2 Families, 5 days, and a Christmas Surprise! 2 Updates 6/19

[Courage12]

Hello and Welcome to my trip Report!
I guess I’ll start with introductions.
My name is Dani and I’m a 22 year old Disney Nut. This is my FIRST trip report even though I’ve been an avid reader since 2009.



I’m a recent graduate and have an Early Childhood Education Degree (that means I’m a teacher…I just don’t have a job yet.)
I’ve been to Disney 6 times (this trip being my 7th.)
I’m pretty much the biggest Disney Dork in the family.
You can usually find me watching some sort of Disney planning video…not because I need help planning but just because I need my “fix.”
The “Characters” that I dragged along with me are….

My Boyfriend, Dan!
Dan loves everything silly and fun so basically…he loves Disney…and Cats.
See?



(Yes we’re Dan and Dani and I know…it’s adorable.) hahaha
This trip was a partial “Happy Graduation from Purdue” present for him / We just really want to see Disney Christmas-afied trip (yes I made that one up…and YES there is certainly more where that came from) from BOTH our families.


This is MY family.



From left to right: My mommy (Theresa), me, DUFFY (duh), my sister (Michelle) and my Dad (Dan…yes…another one.)

ANDDDDDD

This is DAN’S family…



That's Steven, Dan, his dad, other mommy, and Matt

Yes, we were trying to do Disney with 9 people and YES it was unbelievably stressful…but it sure was a GREAT trip and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

So…here are the details.
5 Days (12/17/13-12/22-13)
Staying at Saratoga Springs (My family+ Dan’s stayed here because we have DVC) and Dan’s family stayed off property hotel (Marriot, I think.)

Alright…let’s get this show on the road….​

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Chapter Links

Day 1: Travel & Arrival
Part 1: Are we ever going to get there?
Part 2:Oh so Hangry



Day 2: Epcot and Drinking Around The World
Part 1: The beginning of our Spiritual Tour
Part 2: The Spiritual Tour Continued
Part 3: The Spiritual Tour Continued...and we get to ride rides?!
Part 4: The finale of the Spiritual Tour...and FOOD.UPDATED 4/13 WITH MORE PICTURES!!!


Day 3: Magic Kingdom AND MVMCP!!!

Magic Kingdom Part 1
I've got the Golden Tickettttt
Magic Kingdom Part 2: Near Death Experience
FINALLY THE CHRISTMAS PARADE AHHHH​

 

[davale4]

OK!!! Let's get this party started . Looking forward to hearing the rest .

 

[Courage12]

Right…so Dan has just recently graduated from Purdue SOOOOO we live there.


Dan's Family after his graduation (minus his younger brother.)

My family is from Illinois soooooo….we decided to make this trip as complicated as possible. Dan DROVE back to Virginia with his family the day after graduation (12/16) and were choosing to fly to Orlando 12/17 (ew traveling.)
My parents drove from Illinois to come stay with me that night so we could set off for the Indy airport first thing in the morning. My sister, who is in the military, was driving from Georgia to Florida and would be arriving around the same time as all of us. So yea. We’d ALL eventually be in Florida. Some earlier than others (more on that later.)

I want to apologize in advanced for the lack of pictures in this first post. I didn't really take any "pre-disney" pics.

We left my apartment around 8 am after a completely sleepless night on my couch since my parents are fancy and get to take my bed. Our flight was set to leave at 11:45 and my family is a little crazy and we love to be early to everything…sooooo 8 am happened.

The trip to Indy was uneventful and then we got on our first ride of the trip…the bus from the parking lot to the departures! YAY. As soon as we pulled up to the Southwest departure area I hear my dad say “Nooooo.” Oh no. Somethings wrong…Yup…as we pulled into the airport our flight got cancelled.
Now. This could ruin our day…BUT my Dad shrugged his shoulders and as Elsa would say…he Let it go.

Luckily, we arrived to the airport SUPER early so we just went up to the front desk and asked politely if we could be put on a new flight. They made room for us on a 4 p.m. flight AND we received 3 free travel vouchers  WOO WOO Southwest rocks!
So…our original plans to all meet up at a park our first day became kinda smooshed but that’s okay. We were together and we were going to DISNEY.



Indy airport had a cute little band playing Christmas music and beautiful decorations. Just the thing to cheer me up!
The rest of the time spent in the airport was pretty boring. Lots of laying around and eating.

As they were starting to board and we awkwardly stood in our lines, the guy behind us starts taking pictures of the guy in front of us. He whispers to us that the guy is a famous race car driver. Now...I don't know much about race car drivers but I do know that this guy was a total babe . As soon as the man informed us of his "celebrity" status, my dad and I started noticing that pretty much the entire flight was filled with race car drivers...what gave it away, you ask? Well...they were all carrying helmets!



