Hold on folks, 'cause this is the wildest trip on the DISboards! July 2012 *NEW 9/9*

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and girls
I proudly present my WDW trip report!







Hello fellow DIS'ers, and welcome to my 2nd TR! Although it was my 8th trip to WDW. My name is Lauren, and I am 15.
I just returned from a fantastic, but of course crazy(as you could tell from the title), trip with my family, and I would love to share every bit of it with you!

We went from July 11th to the 18th in 2012. My family stayed
at the Wilderness Lodge Villas, because we are on the DVC.
Also, we were not going to be on the DDP this time, but were
just going to get food as we went with the TiW card.
This was our 2nd trip this year, after having gone this January.
You may or may not have heard of my TR from that trip:

The Rinaldi's are back! For a winter getaway to WDW, Jan '12​

I hope you all stick around and enjoy my wild trip
with my family! It is full of pictures, and a lot of laughs!​

Well, enough with the background
information. Now that all of my pictures are FINALLY uploaded on photobucket,
let my introduce you to the cast of characters on this
vacation:​

CAST:

That's me, Lauren!


I'm 15 years old, and going
to be a sophomore in high school. I am a HUGE lover
of all things Disney! I love to have an amazing
time when I'm there, and see everything. I started
going when I was 9, and it was like love at first
sight! I hope to do the DCP someday, too!

Grace, my sister


Grace is 12 years old,
and she also loves Disney a lot. Although she is
a very big fan of the resort pool...perhaps even
more than the parks! She is a lot of fun, and will
go on any rides at Disney!

Mom!


My mom loves WDW,
and is always the big planner of the trip. She is
very go-with-the-flow, and is always willing to
stay out late with me at the parks!

Dad


Yes, that fellow with
the German beer is my dad! He is basically the jokester
of the trip, and is always trying to make people
laugh by doing crazy and weird things! He adores
Disney too, of course! We are just a big Disney
lovin' family! In fact, my family loves it so
much, my parents went there for their honeymoon!











Okay, so also joining our family of four on this trip
were our relatives that we had gone with two times before.
And here they are:

Uncle Matt, Auntie Cathie, Isabella and Dominic



Okay, so the two adults there are my uncle and aunt.
Uncle Matt is my dad's brother, and just wants to GO GO GO ALL day and ALL night! When he goes to Disney
he intends on seeing every SINGLE thing! I can't really blame him though, because
their family only goes every 2 years.


My Auntie Cathie is more of a laid back kind of gal, who,
like Grace, would prefer the pool!



The two children are my cousins! Isabella is 12, the same age as Grace, and was SO
excited for this Disney trip, because she adores it, as well! She is one crazy girl, which
you will definitely hear about in this trip!


Dominic is 9, and is just hilarious. He makes everyone in the group laugh. He is also a big
fan of any crazy ride...not so much for the shows!






Also on this trip, we met up with Auntie Cathie
and Uncle Matt's neighbors for a dinner and 1 or 2 days in the park,
at the beginning of our trip and the end of theirs.







Well, now that you have been introduced to my crazy family, let's begin this
trip report!










Every trip to Disney I make a video on my Mac that goes day by day. This year's is 38 minutes...I know LONG! So, I have made a shortened video of the highlights of the trip with mostly videos and a few pictures for you all to enjoy! Just click on the link below to see it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWwJsVFierU





Enjoy everyone!​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

Table of Contents





Introduction

Pre-Trip Information

Meet the Cast





Day 1: July 11th, 2012

Arriving in Disney

Monsoons in Magic Kingdom

"Hello Humans!" and a trip to the Briar Patch

"We need ketchup!!"




Day 2: July 12th, 2012

Morning in Epcot

Lunch in Mexico and more!

Romping around the UK

"We Go On"...even through the rain




Day 3: July 13th, 2012

Beware of the Yeti!

Soaked on Kali and a Safari

Lunch and Becoming an Honorary Bug

Stuck on Haunted Mansion, what's new?

EMH until our Feet Hurt




Day 4: July 14th, 2012

A Late Morning in Future World

Dancing away in Germany

A Very Hot Afternoon in the Countries

Illuminations and Nighttime Swimming




Day 5: July 15th, 2012

Hooray for Hollywood!

