PTR turned TR for the most magical and expensive vacation I've ever been on!

[Eventer98]

Hope you can get an installment up soon......can't wait!!

 

[Eventer98]

I'm disappointed you aren't writing a TR...I was really looking fwd. to it!

 

[punkin413]

i hope everything's okay in your neck of the woods! let us know how you're doing.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

ohhh...I just found this and I'm subscribing!!! Your trip sounds like it was amazing BUT I WANT DETAILS!! and the pics of the engagement are AWESOME! I think my favorite is the focus on the mickey grooms hats with the two of you the background...LOVE IT!! hurry back here and tell us more!

 

[zulemara]

aaww thanks guys. I am SO SORRY I haven't written a trip report! I know so many people were interested in the trip and I've been absolutely swamped. I'm starting a business and it has taken ALL my time! I can't say anything more about it or I'll probably get yelled at by the mods so you can PM me if interested.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand: I will do everything I possibly can to get a trip report at least started by the end of the week.

Thanks for hangin in there!
Thommy
P.S. the pic of the hats with us in the background was submitted to the photo contest under romantic. VOTE FOR IT! I know the podcast team has final say, but it can't hurt to get a lot of votes!

 

[Eventer98]

Thanks for letting us know what was going on!! Hoping you find some time to get the first installment up..if not we'll understand.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

nice!!! heading to go vote!!!

 

[zulemara]

I have the ability to make video installments and post them. It would mean that I get them up quicker, but would also mean you can't really read at leisure. You can pause the video of course. I need a quick poll of if you guys want txt or video, so let me know!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

whichever! i'm just sitting here at work... lol so i can catch up whenever

 

[mindyd]

Hi

Just saw your ptr and can't wait to hear how giving the rings went.

 

[zulemara]

Ok here we go! Travel, arrival, and Day 1!

We got up at...I don't even know what time on the 21st, but it was early. Usually when I'm up at that hour, I haven't gone to bed yet. I think it was about 5am. Neither of us are morning people, but somehow the excitement of getting out of this dreadful cold and the magic of Disney awaiting can shake that "I hate morning" feeling. I started the drive. We were on the road at 6:30 or 7:30, I don't remember which. I have this all written down in my Passport I bought, but I'm doing this from work so bear with me. Day 1 is long. Nothing but flat, boring, and insanely foggy Illinois. We arrived In Nashville within 12 hours and I think we stopped about 4 or 5 times. Not too shabby!

2nd day travel
Early departure again. I love the speed limit being 70. We drove 79 the whole time, cops didn't touch us, and traffic was moving faster at times. We used yahoo directions and for some odd reason, it decided NOT to send us on the 285 bypass of downtown Atlanta. Therefore yours truly got to drive through downtown Atlanta in a little prius going 85-90mph consistently in 8 lane traffic. How's that for fun??? I still got 40mpg hehe.
Unfortunately we hit a lot of traffic coming out of Atlanta and it didn't really let up much the entire way down there. Once we got into FL, the traffic was 55mph...stop....55mph....stop...repeat. I felt like I was in kindergarten again. I was terrified to follow closer than 100 ft because at any given time, the traffic might come to a dead halt. It got a little better once we hit the turnpike. I deviated from Yahoo because I wanted to avoid I-4. In doing so, we ended up a little off base, but all roads lead to Disney right? A quick detour on 192 and we were at WDW. I truly love that about Orlando. No matter where you are, there will be a sign for Disney. It's a beautiful thing

Arrival
ok we got to Disney I think around 7ish. Check in was nice and smooth. We were on the 3rd floor of the 60s building at POP century. Not a good view, but for 50% off, what do you expect right? We unpacked and decided to hit downtown disney for some quick shopping. I hate the burden of buying stuff for people hanging over my head so I wanted to get it out of the way asap. It was also a nice introduction to the world Ryan has never seen. KEY PURCHASE: we bought our mickey top hats. I knew it would be important for the next day
This was one of only a few times we took the bus because I didn't want to drive at night my first day there. We got back to the hotel about midnight and went to bed.

Day 1, THE BIG DAY!
We got up bright and early and hit the food court for a quick breakfast. The park officially opened at 8am, but we got to the park about 7:45 and got right in. I covered his eyes and took him by the hand into Main Street. I took him dead center(and he LOVES christmas trees) and opened his eyes, gave him a kiss, and said Merry Christmas. Ugh, I'm gonna start crying typing this.