This is the famous guy. Anyone know who he is?

Finally, we boarded and were off!!....sort of….See…it was snowing…or icing. SO…the plane had to be “de-iced” before take off. So we had the pleasure of sitting infront of dumb and dumber on the plane discussing “get rich” schemes for 30 min before take off. But seriously…”I really would love to hire you on. We could start off small and then be making like $1000 a day…” “Shouldn’t I finish Highschool first?” “Nah man…you don’t need that #$@ anymore.” O…M..G. can we LEAVE YET?!

FINALLLLLLYYYY take off happened.
We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and not a moment too soon. I think my mom and I were literally running towards the fake monorail. We found our way to the Magical Express line…and sat on the bus which seemed like forever…and then THIS...



This photo is actually from a previous trip and was taken by Dan's momma. I just realllllly like it so I borrowed it


then FINALLY arrived at Saratoga Springs.

Now, on our way to SSR we got a rather alarmed message from Dan telling us his mother had an allergic reaction to her medication she was on and that they had to go to the pharmacy to get new medication. She was alright, but just feeling a little under the weather Poor other mommy (that's my nickname for her hehe.)

Man… we were really off to a rough start for this vacation! By the time we arrived at the hotel we were all ready to bite each other’s heads off. Not to mention I was INCREDIBLY hangry…(Anger/grumpiness caused by hunger…you’ll hear that used a lot.) It's a pretty Donald-esk temperament

Eventually Dan’s fam rolled up in their sweet rented minivan and deposited Dan into our hotel room for safe keeping (YAY) and we decided I desperately needed something to eat…with that we said our “See ya tomorrow’s!” and were off to Raglan Road for some much needed foods. ​

 

[Courage12]

Okay…so. My sister and I love each other dearly and hadn’t seen each other in well over a year…guess what we did? FIGHT. Ugh. Sisterly love. We’re both just really defensive AND sensitive lol.
I was wayyyyy over tired and I think just over excited and mix all those things with Hangry and you definitely get monster Dani.



This one is from later on in our trip but I felt it portrayed my feelings hahaha.

We finally made it to Raglan Road and we order some drinks. I think I have a Magners (Irish Cider.) Now…I think many of you know what happens when you drink on an empty, tired stomach. You get a little loopy. I had 1 cider and 1 leprechaun drink (somewhat like a long island but with whiskey) and I was basically drunk. NOT MY INTENTION. Sigh. So I was drunk, emotional, and tired. GREAAAAAAT. I think Dan gets boyfriend of the year award for putting up with me.
Anyway, We ordered Calamari and Smokie City (MOST DELICIOUS DIP/STEW/THING EVER) and that took my edge off a little. Of course I didn’t take pictures of anything because I suck. Our meals came out and we all dug in. My mom got Fish N’ Chips *like usual* (my mommy is from Scotland and moved to the States when she met my dad), my sister, my dad, and I all ordered the daily special (I think it was baked haddock with risotto?) Dan ended up just getting a small appetizer because he had ate earlier with his parents.
After our main course I was seriously falling asleep at the table. Drunk and tired is a horrible mixture. My sister wanted to stay for dessert and of course I whined about it. So my Dad did what a good Dad should do…he sent me back to the room hahahah. So my family stayed for drinks and dessert and my wonderful boyfriend took my back to the room so I could sleep off my grumpy-frumpy attitude.

My sister took a picture of her adorable dessert. Wish I would have stayed!


Anyway, we walked back to SSR and I’m pretty sure I was out as soon as my face hit the pillow. Which is probably a good thing because the next day we were going to….EPCOT. Yes. YES. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS . Epcot is probably my favorite park. Not only do I love all the countries but I’m a nerd and I like all the techy stuff too. Plus I’ve got a space-lovin’ boyfriend who was itching to get on Mission Space. And…our families decided to try the Sacred Spiritual Tour (and no…it’s probably not what you think …unless you’re awesome…then it probably is what you think…and we should be friends.)

Until Next Time! <3
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[Courage12]

Thanks for reading! I'm going to try and update often!

 

[Courage12]

After a nice long sleep, I was finally feeling excited to be in Disney World. I was ready to hit the parks! And….my family was not. Sigh. Hahaha The rest of my normal family likes to take their time. My parents went out to buy stuff to make breakfast for the days we were there. We like to have those options without having to leave our Villa for everything. So I decided to straighten my hair and watch my and Ferb because it’s AMAZING. I was getting all stressed out because Dan’s family was basically already on their way to EPCOT and we still hadn’t even had breakfast yet. My dreams for having an anxiety-free trip were already squished. I have weird anxiety problems ESPECIALLY with being on time places…so basically I was driving myself crazy, convincing myself we were late.
Well, my parents got lost going to the store so when they returned, they were a little bitter hahaha. We made breakfast and I started to realize EPCOT will wait for us. It isn’t going anywhere. And with THAT we were FINALLLYYYYY on our way to our chariot- TO THE BUS STOP!

