The "I Wasn't Going to Do a Trip Report" Trip Report!~May 2015-Update 5/10/16-New TR link!

[khertz]

Sounds like you had a pretty good travel day! I have to tell you, though, I always start packing days in advance and yet I still find myself up late scrambling to finish the night before. So I don't know that there really is a "better" way to do it!!

Just curious about DtD, why did you have to park behind the Hess station and take a shuttle? Was the parking garage not open or was it just full? We were trying to figure out where to fit in some DtD time on our October trip, but I'm not sure it's worth all that hassle, especially with 2 kids!

YAY for the Wilderness Lodge!! I miss that place so much. I hope we get to stay there again someday. I'm glad you were able to hang out a little longer and get the higher floor you wanted.

 

[Nanaji]

Hi Jen,

Following....

I would love to stay at WL and hope to some trip soon. We always head over there to visit and grab a lunch at Roaring Forks. Great report so far.

 

[Nermel9]

My life, girl. Seriously. My life.

Me too!

Me too!

I'm like the perfect hybrid of you and your DH. (Adopt me?!)



It was GORGEOUS, wasn't it?!

Some of us manage! #soloskills

Never does, dude. Never does.

Every. Single. Time!

Someday... hopefully on my next trip... I won't be behind the wheel of a car finally, and can nab this photo for myself! I never can because I'm always driving! #soloproblems

Good for you for standing your ground and waiting for better! The resort CMs probably hate me, but I'm parsnickity about getting my requests, and I will wait if I have to!

When in Florida....

OMG! I looooove this! Love love love! I want to stay at WL now JUST so I can shower with these cuties! (Is that weird? )

Haha, I shouldn't really make it seem like I don't go to Disney to eat, I do! It's just not my main focus like my DH!

I don't know if Epcot is more beautiful during Flower and Garden...or Food and Wine because of all the yumminess at the booths!

I've seen people pull over on the road to get a perfect shot of the Disney welcome arches...maybe try that next time! (Just kidding, I don't think that's actually allowed, but people do it anyway! )

The resort CM's probably hate me too, I've switched rooms more than I care to admit, haha! But I'll only switch if there's an actual problem, if it's something like a view I don't like, I'll suck it up and deal with it! And this CM gave me the option to wait for a higher room so I don't think that's too annoying...right?

I know, I wish I could have those tiles in my bathroom, they are so cute!

Following along... our 1st trip is in October and I'm having a great time reading the trip reports from just recently!

Thanks for joining! October is an awesome time for Disney, you're going to love it!

 

[Nermel9]

Loving it so far! Can't wait to read more!

Thanks for joining!

joining in - great intros! I think I am a blend of both of you as I go for the magic and fantasy ... AND the food and booze!

I am the same way with the airport I think mostly because, at least in my area, you never know how long the security line will be so until I get through that line with some time before boarding I stress out

That you went for an egg mcmuffin instead of just a hash brown is absolutely the type of detail we want!

It seems like the view of how many magic bands you can have varies so much ... I read some stories of similar interactions with CMs that you had - but then others that said there is no limit to how many bands you can have. At this point some people have like 30 of them so I think Disney needs to figure out an official policy and process around that as the numbers are only going to increase

Sorry the CM made you feel like you were in trouble though - even if she had to communicate the message she did there is a way to do that in a much ore positive way.

sounds like you hit DTD at some of its worst - seems like recently some of the walls have started coming down. I know our last trip we just skipped it as it just sounded stressful... very excited for when it is all done though

haha, I never thought of that but those tiles do make it seem like Chip, Dale, and friends are peeping toms

Bummer about no nap - but EPOCT is calling! Great shot of Spaceship Earth!

Thank you! Haha, yeah, I go just as much for the food, who am I kidding?

Once I'm sitting near my gate, ready to board, I'm ok, but everything before is so stressful! You would think it wouldn't be by now, with the amount of times I've been to Disney, but I feel like I get stressed more and more each time!

Haha, oh good!

Yeah I didn't think there was a limit either! It's not like I want 50 Magic Bands, but what am I supposed to do when they keep sending me them when I book trips? But I did listen to the CM, I went on my account and deactivated all of them, like a good girl!

