French Quarter to the Fantasy With an EPIC Cherry on Top…Spring 2019! Updated 10/25!

[MeghanEmily]

No worries, I do it too when I don't have time to reply!

You're going t be able to find out for yourself just how awesome she is very soon, right? Or I might be mixing up the dates. I just know it seems like a mini-EPIC trip will be there this month and I'm missing out!

I think we're still going to just miss each other! (Which I'm definitely disappointed about.) But I'm sure eventually we'll make it happen!

 

[kastoney]

I was in the room relaxing and waiting for Kari, thinking she would come drop off her luggage in there, when I got a text from her saying she was in Territory Lounge with everyone so I headed over there...

Did you really have any doubt that I would head right to the bar

I'm sure it was much later than my usual bedtime! Kari and I chatted a little bit and I was relieved to find out that not only was she NOT a psycho who was going to murder me in my sleep, but she was, in fact, a really awesome person who I was excited to spend the next few days with!

That was just to make you comfortable. Wait until next time

Seriously though I felt like I was at a slumber party for the first time in a couple of decades. So much fun! Couldn't have had a better roomie

Well great minds and all...

I don't recall whose idea it was to hop on, but hop on we did and had a great view of an early morning on Main Street, USA...

Too funny I was just telling Jason about our cruise down main street tonight. Great way to enter the park

This picture!

Oh dear god I forgot how bad this was and now it is embroiled on the interest forever. Me and my chins were clearly concerned a ghost may take my purse. And then there's you all cute in your glamor shots pose. Tale of two ghosts

 

[paradesintherain]

I didn't even know there was a Disney/Kate Spade collaboration! What rock have I been living under?!

Pecos Bill's, for my favorite Southwestern Salad

Looks delicious, and QSR options are kinda lackluster in MK - I'll have to put this on the list!

I did end up moving closer and overall had an amazing view...

WOW. I've tried a lot of Happily Ever After viewing locations, but now I know another I need to try.

I even got my very first Bus Token!

What is this??? I've never heard of such a thing.

I love Kevin! I followed her around for a little bit but she doesn't stay in one place for too long.

She's great! Wonderful addition to AK.

This photo is so great!

A short while later, I started to notice a distinctive odor around me. I looked up and saw Ariane @ariane37 , Jenny @Jenny Sanders and Joe walking towards me, fresh off their Backstage with Rhinos tour.

What a view!

 

[buzzrelly]

I’m loving all the different reports on this epic trip!

Me too!

Hope HH was amazing as well!

It was, but I did find myself missing WDW, especially since it's so close!

So much fun! I love when they have these vehicles out...it makes you feel VIP going down Main Street.

Is this a new thing? I feel like I've been seeing them more recently. Or maybe I was just too busy rushing off at rope drop to take notice of them in the past. They are fun, though!

I think we're still going to just miss each other! (

Nooooooo! That's too bad!

But I'm sure eventually we'll make it happen!

I'm sure!

Did you really have any doubt that I would head right to the bar

I know, what? Did I just meet you or something?! Errrr….wait...

Seriously though I felt like I was at a slumber party for the first time in a couple of decades.

Oh dear god I forgot how bad this was and now it is embroiled on the interest forever. Me and my chins were clearly concerned a ghost may take my purse. And then there's you all cute in your glamor shots pose. Tale of two ghosts

It never gets old!

I didn't even know there was a Disney/Kate Spade collaboration! What rock have I been living under?!

Look away! Unless you have a ton of money to spare!

Looks delicious, and QSR options are kinda lackluster in MK -

I agree! It's worth making your way over for

What is this??? I've never heard of such a thing.

I think the bus tokens have been around for years, but I don't think they are as prevalent as they used to be…as in, if you ask, most bus drivers don't even have them anymore.

This was kind of a fun surprise!

 

[Mickey.MAC]

Hello! Welcome to my Spring 2019 Trips Report…you read that right…"Trips."
I was lucky enough to go on not one, but two amazing trips this Spring!

