"When I went it was all lights, and music, and Mickey doin' his magic." — Aug. '18 Disneyversary TR — Completed (Finally!!) August 20, 2021

[chunkymonkey]

I know I've told you this a dozen times already but those pictures are so stunning! I think AK makes an amazing backdrop!
I think I'd really like to do this one day. Maybe an anniversary shoot or something. Do they allow that? Or do you have to get married at Disney to be able to use their photographers?

This is my favorite photo out of the bunch, I mean they are ALL stunning but as a former photographer, aI love the strip of light on your faces and the moodiness of everything else. Excellent shot!!

 

[thumper*]

I loved all of your photo's and am glad you did the second post of them.

Ali did such a beautiful job that I think he deserves for more of his work to be seen!)

 

[MeghanEmily]

I know I've told you this a dozen times already but those pictures are so stunning! I think AK makes an amazing backdrop!
I think I'd really like to do this one day. Maybe an anniversary shoot or something. Do they allow that? Or do you have to get married at Disney to be able to use their photographers?

Thank you!!

And anyone can do the photo shoots now, so you definitely should!!

This is my favorite photo out of the bunch, I mean they are ALL stunning but as a former photographer, aI love the strip of light on your faces and the moodiness of everything else. Excellent shot!!

Ooh, I don't think I knew you were a photographer. But it makes sense with all the lovely well-composed pictures you take for your TRs! I really loved how thoughtful and creative Ali was with light and drama.

I loved all of your photo's and am glad you did the second post of them.

Thank you!!

 

[suse66]

All I can say is that those pictures are spectacular!!! Love, love, love them! Definitely money well spent.

 

[MeghanEmily]

All I can say is that those pictures are spectacular!!! Love, love, love the! Definitely money well spent.

Thank you!!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I'm jumping in! Doesn't look like I'm toooo late for the party.

Ohmygoodness your anniversary photos are stunning. I love the candid ones when you two are just being super goofy! But also you both look great in all of them I'm excited to read about the rest of your trip!

 

[tiggerpals]

Those photos are GORGEOUS!!! Animal Kingdom is such a fantastic place to do a shoot like that - so many different textures and layers to the park and they really come through in the photos. Love, love, love them! Also my husband and I are so similar when we are photographed, but I love great photographers who can make magic with their subjects! I'd love to do something like this someday.

 

[Steppesister]

We had done an early morning Magic Kingdom photo session for our wedding day 364 days prior, and now we were doing the same thing at AK for our anniversary.

How wonderful and a perfect way to capture some more memories in a favourite place! Love it!

I was wondering how you all could top that, but you all did!! All of the photos are just stunning!

but I'd never seen a free-roaming armadillo before!

I did years ago while camping at Ft. Wilderness. They're cool to see waddling along. It's almost like they saunter.

One of Ali's best qualities as a photographer, I believe, is the way he gets creative with light/shadow. I always appreciate when a photographer really cares about using lighting to make subjects look their best (and I didn't like the lighting in some of our wedding pictures, though that couldn't always be helped since we had an outdoor ceremony in sunny Florida...but alas...). Ali went above and beyond, making sure that, not only were we never poorly lit, but that he also used light and his understanding of camera settings to create some unique and beautiful effects.

Yes!! The work of a true artist!

Perfection!

I love the whimsy of this one!

(Probably because every time he asked us to do those things above, we didn't look carefree and cool...we just looked stupid. )

Haha, oh boy can I so relate to this. You'll see..

 

[MeghanEmily]

"Ohana is the Most Important Thing to us...and also our Badness Levels are Extremely High."
Aug. 16—Part 2​

When we left off last, N and I had just finished up our early morning photos in Animal Kingdom, and we'd been dropped back off at the GF. It was such a beautiful morning! I don't remember taking this photo...but apparently I did...

We walked around for a bit and enjoyed the gorgeous surroundings, trying to decide what to do next. In the end, we decided we would just arrive a bit early to our breakfast reservation, and possibly explore the resort first, so we hopped back in the Nissan and made the incredibly long drive over to park at the Contemporary.

And now the rest of this update might as well just be food pictures, because apparently they comprise almost the entirety of my photos from this day. (Cut me some slack, it was only the first day of vacation! I wasn't in the TR-planning groove yet.)

