Our 1st trip 2010:
In 2009, I got the idea for a combo birthday, Valentine's Day and anniversary gift, I booked us a trip in Dec of 2010. From the moment we told our friends and families about our upcoming vacation, out came the "He's going to propose down there" rumors. Rumors... I should say yelling to the rooftops. And no matter how many times we both shot them down, but they still persisted. To the point where BDLsgal said to me "You BETTER NOT propose to me down there." And I assured her I wouldn't. But, I think you know where I'm going here...
But let's get to the trip itself.
Our 1st "Oooooooooh" moment was when we arrived at MCO (Orlando International Airport), in December and seeing the huge Christmas tree. It was huge and let us know we were on vacation. We caught a town car and went to the off-site hotel that I had booked for us that night (we got in late and didn't see the money of spending for an on-site). We conked out immediately. 1st thing in the morning, we took a cab to our new home for the next 6 days, Port Orleans-Riverside.
I don't care who you are or how old you are, your heart picks up the pace as soon as you get the 1st glimpse of the Golf Ball (Spaceship Earth). We get to POR and head into the lobby. BDLsgal's eyes went wide. I had stayed there a couple of times in the past, and I still had the same reaction as she did.
We lucked out and our room was ready. We took in the room, then dropped off our bags and went back to the main building to catch a bus to EPCOT. Get off the bus, and we kind of had to hustle to get to our ADR at Tutto Italia. And for anyone that hasn't been, GO! The food is incredible. We had our EPCOT day,
which included Dinner at Le Cellier. Not only was it a great meal, but it was part of our Candlelight Processional dining combo. After dinner, we received our Candlelight Processional stickers and walked to the American Garden Theater. I thought we had time to take in a sight or 2, but BDLsgal suggested we get in line. Once again, she was right (a lesson that I will learn more and more as time goes on). Because the line for the dining combo people had already stretched to Japan. So we hung out and talked to the people around us, then it was time to head in. We were relatively close, due to the dining combo and BDLsgal being right. Our celebrity narrator was Whoopi Goldberg, and she did a real good job.
If you are able, I highly recommend the Candlelight Processional, especially with the dining combo. The singing from both the professional singers and the high schools choirs is amazing. After the show, we had to hustle, again. Because at that time, a special viewing area for Illuminations was included with the dining combo. We got to the area and were only 3 deep and on a graded incline. Illuminations never lets down. It was a great 1st day
Day 2 started with a pre-rope drop breakfast at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom. A top 3 character breakfast, in my opinion. You get a complimentary picture with Safari Donald, and on the inside, you get a good amount of time with each of the characters decked out in safari gear as well.
And the selection is vast too. You get the old stand-bys like the Mickey waffles, breakfast meats, breads, etc... But also includes things like frittatas, carved meats and beef bobotie. After breakfast, it was all business. By business, I mean rides and photo ops. What I didn't tell you, that while we were waiting to be seated, I ran, without running (you understand), to Expedition Everest to get us fast passes (pre-magic band paper FP's). And then I ran, without running back to Tusker House. So, we left breakfast and went right on the Kilimanjaro Safari. Even with the pre-rope drop ADR, it was still a couple hrs of wait for the FP. It is a fun journey. All the information that the drivers pass on about the animals and their habitats is cool. After the safari, we made leisurely jaunt to EE. And along the way, we stopped for some photo pass and character pics. Also, along the way, we watched the monkeys get around the temple in Asia. Those guys really fly around that thing. But onto EE. It's a great ride. And you can get a really good ride photo afterwards. Unless you're me. Oh, we got the picture alright. It's just that when the pic was snapped, my eyes were shut and I looked like the biggest sissy. After Animal Kingdom, we headed to MGM. Disney's Hollywood Studios to those of you that are less stubborn than me. This is what I had been looking forward to since I 1st booked the trip. Not for the more extreme rides of WDW; But because I had only seen videos of the Osbourne Lights and couldn't wait to see them in person. It did not disappoint. When the switch got flipped, my jaw was on the ground, and just stood there making a circle to take everything in. If you did not get the chance to see the Osbourne Lights in person, I feel sorry for you. It was truly and experience. We walked from 1 end of Streets of America to the other, just taking in the lights and the music.