Upon arrival we have to get our tickets because we were getting the Military discounted ones. My sister had to vouchers and we had to exchange them. This is where stuff got complicated. We bought 5 day tickets for SUPER-DE-DUPER cheap. Now, with the blackout dates we could only use 2 of those days. We used them the 18th and the 19th. Dan and I bought a separate one day pass to go to Hollywood Studios and then the last day, we went to Islands of Adventure with his family. So with all that we had to get those tickets and figure out who’s was who’s. FINALLY we entered the park and ran into Dan’s parents.  His brothers were away on a ride so we all decided to do THE BIG GOLF BALL  What better way to start our day?!
So after Spaceship Earth, we decided to get fastpasses for Test Track. The 3 boys realized that Mission: SPACE had a 15 min wait, so they ran off to do that. I’m super claustrophobic and I’m pretty sure the rest of the group just aren’t much of thrill seekers…minus my sister…but she was more interested in what WE were going to do

We decided to start out…SPIRITUAL TOUR.




Pretty Tree!
Starting off in Canada…we bought alcohol. YES. Alcohol. When my family gets together, we drink together. It’s a social thing. We love each other and we like to have a good time with some good Spirits. Given my 90% Scottish Heritage and about 9% Irish….it’s just what we do

SO…I didn’t get a picture of my first..or second…or third drink…BUT my sister has “Sacred Chronicling of our Spiritual Tour” documented…AKA…selfies.
We somehow did not get a Shelfie (Shelly-Selfie) from Canada but we sure got one from Ireland!



She could quite possibly still be drinking her Canadian beer. I have no clue.
ANYWAY…Everyone needed a potty break so we decided to explore the British stores…AND WE FOUND WINNIE THE POOH…and Tigger too! hehe
OH and we found the boys, too.
So we were all reunited AND we got to hang out in Christopher Robin’s room



I seriously love this picture. My mommy looks SO happy!



Dan’s Brothers, Steven and Matt!



And Dan and I!

Winnie the Pooh has seriously been one of my favorite Disney characters since I was realllllly little. I love him


So after meeting our favorites from the Hundred Acre Woods, we were HUNGRY. So we decided to stop by the Rose and Crown. Luckily, the wait wasn’t very long for a table and we got seated on their patio with a beautiful view of the lake




My sister and other mommy waiting for drinks



Matt looking oh-so pretty in my Minnie Mouse Ears hahaha



Dan’s Dad and Steven




Anddddd my parents being adorable


The majority of us all got Fish and Chips…with the exception of Matt who wanted to be different and ordered the Cottage Pie. Poor Matt was the only one not 21 + on this trip. So he enjoyed lots of food and coke



Anddddd one last picture.

Alright, I’m going to finish that here and we will continue our “Spiritual journey” next time
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[Grumpy's Wife]

Joining in.

 

[saintstickets]

Subbing in on your TR and loving it! That's a LOT of folks to plan for on a trip! I love your "Spiritual Journey". I've done those in my younger days and one could say they really were a religious experience because I'd usually end on my knees praying to the porcelain bowl god!

 

[Courage12]

Thanks Guys! I must say this spiritual journey made me QUITE hungover at very odd times in the day! No porcelain throne hugging though!

 

[Courage12]

Okay, so I left off eating some delicious fish and chips!!
We all took a potty break after lunch and then we were off to continue our journey!
We walked across that cute little walkway and into France!

Now, I’m not a wine person, but my sister is sooooo we stopped for a drink…like usual. ​

I had the grey goose orange slush…um…YUM. It was delicious. My dad got the lemonade citron one and was very pleased.



Photo cred to easywdw.com…I didn’t take that one but it looked so good, I couldn’t not show you what it looked like.

So after France we made our way to Morocco! I think this is where I took a break. We watched the fabulous band + belly dancer, Mo’Rockin!
My sister got one of their slushies and the Dads and Dan all got Moroccan beers.



Shelly Selfie!


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I think this is a good place to press PAUSE on the Disney and PLAY on the Christmas surprise

Dan’s family dog CoCo had recently passed away. They loved her with all their hearts but she was old and in pain. It has been hard for them because she WAS family. She was Dan’s best friend. Months after she passed the boys started asking when they were going to find a new puppy dog friend. Their mom was hesitant because puppies are A LOT of work and with all 3 boys in college, she’d be the one waking up at 5 a.m. with the puppy. It was also very hard because CoCo was Dan’s Mommy’s girlie. She just wasn’t ready.