April 2-April 13:

My Dear Mom (we'll just call her Grammy), my teens, Nicholas-17, and Allie-15, and I flew down and stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter for our very first time for four nights and then we traveled to Port Canaveral and boarded the beautiful Fantasy for a 7-night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean.

I'll get back to them later...

May 1-May 6:

I flew down to take part in what is known as the Dis-Board EPIC Girl's Trip…the name is a slight misnomer because there did end up being some husbands who came along on our trip and just added to the fun.

Here's most of that crazy group:

I'm sure you will recognize most of the lovely people in this group as most have been writing trip reports here for a long time and that's how we all met! Pictured above from left is Luke, husband to Fallon @fallonkendra , who was the smart woman who got this whole thing started by the way, so thank you Fallon! Next is Su-Lynn @chunkymonkey and her husband Steve. Su-Lynn took on a LOT of the planning for this trip for which we were all very grateful , then there's Liesa @Steppesister…my awesome roomie for the first two nights…there's a story there but you'll have have to stick around to find out what it is . Behind Liesa is Renee @ArielSRL an her husband Chad, then there's Jackie @missjackiemcg , Ariana @Pluto0809 , Ariane @ariane37 and her husband Steve who were our Wilderness Lodge buddies and she was one of just two people that I felt I really "knew" going into this trip although we had only met one time in person! Behind Ariane is Billie @Elevationist , a new friend from this trip and just one of the funniest people ever! I'm sad I missed out on her dining reports from back in the day, I hear they were hilarious! I'm crouched in the front next to Jackie and behind me is Melinda @pepperandchips and her husband, who I had the pleasure of hanging out with a couple nights at Geyser Point, but it definitely was not enough! Beside me is @fallonkendra and behind her is my awesome roomie for the last three nights, Kari, @kastoney. She was the only other person I felt I really "knew," despite having never met her in real life. Luckily, she was just as awesome in person as I thought she was going to be! Also, I probably would not have gone on this trip if she hadn't texted me to ask me to be her roommate all those months ago, so I and super thankful to her for that . Next there is Jenny @Jenny Sanders and her husband Joe. I just met Jenny for the first time on this trip and I feel like we are old friends who have known each other for years! And finally there's Lindsay @LindseyJo22 , Jenn @Chrystmasangel and Sarah @IowaTater . Not pictured are Caroline @disneyAndi14 , Molly @Mollydolly334 or Lesley @Lesley Wake, the Yacht Club girls. Maybe they were back relaxing at Stormalong Bay? But they were all lovely and I was so happy to get to know them. Along with Su-Lynn, Lesley also took on a lot of the planning for the group and she seems to be a wealth of knowledge about all things Disney. I will definitely be bugging her for help when I finally make it to Disneyland!

Phew! I hope I got everyone! That's the longest introduction post I've EVER written!

I totally forgot to introduce myself, so I am adding this in in an Edit

For those of you who are new to my trip reports, my name is Kelly. Like most of you, I am crazy about Disney! I have visited many times, mostly with my mom (Grammy) and my kids who grew up going and love it still. But I have also recently been traveling with my DH, Mike, who was never a huge fan of Disney but is starting to come around after a couple of adults-only trips. It's getting easier and easier to get him to agree to trips and he actually was the one who got the ball rolling on our trip that we have planned for next March.

Anyway, I am a NICU nurse in real-life but I dream of someday doing something with Disney in some way, shape or form. What exactly that form is remains to be seen…

I became a DVC member in 2014, but seem to be a perpetual loss of points, thus the reason we stayed at POFQ in April. We have DVC points at both BLT and the Poly, and I love them both
Another random fact about me…I love the Baobab trees in Animal Kingdom, and will fight you for the right side of the Safari truck so I can get a good pic of them (That may or may not be altogether true ).

Here I am on this May trip, standing on my favorite street in my favorite place of all...

I guess that'll do as a way of introduction. If you want to know more, I have a LOT of links to past trip reports in my signature

Now, I have thought and thought about how and what to include in my trip report. Should I do one big report about our April trip and put it on the cruise trip report forum? And then maybe do a smaller trip report here about the May trip? Should I not write about the May trip at all?

