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

[Gracefulskinny]

so I don't know why people complain about how terrible it is all the time.

I can't say I was overly impressed with their breakfast.

I actually love this picture because I have no idea what Donald is doing, and I have no clue where my ears are! I want to say he threw them again before giving them back to me, but he finally gave them back when his attendant scolded him enough!

I love character interactions like that, and I never expect them because I know the characters go out of their way to do silly things like that for families with kids, so when they do things like that with us, I'm just so happy! I know I'm afraid of princesses, but I love the fur characters and I love interacting with them, even if it is just something stupid like that!

See I'm the other way. I interact a lot better with face characters.

We went over anyway and it wasn't too bad, of course, there was no wait for the ride which was nice!

A tad surprising for Cinco de Mayo.

The sun was starting to go down, and the sky was looking amazing, so I wanted to find a good spot to take some pictures, you know me and my Disney sunsets! So many people were doing the same thing, and it's not hard to see why, it was ridiculously beautiful:

 

[Dugette]

it was almost 2:00 when we ate lunch! And our ADR was at 4:30!

Ugh, that's a tight eating schedule for sure!

I don't really remember much about the interaction, but Mickey was super cute and our picture turned out...ok. I'm never satisfied with pictures, no matter what I do.

I think it's a very nice picture!

We sat down, and then Donald crept over to us. He came up behind me and was acting all mad about something, and then pointed to my ears. He was being so funny, and finally, he grabbed them off of my head and threw them! Then he went to pick them up and his attendant was telling him to give them back to me, and he was hiding them behind his back, it was hysterical! He was with us for so long, it was so awesome!

What a great interaction! Yay for Stormtrooper Donald! So fun when they really get into the act like that.

Wow, never heard of this one, but I can see why you'd need to try it!

Ughhhh. I just remember feeling so awful, like I could not move.

That's the annoying thing about Disney - so many good things to try (that you can only get there) and so little time to space them out. I've been there.

I asked Brandon if his was good and he said no. We were both kind of surprised, because we have NEVER had a bad drink from there.

What a bummer! Maybe they had a new CM making drinks that night while the others took Cinco de Mayo off or something?

Absolutely gorgeous pictures!!! I concur, World Showcase at sunset is about as good as it gets.

 

[MEK]

Wow - what an absolutely gorgeous night. Those sunsets are beautiful. What a perfect memory to be caught on camera.

Glad you enjoyed your lunch and H&V. I know you don't like your pictures, but I think they are super cute!

That milk shake looks so delish, but its the margarita that I really want.

yay for POR. Can't wait to see what you think.

Great update!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

The Hollywood and vine meal was so yummy!!! And the desserts were delicious!!!!!

That churro milkshake looks yummy!!
I didn't know about it, otherwise we would have tried it-well, at least rylan. He LOVES churros!!

At least you aren't headed hone, yet!! POR is so nice too!!

 

[melduckie]

Amazing sunset photos!

 

[deedee2177]

I completely understand your concern about Kali River Rapids...this is why I have never done this ride. I just know I will be "that person" who gets soaked!!! I have told my DH I will give it a try during our November trip, I have it planned toward the end of our AK visit and my plan is to pack extra shoes in our backpack that we can wear on the ride that we don't mind getting soaked. I'm still not fully onboard with this ride, but DH wants to give it a try so I guess I will do it as well.

I loved your visit to Epcot, my Mom and I had a Mom/Daughter date one even during our last trip. We didn't have any plans we just arrived there and I was able to grab an ADR at Nine Dragons...it was so nice just to walk around and take it all in. I love Epcot at night!

 

[sara1215]

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These flowers are simply gorgeous! Are they always like this or was it a particular of the flower/garden festival?

 

[chunkymonkey]

Love the update! Our Hollywood and Vine Jedi Mickey dinner was awesome! Sorry you weren't hungry enough! Sometimes I feel that way when I keep snacking before an ADR (but I always manage to eat my share, lol). I was impressed with the food offerings as I wasn't expecting much either. But everything tasted fresh and not sitting around for a while which was nice. Love all the pictures! I think you look really cute in all of them!
The churro milkshake looks interesting! Did it taste like it had bits of churro blended into it too?
Looks like a really fun Cinco de Mayo!! I would totally do the Gran Fiesta Tour on Cinco de Mayo too!

