A Magical Anniversary in the WILDERNESS *Pixie Dust Everywhere* Completed 11/19 New TR Link

[buzzrelly]

We ate at Coral Reef once, in 2006. we didn't hate it, but it's not at the top of my list to eat. We usually end up at Via Napoli…pizza…yum!

I love those pictures of you both with Joy and Sadness. I always forget they are there. Maybe I'll try to remember when we go in October!

I love B1 on Soarin'

 

[DisneyMichele]

I definitely remember the Full House Disney episode as well, Coral Reef is definitely on my list of places I'd love to try!

 

[Cloe Colton]

What an incredible start to your Anniversary trip!! SO MUCH pixie dust already and it's only the end of night #2!! Excited to see what the rest of your trip held for you

Also, where did you get your amazing Cinderella bag?!!

My Cinderella bag is from Danielle Nicole! She has so many cute Disney bag designs. The only downside is that they don't hold much except for like a phone and maybe a small camera haha but the cuteness is worth it! A woman when we were leaving California Grill was actually trying to buy it off of me she liked it so much! I think the new Disney style store in Disney Springs has some but when I looked during this trip I didn't see the Cinderella one. Funnily enough, I think Disney has realized what a trend Disney themed accessories are because they now sell cute purses too in the Disney stores at malls!

Disney ears definitely hurt the head!!

Oh yay a recent review of Coral Reef! I booked a meal there for my upcoming trip (basically for the same reason you did haha). I'm so glad to hear it was good!

Sounds like a great afternoon!

Yeah, the headaches they cause are no joke! I actually made my own version of the millenial pink ears (pics coming up!) because the ears I make don't give me a headache!

And yes! Definitely keep your Coral Reef reservation! I mean it was no signature but it doesn't claim to be and I really enjoyed it!

 

[Cloe Colton]

We ate at Coral Reef once, in 2006. we didn't hate it, but it's not at the top of my list to eat. We usually end up at Via Napoli…pizza…yum!

I love those pictures of you both with Joy and Sadness. I always forget they are there. Maybe I'll try to remember when we go in October!

I love B1 on Soarin'

I do love Via Napoli! Thats me and my Moms go to as well! We always eat there in EPCOT (we are going again in October! haha) so I took the opportunity of being with DH to try something new! It was actually picked out of pure necessity for a lunch place because we used to do Sunshine Seasons but they've changed the sandwich I loved and in the July heat I wasn't really too keen on booking it back to the WS for lunch in Mexico so for lunch it was perfect!

Joy and Sadness are definitely tucked away! It was such a fun meet you should definitely do it! Even though it was a long wait I don't regret it at all! Baymax is a fun meet, too! We met him on a Christmas trip in 2016 so we didn't want to wait again.

I definitely remember the Full House Disney episode as well, Coral Reef is definitely on my list of places I'd love to try!

I used to watch those episodes on REPEAT haha (although it annoyed me when they would all of a sudden jump from one park to the other!) Coral Reef was definitely a fun place to grab lunch and we enjoyed the food!

 

[disneyAndi14]

We tried Coral Reef once and when we were there, it did have a fishy smell. Glad it didn’t for you.

Your outfit is so cute, your rockin the painful gold ears, ha! I tried them on and knew I couldn’t wear them long, so I didn’t buy them.

We love Joy and Sadness!

Yay to Section B and row 1 so much better!

 

[Cloe Colton]

We tried Coral Reef once and when we were there, it did have a fishy smell. Glad it didn’t for you.

Your outfit is so cute, your rockin the painful gold ears, ha! I tried them on and knew I couldn’t wear them long, so I didn’t buy them.

We love Joy and Sadness!

Yay to Section B and row 1 so much better!

I wonder if they've defunked the fishy smell out! Lol because I didn't smell it at all and I'm usually pretty susceptible to an overwhelming fish smell!

