Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
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Memories of Disney Trips Past Part 4: 2013!!
Hello friends! Here is the 4th and final establishment of my Disney Trip Memories! After this post, I will return to true time as our vacation is coming up soon and I'm starting to get more and more excited
Trip #5: May 20-26, 2013
This post will probably be the longest yet, because it was only 3 years ago and I remember the most from this trip. This vacation was fun, but definitely had some ups and downs because my family of 4 adults was all in one room!! After I turned 18, when we all traveled together we decided to start getting 2 rooms, with Haley and I in one room and my parents in another. It makes things go a lot smoother, especially if Haley and I want to stay out later than my parents. Plus, sharing one shower between 4 people (and 3 women) can be tough! But, this year, my Mom’s work meeting was in Disney World again, and we could get a convention rate! The catch was, we could only get one room.
Her meetings were at the Swolphin, and since we aren't interested in staying there we looked at other options on the Boardwalk. BC was out because we stayed there last time and wanted to try something new, so it was between BWI and YC. YC won out because of its cool theming, better location and lack of creepy clown pool
So, it was booked in December 2012! 6 nights at the Yacht Club with 6-day base tickets, since we weren't planning to park hop this trip. We made a few ADRs ahead of time, since we had learned last trip that ADRs are a necessary evil! No magic bands or FP+ yet, so we still had paper tickets and same-day FPs. Let's get started!!
Day 1- We left on Monday, May 20th. The weekend before had been crazy, with me finishing my freshman year of college and moving out of the dorms and my sister graduating college with a Bachelor’s in Communication Disorders (she now works as a Speech Pathologist). Haley graduated the Sunday before we left and her school was an hour from our house, so we were out late the night before and had to pack very last-minute.
It was a quick turn around; the next day we woke up at about 4:00 AM to catch our 6:30 flight to Orlando! The flight was smooth and fast, and we landed at MCO by 10:45 AM. We then took the DME over to the Yacht Club and got there at just after noon. It took a while to check in, since Disney had me in the system as being 10 years old?
We were thinking that maybe they still had our info from when we stayed at the BC in 2005! But, the gentleman checking us in was wonderful and got things straightened out right away. As a consolation to the check-in difficulties, he upgraded us to THIS VIEW….
I literally almost cried. We had paid for a standard view and probably got the best view of the whole resort. It was so amazing to just stand on our balcony and people-watch! This picture alone would convince me to stay at Yacht Club again and pay for lagoon view.
After exploring our awesome room, we freshened up and headed to Epcot at 1:30. We loved the quick, 5-minute walk! Our first ride was Spaceship Earth, and it was such a perfect first ride that it has become a running tradition for Mom and I!
Test Track was down, so we grabbed a fast pass for Soarin' and did Living with the Land. After our education at The Land, we got some lunch at Electric Umbrella and headed to The Seas to ride Nemo and look at the fish.
Photo-op!
We rode a few other rides after this, then redeemed our fast pass for Soarin’! Love this ride. Haley didn't remember much from our 2005 trip, so she didn't know what to expect. I caught a look on her face during Soarin' that was a look of pure joy, and I'll never forget that
. Haley is usually pretty stoic, so to see her hold her arms out and squeal on Soarin was so cool to watch!
After we explored Future World, we headed over to World Showcase. We had an ADR for Teppan Edo, but it wasn't until 8:50 PM, so we took our time wandering around the countries. My dad and sister both got Oktoberfest beers and Jaegar Bombs at Germany, but I had other plans…
Meeting Snow White! She was adorable and her voice was so high! Of course, once Haley saw me waiting in line she had to join! This was one of our only character meets this trip.
We made our way around all of World Showcase, shopping and snacking until it was finally time to head over to Teppan Edo. I was a bit bummed, because we missed Illuminations, but Teppan Edo was great! My sister and I got fruity drinks to start off our vacation right.
Our server was wonderful and so was our food. One of the best parts of the night, however, was walking back to the YC through a completely empty World Showcase. It was so cool to see Epcot that deserted and was a great way to end the night! Once we returned to the hotel, we crashed!
