A January Trip of Firsts

[lthiesfeld07]

Hello fellow DISers!
I leave tomorrow for my January trip and thought I should start before I leave! My last PTR didn't really work because I didn't have time to finish it. I will make a point this time!

First, here are a few highlights from my August trip with my best friend Jackie!

My Pizza from Mama Melrose

Dinosaur!

My Happy Place!

Onto my January Trip.....

Who? My aunt, cousin Dana, cousin Mike, my godson Hunter and me!
Where? Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
When? January 4-9

Here are my plans:
Wednesday, January 4
Fly out of Chicago Midway
Check in at CBR and head straight to Epcot for an ADR at Via Napoli.

Thursday, January 5
Hollywood Studios in the AM
Epcot in the PM. Teppen Edo ADR at 6:00

Friday, January 6
Keys to the Kingdom Tour in the AM! Magic Kingdom for the afternoon and Hollywood Studios in the PM. Mama Melrose ADR at 6:20.

Saturday, January 7
Animal Kingdom AM Tusker House ADR at 12:00.
I'm going to try to head over to Lou Mongello's Podcast meet at the Magic Kingdom at 2:00.
Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day

Sunday, January 8
Mike's Birthday!
Crystal Palace ADR at 8:30am.
Epcot for the afternoon.
Magic Kingdom in the evening for the Magic Kingdom Dessert Party! What a way to spend the last night of our vacation!

Monday, January 9
I am leaving this morning for a park that I didn't get to spend enough time in. I am thinking I will go to Epcot. My flight is at 6:00 so I am assuming Magical Express will pick me up between 2 and 3.

Those are my plans! I hope to update daily... if not, I definitely will when I get back!

Thanks for following!

 

[Hera]

Looking for an update! Hoping the weather is warm!!

 

[goofy's_gurl]

Can't wait to here all about your trip!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Hi All!

I am sorry I did not update while I was on the trip. I was too tired at the end of the day! I plan on getting this trip report started this week with some photos!!
I had a GREAT time! I ended up spending a lot of time touring the parks alone, which turned out awesome. I had a blast!!
I couldn't have asked for better weather this past week. Clear skies, a refreshing breeze and crowd levels were not so bad!

Look for an update tonight or tomorrow night!
Thanks for following!!!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Is it just me, or is life after a vacation always crazy? This is the first time I have been able to sit down and relax since I returned from WDW!
Onto my trip report!
This was my 4th trip to Walt Disney World. I went in 1997 with my family and stayed at Dixie Landings, in 2002 and stayed at All-Star Movies and in August of 2011 and stayed off-site.
To recap my introductory post, I stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort from January 4-9. I traveled alone and met my family (two cousins, godson and aunt) at various times throughout my trip.

Wednesday, January 4
I departed from Chicago Midway at 1:00 and landed 15 minutes early in sunny Orlando! I used Disney's Magical Express Service and I couldn't have been happier! I was the last one on the bus to CBR and the first one off! I quickly checked in, and found out I was in the Martinique section in building 23. It was a very quick walk from the bus stop, which was appreciated at the end of the night!
When I got to my room, I quickly dumped everything and got on the bus to Epcot to meet some friends at Via Napoli! First stop was Spaceship Earth, my all time favorite ride! Then I rounded the World Showcase to Italy and checked in at Via Napoli. I was on the dining plan, and I used 1 TS credit for my meal, which was delicious! I had the Margarita pizza with mushrooms and tiramisu for dessert. The sangria and Cannoli Martini was amazing as well!
After dinner, my friends and I watched Illuminations from France. There was no dessert party that evening, so we were able to watch it from that location. After Illuminations, we walked over to the Beach Club and hopped on the bus to the Magic Kingdom as the park was open until 11pm.
We arrived to MK right around 10 and headed to the Jungle Cruise, which is even more "Jungly" at night! Next was Pirates, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh and Space Mountain! It was very chilly, but was well worth it! The Christmas decorations were stunning!
Here are some pictures from my first night!!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

January 5
I started my morning bright and early and headed to Hollywood Studios for rope drop. Rope was actually dropped around 8:30 and the race began for Toy Story Mania! I decided to grab fast passes first for Toy Story Mania (a wonderful cast member gave me 3 extra for my friends who were meeting me) I rode TTS and beat my score from August! I just love this ride! Then I rode Rockin' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and saw the Muppets. My friends met me at Toy Story Mania around 10am. I came in 3rd among them, but still had a blast!! They were leaving WDW, so we parted ways after TTS. I decided to take the boat from HS to Epcot. I've never been to the Boardwalk area during the day, so I wanted to see the hotels. It's a great ride and I highly recomend doing that! Once I got to Epcot, I headed to Soarin, and fast passes were gone and it was a really long wait... I did ride Living with the Land (for the first time) and ate lunch at Sunshine Seasons. This is a GREAT restaurant, especially if you are on the dining plan! The dessert choices are wonderful! I had the reuben panini and creme brullee for dessert. After lunch, I rode the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom for the first time.
Then I took the Ferry from the TTC. It was a beautiful day out! I rode the Railroad (to spy on the new Fantasyland expansion!), shopped a little on Main Street and headed to the Carossel of Progress. I had never been on this, and heard if you are a fan of Walt, it is a must do! Then I went to the Hall of Presidents. I tried to do things that my family members wouldn't do. By this time, the park was very crowded so I headed back to my resort to get ready to meet my family at Epcot. They're room was in Martinique Building 27, a short walk from the main food/pool area. We took the bus to Epcot to make our 6:00 ADR at Teppen Edo. We were seated in a back room. I thought the food was really good. I had the Filet and it was cooked just the way I ordered it. Entre's are served with steamed rice and noodles. I was hoping for some vegetables too, but it was enough! Again with the dining plan, I got dessert, so I opted for some ice cream. Our server was great. I wouldn't reccomend going to this restaurant with little ones, unless they like having someone cook in front of them!
After dinner, we rode Maelstrom. LOVE this ride! My family wanted to ride the boat ride in Mexico, so I took Hunter to find a viewing spot for Illuminations. We rode Illuminations on the bridge by Mexico. It was a great viewing spot! After Illuminations, we headed back to CBR to catch some sleep.
Here are some pictures from the day!

Next up, Kings to the Kingdom Tour!!!