There'’s Nowhere To Go But Down... To The Utilidors! NEW TR LINK 6/4

[disneyjes]

Love the pictures - especially the Donald selfie. So cute!

Your rose necklace is gorgeous!

Frozen <3

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Yay for the Eugene and Punzie Disneybounds! FAVES And they are so spot-on.

I love the Donald selfie! It's so funny how some Disney characters when they kiss you, it looks like they are eating your face. Sorry you didn't get to meet Daisy.

That stinks about your last ride on the Backlot Tour. I never even heard of Catastrophe Canyon being closed off during a ride. It really was its time to go.

to the churros! Love all the photos from Anna & Elsa's royal welcome! The friend of Elsa you saw was friends with Anna when I met her BTW. And I really do wish you had posted more of those Kristoff photos

Can't wait to read about your girls' afternoon!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We were on the opposite side of the stage. We had a terrible view of the parade, too many people in front of us, but we had a great view of the stage. I was really glad that they extended the Frozen Summer Fun activities for our September trip. Even my DH enjoyed them.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

You have mastered the selfie Courtney. I need to practice more I think, lol.

Aww Dapper Donald is so cute as is Dapper Daisy. I love seeing characters outside the park because it just reinforces that they live in WDW.

Ugh, that is not a great last Backlot Tour. No Catastrophe Canyon, no bueno.

I do love the costuming area though. I spot a Move It Shake It hat!!!!!!!

Ah yay you got your chruro!! For some reason that just makes me happy.

"It was time for Mickey's Once Upon A Christmastime Para" Honest to God, for a brief second I thought, "Uh Oh, you posted the wrong update". Well done!

I thought the processional was cute too. And at least it was better than the Rainy Day Cavalcade.

 

[amberg93]

Oh my goodness, those Disneybounds are amazing. Super cute.

Also, I'm in love wiht your necklace and your whole outfit.

That Donald, what a goof.

Wow, that is a disappointing last ride on the Backlot Tour. I'm interested to see what replaces it too.

Oof, all I can think of is how terrible I feel for those poor parade workers dressed in winter clothes in the middle of July.

Oooh holding the rope. Very special. I'm sure everyone was thrilled to see you guys walking along the parade. The true stars that you are.

Chicken nuggets are always a really solid choice.

 

[khertz]

Awww, Donald selfie! He's such a cute duck.

The Disneybounds are fantastic. I love it!

The Frozen parade looks like a lot of fun! But man, it has to be sweltering in those outfits in July. And if you're Kristoff. WOW!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

First Courtney - I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday and 2015 is off to a great start!

Second, I have fallen woefully behind - so I now bring you comments that are almost as long as a trip report

********************

Chapter 30: Keys to the Kingdom

Those are some fancy name tags - very official looking! That's cool that your tour guide had started as a college program participant and kept with it and worked up from there - definitely must have a love for the Mouse

Thanks for the tip on Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas - I hadn't read that one yet. I did read Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler which was good and very details - almost too long/much. Really like Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms by Martin Sklar though - tons of details/trivia related to imagineering

I love the transition into Adventureland - with the water sounds and the drums that kick in. It's very immersive yet still subtle at the same time.

I think also the plane on the Jungle cruise is the other half of the plane use in the Casablanca scene in The Great Movie Ride

Part of me thinks it would be pretty cool if they turned the Tikiroom into a dinner theater

Yup - Pirates was added after the park was designed so they had to put the show room outside of the train look - that tunnel you go through while on the train in Adventureland is so you can't see the showroom. You can see it all pretty clearly from googlemaps

I knew about the "Hidden Mickey" with the plates and have seen that - but didn't know about the hidden Jack Skelingtons ... pretty cool!

Never heard that story about Walt, Roy, and Lillian - that is very cute!

I also didn't know about the “Remember…Opening Oct. 1971” sign - and how cool that you got a pin with that on it!

I love the Partners Statues and the Roy/Minnie one - I love the theory that Walt in his statue is pointing towards Roy's statue kinda saying that he took it as far as he could and now it was Roy's turn


Chapter 31: The Hot And The Cold Are Both So Intense

I be those hordes storming the lines for A&E at the peek were some of the craziest thing that former marine had ever scene - at least in peace time.

