The Rinaldi's are back! For a magical winter getaway to WDW, Jan '12-*UPDATED 2/7*

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls....

WELCOME!

Hi, I'm Lauren, and this is my 2nd annual TR! I had a fantastic trip full of magic and fun, and I cannot wait to share it all with you! Before I begin this exciting tale, i'll start you off with the cast and some important background details:






~CAST~





Me: Lauren

Hi! Well, I just turned 15, actually on a couple days before this trip, and I am a freshman in high school. In case you haven't noticed, I am a HUGE Disney lover! I think of Disnney World as my home away from home, and I even hope to work for Disney someday too!
Favorite Ride: EE
Favorite park: MK
Favorite Character: Mickey Mouse





Mom

She's also a huge lover of all things Disney, and she is the big planner of all of our WDW trips!
Favorite Ride: Splash Mountain
Favorite park: AK
Favorite character: Baloo




Dad

He also loves Disney, and is a lot of fun!
Favorite ride: Rockn Rollercoaster
Favorite park: AK
Favorite Character: Donald Duck




And last but not least...

Grace!

Grace is my 11 year old little sister. I know, you all probably think we look like twins....well we aren't! I get that from everyone..especially at Disney! She likes Disney, but her favorite part is the pool.
Favorite ride: EE
Favorite park: AK
Favorite character: Minnie Mouse





Now here are the Background details:


For this trip we were stayin at the Beach Club Villas(we are in the DVC) for the 2nd time at that resort, from January 13th to the 17th. This would be our 7th trip to Disney! This time we had decided that we weren't going to do the dining plan, and just eat when we were hungry. It would also be our second trip to WDW in the winter, since we usually went in the summer.




So, without further ado...sit back, relax, and let Mickey take you away...





Oh, and I will post my chapter links right on this post, to make it easier for you!​

Day 1:

~Part 1-We're on our way to Disney!

~Part 2-Welcome home, to the Beach Club!

~Part 3-Jambo! An afternoon in AK

~Part 4-"We Go On"...Even though our feet hurt




Day 2

~Part 1-Morning in Future World

~Part 2-Around the World we go...

~Part 3-A spectacular festival pageant of nightime magic and imagination...




Day 3

~Part 1-Good Morning, Good Morning!

~Part 2-It warms up!

~Part 3-Grim, Grinning Ghosts!

~Part 4-Boardwalk and the WS in one night!




Day 4

~Part 1-Hooray for Hollywood!

~Part 2-A change of plans and much more!

~Part 3-This...is American Idol!

~Part 4-"It's called a salute to all nations...but mostly america!"

~Part 5-Cape May dinner!




Day 5

~Part 1- It's the last day! Quaharini!

~Part 2-Meeting Baloo and much more!

~Part 3-A last day safari!

~Part 4-Planet Watching with Rafiki

~Part 5-Otters and other things...

~Part 6-Festival of the Lion King!

~Part 7-Our final chapter in this wonderful journey!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 1~
Part 1: We're on our way to Disney!

After days and days of waiting and excitement the 13th finally rolled around. My phone alarm went off at 4 am, and I woke up extremely excited, even though I had hardly slept the night before. The day had finally arrived!!!

Mom, Dad, and Grace woke up too, and we all dressed and drank our coffees( excpet Grace..she hates it).




Grandpa arriveed at our house at 5 to drive us to the airport. We sadly said goodbye to our two little beagles, and packed our suitcases in the van. The airport was only 15 minutes away. On our ride there I was wide awake, because well, we were going to my favorite place ever, although I always get soooo nervouse before going on a plane!




We finally got to the airport, went through a practically empty security(the airport had just opened). Mom and Dad got coffees and Grace got a muffin. I decided i would wait for the wonderful Disney food! We headed to the Southwest gate, and the plane was already there!​

We waited for a little while at the gate, waiting to be seated.

Before long it was time to be seated. Dad got the pleasure of sitting beside Grace on the plane...good luck with that! She's the most impatient person I know...​

Goodbye cold New England, Hello warm Florida!!​

 

[BeagleMom]

Off to a great start! Can't wait to read more. What a nice family.

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 1~
Part 2: Welcome home, to the Beach Club!




We landed in Orlando after an uneventful 2 and a half hour flight. We wer there probably around 10 a.m.ish. We were loaded off quickly, awh yes the magic of Southwest!


Luckily this time our gate was right across from the "fake" monorail.



I made Mom, Dad, and Grace stop for a quick picture while we waited.

Here I am, extremeley excited! I just love that feeling you get when you enter the Orlando airport, and you already feel that Disney excitement kicking in!

We were off after, Dad had us booking it to the Disney Magical Express.





The Beach Club sign!!

We waited for, I believe, only 10 minutes for our DME bus. I'm a picture taking maniac, because I like making Disney vacation videos on my Mac, so while waiting, I made everyone take some pictures.

We just look thrilled.

We were ushered out to our bus, and it was a Disney cruise line bus!

Yay! Thank God it wasn't a boring Mears bus, which is what we got last summer.




Once on the bus, I made some updates for this TR in my new android while we took the long 45 minute ride (btw, I just got the new phone, and I had gotten an app for the wait times and park and show hours. It was called "Mousewait." Have any of you heard of it?)




Grace and Mom waiting to arrive at Disney...

Anways! We had the absolute most funniest bus driver EVER! His name was Gregory:​

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Well, he was verrrry informative and funny!




After a little while, I was suddenly seeing this!

Finally! We were on Disney property! Gregory had everyone clap and cheer, LOL soo cute!



We were soon at the Beach Club after that!

Mom and Dad went straight to the check-in desk. I went over and snapped a picture of these pretty flowers in the lobby.