Sick on Star Tours

"Anything can happen in the Movies!" and a Night in MK

Fighting and Pushing on Main Street




Day 6: July 16th, 2012

A Gorilla Experience Like No Other

A Fantastic Safari

A Night in at the Hotel




Day 7: July 17th, 2012

Cupcakes for Breakfast

A Lovely Afternoon of Drawing

The Trials and Tribulations of Getting into Via Napoli

Dad Finds a New Dancing Buddy




Day 8: July 18th, 2012

Our Last Morning in Magic Kingdom

Stuck on BTMR

Taking a Ride on the Railroad​

 

[Motocross Tink]

Hey! I'm joining in and subbing; sounds like a great trip! I'm also 15 and it's great to see someone else my age that enjoys Disney!!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

Hey! I'm joining in and subbing; sounds like a great trip! I'm also 15 and it's great to see someone else my age that enjoys Disney!!

Thanks! I hope you enjoy it, and that's great, I feel the exact same way!

 

[CatNipRules]

Subbing!! Can't wait to read all about your trip......

 

[OThopeful35]

Excited to read your trip report

 

[Mickeyrella]

Subbing!!!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

Subbing!! Can't wait to read all about your trip......

Excited to read your trip report

Subbing!!!

Thanks everyone!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

Day 1: July 11th, 2012


Arriving in Disney





Well, the night before
Disney my family had decided we would all go to bed at 9 pm,
because we would have to be getting up at 4 am. That didn't work
out for me. While the rest of my family slept soundly, I didn't fall asleep
till 12:30 am!


The morning of our arrival came, and I was completely shocked
when my phone alarm went off at 4 am. Had I really only slept
3 and a half hours? Nevermind that, I was ready to go! On
normal school days, me and Grace dress as slow as molasses.
But not today! We were dressed in literally 5 seconds. You could say
we were excited.



I even had painted my nails Disney-style for this trip!

Oh, and here is the lovely countdown calendar I had made for this trip. I took it the day before the trip, but oh well.

I had done a number you pull off for each day with a special Disney quote on it!



Okay, I know I got a little off topic, so back to the trip!



After a quick cup of my heavenly keurig coffee, my grandpa arrived to bring us to the airport at 4:50 am. We live only 15
minutes away from the airport, so we were there in no time!
We dropped our luggage off, and then the rest of our family was there!
We were all jumping up and down with excitement, because
in only a couple hours, we would be in Disney! YAY!


Security was very quick this time, and we made our way to our
gate.

Mom and Dad had some Dunkin Donuts coffees while we waited.

And Grace and me chilled out with some donuts, although you can't really tell from this pic.
It's not really important though, because it's not Disney
food!

Everyone was all ready to go!

Being the only group in
there that was taking pictures.(bet they don't do trip reports!)

We waited only for a short time at our gate, and were soon boarded on the plane. I may
have forgotten to mention it, but we were flying Southwest.
I got stuck next to the two maniacs, Dominic and Isabella.

Cue two and a half hours of a VERY non peaceful flight!




Lucky, lucky Grace!

I turned around: "Smile for the camera you two!" And this is what I get

Well that's my family
for you! You will be seeing many a picture like that!



Anyways, our flight was uneventful.


We landed in MCO at 9:10 am. Nice and early! We were FINALLY in Disney! After exiting the plane, my family raced,
yes raced, over to the fake monorail. There is no such thing as
walking to my family in the airport. It is ONLY running.

Auntie Cathie appears to be VERY excited...as Grace
doesn't look at the camera!

"NO MORE PICTURES!" Dad shouted as he raced away. Oh well, I had to snap at least one more!
Come on now!

Surprisingly we didn't get lost
trying to find the Magical Express, which is usually the case.



I thought these new mickey heads on the floor were adorable!
Follow the mickey heads everyone!

We were ushered straight onto our bus, without even having to wait in the line! The place
just seemed really dead. Oh, and we got the nice Magical Express
bus! Not one of those stinky, boring Mears ones. Well,
so far we were off to a good start! Dad and I got to sit front seat,
which was perfect because I was able to get a good picture
of the Walt Disney World sign. There was the usual cute video.


Oh look, I spy Disney World signs!

And soon we were arriving on Disney property! Oh yeah, check out that awesome sign picture I snapped!

And finally we were pulling on up
to...the Wilderness Lodge!

Gosh it's just SO pretty!
I stepped off the bus in complete awe of this resort. I hadn't
gone there since my 2nd trip to WDW! So, yes, it had been quite
a long time!