Still love that idea of getting the characters to sign the books - I mean, how many kids have a Frozen book actually signed by Anna & Elsa?!?!?!?

We are still yet to see FoF - it was rained out our last trip ... but we were the exact opposite in that we have seen it online tons of times including live streaming the premiere of it


Chapter 32: Beauty And Majesty Shining Magically / Chapter 33: Away We Go!

That was a very close picture of the thorn walkers - and pretty good shot with the fire!

Ack- Cricket Wardrobe Malfunction!!!!

Definitely give a ton of credit to all those performers when it is so hot out and they have to make it look like they are cool as a cucumber

Aw, Mickey signing I Love You is super cute


Chapter 34: The One Where We Get Trapped Inside It’s A Small World

Sleepy Hallow is a great spot for snacks - I recall last trip getting a coffee ice cream float which was really good

Olaf and Pascal - I smell a future Disney short!

I get that people don't want to get their shoes soaked, but you are just asking for an injury if you go around a park like that barefoot

Whoa - you guys totally need/deserve Rob's "I Survived It's a Small World" t-shirt


Chapter 35: All Our Wishes Will Come True

We did the dessert party last trip and really liked it! I thought a lot of the desserts were pretty tasty - my daughter kept eating the ears off those Mickey oreo things

we too thought the view of Wishes was pretty darn good - though we had to find a slit/gap in the wall for my kids to see well without my holding them/having them on my shoulders

oooh nice picture of the upside down heart fireworks

I love all your faces in the Mickey meet - just look so happy!


Chapter 36: How About Some Backstage Passes? / Chapter 37: Oh, The Sky Will Be Blue, And You Guys Will Be There Too

Man, not even in the park and already being eaten by a duck!

That is a bit of a buzz kill with your ride on the backlot tour. I liked that ride when the park first opened and it really gave you a feeling of being "on set" but it's been pretty neutered over the years. Very excited to see what replaces it (expecting some announcements during Star Wars weekends, but we shall see)

 

[princessesandpascal]

(I have to pop in to comment because I tend to be one of those awful lurkers!) I love your TR and have been following eagerly along!

The Flynn and Rapunzel Disneybounds are SO PERFECT. I'm hoping to DB Flynn next time I go and they just made me so excited!! By the way, I am totally with you on the Kristoff situation, I would have had no chill at all and posted all the photos, so kudos for the restraint. Kristoff is kind of my spirit animal

 

[SarahDisney]

I love the Rapunzel and Flynn DisneyBounds. They look so cute! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE your rose necklace & Beauty and the Beast skirt!

Donald selfie is great!

I can't believe they had a shortened Studio Backlot Tour. So sad for your last time! I'm also excited to see what replaces it - I really hope they add a lot to Hollywood Studios.

Parade looks really cute. KRISTOFF! I don't think you have enough pictures of Kristoff. You probably should have posted all 20 pictures

I'm looking forward to reading about what happened next!

 

[MissMaryQC]

Love the day's DisneyBounding! And I adore your skirt!! Is it from Blackmilk? It's really lovely.

RNRC is a favorite of mine, glad you guys had fun!

The Frozen stuff looks cute, and I loved the film, but Disney is milking it's success a little too much. I think one summer was enough, time to, ehem, let it go!

Ladies Afternoon? Sounds like fun!

 

[HikingBelle]

I love the Disneybounds but also YOUR SKIRT!! How have I missed that in previous TRs?! It is so awesome!!!

Great updates!

 

[courtneybelle]

Love the pictures - especially the Donald selfie. So cute!

Your rose necklace is gorgeous!

Frozen <3

Aw thank you!!

Thanks!! My mom got it for me for Christmas last year.

Ugh, seriously the best. People are complaining about Frozen overload but I haven't gotten sick of it just yet

Yay for the Eugene and Punzie Disneybounds! FAVES And they are so spot-on.

I love the Donald selfie! It's so funny how some Disney characters when they kiss you, it looks like they are eating your face. Sorry you didn't get to meet Daisy.

That stinks about your last ride on the Backlot Tour. I never even heard of Catastrophe Canyon being closed off during a ride. It really was its time to go.

to the churros! Love all the photos from Anna & Elsa's royal welcome! The friend of Elsa you saw was friends with Anna when I met her BTW. And I really do wish you had posted more of those Kristoff photos

Can't wait to read about your girls' afternoon!

