The "I Wasn't Going to Do a Trip Report" Trip Report!~May 2015-Update 5/10/16-New TR link!

[cinderkelly]

I really enjoyed following along on your TR! Your photos are amazeballs! Hope your birthday trip is equally as fabulous, are you doing a TR for that one? If so I'd love to read all about it

 

[Simba22]

It turns out, these weren't the brightest baby ducks in the world, because they wouldn't follow the mommy duck out of the water, even though there was a ramp, they were way at the opposite end of the water, and for some reason, the mom kept jumping out or flying away, and quacking like a crazy...duck, and they were too small to follow. Of course, Brandon starts talking to some guy, who is very concerned, and they agree that if they don't come up with a plan to help the baby ducks, they will drown and die. So they thought that someone should get popcorn, feed it to the mom, and walk along the water, leaving a trail of popcorn for the mom to follow to the ramp. So the guy did this, he had to climb over bushes and everything, but he got those ducks to the ramp finally, and they all safely got out of the water. OMG it was such an ordeal, this took at least 45 minutes of planning and watching.

I think the funniest part of this is imagining you telling the story verbally! But you know Brandon would have literally lost sleep if you guys didn't stick around to make sure they made it safely onto land!

Everything was so good, that we decided we should go to Tutto on our next trip. Well, I forgot about that until a few weeks ago, and now Tutto is booked for the times I can fit it in! Oh well, hopefully next time!

Of course, it's been 5 years now but we loved Tutto Italia! I'm going to put it on the list for the trip I'm perpetually planning in my head that somehow keeps getting bumped to "next year."​

​

I am LIVING for this picture right now! Ugh, I miss Epcot sunsets so much!!​

​

We had about 30 minutes to wait, but I didn't care, my pre -Illuminations music was blasting, and I was happy!

Soon Illuminations started, and no one stood up, so we watched sitting down, which was awesome, because my feet hurt SO bad by the end of this trip! ​

The pre-Illuminations loop is definitely in my top 3... that, the Animal Kingdom Lodge loop, and the Tower of Terror loop. How lucky that no one stood up! Maybe people are finally figuring it out!

​

How do you say goodbye to your favorite park? You stay as long as you can, taking a million pictures of Spaceship Earth!

True story!

I LOVED this report, even though I'm a terrible friend and joined when you were like 3/4 of the way done! If you do one for your birthday trip, I promise I'll do better! Haha! ​

 

[amazingact21]

Glad you were able to meet Marie. You'd think it would be posted that she only had afternoon hours at that location...


I can't believe that Cast Member wanted to bring you a purse from the back. There's no way you were the first person to ever pick out your favorite pattern. I remember when I finally got my Disney Dooney I stood in MouseGears for ten minutes going through which one I liked best. And a couple weeks ago in a store, my mom caught me death staring another person's Dooney and I had to explain to her that there's a lot of personal preference that goes into those purses. It can say a lot about someone's Disney tastes.
Either way, I'm happy you got your bag and that you like it, even if it's still a little big for your liking.


Epcot on your final night is fitting! A perfect way to end your trip!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I'm all caught up!

I'm glad you had a better experience at Beaches and Cream! I'm glad that I finally had a chance to eat there in May AND I was able to try the No Way Jose! It is really good!

I'm still jealous that you stayed at the Wilderness Lodge - I was so impressed with that resort when I went to dinner at Artist Point. I'd love to stay there one day!

I'm right there with you on Crystal Palace - it's my favorite in-park breakfast. I'm a huge fan of the custom omelets and the Pooh's puffed French toast! It also includes Eeyore, which makes it even better.

What a lovely Disney Dooney! I can't believe the CM was so feisty about picking out a particular bag - I'm pretty sure that EVERY Disney fan picks a "particular" bag. Heck, I inspect practically everything I buy for the "best" one, so it certainly would carry over for such an expensive bag!

I hope you're having a wonderful time at Disney and I look forward to hearing all about it! I hope you write another TR!

 

[ScottishMummyof2]

Loved your TR, so glad I found it when it was complete and I could read it all the way through in one go!!! I admire how much park hoping you did, had me exhausted just thinking about it. Our trip is in 4 weeks and we can't wait Looking forward to your next TR!!

