DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM - A Spring 2013 Adventure! *COMPLETE* 11/20

[mouseketeer70]

Even though I've been following you on Instagram and Twitter, I'm so glad you are back to finish this very unique report! You're pics are fabulous, I'm craving some Disney food, and Mark's present is absolutely PERFECT!! So precious and creative!!!

 

[cjhinch]

So glad you decided to finish your trip report!! I was sooooo excited to see you back!! I hope school is going well!!!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 11th- 13th, 2013

July 11th, 2013 - 50's Prime Time with Melissa!

Today after work I went to Hollywood Studios! I met up with my friend Melissa who was in town!! Melissa and I were BEST friends in 8th grade. We had our little crew and we were all so close. But Melissa moved to Boston right after middle school so I haven't seen her in about 4 1/2 years. Since... March of my sophomore year of high school. Wow.

She was in Disney World for her first time EVER and I just so happened to be living here... so OF COURSE we had to meet up and go to dinner!

We saw each other and gave each other a HUGE hug. I swear to God, the girl is exactly the same. It doesn't even feel like that much time has passed at all!

Melissa was traveling with her friend Ali and we all went to 50's Prime Time Cafe together! YAY! Our waitress' name was Amanda and she was a young girl with a fabulous attitude for this restaurant. She found it very easy to pick on Melissa, which was HILARIOUS.

Melissa and I both got the chicken pot pie. I have never gotten this before but I absolutely loved it!! It has been on my mind since Karen got it back in March, so I'm glad I finally got to try it. It was extremely, extremely delicious. There was a wonderful array of vegetables and the puff pastry was light and flakey. The chicken was great, too!

Ali got the fried chicken, which was a great choice. That girl knows what's up! She actually has been coming to Disney for a long time. Her family has DVC and her and Melissa were staying at Old Key West! Super nice, right?!

Then we decided to get desserts, because why wouldn't we? I got a vanilla milkshake, Melissa got a chocolate milkshake, and Ali got a brownie sundae! Thumbs up all the way around!

After we finished eating, we waddled out of the restaurant over to Rock N Roller Coaster. Unfortunately, the wait was 50 minutes so we decided to skip it. It was almost park closing anyway and we were all exhausted. Plus I had to work early the next day.

So we walked through the shops and took a picture! I MISS MELISSA ALREADY!! I'm so glad I got to see her, you have no idea!

Then we walked out of the park, chatted while we waited for her bus, and then I went to my car and drove home. I called my Mommy, then I got ready for bed, and went to sleep!

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July 12th -

Today I worked and then went to Magic Kingdom with Ryan. We went on Mansion, Pirates, ate at Pinocchio's Village Haus, went on the PeopleMover, Buzz Lightyear, and hung out in Storybook Circus near the Casey Junior Splash Zone until Wishes!

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July 13th, 2013 - DAK DAY!

This morning I got sort of a late start... but I got up and got ready around 9:30 am-10 am. Ryan and I had plans to go to DAK! He came over, picked me up, and it was time to go to DAK! We grabbed Kilimanjaro fastpasses first. Then we got FOOD. Yeah, we eat a lot. It happens, I'm not mad. We had to go to a place that I have never gone to before - FLAME TREE BBQ.

How it took me this long to get to Flame Tree, I have no idea. Seriously, I bet you're all shocked at me right now. But I know that it's good and I always recommend it to others. I just personally had never been there because Pizzafari has owned my heart for years. It was time to branch out and try the other delicious option DAK had to offer!

I trusted the reviews and I was very satisfied! I got the pulled pork sandwich and beans and it was DELICIOUS!! Oh my goodness I was happy. We found this relatively secluded seating area back behind Flame Tree overlooking the water/Expedition Everest, and it was really pretty! I was missing out on a little hidden gem of Animal Kingdom, I have to say!

So once we finished up, we grabbed Everest fastpasses and then it was time for a safari! WOOHOO! Our safari was good! There were animals out but the majority of them were very lazy. The heat slows everyone down.

Then we went on Everest and Dinosaur!

I just wave at the big dinosaur. He doesn't scare me!

Seriously though, Dinosaur makes me want to go to Disneyland SO BAD. I know that Indiana Jones and Dinosaur are EXTREMELY similar, track-wise. I remember loving it but I barely remember it at all. Someday soon, I swear, I have to go to Disneyland. IT MUST HAPPEN. I will find a way.

