The Greatest Hits: A Trip Like This Needs a Soundtrack!-A July 2012 TR Upd. 5/5!

[therussells08]

I love your soundtrack idea! And all your choices so far have been wonderful!
Everything in life really needs to have a soundtrack!

Ahhh it looks soooo lovely there! Seriously right up there on my places to stay list. Looks so perfect!

Oh my... we are at Disney... let us sit down and have a game of checkers?

Walking to Epcot le sigh!

Also you should know that I 'oohed and ahhed' at the appropriate place when being showed the RFID scanner

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the soundtrack idea! I totally agree! Life would be so much more interesting with a soundtrack!

It is such an amazing resort! I highly recommend it!

Haha, I know right?! I don't think they have to worry about supplying board games to keep us busy at DISNEY WORLD.

It's SO nice walking to Epcot, but we got spoiled by it!

HAHA thank you for your appropriate reaction to the super amazing RFID scanners. I'm glad someone else appreciates them like I do!

Hi Joni,
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your trip report. As it turns out, my husband and I won't be able to take another trip for about 2 years so I decided to read some trips reports in the meantime. I stumbled upon yours and boy, do I really feel like I'm living the magic along with you
Glad you had a great time and I'm looking forward to the cupcake reviews

Tonianne

Hi! Thank you so much for your kind comment. I'm really glad you enjoy my reports, and I hope they help pass the time until your next trip. I hope the two years go by fast for you so you can get back to Disney!

Hi Joni! I have followed your other TR's and just found this one. I was so excited to see it! You do such a fantastic job of writing and describing everything that it makes me feel like I am there! Can't wait to read more!!

Hi! Thank you so much for reading my TRs and for your wonderful comment! That is so flattering! I'm really glad you enjoy them.

Hey Joni!!!!

I your song choices!!!!

Sitting on the dock of the BoardWalk,
watching the tide roll away!!!
Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm.
That's me singing along..

Great up date and the songs are Fabulous...

I love the Beach Club... My favorite resort... I keep trying to stay somewhere else (which I've done) but there is nothing better than Beach Club, it's my favorite...

I leaving this coming friday for my trip to your country... I'm going to Durham, NC, I'm spending a couple of days there and then on over to Wilmington, NC for a couple of days on the beach... I'm so excited... My first trip to NC... It's my cousin's 50th birthday party!!! and I'm going by myself. No hubby, No children... (although my children are 24, 21, 18) Party time...

I'm loving you trip report... Thank you for taking the time to entertain us...

How's School?
Have the kids started back yet?

I can't wait to see where y'all eat in Epcot, and what you do, and what song you will pick next!!!!

TexasBelle
Carolyn

I'm so glad you're loving the song choices! Isn't Otis Redding amazing?

I agree about the Beach Club. It's definitely my favorite too!

I'm not sure if you're already home from NC or if you're still here, but either way, I hope you had/are having a wonderful time! NC is a great place to be!

Thank you for all of your kind comments! I love reading them!

School is going alright. Our students have been back since August 2nd, so we're in full swing now. It's already so exhausting!

Hi Joni! Sorry I'm late joining, it seems like the last 6 months I haven't had much time for the dis.

The Beach Club looks amazing. I wish my budget would allow for us to stay there. We've always stayed at the Value resorts. My kids would absolutely love the sandy bottom pool.

Can't wait to read more.

Hi! You're not late, you're right on time! I totally understand, I feel like I have no time for the DIS lately either!

I love the Beach Club so much! I hope you get to stay there sometime soon. Be on the lookout for the discounts! Sometimes you can go during the value season and get about 40% off your room! It's much more affordable then!

Yay! I love your TR's, sorry for joining so late !!

Thank you so much You're not late, you're right on time! I'm glad you're reading along!

 

[therussells08]

Omg now I've Had Good Vibrations stuck in my head ALL day after reading the update Great song titles so far!
Your BC pics look soooo gorgeous! Hope to stay there one day(fingers crossed)

Haha I'm sorry I got it stuck in your head, but at least it was a Beach Boys song! I'm glad you liked the BC pictures! It really is an amazing resort! I hope you get to stay there someday!

I am finally here! And will be going back to catch up presently.

YAY! I'm so glad you're here!

Your room looked so nice. I have not stayed there yet but I will. I want that lamp.

I love the area around BCV it is so pretty.

Great update and pics.

Thanks! It really was a great room. I want that lamp too!

That whole area is so gorgeous! I love it!

