All Aboard! The Happiest TR That Ever Sailed ~May 1-9~ Ice cream for dinner! 6/20

[autumnpalm]

Hi, everyone!

I just got back yesterday from nine wonderful days at Disney World and I am ready to get this trip report started! I miss WDW already and am desperate to find some way to cling to the magic! So...

I know many of you know all about who I am and how this trip came to be from my PTR but for those of you just joining me, I'll fill you in on some background details. Ready to meet the "crew" of this cruise?

I'm currently a university student and massive fan of everything Disney. Right now I'm in school for social work with a secondary specialization in early childhood education. I work at a children's rehabilitation hospital 3 days a week and absolutely love it. I originally started school for Communications and Media Studies but I think I've finally found a career path I love. I hope to eventually get my MSW and work on counseling kids with illness/disabilities one-on-one.

When it comes to Disney World, I am definitely a big planner. Magic Kingdom is my favourite park and my favourite characters are Chip and Dale. I tried not to overplan this trip too much, and you'll see how I fared throughout this TR. I loved anything princess related and my favourite princess is Belle. I think my dream job would be to play Belle in the parks. When I'm not planning Disney vacations, I love to read. At any one time I usually have about 5 books lined up in my "to read" waiting list. I like everything from biographies to romance to historical fiction. I also love music and (as you can tell from my display picture) ballet. I was a dancer for many years but stopped when I started university. I also have chronic knee injuries from ballet, so it's really only a hobby for me now. I have to say though, I want to leap onstage during just about every show at WDW that includes dancing!

This right here would be me:

My co-captain on the trip was my wonderful mother. She isn't thrilled with the idea of having her face plastered all over the DIS boards so you'll have to use your imaginations to picture her lovely face. My mom and I are very close. We get along extremely well and she really is one of my best friends. She is an author and manages her own publishing company. I'm really proud of her, she is amazing at what she does and in her I have a perfect example of what can be done if you put your mind to it. My DM loves Disney almost as much as I do. Her favourite park is Epcot and I think she would live in the World Showcase if she could. She's pretty much game for anything and followed my orders very well. My mom really is my favourite person to travel with. We celebrated her 50th birthday on this trip and made so many wonderful memories I know I'll treasure for the rest of my life.


We weren't originally planning on taking a trip this May. We went to WDW in December and July so a third trip in 12 months really wasn't in the cards. However, there was a fire at my university residence in October and I got around $2,000 in compensation from the school. After all the unpleasantness of going through the whole thing, we decided that since I didn't have any loans to pay off (I lucked out with scholarships) and the 4/3 deal had just been released, we would take the money and go to Disney! The first week of May was clear so we went right ahead and booked it.

It was always a dream of ours to stay in an Epcot area resort, so we booked the Yacht Club for 7 nights (that's where the nautical theme of this TR is starting to make sense). Because of the way flight pricing worked out, it made sense to add an extra night at All Star Music and fly on a Friday instead of a Saturday. So it ended up that we were all booked and set up for a trip to the World from May 1-8th!

I probably say this about every Disney trip, but I honestly think this was the best trip EVER. There were a few small wrinkles but I couldn't have asked for a more magical vacation. I can't wait to share everything with you guys! I took almost 2,500 pictures (don't worry, I won't post ALL of them) so there will be lots to share! I know that I love reading TRs that are updated frequently so I'm going to try my best to do just that. I've got my first one coming up right now!

I'll link all of my updates right here so you guys won't have to scroll through all the chit chat if you don't want to.

TR LINKS:
Day One, Part 1. The boring travel stuff.
Day One, Part 2. Check-in Pixie Dust!
Day One, Part 3. Walkin' right down the middle of Main Street, USA!
Day One, Part 4. Mmm, bacon!
Day One, Part 5. Wishes!!

Day Two, Part 1. The end of the beginning!
Day Two, Part 2. A Very Epcot Morning!
Day Two, Part 3. Making Friends with Manatees!
Day Two, Part 4. Checking in at the Yacht Club
Day Two, Part 5. SAB and Soarin!
Day Two, Part 6. I finally met Fiesta Donald!
Day Two, Part 7. Dinner at Teppan Edo!
Day Two, Part 8. You mean... the Boardwalk is a Boardwalk?!