Once we got off of Dinosaur we grabbed some Frozen lemonades and just started wandering through DAK. We made our way back to Camp Minnie Mickey and then it started looking like a storm was brewing. So we headed towards the exit. We ALMOST made it out of the park but there was an INSANE downpour right before we got to the turnstiles. Ryan and I ducked inside of the locker rental room and just took shelter in there for a good long time.

When the rain got a little milder, we went over to guest relations and got Ryan's Mom a birthday button so he could send her a picture of it! Happy Birthday, Ryan's Mom!

The rest of that day we went back to Ryan's apartment and watched a lot of Youtube videos. Then we went to Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner. After that we went to the Grand Floridian and watched the band play. Then to end the night, we went to the gift shop and watched Pluto cartoons at the Polynesian. There's an endless amount of things to do in Disney!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 14th-17th, 2013

July 14th, 2013 - Starfish Hugs from Ariel!

After work today I went to Magic Kingdom! I got a nutella waffle sandwich and Ryan got a cream cheese pretzel. I still can't believe I have never had one of those.

We went on Winnie the Pooh next! I showed Ryan Mole's picture and he didn't even know that existed! It's on the floor on the right side of your hunny pot. Then we went on Little Mermaid, of course!

We went on Splash Mountain after that. The ride stopped at the SAME PLACE I got evacuated from back in May 2012 so that was pretty hilarious. Thankfully we were up and running again very soon after!

We also watched Celebrate the Magic! My favorite show. It was magical.

We had to go meet up with Lindsay in Castle Couture and while we were there we got some pixie dust in our hair! Then we headed back to New Fantasyland to meet a very special mermaid, ARIEL! We were all giddy and excited to see our beautiful mermaid friend!

Ariel asked Ryan if he was a pirate and of course he said yes! She had Lindsay and I put our hands on our hearts. Then after the meet and greet she gave us starfish hugs! EEEP SHE'S SO CUTE!!!!

WE LOVE YOU ARIEL!

After that we headed out of the park. We got caught in the parade rush in Liberty Square, lost Lindsay for a few minutes by the Christmas store because she ran into friends, and then we walked over to the bridge on the way to Crystal Palace. We stopped and watched the parade and we were all excited about it. We all are just so thankful to live such magical lives!

On the way out I grabbed some Starbucks since I had an early shift tomorrow. We walked to the Contemporary, caught the monorail, and then drove back home!

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July 15th - Magic Kingdom Life

Today I worked from 6 am to 12 pm. Then around 3 pm, Lindsay and I went to the Florida mall! We listened to our 90's music and Disney Mania the whole way there! We found some cute stuff!

Then from there we went to the Magic Kingdom! DANCE PARTY THE WHOLE WAY THERE!! We had such a good playlist going: "Bouncing Off The Ceiling" by A*Teens, "Kiss the Girl" by Ashley Tisldale, "Ever Ever After" by Carrie Underwood, "Star is Born" from Hercules, "Bring it all Back" by S Club 7, "It Happens Every Time" by Dream Street... The list goes on!!

We arrived at Magic Kingdom and parked in the scar parking lot. We took the tram to the TTC. BEST PHOTOBOMB EVER.

Ryan met us at the TTC and then we hopped on the monorail! We got to Magic Kingdom and we were all STARVING. It was food time and Lindsay mentioned sweet potato fries from Pecos Bill. Sounds like a plan to me!

We stopped in Starbucks right away and I got some honey to bring with me. I love dipping sweet potato fries in honey. If you haven't done that before, YOU NEED TO. It's absolutely beyond delicious!!!

We went to Pecos and got in line for our food. All of the guests were on one side of the podium so we went on the other side because, you know, both sides are always open. So we went up and this lady got mad at us because she was there first. I just told her it was fine! No worries, she can get taken care of before us.

So the cast member took care of her and then came over and took care of us. Then once she took our order and printed out my receipt, she wrote on the top "free cookie" because we were so patient. She told us to make sure the people serving it saw that! OH MY GOSH YAYY THANK YOU! She made our day!

We grabbed a table and had a FEAST. It was burger and sweet potato fries time. Alex and her sister came by to see us and to meet up with Lindsay since the three of them were spending the rest of the night together! Once we finished eating, we parted ways and continued on our journey!

Ryan and my first stop of the night was Pirates of the Caribbean! Once we got off of that we went over to Fantasyland and went on PHILHARMAGIC! IT'S MAGICAL! You know, I was just singing along to the whole thing, as per usual. I am forever obsessed with the Aladdin and Peter Pan and Little Mermaid sections. I will never ever EVER get sick of that show!!