I am reading her Christmas one right now!

Lisa

That's a great one!

YAY FOR THE BEACH CLUB!!! Thank goodness you got out of that other hotel and checked into HEAVEN! Even though I've never stayed there, all of your pictures remind me of our first frump trip when we stayed at the Yacht Club. AHH the memories!! I love the decor of the Beach Club rooms! I have never been in one so it's really cool to see pictures. I am getting all excited for you just reading about this! Eeeep it's so beautiful! I can't wait to read more!

I know, I was SO relieved to be on Disney property and at the glorious Beach Club! I thought about you guys so much while we were there. Everything reminded me of the frump trip!

 

[therussells08]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to comment quickly before my update and say I am so sorry for the huge gap in updates! As you know, work has been keeping me insanely busy. I feel like pretty much all I do is work and sleep! Also my weekends have been pretty occupied, because John and I have been spending as much time together as possible. He leaves next Sunday for a nine month deployment, so our time together right now is precious. If you’re the praying type, please keep us in your prayers as he ventures out on this long journey. It’s going to be a hard nine months without him, and we are both going to need a lot of strength to get us through it.

On a lighter note, if you noticed, I have a new ticker in my signature! That’s right, my sister and I are taking a girls only trip to Disney in March, and we’re staying in a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation! EEEP! I’m so excited to try out a brand new resort, although I will admit I’m a little nervous about taking a trip without John. I will post more updates about that trip as it gets closer. As of right now our next big milestone will be making our ADRs on September 3rd, so keep your fingers crossed that we can snag a Be Our Guest ADR!

Alright, on with the update!

"Don't Worry Be Happy"- Bobby McFerring

July 8, 2012

In every life we have some trouble,
but when you worry you make it double.
Don’t worry, be happy. ​

When I left off it was barely 9:30 on our first day in Disney, and we were already checked into our resort, unpacked, and getting ready to walk into our first park of the trip! It had been smooth sailing so far! I was able to breeze right into Epcot with my AP, but John had to stop at the ticketing booth to activate his military tickets. Thinking it would only take a few minutes, I went ahead into the park and went in the World Traveler to wait for him.

Since it was only 9:30 and the World Showcase doesn’t open until 11, that store was dead. I walked around for a few minutes browsing, but the CMs in there were staring at me so I got uncomfortable and left. They seemed like they were really bored, but they also seemed like they weren’t really the conversational type, so apparently they just settled for staring unblinkingly at unsuspecting guests.

I wandered outside and sat on some of the benches right near the International Gateway entrance. I could see John was still waiting in line, so I knew it was going to be a little while longer. While I waited I updated my trip journal.

I couldn’t sit still for long, so I got up and wandered over to the gate to see if John was being helped yet. Nope. He was STILL waiting in line. Ughhh. I was feeling restless, so I paced around and took some pictures.

After staring at the friendship boat for a few minutes I walked back over and John was in the exact same spot, still waiting in line. This was getting ridiculous! I was filled with too much energy, so I texted him and told him we would meet up in the UK and I wandered that way.

France!

Along the way, I saw two people out cold on some benches. I mean really? It wasn’t even 10:00 and these people were already so desperately in need of a nap that they were willing to abandon all pretense of self respect and fall asleep publicly? They must have had a busy morning.

Of course I took a picture of them. Would you expect anything less from me?

Anyway, I made it over to the UK, but there really wasn’t anything to do yet because nothing was open, so I settled for just wandering around and taking pictures!

I love looking at the shop windows!

Even though nothing was open so there was technically nothing to do, I was really enjoying myself. The UK was completely empty, and I had all this time to check out the details and all the beautiful scenery. I was happy enough for a self portrait!

Despite my wonderfully tranquil exploration time, I was a little concerned by the fact that John STILL hadn’t made it into the park, so I decided to leave the UK and go back to the International Gateway entrance to make sure he was okay.

On the way I noticed the new Agent P WS thing from Phineas and Ferb. I guess this replaced the Kim Possible thing, right?