 

[Sarahh1027]

Anybody else notice the hidden Mickey in the clouds on page 8 (Be Our Guest day) the first castle picture AFTER the french onion soup?? (So not the first castle pic, but the first after lunch). Sorry I'm brand new, if I knew how to post the picture here instead I would! Not sure if anyone else already noticed it and pointed it out before me and I missed it, but you can see two round Mickey ears, and his nose sort of points to the right. Anyways, Loved the trip report! Only real temporary cure to Disney blues..living through other's trip reports!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

yum : the puffed!!! that looks SO GOOD right now!!
yay for finally meeting Eeyore

that Tiramisu looks so cute! after a filling meal, I bet its the perfect size dessert, especially at Epcot where there are so many good treats!!!

I can't wait to hear about your birthday trip!!

I tried to swing a last minute trip in a few weeks- just me- but no dvc available and friends in the area wont be home to chauffeur me and let me crash on their couch just wasn't meant to be. I got my hopes up a little too much on a $55 roundtrip ticket!!! oh well!!

I need to start planning a solo weekend trip for myself in the spring or next fall or something. I need to witness the magic of Disney on a solo adventure, for sure! and if I planned it for if you and /or marissa would be there, that would be perfect!!

 

[deedee2177]

I finished up your TR today...I really enjoyed it and I LOVE your D&B purse! I hope you had a great trip during your recent trip and hope you decide to do another TR!

 

[Nermel9]

That purse is fabulous! So glad you decided to treat yourself!

Thank you! I still want a Haunted Mansion D&B, but I really love this one!

Depending on when this was we might have been in the food court at the same time. We were there around 2ish.

Love! I want one of these one day.

That's crazy! We probably walked by each other a million times!

You should get one, I love them!

Thank you for sharing and have a great time this weekend!

Thank you for reading, and thank you!

I love the D&B you picked!!

I'm so glad you decided to do this TR because I love reading about your trips. Have so much fun on your birthday trip!!

Thanks!

Aww, thank you! And again, thank you! I had so much fun!

Great TR!!! Thanks for sharing it with us...
And I especially love Dooney purse... Completely understand having to have the perfect Disney purse!!!

Have a great birthday trip (And Happy Birthday by the way )...

I hope you write another TR so we can enjoy your birthday with you!!!

Thank you for reading!

Thanks, me too! I'm so glad I got this one, even though I still really want the HM purse too!

Thank you!

 

[Nermel9]

Booo! It's always so sad when you leave your last park of the trip. It's nice you had another one to sort of look forward to though and now its a real trip! I'm looking at the calendar now and realizing you're probably already there RIGHT NOW! I'm super jealous but looking forward to your new TR.

Leaving is so much easier when you have another trip to look forward to!

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your adventure with us! Your photos are gorgeous, and I loved vacationing vicariously through you. I hope that you're having an absolutely incredible time on your big birthday trip right now... Looking forward to hearing all about it when you get back!!!

Thank you for reading! Thanks! I had a great time on my birthday trip!

Hey Jen! I kind of dropped the ball on commenting on your TR....but I just wanted to let you know that I DID follow along with the whole thing and I really enjoyed it! Sounds like you guys had a really fun trip! Looking forward to your next TR, I promise I'll try to do better at commenting next time!!

Haha don't worry about it, I'm SO behind on TR's it's not even funny! I read, but I don't ever have time to comment so I totally understand! Thank you, we had a great trip!

Probably - have to teach those folks a lesson! We've encountered those types before too that don't pay attention to Photopass lines.

Glad you had a great meal at Crystal Palace AND met Eeyore!


Haha, he really was feeling like a kid. How did he like Barnstormer?


Yay, so happy you were able to track her down! I wish we'd had time to meet her on our trip - I'm sure Izzy would love her!


Wow, you can now claim to be part of the Amazing Disney Duckling Rescue!


Hope you did! Gorgeous!

Yeah, I mean, I can understand not knowing where to wait for a photopass line (even though there is clearly a line!) but to try to just jump in front? Obnoxious!

Thanks! I love Eeyore!

He didn't really like it, because it was a kids roller coaster, which I TOLD him! At least it's out of his system!

Well the good thing is, Marie is always out, so hopefully you will get to see her someday! If they take my Marie away, I don't know what I'll do!

Haha!

So glad that CM told the people they couldn't get in front of you. I swear some people are just so dang entitled and it drives me crazy.