Then we went over to Little Mermaid! If you can't tell by now, I am in love with this attraction. It never fails to make me happy! It simply is beautiful and brings my childhood to life right before my eyes. I love it so much!!

We went to Tomorrowland next, rode the PeopleMover, and then we headed towards Main Street but stopped to watch Celebrate the Magic on the Tomorrowland bridge. MAGICAL!!

Then we went on Splash Mountain. We ended up getting the entire log all to ourselves!

After that we were exhausted so it was time to start heading out of the park. On our way, we stopped in Liberty Square and ACTUALLY WATCHED the Electrical Parade. I know, I never do that! It was awesome though. There was no one there for the second showing of it so we pretty much had the entire parade to ourselves.

After that we took our time leaving Liberty Square. We eventually made our way to Main Street where we met up with Lindsay! Then we all walked to the Contemporary, caught the monorail, and headed out! It was another solid day!

Continued in Next Post

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July 16th - Monsters U Round Two!

Today I worked and then we went to Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner. YAY PIZZA.

Ryan and I went to go see Monsters University because he STILL hadn't seen it yet! Then after we watched Beauty and the Beast and Wreck it Ralph!

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July 17th -

I pretty much ran errands during the day and then worked all night!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[sue_88]

Yum! I think I have decided to try that chicken pot pie at prime time!

I'm glad you finally got to try flame tree and eat in the lovely Japanese garden behind it. That is a favorite of mine. I often use pics of that area as wallpaper and it makes me happy. But pizzafari makes me happy too! The bright paintings on the walls in there are just made for happiness!

 

[Carable]

THANK YOU so much for the updates, it has been so much fun to read in the middle of this stressful weekend. I was like this all morning. LOL.

 

[katt789]

Great updates!! Glad you're decided to finish off the DCP adventures!!

 

[rachel09985]

Happy I made an appearance! Loving all of your pictures!

 

[Lisann]

Jess,

I am SO enjoying your trip report. Oh, to be young and able to eat your way through each park!!!

I'm convinced now that I need to try Flame Tree BBQ...it looked yummy!!

The photos of New Fantasyland were beautiful. Very nice!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 18th, 2013 (Part 1) - Long Lost Friends Celebrate a Dream Come True!

This morning Lindsay and I went to an entertainment audition! We had SO much fun but unfortunately neither of us made it past the first round. We both had such a positive attitude about the whole thing that we just brushed it off and went right to Magic Kingdom! Woohoo!

We drove over, parked in Jafar, and grabbed some water for me at Starbucks. I swear, I'm always dehydrated even though I drink water CONSTANTLY. I don't get it.

Once I got my water, we went back to New Fantasyland and got right in line for Be Our Guest! Lindsay hadn't been there for lunch and that just seemed like a FABULOUS idea on this day. The line was only about 20 minutes long which was not bad at all! We ordered our food, sat right in the garden room with the portraits, and got to EAT. Lindsay and I both got the Croque Monsieur and it was DELICIOUS. I ate the entire thing. Oh my goodness I LOVED IT.

We also got the strawberry cupcakes for dessert. Out of all the desserts at Be Our Guest, I swear by this one. It is absolutely and definitely the best in my opinion. The cream cheese icing and the cake itself.. then the strawberry on top... AH it's so perfect. I highly recommend it.

We finished up and then walked over to the Little Mermaid ride. Unfortunately the line was 40 minutes long so that wasn't going to work out. Instead we went on Mickey's PhilharMagic! IT'S SO MAGICAL. I love going on it with Lindsay SO MUCH. God, what am I going to do when she leaves me!? WAHHH.

(The answer is... MISS HER TO DEATH. Seriously I wish Lindsay would come back more than anything.)

Since it was Long Lost Friends Week #2 we had to get in line for Facillier and Luis! Oh God they were AWESOME. Facillier's fingers are so creepy! And he was just a cool dude. AHH I LOVE MEETING HIM.

After that we waited on the side of the street and watched the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade! The Marching Band came by first!

BALLOONS! I love balloons.

Lindsay LOVES this parade. She gets to watch it at work and it makes her so happy. We factored it into the plans today and it ended up working out perfectly! So much fun, so much singing, SO MUCH MAGIC!

Minnie was too darn adorable that day!

Pinnochio!

