I Found My Happily Ever After! A Jan '19 TR! + Bonus August TR *COMPLETED 12/2*

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Your dinner at Coral Reef looks nice. I'd imagine it's calming to eat by the tanks after a day of touring, too.

 

[CaseFace5]

When we got to France I decided I needed to stop for the Frose! It was really tasty!

Mmm those are so good. I could go for one right about now lol.

When we completed our loop around we saw the paint by number mural, which was something I really wanted to do! We picked our colors and got to work!

I wanted to do this last year when we were there, but I couldn't find it! Looks like so much fun!

This was Kyle's first time on the ride and he said he enjoyed it.

HAHAHA this is the cutest picture!

On our way, I peaked in to see Baymax and how long the line was and color me shocked when Kyle said we could wait to meet him since the line was short! I don't think we even waited 5 minutes before getting our pic with him!

OMG love the pictures with Baymax, especially the selfie! So cute!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

On our way, I peaked in to see Baymax and how long the line was and color me shocked when Kyle said we could wait to meet him since the line was short! I don't think we even waited 5 minutes before getting our pic with him!

Oh, you are slowly breaking him down! Before you know it he will be a fan too!

Glad to hear you had a good meal at Coral Reef. I might have to put it on my list for one day.

 

[Tracy161]

Oooh, I love how the sunset turned Spaceship Earth orange

When she asked what brought us to the restaurant Kyle just looked at me, laughed, and said "Boy Meets World".

That's too funny! When you first mentioned Coral Reef I thought to myself "I can't ever not think about Boy Meets World when I hear about this restaurant. Clearly it's the same for you!

 

[suse66]

When we got to France I decided I needed to stop for the Frose! It was really tasty!

Frozen slushies in France are a must do!

After that we decided to head over and see if we could get into the 3:30 Animation Academy class. There were some people waiting but we had no problem getting in! Since it was the first class of the day, the animator went with the most classic character of all- Mickey!

Love how your drawings turned out!

I loved seeing these little hidden artworks scattered around!

So cute!

Once we were done with World Showcase we had a little time before dinner so we rode Living with the Land. I'm pretty sure I was able to get a FP for it.

LwTL is such a classic, one of my favourites!

Our waitress, Kim, was FANTASTIC! She was so sweet and talked to us about the fish in the tanks and explained some of the menu items. When she asked what brought us to the restaurant Kyle just looked at me, laughed, and said "Boy Meets World". She got a kick out of this and pointed out both the table they sat at in that show and the one used on Full House. I was a happy camper

Glad you had a wonderful meal at Coral Reef. We have not eaten there since our first trip in 2009 where it was a disaster. Maybe we will be brave enough to go back one day.

Throughout the day we kept saying to each other how much fun we were having. It really was a fantastic day!

It looks like such an awesome day!!

 

[jhoannam]

Sounds like an awesome day! And your dinner looks delicious.

 

[missangelalexis]

What a fun day at Epcot for you two

Coral Reef sounds very nice and I’m glad the food was delicious

I love a Mickey ice cream bar, yum!!

It was a great day! I'm really glad I finally tried Coral Reef and that it wasn't a disappointment!

I'm glad I had a mickey bar that night, it ended up being the only one I had this trip!

So pretty!
​

That's what we both got (and loved) too! I'm starting to wonder whether anyone orders anything else!

It's a pretty popular item it seems- and for good reason!

What a great end to your day! I'm so happy you enjoyed your dinner at Coral Reef! I think me and DH are going to do it again in December if they offer a Candlelight processional package!

I was so pleased with Coral Reef, especially hearing such mixed reviews!!

I have a strange fascination with this ride. I really can't explain it, but I love it, ever since I first rode it as a 9 year old many seasons ago.


Nice that you had a short wait. I waited over an hour for him! But he's a fun meet.

I'm a fan of this ride too! It's very calming but I also love seeing everything that's growing!

An hour is a long time! But he is fun to meet!

What an awesome day! I loved how you had a great meal at Coral Reef and then got a Mickey bar.

It was a great day and ending it with a nice meal (and dessert ) was perfect!

I didn't know Boy Meets World did an Epcot appearance! Cool! I do remember that Full House episode .

Ah you must check it out, it's a good episode!

Coral Reef looks good! I’m not a big seafood fan other than the basic fish and chips and shrimp. But I think I would like the atmosphere so might have to add it to my list!

The atmosphere it awesome! And they do have some non seafood items on the menu that might be worth checking out!

Yesss, love same day FPs!

This is such a cute photo op!

Whattt how cool! And how fateful that a CM happened to overhear you!

haha this is great! Makes me really want to visit during this festival

Aww! Another thing that makes me want to see Festival of the Arts!

Super cool photo! SSE looks like the sun or something!

I had some great luck with same day FPs!

They have a lot of cute photo ops and activities for the festival! I do recommend going one year!