Hahahahah, thank you for calling it 'the puffed.' HOORAY for finally meeting Eeyore!!

Omg I was so concerned about Marie for a second. She's too cute to not be meeting!

Love that Dooney! I have the Disneyland version in a wallet but now I want something in the WDW pattern too! Curses! Can't afford that. Hahahahah. And I agree, that's such a great placement.

I love how much people were concerned about the duck family! That's precious.

SIGH, goodbye Epcot. I'm glad you got your birthday dream trip! I hope it's been fantastic!! And hey if ya feel like coming back in early November... Great TR, as usual! I hope you do another!!!

Seriously, and it's extra obnoxious in Disney.

Haha, well I think I stole that from you actually! That's what I always call it now and I totally got it from one of your TR's!

Thanks! I love the Disneyland pattern too, I hope it's still around when I finally get to Disneyland!

Everyone loves Disney ducks!

Thanks! OMG I would love to come back in early November, it's my favorite time of year to go! You are going to have the best time!

 

[Nermel9]

I really enjoyed following along on your TR! Your photos are amazeballs! Hope your birthday trip is equally as fabulous, are you doing a TR for that one? If so I'd love to read all about it

Thank you so much! My birthday trip was awesome!

​

I think the funniest part of this is imagining you telling the story verbally! But you know Brandon would have literally lost sleep if you guys didn't stick around to make sure they made it safely onto land!

Of course, it's been 5 years now but we loved Tutto Italia! I'm going to put it on the list for the trip I'm perpetually planning in my head that somehow keeps getting bumped to "next year."​

​

I am LIVING for this picture right now! Ugh, I miss Epcot sunsets so much!!​

The pre-Illuminations loop is definitely in my top 3... that, the Animal Kingdom Lodge loop, and the Tower of Terror loop. How lucky that no one stood up! Maybe people are finally figuring it out!

​

True story!

I LOVED this report, even though I'm a terrible friend and joined when you were like 3/4 of the way done! If you do one for your birthday trip, I promise I'll do better! Haha! ​

Haha I know right? It certainly would have been a lot more colorful, that's for sure!

I really wanted to go to Tutto but it was booked. Next time! I wanted to go to Via Napoli too but the times that were available were awful.

Thanks! Yeah me too.

I still can't believe they changed my Illuminations pre show music. I just sit there scowling now when I wait for Illuminations. So glad I have it on my phone and can listen to it whenever I want! I really need the AKL loop, and the ToT loop! I don't know where to find them though! Maybe YouTube?

Haha that's ok! I looked at your link to your TR and I can't believe it says 2013! You need to go back!

Glad you were able to meet Marie. You'd think it would be posted that she only had afternoon hours at that location...


I can't believe that Cast Member wanted to bring you a purse from the back. There's no way you were the first person to ever pick out your favorite pattern. I remember when I finally got my Disney Dooney I stood in MouseGears for ten minutes going through which one I liked best. And a couple weeks ago in a store, my mom caught me death staring another person's Dooney and I had to explain to her that there's a lot of personal preference that goes into those purses. It can say a lot about someone's Disney tastes.
Either way, I'm happy you got your bag and that you like it, even if it's still a little big for your liking.


Epcot on your final night is fitting! A perfect way to end your trip!

Thanks! Yeah I know right? Sometimes that app is a pain, it works maybe 50% of the time when I'm actually in Disney World. But I have no problem with it when I'm home!

I know, seriously! Haha that's so funny about your mom, explaining Disney Dooney's to her! I just can't believe the CM's were somewhat annoyed about it, like really? Ugh. Just unhook the stupid purse and give it to me, no need for the attitude.

I always seem to end trips at Epcot! It's my favorite place!

I'm all caught up!

I'm glad you had a better experience at Beaches and Cream! I'm glad that I finally had a chance to eat there in May AND I was able to try the No Way Jose! It is really good!

I'm still jealous that you stayed at the Wilderness Lodge - I was so impressed with that resort when I went to dinner at Artist Point. I'd love to stay there one day!

I'm right there with you on Crystal Palace - it's my favorite in-park breakfast. I'm a huge fan of the custom omelets and the Pooh's puffed French toast! It also includes Eeyore, which makes it even better.

What a lovely Disney Dooney! I can't believe the CM was so feisty about picking out a particular bag - I'm pretty sure that EVERY Disney fan picks a "particular" bag. Heck, I inspect practically everything I buy for the "best" one, so it certainly would carry over for such an expensive bag!