AHH! We were all just SOO excited! We were finally here! Was
I dreaming?


Auntie Cathie and Uncle Matt's neighbors, Jen and Mark, and
their kids, Austin and Taylor met them in the lobby. They
were staying here, as well.

I snapped a few pictures of this lovely hotel.

Check out this adorable chandelier!

And here's the entire lobby
area!

Grace and I went over
with our parents to check in. The lady at the counter was probably
the best CM I have ever met. She was just so sweet and helpful!
She even went out of her way to give me and Grace each a little bag
of coloring stuff and stickers. I mean, I know we weren't going to use those, but it was still the thought that counted! Another plus was that
our room was ready in the villas, so we headed on up to look!






Coming up next...Our first
day at Disney, where would we go?​

 

[Motocross Tink]

I love the Wilderness Lodge! Everything there is just beautiful! Was the Magical Express check-in and everything to do with that easy? My family is thinking about flying next time, and we have never done the Magical Express.

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

I love the Wilderness Lodge! Everything there is just beautiful! Was the Magical Express check-in and everything to do with that easy? My family is thinking about flying next time, and we have never done the Magical Express.

I know isn't it! I think that the Magical Express is very easy. All you have to do is go straight there, get on the bus, and it takes you directly to your
resort. It is very hassle-free, and I definetely recommend doing it

 

[15isto2]

How could I resist at title like that, count me in

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

How could I resist at title like that, count me in

Thank you!

 

[CatNipRules]

I love the pictures and I love the resort. My dad and I stayed there on our first trip and I loved it! Would love to stay there again one day!!

 

[ShortStuff]

Wow!! I am really enjoying your trip report already!! You take great pictures!! In pictures, you and your sister look so much alike! Do you ever get mistaken as being twins?

I LOVE your nails!! Did you do them yourself? They are adorable!!:

Looking forward to your 'wildest Dis trip'!!

I LOVE Wilderness Lodge. It is gorgeous! Love taking the boat to MK also!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

I love the pictures and I love the resort. My dad and I stayed there on our first trip and I loved it! Would love to stay there again one day!!

Thank you so much! It really is just so beautiful, and of course the
proximity to MK is a plus too!

Wow!! I am really enjoying your trip report already!! You take great pictures!! In pictures, you and your sister look so much alike! Do you ever get mistaken as being twins?

I LOVE your nails!! Did you do them yourself? They are adorable!!:

Looking forward to your 'wildest Dis trip'!!

I LOVE Wilderness Lodge. It is gorgeous! Love taking the boat to MK also!

Thank you! Haha yes, we do get mistaken for twins a lot, even though we are 3 years apart! And I did do the nails myself! Although it was REALLY hard. I am definitely NOT a nail artist! And don't worry there will be A LOT of wild things to come!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

Monsoons in Magic Kingdom





Alright, I decided to do another
update today. I have nothing to do, so why not!



When I left off, my family was heading over to the villas to see our room.

We saw this wicked cute mickey hedge right on the path to the villas.
So, obviously I had to get a picture of it.

Once we entered the lobby area,
I thought it was honestly breathtaking, even if it wasn't as big as
the main resort.

It had fireplaces and all these
big armchairs set up all cozy. It would be a great place to sit and
relax, especially if you were at Disney in the winter. I also noticed that the WL villas had a very similar layout to the BC villas, where we stayed in January.

Matt and Cathie and Bella and Dominic headed off with their neighbors to see their room, because their rooms were across the hall from
eachother. Matt and Cathie were staying in the villas because they
had borrowed points from their neighbors, who were also in the DVC.
We were all on the 2nd floor, in the same hall, but my family was the
very last room on the end. Yes, we did have quite a hike to the Roaring Forks every morning! Hey! It was good exercise, at least!



We went in our room to drop off our carry-ons, and looked around.
It was just so cute! We were staying in a studio.

The maids had left us a cute minnie mouse towel head!

The wood carving above the queen bed my parents slept in.

And here's the framed picture above the pullout couch that Grace and I slept on.

This was the lamp that hung over the table in our room.
I was OBSESSED with this lamp! I just wanted it!

We opened up our balcony to take a look at our view, and
it was AMAZING, FANTASTIC! IT WAS.......

Trees....oh well. You can't have everything I guess!
Actually I happened to enjoy the view. I thought it was very peaceful out here on the
end of the hall.

