Procrastinated Video/Pic Dec 2012 Engagement Celebration Trip Report

[mike the canuck]

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Hello and welcome everyone! I'm Mike and this is my December 2012 trip report which I have procrastinated long enough. It is going to be a hybrid of video and pictures. I tried to record as much video as I could on this trip. For shooting video and pictures I used my Canon Rebel T2i and my cellphone.

This report features my fiancée, Nicole and myself.

We had just gotten engaged the day before we left for our trip so it was an extra special celebration.
This was Nicole's 2nd trip to WDW and my 12th.
We stayed at Disney's Art of Animation this trip in the Little Mermaid section.

I hope you enjoy the report

 

[mike the canuck]

Table of Contents

Day 1 - December 3/12 - Arriving at AOA and the MK http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49115024&postcount=3
Day 2 - December 4/12 - Part 1 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49185987&postcount=6
Day 2 - December 4/12 - Part 2 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49185987&postcount=6
Day 3 - December 5/12 - Part 1 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49386058&postcount=11
Day 3 - December 5/12 - Part 2 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49398968&postcount=12
Day 4 - December 6/12 - Part 1 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49577380&postcount=15
Day 4 - December 6/12 - Part 2 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49692757&postcount=16
Day 5 - December 7/12 - Magic Kingdom & Epcothttp://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49967563&postcount=19
Day 6 - December 8/12 - Animal Kingdomhttp://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50270150&postcount=21

 

[mike the canuck]

Day 1 - December 3th, 2012
So let's get this report started. Here is the video for day 1 of our "engagement celebration" trip.
http://youtu.be/-dwZI_uiZmQ

I'll fill in what's not in the video with some pictures.

Nicole and I stayed over the night before at a hotel across from Buffalo airport. We got up the morning of Dec 6th and caught our Delta flight at 6am.

We had a layover in Atlanta and we arrived in Orlando around noon. We then hopped on the Magical Express and were on our way to Disney's Art of Animation

We loved AOA. It was a great resort. We explored a little bit when we arrived.

We grabbed some lunch in the Landscape of Flavors food court while we waited for our room. We split the "Surf n' Surf" burger. It was really good.

After we got our room we grabbed a bus to the Magic Kingdom

We had an ADR for Crystal Palace. We were excited to have a buffet dinner for our first table service meal.

I enjoyed the food there. I was a big fan of the mac 'n cheese....mmmm...

I made sure I saved lots of room for dessert. It all was sooo good.

After dinner we had some Fastpasses for the Jungle Cruise that we had scored before dinner. So we hit that up for our first ride of the trip.

We then hit up Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. Both had minimal wait times. It was fantastic.

Nicole and I then went to explore what was open of New Fantasyland. It wasn't officially open until Dec 6 but Journey of the Little Mermaid had a soft opening that night.

We also got our picture taken with Gaston. I told him, "It's nice to meet you." He replied with, "Yes it is. The pleasure is all yours." lol

We watched Wishes after that then headed back to AOA we were very tired after a long travel day. We did share a snack before bed from the food court. Some pizza, salad and an oreo Mickey cupcake

Continued in next post

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[mike the canuck]

Great pics!

Thank you very much!

 

[mike the canuck]

Day 2 - December 4th, 2012 - Part 1
Alrighty everyone! Here is the video for day 2:
http://youtu.be/U4t77015Eb8

And here are some photos from the day.
We got up around 7am and tried to get to the Animal Kingdom for rope drop.

The crowds were not too bad at the park that morning

We headed over to Asia to grab some fast passes for EE

We then hit up Kilimanjaro Safaris which you can check out in the video

It was then time for our EE fastpasses. We were pumped!

LUNCH TIME!!! I was very excited to try the Flame Tree BBQ and I was not disappointed.

I had the 1/2 slab of St. Louis ribs and Nicole had the smoked turkey breast

I had the Chocolate mousse and Nicole had the Key Lime

When we were finished with that tasty lunch we went to Camp Minnie Mickey to see the Festival of the Lion King which you can see in the video. We had never seen the show before and we were both really impressed.

Continued in next post

 

[BDL]

Following.

Awesome report so far. I love your reactions on the rollercoaster pics. And don't feel bad about procrastinating. We were there 12/7/12-12/13/12, and I still haven't done our trip report either.

 

[mike the canuck]

Following.

Awesome report so far. I love your reactions on the rollercoaster pics. And don't feel bad about procrastinating. We were there 12/7/12-12/13/12, and I still haven't done our trip report either.

Thanks! Can't wait to see your trip report when you start it up.

 

[mike the canuck]

After FOTL we went to go meet some characters

We then hit up DinoLand U.S.A. We grabbed some fastpasses for Primeval Whirl and then we rode on Dinosaur.

It was time to use our Primeval Whirl Fastpasses. This was our first time riding Primeval Whirl. Not too bad. We enjoyed it.