I hope you're having a wonderful time at Disney and I look forward to hearing all about it! I hope you write another TR!

I love the No Way Jose, it's so good!

I hope you get to stay at the WL someday, it's so perfect! Still my favorite resort!

I agree with everything you said about Crystal Palace, I love it!

Yeah that's what I thought about D&B's but I guess some people must just take whatever one they are given! Weird!

Thank you!

 

[Nermel9]

Loved your TR, so glad I found it when it was complete and I could read it all the way through in one go!!! I admire how much park hoping you did, had me exhausted just thinking about it. Our trip is in 4 weeks and we can't wait Looking forward to your next TR!!

Thank you! Haha yeah we love our park hopping, it is tiring but so much fun! Yay, 4 weeks, that's so soon!

Anybody else notice the hidden Mickey in the clouds on page 8 (Be Our Guest day) the first castle picture AFTER the french onion soup?? (So not the first castle pic, but the first after lunch). Sorry I'm brand new, if I knew how to post the picture here instead I would! Not sure if anyone else already noticed it and pointed it out before me and I missed it, but you can see two round Mickey ears, and his nose sort of points to the right. Anyways, Loved the trip report! Only real temporary cure to Disney blues..living through other's trip reports!

Haha now I'll have to go back and look, that's crazy! Thank you, and I totally agree about the Disney blues and Trip Reports!

yum : the puffed!!! that looks SO GOOD right now!!
yay for finally meeting Eeyore

that Tiramisu looks so cute! after a filling meal, I bet its the perfect size dessert, especially at Epcot where there are so many good treats!!!

I can't wait to hear about your birthday trip!!

I tried to swing a last minute trip in a few weeks- just me- but no dvc available and friends in the area wont be home to chauffeur me and let me crash on their couch just wasn't meant to be. I got my hopes up a little too much on a $55 roundtrip ticket!!! oh well!!

I need to start planning a solo weekend trip for myself in the spring or next fall or something. I need to witness the magic of Disney on a solo adventure, for sure! and if I planned it for if you and /or marissa would be there, that would be perfect!!

I know, I could totally eat some puffed right now!

It was cute, and really good! I love tiramisu!

Wow $55 for a roundtrip ticket? Crazy! No DVC at all? I can't believe that! But I guess a few weeks would be food and wine and that's super popular so it makes sense!

I would love to do a solo trip, let me know and I'll see if I can make it happen!

I finished up your TR today...I really enjoyed it and I LOVE your D&B purse! I hope you had a great trip during your recent trip and hope you decide to do another TR!

Thank you! I love my purse too, it's so cute, I still want a Haunted Mansion D&B but they're just SO much more expensive!

 

[Nermel9]

We're Back!

Hi everyone! We're back from my birthday trip! It was SO much fun, but it was SO hot! It wasn't even the heat that was so awful, it was the humidity! As soon as you stepped out the door you were just soaked! I knew it would be that way, since we've been to Florida in September before, but you forget just how humid it gets there!

So I know some of you asked in the comments if I was doing a Trip Report for this trip. Well I was going to. Then I got there and took no notes and only 110 pictures...can you believe that??? ME only taking 110 pictures over 5 days? What's that about? I have no answers, lol, I just didn't take a lot of pictures and I seriously took maybe 2 lines of notes. I started to and then I was like, ugh, forget it. Sometimes it gets to be too hard to keep pulling out the phone and type in everything we're doing. I know some people take actual notebooks and write things down at the end of the day, but I forget things! So no trip report for this trip, sorry! I will share some of the highlights with you though!

Before I do anything else though, I guess I should point out my new ticker down below...Yes, we're going back to Disney for Christmas! Just like last year, we're going to spend 3 days in Disney and then drive up to South Carolina to spend the actual holiday with Brandon's family. I almost considered NO DISNEY this year, but there were rumors that it might be the last year for the Osborne Lights...and then it was confirmed last week that it was in fact, the last year for the lights, so I knew I had to see them one last time! As of now, we're staying in the All Star Movies resort, because that's the only value that wasn't booked with the discount that's out now, but I'm hoping to change to either Pop or AoA. We'll see. It's too bad I couldn't stay in either the Yacht Club or Wilderness Lodge, I love those resorts around Christmas! But we won't be in the room very much so it doesn't really matter! And I haven't been to the All Stars since 2008, so it might be fun to check out Movies!