Day 2- Magic Kingdom day! If you haven't noticed already, we like to do our park days in a similar pattern every trip. We woke up a bit late, around 9:15 AM, and grabbed frappes at the coffee shop in the YC lobby. This coffee shop came in handy this week; we got coffee here almost every morning before hitting the parks. We moseyed on over to the bus stop and caught a Magic Kingdom bus, arriving at about 10:30.
As soon as we got into the park, my dad was on a mission! We rushed over to Frontierland, grabbed FPs for BTMRR and decided to wait standby for Splash Mountain. It was a 35-minute wait, then we were on! Always a classic. Once we disembarked, My mom decided that she needed a late breakfast. Well naturally, we got….
Mickey Bars! Yum yum! We rode some classics in Fantasyland and Adventureland and redeemed our FP for BTMRR before we decided to get some lunch. Just out of curiosity, we asked if Liberty Tree Tavern had any openings and they did! We were seated right away. I had a turkey, pecan, and cranberry salad, and it was very refreshing because it was starting to get hot outside. We loved Liberty Tree Tavern’s cute theming and ambiance.
After lunch, we got FPs for Peter Pan’s Flight and decided to look at Storybook Circus. We rode Dumbo and the Barnstormer, then looped back around New Fantasyland to ride Journey of the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and the Carousel. After this, it was getting to be about 5:00 PM, so my dad headed out of the park. We walked him to the front, and once he boarded a bus, Mom, Haley and I and looked around the shops on Main Street. We bought treats at the Confectionary and decided to eat them while taking a loop around the park on the train. This was a nice way to relax and talk about our day
Once the train stopped back at Main Street, we got off and rode some rides in Tomorrowland before scoping out a spot for the Main Street Electrical Parade. While my mom held our spot, Haley and I got pepperoni flatbreads and chocolate milk from Pinnochio’s Village Haus to share. Just as we came back, the parade started and we ate and watched the MSEP!
Of course, we stayed to watch Celebrate the Magic and Wishes Then, we made our way out of the park with the masses.
Small rant here: the bus service at the YC was some of the worst we had experienced at WDW. This would be the only reason we'd pause at staying here again, because we LOVE the YC. But, this trip, YC shared all busses with BC, BWI, and the Swolphin!! It was frustrating, because we'd see countless busses for Pop, Port Orleans, etc. but only one for all of the Boardwalk resorts! We understood that bussing can be tough for crowds, but since we were staying at a Deluxe, we expected better bus service. So, in short, both nights coming back from Magic Kingdom had extremely long waits and commutes! At least now coming up, Mom and I know in advance that the GF shares busses and we are prepared for it!
Day 3- This day, my mom had meetings, my dad went golfing, and my sister and I went to Universal Studios! Since Harry Potter World was contained to one park at the time, we spent our whole day at Islands of Adventure. It was fun, but I was a chicken this trip and shied away from many of Universal’s rides. In my defense, their rides are way more intense than Disney’s!
We took a cab from YC and bought our tickets at the front of the park. Of course, we beelined it straight to Harry Potter World! Haley rode Dragon Challenge, then we both rode Forbidden Journey. Ach
Never again. The simulators made me so dizzy and nauseous!
Well, what better way to cure tummy troubles than a cold Butterbeer slushy??
We enjoyed our Butterbeers and walked around Hogsmeade. Haley bought some candy at Honeydukes and we also looked in Ollivanders. Haley was in total heaven! She loves Harry Potter and was so excited. I like Harry Potter too, but prefer Disney of course
After our Hogwarts adventure, we walked to the Universal Boardwalk for some lunch. We decided on Margaritaville, a family favorite!
After lunch, we went back to IOA so Haley could ride The Hulk (I looked in the gift shop while she rode)! Then, we walked over to Seuss Landing, where I got some candy for myself and we rode some kiddie rides. Lastly, we went to Jurassic Park and rode the water ride before heading back to the Yacht Club.
We got back at about 4:30, showered and got changed for dinner. We ate at the ESPN Zone on the Boardwalk! I remember being so excited because they had the Cheerleading Worlds competition on the TVs! My dad loves the ESPN Zone, so we always try to stop by here. We took our time heading back after dinner, stopping at Seashore Sweets for dessert and watching the street performers. There is nothing like the Boardwalk at night. We got back at about 10:30 PM and Mom and I people-watched on our balcony for a bit before hitting the hay!