ALADDIN!!!!!!!

This is probably one of my favorite floats. OFF TO NEVERLAND!

SO HAPPY.

Continued in Next Post​



 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 18th, 2013 (Part 2) - Long Lost Friends Celebrate a Dream Come True!

HI BELLE I LOVE YOU.

Once it ended, we hopped right up from our spots and we were third in line for meeting the Br'ers! Oh my GOD this was the best. All three of them were hilarious, but right away I got sandwiched by Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. FUZZY EVERYWHERE ERMAHGOD. You can see my forehead just barely there hahaha.

Hellooooo?

Then I went off and hugged Br'er Rabbit and I was like "YOU'RE SO CUTE!" and he told me that I was too! So then we held hands because we loved each other. It was precious.

They're so funny.

They're in love.

BR'ER PARTY!

HIGH FIVE, DUDE!

Bunny hugs!

Since we were right at the beginning of that line for that greet, we had time to get in line for Chicken Little and Abby Mallard! They were cute and Chicken Little was so fuzzy!

Not only that but we took THE GREATEST PICTURES EVER. THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!!!!!

Right after that we headed out, only to turn back around to go get the autograph cards as well as some Sorcerer's cards. Then we left, grabbed the monorail, and went back to Patterson!

That night Ryan surprised me and took me to Splitsville, ordered us a Papa John's pizza, and then we went back to his apartment and watched Peter Pan. That was the night we officially started officially dating. (But like I said, that's all over now. Still worth mentioning though)

Continued in Next Post​

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 19th-21st, 2013

July 19th, 2013 - Keys to the Kingdom

This morning I woke up around 7:30 am, got ready, and set off on the road! I went over to Vista to pick up my friends Luis and Meredith and we headed over to the Magic Kingdom! We were doing the Keys to the Kingdom tour this morning!

We started off our tour on Main Street USA. We were looking at all of the windows and we heard the Welcome Show go off, and then the gates were open. Evelyn said "get ready for the run," aka Magic Kingdom park opening. There was a FLOOD of people literally running down Main Street USA so excited to get in the park. It was the most magical thing. Seriously, seeing that gave me one of the best feelings in the world. I can't believe that I'm actually part of the magic that gets this place going. My dream is a reality and I couldn't be more thankful!!

We talked about the imagineers on the windows. Roy Disney has one of the highest windows on Main Street USA because he had such an incredible influence on this park being built. Walt has two windows, but my favorite window of his is the one over the ice cream parlor. The man likes ice cream and I love him even more for it. Evelyn told us a story about how a little girl asked him what his favorite ice cream was and he said "vanilla." Which you think would be a boring flavor, but he said it was "because vanilla is a great base for making something even better." The man is brilliant even with ice cream. I just love him.

Then we went on Jungle Cruise! My favorite new learned fact about the Jungle Cruise is that when the tribes are attacking the ship, if you listen really closely one of the head hunters says "I LOVE DISCO." It's fantastic. Listen for it next time! Oh Jungle Cruise, how I love you with my whole heart.

With our tour, lunch was included at Columbia Harbor House! I got the combo plate with fish sticks, chicken nuggets, and french fries! NOMS HEALTHY. Seriously though, I did enjoy it. The fish was really good.

We got a super adorable little Keys to the Kingdom tour pin! Deceivingly it has a safety pin type back instead of being a typical Disney pin, but it's adorable either way!

Then we went on the Haunted Mansion! The greatest thing that I learned was about Madame Leota. Leota Tombs is her real name and she was a cosmetologist working on Mansion. She is the face you see in the crystal ball. However, that's not her exact voice. Her voice is the same voice and Lady Tremaine/Maleficent/Cruella DeVille. MIND. BLOWN. Then little Leota at the end is both Leota Tombs' face and voice.

We finished our tour a little bit late.. we were done at 1:50 pm. We handed in our ear pieces, Luis stayed at Magic Kingdom, and then Meredith and I headed over to Coronado because we had to work until 11:15 pm!

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July 20th, 2013 - Eating with Courtney and Megan at The Plaza!

This morning I woke up, rolled out of bed, and went to work. During my break, I called Mark and told him that I wasnt coming back to our school. I finally officially decided this about a week ago and the hardest part about leaving is the fact that I wont be seeing Mark and Josie consistently anymore. Im pretty heartbroken about that.