WELL….weeks before Dan’s graduation, his mom emailed me with BIG news. They had found a puppy. They told the boys that they were “looking” but wanted them to help pick her out. In reality, the process was a lot farther than that

Everything seemed to be working out fine until they contacted Dan’s Mom and told her they already sold HER PUPPY . I guess it was just not meant to be.

After a few days, and lots of secretive phone calls, they finally found the one.

Meet Kiley



(This was taken on Christmas day)

SO…the plan was: As Dan’s family flew back home, Kiley would be flying in at the same time. Basically, they’d tell the boys they bought something big in Florida and had to pick it up at the shipment place at the airport. The worry was that they would be delayed or Kiley wouldn’t arrive on time. Will it all turn out like it’s supposed to or will the boys find out?!

OKAY UN-PAWS
Back to Disney!​

[/SIZE]

 

[Courage12]

After Morocco we went to JAPAN! I love love LOVE Japan. Probably because I’m a Hello Kitty fanatic.
My sister and I have always loved this pavilion. SO we did a little shopping. My sister bought Mario socks anddddd something else. After that, it was time for them to buy drinks and for me to not! Haha I was a lot tipsy and the alcohol was making me sleeeeeepy.

I do believe they got plum wine…and then…IT WAS TIME FOR ANOTHER POTTY BREAK. Oh my goodness. All these drinks were killing us!
So we walked over to the U.S. pavilion bathrooms (which are HUGE and lovely )
I got dan an ADORABLE Santa Mickey Hat because he left his Purdue one at home.​

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That picture is from later in the day (aka night…wait…what?) hehe I just wanted to show you how embarrassingly adorable it is. That’s how I know he loves me…he wore that hat ALL day with a smile on his face.



After buying the hat, I almost walked into these handsome fellas! Oops!
I did get a drink at the American Pavilion because they had RED STAG SLUSHIES. Omg. SO good. Red Stag is a cherry bourbon and they mixed it with lemonade slush. Surprisingly, this was one of my favorite drinks all day. It was INCREDIBLY sweet though and I had already had tons of sugar so I wasn’t really feeling it.

I think my sister got a Sam Adams…



We found a nice little place to sit down around Germany, I do believe….



This pretty much sums up the time we were having mmmm slushie. And Dan trying to completely ignore his wonderfully adorable mother



Before moving on, we got a group picture! Unfortunately, Dan’s mommy had to take the picture.

Okay so, we needed a break. We wanted to go check some other things because all we had done is drink. I don't know about you...but I LOVE the Maelstrom. My fam wasn't really feeling it because it gets you "WET" but not really...lol sooooo...I went with Dan's family It was fun and no one got wet except for a few sprinkles so we were safe.

I don't really remember what my family did but I know after the Maelstrom we wanted to get out of the world showcase for a bit..AND our fastpass time for Test Track had arrived. YAYYYY

So my sister, dad, dan, his brothers, and I all got in the fast pass return line for test track. I hadn’t been on this ride since they renovated so it was really different for me. I’m gonna be honest…I’m not a fan. It didn’t feel fun…and the line was so disorganized. We were just going from room to room unsure if we were supposed to stop and watch videos or keep walking.

So that ride was over and we regrouped. Dan’s family had never taken a ride on Soarin’ before! So OBVIOUSLY that was our next stop.
The line was listed at 50 min. I think but it was pretty close to an hour. We didn’t mind. We were just happy to be there

Now you guys are going to think we are totally crazy but we made it through this entire trip without making restaurant reservations OR using fast pass plus…and we survived. Lol There was times where I regretted the no reservations thing but meh. Whatever.

I am pretty sure that the only time we used fast passes were for Test Track the entire trip!


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[Grumpy's Wife]

What an adorable puppy! I hope the surprise worked out for all involved.

 

[Courage12]

HELLO everyone! Sorry it is taking so long for another update! Life is getting in the way i am hoping to get a BIG update tomorrow night or early next week Promise I haven't forgotten about all of you lovely people It is March Madness and I work in a sports bar !!! lol. I'm sure you can imagine the insanity I promise you will hear from me soon! Thanks again for following

 

[Courage12]

Hello All! Sorry it took sooooo long for another update. Life’s been crazy.
Between working my serving job AND substitute teaching plus adding on a new health and fitness plan (Advocare), I’m just wiped at the end of the day. BUT I am full of energy tonight and I have all day off tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze in a few updates and ACTUALLY GET PAST EPCOT! Hahaha

BEWARE: This update is VERY word heavy with only a handful of pictures. If you’re not really feeling the whole reading part of my trip report, I’d recommend you give this update a skip.


Okay, I left off with leaving Soarin’. As you can imagine, We were all tired, hungover/still a little tipsy, and VERY hungry. SO…it was back to the World Showcase for us.