After a few minutes I went over to them, and to my surprise(well...not really...I sort of told my parents to ask) I got a birthday pin! It wasn't going to be my birthday...it had been the 9th when I turned 15, but it was the closest to my birthday than my disney trips had ever been. I snapped it right on...

Here I am with this fantastic birthday pin!

The woman at the counter was very nice and gave Grace an "I'm celebrating" pin. I think it was because the lady felt bad. Grace hates things like that, though...she thinks they look weird..so that went straight in the trash afterwards anyways.


Our room in the villas was ready, which never seems to happen for us, so we hurried up to drop off a few of our carry-on bags.




We got a Mickey Mouse shaped towel!!

We went down to the buses, and were able to hop right on an AK bus....yay! Our first stay at BC we had very bad bus service...so now it looked very good so far!




Grace is very excited to go to her favorite park, AK!

And off we went to Animal Kingdom...[/CENTER]

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

Off to a great start! Can't wait to read more. What a nice family.

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 1~
Part 3: Jambo! An afternoon in AK








We got to AK around noonish, and I could see, right when we entered, how crowded it was. Oh well...it was the Friday of Martin Luther King Jr weekend, so it was bound to be crowded

We were starving, since we hadn't eaten anything since the tiny bags of snacks on the plane. Also, I noticed as we walked through the park, that the weather was great. Not hot, but not freezing. Of course...I would rethink what I'm saying now later in the trip...especially at night, because it was at very low tempereatures when we were there.



Okay, so we decided to go to Restaurantasaurus(I probably just killed the spelling of that word!) for lunch, so we made our way to Dinoland U.S.A. It actually wasn't that crowded in there, considering it was lunch time and all.

Mom got a yummy fried shrimp sandwich, Dad got a burger, and Grace and me shared the chicken tenders, which were very good!




Mom and Dad enjoying a nice lunch:

After eating, we decided to go on Dinosaur, since we were already right there. Grace doesn't really like it, but she always goes on it for us every time.




I noticed something when I was walking up there that I had never seen before...a hidden mickey! It's those asteroids that form a mickey head right about the iguanadon!

The wait said 20 minutes, and the line was really long! We have never had to wait for Dinosaur at any time of day. We had to wait in an outside line first, but at least I got this oppurtunity of making Grace take this picture out there!

We were on soon though, and after a fun ride, we made our way to Asia to try to hit EE. My MouseWait app had said it was only 20 minutes, so I was counting on that.

Once we saw the massive mob and the wait time of.....50 minutes! I was able to conclude that MouseWait was, in fact, incorrect. Way to get my hopes up! Now I knew that it was not very reliable...





We opted to getting Fp's instead, and made our way to the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We passed Kali River Rapids, and I saw that it was only a 10 minute wait. Of course! What fools would go on that in this weather!? It wasn't exactly sweating hot out...







Believe it or not...the little kids were actually playing in this..

We went through the trail, and were excited to find that the tigers were active! That was a first! I usually always see them laying about. Here's one that was looking straight at me:





Oops! Wait, this isn't a real one...​

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Alright, here he is...the real one:

Oh, and another one in a different enlcosure...apparantly she's the mother

The tiny cute Thomson's gazelles were also leaping around like crazy, which I had also never seen.



Grace was getting very restless by now(not a big animal lover), so we made our way out and over to Africa to the Kilimanjaro Safari.




We caught a glimpse of Madame Divine along the way. I remember a few years ago I never ever used to see her out, but now the past few times I see her ALL the time! She is sooo cool.

Surprisingly, it was only a 20 minute wait at the Safari, so we got on quickly, and got the backseat. I had never been in the last row, and let me tell you, it was bumpy! But I think it just added to the fun of the ride.




I took a couple pics along the way..not too many though, there weren't many giraffes out(my favorite)

Yes, I know you probably all think these pictures are so very thrilling...so I better move on!






We hit the Pangani Trail next, and were extremely sad(Dad mostly)that the gorilla trail was closed! Personally, I wasn't too beat up over it, because Dad loooovesss gorillas, and will spend a good hour of the day in that area!


Grace claimed she was "STARVING" after the trail(she seems to be this frequently during our trip, although the poor child had now been dragged through not one, but TWO trails that she didn't care for) So mom stopped to buy her a snack in Africa..not remembering what it was...and I walked over to a stand to buy a Mickey bar.


The ice cream stand looked completely deserted...I'm sure not many people buy cold ice cream in this weather, and the CM looked all excited when I cam over!

In fact...when I handed him my money he said, "This one's on Mickey Mouse, oh and Happy Birthday!" LOL you cannot believe how happy I was at that moment! That kind of stuff NEVER happens to me, so I walked back to my family with this HUGE grin on my face, like a childish who just received like the best present EVER! Yes, I know it was only a free Mickey Bar that was only 3.50, but still, I was extremely happy!






Our FP time for EE was going to be up soon, so we headed back to Asia. Grace really wanted a frozen chai now, so she got one. Dad and I watched a miserable family get off Kali River Rapids soaked to the bone and shivering...ohh what fools!


I bought a new vinylmation from the park 7 series(I am a HUGE vinylmation collector; I LOVE them!) while waiting at EE's gift shop. We finally were able to go on.



We were seated in the back; even though I think front seat is best, andwe had a great ride! I just love it! Sadly, there was no chance of going on again, since the wait time was still 50 minutes. Too bad, and it was likely we were not going to be able to get back to AK this trip, since we would only be here for five days!





Anywaaaays...(i know this update is kind of long, but I just have to keep going!) afterwards, it was almost time for the 3:00 pm parade, so we went to Discovery Island. We weren't able to see it last summer, so I was very excited!