Day 4- Hollywood Studios day! We got a late start and took the boat over to DHS at about 10:30. Right as we entered the park, we got a FP for Rockin’ Roller Coaster and waited standby for Tower of Terror. We love Tower of Terror! I can’t believe my dad went on it.. he is terrified of heights and wouldn’t even ride Soarin’! But, he is a huge fan of the Twilight Zone; we often watch it together when it’s on TV.
Then, we did the Great Movie Ride, walked around Streets of America and watched One Man’s Dream while waiting to redeem our FP for RnRc.
A quick photo of me and my favorite ride at DHS!
After our amazing ride of RnRc, we headed over to our lunch ADR at….
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater! Where else??
We had a great meal as always. Their Oreo shakes are amazing! Walking out of Sci-Fi, we run into this silly dog!!
After meeting with Pluto, my dad headed out of the park while Haley, Mom, and I headed over to Muppetvision. You guys, I know it’s corny, but I LOVE this show! It’s sooo outdated, but I hope they never change it! We had a bit of free time after Muppetvision before we were supposed to head back to YC. We utilized this time to try a new attraction at DHS: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow. It was a 40 minute wait, but we were pumped to try something different!
WHAT EVEN WAS THAT ATTRACTION. It was so silly and completely age inappropriate for us. We felt like idiots for wasting our time to do it, we would have rather watched Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage! Apparently, Disney had the same ideas we did, because they closed the “ride” shortly after. If you want a giggle, look up the attraction video on Youtube and imagine 3 adult women voluntarily waiting 40 minutes to do it
After our disappointing ride experience, we exited the park and boated back to YC to get ready for dinner. We then took a cab over to the Polynesian for an exciting night at the Spirit of Aloha Luau! We did this back in 2002 when we stayed at the Poly and loved it, so we decided to try it again this year! It was really cute; I love how they played music from Lilo and Stitch and the food is always amazing!
Once the Luau was over, we watched some of Aladdin on the Poly beach and stayed to watch Wishes. I LOVE watching Wishes from the Polynesian. It was a perfect way to end the night.
Day 5- Today served as a rest day. My mom had some work functions in the morning, and my dad really wanted to check out Stormalong Bay. I decided to tag along with my mom in the morning and then Dad and Haley in the afternoon to spend time with both of them. My mom woke up at 6:00 AM, but I slept until 9:30 and strolled over to the Dolphin to meet her. We watched some of her resident’s presentations and walked around the convention until we decided to grab some lunch together. After weighing our options, we decided on the Crew’s Cup Lounge. Fun fact- it was here that we started talking about doing a mother-daughter trip to Disney World
I’m so glad that just us two got lunch here this day. The lunch was ok, but our server was less than friendly, which is unheard of for Disney!
After our lunch, my mom walked back to the Dolphin while I changed into my swimsuit and headed for Stormalong Bay. I met my dad and Haley there, and we swam and relaxed for the afternoon. It was boiling hot this day; the pool felt like a jacuzzi! We got some popsicles to cool down and ate them in the pool.
Then, at about 5:30 PM, we showered and got ready for a night of a lifetime- The Magic Kingdom’s first 24-Hour Event! I was SO excited to do this and couldn’t get ready fast enough. We took the long bus ride to Magic Kingdom and stopped in our tracks as soon as we entered the park...
CROWDS. SO MANY CROWDS. We had had pretty moderate crowds all week and were not prepared for what we saw. Of course, we didn’t take into account how many locals/passholders would come out for the 24-hour event. But, we didn’t let this affect the night; we were planning on staying the whole time!
Haley and I in our Minnie Ears
Right away, we decided to grab dinner at Columbia Harbor House and ride some favorites before Wishes. We weren’t worried about catching MSEP because there were multiple showings of it all night! The hub was absolutely packed, but we managed to get a great spot! Wishes was amazing as always. Then, my dad left with the masses to go to bed, leaving Mom, Haley, and I to rally!! We first headed to Haunted Mansion, then rode BTMRR. Right before midnight, we knew we had to ride Splash Mountain. It is surprisingly intense in the dark! After disembarking Splash Mountain, we headed on over to Adventureland for a much-anticipated snack…
A Dole Whip! I had heard about these all over the internet and knew we had to try one. The line was 45 minutes long, but we stuck it out and it was so worth it! We all got the pineapple-orange swirl and enjoyed our tasty treats before doing a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean.