After much debate, I've decided to write about the land portions here and when I'm through with those, I'll start a new report on just the cruise portion and I'll put that on the cruise line forum. If none of that makes sense to you, then what I'm about to say will really make no sense…I'm going to start with the EPIC May trip. After all, when you are eating your ice cream sundae, don't you always start with the cherry on top??

So if you've read this far, thank you and

If you're new here, please don't be afraid to comment! After all,
I hope we don't lose sight of one thing…that this was all started by the DisBoards Trip Report Forum
​

Thanks for sharing! I agree the magic is going to Disney with people who love it the same way!

How did your group get a VIP tour? Was it a free tour or did people share the cost

Too bad your spouse does not fly! Disney is a great place to decompress, especially if you work in an ICU!

 

[BambiAndThumper]

Hello! This is the first time I've commented on a trip report, most of them don't seem to hold my attention but I've loved reading this!

I'm usually pretty much a lurker on these boards and just take in all the info I can but I can probably learn even more by interacting a bit more

Looking forward to reading the rest and counting down to my first trip

 

[wdwnut61]

I did have a couple Fastpasses to use, but first I just enjoyed some of the Main Street ambiance...

I love walking around Main Street too makes me feel the closest to Walt and my childhood watching him every Sunday.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, as I always do. And it was so nice and relaxing just sitting at an outside table people-watching for a bit and thinking about what a great day it had been.

Me too and boy sometimes you see some sights lol.

I ended up going upstairs in the train station to watch.

We did this one year when my girls were smaller such a great view.

The wait wasn't as bad as this looks and I passed the time taking pictures that I'm usually just hurrying by...

We did this in May and even though the crowds looked scary once it started moving it wasn't bad at all. It was also our first time seeing the entire queue very cool.

mother decided to spray Sunscreen on her kid RIGHT NEXT TO ME

I would have been pissed people are in their own little world sometimes.

Kevin we stumbled across her in May so cute.

we went to get some lunch at the Nomad Lounge...

We went to the Nomad lounge for lunch twice in May but we sat outside which is so peaceful.

I was also getting bombarded with a million photos of my DD and her BF going to the Junior Prom

I love her dress so pretty!

After that, we all headed out of AK and back to the Wilderness Lodge!

Love the WL we stayed there last November and I was lucky enough to score an AP discounted room for our last minute trip to SWGE AP Preview! We were already flying down to St Augustine to move my youngest back to school. I was able to move our flight to Orlando and add 4 days prior in Disney!

Beautiful shot!

 

[Steppesister]

I love this! Now I'm sad we forgot to ask about it

Always next time!

We got over to Pandora and were just relaxing while walking around so @Jenny Sanders and Joe could put their hands in any holes they came across. We stopped to take a selfie and got totally photobombed...

This just sounds so... wrong.



And so funny!

They looked adorable and she managed okay without me, but my heart hurt a little not being there.

AWw, you're a good mama!

Oddly enough, and totally unplanned, Kari and I were dressed almost exactly alike on this day. We both had on gray shirts with pink flowers and jean shorts which I don't have a great picture of, but it was kismet I tell you! We really hit it off despite having just met the night before!

It was meant to be!!

We saw these bushes and thought of Billie @Elevationist, who had been "admiring" them the day before

 

[buzzrelly]

How did your group get a VIP tour? Was it a free tour or did people share the cost

Welcome!

We were actually gifted the tour by an extremely kind, generous person who had read about our EPIC pre-trip plans!

Hello! This is the first time I've commented on a trip report, most of them don't seem to hold my attention but I've loved reading this!

Welcome!

Wow! Thanks for letting me be the first TR you're commenting on!

I'm usually pretty much a lurker on these boards and just take in all the info I can but I can probably learn even more by interacting a bit more

You really do learn a LOT from reading trip reports, and you can also make some pretty amazing friends!

Looking forward to reading the rest and counting down to my first trip

So exciting! When is your trip and where are you staying?

 

[buzzrelly]

I love walking around Main Street too makes me feel the closest to Walt and my childhood watching him every Sunday.

I used to watch him on Sunday nights too, but at the time I didn't realize he had actually passed away two years before I was born so it must have been repeats.