I love that pic I got of SE with the sun going down- the lighting was perfect!

 

[missangelalexis]

Wow! Oh, Wow!!!

So glad I popped in here!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Dee! So glad to have you here! And thank you!

Is this your picture of the arch sign?

Awesome!

Thanks for the great pictures of POP. Mark and I are going to be staying there one night before a weekend at the Yacht Club in October. He will be flying in late after work, I'll be there earlier, so I will have a chance to explore POP and AoA before he gets there.

It was my picture of the arch sign! Snapped it the best I could!

I hope you'll enjoy Pop. I really liked the new rooms and I love being able to walk to AoA!

What a fantastic arrival day!

Wow, if Animal Kingdom Lodge and zebra domes don't wow him and win him over to Disney, I'm not sure what will.

Well played (and I don't mean the putt-putt).

AKL definitely wow'd him! I knew what I was doing taking him there

It was a great arrival day!

Oh, no!!!

That stinks that it was such a miserable, rainy day at Islands of Adventure, and that Kyle was feeling crappy for so much of it

Smart move picking up some Dramamine. We take Bonine before visiting US/IoA. So many things to induce nausea.

Kudos to you for conquering Hulk, though! It really is a fun, smooth coaster.

Here's to better days for the rest of your trip!

It was a rough day at IoA but we made the best of it. And if anything I can finally say I braved the Hulk!

This is a really neat shot! I love the flag right in the middle of Spaceship Earth.

I'm so glad you got to finish your ride on Soarin' before all the chaos.

I love, love, love your pictures from the Seas aquariums!

I was trying to be artsy with that shot, thanks for noticing!

What a fabulous morning!!!

Soarin', Nemo, Spaceship Earth, yummy mac snack, Test Track, great character interaction and how lucky were you having a chance opportunity to meet a favorite artist. All before 1:30 pm.

The prints are adorable!

But here is skeptical me. Did you know beforehand what Jerrod Maruyama looks like? Wouldn't it be a hoot if CMs were trying to sell artwork by telling shoppers- Oh, guess what, the "artist" is going to be here for signings in, like, 5 minutes. And then they pull another CM from backstage for a meet & greet.

The exact opposite of a recent story of a woman who was sitting next to a famous musician and listening to his music (can't remember who it was now), but she didn't recognize him. After the flight, the singer posted about sitting next to a fan who didn't realize it!

Can't wait to see what the afternoon holds for you.

It was a great morning! So much accomplished!

I actually didn't know what the artist looked like prior to meeting him. But I have since starting following him on social media and can confirm it was really him!

The chalk art, and the hidden artwork throughout the park during the festival is really cool. That is great that there is a new way to enjoy EPCOT. The photopass props are also incredible. I love the picture pictures!

In this picture, I am trying to figure out if the lantern in the archway is an intentional hidden Mickey, or just an optical illusion. Never noticed it before.


The paint-by-numbers wall looks like fun and I adore the Mickey drawings you both did.

But my favorite thing in these updates is your Frozen ride photo!

The festival of the arts is a nice addition to Epcot..and of course a reason to get folks to go in the January & February months! The photo props and all the activities are so fun!

Awesome shot!!!

I love the color of Spaceship earth here. I'm not sure I have ever seen this shade before.

Always a YAY for Living with the Land!

It has been years since my family has dined at Coral Reef. Used to be one of our go-tos. I'm so glad you had an excellent meal, fantastic views and an incredible waitress.

Your selfie with Baymax is soooooooo cute!

No better way to end a terrific day than with a Mickey bar.

I had never see SE look like that either. I'm glad I was able to catch it!

Coral Reef had been #1 on my bucket list for quite some time and I was just never able to go. I'm glad I got to go with Kyle, we had such a great time!

Baymax is one of my faves

It was an all around great day!

 

[missangelalexis]

Your dinner at Coral Reef looks nice. I'd imagine it's calming to eat by the tanks after a day of touring, too.

It was a really relaxing meal! The atmosphere is awesome.

Mmm those are so good. I could go for one right about now lol.

I wanted to do this last year when we were there, but I couldn't find it! Looks like so much fun!

HAHAHA this is the cutest picture!

OMG love the pictures with Baymax, especially the selfie! So cute!

It did not disappoint!

I had wanted to do the mural but didn't really know where it would be, so I was pretty pleased when we literally stumbled upon it after finishing our loop around WS!

I love meeting Baymax! He seems so real!

Oh, you are slowly breaking him down! Before you know it he will be a fan too!

Glad to hear you had a good meal at Coral Reef. I might have to put it on my list for one day.

Hahaha YES! This was definitely just the start of it

I really enjoyed Coral Reef so I would recommend it! The girls would probably get a kick out of the tanks!

Oooh, I love how the sunset turned Spaceship Earth orange

That's too funny! When you first mentioned Coral Reef I thought to myself "I can't ever not think about Boy Meets World when I hear about this restaurant. Clearly it's the same for you!