It was then that we started to hit a wall. My mom was full of energy, but Haley and I were tired from the long week. Plus, I had picked the wrong shoes to wear that night and my feet were killing me! But, we stuck it out for a bit longer. We rode almost all of the rides in Fantasyland before finally calling it quits at 3:00 AM.
It was quite funny exiting the park at 3 AM and seeing the MSEP going on! I was so surprised at how many little kids were still awake at that time of night! We were slap-happy at this point, laughing at everything and stopping in every shop we passed by to look. But then, my mom made the fatal error of the night…. Going inside the Confectionary.
Well, of course we can’t stop in the Main Street Confectionary without wanting to buy something! The line was ridiculous and we were exhausted, but my mom insisted on waiting in line. Haley and I were practically crying because we were so tired. We must have really looked pitiful, because a CM came up to us in line and gave us free M&M-covered Rice Krispie Treats! We thanked her profusely and put on brave faces until we got on the bus for YC, then we absolutely crashed. My mom woke us up when we got back to the hotel, and we fell asleep again as soon as our heads hit the pillow!
Day 6- Our last full day in Disney
My mom had more meetings this day, and my dad wanted to golf again, so Haley and I decided to hit up Animal Kingdom for some sister fun! We slept in late after our long night, so we didn’t arrive at Animal Kingdom until noon. We did Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and the Safari before grabbing lunch. Mickey pretzels with cheese and Frozen Chai Lattes were our choice! They really hit the spot. Then, we rode Primeval Whirl and Expedition Everest again.
We had time to do one more attraction before leaving, and guess what Haley chooses? It’s Tough to Be a Bug
. As some of you may know, I’m not a huge fan of this attraction. I think it’s cute, but a bit freaky and gross. Needless to say, I was not very happy that our last ride in Disney World was a 3D movie about bugs 
Since we were running late, we took a cab back to YC and quickly got ready for dinner. We had plans to meet up with my mom’s work friends in Downtown Disney and eat at Portobello this night.
We took a bus to Downtown Disney and kind of rushed our way through the Marketplace. My dad doesn’t really like to shop, so us girls were a bit bummed that we couldn’t look longer. We managed to pick out our Christmas ornament for tradition, but then it was time to eat. (Note- this was why Mom and I were so upset to be rushed in Downtown Disney AGAIN in 2015. This trip, we have 2 nights planned there to fully enjoy it
). We had dinner with one of my mom’s colleagues and his family. Haley and I were thoroughly entertained, because Mom's friend's daughter was an actress who lived out in Hollywood and had some crazy stories to tell us!
After dinner, we got some gelato from a vendor and took our time walking around before saying our goodbyes and heading back to YC. We had to be back early because we had an early flight back to Milwaukee the next day
Day 7- We woke up at about 6:15 AM to finish up packing and clean up the room, then our DME arrived at 7:30. At the airport, we breezed through security and had breakfast from McDonalds with one of my mom’s coworkers. We arrived back in Milwaukee that afternoon, all of us depressed that our vacation was over
Pretty much as soon as we got back, Mom and I started planning our mother-daughter trip for 2015
*Shameless Plug- If you want to read about that trip, click the link down in my signature for my August-September 2015 TR*
Well Disfriends, that’s all for my Memories of Disney Trips Past! I had so much fun writing these and re-living all of the magical memories
I hope you have enjoyed reading them and I also hope that they’ve inspired you to look through your old photos as well. I’ll be back with a real-time update later this week See Ya Real Soon! 