They did such a fabulous job with those! People did recognize them this day, which is always impressive.

Haha I know, right? Devoured by a duck!!

It was so bizarre! I was bummed, but not bummed enough that I wanted to try and go again haha. I imagine something markedly better is going to take its place, so I'm excited to see what that is!

The churros were phenomenal!!! Elsa was SO gorgeous, oh my gosh. I love her. Haha, I might have to Insta a Kristoff pic or two just for you!

We were on the opposite side of the stage. We had a terrible view of the parade, too many people in front of us, but we had a great view of the stage. I was really glad that they extended the Frozen Summer Fun activities for our September trip. Even my DH enjoyed them.

I feel like unless you got there an hour early, you had to decide between a good stage view or parade view. I'm glad they extended them too! They were so much fun!

You have mastered the selfie Courtney. I need to practice more I think, lol.

Aww Dapper Donald is so cute as is Dapper Daisy. I love seeing characters outside the park because it just reinforces that they live in WDW.

Ugh, that is not a great last Backlot Tour. No Catastrophe Canyon, no bueno.

I do love the costuming area though. I spot a Move It Shake It hat!!!!!!!

Ah yay you got your chruro!! For some reason that just makes me happy.

"It was time for Mickey's Once Upon A Christmastime Para" Honest to God, for a brief second I thought, "Uh Oh, you posted the wrong update". Well done!

I thought the processional was cute too. And at least it was better than the Rainy Day Cavalcade.

Hahaha, why thank you Rob!! I'm sure your selfie game will be on point with a little practice.

Right? Just casually stopping to say hi to their fans before we all head into the park. So great. Plus it gives us something to do while we wait.

I was really bummed. The Backlot Tour has been pretty lackluster for the past few years but I always enjoyed Catastrophe Canyon.

Not going to lie, the second I saw that picture, I knew you would pick up on the Move It Shake It hat!!

It made me very happy too!!! I've been going through churro withdrawal as of late. I need some more.

What can I say, I like to think I'm funny

Much better than the Rainy Day Cavalcade from what I gather! I'm glad I got to see the processional.

Oh my goodness, those Disneybounds are amazing. Super cute.

Also, I'm in love wiht your necklace and your whole outfit.

That Donald, what a goof.

Wow, that is a disappointing last ride on the Backlot Tour. I'm interested to see what replaces it too.

Oof, all I can think of is how terrible I feel for those poor parade workers dressed in winter clothes in the middle of July.

Oooh holding the rope. Very special. I'm sure everyone was thrilled to see you guys walking along the parade. The true stars that you are.

Chicken nuggets are always a really solid choice.

They did such a great job! They looked awesome.

Thank you!! Both are from Hot Topic I was glad to show off my Belle love. The dress ended up getting super hot, though.

He was awesome. Great way to start the day.

It really was! I know it'll either be Pixar or Star Wars, but I'm still holding out hope for a Muppets ride…

Right?! I would NOT want to be in those warm fur outfits.

We'll actually be replacing Anna and Elsa at Princess Fairytale Hall because our parade debut was such a success. "COURTNEYBELLE SUMMER FUN" coming summer 2K15.

They are!! Disney nuggets are the best.

Awww, Donald selfie! He's such a cute duck.

The Disneybounds are fantastic. I love it!

The Frozen parade looks like a lot of fun! But man, it has to be sweltering in those outfits in July. And if you're Kristoff. WOW!

He is seriously so precious!

Kylie and Emily did such a great job with this one! A ton of people recognized them.

It was fun! I felt for those performers, though. I would not want to be in long sleeves/fur then…

 

[courtneybelle]

First Courtney - I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday and 2015 is off to a great start!

Second, I have fallen woefully behind - so I now bring you comments that are almost as long as a trip report

********************

Hi Phil!! We had a great holiday, hope you and your family are enjoying the new year as well

Totally understand being behind, but regardless thank you so much for all these comments!! I'm impressed!