We went to the Nomad lounge for lunch twice in May but we sat outside which is so peaceful.

I'm sure I'll be frequenting the Nomad Lounge more now that I know how awesome it is! I'll have to try for one of the outside tables next time

I love her dress so pretty!

Thank you!

Love the WL we stayed there last November and I was lucky enough to score an AP discounted room for our last minute trip to SWGE AP Preview! We were already flying down to St Augustine to move my youngest back to school. I was able to move our flight to Orlando and add 4 days prior in Disney!

What??! That's awesome! You and all my other Disfriends will be there…I'm so jealous! Have fun!

This just sounds so... wrong.



And so funny!

And so Jenny!

AWw, you're a good mama!

 

[BambiAndThumper]

So exciting! When is your trip and where are you staying?

We're not going until 11th to 22nd May so I've got a lot of time for prepping

We're staying in the Port Orleans French Quarter! Probably why I was curious at your trip report and clicked!

 

[buzzrelly]

We're not going until 11th to 22nd May so I've got a lot of time for prepping

We're staying in the Port Orleans French Quarter! Probably why I was curious at your trip report and clicked!

That’s awesome!

Spoiler Alert: We loved POFQ!

Hopefully I’ll get to that part of the TR soon!

 

[Mickey.MAC]

Welcome!

We were actually gifted the tour by an extremely kind, generous person who had read about our EPIC pre-trip plans!




Welcome!

Wow! Thanks for letting me be the first TR you're commenting on!




You really do learn a LOT from reading trip reports, and you can also make some pretty amazing friends!




So exciting! When is your trip and where are you staying?

wow great to hear that your VIP tour was gifted by someone who read your pre trip plans. Generosity like that gift giving is inspiring!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

That was such a good day! We laughed so much and just had a great time!!! Those darn love bugs though!!!!! Lol!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Is this a new thing? I feel like I've been seeing them more recently. Or maybe I was just too busy rushing off at rope drop to take notice of them in the past. They are fun, though!

I'm not sure honestly! I feel like I've seen them more since they started opening Main Street before the park opens though.

 

[buzzrelly]

wow great to hear that your VIP tour was gifted by someone who read your pre trip plans. Generosity like that gift giving is inspiring!

It was truly such an incredible experience and something I would have never even considered for myself. We were all so incredibly thankful

That was such a good day! We laughed so much and just had a great time!!! Those darn love bugs though!!!!! Lol!

It was! But you just spoiled my gripping cliffhanger!

I'm not sure honestly! I feel like I've seen them more since they started opening Main Street before the park opens though.

I'm going to make a point to slow down more and try them out!

 

[buzzrelly]

MAY 4, 2019
IT'S TOUGH TO BE A BUG (NOT THE FUN ATTRACTION!)


As I was saying (just 11 short days ago ), we were all enjoying our snack when I suggested we go for a ride on the Liberty Belle. For one reason or another I had never been on. I was going to try last trip but it wasn't running for a while. Since we didn't have any immediate plans and had some time to kill before our next FP, everyone agreed.

You've all heard of these little things called "Love Bugs," right?
Well, did you know that they seem to be most attracted to two things...white and the water?
No? I didn't either. But we weren't on the boat for too long before we started to find this out.
They were EVERYWHERE. So gross...just swarms and swarms of them.
The good news is that they are truly harmless.
The bad news is that they are bugs and bugs are gross...and there were millions of them.
Needless to say, it was not a very relaxing ride as we kept having to swat them away

The one bright spot in this is that we sat on the upper level and I got some pretty cool pics from up there...












Luckily for us, the boat ride ended and we were done with gross wildlife, right?
Nope...as we were walking up the path , there was a group of people standing around
looking at a snake...yikes!

Our last FP was for SM, but the times didn't coordinate perfectly so we went and asked the CM if we could all get on together about 15 minutes early and she was kind of a sourpuss and wasn't about to make any exceptions for us so we had to kind of sit around and wait for a bit.

We did eventually get on and I tried the whole, "group-selfie-on-a-ride" pic,
but it didn't work out too well...sorry, Steve...