We did some shopping before heading out.

Someone killed Tinkerbell

We then left the park and took the bus to Saratoga Springs and then took the Sassagoula to Downtown Disney

We had tickets for La Nouba that night so we picked them up from will-call

After grabbing the tickets we headed to Fulton's Crab House for dinner.

We had the Louis Fulton's Ultimate Crab and Lobster Experience
It was fantastic

Hidden Mickey watermark

Nicole had the crème brulee for dessert

I had an ice cream cookie sunday... so good

It was then time for our La Nouba show. I took a picture of the stage and a selfie and got shut down by an usher. Apparently you can't take pictures before the show either.

The show was really great.
During the show one of the trapeze artists fell into the net. That part was a little scary but he got up and attempted his jump again and made it. The performers were so talented and amazing.

After the show we did some shopping and then headed back to the resort for some sleep.

Continued in next post

 

[mike the canuck]

I am currently working on the video for "Day 3"

 

[mike the canuck]

Here is the video for day 3! Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/ItfFw45aWhQ

We got up around 7am again to catch the bus to go to Hollywood Studios

It felt like we got there in no time. It think it is the closest park to AOA.

We made the dash to Toy Story Mania and scored some Fast Passes for 1:30pm. Not too shabby. We then ate some breakfast on Sunset Boulevard and grabbed some Fast Passes to the Rock 'n' Rollercoaster.

We then hit up Star Tours. It was our first time riding it since it was refurbished. We were actually there on the last day it was operating in 2010.

Being a big Star Wars fan i loved it!

After Star Tours we rode the Rock 'n' Rollercoaster which was awesome as always. It is possibly my favourite ride a WDW.

We were getting pretty hungry again so we decided to eat lunch at the ABC Comissonary. We had never eaten there before. It was really nice. A very relaxing place to chill and eat.

Nicole had the Angus Cheeseburger and I had the Angus Cheeseburger and Fried Shrimp...mmmm... Fried Shrimp

Nicole had the Strawberry Parfait for dessert

and I had the seasonal Gingerbread cupcake... it was so good.

After lunch we headed over to Pixar Place to use our TSM FastPasses

You can check out how we did in the Day 3 video

We grabbed a drink after and went to go check out the Animation Courtyard

We decided to do the drawing class and it was one of the best things we did on our trip. It was alot of fun. Nicole was kind of nervous about drawing around other people but was really pleased with how her drawing turned out.

Continued in next post

 

[mike the canuck]

I saw this in the gift shop. I wanted it so bad... and still do

We took another ride on the Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. Dr. Evil pose this time around.

It was then time for our ADR at 50's Prime Time Cafe.

Nicole and I split an order of Beer Battered Onion Rings

and we also split the Sampling of Mom's Favourite Recipes which included fried chicken, Pot roast, and meatloaf. We were so tired and hungry. We destroyed it.

We headed back to the Art of Animation resort for a swim before bed. It was a little cool out but I went swimming anyway.

We grabbed a snack before bed at the Landscape of Flavours food court. Nicole had a mango smoothie and I had a chocolate gelato.

We were certainly exhausted after that fun and long day.

Continued in next post

 

[jojosam]

What a great way to do a trip report! My focus will be on still shots during our next trip (24 days!!!), but the video is fantastic! Can't wait to see more! Congrats on your engagement!

 

[mike the canuck]

What a great way to do a trip report! My focus will be on still shots during our next trip (24 days!!!), but the video is fantastic! Can't wait to see more! Congrats on your engagement!

Thank you! And thanks for following along hope you have lots of fun on your trip!

 

[mike the canuck]

Hey everyone! Here is the video for Day 4 Part 1.
http://youtu.be/xnloXUA60Zk

We did a lot on this day. So much I had to make 2 videos. Part 2 will be coming soon.

So lets get started on this busy fun filled day.

Well just like every morning in Disney I like to wake up and watch a little Stacey and some Must Do Disney while we get ready.

After we were all ready to go we grabbed a bus from the Art of Animation to the Magic kingdom.

We were heading there to watch the official opening ceremony for New Fantasyland. I thought this would be a really cool experience to witness. And it was.

I really enjoyed the show they put on. It was hosted by Once Upon a Time star, Ginnifer Goodwin. Jordan Sparks was also there performing a medley of Disney songs. She was really great. Tom Staggs was there as well. You can check out the ceremony in the video.
http://youtu.be/xnloXUA60Zk

After the ceremony we headed out of the park. We checked out some merchandise in the shops on our way down Main Street.

We exited the Magic Kingdom and hopped on the Monorail to the TTC so we could head to Epcot. The Epcot monorail line was down so we had to take the bus.

Once we arrived in Epcot we decided it was time for lunch. We headed to The Land Pavilion to grab some grub.

We scored a pair of fast passes for Soarin' before we got food.