I have a feeling sometimes when things are pomegranate flavored it can be cough-syrup-like. It must be the comcentrate they use. I have had pomegranate flavored drinks before and 90% of them taste syrupy so I stay clear of them unless they can prove to me it was made with fresh pomegranate juice!

Lovely evening pics of Epcot!

 

[Elevationist]

Haha, I thought about you while we were there, I was wondering if I was anywhere near where you lived!

You probably were. I'm in Beaufort, just north of Hilton Head.

Haha I know, true! It's fine if I'm an adult and have 3 pillow pets and will probably buy another one on my next Disney trip, right?

That question had better be facetious, since you're asking it of the 34-year-old who can't go to Disney without getting her face painted at LEAST twice.

Mimosas made out of that juice that they serve there! How cool!

I wonder if you can order these? I LOVE mimosas! Maybe if I flash my birthday button....

We went in and there were just SO many walls! Walls everywhere! I know eventually when they finish whatever they're doing, it will be awesome, but for now, it's seriously just another reason for me to stay away!

I am literally 100% done with those construction walls at Animal Kingdom.

The safari was awesome though, as always, it's one of the things I love about Animal Kingdom! It's about as close to a real safari as I'll ever get!

You and me both, girl.

Then it happened. The hill where you spin around and the unlucky person goes under the waterfall and has their day ruined by being soaked all day.

I was that person in 2009. I didn't mind though, I laughed hysterically. I figure getting soaked is part of the fun of those kinds of rides!

Tumble Monkeys! I love them!

Was it the best idea to eat lunch when we had a really early dinner ADR? Probably not, but sometimes you just can't resist Disney food, you know?

I do know. There's ALWAYS room for more Disney food. Always.

I love this picture!!!

And this one, too!

We sat down, and then Donald crept over to us. He came up behind me and was acting all mad about something, and then pointed to my ears. He was being so funny, and finally, he grabbed them off of my head and threw them! Then he went to pick them up and his attendant was telling him to give them back to me, and he was hiding them behind his back, it was hysterical! He was with us for so long, it was so awesome!

OMGGGGG! Donald!!! I'm laughing for REALS. This is the kind of stuff that makes character meals and meets THE BEST EVER!!

I actually love this picture because I have no idea what Donald is doing, and I have no clue where my ears are! I want to say he threw them again before giving them back to me, but he finally gave them back when his attendant scolded him enough!

Dying laughing again!

SAY WHAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!

OMG. It was amazing. I mean, it was basically cinnamon sugar mixed with ice cream, but it was so good. However, the worst thing I can possibly eat when I'm full is ice cream. I made it through about 1/4 of it and I could not possibly eat anymore. I was so full, it was starting to become painful. Brandon didn't want it because he was, well, smarter than me, I guess. Ughhhh. I just remember feeling so awful, like I could not move.

Sounds worth it, though!!!

Sigh. Put me in Epcot with a beautiful sunset and I'm happy.

These are absolutely STUNNING!!!

 

[Kleese]

Was so looking forward to staying at Wilderness Lodge but I just found out that it's still going to be under construction when we go. So we decided to stay at Port Of Orleans -French Quarter. I am looking forward to reading your review of Riverside. Loved your pictures especially of the sunset! So dreamy and I totally wish I could be sipping on a churro milkshake right now! OMG did that thing look good.

 

[amazingact21]

A SW character meal definitely sounds worth the trip to Hollywood and Vine. I love all the Disney characters decked out in their Star Wars garb. And Donald sounds hilarious. I can't believe he was taking and throwing your ears.

A churro milkshake?! What?! I have never heard of the seasonal milkshakes before. Man between Starring Rolls and now this I won't be able to stay away from DHS ever. It's probably best I didn't know about the milkshake before my trip a couple weeks ago. I'd had enough ice cream already by that point...

Gorgeous sunset pictures from Epcot! You always manage to get some great shots. They always make me wish I were standing in the parks right then. Reminds me of how peaceful and beautiful the World Showcase can be in the spring.