Ugh, DTD is so awful! I mean, when it's done, it's going to be amazing, but I can't even tell how it's going to look with all of the walls! I wish I could skip it but there's no way I can't not go to Earl of Sandwich!

Thanks!

 

[Nermel9]

Sounds like you had a pretty good travel day! I have to tell you, though, I always start packing days in advance and yet I still find myself up late scrambling to finish the night before. So I don't know that there really is a "better" way to do it!!

Just curious about DtD, why did you have to park behind the Hess station and take a shuttle? Was the parking garage not open or was it just full? We were trying to figure out where to fit in some DtD time on our October trip, but I'm not sure it's worth all that hassle, especially with 2 kids!

YAY for the Wilderness Lodge!! I miss that place so much. I hope we get to stay there again someday. I'm glad you were able to hang out a little longer and get the higher floor you wanted.

Yay you're here!! I guess there's not a good way to pack...even if I got everything finished a week before, there would still be last minute things that would have to get packed so just knowing that would stress me out! That's why I don't bother with packing early!

The garage was open, but we missed the left turn to go in there, and instead of driving all the way down the street to turn around, we just parked in the lot behind the gas station. I wish we parked in the garage, it would have been a lot easier!

My lodge! I miss it so much!

Hi Jen,

Following....

I would love to stay at WL and hope to some trip soon. We always head over there to visit and grab a lunch at Roaring Forks. Great report so far.

Thanks for joining!

The WL is so beautiful, I hope you get to stay there! We always go to Roaring Forks too, even when we're not staying there, I have to visit!

 

[Nermel9]

Oh But That's Nonsense. Flowers Can't Talk.

Hi everyone! Hope you're having a great Memorial Day! I'm enjoying this beautiful day off by...updating my TR, haha!

(Oh and I'm apparently using Disney quotes for chapter titles, which I didn't plan on doing! I'm guessing this is going to get more challenging as the TR goes on!)

When we left off, we were in the car, on the way to Epcot! My favorite park! The nice thing about staying at the WL is how close it is to Epcot, but when you're driving, and you leave the WL, you have to go around that huge loop, where you pass the Polynesian. I swear it adds an extra 20 minutes to your trip.

Kidding, but when you're anxious to get to your first park of the trip, it seems like forever! But soon, we were in the parking lot at Epcot, starting a brand new row of cars (seriously, it always happens, every single time we're parking, we start a new row. If you're a bus person, you don't know the annoyance that this is, but if you drive to the parks, you know what I'm talking about!)

(Haha, sorry, I'm complaining a lot about driving in this update, and it hasn't even started yet! I'm just trying to recreate how impatient I was to GET IN THE PARK!!!!)

We got out of the car and walked to the entrance, went through bag check, and I heard it...the Epcot entrance music loop! I don't know if that's my favorite Disney music, but it's up there...I can be in the worst mood and just hear 2 seconds of this music and I'm immediately happy!

Just like that, we were there! I was in Epcot! It's that moment you wait for for MONTHS when you're counting down to a Disney trip, imagining what it's going to feel like when you finally walk into a park and hear the music and smell the popcorn and see Spaceship Earth! I swear I have to hold back tears every single time, because I feel like a loser crying in the middle of a park!

The entrance was even more beautiful that usual, because of the Flower and Garden Festival! I tried to get a good pictures of the topiaries, but this is what I ended up with, there was a mob of people waiting to take pictures so I settled for a side angle. Anyway, Spaceship Earth is more important than topiaries, right?

Can you believe that blue sky? After the horrible winter we had, it was SUCH a relief to finally be in Florida, in the warm weather with the most beautiful blue sky I swear that I have even seen in Disney! (Probably not, but compared to my last couple of trips that were cloudy and rainy, this was perfect!)

We started walking in, and I noticed the Chip and Dale topiaries, so I had to take a picture of them! I'm obsessed with Chip and Dale all of the sudden, I've always liked them, but in the past couple of years, they have become favorites of mine so I couldn't pass them by without a quick picture!

