"Um do you not see the duck??" A Sept '17 WDW TR! COMPLETED 12/22

[dolewhipdreams]

Hello my friends and welcome to my TR! For your safety, please remain seated for the duration of this trip report and if any of you folks are wearin’ hats or glasses, best remove ‘em, ‘cause this here’s the wildest TR in the wilderness!

(Side note, this is also my first time using Flickr to post photos so I appreciate your patience as I figure that out.)

This trip was a somewhat short adventure to the World from August 31- September 5. We stayed at CBR and took advantage of the $75 per night gift card offer as well as free dining!

Now let’s introduce you to the cast of characters, which is pretty short for this trip! It was just myself and my friend, whom I will be referring to as M for this report.

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Here’s M! M and I went to high school together and ended up going to the same college, too. Even though we’ve seen each other a few times since then we haven’t really spent much time together so this was an awesome chance to have some fun and catch up. M is a Disney lover who returned on this trip for the first time in almost 10 years so although she wasn’t a newbie, there was a lot of new stuff for her to experience. Here’s some of her Disney faves:

Park: Magic Kingdom

Character: Evil Stepsisters

Land: Pandora

Snack: Mickey pretzels

Ride: Space Mtn, Everest, RNRC​

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And here I am! If we’ve never been introduced, I’m Ann and I’m a Disney-loving engineer (and I use a lot of parentheses). My dream is to be an Imagineer but until that happens I just enjoy what former and current Imagineers have created for us. Some of my current favorites are:

Park: Magic Kingdom and DCA

Character: Merida, Ariel, Honey Lemon

Land: New Fantasyland

Snack: Dole whips and Mickey waffles

Ride: ToT, Expedition Everest​

So now that you know the basics, hop on in and buckle up as I relive another magical trip to my home away from home.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Table of Contents

Day 1 Part 1: Bees, Palm Trees, and Dance Parties
Day 2 Part 1: Is There an AP Discount?
Day 2 Part 2: Wanna Take a Photo?
Day 2 Part 3: Where Does Buzz Lightyear Get His Towels?
Day 2 Part 4: Boo to You and You and You and You and...
Day 3 Part 1: In Which Pandora Is More Amazing Than Expected
Day 3 Part 2: See Mom, There IS A Starbucks!
Day 4 Part 1: When You Wish Upon A Star
Day 4 Part 2: I've Ridden Everest 14 Times!
Day 5 Part 1: My First DISmeet!
Day 5 Part 2: Rain, Rain Go Away
Day 6: See Ya Real Soon​

 

[dolewhipdreams]

BEES, PALM TREES, AND DANCE PARTIES

My original plan was to take a late flight out on the 31st so I wouldn’t have to miss work but I realized that I had the vacation days and there was so much new stuff to see at Disney Springs so when it came time to book our flights I got the earliest one that Southwest offered that day. So we were off to the airport at an ungodly hour and after a nice calm flight, we landed in MCO just a little bit after 11am!

Hopped off the plane at MCO with my dreams and a cooling towel…​

We made our way allllllll the way across the airport to DME (we considered it a warm up for all of the days of walking ahead of us) and didn’t have to wait long at all. The bus was there when we got in line and we sat on the bus for about 10 minutes before we were off! CBR was the first stop so it wasn’t long before we saw the customs house and were getting in line to check in. We did online check in but we hadn’t received any message that our room was ready yet. Since we had to go to registration anyway to pick up our gift card, we thought we would go ahead and see if we could change rooms to one that was ready for us already.

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This all took way too long, in my opinion. We didn’t wait very long in line (maybe 5 minutes) but it took about 30 minutes at the desk to get things sorted. The woman checking us in was determined to find us a room on the first floor for some reason, even though we never requested one. Once we realized that’s what she was doing we told her 2nd floor was fine and she found a room right away. Then we had to get our gift cards and set up our Magic Bands for separate credit cards (which turns out didn’t actually work so that was a bit of a waste).

Once we got everything settled the cast member ordered us a ride from bell services to take us back to our room. Our lovely bell hop, Tom, drove us around the resort and pointed out all the important places like the main pool, food tent, bus stops, etc. He then graciously walked us to our room and showed us how to get to all of those places! Let me tell you, that was amazing. We got turned around enough was it was and I can’t imagine how bad it would have been if we hadn’t had that initial tour. So if you stay at CBR, make sure to request Tom from bell services!

[This place is seriously stunning- construction aside]​

We dropped off our carry-ons and I got into my swim suit. We were both starving so we headed out to Centertown to check out lunch options. The lunch options are greatly reduced from breakfast and dinner. All they have are whatever food trucks are around and a few a la carte options. Thankfully, all of the a la carte was dining plan eligible. I ended up choosing the watermelon feta salad and M got the mahi quesadilla. Each entrée comes with either a drink or dessert and since we both had our refillable resort mugs (which we had just picked up there at the register) I chose a Mickey bar!