Ok, on to my birthday trip!

Of course, the big thing was staying at the Boardwalk! My dream resort!

The lobby is beautiful, but surprisingly I didn't spend much time there! Usually I like to hang out in the lobby of wherever I'm staying (at a deluxe resort, anyway!) but it didn't really happen this time!

Our room was perfect!

We were on the 3rd floor and had kind of a Boardwalk view, which was awesome, because we only had a standard view room! I was assuming we'd be facing the parking lot, so our location was great!

If the trees weren't there we would have gotten to see the whole thing! But I was really happy with our spot, we were right near the elevators, right near a door to get out to the Boardwalk, no walking down the long, creepy hallways that everyone always talks about!

You better believe the first thing we did after checking in was going to the Earl of Sandwich to get a Holiday Sandwich!

The line was super long, and when we went back a few nights later, it was even longer! Labor Day weekend is VERY crowded, I was surprised! I didn't think it would be dead, but I wasn't expecting those kinds of crowds!

We had breakfast at Kona Cafe one morning and I of course, had the infamous juice!

And Tonga Toast, yum!

We also had to eat at Kona Island one night, even though it wasn't scheduled because Brandon is obsessed with it, and that means I can get bread pudding from the bar, which is exactly what I did! I can't go to Disney and not get bread pudding I guess!

We also ate at Beaches and Cream, which I got an ADR for the day before, so I was happy about that! I had my grilled cheese and tomato soup that I love, and we had another No Way Jose! And we ate at California Grill on my birthday, which was awesome, as always! I had the Pork 2 ways again, but I think next time, I'm going to be brave and try something new! The rest of the menu looks way too good to only get one thing over and over!

Our disappointing meal was Chef's de France. We've been there a few other times and it's always been ok...not great, but not awful, and this was more of the same. The French onion soup was great, but our dinners were just kind of meh. I had the short ribs, which were good, but VERY salty. And Brandon had the salmon which he said was terrible. So I guess we'll be staying away from there for a while! I really wanted to do Via Napoli or Tutto that night, but they were booked!

Oh, and I didn't have one drink while we were in Disney. Actually no, I lied, I had a half of Sam Adams Octoberfest. It was way too hot to drink alcohol, I was afraid alcohol and the heat would give me a migraine, something I avoided this whole trip! I'm sad I didn't get a margarita though! Ugh!! Next time!

Anyway, enough about food, get to the parks, right?

(And this will all be a combination of each day, nothing is in order, just sharing highlights from each park!)

The Magic Kingdom was beautiful, the Halloween decorations were up and it was looking lovely!

We saw Belle in the library, which we haven't done in a while, so that was fun! The kids in our group were especially adorable!

I wanted Brandon to volunteer to be a guard, but he refused.

While we were in the Magic Kingdom, we went on the Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, the Peoplemover a few times, Winnie the Pooh, the Mine Train, the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, and saw Philharmonic and Wishes at the FP location. I wanted to go on Splash one day when it was super hot, and I checked the wait time on my phone and it said 10 minutes...by the time we got over there it was up to 40, so we skipped that! Brandon also went on Space Mountain without me because it was right after we ate at CA Grill and my stomach was kind of feeling weird so I was afraid to go on, haha! I feel like I haven't been to Space Mountain in forever! I really love Wishes from the FP spot, because you can just casually stroll in right before Celebrate the Magic starts and have a great spot to watch from, and you don't have to stand there for an hour guarding it!

On to Epcot!

I think I took that from the line while walking up to Spaceship Earth, I love palm trees and Epcot, so what could be better right?

This was the beautiful sunset from the first night

I don't remember the sunsets being as amazing as they were in May, but I think that is because it rained almost every night around the time the sun was setting. It never rained for very long, a couple of hours, but it always kind of ruined the time around sunset!

The Food and Wine buildings were all up, taunting me because I was missing it by a few weeks!

I was in a panic trying to get my phone out to get a picture of the monorail, and somehow I set it to black and white and didn't know how to fix it in time, so I ended up with this picture:

I don't know, it looks creepy to me!