I think it was around 2ish when we got to Epcot, so we didn't really have a lot of time to wander around before our first ADR of the trip. If you followed my PTR, or if you just know me from reading past TR's, you know that Brandon and I are kind of Le Cellier freaks. Like, there was a trip a few years ago (before it was a signature) that we ate there 3 times. Well during our last trip, I TOLD Brandon that I wanted a break from it, and I was going to book Yachtsman Steakhouse instead on our next trip. He agreed, that was fine, whatever. Fast forward to this trip, I book Yachtsman, all excited to try it. Brandon asks me when we're going to Le Cellier. I tell him we're not, we're skipping it, he kind of had a small panic attack at the idea of not going to Le Cellier. Sigh. I could have been a bad wife and just ignored him, but like the good wife AND Dis'er that I am, I immediately started searching for a Le Cellier ADR that I could squeeze into our plans. Not easy, there were limited openings and they were all on awful days at horrible times. The only thing I could make work was arrival day, which meant I'd have to move another ADR and whoops, Yachtsman gets bumped. As it always does.

(Do you guys know how many times I've had Yachtsman in my ADR schedule and it's gotten bumped for something else? Too many to count!)

So once we were there, in Epcot, we kind of had to walk quickly to Canada to check in for our ADR.

You know, I say I want to skip it and try new things, but once I'm there, I'm SO happy that I'm going to be eating there. It's just so good, it will always be one of my favorites, even if it's not my number one anymore!

We checked in and waited outside for a table to be ready, and saw the first Disney ducklings of the trip! Yay! Disney ducklings are the cutest things in the world, just in case anyone was wondering. I can't tell you how much time we've wasted in Disney World, watching Disney ducklings.

We probably only waited 5 or 10 minutes for a table, and we were put in the back corner, which I love because it's quiet back there and you don't feel like you're sitting with your neighbor, which I find really awkward! And Le Cellier is so crowded, if you get one of those middle tables, forget it. You might as well push your tables together with the people next to you and split the check.

Our waitress was awesome, I wish I remembered her name, but she was great. She talked Brandon into ordering a beer flight because he couldn't decide on a beer, and everything that we ordered, we got really quickly.

We both started with my favorite, the cheddar cheese soup

which I was kind of disappointed to see in a tiny little cup again and not a huge bowl. It's so good, you just want a gallon of it, but I guess that's not the smartest thing when you're going to be eating steak in a few minutes.

Sadly, I still was not doing good with the pictures of food thing yet, and that's the only one I took! I had the famous Le Cellier Filet Mignon and Brandon had the rib eye. We both ate every single morsel on our plate, because it was amazing, and since we weren't on the dining plan, we didn't have to worry about forcing down a dessert!

The bad thing about not being on the dining plan is you actually have to pay, lol, and see how much you're really spending. I'll spare you the details but let's just say, this was by far the most expensive meal of the trip. At least we got it out of the way, right? But wow...much different than having the dining plan!

We were completely stuffed and yet I'm pretty sure Brandon wanted to stop somewhere outside and get another beer. So I hung out with these guys for a few minutes

and decided I should probably take some Excedrin Migraine. I didn't have a migraine, but I was getting a slight headache, and I've read that headache medicine works best when you take it at the first sign of pain. I don't like to always do that, because sometimes they will go away on their own, but I didn't feel like taking any chances, it was our first Disney day and we were hopefully going to have a long night ahead of us.

I'm not the biggest FP+ fan but I have to say, it was awesome knowing it was my first day there and I was going to go on Soarin! I had an FP for 4:40 and we had a little time to kill before it would be ready to use so we just hung out in Future World, looking at the beautiful flowers and listening to more of my favorite Epcot music, the Inventions loop.

Finally it was time for Soarin', which is one of my favorite rides in Disney. Perfect way to start off a trip, with your favorite ride! We could have went on Nemo or Imagination, but why bother when you know you're going to start with perfection, right?

Once Soarin' was over, we didn't really have any plans so we decided to walk back over to the World Showcase.

I honestly don't remember what we did, I think we just looped around, and talked about what we should do for dinner. Brandon really wanted to go to the Poly to Kona Island for sushi, and honestly, I didn't really feel like it, I wanted to try to stay for Illuminations and then maybe hop over to the Magic Kingdom for magic hours...but I know he loves this place and I didn't know if we'd be able to fit it in any other time, so I said it was fine, and that maybe we should started making our way out of Epcot.

On the way out, I realized that Excedrin I took didn't work and I was getting an actual migraine. Which annoyed me. It was almost 8:00 and I thought I avoided my usual first day at Disney migraine, but apparently I didn't. So I knew whatever we did for the rest of the night was kind of ruined by this. But it wasn't that bad yet and I thought maybe once we got to the Poly and I could eat something I'd feel better. Until then, I just chugged my gatorade and water.