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Side note about the salad: I’m on Weight Watchers and I’ve gotten some great results on it but I decided that while I’m on vacation I’m not going to be on a diet. I would rather splurge during the trip and work a little harder when I come home than be stressed about finding healthy choices and missing out on amazing Disney food (I know that other people have no problem staying on track with their diets while on vacation. Sadly, I am not one of those brave souls). So anyway I was looking forward to my first meal at Disney being an ode to gluttony and honestly the salad sounded amazing. So there I was eating a salad for my first Disney meal of the trip

[But it was such a good salad tho]​

Our hunger satisfied, we headed over to the main pool. This was my 5th Disney trip and I still experienced tons of firsts! This was my very first time hanging out at a Disney pool

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Funny story time: As we left the tent to go to the pool, I filled up my resort mug with some Sprite. I was sipping on it as we walked and suddenly a bee came over and started investigating the opening on my mug. I tried to shoo it away but it was very persistent. I’m crazy scared of bees (not allergic, just a baby) so I didn’t want to make it mad. So I just set the cup down thinking it would get bored and fly away. NOPE. It decided to go swimming in my Sprite. So while Bee #1 dove inside my cup, Bee #2 and #3 came over to join the party. At this point M & I are just standing by the pool staring at my cup which is on the ground. A lifeguard walked by at one point and asked if we were alright so I told her about the bees. Her being a boss lady lifeguard just picked up my cup, took the lid off, and threw the contents into the bushes. Boom problem solved. And now we look like complete idiots. But hey, no more bees!

We didn’t last too long at the pool since it was approximately 796 degrees outside (seriously, I was sweating just lying there). On our way back to the room we came across an awesome dance party and snapped a few photos.

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When we got back to our room we had a pleasant surprise- our bags were there! We got freshened up and went to the bus stop to catch a ride to Disney Springs. We had a dinner reservation at Homecomin’ and I had some business to attend to


Next up: Our evening at Disney Springs

 

[dnllmz]

Following along! So far your day sounds good besides the bees. I'm allergic so I'd be freaking out about them too.

I would rather splurge during the trip and work a little harder when I come home than be stressed about finding healthy choices and missing out on amazing Disney food (I know that other people have no problem staying on track with their diets while on vacation. Sadly, I am not one of those brave souls)

I use my Disney trips as dieting motivation. At home, I eat healthy and promise that when I get to Disney that I will allow myself to eat anything I want. I do pay for it when I get home but everyone needs a break. And this mom needs some Disney carbs. That salad does look good though and if something healthy sounds good I will order it.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Following along! So far your day sounds good besides the bees. I'm allergic so I'd be freaking out about them too.

Thanks for reading along! I'm glad I'm not alone with the bees

At home, I eat healthy and promise that when I get to Disney that I will allow myself to eat anything I want.

YES! This is the only thing that got me through some tough weeks. I would just count down the days until I could give in to my every Disney food desire.

 

[absolutmey]

here and following!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I'm here!! How exciting, you started a TR!
What a nice start to your trip!

Side note about the salad: I’m on Weight Watchers and I’ve gotten some great results on it but I decided that while I’m on vacation I’m not going to be on a diet. I would rather splurge during the trip and work a little harder when I come home than be stressed about finding healthy choices and missing out on amazing Disney food (I know that other people have no problem staying on track with their diets while on vacation. Sadly, I am not one of those brave souls).

Good for you! I am soooo anti-diet at Disney, but that salad looks really good! One of my favorite things I ate during F & G was the watermelon salad. It's just so refreshing in the heat!

Funny story time: As we left the tent to go to the pool, I filled up my resort mug with some Sprite. I was sipping on it as we walked and suddenly a bee came over and started investigating the opening on my mug. I tried to shoo it away but it was very persistent. I’m crazy scared of bees (not allergic, just a baby) so I didn’t want to make it mad. So I just set the cup down thinking it would get bored and fly away. NOPE. It decided to go swimming in my Sprite. So while Bee #1 dove inside my cup, Bee #2 and #3 came over to join the party. At this point M & I are just standing by the pool staring at my cup which is on the ground. A lifeguard walked by at one point and asked if we were alright so I told her about the bees. Her being a boss lady lifeguard just picked up my cup, took the lid off, and threw the contents into the bushes. Boom problem solved. And now we look like complete idiots. But hey, no more bees!

Haha I would have done the same thing. I have an irrational fear of bugs and I probably would have jumped in the pool just to be as far away from the bees as possible!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

here and following!

Thank you for joining in on my madness!

I'm here!! How exciting, you started a TR!
What a nice start to your trip!

I think this was the only day that was 100% dry so it was nice!

Good for you! I am soooo anti-diet at Disney, but that salad looks really good! One of my favorite things I ate during F & G was the watermelon salad. It's just so refreshing in the heat!

That was a problem I ran into a LOT on this trip- being too hot to want some of the food I had planned on eating! Good for my waistline, bad for my mood

Haha I would have done the same thing. I have an irrational fear of bugs and I probably would have jumped in the pool just to be as far away from the bees as possible!