We spent most of our time in Epcot, we went on Soarin' maybe 4 times, with FP's and just waiting. We wanted to go on Test Track, but the line was always too long, and the one time we were in line, there was an announcement that there was inclement weather up ahead, so TT might close, so we got out of line. And it continued to be sunny and lovely the rest of the night, haha! We went on Spaceship Earth, spent a lot of time in MouseGear, spent a LOT of time in the World Showcase, as always. I only watched Illuminations once, even though I planned to see it twice, we skipped it one night so Brandon could eat at Kona Island. Oh and we didn't even go in the Mexican pavilion. I don't know what's up with that.

Finally, Hollywood Studios!

We took the boat over to DHS and got there super early, and they let everyone in early, so of course, everyone ran over to Toy Story, which was my plan as well, because our FP's were for MK that night. So we went over and by the time we go there, it was already a 40 minute wait, but I think we only actually waited 20 minutes.

Next we were supposed to go on the roller coaster, but the wait was way too long, I think that was 40 minutes too. I just did not feel like waiting, so we went to Tower of Terror instead.

I honestly think that's all we did that morning. TSM and ToT. I think we left somewhat early to go in the pool and I wanted to go back one night, but we ended up at MK instead. So I only went on Tower of Terror ONCE on this trip!

Other little things...I only bought myself 2 souvenirs, this guy

and a keychain, and I'm very impressed with myself! Usually I buy a bunch of stuff that I don't need and whenever I wanted something I would ask, ok, but do I really need it? Like did I REALLY need another Dooney and Bourke, even though they had the Haunted Mansion bags EVERYWHERE??

(No, I didn't, and I didn't get one, but I was tempted!)

Downtown Disney continues to be a pain in the you know what, I cannot wait until it's finished because no matter when you go or what you're doing, there are always a million people doing the same thing. That place is more stressful than a busy park. Brandon says he does't want to go back ever, haha, but like, I need my Holiday sandwich, you know?

And let me go back to the Boardwalk for a second...

The Boardwalk was beautiful, it was perfect, it was everything I was hoping it would be. But did it replace my beloved Wilderness Lodge, or even Beach Club? No. Which I'm kind of surprised about, because I have been dreaming of staying there for so long I assumed it would, but nope. There's nothing wrong with it, I didn't have a bad time, nothing horrible happened. It's just, when I'm at the WL or BC, I feel at home. And I didn't get that feeling here, I just felt like I was staying at a really cool hotel, which is fine, not all resorts have to feel like home! I will definitely stay there again someday, and I'd like to stay longer than 4 nights so we really have time to explore the whole area more, but I just still love my WL and BC. I guess nothing will ever replace them!

Oh and one more thing, Hollywood Studios...I've always kind of thought people who said there is nothing to do there were crazy, but it turns out, they might be right! Little by little they are taking things away, and I know it's for all the new lands, which will be great, but in the meantime, I just feel like I don't really have to go there much anymore, which is sad. It was once my favorite park and now it's like, ok, run in, do your 3 or 4 attractions, and hop over to somewhere else. I can't wait until the new lands are finished, but since Avatarland is taking so long, who knows how long these lands will take?

So that's it, that was my birthday trip! It was a lot of fun, I loved being in Disney on my birthday, I loved staying in my dream resort, steps away from Epcot! I'm sad that it's over already, but knowing I'll be back in a little over 3 months helps, even if we will only be there for 3 days! I can't wait to see the Osborne Lights! Oh, and we have an ADR for the new Minnie Holiday Dinner thing at DHS, but it's on our arrival day, so I might cancel. As much as I'd love to meet the characters dressed in Christmas gear, I don't feel like rushing to get there, so we'll see!

Thanks for reading, and now that I'm not doing a TR, I can finally get caught up on everyone else's, yay!

​

 

[Elevationist]

LOVE the mini-TR! It sounds like you had a great birthday trip!!! And how lucky are to be returning so soon! I'm looking forward to all the holiday events, too!

 

[cinderkelly]

A down and dirty quickie trip report is better than none at all! I enjoyed hearing about it though!
Oh I'm so jealous you get to go back in December! I was sad when I heard Osborne lights was wrapping up this year. I don't think I could convince DH to let me go down and see it before it's gone .

The b&w monorail pic does look kinda creepy, the place looks deserted!

