"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

[pkondz]

Happy Birthday to me!

… again!

...well...that, and eating ALL the cupcakes.

Now you're talking! Yay!

Um.... kinda in love with this photo of you.

It's been a good day.

Good! It's your birthday! It should be!

I'm glad you found the costume cute now, because I guarantee that it won't look nearly that cute once I've been sweating [MELTING] in it in the August heat for about .2 seconds. This is the cutest it will ever be!!

Naw. You'll still be adorable. Sweaty.... but adorable.

 

[Smilelea]

 

[MeghanEmily]

What a wonderful trip - I've loved getting to follow along! And moooore trips! Happy almost anniversary!! Your August trip sounds fantastic and I am already hungry thinking about all those yummy ADRs!

Thanks so much for following! I get excited every time I think about August...and also a little overwhelmed just thinking about all the yummy food to be consumed!

Your kitty is SOOOOO pretty!

Thank you! She's a star.

Still sad that it doesn't overlap mine Everyone is there just after me!

So unfortunate!! But I hope you're having a blast!

I keep hearing wonderful things about this, maybe I should try!

You should! Tipsy Ducks in Love is something very special, according to Nathan anyway.

Hey! The one Universal restaurant I've eaten at! And it was actually super delicious

We thought so, too! And quite reasonably priced, which is a nice bonus. We keep going back. They also happen to do a great job with allergies, which I always appreciate.

Ahh so cute! Absolutely love everything about this costume!

Thank you so much! I had a lot of fun putting it together. Now it's vacuum-sealed in a space-saver bag to put in my suitcase.

Sounds like you had the best of both worlds- beach in the morning then EPCOT for the rest of the day. How wonderful that you married someone who knows exactly what you need!

It really was the perfect balance. He's good to me that way!!

Wow! Sounds like you managed to do a lot in EPCOT that day. A perfect ending to an amazing, epic trip!

It was quite a day! Just what we needed to end things on a great note.

When we were getting pearls for our friend Nannette, we watched about half of the people getting pearls finding the silvery ones. And every time the shucker got all excited and said how rare they are.

Thanks for the pictures of Stacey! She is beautiful and of course I love the name!

She's so precious! Too bad she's got such a wild attitude. Her name, of course, was inspired by the infamous Stacey J. Aswad of Top 7/Must-Do Disney fame!

Speaking of Stacey, I just discovered this hilarious moment in her commercial real from a few years ago where she was in a Subway commercial (see around 1:42ish)...

We have stayed at Hampton Inns on our last two family trips- this past week in Washington DC and two nights book-ending our cruise in Seattle.

I like them too- reliable- reasonably priced.

I agree.

I liked your collage of pictures at South of the Border. I didn't know anyone actually stops there!

Thanks! We used to stop there when I was a kid and I guess it just stuck! It's such a quirky little place.

Love your touring and dining plans and your MNSSHP costumes are fantastic.

Thanks so much!

Love the costume! I'm envious of your meals!

Thank you! We're really excited to get there...and to get eating!

I have done the KTTK tour. We went on the railroad and haunted mansion, however I do think it varies tour to tour. They do go super in depth on the mansion. Mainly talk about the details on the outside of the ride. If you are interested in seeing the behind the scenes magic, this is the tour to do. I definitely want to do another tour some time like the Marcline one. The only other tour I have done is the now retired segue tour in World Showcase.

Thanks so much for the info. I wish I'd done the segue tour in Epcot before it left. But we've enjoyed all the tours we've done so far.

Love, love, love your Cheshire Cat costume, so cute.

Thanks so much! I had a lot of fun putting it together!

First, happy early birthday. I'll be celebrating my birthday in Disney too so we can be birthday girls together!

Thank you!! To you, as well!

I'm infinitely jealous of how long you all will be there. You get down there before us and leave after us. Maybe we'll have to do an extended trip next summer

I'm so excited. We really were spoiled with how much time we had to relax and enjoy on our honeymoon, so we're really looking forward to that vibe again for this trip.

Right now it looks like our worlds may collide on the 24th as we are planning on being in MK that day too, just not for the party. Hoping instead that the party will mean low crowds during the day.

Ooh, fingers crossed! I've put a reminder in my phone to send you a FB message a few days before that and check in, if you don't get to me first. I think that's a good strategy with the park crowds at MK. I suspect that most people will want to stay away because of the early closing.