Day Three, Part 1. Stitch needs sanitizer!
Day Three, Part 2. It's a Big, Blue World.
Day Three, Part 3. More flowers for Minnie Mouse.
Day Three, Part 4. Sundaes for dinner!

 

[autumnpalm]

Day One

Our flight was leaving Buffalo at 11:30 so we were dressed, packed, fed and out of the house by 7:00 am. I’ve read about so many people who say that they were so excited for their vacation that they woke up hours ahead of their alarm, but unfortunately that was not the case for me. I am SO not a morning person and I felt like I’d been clubbed over the head with a very large turkey drumstick. I dragged myself out of bed, into the shower and then into the car where I was in charge of the MapQuest directions. I don’t like driving so my mom did all the driving to the airport while I bounced in my seat and sang along to the radio while gently encouraging her to drive faster.

We arrived at the border quickly and the customs agent asked us where we were headed.

“Disney World!” we both replied.

He looked in the car and noticed we didn’t have any kids in the back seat. Yep, two adults going to Disney. He asked if he could see our flight itinerary. I had to dig it out of my backpack and of course it was in a bright turquoise princess folder. He asked my mother what she did for a living and then me. I, of course, told him I was a university student.

“What are you taking?” he asked.

“Social Work with a specialization in Early Childhood Education.”

He laughed and told me “that explained a lot” and waved us through with a smile. I find customs agents a little intimidating sometimes so it was nice to have someone so friendly and fun.

We found the parking lot (which I had a coupon for) quickly and jammed our car in the nearest space because we saw the shuttle coming. I took my suitcase and sprinted onto the bus while my mom checked, double checked and triple checked to make sure she hadn’t left anything in the car. The shuttle started up and began to leave and I realized… my mom was still locking the car! I had to stand up and notify the entire shuttle that someone in my travel party was left behind so the shuttle had to stop and wait for her. I’m sure they were all extremely pleased to have us on board.

After getting our boarding passes and making our way through security, we stopped at a pair of those massage chairs for a little pre-flight relaxation. I am absolutely terrified of flying, so while the massage didn’t relax me much, it actually made my back feel great! We ended up spending about 15 minutes in these massage chairs. Ahhhhh.

To be honest, I don’t remember much about the flight because I was completely freaking out. We did luck out with our seating because there wasn’t anyone in the third seat of our row so we got to spread out and get comfortable. The only thing that mattered to me on the flight was that we survived and landed in one piece and we did! So I think that was the only thing my brain really cared about absorbing.

Our connection in Atlanta was about an hour long so we stopped at Chili’s for a quick lunch. Now, we don’t have Chili’s in Canada so we were actually super excited to eat here! Both my mom and I are huge fans of The Office and Michael Scott loves Chili’s so we spent the entire time joking about ordering an “Awesome Blossom, extra awesome” and concluding that Chili’s just might be the new place to do business. Who knows, maybe Michael is on to something?

Again… I really don’t remember much about flight #2. All I can tell you is that everyone on the plane lived. Besides, I’m fairly sure plane rides aren’t that much more interesting to read about than they are to take.

Finally we had landed safely in Orlando! We didn’t have to wait in the Magical Express lineup at all because we had our little blue book so we got waved right through to the red carpet. I was thrilled to see that we had one of the nicely decorated ME buses.

The first “Disney” feeling I get of every trip is watching this screen with Mickey flying away over and over and over again.

Suddenly it hit me… I was REALLY in Disney World and had 9 whole days of magic ahead of me! The ME movie was about to start… soon we would be checking in to our resort… and we had a whole evening of Magic Kingdom fun awaiting us. I swear, the ME buses really should come with seatbelts to prevent people like me from bopping right out of my seat!