Mark was sad but he was like I guess I shouldve seen it coming. No one is really surprised when I tell them haha. The good news is, though, that Mark started thinking. I told him that he could stay at my apartment any time he wanted and he said he was going to ask his parents about maybe coming down over Columbus Day weekend like we were planning on originally.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Less than 30 minutes later I got a message from Mark with a picture of a Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party ticket. He was like I got this for you because youre letting me stay with you. MARK WAS COMING BACK TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was ecstatic.

I was out of work by 5:45 pm and then I went over to Ryans apartment for a little bit. I was suddenly STARVING so I had some cereal& it was Cinnamon Life which was actually really delicious. From then on that cereal became my favorite.

Then I fell asleep for a solid half hour. My alarm was suddenly going off and it told me GET UP GO TO MAGIC KINGDOM!!!

I had some very important people I had to meet up with at Magic Kingdom tonight - Courtney and Megan! I know both of them from twitter/instagram and we have all been following each other for a very long time! Since they were going to be in Disney, we wanted to meet up and they invited me to go to dinner with their family! I was so excited!

I met Courtney and Megan outside of the Plaza right at 8:30 pm for our reservation! I got to meet their parents and they were all SO SWEET! We had so much to talk about the College Program, Disney Vacation Club, the DIS, taking food pictures, Aulani, etc. Also, they told me about the website that their family created called disneyworldlive.com where they have been documenting their trips since 2004! They have tons of photos from all of their vacations and it sounds adorable!! I told them I would go check it out and Im really looking forward to exploring it!

I got a burger for dinner and it was DELICIOUS. I love burgers. And big French fries. Dang, that was a good meal. I was so happy. I ate the entire thing, too. I dont know how I consume so much food.

We took a few pictures afterwards and said goodbye. They were headed back to Bay Lake to watch the fireworks! I went to Adventureland and met up with Ryan right on the bridge. The first thing we did was go on Pirates of the Caribbean. Then we went back to Aloha Isle and shared a Dole Whip float!

After we went on Pirates we walked to Fantasyland, watched Wishes, and then went back to Little Mermaid!

Then we went over to Tomorrowland, rode the PeopleMover, and then had 15 minutes to make it all the way back to Mansion to finish off the night. For not having a ton of time, we really got on a majority of the rides. It was so much fun!

We walked to the beautiful Contemporary, took the monorail, got to the TTC, said goodbye, and I went right to sleep when I got home!

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July 21st, 2013

Today I worked and then went to Ryan's apartment just to hang out for the night. We got Papa John's pizza, went to get Frozen Yogurt, and I worked on trip report updates!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 22nd-23rd, 2013

July 22nd, 2013 - Eating with Lauren in Mexico!

Today I worked from 6 am to 4:30 pm! I was in lounge and then we did a big convention check-in!

At 4:30 pm I was all done so I left and went back to Patterson to get ready. Then I headed over to Epcot! We were meeting up with one of my best twitter/instagram friends, Lauren (@Laurenbacque555), for dinner! YAY YAY YAY!

She was over in China when we got there so Ryan and I just went into the Arribas Bros store in the Mexican pavilion while we waited so I could go stare at the magic lamp necklace that I want oh so badly. After that we just chilled in the air conditioning until Lauren was ready to meet up with us!

We met and we were SO EXCITED!! You would think we've been friends forever! I LOVE HER SHE'S SO CUTE.

We had our introductions and then Lauren's parents went off on their own for a few hours and Lauren, Ryan, and I went to La Hacienda for dinner!

We all got along EXTREMELY well. We all have big personalities and passions for Disney, so we literally never ran out of anything to talk about. I'm pretty sure we 100% convinced Lauren to eventually do the college program. The girl wants to work here so bad when she's older and I know that she would do so well with it. She would be perfect in whatever she does!

I got the Tilapia for my meal. I got this two years ago when my Mom and I came here for the first time, but I was way too full to enjoy it because I had an appetizer beforehand/a big lunch that day, so it needed a well-deserved redo in my book. It was INCREDIBLE!!! I LOVED this.

Ryan and Lauren both got the Tacquitos which were actually on the appetizer menu but they were a perfect sized meal! Yum they looked delicious!

We literally had one of the greatest nights ever and we got along with Lauren SO well. I miss her so much already and I want her to come back!! She's such a sweetheart and I am SO glad I finally had the opportunity to meet her. It's so cool how the online Disney community has brought such wonderful people into my life. I love it!

We said goodbye to Lauren and then headed out. It was time to go home!