Chapter 30: Keys to the Kingdom

Those are some fancy name tags - very official looking! That's cool that your tour guide had started as a college program participant and kept with it and worked up from there - definitely must have a love for the Mouse

Thanks for the tip on Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas - I hadn't read that one yet. I did read Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler which was good and very details - almost too long/much. Really like Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms by Martin Sklar though - tons of details/trivia related to imagineering

I love the transition into Adventureland - with the water sounds and the drums that kick in. It's very immersive yet still subtle at the same time.

I think also the plane on the Jungle cruise is the other half of the plane use in the Casablanca scene in The Great Movie Ride

Part of me thinks it would be pretty cool if they turned the Tikiroom into a dinner theater

Yup - Pirates was added after the park was designed so they had to put the show room outside of the train look - that tunnel you go through while on the train in Adventureland is so you can't see the showroom. You can see it all pretty clearly from googlemaps

I knew about the "Hidden Mickey" with the plates and have seen that - but didn't know about the hidden Jack Skelingtons ... pretty cool!

Never heard that story about Walt, Roy, and Lillian - that is very cute!

I also didn't know about the “Remember…Opening Oct. 1971” sign - and how cool that you got a pin with that on it!

I love the Partners Statues and the Roy/Minnie one - I love the theory that Walt in his statue is pointing towards Roy's statue kinda saying that he took it as far as he could and now it was Roy's turn

I loved the name tag, good souvenir! Trent LOVED Disney and that really made the tour for us, his passion was so evident in everything he said.

I almost bought Dream It Do It for this trip and ended up getting DisneyWar instead! I'm only halfway through it, but once I finish it Dream It Do It is up next.

Side effect of this tour is that now I think intensely about all the transitions to each of the lands! I do think Adventureland's is most impressive.

Yes!!! I have heard that one before. Very conscientious of Disney to recycle

I would love that! But if I can't convince my sister to watch the 15-minute show with me, no way would I get her to have a whole dinner there.

I'm going to have to check out Google Maps after this! My jaw literally hit the floor when he said that, I thought that was just there to make the ride more intense.

That was so cool! I wish I could have found more, but most of them aren't very visible--I know one is on one of the pages of a book in the library, but apparently it's farther back.

Seriously so precious. I love Walt and Lilly.

It was seriously so amazing to hear that after having picked up the pin. It was a "lightbulb" moment, everything made sense!!

Those statues are incredible and I got so choked up when Trent discussed that theory. I never would have thought of it myself, but now I'll think of it every time I enter MK.

Chapter 31: The Hot And The Cold Are Both So Intense

I be those hordes storming the lines for A&E at the peek were some of the craziest thing that former marine had ever scene - at least in peace time.

Still love that idea of getting the characters to sign the books - I mean, how many kids have a Frozen book actually signed by Anna & Elsa?!?!?!?

We are still yet to see FoF - it was rained out our last trip ... but we were the exact opposite in that we have seen it online tons of times including live streaming the premiere of it

Hahaha I seriously think Marine training is the only thing that could prepare a person to be Anna and Elsa's bodyguard.

All the credit goes to my mom for that one. Such a good idea, I'm excited for when my cousin gets a little older and can enjoy the book.

Such a bummer that FoF got rained out for you, but I guess you just have to go back

Chapter 32: Beauty And Majesty Shining Magically / Chapter 33: Away We Go!

That was a very close picture of the thorn walkers - and pretty good shot with the fire!

Ack- Cricket Wardrobe Malfunction!!!!

Definitely give a ton of credit to all those performers when it is so hot out and they have to make it look like they are cool as a cucumber

Aw, Mickey signing I Love You is super cute

Thanks!! My mom did a great job getting the fire picture…and I got the picture immediately after the fire went out…

Poor Jiminy!!

Right?! I can't imagine dancing with a smile on my face when it's 95 degrees out, but they all had a ton of energy.

Definitely a highlight of the parade, gotta love the Mouse!

Chapter 34: The One Where We Get Trapped Inside It’s A Small World

Sleepy Hallow is a great spot for snacks - I recall last trip getting a coffee ice cream float which was really good

Olaf and Pascal - I smell a future Disney short!

I get that people don't want to get their shoes soaked, but you are just asking for an injury if you go around a park like that barefoot

Whoa - you guys totally need/deserve Rob's "I Survived It's a Small World" t-shirt

My dad has gotten that coffee float before and loved it as well!