I did not want to leave. Ever. But we had the
MVMCP the next day.
Day 3, was our sleep in and slow paced day. By sleep in, I mean not wake up at 6am. We had a breakfast ADR at Kona Cafe, home of the Tonga Toast and now a staple of every one of our trips. You gotta love banana stuffed french toast.
After that, we simply rode the monorail and took in the decorations of the different resorts. The Grand Floridian had the life sized gingerbread house. And it is not just delicious looking, it is also fun. On the sign next to the gingerbread house, shows the quantity of all of the ingredients it took to make the house, AND how many hidden Mickeys are on it. Good luck finding them all. From there, we headed to the Contemporary. The 1st thing you see when you head into the Contemporary was a 30' Mickey head wreath on the window. When we got off the monorail, that was the 1st time I had ever seen Chef Mickey's. Looked like fun, but I was happy with the ADR's we had made. And then we come to the life sized gingerbread tree (it's different now). It is seriously impressive to see these giant baked goods up close.
After our tour of the monorail resorts, we headed back to our own to get a mid-day nap. We woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed... Ok... We woke up grunting and groaning and tending to our sore feet and muscles. But you get the point. We get to the park, and present our tickets, and get our bracelets. This would be the last time that anyone checked our wrists. That has since changed in recent years. We started off with dinner at Crystal Palace. It's ok food. But we all know why we go. Pooh and friends. After dinner, we caught the Castle lighting show. This was the Mickey and friends show, pre-Anna & Elsa, and really fun. When the Castle lit up, I looked at BDLsgal and I can only imagine that she was wearing the face that I had during the Osbourne Lights. This officially kicked off the MVMCP.
Before we left, for Florida, I thought I had done all the research that we needed for MVMCP. Nope. I didn't know about the exclusive merch and meet & greets. We did our best, though. It was still a great time filled with short to non-existent lines for every ride. We caught the fireworks and the 2nd parade and pretty much closed the park that night.
Days 4-6 was a non-stop blur of park hopping and shopping. We'd do 2 parks in a day or 1 park and a trip to Downtown Disney. 1 of the things that really stood out about this trip was that it was during a record cold streak. We were in our sweatshirts everyday and BDLsgal would throw a wind-breaker on once the Sun went down. Being from Boston, it was cool, but not cold for us. The way the people in the park reacted, you would've thought it was the start of an ice age. No lie. While we were down there, there was a news story about a guy who took a school committee hostage at gun point. And that was the 2nd story on the news. The 1st was the cold and how it affected walk-in restaurant business in the Orlando area.
Now, back to what I alluded to earlier. BDLsgal had told me, and I agreed that I would not propose to her while we were down there. BUT... We had such a magical time, that I couldn't help myself. The night before we were going to head home, we got back from the parks, and I told BDLsgal that she could head back to the room to rest, while I "refilled the mugs". What I did was go into the Port Orleans - Riverside gift shop and bought a Mickey ring, just so I'd have something to put on her finger. I was so excited and nervous, that I actually had forgotten to fill the mugs. Luckily, I was only 1/2 way to the room when I realized this. So I go back, fill the mugs and head back to the room. I try to play off the rest of the night, putting on my best poker face. Our final day comes, and we head to MK. We did the rides, did some shopping, and all the while, I'm keeping BDLsgal on my right side, cuz the ring is in my left pocket. As we head out, I suggest getting 1 last photo pass pic with the Castle in the background. The photographer takes the pics and she's ready to pick up our bags and head out. But I stop her and ask the photographer, if he could take just 1 more. I think he knew what was up. From behind him, a woman grunted in frustration. Luckily, her husband caught on to what was going on, explained it to her and she got real quiet and turtled. So, I got on 1 knee and give a from the hip proposal. Like I said, we went down with a specific "no proposal" plan. So I'm babbling like a brook, and I am getting no read on BDLsgal's face. Just a look of "What are you doing?" And I found out later, that was what she was thinking. I have a bad knee and she thought I was tending to it. So, the lightbulb goes off, she catches on, and long story, slightly less long, we are husband and wife today.
That was our 1st trip in a nut shell. Keep an eye out for the next 2 trips.
