The Trip Where Nothing Went Wrong...Well, Almost! A September TR--Final update, 11/20

Joining in, can't wait to read more! Just finished your last TR, and I'm glad it seems that you had much less go wrong this time around! Also, we live in CT, relatively near you- The Westfarms mall you mentioned in your last TR is about 15 minutes from my house!

The WL is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it? We own DVC there, and I fall in love all over again every time we're there. We did Christmas there last year, and the lobby with the tree is simply breathtaking.:love:
 
Subscribing!

And all caught up on your report so far - it looks like a really fun trip, the few times I've visited WL I've always thought it has some of the best resort theming at WDW - it's hard to believe how close it is to the Magic Kingdom when you're there!

Looked like a fun evening at Epcot, and a great morning at Magic Kingdom so far!

:eek: for the memory card... keeping my fingers crossed that it reappears later on in the trip....

Emma princess: x
Hi Emma!! The trip really was so wonderful, and how gorgeous/well themed the WL is had a lot to do with that!
I LOVED being so close to the MK/CR! By boat or bus, to be there so quickly was awesome!

Joining in! :)
Welcome!!

I liked the LeFou's Brew. Sorry you didn't enjoy it!

I love Pecos Bill's! I always get the taco salad and load it up with toppings. Delicious!

Sorry about your memory card. :\ I try to keep mine but I don't keep very good track of them so they're all buried in the bottom of my nightstand drawer. Everything is on the computer but if that ever crashes....luckily most of my pictures from the last few years are on facebook.

Sounds like a great day at MK!
I think most people like LeFou's brew, just a touch too sweet/tangy for me!
I was obsessed with that toppings bar. Especially those mushrooms-- YUM!

Sounds like a wonderful time in MK!! :)
I can't wait for the new mine ride to open!!!
Seems like you had nice and fairly quick wait times too!! :)
We got so much done that morning-- crowds were super light, thankfully!

Joining in, can't wait to read more! Just finished your last TR, and I'm glad it seems that you had much less go wrong this time around! Also, we live in CT, relatively near you- The Westfarms mall you mentioned in your last TR is about 15 minutes from my house!

The WL is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it? We own DVC there, and I fall in love all over again every time we're there. We did Christmas there last year, and the lobby with the tree is simply breathtaking.:love:
Hi & welcome!! This trip was definitely SO much better than our last one!
Oh, okay! I love the Westfarms! We don't go too often, but I like going there at least once a summer and once for holiday shopping.
My new dream is to stay at the WL during the Christmas season-- I can't imagine how much more magical it must be!!
 
Hi Kylie! I started reading the other day and forgot to sub to come back and comment.... oops!

So far you've convinced me that I need to try Biergarten, I need to get my butt out of bed earlier and to park opens more often, that I need to go inside the gift shop by Gaston's Tavern, and that I don't need to try Le Fou's brew!

You and Zach have accomplished a LOT in your morning thus far at MK.

Bummer about the memory card. You have a great attitude to not let it ruin your vacation. :)

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip. :goodvibes
 
Sorry to end that last update on such a cliffhanger!

After taking a few deep breaths and deciding NOT to freak out, we made our way to the Main Street Bakery so Zach could try his first Disney Starbucks! He was honestly thrilled with the incorporation of Sbucks in the parks. I don’t mind it, I just wish more of the original Main Street Bakery treats were still offered. I don’t need the Sbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffin in Disney, thank you! (In New York? Another story. SO yummy!)

Zach ordered a venti upside down caramel macchiato, and something that never fails to make me laugh happen. There is something about baristas in Florida who just have so much trouble with Zach’s name. At the airport, they wrote Sass. At MSB?



The funny thing was, the girl started spelling it aloud as she was writing it: “S…” and Zach just finished “A-C-H.” for her without bothering to correct the Z. Too funny!

We quickly stopped at Guest Services on our way out to see if my memory card had been turned it. The cast member was gone for quite a long time, and when she came back, she was triumphantly holding a memory card in her hand! Only...it wasn’t mine. :-( I could tell she felt soooo bad. In the end, we never recovered the card, but it turns out about 90% of the pics are on Facebook, and ALL of them (save the ones I took at the airport/Downtown Disney) were backed up on my computer! The first thing I did when I got home was back everything up to Photobucket! I had to upgrade my storage, but $20 a year to make sure my memories are safe in the cloud? Totally worth it to me.