Disney should really do a short bringing together the sidekicks. Maximus from Tangled and Angus from Brave could do something together!

Right?! I have a hard time going barefoot anywhere other than my own home because of hygiene reasons, but when it's pouring rain in a theme park I feel like your shoes should stay on.

I should get some of those shirts for my family, great idea!!

Chapter 35: All Our Wishes Will Come True

We did the dessert party last trip and really liked it! I thought a lot of the desserts were pretty tasty - my daughter kept eating the ears off those Mickey oreo things

we too thought the view of Wishes was pretty darn good - though we had to find a slit/gap in the wall for my kids to see well without my holding them/having them on my shoulders

oooh nice picture of the upside down heart fireworks

I love all your faces in the Mickey meet - just look so happy!

The desserts were really good! I don't blame her, the ears were delicious.

Yeah, that's the challenge of having little ones.

That one was my mom's pic, she caught it at the perfect moment!

We were ecstatic. It had been a long day, but meeting Mickey always boosts your mood.

Chapter 36: How About Some Backstage Passes? / Chapter 37: Oh, The Sky Will Be Blue, And You Guys Will Be There Too

Man, not even in the park and already being eaten by a duck!

That is a bit of a buzz kill with your ride on the backlot tour. I liked that ride when the park first opened and it really gave you a feeling of being "on set" but it's been pretty neutered over the years. Very excited to see what replaces it (expecting some announcements during Star Wars weekends, but we shall see)

Ugh, just can't escape those Disney ducks…

Yeah, I really enjoyed it when I was younger, but in the past few years it's been less exciting. I'm thinking Star Wars, possibly Pixar, I'm still hoping Disney takes advantage of their Muppets ownership but I'm not very optimistic on that front. Maybe when I run the park

Thanks again for catching up and commenting!!

(I have to pop in to comment because I tend to be one of those awful lurkers!) I love your TR and have been following eagerly along!

The Flynn and Rapunzel Disneybounds are SO PERFECT. I'm hoping to DB Flynn next time I go and they just made me so excited!! By the way, I am totally with you on the Kristoff situation, I would have had no chill at all and posted all the photos, so kudos for the restraint. Kristoff is kind of my spirit animal

Hey, I love lurkers!! But thank you so much for popping in and commenting

They did a great job! I'm sure your DB will be just as fabulous.

Kristoff is so great. I was tempted to post more…just giving the people what they want!!

I love the Rapunzel and Flynn DisneyBounds. They look so cute! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE your rose necklace & Beauty and the Beast skirt!

Donald selfie is great!

I can't believe they had a shortened Studio Backlot Tour. So sad for your last time! I'm also excited to see what replaces it - I really hope they add a lot to Hollywood Studios.

Parade looks really cute. KRISTOFF! I don't think you have enough pictures of Kristoff. You probably should have posted all 20 pictures

I'm looking forward to reading about what happened next!

Thank you so much!!! I asked for the dress for Christmas last year, and my mom got me the necklace to go with it. Great way to show off my Beauty and the Beast obsession.

Thanks! I'm glad Donald got so into it!

It was disappointing but I think something really fun is going to replace it.

HAHA right, we need all the Kristoff pics!! It's what the people want!!

Love the day's DisneyBounding! And I adore your skirt!! Is it from Blackmilk? It's really lovely.

RNRC is a favorite of mine, glad you guys had fun!

The Frozen stuff looks cute, and I loved the film, but Disney is milking it's success a little too much. I think one summer was enough, time to, ehem, let it go!

Ladies Afternoon? Sounds like fun!

Thank you!!! It's actually a dress from Hot Topic

It's one of my faces too!!

Hahaha I like your wordplay there

I love the Disneybounds but also YOUR SKIRT!! How have I missed that in previous TRs?! It is so awesome!!!

Great updates!

Thank you!! It's actually a dress from Hot Topic

 

[TheLittleKatie]

COURTNEY! I'm sorry I'm late to the party!

I've been reading your TR for the last few evenings and I LOVE it!

I have wayyy too much to comment on, so I'll try to keep this brief from the stuff that stood out to me.

First and foremost, your photography is amazing!! The photos from things like Fantasmic, Wishes FoF etc were particularly memorable, I had some "WOW" moments What kind of camera were you using? They look great!