The first glimpse of Disney I caught was not the much-famed archway or Cinderella’s castle. It was…

The new Characters in Flight hot air balloon! For a second I didn’t realize what I was looking at, but when I came to my senses and figured out it was the new Downtown Disney balloon ride, I nearly elbowed my poor mom out of her seat so I could jab at it through the window. Not quite as iconic as the magic arch, but still… Disney property all the same!

Eventually I actually could see the Disney World sign in the distance and immediately let out a small squeal. Yes. I squealed. We were sitting in the very front row seats just so I could get a good picture and it paid off! I only wish the window was a little cleaner.

But no matter! After we had passed under it, we were officially in Walt Disney World. Our trip had begun. For the first time ever on a ME bus, everyone clapped and hollered. I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about that moment, where time is on your side and all yours ADRs are freshly lined up and your only concern is how long the wait time for Splash Mountain will be.

Ah, life was good.

In the next update (which I promise will be more fun and include many more photos!):

• Pixie dust at ASMu check in
• Mmmmm bacon!
• Farewell, sunglasses
• WISHES!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Yay! You have started your TR.

Sounds like you had a smooth time getting to Orlando. I was cracking up at your Office jokes at Chili's. I love The Office!

I can't wait to hear how you liked ASMu...even if it was just for one night!

 

[autumnpalm]

Our ME bus made two stops before arriving at All Star Music. First, we dropped some people off at Coronado Springs and then at All Star Sports. It was really cute, as we were getting off the bus they had a CM standing there with a sign that said “I’m Your Biggest Fan!” I love little Disney touches liked that. We wandered into the lobby and it was pretty quiet.

I had already checked in online, so we didn’t have to wait in line at all. The online check in counter was clearly marked, so we walked right up.

At this point, I was antsy to take a more detailed peek around the lobby. This was our first time at the All Star resorts and I was curious to see how ASMu compared to the POP. So my mom stayed at the counter with the CM getting everything all straightened out while I walked around a took a few pictures.

This little DJ table was cute. They were playing “Don’t Stop Believing” which I loved since it’s one of my favourite songs.

There were a few kids watching the cartoons in this little area. I love that Disney has the TV areas for kids to watch while they’re waiting.

I restrained myself from actually going IN the gift shop and just took a picture of the sign. That’s some self-control right there!

These lobby photos were neat, but I think I prefer the shadow boxes at the Pop Century resort.

A line at the main check in desk was starting to build as the people behind us on the bus arrived in the lobby. As I was taking this shot of the entire lobby, I noticed my mom waving me over so I shut off the camera and hurried to the desk.

“We got an upgrade or something?” she told me when I got there. She doesn’t read the DIS so I don’t think she fully realized how exciting this was!! Although I was a little puzzled as to what we could be upgraded to at a value resort, I was thrilled. We had never been upgraded before!!!

“Yep, you have a family suite in the Calypso building” the CM told me.

I was over the moon! I don’t know how on earth we lucked out and got a family suite but what an awesome way to start the trip!! She got out a map, circled where our room was and told us to have a magical stay. I’m pretty sure I was still thanking her and waving over my shoulder as we walked away.

At this point we were both thirsty so we decided to stop by the food court to buy our refillable mugs. The food court seemed a little… dated? To me, but as long as it had food, it was all good!

We headed straight to the Calypso building after filling our mugs (Sprite for me, Coke for my mom). The pool was hopping! The whole Calypso pool area is really cute. I loved the fountain detail in the middle and they had music playing. It was just a really fun atmosphere. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to soak it up though, we were hightailing it to the room!

When we got inside, I practically ran around the suite snapping tons of pictures. I was so excited! Our trip was off to a fantastic start. There was a towel Mickey on the bed which made me smile because if you can believe it, it was our first towel animal EVER!

I thought these hooks were super cute.

The suite was pretty big. There was a main sitting area with a desk and chairs, TV cabinet, pull out couch and sleeper chair:

TWO bathrooms (this really came in handy the next morning!)

A cute little kitchen with a fridge and microwave, plates, cups, coffee maker, cutlery, etc.