Hello friends! Here is the 4th and final establishment of my Disney Trip Memories! After this post, I will return to true time as our vacation is coming up soon and I'm starting to get more and more excited
Trip #5: May 20-26, 2013
This post will probably be the longest yet, because it was only 3 years ago and I remember the most from this trip. This vacation was fun, but definitely had some ups and downs because my family of 4 adults was all in one room!! After I turned 18, when we all traveled together we decided to start getting 2 rooms, with Haley and I in one room and my parents in another. It makes things go a lot smoother, especially if Haley and I want to stay out later than my parents. Plus, sharing one shower between 4 people (and 3 women) can be tough! But, this year, my Mom’s work meeting was in Disney World again, and we could get a convention rate! The catch was, we could only get one room.
Her meetings were at the Swolphin, and since we aren't interested in staying there we looked at other options on the Boardwalk. BC was out because we stayed there last time and wanted to try something new, so it was between BWI and YC. YC won out because of its cool theming, better location and lack of creepy clown pool
So, it was booked in December 2012! 6 nights at the Yacht Club with 6-day base tickets, since we weren't planning to park hop this trip. We made a few ADRs ahead of time, since we had learned last trip that ADRs are a necessary evil! No magic bands or FP+ yet, so we still had paper tickets and same-day FPs. Let's get started!!
Day 1- We left on Monday, May 20th. The weekend before had been crazy, with me finishing my freshman year of college and moving out of the dorms and my sister graduating college with a Bachelor’s in Communication Disorders (she now works as a Speech Pathologist). Haley graduated the Sunday before we left and her school was an hour from our house, so we were out late the night before and had to pack very last-minute.
It was a quick turn around; the next day we woke up at about 4:00 AM to catch our 6:30 flight to Orlando! The flight was smooth and fast, and we landed at MCO by 10:45 AM. We then took the DME over to the Yacht Club and got there at just after noon. It took a while to check in, since Disney had me in the system as being 10 years old?
We were thinking that maybe they still had our info from when we stayed at the BC in 2005! But, the gentleman checking us in was wonderful and got things straightened out right away. As a consolation to the check-in difficulties, he upgraded us to THIS VIEW….
I literally almost cried. We had paid for a standard view and probably got the best view of the whole resort. It was so amazing to just stand on our balcony and people-watch! This picture alone would convince me to stay at Yacht Club again and pay for lagoon view.
After exploring our awesome room, we freshened up and headed to Epcot at 1:30. We loved the quick, 5-minute walk! Our first ride was Spaceship Earth, and it was such a perfect first ride that it has become a running tradition for Mom and I!
Test Track was down, so we grabbed a fast pass for Soarin' and did Living with the Land. After our education at The Land, we got some lunch at Electric Umbrella and headed to The Seas to ride Nemo and look at the fish.
Photo-op!
We rode a few other rides after this, then redeemed our fast pass for Soarin’! Love this ride. Haley didn't remember much from our 2005 trip, so she didn't know what to expect. I caught a look on her face during Soarin' that was a look of pure joy, and I'll never forget that
. Haley is usually pretty stoic, so to see her hold her arms out and squeal on Soarin was so cool to watch! After we explored Future World, we headed over to World Showcase. We had an ADR for Teppan Edo, but it wasn't until 8:50 PM, so we took our time wandering around the countries. My dad and sister both got Oktoberfest beers and Jaegar Bombs at Germany, but I had other plans…
Meeting Snow White! She was adorable and her voice was so high! Of course, once Haley saw me waiting in line she had to join! This was one of our only character meets this trip.
We made our way around all of World Showcase, shopping and snacking until it was finally time to head over to Teppan Edo. I was a bit bummed, because we missed Illuminations, but Teppan Edo was great! My sister and I got fruity drinks to start off our vacation right.
Our server was wonderful and so was our food. One of the best parts of the night, however, was walking back to the YC through a completely empty World Showcase. It was so cool to see Epcot that deserted and was a great way to end the night! Once we returned to the hotel, we crashed!
Day 2- Magic Kingdom day! If you haven't noticed already, we like to do our park days in a similar pattern every trip. We woke up a bit late, around 9:15 AM, and grabbed frappes at the coffee shop in the YC lobby. This coffee shop came in handy this week; we got coffee here almost every morning before hitting the parks. We moseyed on over to the bus stop and caught a Magic Kingdom bus, arriving at about 10:30.
