Tale as Old as Time...a Feb 2017 Princess 5k and B-Day Trip! NEW 4/7 THE END of our trip!!

[kastoney]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! There's only 1 thing better than your birthday and its your birthday in Disney

Despite all the drama, loving your dress. Also laughing at your "bad hair day" which is better than any good hair day I've ever had in Disney

Your BoG breakfast looks great. I'm dying to try what you got (but with the baguette of course), but I still can't bring myself to pay $20+ for breakfast there. Now of course I don't blink at an $80 bottle of wine, but $20 breakfast is out of the question. i make no sense

Loving the space mountain video. We caught that once too and its so scary that all that is in there is essentially a really cheap roller coaster from the 70's. Probably why I duck my head throughout the whole ride

Can't wait to see how the dessert party is!

 

[Raeven]

When we reached the Contemporary lobby, I suddenly felt like something went loose...one of the straps of my dress had broken!

Oh no!

I also did not want to walk all the way back to the room...so quick thinking led me right to the front desk and I asked for a safety pin. They did not blink at my request and they literally had a ton of safety pins in different sizes to choose from so I took two and we were on our way!

We had to borrow scissors on our first trip they have everything

I loved the print and color of my dress but aside from the broken strap (cheap, Hot Topic clothing ugh) it was also too big. I didn't mind it too much when I got it (online purchase).

It's really cute! But I do agree their clothing can fit really weird and be not so great quality.

we went through Space Mountain with the lights on! Guess it was down or something, but it was kinda cool but kinda scary looking at the same time and it definitely looks a bit rickety...check out my video here:

If I watch this I'll never want to ride it again

 

[chunkymonkey]

The last several times I've been to MK there have been lines for the PeopleMover! I saw a video on YT of someone riding Space Mountain with the lights on... never putting my hands up on there again! Glad that you got to enjoy BOG and a cute dress (despite the almost-wardrobe malfunction) for your bday

It's been a while since I've seen a line on the people mover. I just love that ride! For some reason didn't expect space mountain in the light to be so...gray. I guess it won't really matter what color it is since it's in the dark. It could have been orange though which would be funny!
Thank you! I'm glad I didn't violate any of Disney's clothing rules, LOL

Happy Birthday day! Looks like a great Birthday so far. Your dress is very cute, perfect for the Tiana social. We did this in February too, we really enjoyed it. Love the Masters cupcake at breakfast lol!

Thank you! Can't believe that it was a month ago! And cupcakes taste better at breakfast for sure !

Glad you were able to make your dress work for the day! Can't wait to read about Tiana's Ice Cream Social!

Yup, crisis averted! I can think of the dire consequences of showing up at MK with half my dress hanging off...banned from WDW eeek!
We really enjoyed the ice cream social...coming up soon!

What a wonderful way to spend your birthday and the dress is very cute. Nice save with the safety pin and I love your necklace it's so pretty.

Thank you! My niece Maddie gave me the necklace one year for x-mas and I love it!

Unfortunately because we travel at popular times Spring Break and Thanksgiving we always lose our PPO breakfasts when they extend park hours.

That is true...the peak times kinda negate the PPO breakfast strategy!

Your breakfasts look yummy and so does that cupcake.
I love all your pictures my favorite is the birthday selfie on the bridge with the castle in the background

The breakfast was yummy and I was looking forward to that cupcake all week!
Thank you! It is a real treat to spend an actual b-day in WDW!

I don't think I want to ride Space Mountain anymore after seeing it with the lights on
Really looking forward to Tiana's Ice Cream Social.

Yeah...we did not go on SM after that! It was never my favorite ride anyways since we loved the Disneyland version!
Tiana's ice cream social coming up next!

Say what you want about your dress, but you look fabulous in it!!! I love the color, it's so cute! Sounds like you were able to pack in a lot that morning, despite the crowds. Yes, it sure pays to get there early! I haven't done a PPO breakfast yet... it's definitely enticing!

Thank you Tracy you are too kind! I only posted the good pictures, LOL. It's definitely a cute dress though and the color is nice and spring-y!
It was great to do the PPO breakfast especially on such a crowded weekend. We would not have been able to go on those rides without it because the waits jumped to like 40 minutes for everything within an hour after opening! And mine train...forget it! 80 minutes!