They are so fun!! I was happy Dan was willing to wait with me because my sister had said no the last trip! Haha

It's seriously the best! I still don't understand how they can't figure that out though, the old one never was that bad!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hello!!! I am joining in to your trip report! I love it so far.

We decided once we made it through security that we would grab a second dinner (it’s the start of vacation that’s allowed right? Lol) at the Anchor Bar in the terminal.

If we fly in at night, we always try and get to the airport with enough time to sit down and have a drink and at least a little snack. It just makes all the airport chaos a tiny bit better to us!

We were just so happy and excited to be experiencing this together. It was so magical!

That was quite the ordeal getting your room!

th Dan and just glanced through my emails and saw one from the manager again apologizing for the inconvenience and offering us Club Level access for the remainder of our stay at Wilderness Lodge. I think my jaw dropped to the floor. That was so awesome of them to give us Club Level access for the rest of our trip!

This is why I love Disney. Not everyone get the pixie dust that you did. But they do try to make it better.

You may be wondering why I would care so much to get this photo. Well, my parents honeymooned in Disney 29 years ago and they stayed at the Contemporary. That had been my main reason for switching from Pop Century to Bay Lake Tower for the one night because I thought it would be cool to stay basically where they did. (Which worked out even better when they moved us to the tower!)

I love this!!!! You did a great job.

(I think I mentioned this in my last TR but my Mom always loves pictures of our feet/shoes in line so I had to keep up the tradition!)

For some reason I do this as well. I don't know what it is... I don't take pictures of our feet anywhere else.

We had a reservation right after they opened for lunch so we were lucky to get a table right next to the window. It was so cool to have sharks swimming next to you while eating and all of the fish swimming by.

That is a good tip, to do the first seating, I would assume you have the best chance of getting those prime seats! I will have to remember that for us sometime.'

I was officially a woo-girl (How I met your mother reference haha!) I'm just not sure how you go on a thrill ride and sit there in absolute silence that has to diminish the fun!

ha! My girls tried to ride Splash Mountain with out screaming once. Spoiler Alert, the failed.

From what I could gather I think we got in line during one of their breaks, and then I think there also may have been a new character attendant cast member who was standing in the wrong spot so she would wait too long to send more people back to meet them. Even with the wait I was happy we did because meeting them (mostly Joy

That line feels like it goes backwards! It is def VERY slow.

 

[Simba22]

We haven't been to Coral Reef in years. Maybe I'll add it in somewhere for next year! We definitely enjoyed it when we went last, which was in 2007....

I have two pairs of actual Disney-made ears... the Halloween ones from a few years ago (maybe they're still the same? ) which are actually completely fine, and pair of regular old Minnie ears and they are like made for a child's head or something and hurt so bad. I just stick to non-official ones now!

 

[Lesley Wake]

For me, its always been on my list of places I wanted to eat since they ate here during the episode of Full House haha so its been on my list for awhile!

I remember that episode! And the fireworks at the end spelling out "will you marry me?"!

 

[amberdc1987]

Just found your report. Y'all are so freaking adorable!!!! It sounds like y'all have had a whitelist wind of a trip, and we are only 4 days in lol.

My husband and I honeymooned in Disney World and we had Coral Reef. I absolutely loved that place. Every time I read about someone not going back, I'm like oh well, shorter wait times for me .

I am in love with all your matching outfits and purses!! And I absolutely adore your Cinderella purse.

It's on my list to eat at California Grill. That place looks amazing!!

I cannot wait to hear more. Keep it coming.

 

[heidijanesmith]

Great TR! I am really enjoying it.

I have been to WL to eat lunch at Whispering Cafe as part of a Backstage Magic tour. It was a fun lunch.

DH and I have never stayed at WL as it looks just like home I enjoy reading about Dis'ers stays there, as I do not think we will ever stay there.

Can't wait for more!

 

[SweetSerenity]

One of our favorite shows of all time is Full House. I have watched those 2 episodes probably 25 times. Steve, no!

 

[buzzrelly]

We always eat there in EPCOT (we are going again in October!