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July 23rd, 2013 - Eating at Mama Melrose with my Mom!

Today I had class in the morning and then we filmed the disboards podcast in the afternoon! We talked about the Disney College Program the entire time and it was awesome. The DCP is probably one of my biggest passions and I will always always ALWAYS recommend it to other people. It has completely changed my life in the best possible way.

After the show was over, I thanked the team so much. They were all incredible and I was so happy I got to work with them. We really do have a great group of people behind these boards! I couldn't have been more honored to meet them!

After the podcast was over, I drove back to Patterson and Ryan met me there! When he did his college program back in 2010 he lived in Patterson, and he had not been in a Patterson Apartment in three years. So today when he came into my apartment for the first time, he FREAKED out. I have never seen someone get so excited about something in my entire life. He is SO passionate about the college program and he was so happy to be there!

I had to pack up my stuff because my Mom was coming down for a few nights so we could get some life stuff figured out. We had to figure out my apartment, my school, and my job in the amount of time that she was here. We had a big couple of days coming up!

Once my suitcase was packed, Ryan and I headed over to Coronado, which is where she was staying again. She absolutely loves this resort now. It's pretty adorable.

I picked her up under the porte cochere and we all drove over to Hollywood Studios! Even though this was a "business trip," we had to throw in a couple Disney restaurants, of course!

Our reservation was at 8:45 pm and it was the last scheduled reservation of the night, even though they were open until 9:30 pm. We were seated and our waiter's name was David. He was absolutely ADORABLE and we loved him.

Mom and I got Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner which was delicious. Oh yum.

Then Ryan got Chicken Parm! We were all VERY happy with our decisions.

When we left the park it was past close, but we had to take a few pictures in front of the hat! It was such a fun night.

We headed out after that, and Mom and I went to our room at Coronado.

Continued in Next Post​

 

[disfanforlife]

Jess, it is so nice to see your updates! We are heading to WDW in 3 weeks and even though we are DVC members we didn't go last year. I missed Disney so much! I also have two obsessed Disney daughters. My oldest is hoping to be able to do the DCP in the future. You inspired her!! Thank you!!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 24th, 2013 (Part 1) - Garden Grill!

This morning Mom grabbed us some breakfast sandwiches at Cafe Rix, we ate those in the car, and then we started our big day! We took tours at different colleges around the area and also looked at some apartment complexes! Miranda joined us halfway through they day, and after looking at two school and six complexes, it was time to go to Epcot!

The three of us met up with Ryan because we had big dinner plans! I WAS SO EXCITED! We were a little bit early for our reservation, so we decided to go on Spaceship Earth first! I hadn't been on that in a very long time!

Then we walked right over to The Land and checked in at The Garden Grill, aka my FAVORITE.

We were seated at a booth on the bottom level of the restaurant. We were seated by a cast member named Carlos who was absolutely wonderful. He LOVED us and welcomed us in with open arms at the Garden Grill. Seriously, he was one of the nicest cast members I have ever met. It was a pleasure being escorted in the restaurant by him!

Right away when we got there Chip was coming right around the corner! YAY CHIPPY! He came over and gave us lots of hugs!!

We had salad and bread waiting for us at the table!

Pluto was next and I FREAKED OUT. But it's okay because everyone understands. IT'S THE MOST EXCITING THING EVER!!!!! Pluto and I are in love forever.

Mickey was next! He is the cutest. But he is ESPECIALLY the cutest when he is in overalls. So much magic. We loved him!

Ryan freaked out when he saw Mickey just as much as I did when I saw Pluto. But it's fine. IT'S THE MOUSE!!!!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 24th, 2013 (Part 2) - Garden Grill!

Then our food came and it was FEASTING TIME. Oh dang. Here we go. FOOD PICTURES.

My two favorite foods in one photo. I should probably blow this up and frame it.

You all know how I feel about this meal. It is one of the best in existence! The beef was especially phenomenal today. Also the mac and cheese and sweet potato fries. But who's surprised by that one?!

Our last character was Dale and he came by and was SO FUNNY. He absolutely LOVED us and he tried to steal Miranda and I away! CRAZY CHIPPY! But he's just so CUTE how can you resist!?!

Chip came back after Dale and Miranda and I took a kissing picture with him too! Seriously, this was some of the best chipmunk interaction I had ever had! THEY'RE SO CUTE AND FLUFFY I LOVE THEM.