The parade was amazing, because all the performers kept flocking over to me to say happy birthday! I LOVED it! I also decided I would definetely wear this birthday pin some more! It was hilarious during the parade, as well, because Bre'r Rabbit and Bre'r Bear were getting down to the music! I love seeing characters doing uncharacter-like funny stuff like that!



I got some pics of this parade:

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We went straight into Bug's Life after, because we had been sitting right next to the entrance.

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Look! We're Honorary Bugs now! Lol






We hit a couple of stores after, and shopped around.





By this time, the park was going to be closing soon because it was almost five.





Goodbye, AK!

We hopped on a BC bus which was there almost immediately. We were on our way back to our resort, and wherever we may choose to go to dinner![/CENTER]

 

[jessidoll]

I'm joining in! Awesome trip so far,poor Kali Rapids family though Lol

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

I'm joining in! Awesome trip so far,poor Kali Rapids family though Lol

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 1~
Part 4: "We Go On"...Even though our feet hurt











After returning to the BC around 4, we walked up to our room. Me and Grace were kind of crazy and sooo excited we were here.







I was verrry excited!

I flipped on the TV, and there was Stacy! Yay!

We began unpacking, just so we could get that out of the way.








Take a look at that balcony! For some reason, this time, we got this crazy long balcony..hmm?

Our balcony overlooked some trees, the top of the Epcot ball, a bridge that Disney buses drove over, and as we found out...a PERFECT view of Illuminations!







Grace and I were bored while Mom and Dad unpacked their stuff, so we ran down to grab some drinks for our Disney mugs. As we went outside, I noticed it had begun to get very cold.









Around 6, we headed down to Beaches and Cream for dinner...that place is SO good! We were planning to go to Epcot after, because Future World had EMH until 9, and we wanted to see Illuminations, too. Therefore, I brought my hat and gloves, and my north face too. At dinner, we got onion rings for an appetizer.

Grace got a hot dog for dinner, Mom got a hamburg, Dad got a chicken sandwich, and for my dinner..I got a No Way Jose sundae! Yes, I know, what a healthy choice...


But it was...AMAZING!! I mean, look at the size of it!!

How could something that big NOT be good!? Oh yeah, and everyone else loved their meals too! Someday I HAVE to try that Kitchen Sink though!






After dinner, Dad and Grace were pretty tired and didn't feel like going, so Mom and Me decided to go.










The Boardwalk looked beautiful when we walked by to get to the WS.

I was all bundled up...see! I told you it was SO cold!! I thought I was escaping the NE weather!

We walked up to Future World first, and looked in the Art of Disney store. I really wanted a Walt Disney poster, but there were none left!




We stepped out to see the beautiful ball

We went on Spaceship Earth first(which I love), but for some reason they didn't put our faces for the picture at the end...odd? Bummer!


We stopped in MouseGears quick after, and headed back to the WS because the time for Illuminations was coming closer.






Mom and Me also looked quickly through GB, and then got a place on the bridge near Freace to see Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.







I was able to snap this while watching it:

The show was amazing as usual (it is one of my favorite nighttime shows). I find it to be sooo moving.





Afterwards, we walked back to BC...THANKYOU BC for your close proximity to Epcot, so that we didn't have to deal with the leaving crowds. Because it had been PACKED! There was some HUGE group there called "Faith 3D" on their badges...but I never saw so many people from one group!







We grabbed our mugs and trudged down to get some warm drinks. Not only was I tired and cold, but my feet were starting to hurt...which was odd, because they never seem to, usually.







When we got back to our room, Grace was fast asleep, and we were too soon, after a long amaaazing first day at Disney! ​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 2~
Part 1: Morning in Future World

The alarm I had set went off at 7:40 am the next morning, and me and Grace went down in our PJ's to get everyone coffees. I immediately felt like a fool when I saw everyone all dressed and out and about. Oh well, it wasn't like I knew any of them!





Anyways, we brought up the drinks, everyone dressed, and we headed down around 8:30. We had decided to go nto Epcot today. We headed outside, and it was a little chilly.

We made our way over to WS, but Grace and Me wanted some pictures of us on the beautiful BC beach along the way. We had plenty of time anyways, seeing as the WS was less than 5 minutes away.

We got to the turnstiles by the WS.

We got in, for some reason, before 9. I'm not just talking in through the WS like usual. They actually let us up into the Land and in the Soarin' line before 9 as well...what!? It was weird because there was hardly no one there! What a mystery! I also had worn the bday pin today again, and I was already getting a TON of "happy birthdays".






We only had to wait a few minutes.

We were seated in row B1...the PERFECT spot! Yay!! No feet in my face, and directly in the middle! I couldn't have asked for anything better! I believe we were on only the second flight of the day as well.


It was amazing, and we got FP's for it again later, left the Land, and decided to head over to Test Track!



Mom and Dad are all excited to ride!

Our hair got CRAZY messed up!! (Ive NEVER wore my hair down for TT until now...) I would definetely choose TT as a summer option though, because on the outside part it was FREEZING! Although, sadly, I hear it won't be there this summer, because it is getting all redone. I'm sad, but I cannot WAIT to see what Disney has in store!









Hmm..not too long until I drive one of these...

Afterwards, Mom and Grace tried Mission:Space for their first time, and since I decided I still didn't really want to try it, Dad and I went to Storm Struck in the Innoventions building across the way.


I had always wanted to do the show, but there always seemed to be a long wait...and it was actually really good! For those of you who may not have tried it because it is sort of out of the way, i'll tell you. You are seated in a theater with 3D glasses, and it is like you are in your house and a tornado hits. It is very cool! Then, afterwards, you must together vote on how to fix your neighborhood to be storm proof, and watch the storm now through your window. I would definetely say to try it out!+







We were going to do the Sum of all Thrills after, because it had no line before, but now it was packed! Dad and I just left Innoventions, and I texted Mom to meet us at the fountain.





