"Touch the Mickey to the Mickey!" My first TR - Dec 2013 ~ New Update!! 4/07 x2!!!

[mrs mouse10712]

Hello all and to my very first trip report!!! I am so very excited to share my latest trip with you. It was a wonderful trip full of Disney magic
I have been a long time lurker and have decided to come out of the shadows and add my adventure to the many marvelous TRs here on the DIS.

So lets get started!



This is us! I'm Danielle. The local Disney enthusiast, addict, and lover. I have loved it for as long as I can remember. I've been going to Disney World since I was very little. My grandmother used to live in Orlando and we would visit her all the time. The only problem: I don't remember most of it. What? Yeah, I know. If we didn't have pictures and home movies, I wouldn't know about any of it. I like to call this Dory syndrome. Then there was a time of about 7 years that I wasn't able to go and finally returned again in 2009! That was the first time Cory had ever been. That's the handsome guy next to me. My wonderful husband of one year! We are high school sweethearts and got married last October. This trip was sort of a belated anniversary celebration. We could have gone in October, but I just love Disney at Christmas time.



This is our baby, Tinkerbell. Sadly she didn't come with us, but she is just too cute not to share

Now for the details
Who: me and the hubs
Why: anniversary
Where: Port Orleans: French Quarter
When: Dec 7 - 15

I hope you all stick around and enjoy our latest adventure.
Thank you!!​

 

[mrs mouse10712]

Day 1
Part 1 - It's not the journey, it's the destination
Part 2 - Really??
Part 3 - It's the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness!!

Day 2
Part 1 - It's an Epcot kind of day!
Part 2 - Where's Morocco?


Day 3
Part 1 - Hooray for Hollywood!
Part 2 - Still Undefeated!
Part 3 - The Tower and the Pizza
Part 4 - OFSoDL
​

 

[jelloarms]

Looking forward to reading! I love adults only TRs. Nothing against kids...I just don't have any so I relate better to TRs w/o kids.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Joining in Danielle. Welcome to the wonderful world of trip reporting!! And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!! I can't think of a better place to celebrate.

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[scottny]

Joining in! We were at SSR till the 13th. Great time to go.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

joining! Welcome to the world of trip reporting - it can be addicting

Congrats on the whole marriage scenario (since I didn't get a chance to say that closer to the event) and congrats on the one-year anniversary!

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

I am in for the ride...I still have yet to do a TR myself..

 

[dmoore718]

joining! Welcome to the world of trip reporting - it can be addicting

Congrats on the whole marriage scenario (since I didn't get a chance to say that closer to the event) and congrats on the one-year anniversary!

Hi Danielle...I'm Danielle..and I'm joining in!!! Can't wait to read more!

 

[mrs mouse10712]

Day 1 Part 1
It's not the journey, it's the destination

Today was the day!! We were going to Disney World!! I was so excited!! I probably got about 2 hours of sleep. A combination of last minute packing, excitement and having to get up at 3am. We left for the airport around 5am. Its a 15 minute drive from our house to the airport. We checked our bags, went through security and waited to board our plane. Nothing really exciting happened. The hubs isn’t really a morning person, so he was no fun. I was ready to just be in Florida.



Flying is not my favorite mode of transportation, so the faster we get there, the better. I try to sleep to make it go by faster, but I just cant sleep on planes. So to occupy myself, I color. I made myself a Disney coloring book with pages I printed from the internet and put them in a binder. Just give me that and my colored pencils and I'm good for the next 2 and a half hours.



It was funny though. There were a bunch of med school students sitting around us on their way to a convention. They looked about the same age as me, maybe a few years older. It made me laugh listening to them talk about medical things and here I am, 25 years old, with a binder full of Disney coloring pages, coloring with my colored pencils. I'm 5 But that’s OK.

So we land and I'm practically jumping out of my skin I'm so excited. One thing that drives me nuts about MCO is that the planes land so far away from the terminals and it takes sooo long for them to get there. I could be imagining it though because at that point I'm just so anxious to get off the plane. But the 5-10 minutes it takes to get to the terminal takes FOR.EV.ER.

