The "I'll Never Have A Trip Report" March 2013 PTR [9/15]

[DanniDeer]

Introductions and Tentative Plans!
"Who"
"WhatWhereWhenWhy"
"My Favorite 4-Letter 'F'-Word"
"Snacksss!"
"Monday, March 25th - Take 1"


Stalk Me!
Twitter -> DanniDeer
Instagram -> DanniDear
I realize those are two different spellings, but "Dear" was already taken on Twitter...


Mini-TR's and Other Fun!
June 10 - Star Wars Weekends Part 1 // SWW Part 2 // SWW Part 3
June 22 - Completely Necessary Purchases // Show & Tell
June 29 - Disney Dinner Date #1 // Lady & the Tramp
​

 

[DanniDeer]

um...hi :] I'm so happy you're reading this, so I feel like less of a crazy person.

So...how to start this thing? Let's try the standard "who/what/where/when/why", okay? okay :]

The "WHO"!

well, this is us.

next..."WHA----" Oh, you want more? hmmm, okay.

well, this is me. My name is Danni, and I am a 22-year old Crime Scene Tech student/intern. And I promise I don't always look this crazed/manic.
here are a few of my favorites:
park: it's a solid toss up between Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. Followed by the other kingdom, y'know, that one with all the animals,
and holding a VERY SOLID last place is Epcot.
Don't tell my DBF. Though I suspect he already knows...
attraction/ride: Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, the Animation Academy, Expedition Everest, Space Mountain on the left track.
show: Wishes. I've only seen it once, and bawled my eyes out the entire time. I was just so happy.
pixar movie: you know, I wasn't too crazy about that "UP" movie..just kidding. clearly.
disney movie: Aladdin. But I also really, really, really liked Tangled.

and this lovely specimen is my perfect DBF, Johnny. Ain't he a beaut? He's a 21-year old history teacher in training, and my absolutely 100% better half.
here are a few of his favorites:
park: EPCOT. [I didn't even have to ask on this one] I've slowly converted him into loving MGM.
attraction/ride: Haunted Mansion at #1, followed closely by Rock 'n Rollercoaster, Great Movie Ride, and Star Tours.
show: Wishes, Illuminations, Indy.
pixar movie: Finding Nemo. funny, as he gets so mad when I call him "grumpy gills"
disney movie: his exact words, "god, there are so many disney movies."

annnndddd, this is us, riding the highway in the sky on what was easily the coldest day of the season. I don't think it broke 45 that day.

and just for funzies, here are some facts about us, starting with me:

1- I detest/despise/hate with my whole heart Astro Orbiter.
Once, and never again. I hate it. It just makes me so unhappy.

2- I am undefeated in Toy Story Mania.
That's right: undefeated.Johnny has never beaten me, and I've never NOT had top score in the vehicle.
We're talking at LEAST 10 for 10. I know, impressive.

3- When I was 3, I stayed at the Contemporary with my parents.
I have no memory of this, however,
I do have a VIVID memory of Chip & Dale stealing my grapes at Chef Mickey's that same trip.
A grudge I hold to this day.

4- I am a HUGE Tampa Bay Lightning Fan.

my boy:
1- He is the WORST at sticking with one series of vinylmation.
We were stuck on Star Wars #2 for a while, then we got a double,
and he switched to Holiday #....I don't know.
Whichever is the current one.

2- He is undefeated on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.
I guess that's cool, but as I told him, he only beat me.
Not two times the people in a car, like I did.
Nahhh, it's pretty sweet. We're extra competitive.

3. He gets SO MAD whenever we're in Adventureland, and I won't let him try a Dole Whip,
because I want the first time he has one to be a super special day
and now he's convinced I've built it up too much for him to enjoy.
Yeah right, like anyone could over-hype a Dole Whip..

4. He's a BIG Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Oh yeah.
Stressful times in our household during the first round of the 2011 playoffs.
We actually got to go to a game of the series,
that went into triple overtime in which James Neal scored the game winner [swoon]


alrighty, about time to call it quits.
I do believe I've already lost the few readers I had to begin with, but maybe not.
if you're still here, let me know! please!
​

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[DanniDeer]

First and foremost, this is a PTR for....

the dates that I have yet to mention.

DANG. I'm really not off to a great start.

okay, one more time!

First and foremost, this is a PTR for our trip, the 26-28 of March 2013!
This trip is for our measly, yet still wonderful!, two year anniversary!