The photographer wasn't scheduled until 8:30 so I had to stall. We took a walk towards the castle holding hands when we were stopped by a cast member wearing a blue collared shirt. She asked if we were staying out of trouble and we said no, of course not. We talked with her and it was great since we had time to kill. So far everything was going great. You all know how high my expectations were for this trip and deep down I hoped that Disney would just push me over the edge and that they would do it without being prompted Once again, Disney delivered. It turns out she was a member of the DREAM SQUAD!!! AAAAHHHH
Since I'm a cast member, I'm not eligible, BUT Ryan and I do not live together and therefore the prize could be awarded to him. We were asked if we had any free time and were told to be at expedition hall at 1:20 for a private meet n greet with a Disney Princess! wwwooo!!!

We had to cut the talking a little short because we were gonna be late for the 300 dollar photo session LOL. I went to our meeting place and we met our photographer. He was a really nice guy. He told us when he interviewed for Disney he wore a daffy duck tie and told them daffy and bugs were his favorite characters! He's been with Disney for 15 years...go figure!

Ok that's all for now, I have to get back to work...suspense!

 

[Hedy]

 

[mindyd]

Great start I can't believe you got a dream on your first day!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

ohhhh awesome so far!!! keep it coming!

 

[punkin413]

Therefore yours truly got to drive through downtown Atlanta in a little prius going 85-90mph consistently in 8 lane traffic. How's that for fun???

i used to do it every day. except in a honda civic. it's not fun, huh?

yay!!!! you've started! i'm glad you were okay - the non-existant mama in me was getting worried. can't wait for more!

 

[zulemara]

Day 1 continued:

So we met with the photographer and went around the park getting pictures. We started in front of the train station at the entrance then went into a back area of the expedition hall then continued down main street. It's funny because when you take pictures with your own camera, most people don't notice and walk in front of you. If you have a photopass picture taken, usually people pay attention but some people are still idiots and will walk in the way. But let me tell you, when you have a photographer following you around, people MOVE. haha I love it!

We continued down main street and I told the photographer I wanted to give him the ring in front of the partners statue. He suggested the rose garden, which you can only stand in if you are doing this photo package, but after seeing how the pictures turned out, I'm glad I stuck to my guns. Call me cheesy, but giving a ring in front of the "partners" statue just hits home with me. I know it has nothing to do with my plight, but it's one of my favorite spots in all of WDW.
So I stopped in front of the statue and gave him the rings. I was sort of hoping there would be more people in the park, but it was DEAD! So much for making a big thing out of it! I have NO fear of crowds and was planning on using that to really get him, but oh well. I don't really remember what I said, but giving him the rings right then, and in front of that statue was a great way to start the trip. The photopass photographers around us clapped and we continued on our way. I was VERY pleased with the pictures we got. I really hope we end up in the running for best romantic photo because for me, a couple of those photos represent everything I love about Disney. ::wipes eyes:: ok enough crying...damnit I'm emotional about this stuff

After the photographer left us it was about 9:10 and we took off for the rides. I can't explain this at all, but we WALKED onto everything!!!! We got onto every major ride. I was SHOCKED! It actually got to the point where I went "now what???" Dare I say we were nearly bored at Magic Kingdom 2 days before x-mas. We did manage to find things to do and really take the time to enjoy the park. My plan all along was to make sure we got on the rides but also to make sure we weren't rushing. I wanted to just relax and stroll in the park. Disney puts so much effort into the environment at Christmas and I think sometimes people just ignore it because they just HAVE to get on the rides.
We saw the xmas parade, the castle show, the castle lighting ceremony, Spectro, and Wishes. With all that going on, we kept pretty busy especially since you have to site down 1.5 hours before the parade for a spot on the curb.

It was a beautiful 82 degrees and sunny. It was extremely foggy in the morning when we had our pictures taken, but it cleared up by the end and I actually like the aura it puts around the castle in some of the pictures.

That's all for now, Day 2 which features Dinner at V & A's and a fireworks cruise will be up next!

 

[Eventer98]

Thanks for the update! We'll be there the same time as you this year so I am keeping my fingers crossed the crowd level is like that for us too!!!

 

[zulemara]

just get to the parks early, that's the best thing I can say. Not only are the parks slower, but so is the food court at the hotel. There was a HUGE difference of even an hour in the food court. Some days we slept in because we knew we'd be able to go back to the park or didn't have that much stuff to do in the park. Hell we went to EPCOT twice, MK twice, MGM once and Animal Kingdom once, so we made our rounds!

 

[Eventer98]

We are definitely early park people...we try to be at the gates 30m before opening. Even with the new baby in tow we still plan on it...it really makes a difference!! Luckily it's easy to get DH up when we are in Disney and I never have a problem rising early!!

Can't wait for more!!

 

[TammieLand]

What a great report -

Thanks so much -

I'm lovin' all the romantical details....