 

[Liza215]

Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[Nermel9]

Oh my goodness, the Star Wars meal sounds so fun! Seriously, that's the only way you could get me to Hollywood and Vine as well because ya know, Disney Junior characters... pass. Hahaha. The interaction with Donald sounds awesome!! Proof that he's the best.

Oh my goodness, you always catch the most beautiful Disney sunsets!

It was! I would totally do it again, and yeah, no thanks to Disney Junior characters! Maybe if I had kids, but I don't even know who any of them are!

Thanks!

That Star Wars meal looked like a lot of fun - even if you didn't feel like eating much. I would definitely have wanted to try that milkshake too....even if only a few sips lol

It was! I wish I could have eaten more, everything was so good! And yeah, the milkshake was awesome, but I just had no room!

I can't say I was overly impressed with their breakfast.



See I'm the other way. I interact a lot better with face characters.

A tad surprising for Cinco de Mayo.

Yeah I find that some buffet breakfasts are hit or miss. The dinner wasn't the best thing in the world, but it was much better than what I was expecting!

I wish I knew how to interact with face characters!

I know, I expected a mob!

Ugh, that's a tight eating schedule for sure!


I think it's a very nice picture!


What a great interaction! Yay for Stormtrooper Donald! So fun when they really get into the act like that.


Wow, never heard of this one, but I can see why you'd need to try it!


That's the annoying thing about Disney - so many good things to try (that you can only get there) and so little time to space them out. I've been there.


What a bummer! Maybe they had a new CM making drinks that night while the others took Cinco de Mayo off or something?


Absolutely gorgeous pictures!!! I concur, World Showcase at sunset is about as good as it gets.

It was, learned my lesson!

Thanks!

Donald was awesome!

I think I read about it on the Disney Food Blog, I kept seeing it so I knew I had to try it!

Haha, I know right? I need a whole trip devoted to eating!

I don't know, but it was really disappointing! La Cava is usually SOOO good!

Thanks! I agree!

 

[Nermel9]

Wow - what an absolutely gorgeous night. Those sunsets are beautiful. What a perfect memory to be caught on camera.

Glad you enjoyed your lunch and H&V. I know you don't like your pictures, but I think they are super cute!

That milk shake looks so delish, but its the margarita that I really want.

yay for POR. Can't wait to see what you think.

Great update!

It was! I could not believe the sunsets on this trip, they were unreal!

Aww, thanks!

Haha, well the margarita looks good, but it sadly wasn't.

I hope I can do an update today, we'll see if I have time!

The Hollywood and vine meal was so yummy!!! And the desserts were delicious!!!!!

That churro milkshake looks yummy!!
I didn't know about it, otherwise we would have tried it-well, at least rylan. He LOVES churros!!

At least you aren't headed hone, yet!! POR is so nice too!!

Wasn't it? I wish I tried some of the desserts, they looked good!

It was, but I was way too full to properly enjoy it!

I know, POR is awesome!

Amazing sunset photos!

Thank you!

I completely understand your concern about Kali River Rapids...this is why I have never done this ride. I just know I will be "that person" who gets soaked!!! I have told my DH I will give it a try during our November trip, I have it planned toward the end of our AK visit and my plan is to pack extra shoes in our backpack that we can wear on the ride that we don't mind getting soaked. I'm still not fully onboard with this ride, but DH wants to give it a try so I guess I will do it as well.

I loved your visit to Epcot, my Mom and I had a Mom/Daughter date one even during our last trip. We didn't have any plans we just arrived there and I was able to grab an ADR at Nine Dragons...it was so nice just to walk around and take it all in. I love Epcot at night!

Haha, yeah that's why I have always avoided it, I figured I'd get soaked! Well now that was my 2nd time riding it and avoiding getting soaked so I'm not taking that chance a 3rd time!

Don't you love going to Epcot with nothing planned? I swear it's my favorite Disney thing. I could spend a whole trip in the World Showcase and never get bored!

 

[Nermel9]

These flowers are simply gorgeous! Are they always like this or was it a particular of the flower/garden festival?