We made our way out of the park and hopped on a boat to the WL at 1:50.



I can’t explain how much I loved the boat service to MK. We took the bus in the mornings and obviously when there was rain/thunder, but the boat was such a peaceful ride. I loved seeing CR, GF, and the Poly from the water. The breeze always made it a comfortable temp, even when it was blazing hot out (i.e. EVERY. DAY. OF. THE. TRIP.).

On our way back to our room from the boat, I had to grab a couple of quick pics of the gorgeous back of the WL.





We didn’t do much during our rest-- just hang out and watch TV. I did refill our mugs, and we both got ready for dinner. Around 5, we decided to head downstairs and have a quick drink at the pool bar before leaving for dinner.



Zach had a Coke & I had the Grand Margarita. Yum! This was strong, but not overly so. It was perfectly lime-y and definitely my favorite “cocktail” of the trip.

We had a great time chatting with the bartenders, Stewart and Carrie, as well as some other guests, about TV shows and more. There was a family there that clearly comes to the WL a lot, as they seemed to know Stewart and Carrie quite well. Everyone was so friendly; we really enjoyed ourselves!

The predictable rumble of thunder sounded overhead around 5:30 and we decided it was best to head to the bus stop. We had a 7:30 dinner reservation in Downtown Disney, at Raglan Road!

As usual, we waited 5 minutes before a bus pulled up. Bus selfie time!





We got to DTD around 6, so we had plenty of time for browsing in the shops. We hadn’t been in Once Upon a Toy yet, so that’s where we headed.





After it was time to hit TrenD-- there was a very specific purchase Zach wanted to get me...A Dooney and Bourke! After hemming and hawing over which style I wanted, and then checking out the pattern placement on every bag in the store once I selected a pattern/style, this baby came home with me:



(Please excuse the work stuff in the background-- I took the photo just now in my cubicle!)

I love, love this bag! It’s so lightweight, yet roomy. Once I picked it up (we had it sent back to the resort so we didn’t need to carry it around the rest of the night), I used it as my nighttime bag for the remainder of the trip.

I also picked out a cute Ariel lightweight sweatshirt that you’ll see in our last day photos, as I wore it on the plane ride home.

After picking out my gorgeous new purse, I felt like a princess, so clearly I needed to go to Arribas Brothers to try on tiaras!



Zach, such a boy, needed to go the Legos store. He found a plane that had the same RAF symbol as his shirt!



By now, it was 7:15 and time to check in for dinner. We were seated immediately and had an okay dinner. There were aspects of the meal we loved, but service was a bit spotty. I don’t think we’ll be heading back there anytime soon. I did think the atmosphere was fun, though, and not too loud as others have reported.



We settled our check around 9:00 (that was a long meal!) and headed to the bus stop back in the Marketplace. Side note-- I am a Downtown Disney failure. I have no idea where the West Side & Please Island bus stops are, so we always go to the Marketplace stop, no matter where we are going/leaving.
Anyway! After an eventless bus ride, we were back to our cozy Lodge. Despite the memory card hiccup, it had been a wonderful first day!
 


Ok, I am SO sorry that I am late - I don't know how I missed the start of your TR! I feel terrible!

Congrats on your first Disney D&B! But watch out, they're addictive! :) I love using mine though, and it's nice to have a little touch of Disney in everyday life. I've been using my princess one all week! They just released a Haunted Mansion one that may follow me home if they get another shipment in by the time we arrive (the first shipment immediately sold out :( )

That really sucks about your memory card, my stomach just dropped reading that, but at least you did have them backed up. Hopefully that's the only thing that didn't go quite right.
 
I love when we take the boat at disney world! It's a nice change from other means of transportation :)

OH MY!!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your D&B bag!!!!! I would definitely feel the need to try on tiaras after that purchase ;)
 


Yay for a D&B bag! Kris bought me one for my birthday last year and I am set on purchasing the new HM bag when I can afford it. And a Disney VB bag. I'm a sucker for Disney bags lol.

Great first day!
 
Haha, poor Sach. That was even hard to type!

Love your bag, so pretty and look forward to seeing your Ariel sweatshirt too.

I enjoyed the Grand Marg I had at my pool bar too.

I found Raglan Road loud, but not TOO loud, ya know? Like one would expect from a pub or bar.