DESSERT TIME! The cupcakes are the kids dessert and then the cobbler is the adult one!

We finished up there and really had the most magical time. Even the manager came by to check and see how our meal was and we just raved about it. Two thumbs up all the way around the table - it was phenomenal!

After dinner we went to Test Track so we could ride it before the park closed! It was such a fun ride and the outdoor part seemed especially fast today!!

Then we went through Future World. We tried to see if Soarin' was open anymore but it closed a couple minutes before we made it back to The Land. That's okay!

Instead we watched the end of IllumiNations from near the Fountain of Nations (MY FOUNTAIN <3) and we took some pictures before heading out of the park!

We went back to the car, said goodbye to everyone, and then it was time to go back to Coronado!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 25th-27th, 2013

July 25th, 2013

Today Mom and I decided on an apartment complex and then I worked for the rest of the night! Her and Ryan met me for dinner at Pepper Market during my break which was super nice of them!

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July 26th, 2013 - Beaches & Cream and Enchanted Tales!

This morning I worked from 8 am to 1:30 pm! I went home and went to the gym. Then that night I met Ryan over at the Beach Club!

The first thing we did was look at all of the pin books... And then we tried to figure out what to do with the rest of our night. Ryan mentioned that he had never been to Beaches and Cream, so that's where we had to go!

We had about a 20-30 minute wait (even though they told us it would be 55!) and we were seated at the bar. I got the grilled cheese and tomato bisque! YUM. That seriously hit the spot.

Ryan got a burger and he LOVED it. Beaches and Cream has amazing burgers!!

Then for dessert I got the kids mickey sundae with cookie dough ice cream! IT WAS PERFECT!!

Then after we walked around for a long time and ended up just chillin' by the bridge near the Swan that connects the Yacht Club and Boardwalk.

We just hung out there and talked for a really long time. So long that suddenly it was time for IllumiNations!! The greatest part about this show was that I was able to line up the soundtrack on my phone with the actual show! I think I was only off by like... a second. It was SO COOL!!! We were overly excited about that one. Disney nerds at your service.

Once IllumiNations ended, we went back to our cars and drove over to the Magic Kingdom!

The monorail guy was holding up a monorail sign and I was like.... "UMM CAN I PLEASE TAKE A PICTURE WITH THAT!?!" He said yes. My night was made.

Our whole point of going to Magic Kingdom tonight was so we could see Belle in Enchanted Tales!

Neither of us wanted to be in the show tonight because we really wanted to watch, so we hung back and just soaked in all of the details!

When Belle walked in I started tearing up. She was just BEAUTIFUL and poised and lovely in every way. My heart was so happy.

Oh Chip!

Belle made my night so magical and we got the wonderful privilege of taking a picture with her after the show. SO MUCH MAGIC.

It was already closing time so we headed home right after that!

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July 27th, 2013 - Polynesian Day!

Today we hung out at the Polynesian! It was such a beautiful day outside. We spent the morning just soaking in the beautiful Poly atmosphere. We don't know how we got so lucky to be blessed with this incredible Disney life but we couldn't be more thankful!

Lauren stopped by to see us before she took off on her flight back home. She was staying at the Poly and was so sad to leave! I'm gonna miss her!! Come back soon, Lauren!

We had lunch at Captain Cook's today and we both got the adult grilled cheese. I don't know why this sandwich tastes so much better than any other grilled cheese in the world, but it does.

For dessert, we made a create your own dole whip. Aka Ryan made a dole whip MONSTER.

We left around 4 o'clock and then headed over to Art of Animation! Ryan had never been there before! He LOVED it. It was so exciting for him to see it all finished since he watched parts of it being built in his past trips.

We had dinner at Landscape of Flavors. I got the beef stir fry which was such an impulse decision... but it was such an AMAZING decision. The beef itself was yummy, I actually enjoyed the cauliflower, (which is crazy because I don't even like most vegetables!) and the basmati rice was AMAZING! It was just like the rice from Sanaa!!!

Ryan got bow tie pasta with Alfredo sauce, chicken, and bacon. Aka the kid was in heaven.

After we finished eating, we walked through all of the sections so we could see the whole resort. After AoA it was time to go home! I was exhausted and had to work early in the morning!

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[sue_88]

I would love it if they had a long lost friends day on my trip! I love meeting characters and I love getting the pics too.