Now I’m sure you’re all wondering….”what were are ADR’s?..blah blah blah…” Well actually, considering we were trying to wrangle 9 of us…we decided….”eh…let’s forget those.” So, we just decided to play our luck.

As a group, half of us wanted to try Germany’s, Biergarten (ew…not me lol. Sorry for all the German food lovers but this girl is not one of you.)

Now…being a good DISer, I KNEW we would not be able to get 9 people sat there without rezzies buttttttttt, I shut my mouth and let someone else take the lead. At this point, I was just ready for some food and would have totally been okay with quick service but HEY we were in Disney, we were tired, and we figured we’d try our luck .

On our way we decided to go through Mexico to get some MARGS. Yum.

Remember when I decided I was done drinking for the day? Yeah well… I changed my mind

On a side note, I am SO disappointed no one took pictures of our margs…I mean COME ON. It probably was because we were a little sloppy. hehehe

Now, I’m sure a lot of you guys are rolling your eyes. But don’t worry, we weren’t THOSE people . Disney is a FAMILY place. It also has some adult fun in the form of beverages…and YES we were drunk. But we were quiet and minding our own business. So no need to worry about our ability to navigate a park and/or not run into your strollers We were just feeling pretty good.

So onward we went on our quest for FOOD. yum.

We get to Germany only to be turned now. Eh…it is what I thought. So we kept walking and got to Italy. As my parents were inquiring at Tutto Italio, I was grumpin’ it. Now, it was COLD and I was getting incredibly HANGRY (there’s that word again) and I didn’t want to stand in a crowded lobby full of people only to be turned down again. So I went and frowny faced outside…

BUT WAIT.

It WASN’T crowded…and we were told they had a table…FOR 9.

HALLELUJAH.

Never in a BILLION years would I have expected that. Definitely started thanking our lucky stars.


So we all sat down and munched on their DELICIOUS BREAD.​

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PHOTO CRED TO DISNEY TOURIST BLOG

No seriously…those bread stick things...HOLY MOLEY. Guys, this diet is hard p.s. NO BREAD? These pictures are making me HUNGRY lol…anyway.



We were still rocking our margaritas with our wine...because we're CLASSY. And why not double fist, ammiright?



Having some fun

I ordered the Fettuccine Vecchia Roma. DELICIOUSO. Um YUM! I don’t remember what EVERYONE ordered but I know there was a few spaghetti and meatball kiddos out there.



Michelle ordered THIS. I have no idea what it is, but it certainly looks good!

Anyway, delicious meal, wonderful service, and amazing company .

We all left with a smile on our faces and that is what is important.

Once we left, we realized there was only about an hour until IllumiNations.

Michelle and crew wanted to finish up the Spiritual Tour….Dan and I wanted some alone time.







And this is my sister and father finishing out the Spiritual Tour in Norway…with Turpentine…YUP. Excuse me while I vom…GROSS lol.

Okay so we may have skipped China…at least I think they did? I don’t know. I gave up at that point.

Our families were driving us BONKERS lol okay maybe not us…just me But Dan could tell I needed a break…so what better way to take a break than…SHOPPING YAYYYYY

Before we left for vacation, Dan and I exchanged Christmas presents. He had gotten me a $50 gift card to Disney (I know, I know, best boyfriend EVER) and I wanted to spend it (burning a hole in my pocket…)

So we went to purchase the one souvenir I wanted…A PERRY THE PLATYPUS PILLLOWPET…yes I know I’m an adult. BUT I LOVE PHINEAS AND FERB…soooo…off to Mousegears we go.



Sigh…He’s perfect. I would take a picture of the one we bought but he is kind of flat and well-loved now

Next, we went to the gift shop at Mission Space…Dan is OBSESSED. WITH. SPACE. Every single space show on Netflix HAS BEEN WATCHED. He hopes to work for an Aerospace Company (Any Aeronautical Engineers looking for a bright, young, enthusiastic Industrial Engineer? ) So…we naturally bought a bunch of space pictures…and astronaut ice cream because DUH it’s delicious.

After roaming about and buying things we finally met up with our family for the Christmas version of IllumiNations.

Now…something hilarious happened.

Somewhere in IllumiNations, they talk about how we are all similar or have similar situations but we come together as one in Disney to share a similar experience or something of that nature, to which my mother replies “like you taking our money?” Everyone around us just died laughing. It was perfect because she said it during a pause the narrator took. I don’t know the exact words or what she exactly said but I do know that drunk mom is a total crowd-pleaser.

After IllumiNations everyone was bookin’ it out of there. Mom, Dan, and I walked slowly with Dan’s family while my sister and father ran out of there…and didn’t wait for us (RUDE.) Hahaha just kidding




Goodbye, Epcot!
So we said our goodbyes and see-ya tomorrow’s to Dan’s Family and patiently waited for the next bus…that came within minutes…and was completely empty. I guess that is what you get for being patient.