Ahh, I can't believe you didn't use the Pleasure Island bus stop! I don't know if anyone has said this yet, but go under the PI sign/walkway right in front of RR, and hang a right. Much closer to RR!
 
:rotfl2: It never fails to amuse me how the easiest names confuse the Starbucks baristas. Also, the one by my job is literally NEVER busy. Like 7 out of 10 times I'm the only one in there. And they still go through the whole process of asking my name and trying to spell it. Like it makes sense when it's crowded but otherwise it seems like more of a hassle.

I'm sad to hear your memory card wasn't found but at least most of your pictures are safe.

The boat ride to the MK sounds lovely and looks much more peaceful than the other transportation. I'm glad it worked out for you guys!

AH I love that Dooney bag! Great choice! :love:
 
I love the D&B bag you got! Very snazzy.

I am still chuckling over Zach's "Sass" coffee. That it happened a second time iseven more funny... I wonder how she would've finished if he hadn't spelled the rest for her :rotfl:
I have a similar problem at Starbucks. My best one was 'Troy'.

Your trip is making me very sad to realize how far away 2015 is. I wanna go back now!!!
 
Ok, I am SO sorry that I am late - I don't know how I missed the start of your TR! I feel terrible!

Congrats on your first Disney D&B! But watch out, they're addictive! :) I love using mine though, and it's nice to have a little touch of Disney in everyday life. I've been using my princess one all week! They just released a Haunted Mansion one that may follow me home if they get another shipment in by the time we arrive (the first shipment immediately sold out :( )

That really sucks about your memory card, my stomach just dropped reading that, but at least you did have them backed up. Hopefully that's the only thing that didn't go quite right.
No worries!! I can only imagine getting addicted to D&B! I really want a wristlet!
That was pretty much the last bad thing that happened for the rest of the trip, thankfully!!

Great pics! :)
Thank you!

I love when we take the boat at disney world! It's a nice change from other means of transportation :)

OH MY!!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your D&B bag!!!!! I would definitely feel the need to try on tiaras after that purchase ;)
Agreed-- the buses are nice and AC'd, but the boats are so fun!

Yay for a D&B bag! Kris bought me one for my birthday last year and I am set on purchasing the new HM bag when I can afford it. And a Disney VB bag. I'm a sucker for Disney bags lol.

Great first day!
The HM bag is gorgeous! It doesn't even look that "Disney-y!"

Haha, poor Sach. That was even hard to type!

Love your bag, so pretty and look forward to seeing your Ariel sweatshirt too.

I enjoyed the Grand Marg I had at my pool bar too.

I found Raglan Road loud, but not TOO loud, ya know? Like one would expect from a pub or bar.

Ahh, I can't believe you didn't use the Pleasure Island bus stop! I don't know if anyone has said this yet, but go under the PI sign/walkway right in front of RR, and hang a right. Much closer to RR!
I thought RR had the perfect atmosphere for an Irish pub!
Honestly, in all the times I've been to DTD, I can't believe I've never used the PI bus stop. :rotfl: I'll make a resolution to do that next trip!

:rotfl2: It never fails to amuse me how the easiest names confuse the Starbucks baristas. Also, the one by my job is literally NEVER busy. Like 7 out of 10 times I'm the only one in there. And they still go through the whole process of asking my name and trying to spell it. Like it makes sense when it's crowded but otherwise it seems like more of a hassle.

I'm sad to hear your memory card wasn't found but at least most of your pictures are safe.

The boat ride to the MK sounds lovely and looks much more peaceful than the other transportation. I'm glad it worked out for you guys!

AH I love that Dooney bag! Great choice! :love:
I don't think I've ever seen an empty Starbucks!! But yeah, probably not necessary to ask your name in that case!

I love the D&B bag you got! Very snazzy.

I am still chuckling over Zach's "Sass" coffee. That it happened a second time iseven more funny... I wonder how she would've finished if he hadn't spelled the rest for her :rotfl:
I have a similar problem at Starbucks. My best one was 'Troy'.

Your trip is making me very sad to realize how far away 2015 is. I wanna go back now!!!
Thank you! I just love that pattern. Haha, sometimes I'll call Zach "Sass" in honor of that barista. TROY! That's fantastic lol.
Aww, why not until 2015?? Different trips in the meantime??
 
