Chewie, we're home... A May 2015 TR! Update 11/3

[marinahendrix]

Wow! First of all, you are such an amazing photographer! Seriously great composition and colors!

Secondly, I loved your videos! I watched the 2014 one then the other years and then the 2014 one again. You guys are so cute! Honestly I've been watching a lot of Disney world gopro videos but yours is the best! It's so funny and there's so many great shots! I especially love the shot of the tomorrowland entrance with the sun behind it! Beautiful!

Keep up the good work!

 

[I_Luv_Stitch]

Following along, I have followed/lurked on your previous TRs and am so happy that you're doing another
I have watched your videos over the years and enjoyed them a lot as you always show how much fun you have in Disney World!!
I've loved your TR so far, and can't wait to read more!! I can't believe how much you have done on so little sleep!! With travelling from London we always have to fly in a day earlier before even attempting any parks!!
Your photography is AMAZING I love all the hub photos and the sword in the stone photo!! The Epcot photo is also just stunning, the flower and garden festival looks beautiful, and you've captured it so well!

Can't wait to read more about your evening and upcoming days

 

[danimaroo]

So nice that you got to spend time with some Disney friends!

Glad your room was ready just when you needed it! I don't blame you for passing out haha I'm sorry Matt was struggling though

That spot in Epcot is so perfect for pictures, yours came out gorgeous.

Count me in as a Peoplemover fan, such a great ride

Yes it definitely was!! And we were both seriously exhausted, so the room being ready was like a God-send. Matt definitely was struggling unfortunately... but he is a trooper!

And thank you! I love that spot and definitely took numerous pictures from there. It's absolutely perfect.

PeopleMover is obviously my jam, and I don't even know how many times we went on it during this trip, hahaha.

I love your trip report! And your pictures are GORGEOUS!!

Thank you so much!

That sucks about the head colds. Being sick at Disney is the worst! I wish I could take as good as photos as you with my iphone 6 plus. My cellphone pics are never as good as other peoples. I really want to eat that nutella waffle. Looks so good!

Yeah, I was so bummed out when I came down with the cold the weekend before we were leaving... and then felt bad that I was apparently getting Matt sick, too. Blergh.

And you can take photos like me on your phone! I highly suggest downloading Snapseed; it's the best photo editor out there and if you know what you're doing, you can produce some fantastic pictures!

I LOVE the people mover. Ive always known it as the WEDway lol! And I would totally listen to "Peoplemovin' with Dani"!

Hahaha, I'm glad I'd have a listener! Seriously, if I lived down in FL I would actually consider doing it. I think it'd be really fun/interesting. Mini-podcast action.

Awww yay Rachel!!! That's so awesome that y'all were able to meet up and hang out for a while!

I still have not had a Nutella waffle. But I will take your advice because it looks SO GOOD. I don't know why but I just always seem to forget it exists. Laaaame.

OMG that picture is perfection. It is actually flawless. And YES I know exactly what you mean about F&G making you appreciate Epcot even more. It's just so beautiful.

Oh my gosh, can I be a guest on PeopleMovin' with Dani?

Yeah it really was! We were happy to see her and it was wonderful meeting her Mom and seeing Riley and her sister Anna again.

OMG Marissa, get on it. You need it in your life!

Hahaha, thanks. I think it was one of my best photos I took during the trip. But yeah, F&G is just amazing, I'm so with you on that.

And yes you can!! I seriously think it'd be awesome, hahaha.

How great that you got to spend some time with DIS friends. It worked out perfectly that your dates overlapped and you could do that.

Disney naps are the best! I swear, you sleep harder when you're in a Disney resort. And I don't blame you for not taking pictures or unpacking. You were running on a late flight, practically pre-dawn arrival, and early morning MK fun. I think anybody would have passed out the second they got to their room, too.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I seriously just fell in love with your Epcot shot of the Flower and Garden Festival!!! That is my favorite time to visit the parks, and that photo made me miss that time of year. I hope you don't mind, but I'm totally showing that picture off to my husband and mother when I get a chance, because they will love it as much as I do.