Love the Seven Dwarfs picture of you guys with your back to us in front of the castle! Super cute !

Thanks for sharing your experience at Whispering Canyon!! That's one of the few ADRs I'm planning on making for our trip in September. We've never eaten at the Wilderness Lodge before, so I'm pretty excited now

And KEYS TO THE KINGDOM. Now that is just too cool. It's a shame they don't allow photos, but I guess that's all the more reason for me to do the tour, right?! I definitely want to see the utilidors some day I really enjoyed reading your report of it though. Especially the story of the guy making Walt 6ft tall for the Partners statue because he thought Walt was the perfect man. That's a lovely story

Hahaha, I'm so happy they turned the It's A Small World song off for you when you got stuck there

The Wishes dessert party looked AWESOME !! We'll definitely have to try that one day

Also, you looked so nice for your college prom, I love the dress

Excited for more updates!

 

[manooly]

Hi CourtneyBelle! I just finished reading and looking at all three of your trip reports. They have been great fun to read and view! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of this one unfold.

It is great that your Mom, Dad and sister are all such Disney freaks. We are a family of four that is sort of the same. My wife and two girls (ages 12 and 10) have been to Disney World the last six years. We have stayed a the Caribbean Beach Resort three times, Coronado Springs once and The Beach Club the last two years. We are completely spoiled and in love with the Beach Club now.

We have always gone in late August right before school starts back up here in the northeast in early September. It has always been HOT but we love going this time of year since you can always find a way to stay cool in Disney and you get to utilize the pools and water parks whenever you want to.

The only reason we were able to afford to stay at the Beach Club the last two years was because of the deal I was able to find online. We were able to stay there basically for the same price as staying at a moderate resort for an 8 or 9 night stay. Let me know if you're interested in more details for your family.

Sadly I think we are going to have to take a break from going this year basically because it is always expensive when you go to Disney World. The $$$ runs out eventually.

I can't wait to show my girls your trip reports. I know they are going to love looking through them. Your family has so many good ideas. We are lovers of the Dessert Party, pin collectors, autograph book signers, etc. also. We love everything Disney! Anyways, I don't usually comment on the boards too much but your great trip reports were a joy to view and I had to let you know. Great work and I look forward to seeing more from you. Take care!

- manooly

 

[Sisa]

Absolutely LOVE the Disneybound choices!

I adore your outfit as well! The hat, the necklace, the dress...AWESOME!

That Donald selfie is the best I've seen, so funny!

Your Dad's RnR ride photo is great, lol!

Wow! The Frozen parade looks really neat! I like how they made the skiers on wheels.

Looking forward to hearing about the remaining girls only afternoon.

 

[emilyindisney]

Awww man- no Catastrophe Canyon?! That's my favorite part! Glad you still got in one last ride!

Hahaha, oh the Christmas...Frozen parade. I actually do really like the skating skiers and the ice harvesters! Those costumes must be mighty warm, though!

Girl's afternoon weeeeee! Can't wait to hear!

 

[CarolAnnB]

I can't believe they basically drove us around in a circle on the Backlot Tour and then dumped us out. That annoys me more than if they had just said the whole thing was shut down. I do like to see people working in the costume area, so at least there was that. You probably don't remember, but before they built Lights, Motor, Action, there was a street of house facades on the Backlot Tour and they had the Golden Girls house there. Yes, I'm old.

Churros and Kristoff - can it really get any better than that??? I think he is seriously the cutest face character guy ever. Too funny joining in the parade. Practice for the future?

I didn't really get the whole Disneybound thing before this. It takes a pretty good eye to come up with those outfits from everyday clothes.

 

[courtneybelle]

COURTNEY! I'm sorry I'm late to the party!

I've been reading your TR for the last few evenings and I LOVE it!

I have wayyy too much to comment on, so I'll try to keep this brief from the stuff that stood out to me.

First and foremost, your photography is amazing!! The photos from things like Fantasmic, Wishes FoF etc were particularly memorable, I had some "WOW" moments What kind of camera were you using? They look great!

Love the Seven Dwarfs picture of you guys with your back to us in front of the castle! Super cute !