They met us there, and told us how awesom Mission:Space had been. They had done the Green Team. Maybe I should have gone? Ah well, I would always have July when I'm going next time, to try it again.









By this time, it was around 10:30 am, and our FP's for Soarin' were up. When we entered the Land I was taken aback at how crowded it now was! Just a little while ago it was empty, and now I could barely move!





And then I saw







IT.









The "it" that I would now encounter for the entirety of my trip....






THE TOUR GROUPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!







NO! It was like a never ending sea of the same colored shirt.



But we pulled through...we gritted our teeth, barged through the crowd, and went to Soarin'. We got on quick but weren't able to get b again. Well, at least we got it the first time!








After Soarin', me and Grace were starving! Mom suggested Sunshine Season, so we went thre, even though I usually like going there just for lunch. But today we were going to a late lunch at Biergarten instead. Mom and Dad didn't want anything, but Grace got the kid's French toast and loved it, and I got the Breakfast Sandwich(I think it was called?). Even though I'm not a huge breakfast fan I LOVED it! Yum!






I wanted to try to do Living with the Land after, because it usually has no line throughout the day, but for some crazy mystery( NOT much a mystery now) the line was 30 minutes! Woah!




We vetoed that one, and after that short stop, we decided to head over to visit Figment! ​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 2~
Part 2: Around the World we go...











Sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday...I have midterms this week, and it is craaazy stressful!











So, we were on our way to Figment. We waited in no line at all...it was empty there.

Lol, Grace and me thought these people looked like they were dancing!

Sooo...us rulebreakers danced!

Everyone took a turn with the symphony thing afterwards.

After Figment, we stopped at Club Cool for that nasty Italian beverly. For some reason Dad actually likes it! Yuck!




We walked over to MouseGears next to buy my cousin a birthday present. I also did my first vinylmation trading!




I spotted this along the way!

By this time we had almost two hours until our 2:00 ADR at Biergarten, and it was time to head over to the WS. My favorite! For some reason i've always LOVED the countries.



We went to Mexico first...

We went straight to the Mexican boat ride, which I always find pretty relaxing, although I think there is a bit too much of the Three Caballeros, and not much about the Mexican culture.



The first picture looks okay, but I'm not too sure about the second one...

Dad got a drink from the Mexico bar, as usual, and then we were out of Mexico. On our way to Norway we saw Donald Duck dressed as a caballero! For some reason, Mom and Dad were really urging us to get a picture with him, since we did have time to spare. Now I can't even tell you the last time me and Grace have gone over to see characters, except for in restaurants. I'm thinking, probably not since our first and second trips years ago...




So, we met Donald and I really loved it! I felt like a little girl again and it was great!



Here is us and Donald!!

We moved on into Norway, and we went straight to Maelstrom, which seemed to have a very short wait. We soon were right on!

You are not the first to pass this way...nor shall you be the last...-LOL best part of the ride!





We got off and Dad stopped to watch the much needed update Norway show. I couldn't bear to sit through that again, so I waited outside with Grace and saw this cute guy:

We browsed through the Norway shops after, and I also got a picture with this big guy!

We walked over to China after​

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Grace played with those cool puppets

We finally made it over to Germany and to Biergarten, and looked through the left side shops really quick.


Check out these new hats we saw there!

Mom checked us in, and we waited a little and were finally brought in a bit after 2. There seemed to be a lot of people in there. We were seated soon, and had to be seated with another family.


Dad was VERY excited...he LOVES anything Germany so this is his ideal restaurant! He usually eats about 4 plates of JUST the main food! Crazy, I know.

There was the nice band there..with the guy playing the trumpet..but oddly halfway through he just left and didn't come back.

The food was very good, as ususal, but the only problem was the buffet line was HUGE!

Anyways, afer Biergarten it was almost 4, and Dad wanted to look on the right side shops in Germany.

Grace and me were kind of bored, so we went over to color duffies!! I had never made one before...



Actually, not going to lie, before now I had been anti-Duffy. I didn't understand him, and I sort of just didn't want to accept him into the Disney character world. But then, all of a sudden after coloring one, I liked Duffy!!




These are me and Grace's Duffys!

After that, we wanted to go to the Main Street Electrical Parade that night. Therefore, we headed back through the countries and were just passing France when we saw this cute little show there, that I had never seen!

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Once it ended back over the bridge...bye bye WS![/CENTER]

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Then we headed back to the BC from there![/CENTER]

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 2~
Part 3: A spectacular festival pageant of nightime magic and imagination...









Once we got back to our room from the WS, we very much needed to go to the hot tub, and it was only 4:30, so we had time.

The hot tub felt AMAZING! I witnessed as we were relaxing in the hot tub, a family come down. It was the funniest thing, because they were all dressed in winter jackets, snow pants, boots, hats, and gloves! They must have been from down south because it wasn't THAT cold!






After awhile we had to get out and brave that cold air again!

We headed back upstairs to take showers, and dress warmly for tonight. If only I knew what a cold one this was going to be...




I was really hoping Grace would stay with me for EMH tonight at MK, but after alot of nagging, it seemed like a lost cause, and I dropped it. Oh well...






All of usd trooped down to the bus stop at 6, so that we could have plenty of time to get a spot for the parade. We got right on a MK bus, yay! And we were on our way...




We were finally at Magic Kingdom!​

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Mom saved seats for us with Grace, and Dad and me went to Art of Disney. I saw this wicked cute display in the store's windows:

I was able to purcahse the poster I really wanted, and it was the last one! It was the one with Walt Disney next to the castle with "Vision" underneath and one of his quotes. It was just amszing.