When we got back to Saratoga, we asked my Dad if they were able to sit down. Apparently they were the last ones squeezed onto the bus (so that would be a no.) hehehe KARMA

ALRIGHT. Well we are finally out of Epcot so I think that’ll be it for tonight. I’ll post another update hopefully by tomorrow SWEET DREAMS!​

 

[Courage12]

WOO. Sorry about the lack of updates, once again. Lots of subbing AND bar tending (weird combo, I know!)

The next morning I was READY We were going to MAGIC KINGDOMMMMMM! WOOOO. We ended up going ahead of BOTH our families. You may notice while reading my trip report that I am ALL sorts of impatient. Which this doesn’t really make sense because I’m a teacher and I’m supposed to have patience. I am actually incredibly patient with my students…not so much with adults hahaha. I feel like when it comes to Disney, nobody is patient. It is just WAY to exciting! Anyway, we were ready to hit the parks and my parents and sister were being pokey. Dan’s family was enjoying a lovely morning at Downtown Disney with some Rainforest Café for lunch.

So Dan and I caught the bus to the Magic Kingdom…it was MAGICAL! I was just so excited to be there.

As soon as we walked down Mainstreet, we decided we were heading straight for…THE LITTLE MERMAID. I love Ariel and was just SO excited to check out this ride. Since I’ve never been to Disneyland, I was itching to go.
I’m pretty sure the line said 10 Min, so Dan and I just jumped into Standby.



This isn’t the greatest picture but we were MOVING, which is always a good thing.



Someone is excited to hang out with his girl, Ariel!


I just LOVE that line. It smells good. I know that sounds SUPER weird but it totally does. It’s got a beachy, water-ridey smell to it and I just can’t get enough. They should probably sell Disney Smelly candles.



Soon we were on our wayyyyy Undah’ da’ SEAAAA

So…Dan and I are a little sporadic when it comes to riding rides. We just DECIDE all of a sudden. And right now, we were totally feeling some Haunted Mansion. So that is EXACTLY what we did!



So onwards, we went. I just love that little kit kat. Figarooooo! Photo cred to Dan’s Momma (that was taken when they arrived, but she totally read my mind. I want a picture of him so bad!)


So the Standby time for HM was only about 15 so we popped right in! The line for HM is just too fun.
 


You may notice my shirt…my family and Dan’s family are big Red Sox fans.. THIS IS BOSTONNNNN (300 voice hahaha)



My BFFS

So I didn’t take any ride photos. Because I stink. Man, next trip I NEED to take more photos. You guys must be SO bored.  Thanks for reading!!

ANYWAY. After HM, my sister texts me and tells me my momma and her are on their way…sans Dad. Apparently, he was being EXTRA pokey. Hahah

Soooo….We went to meet my sister and mom. At none other than…BTMR! I love this train coaster. And So does my momma! It is the only Mountain she’ll ride!



As you can tell, it was ABSOLUTLY BEAUTIFUL outside! We had brought sweatshirts and all that jazz, since it was PARTY NIGHT (WOOO) but we definitely didn’t need them during the day!

After Big Thunder, my daddy finally texted us and said he was on the way. We wondered over to Pirate’s because they have loads of little gift shops where my sister (who was wearing cowboy boots for some CRAZY girl reason. JAYKAY love you) could buy flip flops! Shelly picks out a pair, pays for them, and THEN realizes she could have gotten DVC discount. The lovely cast members offered to return the item and re ring it up! I wish I would have taken down their names. They were SO nice.

Now the Shelly was nice and comfy, we headed out to look for something to eat.

We wandered over to El Pirata Y El Perico Restaurante where we found my dad under a nice big umbrella in the outdoor part of the restaurant. We saved the table while my dad and Shelly went to get our order.

My mom, Dan, Shelly, and I all got their nachos (YUM)



(Photo cred from eatingaroundwdw.wordpress.com)

My dad got some sort of salad and he liked it

As we were finishing eating, Dan’s family was on their way to Pirates! They got stuck by the parade and took a little longer than expected. No big deal! Dan’s mom got some great shots of the parade!

And…apparently I have NO pictures. LAME.

Anyway, after Pirates, parents and the kids split up. The parents wanted to go do the Liberty boat and WE wanted to…SPACE MOUNTAIN.

I’m going to stop right here because I’ve got a lot of photo editing to do before my next update. Which will be PARTY FILLED! WOOWOOOO!