Okay, your awesome iphone shots definitely just made me feel like I am not using my phone to its full potential. I really need to work on my phone photography skills. Or at least spend some more time in my paint shop program.

It's a Small World and Pirates, (and Thunder earlier in the day) I feel like you completed my favorite MK attractions circuit. The best ones around... (I'm living in denial that Pirates will be closed when I visit next month.)

Yeah it worked out very well for us! It was good to see her and her family.

It's so true, I was seriously KNOCKED OUT during those 3 hours and I know I could have kept sleeping but not when there's more to do!

And thank you so much! It definitely is a beautiful time to visit Epcot, I was seriously just knocked out by how beautiful it was. And of course I don't mind, show away!

Haha, definitely check out the app Snapseed. It's what I use to edit all of my photos and I am seriously in love with it.

You have to do the classics when you hit MK, it's absolutely necessary. I'm glad we were able to get them done for sure.

Following! Loving the pictures!!! What camera do you have? I'm in the market for a new one and by the time I make my mind up, new ones come out! Love the pictures and the report!

Thank you so much! Honestly, a lot of these photos are going to be from my iPhone 6+ because I got a little lazy as our trip went on, haha, but the really good ones are from my Fujifilm X-T1. It's an amazing camera!

AHH!! I am SO excited to see you are doing another TR! Your past TRs legitimately made me laugh out loud. I would read them in bed before going to sleep for the night, and DH would look at me with a look that resembled Riley's face in the teacup. We especially got a huge kick out of your TR where yall got stuck on Splash next to Brer Bear getting attacked by a swarm of bees. This past November when we floated past that scene, DH looked at me and we both just bust out laughing.

Can't wait to see what you have in store for us with this TR! Definitely following along, and welcome back!

Yay thank you so much! I'm so glad you're excited and on board for this TR!! I try to keep people smiling during my TRs when I can, hahaha. And oh my gosh, getting stuck was seriously the worst but yet looking back really hilarious. That's super hilarious that you guys remembered it and laughed, too. Every time we float past that scene I nudge Matt. But don't worry, we got stuck during this trip, too...

Just finished reading through the how post and I see you've already answered about the camera, so ignore me!

Haha no worries at all! I should have probably mentioned my camera in my intro but totally forgot.

Omg that picture of Epcot, I think you posted it on Twitter and I loved it then, now I wannntt it!!

And I would most Def listen to "Peoplemovin with Dani"... please start that like now.

I hope Matt felt better quickly!!

Thank you! And actually, the one I posted on twitter was a different one from later on in the trip.. because I couldn't just have one picture from that spot, hahaha.

I really wish I could make it a thing because it would be super fun and I think pretty entertaining!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

So anyway, this time, we got onto a bus pretty quickly and ended up with no one else on it with us! It's a pretty fantastic feeling having your very own personal motorcoach and knowing you're going straight to your resort. I was pretty excited about it... and so was Matt, he was just exhausted, haha.

Yay for your own bus!

After what ended up being not that long of a bus ride, we arrived at Old Key West at 6:30am.

Realized it was WAY too early to head off to a park.

Its never too early to soak in the magic!

We caught a bus at around 7:20 or so, and arrived at Magic Kingdom by around 7:35.

Well... I supose!

I was also a little sad to see that the Partners statue was hidden away in a box, and spoiler alert, they didn't come back out for the remainder of our trip.

I was bummed as well!

As in, there was no one walking around except us and then some CMs. It was actually really weird for a Saturday morning in May.

Wow magical!

So I did what most people would do... I named myself the Deputy of Frontierland. Because why not?

LOVE this shot!

I'm a huge fan of the back of the castle, as I don't think it gets nearly as much love as it deserves

Same here!

so we kept our focus on enjoying Epcot/being in the moment.