As soon as we got into the park, my dad was on a mission! We rushed over to Frontierland, grabbed FPs for BTMRR and decided to wait standby for Splash Mountain. It was a 35-minute wait, then we were on! Always a classic. Once we disembarked, My mom decided that she needed a late breakfast. Well naturally, we got….
Mickey Bars! Yum yum! We rode some classics in Fantasyland and Adventureland and redeemed our FP for BTMRR before we decided to get some lunch. Just out of curiosity, we asked if Liberty Tree Tavern had any openings and they did! We were seated right away. I had a turkey, pecan, and cranberry salad, and it was very refreshing because it was starting to get hot outside. We loved Liberty Tree Tavern’s cute theming and ambiance.
After lunch, we got FPs for Peter Pan’s Flight and decided to look at Storybook Circus. We rode Dumbo and the Barnstormer, then looped back around New Fantasyland to ride Journey of the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and the Carousel. After this, it was getting to be about 5:00 PM, so my dad headed out of the park. We walked him to the front, and once he boarded a bus, Mom, Haley and I and looked around the shops on Main Street. We bought treats at the Confectionary and decided to eat them while taking a loop around the park on the train. This was a nice way to relax and talk about our day
Once the train stopped back at Main Street, we got off and rode some rides in Tomorrowland before scoping out a spot for the Main Street Electrical Parade. While my mom held our spot, Haley and I got pepperoni flatbreads and chocolate milk from Pinnochio’s Village Haus to share. Just as we came back, the parade started and we ate and watched the MSEP!
Of course, we stayed to watch Celebrate the Magic and Wishes
Then, we made our way out of the park with the masses. Small rant here: the bus service at the YC was some of the worst we had experienced at WDW. This would be the only reason we'd pause at staying here again, because we LOVE the YC. But, this trip, YC shared all busses with BC, BWI, and the Swolphin!! It was frustrating, because we'd see countless busses for Pop, Port Orleans, etc. but only one for all of the Boardwalk resorts! We understood that bussing can be tough for crowds, but since we were staying at a Deluxe, we expected better bus service. So, in short, both nights coming back from Magic Kingdom had extremely long waits and commutes! At least now coming up, Mom and I know in advance that the GF shares busses and we are prepared for it!
Day 3- This day, my mom had meetings, my dad went golfing, and my sister and I went to Universal Studios! Since Harry Potter World was contained to one park at the time, we spent our whole day at Islands of Adventure. It was fun, but I was a chicken this trip and shied away from many of Universal’s rides. In my defense, their rides are way more intense than Disney’s!
We took a cab from YC and bought our tickets at the front of the park. Of course, we beelined it straight to Harry Potter World! Haley rode Dragon Challenge, then we both rode Forbidden Journey. Ach
Never again. The simulators made me so dizzy and nauseous!Well, what better way to cure tummy troubles than a cold Butterbeer slushy??
We enjoyed our Butterbeers and walked around Hogsmeade. Haley bought some candy at Honeydukes and we also looked in Ollivanders. Haley was in total heaven! She loves Harry Potter and was so excited. I like Harry Potter too, but prefer Disney of course
After our Hogwarts adventure, we walked to the Universal Boardwalk for some lunch. We decided on Margaritaville, a family favorite!
After lunch, we went back to IOA so Haley could ride The Hulk (I looked in the gift shop while she rode)! Then, we walked over to Seuss Landing, where I got some candy for myself and we rode some kiddie rides. Lastly, we went to Jurassic Park and rode the water ride before heading back to the Yacht Club.
We got back at about 4:30, showered and got changed for dinner. We ate at the ESPN Zone on the Boardwalk! I remember being so excited because they had the Cheerleading Worlds competition on the TVs! My dad loves the ESPN Zone, so we always try to stop by here. We took our time heading back after dinner, stopping at Seashore Sweets for dessert and watching the street performers. There is nothing like the Boardwalk at night. We got back at about 10:30 PM and Mom and I people-watched on our balcony for a bit before hitting the hay!
Day 4- Hollywood Studios day! We got a late start and took the boat over to DHS at about 10:30. Right as we entered the park, we got a FP for Rockin’ Roller Coaster and waited standby for Tower of Terror. We love Tower of Terror! I can’t believe my dad went on it.. he is terrified of heights and wouldn’t even ride Soarin’! But, he is a huge fan of the Twilight Zone; we often watch it together when it’s on TV.