At least Kari came prepared for SM


After that, it was time to go to EPCOT and meet up with the rest of the EPIC group!​

 

[buzzrelly]

MAY 4, 2019
RAINY FLOWER & GARDEN SNACKS


Jenny, Joe and Kari stopped to get Starbucks and/or shop for a purse??
I honestly don't exactly remember, but Ariane, Steve, and I all headed over to the monorail to EPCOT...


We were walking in by 1:38...


and we were supposed to meet up with the group at 2 over at the IG.

Ariane and Steve went off in search of some food first and I headed back to the IG by myself.
When I got there nobody else had arrived so I just took some pictures to pass the time...

Look at that blue sky.
Good thing it's such a gorgeous day...

except that this is Florida and about five minutes after I took that picture,
the most ominous looking clouds started to roll in.
So did some of the EPIC peeps, but we started to think that maybe we should take cover and since some of us were already at the Odyssey pavilion it only made sense that we should head that way...allllllll the way across the World Showcase...and we had about five minutes to get there from the looks of the sky

After the plan was made, I kind of boogied over there
but did not manage to get there before the heavens opened up.
I was happy I had my raincoat, but I was still soaked.

Jenny and Joe and a couple others were a couple minutes behind me and when they came in,
they said they had just run into Tim and Jen Tracker on their way there!
I was super jealous! But they were more drenched than me, so there's that

I don't have many pictures from in there, but I ordered the fried green tomatoes
(minus the crab meat that was supposed to be on it), and this super cute little cake...




Both were yummy, and I also ordered a strawberry cider to go with it...I think...
I don't have the name of what it was, but it was also good.

Eventually (at least an hour later), the rain finally let up
and we started to make our way around the WS to hit up some booths.
It was still a little cloudy out and would kind of stay that way off and on all day...





I wasn't very hungry, but I did manage to try the onion tart and a La vie en rose slush in France...


Some of us stopped to watch Herman's Hermits with Peter Noone,
who was there as part of the Garden Rocks series...

They were surprisingly good, and I was also surprised at how many songs I knew by them.
They also covered some other Beatles and other British Bands songs so it was a really fun time!
I do have some videos of them but I haven't uploaded to youtube yet.
If I have a chance later, I will and I'll post it here.

Our large group kept drifting apart and then coming back together.
We managed to get a PP of everyone finally in Germany...


I believe that was most of us, though it looks like at least Lesley, Molly and Caroline are missing
since they had decided to head back to the Yacht Club just before this.

We headed out of EPCOT around 7 because we had big plans for this evening!

That's up next!






​

 

[Jenny Sanders]

It was! But you just spoiled my gripping cliffhanger!

YIKES!

The bad news is that they are bugs and bugs are gross...and there were millions of them.
Needless to say, it was not a very relaxing ride as we kept having to swat them away

This was so true. But, I had never ridden it either so that was awesome that I finally got to check it off my list, despite the bugs!!!!

Luckily for us, the boat ride ended and we were done with gross wildlife, right?
Nope...as we were walking up the path , there was a group of people standing around
looking at a snake...yikes!

I forgot about that. Yep, definitely gross!!!!

Jenny, Joe and Kari stopped to get Starbucks and/or shop for a purse??
I honestly don't exactly remember, but Ariane, Steve, and I all headed over to the monorail to EPCOT...

Super cute pic! I hadn't seen this one.

Jenny and Joe and a couple others were a couple minutes behind me and when they came in,
they said they had just run into Tim and Jen Tracker on their way there!
I was super jealous! But they were more drenched than me, so there's that

That we did!!!

I also ordered a strawberry cider to go with it...

I had this and the fried green tomatoes and both were yummy!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

For one reason or another I had never been on.

I haven't either!

Well, did you know that they seem to be most attracted to two things...white and the water?
No? I didn't either. But we weren't on the boat for too long before we started to find this out.

Oh no. That's terrible.

Nope...as we were walking up the path , there was a group of people standing around
looking at a snake...yikes!

I would scream and run lol I don't like snakes at all!

Oo how pretty