Now, I don't get all the cool "HERE ARE OUR TRAVEL DATES",
"THIS IS THE AIRLINE WE'RE GOING WITH",
"I CAN'T WAIT TO RIDE THE MAGICAL EXPRESS!!!",
"TO PARK HOP, OR NOT TO PARK HOP" posts you all get, and trust me, I am very envious!!

Why do I not get all of these lovely additions?!

Because we live less than an hour from the one of the happiest places on Earth! And we're annual passholders!
So far in 2012, we've been to Disney at least 20 times.
This is something I am grateful for every day of my life.

Hence my lovely title!
I never thought I'd get to have a TR like all of the wonderful and awesome people here on this board, but now I do!

That being said, we do have things tentatively worked out.
We know we want to stay on property, at a Moderate resort, and as of right now, POFQ is winning out.
I am smitten with the idea of staying here, because I loved trips as a kid to visit all of my family in New Orleans.
Plus it's so dang pretty and everyone that I've known that has stayed there adored it.

obviously because we are currently...301 days away from the dates, we can't book anything, but this past year, there was a super awesome discount code for Florida Residents AND passholders, so I'm hoping something similar again.

The most important part of this trip is going to be STUFFING. OUR. FACES.
We've consulted, and decided that the Deluxe Dinning Plan is going to be AWESOME for us.
I know there's a lot of debate regarding whether or not it's worth it to have all those pre-planned meals, but we have the upper hand of not worrying about seeing all of the attractions.
That, coupled with the fact that we RARELY spend money in the parks, is going to make this an extraordinary trip!

Teppan Edo from a day trip in January. We loved this place.

Lots of saving has already gone in to making this trip a true vacation and getaway.
We've agreed to forego birthday and christmas presents [well. we set a $20 limit...] in lieu of being able to enjoy everything we want, guilt free, next March.
I couldn't be more excited.

​

 

[Alysa]

Super fun! I too hate astro orbiter with a passion! Like Dumbo, my a$$.
You'll love french quarter - it is so lovely and beautiful! Lots of bunnies everywhere too,it's literally like walking through a Disney movie.
Jealous of the deluxe dinning - with two little ones I know we'd never have time to get to everything.
Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[DanniDeer]

Super fun! I too hate astro orbiter with a passion! Like Dumbo, my a$$.
You'll love french quarter - it is so lovely and beautiful! Lots of bunnies everywhere too,it's literally like walking through a Disney movie.
Jealous of the deluxe dinning - with two little ones I know we'd never have time to get to everything.
Looking forward to hearing more!

ahhh I love the bunnies at Disney, second only to the ducks!

I subscribed to your PTR; CONGRATS ON YOUR SWEET BABY BOY!!

and I'm totally sneaking some day trip TR's into my TR for next year, and we're going to Star Wars Weekends next Sunday! [well, we went today, but it was literally a wash out.]

hehe

 

[DanniDeer]

FOOD

this is definitely going to be the highlight of our trip.
I cannot wait to do all of the eating we have planned.

we have two nights of the DxDP [is that right? for the Deluxe Dining Plan? If not, that's what I meant...ho hum.], but we're there for 3 whole days, which means we're not trying to cram in all 3 full meals in a day.

A little while ago, I asked my sweet boy to name the top 5 Table Service restaurants he'd want to eat at while we were there,
and this is what I was told.

His list!
1- Biergarten
2- San Angel Inn
3- Le Cellier
4- Teppan Edo
5- Sci Fi


aaaaannnnd my list:
1- Le Cellier
2- Teppan Edo
3- T-Rex
4- Coral Reef
5- Sci Fi

Clearly, we're not in agreement on anything. Heh. Anyways, our final six meals currently look something like this:
1- Ohana: we ate here for our first anniversary, and when I asked if we wanted to start a tradition of Ohana every year,
or some place new every year, he said he doesn't want to go anywhere else.
[[there's actually a pretty funny story about our first anniversary...]]

2- Chef Mickey: again, his choice. He said it's a “non-negotiable”. How did I get so lucky?! This will be our first character meal since we were both....less than 6?

3- Le Cellier: for lunch. He's pretty excited, as am I. Also really hoping it lives up to the hype!!

4- Sci Fi: He's so excited to go watch old movies while sitting in a car. Then I read him the menu, and he's beyond stoked.

5- T-Rex: We ate here on a day trip last August with his sister and her fiance, and had such a good time. We're both looking forward to going back, and hopefully sitting inside the “Ice Age” room.

6- Teppan Edo: Again, another place we've already eaten, but it was such a good experience, and we both love hibachi/sushi a lot, and we are really looking forward to eating there again!