Then, we did the Great Movie Ride, walked around Streets of America and watched One Man’s Dream while waiting to redeem our FP for RnRc.
A quick photo of me and my favorite ride at DHS!
After our amazing ride of RnRc, we headed over to our lunch ADR at….
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater! Where else??
We had a great meal as always. Their Oreo shakes are amazing! Walking out of Sci-Fi, we run into this silly dog!!
After meeting with Pluto, my dad headed out of the park while Haley, Mom, and I headed over to Muppetvision. You guys, I know it’s corny, but I LOVE this show! It’s sooo outdated, but I hope they never change it! We had a bit of free time after Muppetvision before we were supposed to head back to YC. We utilized this time to try a new attraction at DHS: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow. It was a 40 minute wait, but we were pumped to try something different!
WHAT EVEN WAS THAT ATTRACTION. It was so silly and completely age inappropriate for us. We felt like idiots for wasting our time to do it, we would have rather watched Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage! Apparently, Disney had the same ideas we did, because they closed the “ride” shortly after. If you want a giggle, look up the attraction video on Youtube and imagine 3 adult women voluntarily waiting 40 minutes to do it
After our disappointing ride experience, we exited the park and boated back to YC to get ready for dinner. We then took a cab over to the Polynesian for an exciting night at the Spirit of Aloha Luau! We did this back in 2002 when we stayed at the Poly and loved it, so we decided to try it again this year! It was really cute; I love how they played music from Lilo and Stitch and the food is always amazing!
Once the Luau was over, we watched some of Aladdin on the Poly beach and stayed to watch Wishes. I LOVE watching Wishes from the Polynesian. It was a perfect way to end the night.
Day 5- Today served as a rest day. My mom had some work functions in the morning, and my dad really wanted to check out Stormalong Bay. I decided to tag along with my mom in the morning and then Dad and Haley in the afternoon to spend time with both of them. My mom woke up at 6:00 AM, but I slept until 9:30 and strolled over to the Dolphin to meet her. We watched some of her resident’s presentations and walked around the convention until we decided to grab some lunch together. After weighing our options, we decided on the Crew’s Cup Lounge. Fun fact- it was here that we started talking about doing a mother-daughter trip to Disney World
I’m so glad that just us two got lunch here this day. The lunch was ok, but our server was less than friendly, which is unheard of for Disney!After our lunch, my mom walked back to the Dolphin while I changed into my swimsuit and headed for Stormalong Bay. I met my dad and Haley there, and we swam and relaxed for the afternoon. It was boiling hot this day; the pool felt like a jacuzzi! We got some popsicles to cool down and ate them in the pool.
Then, at about 5:30 PM, we showered and got ready for a night of a lifetime- The Magic Kingdom’s first 24-Hour Event! I was SO excited to do this and couldn’t get ready fast enough. We took the long bus ride to Magic Kingdom and stopped in our tracks as soon as we entered the park...
CROWDS. SO MANY CROWDS. We had had pretty moderate crowds all week and were not prepared for what we saw. Of course, we didn’t take into account how many locals/passholders would come out for the 24-hour event. But, we didn’t let this affect the night; we were planning on staying the whole time!
Haley and I in our Minnie Ears
Right away, we decided to grab dinner at Columbia Harbor House and ride some favorites before Wishes. We weren’t worried about catching MSEP because there were multiple showings of it all night! The hub was absolutely packed, but we managed to get a great spot! Wishes was amazing as always. Then, my dad left with the masses to go to bed, leaving Mom, Haley, and I to rally!! We first headed to Haunted Mansion, then rode BTMRR. Right before midnight, we knew we had to ride Splash Mountain. It is surprisingly intense in the dark! After disembarking Splash Mountain, we headed on over to Adventureland for a much-anticipated snack…
A Dole Whip! I had heard about these all over the internet and knew we had to try one. The line was 45 minutes long, but we stuck it out and it was so worth it! We all got the pineapple-orange swirl and enjoyed our tasty treats before doing a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean.