As far as I know, they are always like that for the Flower and Garden festival! They're beautiful, aren't they?

Love the update! Our Hollywood and Vine Jedi Mickey dinner was awesome! Sorry you weren't hungry enough! Sometimes I feel that way when I keep snacking before an ADR (but I always manage to eat my share, lol). I was impressed with the food offerings as I wasn't expecting much either. But everything tasted fresh and not sitting around for a while which was nice. Love all the pictures! I think you look really cute in all of them!
The churro milkshake looks interesting! Did it taste like it had bits of churro blended into it too?
Looks like a really fun Cinco de Mayo!! I would totally do the Gran Fiesta Tour on Cinco de Mayo too!

I have a feeling sometimes when things are pomegranate flavored it can be cough-syrup-like. It must be the comcentrate they use. I have had pomegranate flavored drinks before and 90% of them taste syrupy so I stay clear of them unless they can prove to me it was made with fresh pomegranate juice!

Lovely evening pics of Epcot!

Thanks! It is a fun character meal, isn't it? Especially if you love Star Wars, I'm so glad these start before SWW! Haha well, I did eat while we were there, but not as much as I normally would have!

Thank you! I hate most pictures of myself, but I suppose a few of these are ok. The ones I didn't put up were just awful though, haha!

The churro milkshake kind of tasted like vanilla ice cream with cinnamon sugar mixed into it. It was really good, but I wouldn't say it tasted like a churro exactly! They should have blended pieces in, that would have made it so much better!

The pomegranate margarita is usually SO good! I don't know what the problem was that night, I think they were just being cheap with the tequila since it was Cinco de Mayo!

Thank you!

You probably were. I'm in Beaufort, just north of Hilton Head.

That question had better be facetious, since you're asking it of the 34-year-old who can't go to Disney without getting her face painted at LEAST twice.

I wonder if you can order these? I LOVE mimosas! Maybe if I flash my birthday button....

I am literally 100% done with those construction walls at Animal Kingdom.

You and me both, girl.

I was that person in 2009. I didn't mind though, I laughed hysterically. I figure getting soaked is part of the fun of those kinds of rides!

Tumble Monkeys! I love them!

I do know. There's ALWAYS room for more Disney food. Always.


I love this picture!!!

And this one, too!

OMGGGGG! Donald!!! I'm laughing for REALS. This is the kind of stuff that makes character meals and meets THE BEST EVER!!

Dying laughing again!

SAY WHAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!

Sounds worth it, though!!!

These are absolutely STUNNING!!!

Well, considering my in-laws live in Beaufort...I probably walked right by you one day! I'll be back down there for Christmas!

Haha, yes, of course, I'll be 80 and still buying pillow pets!

I'm sure you can order them, but if they see your birthday button, I'm guessing you will get something! Everywhere we went with our buttons on were super generous!

I wouldn't mind getting soaked if I was leaving, but there's no way I could have sat through FOTLK all wet! So I'm glad I just got a little splashed!

Haha, well, I try to tell myself there's always room for more Disney food and sometimes I end up making myself sick! Oops!

Thanks! And yes, Donald was amazing, so much fun!

Thank you!

 

[Nermel9]

Was so looking forward to staying at Wilderness Lodge but I just found out that it's still going to be under construction when we go. So we decided to stay at Port Of Orleans -French Quarter. I am looking forward to reading your review of Riverside. Loved your pictures especially of the sunset! So dreamy and I totally wish I could be sipping on a churro milkshake right now! OMG did that thing look good.

Aww that's too bad about WL! Do you mean the DVC expansion thing they're doing? I hope that doesn't take long, I feel like the Poly has been under construction forever! POFQ is amazing though, you will love it there!

Thanks! And yeah, the milkshake was sooo good! I wish I had one now, although, I'm not really hungry now either so it would have been wasted again!

A SW character meal definitely sounds worth the trip to Hollywood and Vine. I love all the Disney characters decked out in their Star Wars garb. And Donald sounds hilarious. I can't believe he was taking and throwing your ears.

A churro milkshake?! What?! I have never heard of the seasonal milkshakes before. Man between Starring Rolls and now this I won't be able to stay away from DHS ever. It's probably best I didn't know about the milkshake before my trip a couple weeks ago. I'd had enough ice cream already by that point...