I think I'll be missing you by 6 days!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I also wanted to say how brave you are taking selfies during the rides I noticed on EE and TT ride photos. I very sadly lost my phone to the bottom of Rock'n Rollercoaster in December 2016 (I dropped it while I was exiting the ride. Ugh), so now I am SUPER paranoid about the fact that I even have it with me. So sad.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Hello!!! I am joining in to your trip report! I love it so far.


If we fly in at night, we always try and get to the airport with enough time to sit down and have a drink and at least a little snack. It just makes all the airport chaos a tiny bit better to us!


That was quite the ordeal getting your room!


This is why I love Disney. Not everyone get the pixie dust that you did. But they do try to make it better.


I love this!!!! You did a great job.



For some reason I do this as well. I don't know what it is... I don't take pictures of our feet anywhere else.


That is a good tip, to do the first seating, I would assume you have the best chance of getting those prime seats! I will have to remember that for us sometime.'


ha! My girls tried to ride Splash Mountain with out screaming once. Spoiler Alert, the failed.


That line feels like it goes backwards! It is def VERY slow.

Thanks for joining in!

We usually try to as well! We normally just go for a cheaper sandwich place though but since we were so delayed we figured let's just actually sit down and have a nice meal!

It certainly was! But it was all worth it!

Haha I'm glad we aren't the only ones!

Yes! I honestly don't think I meant to pick a time right after they opened but it worked out so well! I mean even if you aren't right against the glass you still get a good view no matter what but we definitely enjoyed being so close! The family with younger kids behind us seemed to really enjoy themselves as well, their kids loved pointing out all of the different sharks, turtles and rays!

I'm not sure how people do it!! haha

Yeah it was kinda painful haha I feel like it's made worse by the fact that you can't really see what Joy and Sadness are doing behind the wall from the line because at least with Baymax you know if he's still there or not.

We haven't been to Coral Reef in years. Maybe I'll add it in somewhere for next year! We definitely enjoyed it when we went last, which was in 2007....

I have two pairs of actual Disney-made ears... the Halloween ones from a few years ago (maybe they're still the same? ) which are actually completely fine, and pair of regular old Minnie ears and they are like made for a child's head or something and hurt so bad. I just stick to non-official ones now!

Dan and I really enjoyed it! We love seafood so it was definitely up our alley and just so fun to be right next to the aquarium! Made me excited for the new Space restaurant!

Yeah I feel like Disney is trying by making new styles and "in" colors but those headbands are such a killer. Plus I find it more fun to make my own anyway and customize them to whatever I'm wearing! DH thinks I'm crazy hahaha he can't understand why I need so many!

I remember that episode! And the fireworks at the end spelling out "will you marry me?"!

Yes!! I loved those two episodes haha when I'm in the Grand I always think of Uncle Jesse playing Forever to Aunt Becky in the lobby! haha

Just found your report. Y'all are so freaking adorable!!!! It sounds like y'all have had a whitelist wind of a trip, and we are only 4 days in lol.

My husband and I honeymooned in Disney World and we had Coral Reef. I absolutely loved that place. Every time I read about someone not going back, I'm like oh well, shorter wait times for me .

I am in love with all your matching outfits and purses!! And I absolutely adore your Cinderella purse.

It's on my list to eat at California Grill. That place looks amazing!!

I cannot wait to hear more. Keep it coming.

Thanks for joining! Thank you! It was certainly one of the most amazing Disney trips I've ever been on!

Haha right! We both really enjoyed it! I will definitely go back!

Thank you! I am a sucker for the Danielle Nicole purses, they are perfect for Disney! I just wish they were a little bit cheaper! But my lemon purse was only like $10 so I was excited for that find!

Definitely try California Grill! We love it, I would say its a tie for my favorite Disney restaurant along with Jiko. We are going back in December we loved it so much! And I'm having brunch there in October haha I guess I should probably just accept the fact that it's my favorite!

Great TR! I am really enjoying it.