So we finally get to the terminal and ride the fauxnorail to the DME and we find it no problem. We used the yellow tags so we didn’t have to claim our bags. Now, I think this is super convenient that you don’t have to go wait for your bags. However, I don’t usually use the tags because I like to get my bags and know that I have them and everything is OK. You see, I can be a little bit neurotic sometimes. I am a wee bit of a pessimist. I have this crazy, irrational fear that my luggage will get lost. Its never happened to me, thank goodness, but the thought of not having any clothes or my toiletries and things makes me a little nuts-o. So, long story short, we used the tags and (spoiler alert) we got our bags in our room, no problems.

When we got to DME, it was packed. The most packed I have ever seen it. So, we pull out our trusty magicbands and walk up to the podium and the cast member says “Touch the Mickey to the Mickey”. And I don’t know why, I just thought it was hysterical. Every time we had to use our band, the cast member would say this. It made me laugh every time. We got in line and had to wait about 15 minutes for a bus. Not to bad. We got a cruise line bus. womp womp . But any bus taking you to Disney World is a good bus, right? Of course I didn't take a picture of it. But I did take one of the bus next to us.



It was an old bus with old TV’s. So we couldn’t watch the movie because the screen was all fuzzy and kept going off and on. I was very upset by this. And it was the new video so I was eager to see it. From what I did see of the video, well, lets just say I miss the old movie. BUT, I was not going to let this get me down because, we were on our way to WALT DISNEY WORLD!!

We were sitting on the bus and waited and waited and waited...It took so long for us to get to our resort. Our bus stopped at Old Key West, Sarratoga Springs and then the Port Orleans resorts. The issue was the bus in front of us. It was at OKW when we pulled up and it took forever for it to move. Then it was at SS when we pulled up and took forever there. Then we finally pulled into Port Orleans: French Quarter. When we walked into the lobby, I was blown away





I loved it! The fountain and the high ceilings in the atrium and the details in the registration area. It is all so beautiful. Ugh...i love it so much! It is now my go-to moderate.



We made our way to the check-in desk, but before we got to the desk a very nice cast member came up to us and helped us check-in with an iPad. I cannot for the life of me remember her name, but she was from New Zealand. Our room wasn’t ready, but our awesome CM found us a room that was ready in building 5. My only request was a top floor room and that’s what we got! Room 5345.





The walk to our room from the main building took about two minutes. But in those two minutes, I was just blown away. I cannot get over how beautiful this resort is. The landscaping, the buildings. I've never been to New Orleans, but I really felt like we were there. I really want to go there now.



We got up to our room and had a beautiful view of large courtyard. Have I mentioned how much I love this resort?

We went into the room to unload our bags and get ready for our triumphant return to the Magic Kingdom.

I was just so happy to finally be home with a whole vacation ahead of us. So many memories to be made and good times to be had. What could possibley go wrong??

Next Update​

 

[mrs mouse10712]

HELLO EVERYONE!! Oh, I'm so excited to have readers! Thank you all so much!! Just a warning though, I'm still learning how to do everyting on here, so please bare with me. I appologize in advance for any mistakes I make

Looking forward to reading! I love adults only TRs. Nothing against kids...I just don't have any so I relate better to TRs w/o kids.

Welcome! I hope you dont mind us kids at heart

Joining in Danielle. Welcome to the wonderful world of trip reporting!! And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!! I can't think of a better place to celebrate.

Welcome Rob! I have been reading your past TRs and saw that you started yours for December. I thought to myself "well, I better start mine since Rob started his" I'm slacking

Following along!

Welcome! I hope you enjoy it

Joining in! We were at SSR till the 13th. Great time to go.

Welcome Scott! Disney during the holidays is my favorite time to go

joining! Welcome to the world of trip reporting - it can be addicting

Congrats on the whole marriage scenario (since I didn't get a chance to say that closer to the event) and congrats on the one-year anniversary!

Welcome! I know what you mean! I just started this one and I'm already planning or next trip so I can write another TR Thank you! We didnt get married in Disney World, but we did have our honeymoon there.

I am in for the ride...I still have yet to do a TR myself..

Welcome! Everyone tells me its addicting. It's true!

Hi Danielle...I'm Danielle..and I'm joining in!!! Can't wait to read more!

Welcome Danielle! Glad to have you along for the ride. I hope you enjoy it

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I'm with you Danielle, just get me there ASAP!! OMG that's so cute with the coloring books. I think that a perfect way to kill time when heading to Disney World. Time to get into child mode!!

Ah yay Welcome Mat photo for the win!!! Nice job!