Our current ADR plans look a little like this:
March 25th:
Lunch at Sci Fi
Dinner at T-Rex

March 26th [anniversary day!<3]:
Lunch at Le Cellier
Dinner at Ohana

March 27th:
Breakfast at Chef Mickey's
Dinner at Teppan Edo


Now all I have to do is wait 114 days until I can make ADRs on September 26th.
I just hope the dining plan stays pretty much the same!


​

 

[oboedm]

Signing on! You will love POFQ! I enjoyed it even more than WL (which we stayed at in Feb 2011). We like the DxDP because we loved the themed restaurants. Teppan Edo is one of our favorites as well! Super plans so far!

 

[DanniDeer]

Signing on! You will love POFQ! I enjoyed it even more than WL (which we stayed at in Feb 2011). We like the DxDP because we loved the themed restaurants. Teppan Edo is one of our favorites as well! Super plans so far!

thanks for reading along! I hope things start to get more exciting around here, as I'm planning on doing mini-TR's for SWW and Food and Wine in the fall, then when we actually get to start booking stuff!

WL was another one I was contemplating, but I liked FQ so much, and everyone's said it's so quiet, which is exactly what we want!

 

[artemis908]

lol you're too funny, I like your little side comments. Have fun with your planning!

 

[DanniDeer]

lol you're too funny, I like your little side comments. Have fun with your planning!

hehe thanks!

and I'm having a pretty good time so far, just hopefully not boring anyone to tears yet!

 

[DanniDeer]

SNACKS!

I did the same thing with snacks that I did with restaurants.
As in, I asked him nicely while he was playing video games.

Here are five snacks I can't wait to have/try:
1- dole whip from MK
2- jalapeno cheese pretzel from AK
3- anything from starring rolls in HS
4- candy/caramel apple from...anywhere.
5- anything from france in Epcot

his list, nothing like mine:
1- dole whip
[his exact quote: "the only thing I absolutely have my heart set on trying is a dole whip" ::swoon::]
2- churro from MK
3- anything from France
4- anything from Sweet Spells in HS [me, too!]
5- jalapeno cheese pretzel

again...how do we ever agree on ANYTHING to eat?! hehehe

only 111 days until we can book, and 289 days until we leave!​

 

[DanniDeer]

Star Wars Weekends!

June 10th, 2012!​

​

​

Sunday, we woke up at 5:30 to head to the last day of SWW!

we left around 6, grabbed a well-balanced breakfast at Micky D's and were on our way!

We got there just as the storm troopers were finishing up their spiel on the roof. No matter, as we had seen the opening show the week before when we got rained out and went home at noon.

roof trooper

more roof troopers...

last one, I swear.

then we did what any respectable twenty-somethings would do:

walked on to TSM.

our starchy chariot awaits...

despite only having one contact in, I still beat Johnny and got best in car.

I guess I forgot to mention that...on the drive to Orlando, my left contact started REALLY bothering me, and I ended up taking it out. I just put it in the case, and dealt with it when we got in the parking lot. After a bunch of unsuccessful tries and blinking it out, I realized there was a huge tear in the middle. lame.

we wander back up through Pixar Place, and bypass FP's for TSM, mostly because we had bigger things to do today.

making our way down Sunset, looking at that beautiful coral building looming in the distance.

we walk on to this, as well, and take our first service elevator of the day.

I'm not feeling particularly up for Rock'n today [mostly due to being a cyclops], so we whip back around for another spin on ToT.

after that, we head to our first SWW-related event for the day...

...waiting in line for everyone's favorite wookie!

he approved of our shirts!
this would become a trending theme throughout the day...
mostly by cast members saying how awesome Johnny's shirt was,
and being surprised/stoked when it was a real company, in Orlando!

this one's my favorite
they gave us a photopass card,
and we used the same one for the rest of the day.
We weren't planning on buying any of the pictures,
but I felt bad that the PP Photogs would have to waste a bunch of cards on us.
We looked at the pictures this morning,
and the cast members that took our pictures with my camera
turned out better than the PP's.

We got in line for Chewy at about 8:45 when he wasn't set to come out until 9:30.
In the end, I am SO glad we did.
It was the shortest wait of the day, and the sun hadn't come all the way up yet, plus we made it in his first meeting out before a break.
my DBf thanked me for this

mosey back down near this guy, but we're on a mission.

in the last few weeks, I've become obsessed with riding ToT.
It might be my new favorite ride.

our destination!

so cool. I just think Darth Maul is such a neat character. and I love Ray Park.

but are we here to look at a graphic on a tent?! NO WAY!

We wait in a mystery line, looking like the super attractive couple that we are...


insert cliff-hanger here.
continued next post...
​

 

[DanniDeer]

Star Wars Weekends!
Part 2!