For the first time ever, we were having breakfast at The Wave!

We were both hungry after our early morning of walking and posing, so we were extra excited to try a new breakfast spot. We both decided to do the buffet, but I spoke to an allergy chef to have some allergy-friendly items made for me in the kitchen as well.

We both hit the buffet first, and this was N's first plate:

He really liked the "fancy yogurts," as we called them, and the deviled eggs.

Knowing I'd have lots of extra stuff coming from the kitchen, I was more sparing with my buffet selections:

Thank goodness I was, because soon enough the allergy-friendly carb train arrived...

Mickey waffles, donuts, and an allergy-friendly version of the sweet potato pancakes on the buffet. Holy smokes! I'd never seen so many carbs intended for one person in my life! Fortunately, I also had the one fried egg for some protein to balance all those carbs, so no harm done! (Side note: I'd heard good things about the gluten free sweet potato pancakes on an allergy blog and knew to request them, but when I did the chef warned me that they were a bit wet and gummy inside with the combo of the sweet potato and the gluten free flour. He said he would still make them if I wanted, and they'd be fully cooked, but not have the texture of the regular pancakes. I accepted the risk...and he ended up being right. The flavour was good. The texture was kinda lousy. Like if you shaped bread pudding into a disk and fried it for a second. Lesson learned.) For the record, I did not manage to consume all of these sugary delights, but I certainly made a strong effort.

I think N went back up to the buffet once more, but I don't have photographic proof. I did, however, go back up to take pictures of most of the buffet selections.

I told you that all I took was food pictures!

I had heard some mixed reviews of this buffet, but we had an excellent breakfast there. We still prefer Boma as our supreme breakfast buffet of choice, and I'd still choose GF Cafe for breakfast in the area if I wanted to order breakfast off the menu. But we would certainly go back here if we happened to be staying at the Contemporary.

We said goodbye to The Wave—I mean, we paid our bill first. Then we said goodbye...

And we were off on another adventure!

...

...wait a minute...weren't we JUST here??

Yes, we had returned to the GF already. Shortly after our late breakfast, I would be getting a pedicure at the Senses Spa at the GF to properly prepare my feet for Disney life. We were still fairly early for my appointment though, so we decided to hang out in the main building and do a little browsing. While in the gift shop, I noticed a CM with a pin trading...sash? Pouch? I dunno. Anyway, she had pins to trade. I had been planning on beginning my pin trading journey on this trip—a hobby which has now quickly taken on a life of its own! Oof!—and I was nervous and excited to get started. I asked the CM, a kind-looking lady probably in her 50s, if she would indulge me in my very first pin trade, and she enthusiastically obliged! I found a pin on her pouch to trade, and offered her one of my Stitch emoji pins in return. She seemed skeptical that I would want to give up a pin so wonderful, and she confided that Stitch was her favourite! She looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and, comparing herself and Stitch, said, "...because Ohana is the most important thing to us...and also our badness levels are extremely high!"

Thanks so much, sweet GF merch CM! You made my first pin trading experience a magically memorable one!

Before too long, it was time for my pedicure appointment. N was already losing steam after our early morning, so I left him in a comfy chair to catch a few winks, and I walked over to Senses.

So lemme just say, for someone who doesn't spend much time in spas aside from medically-motivated massages...Senses was AN EXPERIENCE! I was only getting a pedicure, but after it was over I left feeling excited to come back later in the trip for the couple's massage I'd booked! When I arrived, I was led into the women's lounge, offered a robe and sandals, and allowed to relax in a comfy chair with some fancy spa water and light snacks. Shortly after, my name was called and I was taken to another room where they do nail appointments.

My technician did an excellent job. I saw on her name tag that she was originally from, I believe, Vietnam. I asked her about the pin on her name tag—I'm always curious about how long CMs have been with Disney, and enjoy recognizing them for their contributions to a company that has given us so many magical moments! We then had a nice chat about how she enjoyed working for Disney, and some of the neat things they do to show their employees that they're appreciated, like appreciation gifts after certain numbers of years of service, or even opening the parks late in the evening for events for just their senior-most cast members, etc. She talked about how most people who stay beyond a certain period of time end up staying for decades, and how while Disney might not provide the most competitive salaries, they do provide good benefits packages that someone in her line of work might not find elsewhere, etc. It was a very interesting conversation! All the while, I could feel her adding years of life to my sad tootsies. Toward the end of the appointment, I was offered a complimentary Ghirardelli chocolate square (like the samples they give out at Disney Springs) and a beverage of my choice. Wine was an option, as were tea and coffee, but I opted for non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider. When she was finished with my toenails, I retrieved my things from my locker in the women's lounge, downed another cup of fancy spa water, and went out to settle my bill.