As I was walking back to the International Gateway entrance I saw John walking toward me. Finally! We met up, and he explained to me what had happened. Apparently the CM working at the ticket booth was in training, so it was taking her a really long time to help the guests. That’s no big deal and John was totally okay with it, but what he wasn’t okay with was the spastic woman in line behind him. Apparently she was FREAKING OUT because she had an ADR for Akershus in like ten minutes, and she had just decided that she wanted to buy the Tables in Wonderland card, and she was super mad because she was going to be late for her ADR. So naturally she was being ridiculously rude to the poor CM who was trying to train. Right, because it was the CM’s fault that you decided you wanted a TiW card TEN MINUTES before your ADR. That’s not poor planning on your part or anything, right lady? Also, John said her husband and two kids were with her, and the kids were arguing over who got to hold the park map, so the dad grabbed it from them, ripped it in half, and yelled “NOW NO ONE GETS TO HOLD IT.”

I don’t know about you, but I think that family sounds like a freaking blast to go on vacation with. I’d like to dedicate my song choice for this update to that entire family. Take some advice from Bobby McFerrin, and CALM DOWN.

Anyway, after John and I were finally reunited, we were ready to explore Epcot on this beautiful day! So, what would be our first ride of the trip? Stay tuned to find out!

Up Next: More adventures in Epcot! Stay tuned!

 

[monica23535]

Wow - nine months! No wonder you want to spend lots of time with John before he goes!

Im so glad you have a new trip to concentrate on to help make the time go faster.

Great update as usual! That grumpy family sure sounds like fun lol

 

[therussells08]

"Let's Get it Started"- Black Eyed Peas

July 8, 2012

Let’s get it started (ha)
Let’s get it started in here​

Once John finally made it into the park we were more than ready to go exploring, so we set off through the World Showcase! Since it still wasn’t open, we decided to make our way to Future World! I had originally not planned for us to arrive at Epcot on this day until the late afternoon, so being there this early gave us some time to really just wander around without any specific plans! It was awesome, because it felt like we had “extra” Disney time to play with!

I love the World Showcase!

On our way to Future World we saw that the Brave Highland Games were still going on! I knew from the DIS that they were ending that day, so even though they hadn’t started the games for the day I still wanted to stop in the area and check everything out!

They had really cute decorations set up, and games for kids to play that were like the real Highland games!

I love the triplets!

They also had this really cool sculpture set up. I’m not sure what it is- it looks like it’s made out of sand, but I doubt it.

Here’s the set up for archery and other games. John was super bummed that it was only for kids. He wanted to play!

After we explored the Highland Games we continued on our way to Future World!

Isn’t that a beautiful view?

I had been anxious about not entering Epcot through the main entrance on this trip, but it turns out that I LOVED the International Gateway way more!

We decided our first mission for the morning would be to grab some FPs to Soarin’, so we made our way to The Land!

I was nervous there wouldn’t be any FPs left, but it turns out we had nothing to worry about! I guess I forgot that Epcot had only been open for like an hour!

Here’s a blurry action shot of John getting FPs. This is riveting stuff, I know.

After we got our FPs we discussed stopping at Sunshine Seasons to grab a bite to eat, but neither of us was very hungry, so we decided to wait until later.

See ya in a little while, Land!

We were both itching to go on a ride, but Test Track was closed and I wasn’t in the mood for Mission:Space, so we decided to go to Spaceship Earth!

On the way I got my first view of the beautiful fountain!

Helloooo Spaceship Earth!

PALM TREES!

The line for Spaceship Earth was surprisingly long, but it was moving quickly so we decided to wait it out. While we were waiting I got my first view of a truly terrifying sight.

AUGGHHH TOUR GROUPS. The first of the trip, but most certainly not the last. Seriously, they were EVERYWHERE on this trip, and there’s lots of funny/annoying/awkward interactions with them coming up, so look forward to that.

After only about a ten minute wait, it was time for our first ride of the trip!

Up Next: My weird Spaceship Earth face, and back to the World Showcase! Stay tuned!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Well, that's...special...wouldn't it have been just as easy to grab another park map, rather than make matters worse?? Parenting moment of the year, folks. No wonder they were arguing in the first place with angry parents like that! Yeesh!

Excited for an Epcot day!

Sorry that John has to leave for so long . I'll definitely keep y'all in my thoughts and prayers!

 

[kimbo0569]

So happy to hear you and your sister are doing a "girls only" trip! We decided we're going next fall and I think my mom is coming with us.

Keeping positive thoughts for you and John, and that the 9 months goes by quickly. Safe travels to him.

That family sounds truly miserable. I can be a very impatient person but when I'm on vacation, I just don't let things get to me like that, it's not worth it. I have two daughters, therefore we get two maps. We just got back from Hershey and as soon as we walked in the park, the girls each grabbed a map, that way they could decide what they wanted to ride, without the bickering.