Holy cow, really??? CM from New Zealand??? I had Australian, so kinda the same. My God they're everywhere.

Ahh so pretty. Definitely on my must stay list.

Ohhh, your foreshadowing has me intrigued...

 

[GrammyJudy]

We were at Pofq and we left on Dec. 7 so we were on our saddest day when you were on your happiest.

 

[tazdev3225]

Sounds like a great start. I miss the ME, my last 2 trips I had my own car or a rental car. That will change in May.

I agree POFQ is a beautiful resort. I stayed there with a friend and loved it. I was at SSR but can promise I wasn't on the slow bus. I was leaving the day you arrived.

 

[KCrystal]

Joining in! Can't wait to read all about your trip!

 

[mrs mouse10712]

I'm with you Danielle, just get me there ASAP!! OMG that's so cute with the coloring books. I think that a perfect way to kill time when heading to Disney World. Time to get into child mode!!

Ah yay Welcome Mat photo for the win!!! Nice job!

Holy cow, really??? CM from New Zealand??? I had Australian, so kinda the same. My God they're everywhere.

Ahh so pretty. Definitely on my must stay list.

Ohhh, your foreshadowing has me intrigued...

Oh thank you! I may or may not color in it when I'm bored at home too, not just on planes

The welcome mats are the best!

It's an Aussie invasion

The resort is unbelievable. I highly recommend it.

We were at Pofq and we left on Dec. 7 so we were on our saddest day when you were on your happiest.

oh man Well, I hope you had a great trip.

Sounds like a great start. I miss the ME, my last 2 trips I had my own car or a rental car. That will change in May.

I agree POFQ is a beautiful resort. I stayed there with a friend and loved it. I was at SSR but can promise I wasn't on the slow bus. I was leaving the day you arrived.

The DME is great when you arrive. Not so much when you are leaving.

I really love the resort. I can't wait to go back.

Joining in! Can't wait to read all about your trip!

Thanks for joining in!

 

[scottny]

Glad travel day went well.
FQ is a pretty resort. Never stayed but visited numerous times.

 

[mrs mouse10712]

Day 1 Part 2
Really???

So, we left off with us arriving at our room.

We went into the room, unloaded our bags, and freshened up a bit before we headed out. I really liked the room. Simple, but it still had a New Orleans flare.







My original plan for our first day was to sort of take it easy, but a tradition for us is to ride Pirates of the Caribbean first. The first time I took my husband (at that time boyfriend) to Disney World, the first ride we went on was Pirates and every trip since then we've rode Pirates first




Let me take a moment to apologize for the lack of pictures here. This part of our day was a little crazy.

So we got to MK at around 1 oclock. I have an annual pass that was linked to my magicband, but Cory had to buy the park ticket for the 9 days we were there. I bought them online before we went and had to go to Guest Relations to add it to the band, or so I thought...We get in line and wait in the sun. It was hot. Now, you should know the me and the heat dont mix. So you may be asking yourself, Danielle, if you don't like the heat, then why are you in Florida? Sacrifices, people. Its a small price to pay to be in the place I love most in the world. The last time we were there in December was back in to 2010 and there was this crazy cold front for the entire week we were there. Needless to say, I loved it Its funny to see the Florida natives wearing hats and gloves and winter coats in 50 degree weather. But, as I'm typing this, its 16 degrees outside and I would love nothing more than to be in the Florida sunshine.

So, I'm getting really hot and the line is not moving. I'm trying to stay positive. Alright Danielle, you are right here, at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. You are in Disney World. Be happy. A little shade would have been nice, but I just kept repeating this mantra to myself. I finally got to the window. The cast member was really nice. He said, Your going to hate me, but the park tickets are already linked to the band. I just laughed. What else could I do?

So from there we head into the park. We go up to the turnstiles and scan our bands and get in no problem. With excitement building, we walk through the tunnel and onto Main Street only to find an insanely massive crowd Like, unnecessarily big. And Main Street was closed off. It was the last day of filming for the parade. I knew this was happening. I should have expected this. So any hope of walking right down the middle of Main Street USA and seeing Cinderella Castle was squashed

With my dreams crushed, world crumbling around me, I manage to continue moving forward. A little over dramatic, I know, but we all know how important your first glimpse at the castle is. And we werent going to MK for a few more days.