I was proud to sport my own little hidden Mickeys for the rest of the trip:

When I returned to find N, he had nodded off in the GF lobby. I interrupted his nap, and we hit the road again...​

 

[MeghanEmily]

"Lime Garage, you are the Root of my Trust Issues!"
Aug. 16—Part 3

...We were on our way to Disney Springs! I had some errands to run, some shopping to do, and a very important person to meet.

Of course, when we got to the Lime parking garage, it said there were no spaces left on the second level. "Let's just see about that!" said N. And of course, when we got to the second level there were lots of empty spaces. "Lime Garage, you are the root of my trust issues!" I cried out.

Our first order of business was actually a Dismeet I'd been looking forward to. I was going to get the chance to meet Melinda, or @pepperandchips here on the DIS. She was at Disney on a short trip, and was willing to take time out of her day to pop over to Disney Springs to meet little old me!

Okay, so here's where I need to take a sidebar. I am good at a lot of things in life. Having normal, appropriate social interactions isn't typically one of those things. Maybe that's why I enjoy telling you all my Disney stories from the comfort of my own living room. But suffice it to say that I'm laughably bad at Dismeets. I like you guys! Really, I do! But when confronted with you in the actual real world, it becomes a WHAT-DO-I-DO-WITH-MY-HANDS? kind of situation. And this isn't even the only time you'll get to hear about this happening on this very trip! Anyway, continuing on...

Melinda, bless her, made a detour in her daily plan to meet with us at Basin in Disney Springs. I was bent on buying an almond hand scrub, so I had wanted to go there anyway. Melinda showed up, looking absolutely lovely in her handmade ears and Minnie-esque polka dot dress. We chatted for a bit, and she ever-so-kindly gave N and I the most adorable and thoughtful Yeti-themed anniversary card (we had even just done our anniversary pictures at Animal Kingdom in front of Everest! ) She also had a gift for me. (Did I have anything for her? No. Of course not. What can I say? I told you I was terrible at Dismeets!!) She had made me a gorgeous set of floral ears, specifically choosing flowers in our wedding colours, blue and white. This lady is something else!! She downplayed the gesture, of course, but these ears are a thing of beauty, and I wore them often for the rest of the trip. We continued to chat, and perused Basin a bit, on a hunt for my hand scrub. Fortunately, we also enlisted N's help to get a photo, because...you know...trip reports.

It was so great to meet you, Melinda! Thanks for taking the time!

Now naturally, like the socially awkward and incredibly sleepy humans that we were, N and I ditched Melinda all too soon to finish our shopping/errands. After we left Basin, I realized how lousy at this whole social conventions thing I am, especially after having Melinda go out of her way for us. I mean, like, the least I could do would be offer to get a bite, or continue to shop elsewhere, etc. I whined to N for a while about how nobody should ever Dis-meet me, and how it only ever ends in heartbreak, etc. He laughed, and assured me that I'm perfectly meet-able. But seriously, guys, a word of warning: getting me for a Dismeet is like ending up with the kid chosen last on your sports team! (@pepperandchips I promise to continue this meet in May! And I'll do my best to be less sleepy and more sociable!)

After successfully retrieving my almond hand scrub, and moderately successfully participating in a Dismeet, N and I went looking for the other things on my shopping/browsing/checking-out list, including browsing the Dooney and Bourke selection and the soy candles at the Marketplace Co-op. (Spoiler alert: we wouldn't make it through the trip without making both purchases.) I had been seriously considering getting a Dooney sketch weekender bag, which would be far-and-away my most expensive Dooney, but likely also my most well-used. But when I saw them up close, I wasn't in love. For some reason I thought they were made of the softer nylon material (did they not used to be??) but they were actually made of the fake-leather-type-stuff, and I didn't love it for a weekend bag that would often be folding and creasing. I decided to think on it more before buying, and I'm glad I did, because the more I thought about it the more I decided I didn't want to spend the money on something I wasn't crazy about. I never bought that bag...but that's not to say that the Dooney folks didn't get more of my money....but we'll get there eventually.