 

[LongLiveDisney]

Yay for a sister trip! That sounds like fun!

God bless you and John during those upcoming nine months. I truly thank him for his service in this country and you for your support.

I love those pictures of the sleeping bench potatoes-I laughed out loud. They look like logs.

Great updates!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Home sick in bed...... reading some trip reports...

your title caught my attention...... love the idea of making a vaca soundtrack...

I love your Shining references...I've been in a hotel like that...

Looking forward to reading more and cupcakes...

 

[rachel09985]

Aww nine months! Where is he going!? I will definitely be thinking about you next Sunday

I hate rude people. Why do people have to be mean to people that are trying to make a living and work!? It is my major pet peeve. Nothing is more important than treating people in a respectable manner! UGH! Well now that I got that off of my chest..hahah!

That is exciting about your new trip! I am heading to a Little Mermaid in November so you will have to follow my trip report if I do one!

 

[Reberella]

The new trip sounds so exciting... Art of Animation looks awesome, I would love to try it out! Can't wait for the review!
I'll keep you and John in my thoughts... I really appreciate what he does for our country
I love the International Gateway, the walk is so peaceful
I don't understand why people can't just be calm in Disney! You're in the happiest place on earth people! Sheesh!

 

[smile4stamps]

Ugh on the 9 months apart! That is going to be hard but having a trip to look forward to will help! I've been living apart from my hubby since February but the longest we go without seeing each other is 2 months. I cannot imagine 9 months!

Wonderful pics on a mostly empty World Showcase.... Um, yeah, WHY would people need to be sleeping on park benches at that time of day? Make absolutely no sense!! Go back to your room if you are that tired!!

 

[JDailey]

Yay for getting to plan a new sisters trip!! The Art of Animation looks like a really neat place to stay. I can't imagine what you guys are feeling right now with him leaving for 9 months!!! I will for sure keep you guys in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[jecskc]

First of all, please know that we appreciate yours and John's time and sacrifice for our country's freedom. MY BIL was deployed for 18 months and it was very hard on my sister and her son. I am so glad that Disney gives a really good military discount.

The Brave sculpture WAS sand. When we were there, they had the sculptors repairing sections of it that had gotten a little messed up by rain the previous evening. I love those sand sculptures.

How about that rude family, huh ?? When we went in April (Spring Break) there was a guy throwing a fit at 50's Prime Time at 12:15 PM - the height of lunch hour. He was wondering why they couldn't seat his part of TEN without a reservation. Way to plan ahead, dude ....

 

[MagicShell]

So sorry John will be leaving soon for 9 months. I can't imagine how hard that is on both of you. I admire you both for your sacrifice. I'm glad you have a new trip to plan though.

I must admit that patience is not one of my strong points, but I try not to be rude about it. Planning ahead is a must at WDW.

I have never seen Brave, I would like to. I just saw Tangled a couple of weeks ago, and I really liked it.

 

[CiCiBee]

Sorry for taking so long. We live in Greensboro. So not too far.

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Loving the trip report so far! And yay on the sisters trip I am dying to stay at art of animation some day, it looks so cool. Praying for you and John on his deployment. Thank God for people like him who protect our freedoms.

 

[heatherlekay]

Joni-sorry to hear about your hubby's long deployment. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you My baby Brother is a marine and currently on his 1st deployment(scheduled to return soon ) Its been alot harder to deal with than I'd anticipated but I'm sure nothing can compare to your spouse being gone. I'm praying for you both and thank you BOTH for your service to our country. Hopefully time will go by really quickly.

Yay for your March AoA stay with your sister! Can't wait to see those pics! My friend recently stayed in the cars land at AOA and she says the details are insane

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Joni, I'm sorry about the whole 9 months apart thing. I will definitely keep you both in my thoughts. And, hey, at least you have a Disney trip to plan/look forward to to help pass the time.

I love the International Gateway entrance. It's so pretty back there. And I can't stop laughing at the people passed out on the benches. Must've been a rough morning.

We didn't make it to Epcot until later in our trip so we missed the Highland Games. I'm kinda bummed because it looks really cute!

I totally know what you mean about the tour groups being EVERYWHERE. It was crazy. So many matching shirts. So many giant inflatable stick things.

 

[amandaw]

I'll definitely keep y'all in my prayers. His service is much appreciated.

How frustrating that must have been for him to be stuck in line by that family. But, I love that you dedicated your update song to them.