FOR THE DROIDS! I had super secret insider information [aka: the internet] that R2 and C3PO met together at 10:50.

this was the single best character interaction of my entire life. well. at least until the same afternoon...

C3PO asked if I was a mechanical droid, because I had blueprints for the millennium falcon on my shirt.
Johnny asked how many languages he spoke, and he told us he was "fluent in more than 6 million forms of communication",
and asked if we had any specific ones in mind.
Johnny asked if he spoke wookie, and he said "of course I do" and made a wookie noise. R2 beeped and whirred, and C3PO yelled at him

then we did the one souvenir-type thing I wanted to do:
Star Tours name tags, with our names!

we took a quick gander at the art on display,
and I wanted pretty much all of it.
If we had a mantle, this would be over it.
no questions asked.

Finally, it was time to pick up our name tags.
it says "Danni", obviously. and I picked my home planet of Kashyyyk.
I love those wookies.

Johnny picked Tatooine.

I'm really glad we did these super early in the morning.
We went back around 7:30 with Johnny's sister and her fiance,
and they were out of blank badges, with a few generic ones left over.
luckily, she has a really common name and got one that said she was on the Death Star.
We would have been out of luck, though, because we have particular names.

we got out of Darth's Mall around 11:30, and took a spin on the Great Movie Ride because we love it, and the day was already getting SUPER hot.

the parade was about to start, and I was kind of wanting to see it, but I wasn't super bummed about not getting to watch. Plus, Johnny's sister called at told us they were in the parking lot.
This picture of my knees indicates that we had to take the tram out to the car...

for this guy! We both still had our gift cards from F&W last year,
and I knew one of them still had a few bucks on it that we were gonna put towards lunch.
So imagine my surprise when I called to check the balance the night before,
and it still had almost $20 on it!

We met up with Johnny's DSis and DSisFi [my Dbf's sister and her soon-to-be hubby...], and their first mission was to acquire beer.
We parted ways for the time being, and headed to one of our favorite buildings.

We absolutely adore the Animation Academy. So good for getting out of the sun.
and the cast members are always so chatty!

Johnny wouldn't let me take pictures holding our drawings.
He says I only do it to make fun of him for not being very good.
Which isn't true...
...entirely.

but thanks to my previously mention resource, I knew Boba Fett was meeting from 1:50-2:50 without rotating out with Jango Fett, and the former was on my “to-do” list.

While we were waiting, the Tusken Raiders came out.

I find them absolutely horrifying.

and then this happened.
I was petrified like I had just looked in to the eyes of a Basilisk.

After he was done scaring the pants off of me,
he accidentally knocked the rope for the line over,
and “HURRR”ed at it, until a cast member picked it up.

no big deal, just Darth Vader walking around Disney.
He's probably pissed because they wouldn't let him use his TSM FP outside of their window...

The man of the hour.

..and he didn't like our shirts. not one bit.
[see? told you. foreshadowing]

After we took our picture with Boba Fett,
he dragged Johnny by his shoulder to his Cast Member,
and pointed at his shirt.
The cast member said, "it has Boba Fett and Chewbacca holding hands.
we can't have that" and Boba put him in the corner.

every time he tried to get up, Boba Fett shook his head, "no", and pointed his gun at him.

after being released, Johnny joined a band!
I heard the bar they play in is a real dive, though.​

continued next post...

 

[DanniDeer]

Star Wars Weekends!
Part 3!

we headed to backlot express and got some lunch.
I don't know why everyone hates on the food at HS so much.
we like it!

this greeted us on our way to meet up with DSis and DSisFi...

we sat with them while they ate lunch, and got our trades ready for the Jawas.

The storm troopers came out while we were waiting, and one of them didn't appreciate my presence.

they were so funny, though, whenever Vader went on break, they packed up with him, and made people move out of his way.
Then went back to heckling other people until he came back out,
and did the same thing.

walking around Streets of America, looking for the Jawas, the Clone Troopers inspect DSisFi's tattoos.

and then DSis'.

I love the clone troopers, they're so goofy and get to be silly with the guests.
They did the same thing for Commander Cody and Captain Rex that the Stormtroopers did for Vader!

we got tired of looking for the Jawas, and DSisFi got excited hearing the cars, so we went over and watched Lights, Motors, Action.
It was pretty cool! kind of slow paced, though.

then the Jawas finally came out!

I have a picture of us trading with them that Dsis took, but my phone is being dumb and won't let me save it to my camera roll...