Thanks for sharing your experience at Whispering Canyon!! That's one of the few ADRs I'm planning on making for our trip in September. We've never eaten at the Wilderness Lodge before, so I'm pretty excited now

And KEYS TO THE KINGDOM. Now that is just too cool. It's a shame they don't allow photos, but I guess that's all the more reason for me to do the tour, right?! I definitely want to see the utilidors some day I really enjoyed reading your report of it though. Especially the story of the guy making Walt 6ft tall for the Partners statue because he thought Walt was the perfect man. That's a lovely story

Hahaha, I'm so happy they turned the It's A Small World song off for you when you got stuck there

The Wishes dessert party looked AWESOME !! We'll definitely have to try that one day

Also, you looked so nice for your college prom, I love the dress

Excited for more updates!

Hi Katie!!!! So glad to see you here! Thanks for joining in and catching up, I know it's a lot to read so far.

Thank you so much!! So all the pictures are from my Nikon Coolpix L830 (most of the FoF pics are from that) and my mom's Nikon D3200 (Fantasmic and Wishes). Mom has the full DSLR camera so hers is much better for night photos, but mine was really good for daytime pics!

Aw thanks! I'm glad we got the big group photo in the matching shirts, touristy as it may be.

You guys will love Whispering Canyon!! And Wilderness Lodge is just gorgeous, if you have some time to look around I would definitely recommend it.

I would absolutely recommend Keys to the Kingdom! I totally understand the no cameras thing, but I really wish I had been able to use it on Main Street, because Trent told us so much about the names on the buildings and I couldn't remember any of it afterward. I hope you guys get to do it and see the Utilidors someday soon though!!!

Hahah thank GOODNESS for that. I would have been a wreck having to hear that song for 40 minutes.

I LOVED the Wishes dessert party!!! Such a phenomenal view and delicious desserts as well.

Thank you!! and thanks so much for reading!!

Hi CourtneyBelle! I just finished reading and looking at all three of your trip reports. They have been great fun to read and view! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of this one unfold.

It is great that your Mom, Dad and sister are all such Disney freaks. We are a family of four that is sort of the same. My wife and two girls (ages 12 and 10) have been to Disney World the last six years. We have stayed a the Caribbean Beach Resort three times, Coronado Springs once and The Beach Club the last two years. We are completely spoiled and in love with the Beach Club now.

We have always gone in late August right before school starts back up here in the northeast in early September. It has always been HOT but we love going this time of year since you can always find a way to stay cool in Disney and you get to utilize the pools and water parks whenever you want to.

The only reason we were able to afford to stay at the Beach Club the last two years was because of the deal I was able to find online. We were able to stay there basically for the same price as staying at a moderate resort for an 8 or 9 night stay. Let me know if you're interested in more details for your family.

Sadly I think we are going to have to take a break from going this year basically because it is always expensive when you go to Disney World. The $$$ runs out eventually.

I can't wait to show my girls your trip reports. I know they are going to love looking through them. Your family has so many good ideas. We are lovers of the Dessert Party, pin collectors, autograph book signers, etc. also. We love everything Disney! Anyways, I don't usually comment on the boards too much but your great trip reports were a joy to view and I had to let you know. Great work and I look forward to seeing more from you. Take care!

- manooly

Hi Manooly!!! First, thank you SO much for reading and liking all my TRs. I know it's a lot to take in!!

The Beach Club is my mom's dream resort so we definitely hope to stay there someday! We did Coronado once too and it was really nice.

Yep, we always do Disney in the summer too, and coincidentally we are from the Northeast! We live in MA but I'm going to college in RI right now.

Totally understand that Disney can get too expensive, but I hope you and your family get back to WDW soon!!! You guys do sound a lot like my family and me

Thank you SO much for your comment! It made my day!!

Absolutely LOVE the Disneybound choices!

I adore your outfit as well! The hat, the necklace, the dress...AWESOME!

That Donald selfie is the best I've seen, so funny!

Your Dad's RnR ride photo is great, lol!

Wow! The Frozen parade looks really neat! I like how they made the skiers on wheels.

Looking forward to hearing about the remaining girls only afternoon.

Ky and Em did such a great job!!

Thank you!!! I was so happy with it, even though I got really hot in that dress.

Hahaha thank you! He's a gem!

Haha I love that ride photo SO MUCH. I'm so glad we got them with Memory Maker.