Until next time!​

 

[Courage12]

FINALLY AN UPDATE. Okay…So…we left off with the kiddos splitting off...AND HITTING SPACE MOUTAIN! WOOWOOOOOO. My favorite of the Mountains. We had decided as a group that we were going to save Splash for the party since it would be less busy (and I think it was being fixed?) So…off we went.
We hopped in a 40 min line…but we were cool with that because…it’s Space

Mountain. DUH
So…the lines moving and we’re all happy chappies. Until…nothing. The line stops moving and we can see they’re pulling people off the ride. GREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT.



That was my captured reaction. MY ONE TRUE LOVE WAS BROKEN (sorry Dan.)

So…we make our way out, when we’re handed one of these beauties


Just kidding…IT WAS A FAST PASS They handed us one since the ride was broken and it was good for the entire day.

So it made me feel a LITTLE bit better…but just a little.

So…we exit the ride and the parents are there waiting for us…like creepers

We all make a decision to go back to the Haunted Mansion

I do believe the line was SUPER short. So we just popped right in. It was all fun and no one of our party joined the Happy Haunts.

It was nearing party time so we made a group decision to go get our bands. So… we walked alllll the way back to tomorrowland to get our bands (technically it is the place where the old swan boats loading area was.)


So with our bands on we were ready to finally ride some more rides. Our next stop? THE TEA CUPS

Now the Dads sat this one out. Both of them can’t do tight circles anymore. I do believe Steven sat this one out too so it looked like it was going to be Mom, Shelly, and I in one cup and Dan, Other mommy, and Matt in another. We took ours nice and slow…but the boys….all I have to say is poor Susan hahaha. They are superrrrrrrrr competitive and wanted to go as fast as possible…yikes hahah.

After our spinning session, it was time to eat! We wandered over to Cosmic Rays where almost everyone got Burgers…except for me  I got a grilled chicken sammich. Yum! Bellies were full and it was starting to get dark…so you know what that means?! CHRISTMAS PARTAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. Woowooo!

I ran to the bathroom to get changed into my fabulous sweater…and when I came back…THE CASTLE lighting ceremony was happening We were so very excited. We were right by a patio door so we all hoped outside and have a great view!



And yes my sweater says MEOW…because CATS.



Better picture of the castle

Alright…That is where I’m gonna stop for now because I have to go get ready for work. I just got a new job! I am now a support teacher for a Kindergarten Readiness class at a local daycare! Let me tell you...I’m pretty pumped!

Until Next time! <3
​

 

[aimeebarb]

I'm enjoying your trip report! We are going to Saratoga this December!

I'm 7m pregnant and haven't had a lick to drink in ages. Can't wait to have a few spirits at EPCOT too!

 

[Courage12]

I'm enjoying your trip report! We are going to Saratoga this December!

I'm 7m pregnant and haven't had a lick to drink in ages. Can't wait to have a few spirits at EPCOT too!

AH! Thank you so much! I was starting to wonder if anyone was actually still reading since I've been lacking in the updates. I'm just so darn busy! Congratulations on your soon to be new addition! So so excited for you! Disney in December is seriously the prettiest thing I've ever seen. You'll absolutely love it. And Epcot's drinks are seriously AMAZING. So good and so many options! Just make sure you bring jackets! Even with jeans and a sweater I was so cold Thanks for reading!

 

[Courage12]

WOOO I left off with the Castle lighting…It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

In case you forgot…



Yea..it’s PRETTY

So our two families were united and we definitely wanted to find something that everyone would be into….BUT we ended up going to SPLASH MOUNTAIN hehehehe. Ooops

The parents weren’t too thrilled. So they wandered off and the kids went to do SPLASH!

On the way there, we picked up some free cookies! Unfortunately, Dan’s brother Steven has a peanut allergy and even though I’m pretty sure free Disney cookies are nut free, he didn’t take any chances.

Splash was super fun and the line was…NOTHING. We literally walked on…it was pretty magical. Probably because it was low 60’s close to 50’s outside…hehehe

We decided we wanted to do Space Mountain (remember we had THE GOLDEN TICKETS), So we texted the parents and met them over there. I think they ended up on the Peoplemover while we had a successful Space Mountain ride.

Then it was time for the ASTRO ORBITERS.

In all my trips to Disney, I’ve NEVER done these! So I figured, Why not?!

I’ll tell you why not…I’m PRETTY sure those things are death traps.



This isn’t my picture…but you look at them and you’re all like “Oh hey! Those look like fun! It’s like Dumbo but taller!”

And then you squeeze yourself into a rocket ship and you’re like YEA NEVERMIND. Ha.

Pretttttty sure Michelle lucked out on this ride since she was by herself. She took this picture



Which shows me and Dan (him looking INCREDIBLY uncomfortable) and STEVEN AND MATT IN THE SAME ROCKET OMG. Ha. TOO FUNNY.

So we got off the ride and kissed the ground…No but seriously. Those things felt so flimsy and it is so windy up there, we seriously felt like we were about to free fall…NOT RECOMMENDED lol.