I have read all your TRs and rarely comment but thought I’d throw in my opinion on the Keys to the Kingdom. I would say keep it. I haven’t heard much about recent changes so I can’t comment on that. My husband and I did the KttK tour two years ago and then Marceline to Magic Kingdom this year. I think they are different enough to still be interesting and even if you took the same exact tour it could still be different based on the guide and the questions the people in your group ask. I will say that if the utilidors is the only reason you want to do it, don’t get too excited. I really liked seeing the other backstage areas though and especially the area where they keep parade floats.

Thanks so much for the info!! I think we will keep it. You're so right that even doing the same tour again could be really interesting. I remember after our Marceline tour thinking that I'd need to do it again to soak up even half the information! Hoping for a great tour guide, which will only add to the experience. So far all the guides we've had have been good, but some are extra special and are totally made for that job!

I love that you guys went back! This is TOTALLY what we would have done!

It was absolutely the right decision!

I was gonna say risotto is one of my all time favorite foods. Good risotto is amazing! So glad that this chef made you a version you could enjoy!

Mmmmm, it was so yummy.

Andy bought a baseball hat in England in EPCOT, he loves it! Who knew!

That's so funny! It's funny what souvenirs end up unexpectedly being the best ones. Nathan got an Indiana Jones hat on a past trip, and he rarely wears hats, so he wasn't sure about it when he bought it, but he LOVES this one.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Birthday!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Your anniversary trip sounds like so much fun!

Looks like our trips are going to overlap by a few days, and our current plans include doing MK on August 26th, so maybe we will cross paths!

Thanks so much! It would be neat to cross paths that day. Make sure to say hello and introduce yourself if you happen to see us!

Happy Birthday Megan

Your trip sounds like so much fun. The Alice in Wonderland costumes are so cute.

We have he HEA dessert party booked in December, so I'm looking forward hearing about your experience.

Thanks so much!! I'm really interested to see what the dessert party is like for HEA.

I’ve done my actual birthday in Disney before, which was fun. But we’re also thinking about doing a pretend birthday for my DD who turns 11 a week before our trip. She chose Via Napoli for her birthday supper. I think it will be fun.

I think that's a great idea for your DD! She obviously has good taste for her birthday supper.

I normally don’t have a car at Disney but decided to try this time, mainly for the convenience. I don’t really like that resort parking fee they added though.

I'm with you on the parking fee. I think it's just silly, and one of the things I liked about Disney resorts over some of the other off-site hotels in the area. Fortunately, we booked our reservation before the change was made, so we'll be good for this time, but not so much for the next time we stay onsite with a car.

I’ve only done April and October trips, so this surface of the sun heat is going to take some getting used to. We’re bringing those Frogg Toggs cooling blankets, no idea if they actually help.

I'm not a fan of Frogg Toggs, but most people really like them! And they do stay relatively cool for a while.

I’m also in TSL that night! I’m riding that A.S.S.!

Maybe we'll cross paths there. Holler if you see us! I'll be the sweaty girl with the pink hair.

I’m also going to that party!
Your costume is awesome.
My family couldn’t agree on costumes so we took the easy way out and just got matching Disney Halloween themed tshirts.

I really like these shirts!! Great compromise for a family that can't agree on another costume idea. (I'll also know how to recognize you now in case we cross paths at the party!)

Omg your trip sounds AMAZING! You have so many awesome things lined up! I'm glad you'll be going to Discovery Cove and attending MNSSHP again!

Your Chesire Cat costume is awesome! You did such a fantastic job!

I'm so excited! And thank you—I had so much fun putting the costumes together. Nathan laughs at me for planning so early and putting so much time and energy into plans and outfits, but it really does keep the fun going for months before the trip even starts!

EEEEEEE!!! AK PHOTO SHOOT! I can't wait to see! Personal question... how much are the non-MK shoots running now? I may give this serious thought...

I'm so excited!! And I know it was over $1000 when we booked it....I want to say it was around $1200? Not sure. I must have a record of it somewhere. But I remember it being enough that I thought twice and almost didn't book it. I remember it being cheaper than that when we got married last summer. But I noticed recently that they've bumped it up AGAIN since we booked to $1500! So I'm glad we got in on it when we did. I'm astounded by how they keep increasing these prices and minimums for wedding-related things...but I guess people keep paying for it so they can.

Super jealous of your tours The Savour the Savannah sounds amazing! Wait, would it be wrong of me to tell Zack we should book one tour as our anniversary gift to each other? When I've actaully already booked Disney After Hours and plan to surprise him? Paper is the first anniversary gift, right?

Haha I love it! You absolutely should do this!

I love your MNSSHP costumes! Isn't it crazy that wearing cat ear headbands is just a thing all the time now? Like I see 8-16 year olds at the mall all the time with them

Thanks so much! And yeah...I can't believe this is a thing. I'm so uncool.