We went back over to Mom and Grace, and they were saving perfect spots in the front area by the railroad. Grace got a popcorn, while we waited for MSEP to begin...ugh was it coldddd!!!

Mom and Grace are just loving waiting...

The parade finally began at 7, and was amazingg![/CENTER]

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Of course, I sort of REALLY miss Spectromagic! When will it come back!?

I also think its funny how many guests haven't seen classic Disney movies, like Pinnochio. It shows in MSEP, when the Pinnochio floats come by, and half the kids AND adults are like: "What's that?" UGH! like honestly...watch the movie!!








Anyways, when the parade ended, we got into the throng of people to stand up in front of the castle. That is when I noticed how CRAZY crowded it was at MK. I mean, it was PACKED!! I don't think I had ever even seen it that crowded.




We got a perfect spot anyways, directly in front of the beautiful castle.

We watched the Magic, Memories, and You show, then Wishes...

Afterwards, we headed back down to Main Street, and woah were these people animals! I saw abandoned strollers just left in the middle of the street that tons of people were tripping over! Odd...






We waited out the crowds for a little in teh Emporium, while Grace had an absolute heart attack about the buses. I had to assure her that we just needed to wait for the crowds to pass, or we would NEVER get on a bus! We headed over later, and got right on one, and went straight to BC.




Back at the hotel, we entered the DVC area and saw this...wow it was gorgeous...

We were pretty tired, so we grabbed some drinks (specifically hot chocolate for me, because it was freeezzinggg). Grace got a dessert, and we chilled out in the room for a little bit. Then we fell asleep after another long day at WDW!![/CENTER]

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 3~
Part 1: Good Morning, Good Morning!

On our 3rd day, we decided to go to MK, so we woke up at 7 am. We dressed, got drinks, and went down to the buses for 8.

We ended up getting to the park by 8:10. I think we must have thought it would take us a while to get there, because we now were wicked early! We had about 50 minutes to spare! It was okay though, because we got a perfect spot for the "Good Morning!" show that I love!





We watched it!

We walked in after the countdown and were heading into MK!

As I was heading in, and I noticed this sign that I had never seen before, and WOW did I love it!

I also saw this cute little trolley...I've always wanted to ride it, and I really should someday!

Instead of going straight to a popular ride first, like usual, we something totally different, and went to the Main Street Bakery. ...I know such a change!



I was actually super excited, because I was going to try the cinammon bun, which I heard was really good. We got two of them to share, and Mom got a coffee cake, which she adored.




Here is a picture of the cinammon bun BEFORE I devoured it...

And OMG...

The cinnamon bun was...


Out of this world AMAZING!!!!!!!!!



It definetely lived up to expectations!









After a DELICIOUS breakfast, we went to Tomorrowland. It was pretty empty there, which only meant one thing: the rest of the park was in Fantasyland. We walked right onto Space Mountain.

We literally only waited 5 minutes or less in stand-by, and we were VERY excited!

Here we are afterwards, Dad, Grace, and Me!

Grace wanted to go on Astro Orbiter next, so Mom went with her, and Dad and Me went to the Laugh Floor!



Yay! Dad finally allowed a picture of himself ( he's not huge into being in pictures by himselff..)

The show was hilarious! We met back up with Mom and Grace, and went into Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin! The line wasn't that long, at all!

We were soon on the ride, and Dad and Grace sat together!

I sat with Mom and she actually beat me! That was very disappointing to me, Mom NEVER beats me!


At least I was able to make this fantastic face on the ride!

We got off, and Grace was dying to go on the Indy Speedway. We walked right on, and in line i saw some of the Fantasyland expansion.

We drove our own cars, and I don't usually care to ride it, but I actually enjoyed it this time, because I could see some of the Fantasyland expansion! I can't wait for that to open! It looks fantastic!








After the cars, we finally made our way into Fantasyland, and yes now I saw where the rest of the park guests were. We headed to Winnie the Pooh first, and it was only 30 minutes. Yes...I am 15 years old. And, yes, I do love the Winnie the Pooh ride. Don't judge...at Disney I can act like a 5 year old and it's okay!



I got a couple pictures of us in line:

Lol, that line is SO cute! The ride was adorable! And hey! I actually got a decent looking picture on that ride!

We assembled off of the ride, and were on our way to other attractions around Fantasyland!​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 3~
Part 2: It warms up!
















After the Winnie the Pooh ride, we walked over to Sir Mickey's after. I bought a 40th anniversary blue zipup sweatshirt that I had had my eyes on for awhile.


We came out and I saw the gorgeous back of the castle!

We filed in to Mickey's Philharmagic and actually had to wait in line! We had NEVER had to wait in line for that!

Everyone packed in, but we waited, because we know that if you do that you will have to wait all the way down on the side.



Me and Dad with our 3D glasses on! Oh, and you can see my new sweatshirt!

The show was amazing as usual...it is one of my favorite 3D shows at WDW!





After the show, we turned the corner to see that...WHAT!? Small World was 40 minutes! Oh no, now that was just crazy! I mean, the 70 minute Peter Pan's Flight wait was to be expected and already out of the question, but 40 minutes!? No way!



Well, we decided to head to HM, very hopeful, only to have our dreams crushed, because it was a 45 minute wait.





We didn't have time to wait, because w ehad a 1:00 lunch ADR ay Tony's, and it was less than 45 minutes away.









We walked up to Frontierland instead, and grabbed some FP's for Splash Mountain. It was pretty crowded down here as well.

Then we did something we've never done before...we decided to hop on the railroad that was right there! Well...it's not that we'd never done it, but we hadn't done it since our very first trip years ago.