Today was a day I was SO looking forward to-- DHS day! In all my random 2011-13 Disney trips, I hadn’t been to DHS since October 2011.
We made it down to the bus stop around 8:05 and one arrived for DHS at 8:10-- woo hoo!
Daily bus selfie!

Unfortunately, we stopped at the Grand Floridian on the way. This ended up taking forever! There was a bus already at the bus stop that just stopped there for a solid fifteen minutes. We had to wait behind them. I’m still not sure what was going on (no wheelchair was loaded as far I could see), but eventually they left and we pulled up and picked up a few people. Is it me, or is the GF bus stop tiny?! I guess it’s because less busses pick up there than most other resorts.
Anyway, we finally arrived at DHS at 8:40. Honestly, it was really perfect timing, because the park opened at 8:45! I had heard they were doing this, and experience a ten minute early opening in 2011, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise, but I was thrilled. The lines to get in were SO short and it seemed like it was going to be a light crowds kind of day.
When we got over to TSMM, shockingly there was NO ONE in line for any of the Fast Pass machines. They were completely deserted! I told Zach I just had to grab a pair before we rode. Return time? 9:45-10:45. SCORE!
The wait time was listed at 15 minutes, but it really was a walk on. We had a blast on it, as always. This photo is kind of blurry, but I was so happy we got a Bo Peep car. She’s my favorite!

Zach kind of wanted to go on for a second ride immediately after, but I kind of wanted to give it a little bit of a break. Some of those spins can make my stomach a touch queasy and I wanted to be able to enjoy the ride later.
We walked through an absolutely empty park to get to Star Tours:

Star Tours was another walk on, so we decided to go on twice. I love this ride no matter what scenes we get, but according to Zach, one our second ride, we got the WORST OPTION EVER. Something about gungans? I think that’s the water planet. I know Yoda told us our mission on both rides this morning.

This is Zach’s favorite city/planet in Star Wars:

We were hungry for a little breakfast after Star Tours, so we headed to our favorite bakery in the World: Writer’s Stop! I love how cozy this place is, with its little high tables.
I of course had a carrot cake cookie; Zach had a coffee and chocolate chip muffin. Sitting next to us was a group of people who were clearly Disney experts, two men and two women. The way they were speaking, I knew they were “professionals” of some sort. I shamelessly kept eavesdropping until one of the men picked up his phone by saying, “Hello, Len speaking.”
OMGGG! It was Len Testa from TouringPlans.com! I was WAY to shy to say anything, so I decided to tweet at him when we left Writer’s Stop. He actually tweeted back at me, saying we should meet up for a photo op, but I had unfortunately left the park by the time I read his reply. I did think it was really fun spotting a “Disney celebrity,” however!
Anyway, after breakfast (if you can call the carrot cake cookie “breakfast!”), we used our TSMM FP. By now, the line was at 30 minutes (not bad for 10:15 a.m.!), so I was glad we had our FP.
Zach loved toy soldiers as a kid!

We crossed the park again to ride Star Tours again to make up for the water planet (I think Zach was more pleased with this sequence), and passed the busts by the American Idol Experience. I had to get a shot of me and Bea Arthur:

I am a HUGE Golden Girls fan (Zach bought me the entire series for Christmas two years ago), and Dorothy was my favorite. I think Bea Arthur is just too funny.
Before getting on Star Tours, we caught the end of the Jedi Academy.

I thought this show was SO cute! Zach was totally jealous-- he would have loved doing this as a kid! (Or now.)
We followed Star Tours with a showing of Muppet Vision 3D. I love the Muppets, but am kind of eh on this show. Zach loves it, however, so I’m happy to do it once a trip.

The first showing of Beauty and the Beast was at 11:45, so after a quick bathroom break, we headed over to that area of the park around 11:30. I hate getting caught in the masses after a show lets out, so we purposefully sat in the last row, on the right, on the edge.
As always, I just loved this show. Gaston was a terrific singer and very funny. I always wonder how they find ripped guys who are such good singers! It’s definitely a very specific type.