On the way out, the sun was setting and Spaceship Earth was absolutely glowing. It was SO beautiful, so I had to stop and take about a million pictures of it! (I'll just show you one though, so I don't bore you!)

So pretty!

On the walk back to the car, you could see sky was just lit up with all of these beautiful colors, and I was kicking myself for not being in the park for this! Disney sunsets are so perfect, and here I was, enjoying it in a parking lot, haha! Didn't matter though, even with the migraine and the parking lot as a backdrop, it was still unbelievably beautiful!

We got in the car and drove over to the Poly, and I was saying to Brandon, I hope they don't give us a problem parking, since the Poly is under all this construction. Sure enough, we get there and Brandon tells the parking attendant that we're going to eat there and the attendant tell us no. So we had to go all the way back to the Magic Kingdom lot, take the tram to the TTC, and walk over to the Poly. By then my head was pounding and I was so not in the mood to be there, I just wanted my bed at home and my cats and a bottle of Advil, but I sucked it up and ordered some of those sticky wings at Kona that I love, and Brandon got sushi.

As we were sitting there waiting, I realized I felt nauseous, and again, hoped it went away when my wings came out. It didn't. I ate a wing and it was awful. I forced myself to eat another one, and I was done. I felt like if I ate another one, it would be a problem. Meanwhile, Brandon was eating his sushi and telling me to try it, which I really wanted to, because the last time we were there, it was really good. So I did, even though I shouldn't have, and just made myself feel worse. I told him I was nauseous and didn't like the wings or the sushi, and he said he didn't either, and he was really disappointed, because he normally loves the sushi there. At that point, we were both ready to go back to the room and call it a night. Bye, Magic Kingdom magic hours. It was a good idea, but there was no way I could go back out into a park. It was turning into one of those migraines where it's like, the worst one I've ever had.

We went back to the Wilderness Lodge and I got myself a bucket of ice, a bottle of Gatorade and Advil, and tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't. I was completely exhausted and aggravated and just wanted to go to sleep. Brandon had no problem falling asleep, of course, with his lovely sleep machine that is supposed to prevent him from snoring, but there he was, snoring away! I kept waking him up, telling him to stop, but there's nothing you can really do about that, haha! So I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed my ice pack that I had on my head, went into the bathroom, sat on the edge of the tub and cried my eyes out. Like seriously, sobbed like a little kid. I hate how I can go from being so happy to be in Disney World a few hours earlier, to crying in the bathroom. And it's all because of a stupid migraine. I stayed in there for maybe 15-20 minutes and then, when I felt like I could possibly fall asleep, I got back into bed and finally went to sleep.

It wasn't the best night of sleep, I kept waking up, but I realized at one point when I woke up, my migraine was gone! Which made me SO happy, since it was soon to be our first FULL Disney day, and I couldn't let a migraine get in the way of that!

Up next...a migraine free, first FULL day of Disney!



​

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I swear I have to hold back tears every single time, because I feel like a loser crying in the middle of a park!

I may or may not know what its like to bawl in a park!

Bummer about the migraine! But glad it at least went away!

 

[KathyM2]

Oh no...I'm so sorry that a migraine got in the way of your first night. The earlier part of the day sounded like fun though...even though I'm Canadian I've never eaten at Le Cellier...gotta do something about that lol. I know exactly how you feel though...it is so sad when you are at Disney (or on any vacay really) and you aren't feeling well...it is just depressing and you just want to be ok and it's stressful. I'm glad to hear that it went away though and hopefully you were migraine free for the rest of the trip! Also, being able to ride Soarin' when arriving late at Epcot...I guess that's one benefit of FP+...

 

[Mrs T 2009]

Ugh migraines are the worst in Disney!!
Glad it went away for following day, though!!

I want to try sushi from kona island! I hope to try there while we are staying at the POLY

 

[kgoodb00]

I am a fellow migraine sufferer. Mine are like yours, they come on and there is not much you can do to get rid of them. I finally went back to the doctor about 6 months ago because I was getting so frustrated. They put me on new medication, and I haven't had one since!! Well, up until about a week ago. This past week has been awful. I went home from work one day and just laid on my couch and cried. I am hoping and praying I can get it under control before our trip in 18 days!! I hope one day they go away for you. Such an awful thing to experience...especially in Disney!!