I have been to WL to eat lunch at Whispering Cafe as part of a Backstage Magic tour. It was a fun lunch.

DH and I have never stayed at WL as it looks just like home I enjoy reading about Dis'ers stays there, as I do not think we will ever stay there.

Can't wait for more!

Thanks for reading!

I had originally booked a breakfast there but cancelled it because we just wouldn't have the time for it, but that is a fun restaurant!

We really loved it! But I get not wanting to stay somewhere that looks like home! That's one of the things I love about Disney, all of the resorts have a different feel and vibe, something for everyone! It's awesome!

One of our favorite shows of all time is Full House. I have watched those 2 episodes probably 25 times. Steve, no!

I ALWAYS want to scream that out in Indiana Jones haha I'm probably right there with you with the 25 times! Maybe even more! I think my Mom used those episodes as a babysitter sometimes hahaha no complaints from me though!

I also wanted to say how brave you are taking selfies during the rides I noticed on EE and TT ride photos. I very sadly lost my phone to the bottom of Rock'n Rollercoaster in December 2016 (I dropped it while I was exiting the ride. Ugh), so now I am SUPER paranoid about the fact that I even have it with me. So sad.

haha I usually have a death grip on my phone! I would be devastated if I lost my phone, too! Most of the time I'm taking video because I usually try to put a video together on youtube of our trips! Another way for me to relive the vacation! haha Although its usually just a lot of b-roll because I am so awkward talking to a camera, I'm getting better but it is so hard!!

 

[Woth2982]

That was so sweet of the Club CMs to give you that anniversary package and return your pin! So much Pixi dust! It is really nice to have the club for breakfast items, and a beer at the end of the night. I don't think it is worth the inflated price, but for a free upgrade I would take it every and any day!

I love that you referenced Full House in wanting to eat at Coral Reef. I somehow got my parents to take us there in 94, because I HAD to eat there because that is where they ate on Full House. I have also been dying to stay at the Grand Floridian because that is where they stayed during that episode lol. Finally realizing that dream in November! Yes I have a Full House obsession. I also love the Epcot fountains because of Boy Meets World......moving on lol. That said Coral isn't my favorite. I don't like fish and the steak I had there was rubbery. Last time I was there was 2012. If I had the dining plan I would consider it again, but there are so many other places in Epcot I still need to try first. Going to try Le Cellier next trip!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 4 Part 2

After we got off of Soarin it was close to 5 and the afternoon rains were moving in so I suggested we head to World Showcase! Our dining reservation at Le Cellier was for 5:35 so we decided to kill the time until our reservation by having a drink (well Dan got a drink – Im not one for beer) in the UK pub.





We managed to find two seats closer to the restaurant in the Pub and enjoyed being away from the rain and relaxing for a minute. Dan liked this pit stop a lot. We went to visit my sister during her study abroad last year in England and it was one of his favorite places we've ever been. So it was cool for him to kind of feel like he was back there. He probably could have sat there all night! haha

At 5:30 we decided to head back towards Canada for our dinner reservation at Le Cellier! It had stopped raining so we stopped for some pics along the way.




We were right on time for our reservation and of course they were a few minutes behind. I’ve heard that’s pretty typical for Le Cellier.



Since we had to wait we took some pictures in Canada (and by we I mean Dan took more of me ). We never usually spend too much time in this pavilion since we live across the border from Canada at home. Which is a tad silly since Canada is much more than the little piece of Ontario we’ve visited




By the time we took pictures and wiped off a bench to sit on it was time for dinner. I honestly cannot remember what section of Canada we were seated in but we really enjoyed this dinner! I am always so tempted to book Via Napoli in EPCOT because I know its good but we decided to try something different and we were not disappointed!

We started with the delicious bread rolls (we saved the pretzel rolls to dip in our soup).



We split the Canadian cheddar cheese soup and the Wild Boar Meatballs.