One thing that was kind of annoying was that people kept coming into the theater, even 15 minutes after it started. Since we were in the back, all of these people had to walk in front of us. Some stopped directly in our line of site and scanned the crowd for available seats for a solid minute or two. Um, people are trying to watch the show!
We followed the show with the Great Movie Ride, which shockingly had about a 15 minute wait. Considering how empty the rest of the park was, I thought this was weird. I’ve never waited for this ride! For the first time ever, we were in the front row. It was nice seeing everything without heads blocking my straight-on view.
One Man’s Dream is a sentimental favorite. Zach loves seeing all of Walt’s stuff, and I love the models of the rides/other parks. We both tear up at that movie!

By now, it was around 1:30. We had debated returning to WL for a CS lunch, but I wasn’t too impressed with the choices at Roaring Fork. Instead, we went to Pizza Planet, which is pretty much the only CS in DHS I enjoy.
This is a bit long, so I think I’ll stop here! Stay tuned for our death march to the Yacht Club and our night in Epcot!
 
Pizza Planet! Yum!

Yes the GF bus stop is tiny! I was like 'this is it?' It's a one stop shop for all the buses. Their bus service is TERRIBLE. But I'll get into that later in my own TR.
 
That looked like such a good morning in DHS! :goodvibes

When we're near the front of the line for TSMM, I'm always trying to guess which character we'll get on the side of the car :cutie:

I love your 'Disney celebrity' sighting!! :thumbsup2 I have been listening to Disney podcasts for years, and have sometimes met the presenters when in WDW.. you do feel a little 'star struck' I think :upsidedow

Btw I like DBF's England shirt!



Emma princess: x
 
What a great start to your time in DHS!! So nice when rides are basically walk ons :)

How cool to see a "disney celeb" :)
 
Pizza Planet! Yum!

Yes the GF bus stop is tiny! I was like 'this is it?' It's a one stop shop for all the buses. Their bus service is TERRIBLE. But I'll get into that later in my own TR.
Can't wait to read that part of your TR! I thought that would be SO annoying to deal with if I stayed at GF!

That looked like such a good morning in DHS! :goodvibes

When we're near the front of the line for TSMM, I'm always trying to guess which character we'll get on the side of the car :cutie:

I love your 'Disney celebrity' sighting!! :thumbsup2 I have been listening to Disney podcasts for years, and have sometimes met the presenters when in WDW.. you do feel a little 'star struck' I think :upsidedow

Btw I like DBF's England shirt!


Emma princess: x
I've actually never really noticed the characters on the cars, but Bo Peep just caught my eye!
I remember reading a TR of yours where you met some podcasters-- how cool! Zach listens to a lot of non-Disney podcasts and finds them a nice way to unwind after work. I'd like to get into some Disney ones! What are your favorites?
Zach loves the English national team! I think another jersey makes an appearance later in the trip, actually!

What a great start to your time in DHS!! So nice when rides are basically walk ons :)

How cool to see a "disney celeb" :)
I loved not waiting for anything! Perfect start to the day!
 
...

I remember reading a TR of yours where you met some podcasters-- how cool! Zach listens to a lot of non-Disney podcasts and finds them a nice way to unwind after work. I'd like to get into some Disney ones! What are your favorites?

....

Some of the podcasts I listen to... WDW Radio, WDW Today, Inside the Magic, Be Our Guest Podcast, Passporter Moms, Disney Food Blog (DFB) and Wedway Radio. I also listen to Mickey Miles Podcast, which is all about running Disney races.. very useful for me at the moment! I listen to podcasts rather than the radio when I'm in the car, hence why I listen to so many of them :goodvibes

Emma princess: x
 
Thank you! I just love that pattern. Haha, sometimes I'll call Zach "Sass" in honor of that barista. TROY! That's fantastic lol.
Aww, why not until 2015?? Different trips in the meantime??

We done used up all our DVC points! :sad2: We had just enough to swing a few nights in Hilton Head, so we are doing that and Charleston, SC in a few weeks with the friends we went to Disney with last year. So I can't really complain. But I miss WDW!!
 
Great return time for TSM! I'm telling you, that extra fifteen minutes makes such a big difference!

Ugh. Zach (or should I say Sass), is absolutely right. The Gungans, or Jar Jar Binks planet is the worst. He's a horrible character. Sorry, had to get my Star Wars geek on.

Wow, you were around Len from Touring Plans?! That is like Disney royalty. :thumbsup2

I would totally do Jedi Training if they allowed adults to. :lmao:

Uh oh. Death march to the Yacht Club? :scared:
 

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