Gorgeous sunset pictures from Epcot! You always manage to get some great shots. They always make me wish I were standing in the parks right then. Reminds me of how peaceful and beautiful the World Showcase can be in the spring.

It was such a fun character meal, and it was nice to try a new restaurant! It's cute in there, it reminds me a lot of 50's Prime Time, and then when I went to the bathroom, I realized they were connected! That explains that!

Donald was so awesome! It must be so much fun to be his "friend"!

Thanks! Haha, I try! I know, sometimes I look at those pictures and I get so sad that I'm not there!

Thanks for sharing!!!

You're welcome, thanks for reading!

 

[archdandy]

There's a lot of times when I wish so badly I had an infinite stomach at Disney. There are way too many yummy things and I want to eat them all! Haha!

 

[pookersmom]

I just spent the latter half of my work day catching up on your trip report. It's quite enjoyable. Loving all your sunset and sky photos. That Star Wars character meal looks like it was a lot of fun! Your photos are adorable.

 

[Nermel9]

There's a lot of times when I wish so badly I had an infinite stomach at Disney. There are way too many yummy things and I want to eat them all! Haha!

Haha I know right? Wayyy too much yummy Disney food!

I just spent the latter half of my work day catching up on your trip report. It's quite enjoyable. Loving all your sunset and sky photos. That Star Wars character meal looks like it was a lot of fun! Your photos are adorable.

Thank you so much!

 

[Nermel9]

Down in New Orleans, Part 1

Hi guys! I'm so sorry I didn't update last week, I had no time! I thought I could on Tuesday, and I started it, then before I realized it, I had to leave...I thought I had Saturday morning free, but nope. So I'm finally doing it today! I think I'm going to do this whole day in one shot because I only have 36 pictures for this day, and it was kind of a more calm day for us, no park hopping or anything! I might have to split it up into 2 posts though, we'll see!

Day 5, May 6

Like the rest of this trip report, this day started off with us getting up super early. Not to get to a park or anything, but it was check out day for us at our lovely Wilderness Lodge. It was time to move to Port Orleans Riverside! I was sad leaving my Lodge, but I was excited for POR. We've stayed there twice before and I kind of think of it as my moderate home resort, haha! So that made leaving the WL a lot easier, but still, leaving your favorite resort on property is never easy to do!

We got to POR and checked in, and yay, our CM found a room that was ready for us that early! As we were walking back to the car, some random CM saw us crossing the road and started singing a happy anniversary song to us, because of our buttons! It was kind of a long song, lol, so we had to just stand in the middle of the road and let him sing to us. If there were a lot of people around, I would have been so embarrassed! But it was sweet, and he was super nice and it was one of those little extra Disney touches that everyone wants, right? I just absolutely hate being the center of attention, but again, no one was really around that early in the morning!

We found our room, at the Acadian House, which is one of the mansion buildings that I've never stayed in. Sadly, we weren't in a Royal Room this time, just a plain ol' standard room, but still, new to us since we haven't stayed in one since they were refurbed.

We went in and the room was beautiful. I really liked the mossy green color of the wall, and the art was really cute, very New Orleans-y.

Then I realized something odd about the room...the bathroom was only one room. Meaning the whole thing was behind a door, the sink, shower and toilet, the sinks weren't separate. Ugh. I was not happy about that. I had a feeling it would totally mess up our morning routine of me getting up first, showering, and then going out to the sink area to finish up drying my hair and makeup and whatever, while Brandon showered. I seriously considered asking for a new room, but finally I said forget it. It wasn't that awful, and I could always dry my hair somewhere other than the bathroom, so we stayed.

We quickly unpacked and then we were off to a park. You'll never guess where we went. Never.