I traded the purple car and got purple beads with a star on the end, and DBf traded a green car and got a pack of SW silly bands!

we were all beyond thirsty, so we sought refuge in Backlot.
I asked Johnny to fill my cup, and this was his response.

we got distracted watching a JTA. Darth Maul was so COOL!
gosh!

I was so happy it turned out to be a really pretty day, despite the heat.
the forecast predicted showers all afternoon, and I was stressed about it.
We even went to walmart the night before and bought ponchos.

This is when we went back to Darth's Mall to get Dsis a Star Tours name tag. They couldn't find the station for it earlier.

The four of us were debating between staying and watching the Hyperspace Hoopla,
or heading to Downtown Disney.
We had these ducks to keep us company while we waited,
but our decision was made for us when a CM told us they weren't showing it
on the American Idol screen.

we all took the tram out together.
They were headed to DTD, but I asked Johnny if he wanted to stay
and do rides until the park closed,
because most people would be at the 8:00 Hoopla or 9:00 Fantasmic.
He said, "yes", and my one requirement was ToT at night.

So we threw the backpack, camera, and everything else extra in to the car,
and headed straight back to ToT.

We were greeted by a 20 minute wait, which was more like 10.
It. Was. Awesome.
I highly suggest riding at night. Not only is it cool seeing the park lit up,
but it seemed way more intense.

As soon as we stepped in to the gift shop, we saw them. Ponchos. everywhere.

It had started to storm, and badly, in the 20 minutes we were in the ride.
People were panicking, and we just walked down the middle of Sunset blvd toward the exit, holding hands, and getting completely soaked.

Trying to stay dry was a moot point, so we walked out to our car instead of waiting for the tram, and took our shoes and socks off and wrapped them in a poncho on the back seat, then sat in the car for a few minutes before starting the journey home in the craziest lightning ever.

we literally dumped water out of our shoes when we got home.

it was a perfect day.​

 

[Alysa]

Awesome! So glad you had such a great day!

 

[DanniDeer]

Awesome! So glad you had such a great day!

Thank you, we are so happy we had such a good time, too!

 

[oboedm]

love the pictures and SWW updates! I have never had the desire to go until I saw these pictures. My BIL would flip out. I am sure he will convince our families to do a joint trip in a few years!

 

[DanniDeer]

love the pictures and SWW updates! I have never had the desire to go until I saw these pictures. My BIL would flip out. I am sure he will convince our families to do a joint trip in a few years!

To be honest...
at first I was so excited to go, just because it was Star Wars, and at Disney!

then, I started to think about it...
...and got kind of bored with the idea of just walking around "meeting" characters, and dealing with crowds and the heat.

AND THEN I GOT COMPLETELY STOKED AGAIN
because it's seeing a whole bunch of my favorite characters in DISNEY.

and I'm so glad I did. It was the most fun, being completely immersed in such a perfect atmosphere, and the performers did such an amazing job staying in character and creating the magic that, even though we're in our twenties and meeting characters, it never once felt like that. Such an amazing experience!

I definitely suggest it to anyone with even a mild liking of SW, and INSIST on it for anyone that loves SW.

 

[danimaroo]

I have to catch up on everything in here, but I HAD to comment and say HOLY CRAP I LOVE YOUR TATTOO! Not to sound like a creep but do you mind posting a close up of it?! I'm a huge Up fan, so I figured I'd ask.

Number two, love that we have that same shadows photo! AND that your BF loves HM. My husband has been talking about getting a Haunted Mansion tattoo at some point.

Okay, I probably won't be able to read this til I get home tonight, but I just had to comment because it's kind of crazy how much we have in common... Plus hello, the same name! I'll comment more later and can't wait to read your plans!!

 

[DanniDeer]

I have to catch up on everything in here, but I HAD to comment and say HOLY CRAP I LOVE YOUR TATTOO! Not to sound like a creep but do you mind posting a close up of it?! I'm a huge Up fan, so I figured I'd ask.

Number two, love that we have that same shadows photo! AND that your BF loves HM. My husband has been talking about getting a Haunted Mansion tattoo at some point.

Okay, I probably won't be able to read this til I get home tonight, but I just had to comment because it's kind of crazy how much we have in common... Plus hello, the same name! I'll comment more later and can't wait to read your plans!!

MY DBF HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT GETTING A HAUNTED MANSION TATTOO FOR FOREVER!!!

and thank you so much!! my tattoo means a boatload to me, and whenever anyone comments on it, my heart/eyes/throat swell
it's a crappy picture, color-wise, which is funny because the photo is from the morning after I got it, but I think it looks better, now: