Jaclyn & Chris’ Engagement Trip Report ~ Updated 01/03

[praisehisname]

Awesome AKL pictures! And your dinner looks AMAZING!!!

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

I ate at Jiko a few year ago and loved it! Your pictures from AKL were great. I am really looking forward to hearing about the tour!!

 

[Belle_373]

Loving your trip report, can't wait to hear about the "Key's to the Kingdom" tour!
Molly

Thank you! I'm in the process of writing my Key's to the Kingdom update. It should be up soon.

Awesome AKL pictures! And your dinner looks AMAZING!!!

Thank you!

I ate at Jiko a few year ago and loved it! Your pictures from AKL were great. I am really looking forward to hearing about the tour!!

Thanks!

 

[Belle_373]

Happy Holidays!​

 

[Belle_373]

This one of the things Chris and I were most looking forward this trip. We have been to Disney World 7 times together and we were really looking forward to doing something different this trip. I had read such a great reviews for the KTTK tour on the DIS and Chris’ parents had been begging us to go on it, as they had done back in ’06 and loved it.

Since the start of the trip Chris kept asking me “How many more days till the tour?” I felt like I was travelling with an overly excited 6 year old boy. So we had no trouble getting out of bed at 6:30am so we could be at MK for our 8:30am KTTK tour.

We decided to grab breakfast to go from Café Rix. Chris got a blueberry muffin and an orange juice and I got the same but with a water. We wanted something we could easily eat before our tour.

We got to bus stop at the front of CSR and I saw the first MK bus of the day pulling away. I almost screamed out loud. I knew we had to get on this bus to get to MK on time. So I ran after thus bus, I refer to it as my Disney Transportation Sprint (aka DTS – us DISer’s like our acronyms). The bus driver saw me running and stop the bus for us. Thank you Disney Transportation!


This is a totally off topic story but when Chris and I went to Disney in April we went to Wolf Gang Puck Express for lunch and the cashier asked us if we had any discount cards. I told him we had an AP. He looked really puzzled and I said an Annual Pass. He laughed and said you must be one of those Disney people.

We arrived at MK at 7:30am. We found a bench to sit on so we eat on breakfast. It was such a wonderful feeling to just sit and relax at your favorite place in the world with the person you love. It was so peaceful because it was early and there was hardly anyone there.

After we had our breakfast we got in the early morning ADR/Tour line.

At 7:45am they were starting to let people in to the park. Our Key’s to the Kingdom Tour was at 8:30am so we had lots of time to wonder around and enjoy an empty main street.

I apologize in advance. This was the first time Chris and I had ever been in the Magic Kingdom before park opening so we took a lot of pictures to document the experience.

Continued in next post

 

[Belle_373]

Around 8:15am we checked in a city hall for our tour. We got our name tags and some bottled water. We also chose what we wanted for lunch at Columbia Harbour House. We both chose the Anchors Aweigh Tuna Sandwich.

At 8:30am our tour guide, Daniel, told all of us waiting outside city hall to congregate in the garden. He handed out the headsets and then we began the tour on Main Street. He started by explaining the importance of the names on the windows. Every person who had a window had played an important role in his history of wdw. I really don’t remember much about the people he spoke about. But if you’re interested in learning more about the windows and won’t be able to take the Key’s to the Kingdom Tour any time soon, check out Lou Mongello’s Audio Guide of Main Street USA. It’s excellent and Lou goes into a lot more detail then what was mentioned in the tour.


We then walked over to Adventureland and we had our own boat on Jungle Cruise.

Next we went backstage in Frontierland and were able to see the outside of show building for Pirates of the Caribbean. We also saw the Celebrate Parade getting ready. After that we saw the show building and water reservoir for Splash Mountain. WOW, that water is really dirty. They drain Splash Mountain every night and you can see a layer of scum where the water level ends on the wall of the reservoir.

After our tour of backstage we walked over to Columbia Harbour House for lunch. Chris and I both enjoyed our Anchors Aweigh Sandwiches and we received our Key’s to the Kingdom pins.

After lunch we headed over the Haunted Mansion and entered through the exit. It was really cool because we went the servant’s quarters and were able to see the key’s for the different rooms in the mansion, including Master Gracey’s.

I just received The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies by Jason Surrell for my birthday and it goes through all the details of the how the Haunted Mansion was created. So if you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend this book.

After riding The Haunted Mansion we went to see the utilidors. We entered by the First Aid Centre between the Emporium and Crystal Palace. Going into the utilidors wasn’t as exciting as I expected it to be. It was like going down some stairs in an office building.

It’s was very exciting to finally be down in the utilidors after hearing about them for so long. We were able to see in the stock room for the emporium and also the pin replenishing station.

Daniel stopped at one point to explain the history of some of the first Disney pictures and Walt’s Vision of the Florida Project. We also watched a short movie on costuming.

When we excited we were on the other side of Main Street right behind the Ice Cream Parlor and we were able to see where Tink lands during wishes.

We excited the backstage from gates beside the Chapeau and headed towards the Partner Statue. The tour concluded with Daniel speaking about the significance of the partner statue, which sadly I don’t remember.


Overall, it was a great tour and well worth the money. It’s something I would consider doing again in a few years. It was a great experience for Disney fans looking for a new experience when they visit the parks. It gives you a whole new appreciated for Walt and his Florida project. Even though most of the information that Daniel provided I already knew from various Imagineering books it was still exciting to actually be hearing this information while in the MK.

The tour ended around 2pm and both Chris and I were exhausted from the tour. We knew we were going to go have a nap back at resort this afternoon, but first I had to stop a get a Dole Whip.

I just love these things. I have a hard time being at the MK without stopping to grab one, case in point.

Up Next: A Lazy Evening--Beaches & Cream & EPCOT

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

The tour sounds really cool. Do you think it "spoiled" any of the magic for you? You don't see Mickey walking around with his head off or anything, do you?!

 

[celeste.]

Hi!
i just found your TR.! :]
it must have been nice seeing Main Street so empty!

 

[Belle_373]

The tour sounds really cool. Do you think it "spoiled" any of the magic for you? You don't see Mickey walking around with his head off or anything, do you?!

For me, it actually enhanced the magic! I was able to gain a greater appreciation for all the work that goes on behind the scenes.

The only character we saw backstage was Goofy and he stayed in character the entire time we were there. Daniel told us the cast members aren't fans of the tour because they don't want you to see them out of character. Keeping the magic alive is just as important to them as it is for us.

Hi!
i just found your TR.! :]
it must have been nice seeing Main Street so empty!

It was very magical!

 

[Stefy]

Hey where are all the pictures

Sounds like you had fun on the tour and I love that the characters stay in character if they are caught backstage

 

[praisehisname]

I love the Fall decorations almost as much as the Christmas ones!

The KTTW tour sounds really interesting!

 

[Belle_373]

Hey where are all the pictures

Sounds like you had fun on the tour and I love that the characters stay in character if they are caught backstage

The pictures are back!

I'm not sure if they always stay in character. It was just our experience. I think that's why the tour has an age restriction of 16.

I love the Fall decorations almost as much as the Christmas ones!

The KTTW tour sounds really interesting!

Me too!

The tour was really informative!

 

[Belle_373]

We got back to CSR around 3pm and just crashed. We were so tired from our tour this morning. We woke up around 5:30pm and got ready for dinner.

Originally I was thinking of booking Yachtsmen Steakhouse or Blue Zoo because Epcot had EMH until 12am but I thought we might be too tired after the tour to have such a heavy meal and I was right.

We were feeling extra lazy tonight and didn’t feel like taking a bus to Epcot and then walking to the Beach Club so we just grab a taxi.

We got to the beach club around 6:30pm and only had to wait about 20 minutes before we were seated.

I ordered a single cheeseburger with fries and a coke.

Single Cheeseburger

Chris ordered a single cheeseburger with bacon and a sprite.

Single Bacon Cheeseburger

Sorry I forgot to take a picture of Chris’ bacon cheeseburger so just imagine bacon this on this cheeseburger. Anyone else hearing the Journey to Imagination song in their heads? No, just me.

Chris and I both enjoyed our yummy cheeseburgers.

For dessert I ordered a Two Scoop Hot Fudge Sundae

It was as great as always

Chris had Mom’s Chocolate Cake

.He really enjoyed the chocolate cake and almost licked the plate clean. I thought it was a little too rich for my blood. The funny thing is when I first started dating Chris he was very anti-desserts. He thought everything tasted too sweet and I could eat chocolate cake for breakfast. We've completely swapped tastes!


After dinner Chris wanted to check out the Beach Club arcade while I made a pit stop at the washroom. When I came back I knew right where to find him.

He loves this game.

How many guys out there had/have a crush on 7of 9?

After our stop at the arcade we headed over to the international gateway.

Ah, I just love the boardwalk at night.

By the time we entered EPCOT it was almost time for Illuminations to start to I made a mad dash to Germany. There nothing I enjoyed better than having a glass of wine while watching Illuminations and the German pavilion has my favorite selection of wines.

I ordered a glass of Diva wine and Chris grabbed a pint of Becks from the kiosk outside.

We leaned against a window sill by one of the shops in Germany and watched Illuminations. I didn’t take any pictures because we too far back from the World Showcase Lagoon.

After illuminations we sat and waited for some of the crowds to disperse before we walked over to Italy. I really wanted to get a glass of Rosa Regale. We just sat on a bench in Italy while I sipped on my drink.


Our next stop was France. It was time for another glass of wine. I got a nice glass of white wine (the name escapes me at the moment) and we sat by the fountain in front of Impressions du France.

Chris was craving another beer so we walked over the UK and he was in the mood for a Harp but they were all out so he ordered a pint of Tennants.

After our lovely wine and beer tour through world showcase we headed to future world to ride some rides. Our first stop was Soarin. We ended up getting seats in the middle section of Row 1. YAY! Unfortunately, my ride wasn’t that enjoyable as the woman next to me was talking really loudly to her child. I understand talking to your child during a ride if he/she is scared but this child was fine. The woman was just having a run of the mile conversation.

Next on our list was Test Track. Luckily the line wasn’t very long. It was pretty much a walk on.

By this point we were pretty tired and were ready to call it a day. We left the park and went to the bus stop and the CSR bus was there waiting for us. We had really great luck with the CSR busses this trip. We got back to our room around 12am and were in bed by 1am.

I was sad that our engagement trip was half over. The next morning we were moving over to Port Orleans Riverside.

Up Next: Moving to Port Orleans Riverside & DTD

 

[KatMark]

Finally catching up after all the craziness of the holidays. The tour sounds great; Mark and I have always talked about doing one of the tours and maybe this is the one we will choose.

Hope you had a great Christmas.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

The tour always sounds so neat. Maybe one day we will go on it.

Yum! Love Beaches and Cream.

 

[Stefy]

Yay pics are working, wow look at those empty MK pics

Oooh that fudge sundae looks delish.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

I'm really enjoying your report, Jaclyn!!! Thanks for letting us all dream about Disney!!!

 

[Disneychix]

Continued in next post

Ok, I'm just catching up on your KTTKT now and I've got to know, why is there a Dog in the MK? See that man back there with the dog? Do you think it's sniffing for something? Weird!

Love all the info on the KTTKT. You guys sure know how to pack a lot into 1 day!

 

[CW4DW]

Beaches & Cream looks great - We really wanted to make it over there this trip but didn't since we were doing Deluxe Dining and most of our eating was already planned. Maybe on the next trip since I have told my husband that we can't ever do deluxe dining again - that is just too much food!

Looking forward to more of your trip report!

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

I love the German pavilion! Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun at the World Showcase!