Yay for not waking up with a cold on your birthday! I absolutely love your dress and that you had your cupcake for breakfast. Sweets are always better in the morning!

Thank you so much! I was so relieved not get a cold. I hope it would be that way for the rest of the year, LOL.
I agree, I tend to like sweets in the morning!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! There's only 1 thing better than your birthday and its your birthday in Disney

I agree!! I'm sure Casey agrees too!

Despite all the drama, loving your dress. Also laughing at your "bad hair day" which is better than any good hair day I've ever had in Disney

Thank you, I only posted the "good" pictures haha. And thank you, I do struggle with my hair just to get it to look nice. But we were lucky in the past few trips the weather was good and not the 110% humidity. Check back again in August and it will be a different set of pictures.

Your BoG breakfast looks great. I'm dying to try what you got (but with the baguette of course), but I still can't bring myself to pay $20+ for breakfast there. Now of course I don't blink at an $80 bottle of wine, but $20 breakfast is out of the question. i make no sense

Haha I like your logic! But think of it this way...it's cheaper than the Early Morning Magic plus I think you can use your TIW card...

Loving the space mountain video. We caught that once too and its so scary that all that is in there is essentially a really cheap roller coaster from the 70's. Probably why I duck my head throughout the whole ride

Can't wait to see how the dessert party is!

I know!! I was expecting something a little more high tech but it's like the track from those old boardwalk type roller coasters, just indoors. I also duck when on SM! I guess it's just from being in the dark!

Tiana's ice cream social coming up!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Oh no!

We had to borrow scissors on our first trip they have everything

Yup, it was an almost disaster. And they do seem to have everything! Steve forgot his razor and they just gave him a disposable one. Not sure if it's just at deluxes or at all resorts.

It's really cute! But I do agree their clothing can fit really weird and be not so great quality.

Thanks! I love their designs but I swear I wear like like 4 different sizes in their clothes. I wish they were more consistent. But their designs are too cute!

If I watch this I'll never want to ride it again

Yeah...don't watch it. It's freaky!

 

[CallieMar]

Oh no at the strap breaking! I'm not surprised that the front desk is prepared for anything and everything. The dress is really cute, you could probably fix it (or ask a friend who is handy with a needle) to get a few more wears out of it! Breakfast looks yummy. Looking forward to reading about the ice cream social!

 

[nettii]

I Love Magic Kingdom day....and on your birthday...rocking an adorable sun dress! I have never worn a dress at Disney buuuuut you looked so cute and it will be so hot when we go (5-15) I am thinking I may just

 

[anniebean]

Uh-oh.....I recently ordered that same dress from Hot Topic (not received it yet) for our trip in September. Maybe I should put a few extra stitches in there to secure it??

Happy Birthday, by the way

 

[cinderkelly]

I absolutely love you in that Tiana dress! That color on you is really pretty and you do not look frumpy AT ALL. And I also love Steve's turkey leg shirt . Glad you were able to get the strap fixed enough with safety pins!

It's so awesome that you were able to be there on your birthday, the grey stuff cupcake is delish, isn't it?? I've a,ways wanted to wake up at Disney on my birthday bit mine is on June 30 and it's so dang hot and crowded there that's keeping me from doing a birthday trip..

The crowds that week were a bit of a challenge, weren't they? A bit higher than what I expected.

 

[Disneyhayes]

All caught up again. The breakfast at BOG looked delicious. Then again I am a sucker for runny eggs and bacon

 

[ariane37]

I had never seen Stormalong Bay up close before...and it was super cool! One day I will stay at the Beach Club...

I really hate putting on a bathing suit so I try my best NOT to swim anywhere, but I did go in the lazy river with DS when we stayed at Beach Club in Nov. I almost got killed by the crazy current (joking, it was my lack of coordination and water skills) but DS LOVED the pool!!

I got a special birthday menu!

Love it! I've gotten the "welcome back" menus but I've never seen a personalized one!

It was a very pretty albeit slightly underwhelming show.

We just saw RoL Sunday and I must say..................I totally agree.