Your anniversary trip sounds amazing!! Can't wait to see the AK photo shoot. LOVE your costumes for MNSSHP -- Super cute!

Thanks so much!!

Exactly my plan. I bring my Brita filter bottle and the hydration tablets my DH uses for long runs. They really seem to help.

This is a great idea! We have brita bottles as well, and I love them. The hydration tablets are smart.

Yes!!! Did you know that Goji's has Dole Whip?? I had some in Charlotetwon this summer. So good!

No way! That's good to know! I'll have to tell Nathan...or maybe I shouldn't, because he'll be tempted to get it all the time!

Looking forward to catching up with you two!

Me too! I hope we can work something out. I think I still have your number in my WhatsApp app. Though I seem to recall that I was absolutely wretched at noticing notifications for it on our trip last time, and I missed your message. I'll try to be better about that this time!

his is such a great breakfast. Chip and Dale along with delicious food, need I say more??

I can't wait! It seems like so much fun, and I can't believe we've never done this before! Though I think the rotating restaurant has something to do with it, because even the slowest of them can sometimes make me feel a little swimmy. But I think it's worth it to try this one once!

You will love this. It was definitely one of the highlights of my 50th bday trip.

I'm so looking forward to this! I've been meaning to try the tea for quite some time now. Glad to know it holds up to to the good reviews I've read.

Best. Costumes. Ever!!!!!!

Thanks so much! I had fun putting them together, and I totally credit Nathan with the idea!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Oh, and a couple other things I forgot to mention!! I got on the phone with Disney today and switched our Happily Ever After Dessert Party to the "After" party, rather than the regular one I'd originally booked. The only difference is that you view the fireworks before you eat, then eat desserts after they're over. I did this after reading about @chunkymonkey's experience doing the after party, and I think it'll be a nice relaxing way to do it, so we don't feel rushed. It also has the added benefit of giving us extra time to digest our BOG dinner before eating more desserts.

I also emailed special diets today about some of my requests, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to try to gluten free fried chicken at 50s Prime Time (which requires advanced notice) and the GF sweet potato pancakes at The Wave.

Finally, as a birthday present to myself, this week N and I donated my 15-year-old somewhat broken luggage, and we bought me something new... Just in time for our trip!!

​

 

[MeghanEmily]

… again!

Thank you!! (again!)

Um.... kinda in love with this photo of you.

Thank you! Nothing like a cupcake to bring out my inner happiness to be captured for all to see.

Naw. You'll still be adorable. Sweaty.... but adorable.

You have too much faith in my adorableness, but I appreciate the vote of confidence!

Thank you!

Happy Birthday!

Thank you!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I need to go over and check out chunky monkey's review of the post dessert party. And hear how you guys like it. I def want to do one on our next trip.

Love the new suitcases! So cute!

 

[mesgram]

Love the new suitcases, they are so fun!!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Love the luggage set!

 

[pkondz]

I got on the phone with Disney today and switched our Happily Ever After Dessert Party to the "After" party, rather than the regular one I'd originally booked.

I know why you did this...

I did this after reading about @chunkymonkey's experience

That's why.

I'm hopeful that I'll be able to try to gluten free fried chicken at 50s Prime Time (which requires advanced notice)

Oh, I really hope you do!

Finally, as a birthday present to myself, this week N and I donated my 15-year-old somewhat broken luggage, and we bought me something new... Just in time for our trip!!

Congrats on the new luggage. I like it!

Thank you! Nothing like a cupcake to bring out my inner happiness to be captured for all to see.

You have too much faith in my adorableness, but I appreciate the vote of confidence!

Faith? Nah. I know.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I'm so jealous of your trip plans. You have so many nice tours booked. I should look into doing the tours before I start booking everything else. As for now, it's too late to do so for my Sept trip so I'll just focus on next years! Your costumes are wonderful! They look comfortable and fun. Comfort it key I believe as I would just rip off a costume if it was bothering me in some way. And then I'd be banned from Disney...LOL

Happy Birthday! Hope it was a great one and how exciting you're going to Disney very soon!!

Oh I'm so happy you decided to switch to the after party! I hope it is as great for your guys as it was for me. It may not be the same experience as I had in June but at least not having to rush through dessert is a huge improvement so I'm probably going to always book the after party if I had to do one.

 

[cajunfan]

Oh, and a couple other things I forgot to mention!! I got on the phone with Disney today and switched our Happily Ever After Dessert Party to the "After" party, rather than the regular one I'd originally booked. The only difference is that you view the fireworks before you eat, then eat desserts after they're over. I did this after reading about @chunkymonkey's experience doing the after party, and I think it'll be a nice relaxing way to do it, so we don't feel rushed. It also has the added benefit of giving us extra time to digest our BOG dinner before eating more desserts.