I was so close to doing that!

 

[kaymil]

I've always wanted to do a friend trip! So fun! Excited to follow along!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I've always wanted to do a friend trip! So fun! Excited to follow along!

It looks like our two reports may have some similarities (minus, ya know, the honeymoon )! Same time of year, just a year apart

 

[kilroy1966]

Following

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Following

 

[mamamelody2]

Joining in!

 

[Raeven]

Following along!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Joining in!

Following along!

Thank you both for joining in!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

IS THERE AN AP DISCOUNT?

There wasn’t a very long wait for the bus to Disney Springs and before we knew it, we were stepping off the bus and were on our way. The last time I spent quality time at DS it was still under heavy construction so I was seeing a lot of shops and areas for the first time. Wow- it’s so beautiful!

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After making our way into DS, we headed straight to guest relations because I was on a mission- to upgrade to an AP! Shortly before leaving for this trip, I made plans with another friend to come back for Flower & Garden in May. I realized that since I was buying another PH pass for that trip, it actually made more financial sense to have an AP. We got into the guest relations building and it was much busier than I thought it would be, but we only waited a few minutes before getting called to a desk! The upgrade was pretty painless. The most annoying thing was that I was paying with a bunch of gift cards so he had to ring them up one at a time. The lovely man helping me even gave me a little bit of a discount. And with that- I was an AP holder!!

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Riding on the glory that comes with your first AP, we left guest relations elated and began to shop about. I can only afford like 30% of the stores at DS so it was mostly window shopping, but I did come away with a few things. But it was an amazing experience to ask for the AP discount for the first time! And the second...and the third....

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After shopping and gallivanting it was time for our dinner reservation. We made our way over to Homecomin’ and were seated after about 10 minutes.

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I’ve been excited to try Homecomin’ since it opened. Fried chicken is my favorite food and I love trying different takes on it. So I ordered the fried chicken dinner and M ordered the fried chicken sandwich. The dinner was so good! It was not the very best fried chicken I’ve ever had (that honor goes to Magnolias in Charleston) but it was definitely in my top 5. The mashed potatoes were equally excellent but the cheddar biscuits were phenomenal! Seriously they were the same concept as Red Lobster cheddar biscuits but so much better.

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If you are a fan of fried chicken or southern comfort food, I highly recommend Homecomin’.

When we were done eating we made our way back to the bus stop, stopping at Uniqlo on the way so I could purchase a jacket that I had fallen in love with.

[Side note: this is actually a child's jacket. Not only is it pink, which I love lots better than the darker adult colors, but it was $20 cheaper!]​

Once we were back at the resort we unpacked and got ready for bed because the next day was our first park day!

 

[chunkymonkey]

And with that- I was an AP holder!!

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Yay congrats!!

Adorable picture!!

I’ve been excited to try Homecomin’ since it opened. Fried chicken is my favorite food and I love trying different takes on it. So I ordered the fried chicken dinner and M ordered the fried chicken sandwich. The dinner was so good! It was not the very best fried chicken I’ve ever had (that honor goes to Magnolias in Charleston) but it was definitely in my top 5. The mashed potatoes were equally excellent but the cheddar biscuits were phenomenal! Seriously they were the same concept as Red Lobster cheddar biscuits but so much better.

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Yum! I got the chicken n donuts but I think I should have gotten the regular platter instead. I'd love to go to Charleston and try Magnolia's chicken. I've heard great things about it.

[Side note: this is actually a child's jacket. Not only is it pink, which I love lots better than the darker adult colors, but it was $20 cheaper!]

Cute!! I got the same jackets, but the adult versions, for my in-laws for our Disney cruise! I got them the ones that say Tokyo on it as they have family in Japan.

 

[paradesintherain]

Joining in! Looks like a great time so far, can't wait to read more!

I'm getting my first AP this trip too, can't wait for that first time AP feeling

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Joining in! Looks like a great time so far, can't wait to read more!

Thanks for joining!!

I'm getting my first AP this trip too, can't wait for that first time AP feeling

I can't understate how amazing it feels to hold that little yellow piece of plastic!

Yum! I got the chicken n donuts but I think I should have gotten the regular platter instead.

I was reaalllyyy considering the chicken n donuts (because hello- donuts!) but I'm glad I went with the full dinner plate instead. I still dream about the cheddar biscuits.

I'd love to go to Charleston and try Magnolia's chicken. I've heard great things about it.

It's life changing stuff, truly.

Cute!! I got the same jackets, but the adult versions, for my in-laws for our Disney cruise! I got them the ones that say Tokyo on it as they have family in Japan.

I really liked the Minnie Los Angeles one in navy blue and I walked by the display countless times. I'm sure I annoyed M to the extreme with all my back and forth about buying it. When I saw it in pink and that it was cheaper, I had to try the kids one! The black one is really nice, too. Just not my color What an awesome idea for a gift!

 

[tinkerbell1991]

Following along