A fun way to do things sometimes.

1. It's easily one of the best ways to get off your feet for a few in the park while still enjoying the atmosphere of Tomorrowland. Sure, you could go sit on a bench and relax that way, but why not sitting on the PeopleMover and enjoy the breeze while zooming around Tomorrowland?

Shhhhh! You'll give away the secret!

 

[danimaroo]

So nice that you got to spend some time with Rachel ... it is amazing how DIS/Disney friends can become some of your best friends

Wow, that is an amazing picture. I mean, how could someone look at that, and not want to go to Disney World?!?!?!

I am a big fan of the People Mover. I love how it gives you a tour of Tomorrowland but also has it's own little things you can see on on it - like the original model for what Walt wanted EPCOT to be. Plus it feels like a ride that would have been at the Worlds Fair which I think is cool.

I like the idea of your podcast ... would be even cooler if it was celebrities you talked to while riding the people mover

and that is another stunning photo

I know, it really was wonderful to see her!! And crazy to think it's been almost 4 years since we first started talking.

Looking at that pictures make me seriously wish I was there right now. Sigh. well, maybe not in this heat but still.

The PeopleMover is really the most underrated attraction I think. I dunno, it's just perfect to me. And I agree, see, I'd start small on the PeopleMover and then it'd become a thing and I'd eventually have celebs to interview. I wish I could make this happen, for real.

Wow what some great photos!

Yay a Dis meet! That's so cool that you met on the disboards and are now fiends. I read about so many dis meets and I want to have one.

I have an iPhone 6+ as well but I don't think be taken photos like that. I will say it does have a great camera on it tho.

Thanks! And yeah, we are good friends outside of the Dis which is pretty awesome. I've met a LOT of people from the Dis, and it's seriously fun to meet so many different people. Usually a lot of run-ins in the parks, but great nonetheless!

The key to really making photos pop is using a photo editor. My choice is Snapseed, it's great for being able to make some awesome edits to your photos on the go!

I can't believe I missed the beginning of a danimaroo TR! What the what?!!? Well, I'm here now and going back to catch up. Yay!

Haha but you're here now and that's what matters!! Plus you didn't miss much.

Oh my gosh! I am in total love with this picture! That is so so gorgeous! Can I just take you with me on all my trips and hire you as my own personal photographer? I'll pay you in Dole Whips, Mickey Ice Cream bars, and Nutella Waffles

I too have a great love for the People Mover! I still call it the TTA sometimes - old habits die hard My son calls it the "fast blue train." I try to teach him the proper name but no, it's the fast blue train to him hahaha Nothing makes me happier than taking a spin on the People Mover, it's so relaxing and you get such great views! And FYI, I'd definitely listen to "Peoplemovin with Dani!"

I remember from one of your previous TR's that ya'll like to do IASW on your first day - we have a similar tradition but with POTC - that's almost always our first ride. Of course now with FP+ I may have to change some things around

Sounds like you had a pretty successful first day - looking forward to seeing what else is in store!

Hahaha I would love to be a Disney photographer and just take pictures of people's trips. That would be the best job ever! I'm down with this idea, haha.

Hey, whatever we all call it, either way, it's an amazing attraction. It is so relaxing!

We do love doing IASW... and POTC during the same day! Usually POTC is first for us, but we changed things up this time, haha.

This day got even better, which I know sounds crazy with how I left things... but I'll have that update very soon!

I already commented on your blog, but I figured I'd say hello here too! You already know how much I love reading about the adventures you and Matt have

Haha yay, thanks Rachel! I'm glad you're following along, either here or my blog. It always makes me happy to hear from you.

Wow, your pictures are absolutely stunning! You make Epcot look even more perfect in my opinion hah I've read your other trip reports and I'm so excited to see where this one takes you!

Thank you so much!! I have more coming along... though admittedly a lot of them are from my phone, haha, but I do have a few good ones from my nice camera to share!