I was wearing a Princess and the Frog dress that I bought for this occasion and I was going to meet Tiana and Naveen in this dress!

LOL I would've done the same thing!

Hot Topic clothing ugh)

I've gotten quite a few tops from there and they hold up well, but the couple dresses I've bought from Hot Topic do seem to not quite fit right. I'm sure it's the way they make the clothes and NOT our bodies

Love your pictures and review of Yachtsman! We've only been once but are heading back in May and I can't wait.

 

[pepperandchips]

Half-naked crisis averted,

This made me laugh out loud!

My first thought when I saw your BOG breakfast was "oh good they fixed the open sandwich!" because when I had it the baguette was so chewy (not like fresh delicious baguette chewy, like bordering-on-stale chewy) that it was really difficult to eat. But it sounds like they traded one problem for another!

Can't wait to see how you liked the Tiana Riverboat party!

 

[abarriger]

Love your Tiana dress-- I don't think it looks frumpy at all, you look so cute! Can't wait to hear about the Boat party.

 

[KathyM2]

Loving your TR. Especially hearing about the run and meeting @Elevationist...you both seem like such fun people...wish I coulda been there too!!...one day!

Definitely want to try that BOG breakfast and dinner as well...have only done lunch...heck...would love to try a PPO breakfast anywhere lol...I'm always too late to the party to get those coveted ADR's lol.

afternoon Ice Cream Social

This sounds awesome. Can't wait to hear more about it.

 

[CallieMar]

I came across this today and thought it was timely since you just posted your BoG breakfast! To all the Gaston loving men in our lives

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Can't wait to hear how the Tiana Desert party was!

I hope your birthday was great!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 5 Part 2: It's a Party on the Bayou! Tiana's Riverboat Ice Cream Social!

We met up with Betsy before our 1:45pm check in time at the Liberty Belle. We remembered to go to the bathroom before as instructed because there are no bathrooms on board the Liberty Belle! So we went to the closest bathrooms, which are the best ones, the Tangled bathrooms!

Betsy even told us exactly where to line up for the Tangled magic shot later that night. It's basically across from the bathrooms and you'll see a PP Photographer and an assistant...and a really long line! It's only available at night, so don't try looking for the line in the day!

We walked through the crowds and over to the check in area outside of the Liberty Belle. There was a line to check in, and just as it was almost our turn to speak to the CM, some mom and her 2 kids cut us in line! What the...HELLO, what just happened!?!? I know the kids were hot and tired from their expressions but that is no excuse to cut the line. I think she thought it was ok to cut because some of her party had already went in but it's not like they checked in for her because she would have had a special sticker and she didn't. If she just asked us we would be more than willing to let her in front, but instead she annoyed us and the line of people behind us. There was no, EXCUSE ME or SORRY on her part either.

I don't think the CM knew that she was cutting because he was busy helping the people in front of us and somehow she kinda snuck in there while he was helping them and then she immediately started talking to the CM as if she was there all the time. So we made loud comments about how some people were CUTTING THE LINE, and how they were RUDE and OBNOXIOUS. But anyways...not letting it ruin our time, we put on smiles and checked in next. What would you have done?

We each got these stickers to wear. The CM said you can wear them anywhere it doesn't have to be in front so I took the sticker and put it on my back so I didn't hide the print of my dress because it was a large sticker!

The landing where you board the Liberty Belle had been transformed into a little dessert party. There were bar height tables to the right when you enter, and to the left were desserts being handed out by CMs. Note that these are not the only treats you get, there will be more treats on the boat itself!

You had your choice of ice cream, as much as you wanted. Here were the choices:

And there was also a toppings bar which was cute:

And I just have to say, these lily pad display "tables" are soooo cute.

In addition to the ice cream, there was also a trio of desserts. They gave a trio to everyone, although if you only wanted some of the treats you could probably do that too. We each got a trio and some ice cream.

Aren't these the cutest? I loved how the desserts at Disney are themed specifically to the dessert party. They were all very sweet and topped with a lot of icing, which is not my favorite. But I did enjoy the Tiana cupcake (what's with me and cupcakes today?) and the green chocolate frog I thought was super cute.