The incoming crowds were corralled past the Town Square Theatre and into the corner where the character fastpasses are distributed and behind all the buildings. Killed the magic a little bit. Dont get me wrong, I like getting a behind the scenes look i.e. finally figuring out how the busts in the Haunted Mansion work or seeing space mountain with the lights on, but seeing dumpsters and the cast member entrances behind the buildings is not my idea of behind the magic. We come out to the right of the Ice Cream Parlor, near the Noodle Terrace.

So far, our MK adventures were off to a poor start, but once I finally got to see the castle and most of crowd had dissipated, I felt all the negative emotions just wash away. All was right with the world again. I was home. Holding back tears (of joy), we made our way through Tomorrowland. The hub was closed off, so we had to make our way around the park to Adventureland. After our trek around the Magic Kingdom, we finally get to Pirates and the wait is 35 minutes. Luckily we had fast passes on our bands, so we got right on. The ride was wonderful, as always.





This is my husbands favorite ride. He is a self-proclaimed pirate. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are his favorite and he has a pirate sleeve. He loves 'em. At this point we were starving.

We havent eaten anything yet, with the exception of the pretzels on the plane. So, we headed over to my favorite quick service, Pecos Bill. I love the burgers here. It was around 2:30 so I figured it wouldnt be to busy. I was wrong. The place was packed. I picked the shortest line and waited about 15-20 minutes. We ordered, got our food and went to find a place to sit. I had a feeling this wasnt going to happen, but instead of going right into the larger dinning area, which is where we usually go, we went left into a small room that I had never been in before and it was practically empty. I was pleasantly surprised. We grabbed a table and I finally got to dig into the burger of the gods.



We both got the same thing, 1/3 lb. Deluxe Angus Cheeseburger with fries and a bottle of water. We both put mushrooms on it and got cheese for our fries. There are no diet on vacation. I just love this burger so much. It is so good.

After we finished eating, we still had a little time to kill before the surprise I had planned. Oh yeah, did I mention I had a surprise planned for Cory today? Well, I did. So, with some time to kill, we headed to my favorite ride, The Haunted Mansion . What Pirates is to my husband, The Haunted Mansion is to me. I love everything about this ride. I could go on it over and over again. It's just so perfect.

The only problem with this plan is that it took us about 30 minutes to walk from Pecos Bill to The Haunted Mansion. The parade filming was still going on and they had the ropes up for the parade route. This caused the most ridiculous traffic jam. Pretty much all of the road between Frontierland and Liberty Square was blocked off. The very small walkway that was open was so congested that no one was moving. There were strollers and scooters trying to get through and people trying walk around them and people pushing. It was just the most absurd thing I have ever encountered in the Magic Kingdom . Just standing there, surrounded by people, not moving. This day was just not working in our favor.

We finally get to The Haunted Mansion. The wait was 10 minutes. All the stress from the traffic jam just went away once I was inside. I just love it so much .



Once we were finished, it was time to head out. I wanted to stop in a few stores, but I was just ready to be out of all the chaos. So we headed to the boat launch.

Next Update​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Ooh I like the purple on the bed. Very regal.

Ahh so nice that you have a tradition to share. Makes the trip so much more meaningful and special I think.

Haha, I get that question a lot too since I HATE the heat. HATE IT! Yet Disney Heat doesn't bother me much at all. Go figure.

Oh yeah, I totally avoided MK like the plague that day. No way, no how. I love MK above all else and I'm even fine if I ride nothing at all, but to just be surrounded by people like that and not moving, nope, not doin' it.

 

[mrs mouse10712]

Ooh I like the purple on the bed. Very regal.

Ahh so nice that you have a tradition to share. Makes the trip so much more meaningful and special I think.

Haha, I get that question a lot too since I HATE the heat. HATE IT! Yet Disney Heat doesn't bother me much at all. Go figure.

Oh yeah, I totally avoided MK like the plague that day. No way, no how. I love MK above all else and I'm even fine if I ride nothing at all, but to just be surrounded by people like that and not moving, nope, not doin' it.

The rooms are very nice. Very cozy.

I love our tradition. I know I'm really on vacation when we ride PotC.

I get really grumpy when I'm hot. I'm more of an "in between" kind of person. I love the fall and spring, but the extreme heat of the summer and extreme cold of the winter doesn't work for me.

The crowds along the parade route was just insane. The rest of the park was fine. I imagine that the whole park is like that on Christmas Day. I wouldn't be able to handle that.