I'm finally coming our of lurkdom to follow along with your TR! I have to admit, I spent an entire rainy afternoon reading your past trip reports and pretending I was there (with plenty of coffee in my Cinderella castle mug of course!)

And OMG I forget which TR it was (maybe your first one?) when you mentioned a bellhop at the Tower of Terror who looked like Neville Longbottom. I immediately burst out laughing because I'm 99.9% sure you were talking about my fiance!! He always told me people would say that about him, and some girls even asked for his autograph. He's not a Harry Potter fan (how we're even together, I have no idea ) so he never really understood it. The dates match up to when we were on our college program so I'm totally sure he was the one. I read that part of your TR to him and showed him your picture and he was like "Oh my god, I think I remember them!" So if I find a picture of him in costume, I'll post it!

Anyhoo, love your writing style and you and Matt just sound like the best couple to visit Disney with. I wish we had friends like that who we know would enjoy it as much as we do.

Oh and I agree w/everyone else, your pictures are gorgeous! Can't wait to see and read more!

This comment just cracked me up so hard because I can almost guarantee it was your fiance! Hahahaha, how funny is that?! But don't worry, he reminded me of adult-Neville, not awkward young Neville. I actually read your comment to Matt because I was laughing. SMALL WORLD! And definitely post a picture of him if you find one!! So funny.

But thank you so much and I'm glad you decided to read along with this one! It's really nice to have people who love Disney as much as you do. It's hard to find though, since a lot of people don't get Disney at that level... so I'm totally with you on that.

You are back! Since I follow you on IG I knew you'd been to WDW and I was hopeful you'd write a trip report. First, I love how you take a red-eye and then have a pretty busy day in the MK. Second, that picture from EPCOT is amazing- looks like a painting!

So excited to follow along on a Matt and Dani adventure!

I am and I'm really happy to be back and writing again!! Thank you so much, we really pushed through to make the most of our first day. It caught up to us later though, at least Matt it did.

Wow! First of all, you are such an amazing photographer! Seriously great composition and colors!

Secondly, I loved your videos! I watched the 2014 one then the other years and then the 2014 one again. You guys are so cute! Honestly I've been watching a lot of Disney world gopro videos but yours is the best! It's so funny and there's so many great shots! I especially love the shot of the tomorrowland entrance with the sun behind it! Beautiful!

Keep up the good work!

Thank you so much, those are really huge compliments and actually I appreciate them. It means a lot to me because I put a ton of work into my photos and especially those videos (my current one I'm still working on, though it's been kind of crazy trying to get it to the level I want it at, blergh)... so again, thank you thank you thank you!

Following along, I have followed/lurked on your previous TRs and am so happy that you're doing another
I have watched your videos over the years and enjoyed them a lot as you always show how much fun you have in Disney World!!
I've loved your TR so far, and can't wait to read more!! I can't believe how much you have done on so little sleep!! With travelling from London we always have to fly in a day earlier before even attempting any parks!!
Your photography is AMAZING I love all the hub photos and the sword in the stone photo!! The Epcot photo is also just stunning, the flower and garden festival looks beautiful, and you've captured it so well!

Can't wait to read more about your evening and upcoming days

Thanks so much! I'm glad you like the videos, too. I'm looking forward to getting the next one done here very soon!!

Yeah, we were basically running on adrenaline/excitement of being there. Otherwise I'm not sure how we have the energy to get through the entire day, haha.

And thanks so much!! I started off the day with some good photos, though I got kind of lazy as the trip went on and relied on my iPhone more... but I promise I'll have some good ones, still!

 

[danimaroo]

Yay for your own bus!



Its never too early to soak in the magic!

Well... I supose!


I was bummed as well!

Wow magical!



LOVE this shot!

Same here!

A fun way to do things sometimes.



Shhhhh! You'll give away the secret!