We decided to meet up with the folks and do the only thing more amazing than almost dying (do you sense my sarcasm?)…

IT’S A SMALL WORLD.

Yup.
We did that to ourselves. It is the Moms’ favorite. Both mommas were dying to watch the creepy doll children sing and dance so we humored them.

Alright..it wasn’t THAT bad. But let’s just say I wasn’t crying of sadness when it stopped.

When we got off THIS was happening!





So…we decided to walk on over to Dumbo!



We took some photos while walking on over.


Those were the walls up for the new mine ride! I CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK TO RIDE IT!


Now I was starting to get really tired and I wanted to save my energy for the thing I was most looking forward to…the parade! I’ve seriously been waiting to see this thing like my whole life so I decided to hang back with Dan, his Daddy, Steven and my sister while both mommy’s, my Dad and Matt went on Dumbo.

It was also potty break time!

We went potty and DONALD AND DAISY WERE OUT. But they were seriously just leaving and I couldn’t get a good picture…so that bummed me out.

After everyone was reunited, we decided to head the Main Street to find a spot for the parade…except I dipped out to try and find a snack.

Now, I have been seeing all these pictures of beautiful cupcakes and yummy treats by everyone on Dis and decided I just HAD to have one…So I walked all the way to the “Bakery” assuming they’d have what I was looking for only to find the Star Bucks with NO PRETTY CUPCAKES. I was seriously crushed. I guess I definitely didn’t do my research on that one like a good DISer.

We walked along Main Street (or drowned…yea drowned is the right word..IT WAS PACKED.) And I was so sad. But Dan cheered me up by pointing out the snow! I love him. Did I mention that?



So I call my sister and tell her I have a reallllly good spot for the Parade and she tells me they have an even better one. This is where I throw a fit (WARNING: I ACT LIKE I’M 5. I’M SORRY. IT’S PRETTY BAD.)

I find them all the way out by the castle, not anywhere near the parade route. I’m trying to explain WHY these aren’t good seats (EVEN THOUGH WE GOT THE SIT DOWN THERE.) And then I start FREAKING out and running back to my old spot (that has since been taken.) Now…my loving sister pretty much told me to shut it. But I just couldn’t help it. This was my dream to be able to see THE DANCING REINDEER and gosh darn’ it I WANTED A GOOD SPOT.

This is where my Momma steps in. I love her. She calmed me down. Pointed to a spot where we could stand behind a cute family and their kids (who were sitting down.) Our families ended up being pretty spread out but I calmed down a bit.

OKAY MY FIT IS OVER. You may continue without judgement

Here are some pictures my sister took from her old spot that wasn’t even really a spot.




Okay, I lied…this 1 was from earlier




Coming up next…THE ACTUAL PARADE. OMGLOB (anybody else watch Adventure Time? Heheh)​

 

[Courage12]

Alright so like I said in my like post…This parade was my dream and after all the drama getting to my spot, I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

So without further ado…here’s a bunch of pictures









Look at these Goobers!





Cinderelllaaaaa



Snow and Charming (UGH I LOVE ONCE UPON A TIME)





Belle in her Christmas gown…I seriously love Enchanted Christmas.



Rapunzel! Hey girl! Wassup?



Princess Tiana!



Fairy Godmother <3



Woody Blowin’ kisses…or giggling. IDK lol





Army Guy!



Goofy bein’ goofy!





Kickin’ it old school with these two!



Oh man…this picture looks SUPER creepy since it is blurry…Oh well. This girl…guy…IDK IT’S TOO BLURRY. I just know that they were AWESOME and super involved with the crowd. The kids in front of me LOVED the elves!





Gingerbread being AWESOME.

Okay…Guys…it’s the moment…with the thingys…that I’ve loved since I was 5….THE FANCING REINDEER. Don’t be mad…but I sadly only got one picture. Probably because I was too busy FREAKING OUT OMG I LOVE THEM.



And that is basically it. It was definitely time to go home but with all the excitement I just needed to decompress. I was not looking to deal with those crowds. So I went into the stores to try and find something to spend my gift card on.

I found THESE



And I totally wanted the Minnie one but I just couldn’t justify spending nearly $40 on it. So I put it back and asked my mom if we could go to Casey’s for a hot dog ha! My Dad and Shelly already left (like usual) and Dan’s family took off too so my Mommy obliged. I think she could tell I just needed a little quiet time. So Dan and I got a hot dog and shared some fries with Momma bear and waited for the crowds to die down. We ended up on a half full bus on the way back to Saratoga, which was nice.

It was off to bed for us when we got back because tomorrow was Dan and I’s Hollywood Studios day with his family! Mine decided to take a day off

TO BE CONTINUEDDDDDDDDDDD​