We then went to Sunshine Seasons for lunch. I had the Turkey with Monterey Jack and Nicole had the Mongolian beef Asian noodles. Both were very tasty.

Nicole had an Apple Caramel crunch for dessert and I had a red velvet cookie.... Everything was so good.

After we finished our lunch we hopped on Living With Land for a ride. You can check that our in the video.
After our ride on Living with the Land we headed over to the Imagination pavilion.

We took a ride on Journey into Imagination with Figment. And then watched some Captain EO. I am fan of the Captain EO film.

It was then time to hit up Club Cool for some tasty beverages. You can see Nicole's reaction to Beverly in the video

We then started our way around World Showcase Lagoon. We stopped off in Mexico, Germany, Italy, American Adventure and Japan.

In Japan, Nicole took part in the Pick a Pearl ceremony. She really enjoyed it. She ended up picking a pearl with a size of 7&1/2. I had pre bought a carriage necklace prior to the trip from eBay. It looked really nice once placed inside.

Continued in next post

 

[mike the canuck]

Hey, hey, hey! Here is the video for part 2 of day 4!
http://youtu.be/2EXO5OG-ZqA
Enjoy!

We had an ADR for this night at the Garden Grill revolving restaurant in the Land Pavilion. We had booked the Candlelight Processional dinner package that reserved us seats for the show as well as a spot for IllumiNations. We were pretty excited for all of that. We had some time to kill before our dinner though.

We walked back to Future World from World Showcase and watched a bit of Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season. They were pretty good. Very talented. You can check them out in the video.

We just took it pretty easy. Taking in everything at Epcot. We were in prime vacation mode. We scored some pressed pennies and did some shopping.

We checked out the art store. There were so many pieces we wanted to buy.

We then took a ride on Spaceship Earth. You can check that out in the video.

After that we went to check out The Seas With Nemo and Friends. You can check that out in the video too.

After our visit with Nemo we headed back to the Land for our dinner.

Dinner was great! This was one of my favourite meals of the trip. The food was so good and the revolving restaurant was very cool. The characters were great too.

After dinner it was time to get in line for the Candlelight Processional

We had pretty good seats for the show. Our narrator was Blair Underwood. He was very good. We really enjoyed the show. We had never seen it before. You can check it out in the video too. (I took a
lot of video on this day. lol)

After the Candlelight we hustled across World Showcase for our viewing spot for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. It was a good spot right at the front of World Showcase. You can see it in the video as well. lol

And that was the end of a long and event filled day. We were pretty tired as you can imagine.

Continued in next post

 

[Queenofallthings]

Congratulations on your engagement! Just found you report and am loving the videos and pictures!! Can't wait for the next update

 

[mike the canuck]

Congratulations on your engagement! Just found you report and am loving the videos and pictures!! Can't wait for the next update

Thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying the videos and pics. I'm currently working on the next video. Hopefully it will be done in the next few days.

 

[mike the canuck]

Yo! Here is the video for part 2 of day 4!
http://youtu.be/IlrjqOk0qBQ
Enjoy!


We started off this day by heading to the Magic Kingdom (which is a great way to start any day).

We stopped at the castle to watch a bit of the Dream Along With Mickey show. You can check that out in the video.


After the show we strolled into Liberty Square to take a ride on one of my favourite attractions, The Haunted Mansion.

We then decided it was time for an early lunch. I had never eaten at the Columbia Harbour House before so that was where we ate. Nicole had a Tuna sandwich that was really good. I had a lobster roll and it wasn't that great.

I had the chocolate brownie for dessert and Nicole had the peach cobbler. They were both very good.

After lunch we headed over to Adventureland.

We hit up the Enchanted Tiki room, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. You can check those all out in the video.

Dole Whip time! Boo ya!

Nicole and I then strolled over to Tomorrowland and took a ride on Space Mountain before we headed out of the park.

We took the monorail over to Epcot because we had an ADR for dinner at Via Napoli.

We wandered around World Showcase checking out some of the Holiday Storytellers.

We also took a ride on Maelstrom. I enjoy that attraction thoroughly.

It was then time for dinner and it was excellent. I had a pepperoni pizza and Nicole had a sausage pizza. They both were so good. Some of my favourite pizza ever!

Nicole had tiramisu for dessert and I had some sort of ice cream.

After dinner we hit up the new Test Track for the first time. I really enjoyed it. You can see it in the video.
We got pretty lucky after getting off TT. As we were exiting they just released the fast passes for extra magic hours.

It gave us enough time to head over and watch the holiday version of Illuminations. The fireworks for the holiday finale were so awesome.
Probably the best I have ever seen.

After Illuminations we headed back to ride TT again.

Once we finished our ride we headed back to the Art of Animation resort.

We had our leftover pizza for a snack before bed.

Continued in next post

 

[mike the canuck]

It's been a while but I am almost done the next video. I hope to finish it tonight and put up the next post this weekend... Hopefully