Hahaha, I hope the secret never gets out about the PeopleMover... though we did experience a little bit of a line for it a few times this trip... nothing ever too awful.

 

[danimaroo]

Day 1 - Part 3: Shut the front door!

So as I left off, Matt and I were trying to get out of the park. Wishes was about to happen, so it was probably not our smartest move to be leaving the park at that second, but sometimes when you hit a wall, you hit a wall. My friend Mike was still messaging me and told me I should go take a picture of a hot dog for him (he's a fan of Casey's Corner, haha) which I found both hilarious, but also a REALLY random request. Then again, he says these kinds of things to me, so I just laughed. Unfortunately for Mike, I was not going to take a picture of a hot dog for him, hahaha, so Matt and I continued our way out.

We decided to skip shopping entirely because it was too crazy on Main Street to get over to the Emporium.. I told Mike we were heading back to Old Key West and he gave me crap for not sticking around to watch Wishes... which, again, not totally weird from him.

As Matt and I walked over to the bus area, we watched an OKW bus drive off and were both a little bummed out, but no big deal. I remember kicking off my sandals because my foot was bothering me and sometimes.. you just don't care if your bare feet are on the ground because it feels ten times better.

So I was leaning against the rail, facing where the buses pull up, with Matt to my right, when I felt the presence of a person walking up behind me. I figured it was just someone getting in line for the bus... but then this person didn't continue to move, and seemed to be hovering behind me. Matt looked up and had a confused look on his face, then kind of smiled and looked at me... I turned around and saw a camera in my face, and standing right there were both Mike and Eryka.

Let's take a minor (or slightly major) detour for a second here on this story and introduce you guys to Mike and Eryka, so you can understand why this surprise was kind of a huge deal to me.

This is Mike:

So... you know how you sometimes meet people in your life who you get along with right away/it feels like you've known them forever? Mike is one of those people for me. I actually met him on Facebook through the Vinylmation community over a year ago, and we finally met up in-person for the first time during our September 2014 trip to Disney World. Anyway, he's a huge Donald Duck fan, loves the Jungle Cruise and all of its punny glory, and thinks it's hilarious to sometimes bug me because he's a gigantic fart... and yet he is still my best friend.

This is Eryka:

Eryka is Mike's girlfriend, and I met her for the first time in September when I met Mike. The nice part in all of this was that she and I got along so well from the start that we also ended up becoming really good friends. Eryka absolutely loves Belle, Figment and Oswald, laughing at my screams of horror on Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, and is a huge fan of horror movies.

I enjoy Mike and Eryka so much (and I guess they enjoy me, too, since they were excited about me coming down during their trip, haha), that I actually ended up going down to Disneyland in October for a quick solo trip to hang out with them (and my friend Chrysty, too!) while they were there, as well. We seriously had the best time running around the parks while I was there for 2 days... which included...

Going to Mickey's Halloween Party:

Meeting princesses and doing ridiculous poses with them (the princesses thought we were a pretty fun group, especially Ariel):

Making Cast Members get in selfies with us:

And lots of other shenanigans:

So yeah, if it isn't clear from all that, we have a pretty good time when we're together.

The other key part of this whole story is that I wasn't sure if I was going to get a chance to see them during this trip. They live down in Miami, which is about a 4 hour drive to Disney World, and Mike's work schedule can be kind of crazy... Plus they already had a trip planned at the end of May, so it was pretty up in the air.

It was obviously never planned for them to come up on this Saturday, and in fact, this entire afternoon/evening Eryka had been messaging me that Mike got stuck at work closing after opening (while in actuality he was driving them both up to WDW), continuing to throw me off the scent.

Little did we know, while Matt and I were at MK during the evening, they had arrived and were trying to catch up to us in the park to surprise me. This is why they kept asking where we were/what we were doing, and were trying to stall us from leaving the park.

So guys, pro-tip: When you're trying to get your friend to not leave the Magic Kingdom... you tell her to take a picture of a hot dog at Casey's Corner - that makes total sense, right? I thought so, hahahaha.

