gave each other a big hug and a kiss. I remember saying "I can't believe it!" again and again. Dave said that I didn't let go of him for a whole minute--and that just might be true! We had caught the attention of the restaurant, and the entire restaurant was clapping and cheering when I said yes. I'm not sure if everyone heard me, because a couple people asked if I said yes.

I was floating on air for the rest of the night. They brought Dave out a birthday cupcake with a candle after the engagement, and we nibbled at our desserts, but we were both too excited to eat much. They gave us pins that said "Just Engaged" so we both put them on--I loved them!

The waiter put the glass slipper in a small box to keep it safe until I got it home. When my brain started working again, I began asking Dave a million questions about how he had planned this whole thing out.

He said that he didn't start planning the engagement until he had already surprised me with the trip to Orlando (as I said, we had a free hotel night's stay to use up and he found super cheap airfare). He said that after he booked the trip, he realized that it would be a perfect opportunity to propose. He said he had been thinking of proposing during our November trip to Costa Rica, but that he thought that I might be expecting it then since it would be right around the year-mark of us dating. He figured that if he asked me before then, I would have no clue (he was right!).

Dave told me that he worked with Disney event planners to get the special reservation at CRT at such short notice and that he also worked with a glass engraver to get the slipper engraved. The slipper has "David and Elizabeth" engraved on one side, the date engraved in the middle of the shoe, and "Dreams do come true" engraved on the other side of the slipper. SO PERFECT!

I then asked Dave how he picked out the ring and transported it to Disney without me finding out. On the Wednesday prior, Dave had texted me asking for my dad's cell phone number because he had been pulled over for an expired license and he wanted my dad's advice on what to do. I thought it odd that Dave hadn't told me about getting pulled over, but I didn't think much of it. It turned out that Dave actually asked for my Dad's cell phone so that he could pick him up on Thursday and take him to the jewlery store to take a look at the center stone Dave had picked out for my ring. It meant so much to me that Dave did this--both to talk to my dad before proposing and also to include my dad on picking out the diamond. My dad LOVES jewelry and used to sell jewelry. He actually carries a loop (magnifying glass thing) in his pocket at all times just in case he needs it! Dave kept the ring inside of a tiny leather pouch inside his toiletry bag on the trip down to Orlando, and kept it inside of a buttoned cargo shorts pocket at the MK. Sneaky!

A lot of people have asked me if the engagement was a surprise or not. It absolutely was. As the day at MK progressed, I kept thinking to myself, "gosh, it would be an absolute dream to get engaged at the Magic Kingdom" but I really was convinced that Dave was going to wait until at least November to pop the question. Dave had taken me on two surprise trips to the jewelry store in the last three months just to look at some settings and get an idea on what I liked. The setting that Dave picked out was the setting that I liked the most when we had last been to the store. It's perfect!

After dinner I was still walking on air. I called my family's house and told my mom, dad and sister the engagement story. Lots of tears and excitement on both sides! It only took my mom two minutes to ask me, "well, have you picked a date yet?"

We tried to use our FPs for the BTMRR, but it was down. We decided we didn't want to wait, so we headed for the train station at the end of Main Street USA to watch a bit of the parade before heading out.

The Spectromagic parade started at 9pm, and while I was telling Dave if we left after a couple floats, he urged me to stay for the Wishes fireworks show at 10pm because I'd never seen them before. It didn’t take much convincing! I've been to the MK a ton of times, but I've never seen Wishes--usually because we get there right when it opens and are usually worn out before the park closes.

Between the parade and fireworks we sat in the train depot (air conditioning!) and spent the time calling Dave's sisters and friends. We went outside of the depot when the fireworks started and I was so glad Dave convinced me to stay. We used the word "magical" a lot of times to describe things during the trip, and that's the best word to describe Wishes. I was in tears for most of the show because the lyrics to the songs that they played to accompany the fireworks were all about making wishes and having your dreams come true. Dave asking me to marry him inside the castle at my favorite place on earth (during a surprise trip, none the less) was absolutely a dream come true, and Wishes was the perfect end to a perfect day.