Mickey does look so cute in the overalls!!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

July 28th, 2013 (Part 1) - UNDER-APPRECIATED ATTRACTION DAY

I had to work at 6 am until 11:30 am! Afterwards I went to Ryan's, got myself ready so I didn't look like a mess of a person who woke up at 5:20 am anymore, and then we headed over to the Magic Kingdom! We were so excited because we had a BIG day planned!

We got there and our first order of business was going to Be Our Guest for lunch. By the time we got there it was like... 2:17 pm, I want to say, which was the VERY end of the lunch portion of the day. The good part about that was that the line was basically non existent!! I think we waited about 5-10 minutes to get into Be Our Guest. That's unheard of. If we would've gotten there 10 minutes later, though, the line definitely would've been closed.

We walked inside and we both freaked out a little bit because we were just so excited to be in the castle again. SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM. Ryan had actually only been inside of Be Our Guest one other time before, so this was still really new to him. Plus he had never been for lunch!

So we ordered on the fancy computers and grabbed a seat in the ballroom right up against the window so we could watch the snow!

I ordered the Braised Pork which was just as phenomenal as I remembered, if not better. It's probably one of the best quick service meals on property.

Then Ryan got the Croque Monsieur. I promise these are the two best things on the lunch menu.

We got cupcakes for dessert, too! I got strawberry. (surprise!)

And Ryan got chocolate!

It was such a successful lunch!

I ran into one of my instagram followers, Kristen! She was so sweet and I am so glad that I got to meet her! I loved her shirt!

BE OUR GUEST IS PERFECT!

Once we finished our lunch, there was some fun to be had! We had been talking about doing a day like this for a long time, and now it's finally time to begin! We were going to call it "Awkward Attraction Day," but "awkward" could be taken in a negative context. So instead we referred to it as "Under-Appreciated Attraction Day!!" That's right, no E-ticket attractions! Only attractions that you bypass on a normal basis. THEY NEEDED SOME LOVE.

UNDER-APPRECIATED ATTRACTION #1: THE HALL OF PRESIDENTS

What better way to start off under-appreciated attraction day than going to the Hall of Presidents?! That's right! TIME FOR SOME GOOD OL' AMERICAN APPRECIATION!

We went into the show, sat near the back, and relaxed for 22 minutes in the patriotic air conditioning. It was actually pretty enjoyable in there. I loved seeing all of the presidents come out on stage. That is a pretty incredible scene.

After the Hall of Presidents, we had a little while before the Liberty Belle Riverboat was coming back around, so we went to the Country Bear Jamboree to see if there was a show starting. Because if we could hit the show just right, we could knock out those two attractions right there and then, one after another.

So, since luck was on our side....

UNDER-APPRECIATED ATTRACTION #2: THE COUNTRY BEAR JAMBOREE

The next show was starting in 4 minutes. IT WAS PERFECT!!!

I dressed completely appropriately today for the Country Bears and I didn't even mean to! ROCKIN' THAT PLAID.

We were loaded right into the theater and the show began!

HI DEER.

All I'm saying is... COUNTRY BEARS, YOU DESERVE TO BE APPRECIATED.

#bloodonthesaddle

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[JessicaFaye508]

July 28th, 2013 (Part 2) - UNDER-APPRECIATED ATTRACTION DAY

After the Country Bear Jamboree we went back over to Liberty Square and it was the perfect time to catch the Riverboat!

UNDER-APPRECIATED ATTRACTION #3 - THE LIBERTY BELLE RIVERBOAT

We went to the upper level and pretty much spent the entire cruise taking pictures of stuff.

And by that, I mean Ryan got ahold of my camera and had a little photography party for himself.

It was such a beautiful cruise through the Rivers of America!

I love my mansion. <3

Looking out into Liberty Square...

I really enjoyed our boat ride on the Liberty Belle Riverboat. It is probably the most relaxing thing to do in the Magic Kingdom!

Here comes some artsy stuff.

Then we headed into Frontierland!

UNDER-APPRECIATED ATTRACTION #4: TOM SAWYER ISLAND

The boat going over there was SO crowded and hot. Once we got over there, the cast members made an announcement that they potentially could stop running the boats because it looked like it could storm soon. So we spent about 10 minutes on the island, took a few pictures, and then took the boat back to the main land. Onward!

At that point we were REALLY hot. This summer heat and humidity was just eating away at us. So we stopped at Starbucks to see if there was anything there that we wanted to drink. There wasn't really anything, so we went to The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland and got slushies! Those were super refreshing! We got one of each color!

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