And thank GOD we missed that OKW bus. I mentioned that part to them and Mike said they'd have ended up walking around Old Key West knocking on random doors until they found our room, haha.

You may be wondering what the look on my face was upon seeing them standing there. Well fortunately, I do have a screenshot from the video that Mike was taking when they found us:

The first words out of my mouth were "Shut the front door!" except, like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, that wasn't what I said. Feel free to use your imagination here (the surprise will be in the bonus section of the trip video, for adults-only). I couldn't believe they were standing there and I couldn't believe they'd driven all the way up to see me, so that was my immediate reaction.

They pulled off one of the best surprises ever on me. I am the queen of figuring out things like this ahead of time, but this was a whole different level of sneakiness on their part. I genuinely had no idea they were doing this, even though in hindsight, it seems like there were a ton of clues. Needless to say, I was really happy to see them... and it was one of the nicest things any friend has done for me.

As we were talking about how they pulled it all off, a bus for Old Key West pulled up. Matt was absolutely exhausted and really not feeling well, so he told me to go have fun with Mike and Eryka and he was going to go back to the room to sleep and feel better for the next day. I felt really bad for him since it's never fun to be sick in Disney World, but gave him a hug and said goodbye so he could head back.

After Matt left, the 3 of us went back into Magic Kingdom and I kept laughing and telling them I couldn't believe they were there. After we got back into MK, we started talking about what we wanted to do, and decided to go on the PeopleMover since Space Mountain still had a crappy wait (and Eryka wanted to ride it with me - Mike isn't a fan of Space).

We took video (Mike did on his Sony action camera - we had a cam-off like we do) and talked. In fact, I'm sure there are multiple clips from this ride around the PeopleMover with the three of us... so I actually don't have any photos from it. Mike of course had to get his high-fives from other PeopleMovin' peeps... which is also in the video.

After we got off the PeopleMover, Space Mountain still had a long wait, so we grabbed some drinks and roamed around and talked. I actually have it written in my notes that "I could be eating Cheerios with them and be entertained... I was so happy."

Why I chose Cheerios of all things there, the world may never know.

Mike wanted to get something to eat but since it was pretty late a lot of stuff was closed. We ended up over near Storybook Circus and Dumbo sounded like a good idea... especially since Mike had never been on it.

Eryka couldn't get her Dumbo to move up for like half of the ride which was both hilarious but also kind of sad... but finally she got him moving and we enjoyed zippin' around.

I mean it's Dumbo, you kind of have to enjoy it... and I'm also of the opinion that Dumbo is ten times better at night with everything lit up.

We hopped off of Dumbo and naturally our next ride was the most intense roller coaster that Disney has to offer....

The Barnstormer.

This of course had no wait, so we went on it... and this was actually a first for me. Barnstormer just never really popped up on my radar as something to go on I guess?

But it was the tamest/dinkiest little roller coaster I've ever been on, hahaha. I think it was a whopping 20 seconds long? Maybe? But it was still pretty fun, especially since there was no wait.

We left Storybook Circus and decided to walk over towards Sleepy Hollow to see if they were still open, and they were, so we got in line to get Mike and Eryka a funnel cake. While in line, Main Street Electrical Parade was going by so we conveniently watched it while we waited..

I am a very big fan of MSEP, I love hearing the vocoder voice suddenly announce "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. The Magic Kingdom proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights, and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds: the Main Street Electrical Parade!"... I love hearing the Baroque Hoedown kick off, obviously I could really go on here.

I also know a lot of people are completely over this parade.

I'm sure Disney will replace it at some point, especially with Paint the Night now having debuted in Disneyland... but I'm okay enjoying MSEP for a little bit longer. I have some good memories associated with that parade.

Anyway! This Goofy pictured below looked like he was on a MISSION to get this parade over with. It was weird because usually he will look out the windows of the train and wave to people as he's cruising along but this night, Goofy was having none of it... seriously.