The meatballs had cilantro on them and while we were eating these Dan realized that he is one of those people who tastes soap when he eats cilantro. But! Apparently he enjoys the "soapy" taste He told me he’d asked people before what is sometimes on dishes and tastes soapy and everyone had always looked at him like he was crazy. I guess he just needed to ask his wife! Also, I’m not super adventurous when it comes to food but the Wild Boar meatballs were so good. I would highly recommend both the soup and the meatballs! To me they didn't taste much different than normal meatballs and they were actually better!

And for our meal we split the rib-eye steak and shared the signature poutine.



The poutine was definitely different than poutines I’ve had before but it was really good! It was more of a vinagrette than a gravy but like I said I really liked it. It was actually kind of nice to try a different poutine because I can get the other kind pretty easily at home!

Overall, we both really enjoyed this dinner. It felt like a romantic escape from the parks and was much more accessible than leaving the park, having to change and then going to a signature restaurant at one of the hotels. I definitely see Dan and I going back again in the future! (Although I have Via Napoli booked for October and Rose and Crown for the Candlelight Processional package in December haha so I guess old habits die hard!) It wasn't my favorite signature meal but its hard to compete when we ate at a lot of them!



When we left Le Cellier I was pretty chilly from being in the AC and the rain earlier so we stopped in the store in Showcase plaza closest to Canada in hopes I could find a spirit jersey or a sweater to buy. Unfortunately, those stores aren’t that big! They had mostly home goods stuff and I don't think I saw any apparel (I probably would have bought just about anything I was so cold!). But after we’d been there a few minutes another torrential downpour blew through so we decided to browse the store a little longer! I ended up finding an ornament that I wanted, the pink Rapunzel bauble and we also picked up another Be our Guest napkin to match the one gifted to us so we’d at least have two. We considered picking up a couple of the beer mugs to match the champagne flutes we received but we decided it would probably be too much to try to transport home. Maybe next trip! We waited until the rain had subsided at least a little bit and decided just to throw on our ponchos and continue around the showcase!

By the time we made it to the bridge into France the rain had pretty much subsided and there was an amazing rainbow over the lagoon so we stopped to get some pictures.




We stopped for a photopass in France. I was happy to see a photographer out because it felt like with all of the storms there weren't many around! Something to maybe keep in mind if you are thinking of purchasing memory maker in the summer months. Although, now that I get MM included with my AP I don't know that I could go to Disney without it! I love it!



Our main reason for stopping in France was to get some ice cream! I’m pretty sure I just got vanilla and Dan got chocolate. So just basic flavors but these were so good!



Dan thinks he's funny haha



We ate our ice creams as we walked through the World Showcase just enjoying the atmosphere of the pavilions as we strolled by.

Our next stop was Germany. Dan wanted to grab a beer so we stood in line at the Bier stand in the pavilion. There was a group of four people in front of us that were obviously on their way of drinking around the world and were convincing one of the guys with them that when they went on Test Track later one of them would have to actually drive the car. He was very worried since he was a little buzzed! Good thing that is not how the ride actually is!



We stopped at the Outpost to sit at a table for him to finish his beer and decide what else we wanted to do. I believe Frozen had a bit of a wait and we couldn’t use one of our anytime FP on it so we decided to try to ride Test Track one more time. This was a fail on my part. Because I had rescheduled our earlier SE FP for the last hour of the night we were never able to get a 4th FP which I'm sure we could have gotten one for Frozen. I should have just let the SE FP expire and used one of the anytime FPs on it if we actually needed it. But lesson learned for the future! Plus FEA isn't exactly Dan's favorite ride so he didn't mind missing it and if you read my last TR you'll know I've had a not great experience on the ride so it's not my favorite either! lol

As we were waiting in line for TT we could hear thunder in the distance and the FP line was like out of the queue so we just ended up skipping a second ride. We were going to use one of our anytime FPs but we knew we wouldn’t make it on before the storms rolled in and they shut down the ride. We were pretty beat at this point anyway!