I also emailed special diets today about some of my requests, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to try to gluten free fried chicken at 50s Prime Time (which requires advanced notice) and the GF sweet potato pancakes at The Wave.

Finally, as a birthday present to myself, this week N and I donated my 15-year-old somewhat broken luggage, and we bought me something new... Just in time for our trip!!

​

I can't wait to hear your review of the after fireworks dessert party too! Maybe ChunkyMonkey should not have shared her review with the whole DIS, just us "special" few...although I suspect it will still not be as crowded as families with little ones won't be able to stay up late.

Can I say how much I LOVE this luggage??? It so reminds me of Lilo and Stitch!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I'm so jealous of your trip plans. You have so many nice tours booked. I should look into doing the tours before I start booking everything else. As for now, it's too late to do so for my Sept trip so I'll just focus on next years!

I'm so excited for the tours and extra experiences! I hope you can squeeze some of this stuff in on a future trip!

Your costumes are wonderful! They look comfortable and fun. Comfort it key I believe as I would just rip off a costume if it was bothering me in some way. And then I'd be banned from Disney...LOL

100% agree. Comfort, and breathability. Otherwise, I'd be right there with you. ...walking around Disney jail in my underwear

Happy Birthday! Hope it was a great one and how exciting you're going to Disney very soon!!

Thank you!!

Oh I'm so happy you decided to switch to the after party! I hope it is as great for your guys as it was for me. It may not be the same experience as I had in June but at least not having to rush through dessert is a huge improvement so I'm probably going to always book the after party if I had to do one.

I think it was an excellent decision! Even if it's not quite as quiet and wonderful as when you went, I think it'll still be great to be able to take our time and have more time to develop an appetite.

I can't wait to hear your review of the after fireworks dessert party too! Maybe ChunkyMonkey should not have shared her review with the whole DIS, just us "special" few...although I suspect it will still not be as crowded as families with little ones won't be able to stay up late.

Can I say how much I LOVE this luggage??? It so reminds me of Lilo and Stitch!

I'm so looking forward to it! I agree about the later time possibly being a deterrent for folks with young kids.

And thanks! That's what I thought, too, about Lilo and Stitch!! It was on a good sale at our local mall and we couldn't resist

 

[Jules76126]

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Your plans sound great!! Can't wait to hear all about your anniversary trip!

Happy Birthday to you!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Your plans sound great!! Can't wait to hear all about your anniversary trip!

Happy Birthday to you!

Thank you!!

 

[thumper*]

Happy Belated birthday

crashed at another Hampton Inn. (They're my favourites because they're so consistent, and I'm in the rewards program, so sue me.)

Me too

I so appreciate everyone who's taken the time to read and/or comment as I got the chance to share my Disneymoon of a lifetime with you.

Loved reading it and especially loved your wedding photo's.

Considerations for surviving an August trip:

Humm how about a Dole Whip???

I'm also hopeful that I'll be able to cross paths with @kastoney, @suse66, @disneyAndi14, and/or @pepperandchips,

Sounds like so much fun

AUG. 19: (No parks?)
Brunch: Cali Grill

I'm jealous.

6:15: Savour the Savanna!

HAd to research this after I read it on your PTR. This sounds cool.

Love the costume

 

[Terra Nova guy]

(I'll also know how to recognize you now in case we cross paths at the party!)

Haha..yes, I forget that you have no idea what I look like. That's the problem when you don't have a trip report in your signature! (hopefully I will fix that soon)

I'm going to give this link form a recent post in Liesa's TR, at least you'll know who to look for!

The ABCs of Another Steppe Into Adventure!- Last Africa Ch. + World Showcase Pt. 2

 

[MeghanEmily]

Hi, friends! Tomorrow we leave for work, and then DISNEY!!!!, and then work. We'll be away from home for nearly a month. (Stacey is just excited that we're leaving her alone and her Meemaw will be babysitting, so I already feel that we won't really be missed...) I suspect that this means that I'm about to become the world's BEST trip report lurker, and the world's WORST trip report commenter. I'll do my best to keep up with your reports if I've been following them, and you'll know I'm there by the little "like" notifications that will show up from time to time, but I apologize if I don't have time to comment consistently for a while. I'm still there, and I'm still enjoying hearing all about your memories! I will try to get another update or two in on my current TR if possible. Time will tell. When I get home in September, I plan to have lots of magical stories to tell!!​