He just sat there looking straight forward, haha. It was kind of weird, but I've found with the later parades things aren't always perfect so who knows what was going on with him.

After Mike and Eryka ate their funnel cake, I think we just walked around a bit more and then Mike mentioned that he wanted to go get his real reason for driving up to Disney World - a hot dog from Casey's Corner.

Nope, forget about seeing your best friend who lives 8 million miles away... the truth finally came out... he made the drive for a hot dog from Casey's, hahahaha.

WOMPWOMP.

So obviously the 3 of us went and got him a hot dog and we ended up just hanging out for a while outside of Casey's talking about some of the most random things ever and laughing at ridiculously stupid things.

I know we weren't doing a whole lot that might be deemed interesting for this trip report, but sometimes it's just nice to enjoy the quiet things with friends. You don't need to be going on a ton of rides or doing something at all times to have a good time, and that's what I love the most about spending time with Mike and Eryka.

By this point it was pretty late, I think almost 1ish, and I was finally hitting my wall of complete exhaustion, plus they needed to go check in at the place they were staying at. So we decided to head out of the park and call it a night.

But obviously I couldn't let us leave without taking a couple selfies to cap off our night.

Please note that in the first photo Eryka and I are both smiling and Mike is.. well, Mike is being Mike. I don't think I have a single selfie of the 3 of us with him smiling like a normal person, haha. That's just how he rolls.

Selfie number two cracks me up because I somehow look like I'm missing a tooth. But this photo also makes me happy.

I told Mike and Eryka to let me know when they were up and running the next morning so we could all meet up again and hang out for the day, said good night to them, then headed back to catch a bus to OKW. I think while on the bus I sent them a message just saying again how it was the best surprise ever and how happy I was to get to see them/hang out with them during this trip.

I got back to the room at around 1:45, and Matt was already completely conked out, which, well, no surprise there, but I was glad he was sleeping since he hadn't been feeling great. I was just hoping the sleep would make him feel a bit better the next morning, too... Poor guy.

I quietly got ready for bed so I wouldn't wake up Matt, and fell asleep pretty quickly.

There's really no other way of putting it: Day 1 was epic. I don't think I've ever had a better first day in Disney World as a whole than this day.

Continued in next post​

 

[Volunteer]

told me I should go take a picture of a hot dog for him (he's a fan of Casey's Corner, haha)

Great, now I want a hot dog!

Wishes was about to happen, so it was probably not our smartest move to be leaving the park at that second

I know the feeling - hopefully they opened up the back side of main street for crowd control!

I walked over to the bus area, we watched an OKW bus drive off

Don't you just hate that when it happens? I also think it's funny when I kick into my "Disney Motor Coach Dash" - you know, where you're wiped out from a day at the parks, but then you see your bus, and suddenly you have all the energy in the world to run it down and not miss it?

Little did we know, while Matt and I were at MK during the evening, they had arrived and were trying to catch up to us in the park to surprise me. This is why they kept asking where we were/what we were doing, and were trying to stall us from leaving the park.

How fun and what a great surprise!

As we were talking about how they pulled it all off, a bus for Old Key West pulled up. Matt was absolutely exhausted and really not feeling well, so he told me to go have fun with Mike and Eryka and he was going to go back to the room to sleep and feel better for the next day. I felt really bad for him since it's never fun to be sick in Disney World, but gave him a hug and said goodbye so he could head back.

Hope he got to feeling better.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. The Magic Kingdom proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights, and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds: the Main Street Electrical Parade!"... I love hearing the Baroque Hoedown kick off, obviously I could really go on here.

Love this as well. I wish this was the intro of every day of my life.

but sometimes it's just nice to enjoy the quiet things with friends.

totally agree.

There's really no other day of putting it: Day 1 was epic. I don't think I've ever had a better first day in Disney World as a whole than this day.