Master bedroom with a double bed, desk and tv cabinet:

And I thought it was cute how there were little themed touches all over the room like this treble clef lamp.

We had both packed our matching Tinkerbell tees in our carry on luggage, so we quickly changed and downed our drinks before heading back out to the bus stop. Even though it had been a long day of travel, we were ready to take on the Magic Kingdom!!! The location of the Calypso building was amazing. It was right beside the main building, so easy to get to the main hall and the bus stops. I don't know if the Calypso buildings have only preferred rooms, but IMO it would definitely be worth paying for such an awesome location. I couldn't have been happier with it.

I'll give a more thorough review of ASMu once I get to the "check out" portion of our ASMu stay, but I will say that I was very pleased with our room. It was wonderfully clean, well stocked with paper towels, kleenex, toiletries... just about anything you could think of. There was a little card on the desk in the main room saying that the carpets may be slightly damp because they had just been washed that day which would totally fine by me! It was nice to know that Disney does clean the carpets every so often. Being a value, the room was basic, but it was just perfect for us! I have to say, I have a soft spot for the values.

Next up:

• Mmm, bacon!

 

[autumnpalm]

Yay! You have started your TR.

Sounds like you had a smooth time getting to Orlando. I was cracking up at your Office jokes at Chili's. I love The Office!

I can't wait to hear how you liked ASMu...even if it was just for one night!

Hey, you!

So glad to "see" you over here! I cannot believe you are only 12 days away from your trip now. Soon you'll be in single digits!

I am a HUGE Office fan. I swear, if I could meet one celebrity in real life it would be Steve Carell. I think he's brilliant! And of course, if he wanted to bring John Krasinski along I wouldn't say no.

I really enjoyed ASMu! You'll hear more about it as we go along.

Thanks for being my first poster!

 

[tinkgurl]

Hey I'm here!!! That's so cool you got upgraded! I love all the little ASMu stuff!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hi there! Your TR title caught my attention as it is very similar to my PTR title which also happens to be a mother/daughter trip and hey we are from Canada too! Crazy similarities!

How awesome to get upgraded to a family suite!

The Calypso pool area does look very fun and colourful.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Love it so far. I'm in.

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

YAY...you're back!! I was hoping you would've started your TR today. Looks great so far. How awesome that you guys got an upgrade. Don't you just love that immediate pixie dust?

Oh, and I'm so happy that you lived through all your flights and (by the sounds of it) didn't freak out too bad.

Can't wait to hear more!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

All Star Music looks so awesome!! How neat to be upgraded, I would love to be upgraded to a Family Suite!

 

[TeaForTulips]

Youre off to a great start! I'm glad everyone lived on your flights! I agree that the food court at ASMu was a little dated but the rooms even for a value were not bad at all! That rocks that you guys got a family suite!! Yay for pixie dust!

I can't wait to hear more! I'm so glad your back and had a great time!

 

[meanmom121]

I'm in. WOW! What an awesome upgrade. Could I be so lucky?

 

[jewels1916]

Yay, you're back!! I've missed you, friend! Love the great start to the TR, and your Disney Magic upgrade! I have eaten at that Chili's at the airport at Atlanta, too!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Signing on for more! Trip reports are what keep me sane until our next WDW vacation. (which is, by the way, just 85 days away!)

 

[stacikristine]

YAY!! I'm so glad you're back and I can't wait to read your TR! I'm all caught up and I've subbed! GREAT job so far!

 

[autumnpalm]

Hey I'm here!!! That's so cool you got upgraded! I love all the little ASMu stuff!

Hey there! Oh my gosh, you are so close to your trip too now! I have to go get all caught up on your PTR. I don't want to spoil this TR but when we met Tink at MK, I was thinking of you. She was awesome, you're going to love her!!!

Hi there! Your TR title caught my attention as it is very similar to my PTR title which also happens to be a mother/daughter trip and hey we are from Canada too! Crazy similarities!

How awesome to get upgraded to a family suite!

The Calypso pool area does look very fun and colourful.