The skiers were so cool! They did jumps and spins, I was really impressed.

Awww man- no Catastrophe Canyon?! That's my favorite part! Glad you still got in one last ride!

Hahaha, oh the Christmas...Frozen parade. I actually do really like the skating skiers and the ice harvesters! Those costumes must be mighty warm, though!

Girl's afternoon weeeeee! Can't wait to hear!

Catastrophe Canyon was my favorite too! Bummed I didn't get to see it, but it was nice to say goodbye to the Backlot Tour.

The skiers are so cool! They did a lot of cool jumps. Yeah, I would not want to be in those outfits in July…

I can't believe they basically drove us around in a circle on the Backlot Tour and then dumped us out. That annoys me more than if they had just said the whole thing was shut down. I do like to see people working in the costume area, so at least there was that. You probably don't remember, but before they built Lights, Motor, Action, there was a street of house facades on the Backlot Tour and they had the Golden Girls house there. Yes, I'm old.

Churros and Kristoff - can it really get any better than that??? I think he is seriously the cutest face character guy ever. Too funny joining in the parade. Practice for the future?

I didn't really get the whole Disneybound thing before this. It takes a pretty good eye to come up with those outfits from everyday clothes.

Yeah, not our best ride on the Backlot Tour. The costume shop was probably the best part. I know you've told me about the houses before but I don't really remember them

Ugh, the finest things in life. Kristoff is adorable.

I know, they are too creative. I couldn't come up with that!

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter 38: And A Sun Balm Of My Own Invention

After lunch, it was time for the Frozen sing-a-long! We didn’t have as good of seats as last time, but I actually enjoyed the show more. Anna was hilarious and did the robot while humming “Love Is An Open Door.”

Favorite line: “Elsa ran across the Fjord! She didn’t even have a Fjord Escort!”

Elsa was beautiful and got so into Let It Go. I loved it.

After the sing-a-long we did some shopping. Kylie wanted to get her friend a Muppets shirt and Emily wanted to get her dad an Indiana Jones hat, so we went to the respective gift shops. I also had a photo shoot with my mom!

The spot of my future proposal:

This was my Christmas card photo this year. Fun fact, my sister and I literally got one picture of just the two of us on this trip, and Kylie's squinting in it. All the other ones have Emily. So we had to use two different photos for the Christmas card!

Then, we headed to the Animation Building and took a drawing class. This time, we drew Dopey! Not gonna lie, I was really hoping for Olaf, but I’m just glad I didn’t get Stitch again.

After the drawing class, we headed to Oaken’s because I wanted to get a shirt. It was slightly less of a zoo than Sunday.

Then we headed back to the hotel to eat some cake and rest. When we got back, Dad told us that the manager of housekeeping had come by, and apparently the GM had asked her to make sure our room was extra magical. This is why I love Disney so much. Like it’s very obvious that even with what happened to my mom and sister that we are still going to come back to Disney every year, and yet they still did so much to make it up to us. What other company does that?

Dad and I decided to get dinner in the food court. I think he got a sloppy joe or something, I didn’t take a picture before he started eating. I got a burger and pasta salad. Pretty standard but they did the trick.

We headed back to Studios. Now this is where we had one of our most shameful moments of the trip so if you are easily offended you may want to skip the next part.

The day before when we were at MK, a man had lost a fingertip on Pirates of the Caribbean because his hand was out of the boat. It was all over the news at this point so we were talking about it. Then my dad asked the hard-hitting question…”What if it was the finger he used to scan at the entrance? Would they still let him in?”

Yeah we’re horrible people but we were dying laughing. We couldn’t stop and when we got to the scanners it was even worse!

Once we collected ourselves, we took some PhotoPass pictures.

Kylie met a fellow DisneyBounder who was also celebrating her birthday!! Her dad was DisneyBounding as Buzz Lightyear, which was so cool. We ended up seeing them the following night at 1900 Park Fare!

We headed over to Once Upon A Time because I really wanted that Belle Alex and Ani. I asked the CM about it and the only gold one they had was the display one in the case…so she went back to her manager, who agreed to let her sell it to me. I was so happy! I am a huge Alex and Ani collector (I’m up to 9 at this point whoops) and since Belle is my fave I knew I had to have it.

Continued in next post​