Glad you had such a great day on little sleep! Excited to read the rest of your report.

 

[milwaukee1]

A lot of times its the small moments with friends/family that you remember most. Sounds like a great day.

Man, i love the MSEP! it was THE parade while we were growing up. Then for a period of time around high school and after we didnt get back to WDW. Then my sister and I went on a trip and when MSEP started it all came back, all the nostalgia and memories. I will be bummed if it ever leaves.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Most awesome park day ever!!! I love having friends like that and being able to just spend time together without feeling rushed or like your missing out on time with them. What a great first day!

 

[rteetz]

What a day! You guys have some great photos. You also have a lot of disney friends.

 

[soniam]

You're a woman after my own heart. I love the Peoplemover and MSEP. I just bought an MSEP t-shirt. I wish I could buy a Peoplemover shirt. I love your Epcot and MSEP photos.

 

[missangelalexis]

What an awesome surprise!! And I agree, sometimes it doesn't matter WHAT you are doing but WHO you are with! I'm so glad you were able to go back to MK and enjoy time with your friends! And hopefully Matt was feeling better in the morning.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

What a wonderful surprise! Good job out of them ... though it is always funny in moments like that you can look back and be like "how did I not pick up on all those clues that something was up?"

I could tell right away that Mike was good people based solely on the Darkwing Duck shirt.

Fully agree that Dumbo at night is much better - just really cool with the colored lights in the water, etc.

I enjoy MSEP - I mean, I liked Spectromagic too and am excited to see Pain the Night, but definitely don't get the disdain some people have for MSEP, but to each their own

I think if you find you have an amazing night and it is just kinda goofing around, talking about random things, and basically not doing a whole heck of a lot - then you know you have true friends.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I think it'd be a great time to have friends meet up with me at the Mk!! Good thing you guys missed that bus.

Oh, the electric light parade... I could wax poetic for hours about it. I've even made up a dorky little dance to do if we're ever walking along with it. My favorites are the turtles and weird bugs and the strange noises they make.

I even enjoyed the one time that a poor Pinocchio donkey boy kind of fell into me when he was trying to mean mug for my camera but misjudged where the rope was. Good times. I'll cry a river if it ever leaves.

 

[wiscbugs]

Awesome first day!

 

[mousehappync]

Love it, love it, love it! What en epic first day-- hope the rest of your trip lived up to it!

 

[RachelNinja]

AWESOME UPDATE! I love reading about surprises; I just don't like surprises very much for myself, haha. How fun that Mike and Eryka drove up to see you (and get a hot dog!). I always think it's "funny" how the internet was touted as this incredibly dangerous place and talking in chatrooms was the greatest evil of all time when I was in high school. I still think social media isn't the safest place for my middle school students who leave their Instagram profiles public when they have their school uniforms on in the selfies they take. But I feel we've come such a long way nowadays that so many of the people we know are those we "meet" online due to common interests. I love knowing that we (as responsible adults, of course!) can cultivate friendships over things like Disney!

And yes, the Baroque Hoedown is the best!

 

[marDgreen88]

Even though this was a relatively long update, all I can really think of to say is that was such a wonderful surprise! It's true what you said, being with good friends in Disney is magical no matter what you are doing! Sounds like it was such a blast. Awesome awesome awesome.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Wishes was about to happen, so it was probably not our smartest move to be leaving the park at that second, but sometimes when you hit a wall, you hit a wall.

Actually that can be one of the smartest times to leave the park. Get to the exit before everyone else does!

So guys, pro-tip: When you're trying to get your friend to not leave the Magic Kingdom... you tell her to take a picture of a hot dog at Casey's Corner - that makes total sense, right? I thought so, hahahaha.

Nope, forget about seeing your best friend who lives 8 million miles away... the truth finally came out... he made the drive for a hot dog from Casey's, hahahaha.

WOMPWOMP.

Don't you feel special!