While waiting I saw this cute little thing on top of the building where people wait in for Splash Mountain...I love Disney's little details!

We were off, and it felt great to finally be off my feet. We stopped and I was even able to see some of the Fantasyland expansion.



Mom and Dad were really enjoying it!

I thought this little mickey head thing was cute too!

We were off soon, and going to Main Street U.S.A!




We browsed in a couple stores once we got there, and then headed to Tony's. We actually hadn't gone there since our first trip, so it was almost like going to a new place. How would I be able to remember a restaurant from a trip that was like 6-7 years ago?





I thought the whole setup of the restaurant was very pretty and ornate. I ordered the baked ziti, Dad got the chicken parm, and Grace and Mom got the spaghetti and meatballs. They brought out our food...and it was cold.

Apparantly they did not have microwaves? Well, IDK what the problem was, but the food at Tony's was just NOT good. Like seriously I would not recommend it, trust me.





Well after that interesting meal, that we will never go back to, we headed back up Main Street. I saw the Dapper Dans performing and I ran over SO excited! I NEVER get to see them perform, so I was very excited to see! They were great!

We walked up to the front of the castle so that I could get some pictures up there.

We turned over onto the bridge leading into Liberty Square, and another fantastic picture oppurtunity...so I took it!!

That is probably the best picture I've ever taken of the castle...



















We headed onto Splash Mountain next, since our FP time was up. I was really cursing my family for going on it, because even though it is my favorite ride, it was pretty cold out! And the last thing I wanted was a wet butt in this weather!




But then I recalled that Mom had her raincoats packed in case, so I laid it out on my seat! What a great idea, because it worked! I got a few OK pictures on this one...

This was snapped right at the very top seconds before we went down the big hill:

We ended up not getting all that wet, so it was okay. By this time the 3:00 parade was going to be starting soon. Since we were in Frontierland where it ended, we plopped down behind the rope to wait.

And that was when the impossible happened. It all of a sudden became SO warm! I was even able to take off my sweatshirt and wear my tee shirt! I could have even been wearing shorts! We were all sweating hot, and it was FANTASTIC! It was SO sunny! YAY!




The cute little band came by first.

Then the parade finally came by! It was great! And all of the characters stopped to say happy birthday to me..ya know because I was still being the liar with the birthday pin!

LOL I totally love Bert's face here!

The parade was adorable, and sadly afterwards, the sun went away! UGH! The sweatshirt comes back on!


We made our way over to Adventureland to do POTC.​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 3~
Part 3: Grim, Grinning Ghosts!









Okay, sorry It's taken me so long to write..my laptop was being slow and annoying!



We were on our way to Adventureland to do POTC. Oh, and sorry for the lack of pictures right now in the Adventureland area...I seemed to have not taken any!


The line wait for POTC said 35 minutes, but we got in the line anyways, because you can't just miss it!! All of a sudden Grace began complaining that her stomach REALLY hurt. Uh oh. She even began to cry! Her and Dad decided to head on back to BC, and Mom and me would stay longer. They headed out of the line.


It turned out to only be about 20 minutes and it was an awesome ride!

Mom and me weren't quite ready to give up the idea of missing HM just yet, so we headed on over to this:

The CM told us that it would most likely be a 45 minute wait, but we got in line anyways. And guess what!? It was LESS than 20 minutes!

AND, our doombuggy didn't stop ONCE this whole ride! I don't believe that I have ever been on a HM ride when we didn't stop at least once! WOW!




After leaving HM, which we were VERY excited to be able to get one, we headed back up through Fantasyland. I thought that perhaps the line may have gone down for IASW. I mean, I know the song can get annoying, but I actually love going on IASW. But sadly I could see that was not going to happen, because the wait was STILL 45 minutes! Darn!



I still wanted to walk back up to Main Street through the castle, but it was closed off for the show so we just went around. But I did get a couple castle pictures:

Oh, and I almost forgot Mom and Me got some pictures by the back of the castle as well!

As we headed up Main Street, I still didn't feel I was quite ready to leave yet. Mom said she would do one more thing. Well everything most likely had a long line, because it still was wicked crowded, so I decided to go on the People Mover since we were very close to it. I hadn't gone on it since, like, my first trip! And believe it or not we actually had to wait a little bit in line for this!


Nevertheless, we enjoyed the relaxing ride, and it was a nice picture oppurtunity! You know I just love taking my pictures! lol!

After that, Mom and Me were tired and ready to head back to BC. We walked by the Emporium and I saw that they still had the displays in there from Xmas! They were from A Christmas Carol! Adorable!

I couldn't believe they still had that set up! But I loved it!

I was sort of hungry on the way out, so I grabbed a delcious Disney popcorn(even BETTER than movie popcorn!) and ate it while we waited 15 minutes for our bus. And let me just say that was the longest bus wait we had all trip, and I believe we had FANTASTIC bus service with the BC! We boarded and were on our way back...










I will be doing the rest of the night's update very soon, don't worry!

Oh, and thank you to all my readers for sticking with my TR, I appreciate it, and I hope you are enjoying it! ​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 3~
Part 4: Boardwalk and the WS in one night!








Okay, so I am going to rap up this evening...lol I'm trying REALLY hard! And ~warning~ there are not really many pictures in this update, because it is short!





ANYWAYS! Once me and Mom got back to the resort, we grabbed a drink in our mugs, then met Dad and Grace in the room. Apparantly Grace had been fine. No sickness at Disney..THANK GOD! Grace said that she had come back, felt better, and tried out the big pool, because she had really wanted to go on that big slide once. But, she said it was waaay too cold, so she came back to the villas pool and hot tub.