That's right, Epcot! Can't stay away from this place! We got there a few minutes after rope drop, so we followed the heard to Soarin'. (Have I mentioned that Brandon absolutely hates rope drop, and how everyone runs to one or two attractions? He HATES it. Sorry, but if you want to do certain things, you kind of have to deal with it!!! )

We made it to Soarin' and there was only a 10 minute wait, so we got right on! It was fantastic as always, my favorite Epcot ride! When we got off, the wait time went up to 20 minutes and I really wanted to go on again, but Brandon was insisting we eat breakfast, so we did that instead. We went to Sunshine Seasons and he got that huge breakfast panini that he always gets, and I got the Strawberry Shortcake, because it's the best ever.

(Sorry it's a little blurry!)

I have no idea what we did next, we must have just wandered around until the World Showcase was open, or maybe we hung out in the Land for a while, because the next thing I have in my notes is that we went to the World Showcase!

It was still kind of early so not many people had made it out there yet, so I could finally get a decent shot of the Anna and Elsa topiaries! Every other time I tried, there were people taking pictures with them!

I think they are so pretty! Aren't they outside of DHS now? Probably for the Frozen summer thing, right?

As soon as we started to walk, we had to stop again, because the monorail was going by, and I can't resist taking pictures of the monorail!

And then Brandon noticed a Disney bunny, so we had to stop and watch him for about 5 hours!

I think that's when we also saw a huge turtle across the water, walking around on the grass, and I was afraid if he tried to go in the water, he'd get stuck on the rocks. So we watched this turtle take his time to get to the water and slowly plunk himself in and swim away. I had to make sure he knew what he was doing, although I'm sure he does this every day of his life and knows how to get into the water. I would just feel so bad if he got stuck!

Finally we were free to move on from the Disney wildlife...where Brandon found more wildlife. The Pooh topiary area was also a butterfly/bee garden thing, which meant there was no way I'd ever be going near it. But Brandon had to show off, since I'm terrified of butterflies and try to catch one, haha!

When he was finished torturing me, we moved on to France, which I think, is one of the most beautiful areas in all of Disney World.

Once again, another perfect day with that crystal blue sky and fluffy clouds!

For some reason, I got the crazy idea that I wanted to try to meet Belle or Jasmine that morning. I thought I would be brave and meet a princess, so I had Brandon take my picture to see how I would look next to one of them...

Ugh. I wasn't happy with my hair, it was already getting wavy and I felt gross since it was humid so I said forget it, there was no way I was meeting a princess like that.

We went to Morocco next, which might be my favorite pavilion in Epcot. France is the most beautiful, but Morocco is just so interesting!

I also wanted to stalk Princess Jasmine, but she wasn't out yet!

We went to the little outdoor Italy kitchen, where I got manicotti, because I figure, since I love everything in Italy during Food and Wine, why would this be any different? It was really good! The outdoor kitchen at Flower and Garden are such a great idea, I just wish they weren't so...garden oriented, you know? Like I'd say 90% of things on the menus, I would just never eat because it was too strange for me. I like Food and Wine so much better, and I can't believe I'm missing it this year!!!

We went to Germany next, and I tried to get a nice picture of the Snow White topiary, but it was hard to get the right angle where I could get her and all of the dwarfs!

I have no idea where this next picture is from, but I'm gonna guess...Brandon wanted a beer so I was off to the side waiting, and I thought these flowers were pretty!

Finally, we had to go back to Future World because I had a Fast Pass for Soarin'. (You don't think I'd only ride my beloved Soarin' once, do you? )

We went on Soarin', then I think I had a random FP for Nemo, so we went over there, although I doubt we even used our FP. They just make you get 3, so I picked Nemo, even though it's totally not necessary.

Nemo is cute, and I like the ride, but that Big Blue World song makes me sad. I know I've mentioned this in previous TR's! I don't know why it makes me sad, because it's a happy song, but if I have to hear it for too long, I get really upset!

Once we got off, Brandon wanted to wander around and look at the animals, so we did that for a little while, and for some reason, I was getting really hot. I just wanted to find a place and sit for a little while, but there was not a chair or bench to be found inside, so I went outside in the shade and sat for a while. Brandon finally came out and we talked about what to do next. Either just wander around Epcot or go to the Beach Club. The Beach Club won, so we headed back to the car and towards my other favorite Disney resort!

I'm going to end this here and start another post to continue this update, just because I'm not sure if I'll have enough room for all of the pictures...stay tuned!

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