I have to go read your Trip Report now! Where in Ontario are you? We're in Toronto.

We never actually got to swim in the Calypso pool but it sure looked nice!

The upgrade was so awesome. It started the trip off on such a magical foot!

Love it so far. I'm in.

Welcome!!

Thanks so much for joining me! It's such a nice feeling to have posters.

YAY...you're back!! I was hoping you would've started your TR today. Looks great so far. How awesome that you guys got an upgrade. Don't you just love that immediate pixie dust?

Oh, and I'm so happy that you lived through all your flights and (by the sounds of it) didn't freak out too bad.

Can't wait to hear more!!

I was pretty good for the flights. I had a good book to read, DVDs to watch and distracted myself as much as I could. I definitely didn't enjoy them but I do feel a little better about flying again in June.

The pixie dust was the perfect start to the vacation. It really did make it feel special!

All Star Music looks so awesome!! How neat to be upgraded, I would love to be upgraded to a Family Suite!

I know! At first I was thinking it was probably an upgrade to a preferred room but I was blown away that it was the suite. Especially since they seem so popular! I would definitely recommend the suite to anyone staying there, it was awesome.

Youre off to a great start! I'm glad everyone lived on your flights! I agree that the food court at ASMu was a little dated but the rooms even for a value were not bad at all! That rocks that you guys got a family suite!! Yay for pixie dust!

I can't wait to hear more! I'm so glad your back and had a great time!

Oh, the room was beautiful! The single rooms we saw from windows looked really nice too. The refurbishments were really nicely done.

Nice to "see" you again! Can't wait to read more of your TR and hope to most some more soon on mine!

I'm in. WOW! What an awesome upgrade. Could I be so lucky?

Hi and

I had read on the DIS how rare upgrades are so my hopes weren't up at all. Before this trip we'd never gotten so much as a towel animal so we were not expecting the upgrade at all. Sending some pixie dust your way! Thanks so much for signing on!

Yay, you're back!! I've missed you, friend! Love the great start to the TR, and your Disney Magic upgrade! I have eaten at that Chili's at the airport at Atlanta, too!

Hey there! How are you doing??

That's so cool you've eaten at the same Chili's. I wish we had them in Canada, it was actually really good! It made the stopover seem not so long. Have I missed out on any big updates from your PTR? I've gotta go catch up!

Signing on for more! Trip reports are what keep me sane until our next WDW vacation. (which is, by the way, just 85 days away!)

Hi there! Welcome!!! It's wonderful to have you!

Congrats on making it to the single digits... you'll be at WDW before you know it. Do you have a PTR going? Where are you staying?

YAY!! I'm so glad you're back and I can't wait to read your TR! I'm all caught up and I've subbed! GREAT job so far!

Thanks for posting!! I was kind of worried yesterday that I'd be posting just to myself LOL. It's kind of nice to be back even though the trip was amazing. I think I need a few days to unwind from all the nonstop running around. Off to catch up on your PTR!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Oh I love the family suites. What a great upgrade. Can't wait to hear about the rest of the trip.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I have to go read your Trip Report now! Where in Ontario are you? We're in Toronto.

We are in Kingston, moved here to study at Queen's and just never left.

 

[autumnpalm]

Oh I love the family suites. What a great upgrade. Can't wait to hear about the rest of the trip.

You know, the family suites are something I never would've considered before since we don't have a big family, but after staying in one, they're a great option! I've never really looked into them before so I don't know how $$ they are, but I would stay there again in a second!

We are in Kingston, moved here to study at Queen's and just never left.

Hey, I have tons of friends at Queen's! I was there visiting just this spring and did a mini TR on my PTR! What are you taking?

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hey, I have tons of friends at Queen's! I was there visiting just this spring and did a mini TR on my PTR! What are you taking?

Well I already got my BAH in English and Classics and now I am going back to school in the fall after two years of working a dead-end job to get a degree in Nursing. I am crazy I know, wish I had figured out I wanted to be a nurse years ago so I could have avoided this whole double degree thing and saved myself a lot of heartache.