Exactly!!! That and the Full House episode! I'm glad I finally got to go!

Frozen slushies in France are a must do!

Love how your drawings turned out!

So cute!

LwTL is such a classic, one of my favourites!

Glad you had a wonderful meal at Coral Reef. We have not eaten there since our first trip in 2009 where it was a disaster. Maybe we will be brave enough to go back one day.

It looks like such an awesome day!!

Yes they are!!

Thanks!

I love LWTL too!

Ah I hope you give Coral Reef another chance once day!

We really did have a wonderful day!

Sounds like an awesome day! And your dinner looks delicious.

It was a great day and a great dinner!!

 

[natebenma]

I actually didn't know what the artist looked like prior to meeting him. But I have since starting following him on social media and can confirm it was really him!

Phew!!!

You were not bamboozled!

 

[amazingact21]

I feel like Coral Reef is hit or miss with people, so I'm really happy to hear you were in the former camp. It looked like there were a lot of sea creatures hanging around the glass that night!
It's so fun reading about how the CM complimented you two on being a cute couple, knowing what happens later in the trip.

Happy to see you managed to squeeze in a spontaneous Baymax meet!

And hooray for a Mickey Premium Ice Cream bar.

 

[Disneychix]

You are making me want to eat at Coral Reef!

What a fun day and excellent ending with a mickey bar!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Glad you had a great Epcot day!

I wonder how often the waitress at Coral Reef hears people are there because of Boy Meets World- that's why I want to eat there! Sounds like a great meal- I want to try it soon!

You're breaking Kyle down with the character meets!

 

[missangelalexis]

I feel like Coral Reef is hit or miss with people, so I'm really happy to hear you were in the former camp. It looked like there were a lot of sea creatures hanging around the glass that night!
It's so fun reading about how the CM complimented you two on being a cute couple, knowing what happens later in the trip.

Happy to see you managed to squeeze in a spontaneous Baymax meet!

And hooray for a Mickey Premium Ice Cream bar.

That's definitely what I've heard! I was a little nervous about going but really glad we did, we had a great experience! And the moment with the CM was very fitting!

I love meeting Baymax so I'm glad we were able to do that quickly before we left!

You are making me want to eat at Coral Reef!

What a fun day and excellent ending with a mickey bar!

Just going off my experience, I recommend it!!

Thank you, it was a great day!

Glad you had a great Epcot day!

I wonder how often the waitress at Coral Reef hears people are there because of Boy Meets World- that's why I want to eat there! Sounds like a great meal- I want to try it soon!

You're breaking Kyle down with the character meets!

It was really perfect! Made up for the disaster the day before lol

I am sure they hear it every day! I hope you get to go there soon!

Haha I was trying my best!!

 

[missangelalexis]

January 29 - Universal Studios

Today we were heading to Universal Studios! While waiting for our uber, we spotted one of the Minnie vans!



We got into the park right around 9 and headed straight for Despicable Me.





We ended up waiting about 30 minutes, which still isn't so bad.

After that we headed to Diagon Alley!









The wait for Escape from Gringotts was posted at 15 minutes and I think we waited about that. This ride is just the coolest! And Kyle really enjoyed it too.

After that we did Transformers and the Mummy which were both extremely short waits.





We were a little hungry, so we stopped at Mel's Diner to split an order of chicken fingers and onion rings. So good!

We then decided to do the Jimmy Fallon ride. I don't think they were offering the virtual ride pass so we just walked in. We had to wait a little bit but I didn't mind when it meant getting to watch the Ragtime Gals!! OMG they had me cracking up so much and I was actually a little sad when it was our turn to get on the ride

I went into this with pretty low expectations and I was pretty surprised and how much I enjoyed this ride! We both did actually!

After that we decided to head to the Simpsons area. Along the way we saw Bart & Marge meeting so stopped for a quick pic!









We rode the Simpsons and Men In Black before getting some lunch in Springfield.This wasn't our best meal. Both of us felt kinda blah about what we got (and especially how overpriced it is). But I guess that's bound to happen at least once on a theme park vacation!



Up next..more of our day!​

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Looks like you got lots done at universal. Next trip, when the girls are older/taller, we'll definitely split time between there and WDW.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

What a fun morning in Universal! Sounded like it wasn't that busy.

On your meal in Springfield, they really don't seem to have great options over there. I know the theming means the food is supposed to be on the more processed side, but it's just not flavorful either. Not surprised it was one negative food experience. Sorry it was though.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Looks like a fun morning at Universal, you all did quite a few rides with short waits always a plus!

The Springfield area is always a fun spot for pictures!

I agree Gringotts is such a fun ride!

Despicable Me always has a long line best to do first thing!

 

[tinkerbell1991]

I've only just started reading but congratulations to you both

 

[Jenny Sanders]

What a fun morning at US! I love your pic with Homer and Marge!!!