We made our way back down the LOOOONG hall to the other's rooms.
I happened to notice these mickey heads at the top of the hallways, which I also thought
was a nice touch.

We met back up with the other 2 families, and began to head
over to take the boats. You probably already know from the title, but in case you skimmed through
we were going to Magic Kingdom! Of course as we are making our way, BOOM! It's raining!
So, sadly we trudge back up to the buses. Later we would find out that this was not the best
of choices.

The second we reached the bus stop the light rain turned into a torrential down pour, that just
didn't stop! And to top it all off the bus for MK was just NOT showing up! Two AK buses would come
by, two DHS buses would come and go, 4 Epcot buses would come, but NO MK buses! What was
happening here? And being stuck with 12 people that didn't care for waiting, it was quite the
nightmare.


At least Isabella and Dominic were making the most of it...by getting soaked. Auntie Cathie
was not quite pleased about that!

The bus finally arrived, though, and we were heading to
Magic Kingdom! Yay! The bus was the perfect time to break out the raincoats! In times like
these, they can become your best friend!



Dad looked extremely happy in his raincoat, didn't he?

Unfortunately, the moment we exited the bus it
started literally pouring, I mean, it was a monsoon! It was also discovered that only my family
of 4 had raincoats. Great. So after standing around under shelter in indecision for a few
minutes, Dad decided to brave the rain, and went running. Shortly after, Grace, Mom, and I
followed. The other two groups stayed at the bus stop. We weren't sure what would become of
them, at the moment.

So, us 3 girls were blundering after Dad, who was 5 miles ahead of us, and it was POURING!
It was just crazy! Now try to picture this scene in your head. Yea, not good. I think you may
be beginning to understand why I said this was a WILD trip!

I was also cursing myself for having worn my good sneakers. There is NO worse feeling than
the squish in your sneakers after a Florida monsoon like this. NOTHING.



Once we finally reunited with Dad, we entered Main Street and ducked into the shops
to wait out the rain, and decide what we should do now that our whole group was gone.

Well, we decided to make our way over to Adventureland for lunch. I had been dying
to try Pecos Bill's after seeing so many delicious pictures of it on the DISboards.


The rain had slowed down, so we squished over there in our sneakers.
I was able to snap a quick picture of the castle as we passed. If you look closely
you might notice the clouds around the castle.

We passed POTC, and it only had a ten minute
wait, so we couldn't pass that one up!


Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A pirate's life for me!

You can just SEE the rain dripping off of us!
I mean, we were soaking wet!

Oh look, treasure!

It turned out to be like a 2 second wait, which was great.
I love this ride, it's such a classic!

I mean, Dad seems to think he's a pirate now...

Even if you begged Dad to take a serious picture
it just wouldn't happen!



After an enjoyable ride, our stomachs were growling. We hadn't had anything since Dunkin Donuts
at the airport! So, what better way to take care of that than go to Pecos Bill's!

We got two taco salads and the chilli fries. I had the taco salad and it was absolutely
delicious! Definitely as good as it looked here on the DIS! Sorry folks, I didn't end up taking pictures of our food this trip. I completely forgot. I was only able to get a few food pictures. So, here we were enjoying our
tasty lunch at Pecos Bill's.







Stay Tuned...for a trip through the Briar Patch,
and will we ever reunite with our group?​

 

[CatNipRules]

LOL!! You have a real knack for taking pictures. i must agree with the walking in wet shoes. I hate walking at Disney with wet shoes.

Your Dad is like my DH. He never takes a serious picture. In the nearly 17 years that we've been married I think we have maybe 3 serious pictures and none while we were at Disney. It's like an invitation to be silly. LOL!!

Great report so far!!

 

[Motocross Tink]

Eww wet shoes are just nasty when walking through the parks! Not fun at all!! Don't you just love the Florida rain!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

LOL!! You have a real knack for taking pictures. i must agree with the walking in wet shoes. I hate walking at Disney with wet shoes.

Your Dad is like my DH. He never takes a serious picture. In the nearly 17 years that we've been married I think we have maybe 3 serious pictures and none while we were at Disney. It's like an invitation to be silly. LOL!!

Great report so far!!

Thank you! And yes, my Dad is QUITE the character!

Eww wet shoes are just nasty when walking through the parks! Not fun at all!! Don't you just love the Florida rain!

Haha ooh yes of course! It happened to rain almost EVERY day of this trip too!