It was then that we started to hit a wall. My mom was full of energy, but Haley and I were tired from the long week. Plus, I had picked the wrong shoes to wear that night and my feet were killing me! But, we stuck it out for a bit longer. We rode almost all of the rides in Fantasyland before finally calling it quits at 3:00 AM.
It was quite funny exiting the park at 3 AM and seeing the MSEP going on! I was so surprised at how many little kids were still awake at that time of night! We were slap-happy at this point, laughing at everything and stopping in every shop we passed by to look. But then, my mom made the fatal error of the night…. Going inside the Confectionary.
Well, of course we can’t stop in the Main Street Confectionary without wanting to buy something! The line was ridiculous and we were exhausted, but my mom insisted on waiting in line. Haley and I were practically crying because we were so tired
. We must have really looked pitiful, because a CM came up to us in line and gave us free M&M-covered Rice Krispie Treats! We thanked her profusely and put on brave faces until we got on the bus for YC, then we absolutely crashed. My mom woke us up when we got back to the hotel, and we fell asleep again as soon as our heads hit the pillow!Day 6- Our last full day in Disney
My mom had more meetings this day, and my dad wanted to golf again, so Haley and I decided to hit up Animal Kingdom for some sister fun! We slept in late after our long night, so we didn’t arrive at Animal Kingdom until noon. We did Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and the Safari before grabbing lunch. Mickey pretzels with cheese and Frozen Chai Lattes were our choice! They really hit the spot. Then, we rode Primeval Whirl and Expedition Everest again. We had time to do one more attraction before leaving, and guess what Haley chooses? It’s Tough to Be a Bug
. As some of you may know, I’m not a huge fan of this attraction. I think it’s cute, but a bit freaky and gross. Needless to say, I was not very happy that our last ride in Disney World was a 3D movie about bugs Since we were running late, we took a cab back to YC and quickly got ready for dinner. We had plans to meet up with my mom’s work friends in Downtown Disney and eat at Portobello this night.
We took a bus to Downtown Disney and kind of rushed our way through the Marketplace. My dad doesn’t really like to shop, so us girls were a bit bummed that we couldn’t look longer. We managed to pick out our Christmas ornament for tradition, but then it was time to eat. (Note- this was why Mom and I were so upset to be rushed in Downtown Disney AGAIN in 2015. This trip, we have 2 nights planned there to fully enjoy it
). We had dinner with one of my mom’s colleagues and his family. Haley and I were thoroughly entertained, because Mom's friend's daughter was an actress who lived out in Hollywood and had some crazy stories to tell us! After dinner, we got some gelato from a vendor and took our time walking around before saying our goodbyes and heading back to YC. We had to be back early because we had an early flight back to Milwaukee the next day
Day 7- We woke up at about 6:15 AM to finish up packing and clean up the room, then our DME arrived at 7:30. At the airport, we breezed through security and had breakfast from McDonalds with one of my mom’s coworkers. We arrived back in Milwaukee that afternoon, all of us depressed that our vacation was over
Pretty much as soon as we got back, Mom and I started planning our mother-daughter trip for 2015 *Shameless Plug- If you want to read about that trip, click the link down in my signature for my August-September 2015 TR
*Well Disfriends, that’s all for my Memories of Disney Trips Past! I had so much fun writing these and re-living all of the magical memories
I hope you have enjoyed reading them and I also hope that they’ve inspired you to look through your old photos as well. I’ll be back with a real-time update later this week See Ya Real Soon!
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It's true we're kindred blister spirits 
The Epcot Resorts area is probably my favourite place to stay.
It's basically all we use here, so I thought that souded a little crazy.
I feel like I've been ready all summer, yet there is still so much I need to do! Plus, vacation for me technically starts this Saturday, since my parents, sister, boyfriend and I are going Up North for a week to our cabin! Then, I have a buffer week of work before Disney. I'll basically be jumping out of my skin at work all week 
. We are going to bus from Epcot to OKW, then walk around OKW for a bit before taking the boat over to Disney Springs. It will also be interesting to get a quick glance at Saratoga Springs as well!
Our first two days are sooo busy but we love being busy, and I know we couldn't just stay at the resort and do nothing on our first day. We'd be jumping out of our skin!