EPCOT I love the entrance loops and any other loop I can get my hands on!! I have been listening to them lately to get pumped for our trip. I am glad you ate at Le Cellier!! I loved their filet! We are heading to Yachtsman during our trip, so I will let you know how it is. I hope it is as yummy as Le Cellier (since it will probably cost a fortune!! lol)

I hope the rest of your trip is migraine free! I can't wait to hear what you and Brandon are up to next!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

HAHA, I have to admit. Having used the bus exclusively this past trip, that might be the main thing I missed the least. Because like you, I ALWAYS start a new row in the parking lot. So frustrating, lol.

While I tend not to do it at home, I do generally take aN Advil to start the day in Disney. Better to get out in front I guess.

Very True Jen. FP+ may not be the best thing ever, but on arrival day it is pure gold. No way you'd get to ride any head-liners without a massive wait otherwise.

Oh Jen, that makes me so sad for you to have an unmagical migraine on arrival day. That just stinks. I totally get being upset about that. You wait and wait for the day to arrive and them BAM, just like that it's virtually ruined. So terribly frustrating since there's nothing you can do. I do like the "Up Next" though. Migraine Free!

 

[KatMark]

Oh, I hear you on the parking situation...it happens to us almost every single time.

I'm glad you had another great meal at LeCellier. I'm looking forward to the soup and trout at Food & Wine.

That's too bad about your migraine. Do you get them frequently at home too? I'm sorry you ended up crying on your first night in the World.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

following...I love trip reports!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

So sorry about your migraine....that must have just been awful...and to think of you crying in the bathroom...that's so sad....I hope the rest of the trip was migraine free.....

 

[marDgreen88]

Ohhh Epcot. OKAY, so this year they didn't play oldies music for Flower and Garden? That was the first thing I noticed last year and it threw me off so much! I mean I love oldies. But like not as much as the Epcot entrance music. ANYWAYS.

Hahaha I mean I guess some traditions will never die. It's a good thing you love Le Cellier so much too!

Ugh I'm so sorry you got a migraine. Trust me, I get the whole crying in the bathroom thing. When you feel terrible on a Disney trip, it's just devastating. So glad you started to feel better though, yay!

 

[Nanaji]

So sorry about your migraine. What a nasty way to start your trip. I am glad it ended while you were sleeping. I have never eaten at Le Cellier. Being Canadian, I always try the other countries first. Maybe this year!

 

[catmom46]

I'm also a fellow migraine sufferer, so I know exactly what you went through. Sometimes crying your eyes out actually helps a little just to relieve some of the stress in hopes of relaxing enough to fall asleep. Hopefully the rest of your trip is migraine-free! Even though it's tough not to get so excited about being at Disney, try to do some breathing/relaxing exercises to keep stress levels down whenever you can.

 

[amazingact21]

Epcot! Yay!


Haha, I always wonder if you are going to end up at Le Cellier for a meal. Not that it's a bad thing. I swear, I haven't gone to Disney in 3 years and not eaten at Via Napoli, so I get it.


Oh no, a migraine! That sucks. I mean, if it's the only one you got then at least it happened right away and left the rest of your trip free. But still...that's just terrible.
Oh my gosh, the struggle with a husband that snores...I get it. Haha. At first, you push the, gently, and the. You start ramming them, like. "stop snoring!!!"

 

[Tracy161]

Hi, Jen, I'm here!!!

What an awesome, adorable picture of you in your intro!

Ugh, I'm always stress at the airport prior to getting through security, too.

Gorgeous photos of the room and Epcot!!!

SO sorry to hear about your migraine! I hope that one was the only one of the trip.

 

[KGeeLovesDisney]

Just caught up.
I'm following.

Did I answer all of the "you're going to Disney World AGAIN" questions we all get?

I'll be at Disney in December.
But, friends and family don't understand why I'm doing Disney again.
I keep hearing "You've already been to DisneyWorld, why don't you travel somewhere else?" and "DisneyWorld is for kids!"
All I can say is "If you ever travel to DisneyWorld then you'll understand"

I look forward to hearing more about your trip!