Mom and me hopped in the shower, and by then it had gotten quite a bit later. We really wanted to walk on the Boardwalk for a little bit, then look around the countries and see Illuminations.


We walked down to the boardwalk, and it seemed pretty quiet.

There were not many people out and about, and after a little looking around, we decided to go to the WS.




Me and Grace were hungry by now, and we REALLY wanted to go to get those amazing out of this world cheese empanadas at the Mexico CS.

We went there, and got a bowl of those and a big plate of nachos. Everything was DELICIOUS! If you havent tried those empanadas at that CS then you HAVE to!

Afterwords, we looked around at a couple other places, and Dad got to see a little bit of that new band in England. Then with only minutes to spare we grabbed a spot for Illuminations. It was amazing! I was sooo happy I was able to see it twice this trip!

We walked back to the resort and were back in our toasty warm hotel room. I updated my TR info in my notebook, and Grace went to bed. Pretty soon though, we were all fast asleep after another long and magical day! ​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 4~
Part 1: Hooray for Hollywood!

Well...guess where we are going today? (Well you should already know unless you COMPLETELY disregarded my title..) It's the one park we still must go to...


Yes! We are going to Hollywood Studios! I can almost HEAR that Hollywood song that is played on the Great Movie Ride!



So...Lights! Camera! Action!








My phone alarm went off on our fourth day(wahh only TWO days left!) at 7:30 am. Dad and Grace ran down to fill up the mugs with coffee, and Mom and me got ready. We wanted to be ready nice and early, because we were taking the walking path to HS...the boat is just too darn slow!!



We all got ready, and then made our way down. It was actually a REALLY nice morning! It wasn't hot and it wasn't cold, which is just perfect in my book. The walk was great, because I got to look at all the beautiful things, and it was nice knowing that maybe...just MAYBE I was getting a teensy bit of exercise at Disney.

We arrived at the turnstiles and were in the park by 8:30....

the HAT!

But, what the heck?? The park already seemed opened? It was pretty empty, but the park most definetely was open. Odd...because the park wasn't supposed to open until 9!? We pushed our confusions aside, because we were on a mission. Mom was going to run down and get FPs for TSM, while Dad, me, and Grace were taking a little trip on the....





TWILIGHT ZONE!

Mom doesn't like ToT, so us 3 made our way down there, and just by the shrieks overhead, the ride was, indeed, open. BUT WHY!!?? I was seriously confused about this early opening now!

Although, I had other things to worry about, because this ride, to me, is scary! Actually, up until this past summer I would never go on it, because ever since my first trip, it scared me silly! But last summer I gave it another try with Grace, and I ended up LOVING it! Hm, I guess your interests can change since when you are like 7 or 8! Lol!


I caught this on the way in, and I actually hadn't seen it before changing like that!

The inside of the creepy hotel...the part where I REALLY begin to get scared!

Oh, and by the way, I also happened to notice that there is like NO ONE in line! What!? I'd at least like some people around in this creepy place!? Yes, I am a paranoid weirdo like that.

We watch the video and we're in, and are put in the last row of the elevator (THANK GOD! I ALWAYS seem to be put in the front row!). Our elevator is less than half empty, as well!



The ride is great anyways! I LOVED it! I feel like that ride is SO well put together, and themed.

Afterwards, we meet up with Mom at the exit. Then we finally learn WHY the park is open. Mom explains that at TSM a CM told her that once in awhile, like today, they have all the rides up and running early, so they open the park a half an hour early. Although, they don't make it known like throughout WDW, so the guests who are there early REALLY lucked out!

So THAT was why the park was SO empty!




Dad and Grace headed over to ride RnR, because I wasn't really feeling it today, and Me and Mom went over to look in that Carthay clothing store. They actually had a TON of cute clothing, but everything I wanted didn't have my size!



We didn't have much time to look though, because Dad and Grace were off in no time! We really wanted to go on Star Tours next, so we headed that way. I got another picture of the hat along the way, too!

Oh, and I stopped to get a picture with this guy, too!

And in no time, we were here:

I couldn't wait! I LOVEEE Star Tours! Plus, I was REALLY hoping I could be a rebel spy! The line was crazy short, and we were seated in no time. And GUESS WHAT!!



MOM...was the rebel spy!


Oh well, if it wasn't me at least it could be someone in my group, right!? Our ride was great! So great, in fact, that me and Mom REALLY wanted to go on again!

Dad didn't really want to, and neither did Grace, so Mom and Me jumped in the nonexistant line again! This time, Mom wasn't a rebel spy, but our ride was 10 times better!!! We like went through this snow planet and slid around through the snow. Then we went to the underwater place(Lol sorry, I don't know names!), and this creature like grabbed us! It was just SO cool!

We ran off afterwards to go find Dad and Grace to tell them! And afterwards, we would have to decide where we were going to go next! ​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 4~
Part 2: A change of plans and much more!







Okay, so when I left off, Mom and Me were heading over to meet Dad and Grace after Star Tours. They were waiting by the exit, and Dad had some grand new plans.

He thought that Mom could call now and book a dinner at Cape May tonight, since we hadn't really had any plans for this evening. Mom seemed to like this idea, so she called the dining thing on her cell phone, as we walked over to ride the Great Movie Ride.


I snapped a picture of this along the way. It looked shiny!

Mom seemed to be having some difficulties with this whole thing, so we stopped in front of GMR while she talked on the phone. I was getting quite sad, because this awesome ride that I love was right within my reach! And I had to wait! UGH!


Although, I did take a few pictures while I was waiting, which WAS a plus, I suppose.

I thought this was really cute, and I never saw it before!...It could be because I never take the time to look.

Minnie!!

Oh yes, and yet ANOTHER picture of the hat!