Here's one of our ice creams...I think this was Betsy's.

I believe I got chocolate too, although I didn't top mine with anything, and DH got raspberry sorbet.

There's also a drink station with lemonade and water.

Everything was decorated in the colors of Mardi Gras (of course) and it was very befitting that it was Mardi Gras the next day!

We were given beads to wear too so we had our own Mardi Gras celebration!

Here's the view of the Landing from a different angle. That's Betsy on the left manning our table.

During this pre-boarding time on the landing Tiana and Naveen are available for pictures. It's relatively uncrowded at this time and there was never much of a line. So we were able to take a ton of pictures and interact with them as much as we wanted. First up is myself and DH. They loved my dress! They asked me I made it hahahahaha. Tiana was so cute, she pointed to my dress and was showing Naveen all the pictures. "That's me, and that's you!"

The Betsy joined in!

And I got a few solo pictures, because, well, they insisted because it was my birthday!

We ate and drank on the landing until it was time to board the boat. Tiana and Naveen went to take their place in the FoF parade while the rest of the guests made their way on board the Liberty Belle.

There were more things to get on the boat! So of course, we had to get them too. We had a little collection of popcorn going, and I got a frozen banana, DH got a fruit bar and Betsy got a Mickey bar.

There was also bottled water to drink which was nice. It was probably the warmest day of the trip so far, and it got quite sweaty in the afternoon!

They handed out this sort of Scavenger hunt type quiz which you can do on board the boat.

About 15 minutes later we pulled away from the dock, ready for the FoF parade!

Betsy had a conversation with a CM about how long the line for Haunted Mansion was...literally lines of people waiting OUTSIDE and the lines snaked around near the river...So they had to get a line selfie and the CM's name was Yancy and he said, hashtag it #ILOVEYANCY so she did!

Here's some video from the parade. It was a nice view, not like the best view, but you get to hear the music at least, and be away from the crowds and have some shade. That to me is worth the 50 bucks!

There's Tiana and Naveen!

Enjoying her second Mickey bar!

After the parade, Tiana and Naveen board the boat again and we cruise around the Rivers of America. As you cruise around you can find answers to the quiz. Some are quite obvious but some actually made us think. I am not sure what you get for finishing the quiz as we never turned it in, but maybe you get a certificate or something.

I did not take too many pictures of the boat ride because I was trying to conserve some battery so I just have a few.

I had not been on the Liberty Belle in a really long time so I forget sometimes what's on the river. I was also feeling a bit tired so just enjoyed the breezes and the scenery until we made it back to the dock. Oh and Tiana and Naveen were very busy taking pictures with everybody on the boat so your best bet is to take pictures with them while still at the landing and everyone is busy grabbing their desserts. They played some music from Princess and the Frog I believe and there was a little conga line for the kids around the boat.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed the Ice Cream social a lot. It's not only a way to stay out of the heat while watching a great parade, but you get lots of interaction with Tiana and Naveen and lots of treats. It's not that crowded and there was room to move on the boat. There is no seating on the landing but there is some seating on the boat. The 50 dollar price tag is cheaper than the evening dessert parties too. If you're gonna eat about 5 Mickey bars a day anyways...it's probably worth it for you .

After we got off the boat it was unfortunately time for Betsy to leave as she had to make it back to POR to catch ME for her flight home.

We walked towards the exit and we passed by the Hall of Presidents and caught some of the new muppets show. I had not seen this before!

We parted ways at Main Street but first, a Mardi Gras selfie!

No worries though, we'll be meeting again in May! Not our original May trip but a quickie trip I just booked last week to catch the Pandora preview for AP holders! It's just for the weekend but we're both so excited to check it out first hand! I will write more in my PTR at some point!

We headed back to the Contemporary. I think we decided to take the monorail which was fortunately working, thank goodness as I was pooped. We had about an hour and a half before we have yet another DISMeet and this time, we're on top of the world!

BTW, here's Betsy's amazing Tangled magic shot. I couldn't wait to get one that night and I hoped mine would be remotely as good as hers.

Coming up, drinks at Top of the World and Dinner at California Grill!​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

But anyways...not letting it ruin our time, we put on smiles and checked in next. What would you have done?