Glad you had a good birthday!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I'm glad you had a wonderful birthday and a great time in Disney World! Thanks for the trip report - highlight reel edition! (Despite the fact that you feel you took too few pictures, you took some great ones! )

I saw the Osborne Lights once on their last night of the season almost nine years ago... I'm glad you'll get a chance to see them again! I'm a bit sad that I won't get a chance to see them, but there are no December trips in the cards for me!

I still like Hollywood Studios, but I am looking forward to all the new and exciting things that are coming down the road. As long as they don't take out the Tower of Terror or Toy Story Midway Mania, I won't have to break any legs. (Let's be real, though - those two attractions are two of the most popular in all of Disney World so I think they're pretty safe. )

Most of all... NO MIGRAINES ALL WEEK?!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Sometimes it gets to be too hard to keep pulling out the phone and type in everything we're doing. I know some people take actual notebooks and write things down at the end of the day, but I forget things!

Instead next time you could try my method of note taking. Instead of actual notes I take a lot of pictures and rely on the time stamp. If there is something very specific I need to remember I might take a note or two and take quick shots of the rides that we have done. The bonus about that is that you occasionally end up with surprisingly great shots.

So no trip report for this trip, sorry!

I will share some of the highlights with you though!

LOVE this shot!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I am a few posts behind...but so excited that you're off on your birthday trip!

Catching up...

Your Beaches n Cream lunch looks delicious! I'd love to get that grilled cheese and tomato soup. I feel like it's the perfect comforting lunch. I have it scheduled for lunch for our next trip. I hope we do make it as we're pretty packed that day but I think it will be a nice break between parks. I'm glad your 2nd experience was better than the first time.

Beignets! Aren't they good? Even when I don't stay at POFQ I try to make a trip to get some. I missed them this year but my sister got to eat them for me!

That's weird that the deck was closed at Trader Sams. I thought it was always open. But that CM sounded rude so probably a good thing you weren't sitting outside anyways. Next year, since we're staying at the Poly, I'll be sure to go to Trader Sams for drinks IN the grotto!

Ohana is my favorite. And that bread pudding...so yummy! My favorite, and I don't really love dessert that much anymore.

I too find it very different to plan with FP+. It used to be so easy to go on a ride more than 3-4 times a day as long as you keep getting the paper FPs, but now, it's hard to even go on a popular ride twice, because after you use your FP+ the next available time may be 6 hours away and you're not going to wait that long or already have plans! Yeah, I am not a huge fan about FP+ overall although it is nice to not have to stress out when you arrive at the parks (although we still do because of the tier-ing of rides).

What a fun night at MK! I will someday do the FP+ for Wishes instead of having a sub-par view. I always end up behind a tree or umbrella, or somewhere in Fantasyland where the fireworks are going off around you. They are loud!

Your DHS day looks great. I'm glad you got to the drawing class before it closed, as well as One Man's Dream. I was able to do both as well in May and I enjoyed both a lot!

How fun you hopped over to Epcot, I'd do the same thing! It's my fave park too. The violet lemonade looks very...electric! The cronut looks pretty good. I had an actual cronut from Dominique Ansel in NYC for the first time the other day, (it was peach bourbon flavored) - and quite good, although not sure I'd really wait that long in line for one but you can do online orders now though.

The PP pics in front of the castle are cute! I know the feeling when they try and get you to do silly things. We just suck it up and do it because it's easier than trying to tell them you don't want to do it!

Love the breakfast at CP!!

And the Dooney...it's perfect! I got my sister the wallet in the same print for her birthday in April. She used it for the first time in May at Disney because she thought it would be the perfect "initiation" for it.

What a great trip! I hope your b-day trip is even better!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Now that I've caught up on your mini birthday TR...

Your trip looked awesome! I understand not being able to take notes and do TRs for every trip. Sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy right? LOL. I think you did your TR time already for this year. So jealous of your other trip in Dec! I've never seen the Osborne lights but I guess now it's too late for me. LOL

How is the sushi at Kona Island? I've never had it! In all honesty I have not had good sushi at WDW before. I may have gotten one at the Katsura Grill at Epcot in Japan but that was pre-renovation, and it was meh. I think the food is actually better there now but have not had a chance to try it out.

Happy Birthday BTW!! I'm glad you enjoyed your birthday trip!

 

[pezheadmeg]

Just read all 15 pages in a sitting Jen.

After getting the HM Dooney last trip you have me wantingng the Disneyanna one. Doesn't matter that I already have 9 Dooney bags in the closet.