After skipping Test Track I had us stop in Mousegear so I could get my millennial pink spirit jersey that I had my eye on. I ended up also buying the passport sweater because it had been sold out in March and I really wanted it! I was surprised but the sweater was cheaper than the spirit jersey, Disney sure knows what they are doing! lol

With our (my) purchases in hand we made our way toward the front of the park for our last FP of the day for Spaceship Earth, which had zero wait so we didn’t even need the FP hahaha (hence my fail lol)



Spaceship Earth is always so pretty at night!

When I was planning our trip I had contemplated booking the FEA dessert party but I am glad I didn’t have us do it. Illuminations isn’t really my favorite nighttime show and by the time we were leaving (right around when Illuminations was starting) it really started raining so we would have both been pretty miserable trying to stick it out just to get our money’s worth. So I was happy I had not booked that!

On our way out I had Dan stop for some night time EPCOT photos because those are just my favorite.



It rained and stormed pretty much the rest of the night but I was hoping that since we were getting back to the hotel when HEA was to start we could watch some of it from our balcony (it was supposed to be starting at 9:15) but on our ride back to WL we saw the fireworks going off at like 9:05 so I’m not sure if they tried to send them earlier than scheduled because of the storms rolling in or what happened. Since they had already started by the time we got back to WL we just went up to the club first instead.



I was able to catch the end of HEA from the balcony off of the club. It was still raining out but there was JUST enough of an overhang on the balcony that I was able to keep dry and watch the fireworks. I didn't realize how much time was left in the fireworks, I would have had a much better view from our room but it was still cool to see!



Disney should trim back that tree JUSTTT a bit lol

We had a couple of snacks in the club and then turned in for the night. I can’t tell you how cozy it was to hear the rain and the thunder while we were all comfy in bed at the Wilderness Lodge. Such a fun day!!

Miles walked: 7.1​

 

[Cloe Colton]

That was so sweet of the Club CMs to give you that anniversary package and return your pin! So much Pixi dust! It is really nice to have the club for breakfast items, and a beer at the end of the night. I don't think it is worth the inflated price, but for a free upgrade I would take it every and any day!

I love that you referenced Full House in wanting to eat at Coral Reef. I somehow got my parents to take us there in 94, because I HAD to eat there because that is where they ate on Full House. I have also been dying to stay at the Grand Floridian because that is where they stayed during that episode lol. Finally realizing that dream in November! Yes I have a Full House obsession. I also love the Epcot fountains because of Boy Meets World......moving on lol. That said Coral isn't my favorite. I don't like fish and the steak I had there was rubbery. Last time I was there was 2012. If I had the dining plan I would consider it again, but there are so many other places in Epcot I still need to try first. Going to try Le Cellier next trip!

It was so sweet! Exactly! It was definitely nice for the breakfast items and beers for Dan and wine for me but I don't think the two of us could ever actually spend that much on our own to make it worth it. But for free I definitely loved it!!

I'm glad I'm not the only Full House fan! I would love to stay at GF for that reason, too! I haven't made that a reality yet though lol idk how Danny Tanner could have afforded that for all of those people! He must have been making gooood money! hahaha and yes! I actually got to do a backstage tour in high school at the Seas with the dolphins and I felt like I was living my best pretend Boy Meets World life! haha

I feel like the number of options in EPCOT makes it tough to pick where to eat! I can see if you didn't like seafood it might not be the best place to eat! We ate at Le Cellier for dinner and it was amazing! Highly recommend!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I am the same way, I have a list of other restaurants I want to try but am also a creature of habit!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Sounds like a perfect Epcot day! And WOWZA that rainbow!! Nothing more magical than a Disney rainbow

Glad you got to see a bit of the fireworks, and I thought the same thing about that pesky tree sticking out in your pics LOL

I'm glad you got the spirit jersey and sweater you wanted! I have my eyes on the Monsters University one I saw at the Disney Store outlet last week....of course it was not yet outlet priced, so I'll have to keep checking before I take the plunge. There's a DCL one I really want, too, so I need to pace myself