I don't take well to those situations! I usually make a big fuss but at Disney sometimes I let it go, as to preserve my personal disney magic.

Hmmm, I am not sure I am sold on the dessert party. It seems like a strange place to watch the parade. We haven't actually been on the ferry yet. IT def would be nice to do it for the first time with desserts!

 

[disneyAndi14]

We did the Tiana social as well, we also really enjoyed it and the view for the parade was a nice change I thought and to be honest all the times Andi and I have been I have never watched the whole parade just bits and pieces so I finally watched the whole thing and really enjoyed it.

We also thought for the price it was a nice set-up, how awesome to do the AP Pandora preview, I would have loved to try to swing that.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Oh no at the strap breaking! I'm not surprised that the front desk is prepared for anything and everything. The dress is really cute, you could probably fix it (or ask a friend who is handy with a needle) to get a few more wears out of it! Breakfast looks yummy. Looking forward to reading about the ice cream social!

I would have kept the dress if it fit a little better overall but it's probably more work than the dress cost itself. It was cheap enough to not be painful to donate
We always enjoy breakfast at BoG and DH really likes the PPO as he can ride mine train more than once in a given day. Hehe. Ice cream social post is up!

I Love Magic Kingdom day....and on your birthday...rocking an adorable sun dress! I have never worn a dress at Disney buuuuut you looked so cute and it will be so hot when we go (5-15) I am thinking I may just

Thank you so much! Anything light weight at Disney is much needed in the heat. The sundress was nice and breezy and it had pockets too!

Uh-oh.....I recently ordered that same dress from Hot Topic (not received it yet) for our trip in September. Maybe I should put a few extra stitches in there to secure it??

Happy Birthday, by the way

Thank you!!
Yes..I think that is a good idea. It's a cute dress but the stitching...kinda sketchy, LOL. At least carry a few safety pins in case.

I absolutely love you in that Tiana dress! That color on you is really pretty and you do not look frumpy AT ALL. And I also love Steve's turkey leg shirt . Glad you were able to get the strap fixed enough with safety pins!

Thank you!! It was not so bad in pictures but I had to play around with the length of the straps to make it look like I had a waist at a normal height.
Steve does enjoy wearing his loud shirts. I used to buy him very tame Disney shirts because I wasn't sure he'd be keen on wearing such loud cartoon-y Disney prints but who knew his favorite shirt would end up being Gaston? LOL So now, it's Gaston everything, hahaha.

It's so awesome that you were able to be there on your birthday, the grey stuff cupcake is delish, isn't it?? I've a,ways wanted to wake up at Disney on my birthday bit mine is on June 30 and it's so dang hot and crowded there that's keeping me from doing a birthday trip..

That cupcake is soooo good. I like it better than the grey stuff they serve at dinner which is on top of some hard chocolate wafer thing. The cupcake is so much better!

Thank you! You definitely need a trip on your b-day! Or you could just get a birthday pin at Disneyland! Hehe

The crowds that week were a bit of a challenge, weren't they? A bit higher than what I expected.

Yeah crazy, right? The parks were more crowded than the restaurants though, remember how empty The Wave was?

All caught up again. The breakfast at BOG looked delicious. Then again I am a sucker for runny eggs and bacon

It was quite tasty and I love poached eggs and of course, bacon!! I think this is honestly the only thing I've gotten at BoG breakfast. Maybe next time I will try something else!

I really hate putting on a bathing suit so I try my best NOT to swim anywhere, but I did go in the lazy river with DS when we stayed at Beach Club in Nov. I almost got killed by the crazy current (joking, it was my lack of coordination and water skills) but DS LOVED the pool!!

I am going to have to re read that part of your TR now! LOL

Love it! I've gotten the "welcome back" menus but I've never seen a personalized one!

Yeah something Betsy and our waiter David cooked up. Betsy was the one who introduced us to David and we've been back ever since!

We just saw RoL Sunday and I must say..................I totally agree.

Right!?!? I'm not the only one who thought it was pretty good...but not wow. I think I'd rather see Fantasmic! I would, however, do the ROL dining package again and then give my tickets to someone else.

LOL I would've done the same thing!