Mom FINALLY got off the phone with the guy after enduring many problems. And we DID get a reservation for tonight! I think it was going to be at 5:15, too! So that meant we had a nice, full day here.



We turned, ready to go into GTM FINALLY! When we see a HUMONGOUS tour group go in making a huge queue right in front of it. DARN YOU TOUR GROUPS!!!


We nixed that, for now, to come back to later, and instead went into the Animation Studios, which we were going to go to at one point today, anyways. We just missed when the show went in, so we waited another 20 minutes for the next one. I love this show, because I LOVE to draw (especially Disney things). Therefore, it is right up my alley!


Here's Dad, all excited to draw!

We drew Minnie Mouse, and we actually had a pretty good instructer. Mom and I's came out pretty good. Dad's was ooookay, and Grace's...well her's sorta looked like a messed up ran over bear-mouse thing. It wasn't pretty. I bought another Jim Shore minnie mouse figurine in the Art of Disney store there, after. I already just got the sorcerer mickey one for christmas, and I think they're wicked cute!!


Afterwards, Me and Grace were wicked hungry, so we both got pretzels at a stand.

Our FP's for TSM were up, but we had to finish those. So we sat on a bench and enjoyed our snacks! ​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 4~
Part 3:This...is American Idol!











Okay, so when I left off, me and Grace were enjoying our pretzels on a bunch. Once we were done, we hurried over to TSM to use our FP's. Apparantly TSM had been broken right up until we got in line, so that was lucky, and it was also breaking down aaall day, I guess too.


Lol, Mom and Dad are excited!!!

We were finally on after a little backup, and OMG I forgot to tell you about this guyI saw in line! There was this guy in front of us, and his WHOLE head is completely bald except for this big furry mickey head on the back of his head! It was sooo weird, lol but ya gotta love the guy's Disney spirit!




So, I had to sit next to Dad (lucky me...)..and OF COURSE he beat me, and is not afraid to brag! He has an absolute field day when he sees that he is best in car. I had to try to explain to him that it just meant the best in OUR little car...just me, Mom, and Grace. Sorry to crush your dreams Dad...





We got off, and it was just about time for the American Idol show to begin soon. Grace was shaking in excitement! She LOVES American Idol show! I was sad in the summer, because we didn't get a chance to see it!



We hurried in, and saw the show. It was really good, because there were two REALLY good singers! One was just...eh. You see, my Dad has this theory that one person (the bad singer) is the "ringer" and works for Disney. Idk...I'm not too sure about that.



So, after American Idol...I reminded Mom and Dad that we HAD to do the Great Movie Ride! We went there.



The line was really short, which was really good. I just LOVE this ride.

"That just goes to show that anything can happen in the movies!"

Lol, I think I like it so much, because I am a big movie buff. I've seen like a lot of those movies from the scenes, too! I almost get teary at that very last scene with all those movies! Idk why though!





We really wanted to go to One Man's Dream next, because we didn't have much left to do! I really wanted to look in the exhibits in there, but the movie was starting in 5 minutes, so we rushed down to that instead. The movie is SOO good though! But what a tear jerker! I actually remembered so much from it, that I used some of the information in an essay I did on Walt Disney!

By the time that was done, we were hungry!!



We made our way over to Starring Rolls cafe. I got the chocolate eclair, which was delicious, Mom got the butterfingers cupcake and Grace got the red velvet cupcake. And OMGG they were AMAZINGG! dngdkjfdfdjjfd! I can't even express their amazingness!! I think Dad just got a Napoleon.



Mom and Dad doling out the desserts after buying them. Mom looks mad for some reason..but she really wasn't.

Grace was VERY full from her filling cupcake...of course she couldn't possibly eat all of it!

After we were done stuffing our faces, we decided there was one last thing we needed to do. And that was to go to Muppet Vision 3D!!! ​

 

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

~Day 4~
Part 4: "It's called a salute to all nations...but mostly america!"











Okaay, so we were on our way to Muppet Vision 3D...you can probably tell from the heading of this Part^^. I absolutely LOVE this show!

We got over there and it was CRAZY crowded! The line was out the door, but ALSO along the side of the building! I was not going to miss this, so we walked into the line. It wasn't really that long only like 5 minutes. And the advantage were seeing these cute posters on the side of the building!

Lol, Gonzo! I wonder how many people actually look up and notice this?

The show was great! By this time we were just about ready to head back to the BC. We stopped and looked at the shops, and Grace bought a vinylmation(she buys one per trip, whereas I buy like 5!).



We head out, and I decide that I AM taking that boat back, because my feet hurt so darn bad, and I am NOT walking a mile back! Mom and Grace want to come too, but Dad insists he is walking and takes off himself to the path. Grace was in a frantic maniac mode trying to get to the boat before it left. We made it!!


I had assumed that Dad would make it back to the hotel before us because the boat is so slow, but the funniest thing was when we drove right on by Dad. Walking all by himself! We were in absolute hysterics!


We were finally back at BC and met up with Dad. Mom wanted to look in the Yacht Club, so we went in there first, and just walked through it right into BC. It was nice that they were connected! When we got back to the room, me and Grace REALLY wanted to go in the hot tub. Dad wanted to stay in the room to relax. Mom didn't really want to go in the hot tub, so she grabbed a drink and dipped her feet in the water.


It was so funny, because me and Grace first got to the hot tub while Mom was getting her drink, and it was full of these tattooed guys in each corner. It was soooo awkward and we just started laughing! They just kind of looked at us like we were crazy! We got in and like 2 minutes later they left. Haha I guess they didn't like us much either!




After a little bit it was time to head back up to the room to get dressed for our 5:15 dinner at Cape May!


Coming up: Some REALLY yummy food! ​