It's the reason I buy these things! I have a wardrobe of regular "work-appropriate" clothes and then my Disney clothes and lemme tell you, they are like 180 degrees of each other.

I've gotten quite a few tops from there and they hold up well, but the couple dresses I've bought from Hot Topic do seem to not quite fit right. I'm sure it's the way they make the clothes and NOT our bodies

Haha also because a lot of their stuff is made for junior sizes and I'm way too tall and wide for it, but I so desperately want to wear that stuff I make it fit! LOL I am like the stepsisters trying on the Glass Slipper.

Love your pictures and review of Yachtsman! We've only been once but are heading back in May and I can't wait.

That's right, you'll be there for the Pandora preview right? We'll be there on the 20th too!

This made me laugh out loud!

It could have been a disaster...

My first thought when I saw your BOG breakfast was "oh good they fixed the open sandwich!" because when I had it the baguette was so chewy (not like fresh delicious baguette chewy, like bordering-on-stale chewy) that it was really difficult to eat. But it sounds like they traded one problem for another!

That's so funny! I like croissants but just not soggy ones. The baguettes that I have gotten before were not stale though so that's probably why I preferred it. Maybe they should just have the croissant on the side #solvesworldproblems

Can't wait to see how you liked the Tiana Riverboat party!

Just posted!

Love your Tiana dress-- I don't think it looks frumpy at all, you look so cute! Can't wait to hear about the Boat party.

Thank you! I tried to make it look decent in the pictues. A lot of it is sucking in my gut. LOL
Just posted about the boat party!

Loving your TR. Especially hearing about the run and meeting @Elevationist...you both seem like such fun people...wish I coulda been there too!!...one day!

Thank you Kathy!! Sooo happy we got to hang out with @Elevationist and all our Dis friends. It really makes each trip special.
Are you going to do a Run Disney race? I see your posts on running on FB. You can definitely do any Run Disney race!

Definitely want to try that BOG breakfast and dinner as well...have only done lunch...heck...would love to try a PPO breakfast anywhere lol...I'm always too late to the party to get those coveted ADR's lol.

Yeah those things are hard to come by on short notice. I just made some PPO breakfast ADRs for August although not as early as I wanted...8:30am, that's like cutting it close, by the time we get out there will be a line at 7DMT, I know it!

This sounds awesome. Can't wait to hear more about it.

Just posted!

I came across this today and thought it was timely since you just posted your BoG breakfast! To all the Gaston loving men in our lives

Hahaha that is too funny! These fan videos are hilarious. I just saw one parody with Deadpool singing Gaston. It's kinda cool, although it's NSFW so I'm sure I'll violate all Disboard rules by linking to it, but just search for Deadpool Gaston on youtube and it should pop up.

Can't wait to hear how the Tiana Desert party was!

I hope your birthday was great!

Thank you! Tiana post is up!
And it was amazing, thank you!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I don't take well to those situations! I usually make a big fuss but at Disney sometimes I let it go, as to preserve my personal disney magic.

Exactly! I won't let the rudeness of others affect MY trip! So we have no choice but to have patience and brush it off...forgive and forget, right? But sometimes I just wanna go all .

Hmmm, I am not sure I am sold on the dessert party. It seems like a strange place to watch the parade. We haven't actually been on the ferry yet. IT def would be nice to do it for the first time with desserts!

It is an odd place to watch the parade but I think they had to do something with the Liberty Belle at some point as it just sits there and not many people go on it. So they distract you with prince and princesses and lots of sweets and beads so you forget about the view, lol.

We did the Tiana social as well, we also really enjoyed it and the view for the parade was a nice change I thought and to be honest all the times Andi and I have been I have never watched the whole parade just bits and pieces so I finally watched the whole thing and really enjoyed it.

We also thought for the price it was a nice set-up, how awesome to do the AP Pandora preview, I would have loved to try to swing that.

Me too! I have not watched the entire parade in one sitting because who thought a parade at the hottest time of day was a good idea?!? I'm always like, I'm dying it's so hot, let's go sit in Philharmagic and nap...hahaha.

It was a fun thing to do!

I know, I can't believe we were so lucky to get the AP preview. It filled up really quickly!