We also stopped in to the pin store, and I got two new mystery bags to open. I put them in my bag to save for that evening when I had more time. We did, however, have time to stop for a quick quasi-wall selfie to document my awesome new ears!

Then, our last stop was Erin McKenna's NYC Bakery. If you haven't read my reports before and are unfamiliar, Erin McKenna's is a gluten free vegan bakery. They did our wedding cake/cupcakes. And for our wedding, one of the flavour combos we chose was a little unorthodox: brownie cupcakes with cinnamon frosting. It was delish. I decided to call and place a special order for half a dozen cupcakes in the same flavour for our anniversary, and so we stopped in to pick them up. Mmmmm....cupcakes....

Somehow, we were ready to eat AGAIN. (This becomes a running theme. I don't know where we put it all!) We were nearing our dinner ADR time, so we drove over to the Beach Club and checked in at Cape May Cafe. We had enjoyed dinner here on our wedding trip and decided to come back. It didn't take long to be seated.

At this point, the anticipation was getting to me, so I decided it was time to open my mystery bags.

They didn't disappoint.

Our server at Cape May was AWESOME. I already forget his name. I wish I'd written it down! I think he was from Long Island? I feel like it was something short, like John? Not sure. But he said that he used to work at Be Our Guest, and was being transferred back there soon along with the implementation of the new prix fixe menu. I would happily sit in his section anywhere, because he was super enthusiastic, personable, and attentive. At the end of the meal he even told us that he'd wanted to bring us champagne or a free dessert for our anniversary celebration, but he knew I couldn't have them with my dietary restrictions, so he worked with the concierge instead to gift us with 3 multiple experience FPs instead! There's nothing quite like starting your trip off with a little CM pixie dust.

I know N ate, but I have no pictures of his plates...so did it even really happen?? I took pictures of both of my buffet trip offerings though...

You'll note the paella x2. This stuff is so addictive! I love seafood, and I love carbs. Give me a gluten-free, low-ish-dairy seafood paella, and I'll love you forever. I've asked twice so far, and Disney has yet to give me the recipe. But I shall not surrender! Perhaps the third time will be the charm.

Our after-dinner plans had included FPs at DHS for TSMM and Fantasmic!, but we both decided that there was no way we'd make it till the end of the show, so we decided to head straight back to Orange Lake instead. After an early morning and a busy day, we crashed early and slept well. The next morning would be our anniversary, and we were heading back to where it all began one year before...​

 

[SweetSerenity]

Thanks for reviewing the Wave. We are going there for the first time soon, and I was wondering what the selection was like.

Yay for pixie dust!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

For the first time ever, we were having breakfast at The Wave!

Interesting! I've read mostly good reviews of The Wave now. It might be one to keep in mind.

Maybe that's why I enjoy telling you all my Disney stories from the comfort of my own living room. But suffice it to say that I'm laughably bad at Dismeets. I like you guys! Really, I do! But when confronted with you in the actual real world, it becomes a WHAT-DO-I-DO-WITH-MY-HANDS? kind of situation.

Hmmm...how about when you are confronted unexpectedly in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard?
Well, I have first hand knowledge that you are perfectly delightful at a DISmeet.

She had made me a gorgeous set of floral ears, specifically choosing flowers in our wedding colours, blue and white.

Cool! I had wondered where those came from. I thought they were really nice, but hadn't noticed them in any of the shops. @pepperandchips Melinda, those ears were lovely.

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm glad you had a great breakfast! The buffet at the Wave has always intrigued me so hopefully one day I can try it!

Yay for getting some me time at Senses! Sounds like your nail tech was awesome!

I am sure you are AWESOME to meet! I feel like we can all get a little awkward with strangers sometimes!

Yay for the CM gifting you extra FPs!

 

[natebenma]

Great start to your trip!

I'm glad the flight, though dreaded, was uneventful.

I'm not a purse person, but your Orange Bird bag is super cute!

Fabulous arch picture!

Your light meal at Artist Pointe was a great way to begin your trip. Your dessert sounds excellent!

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[natebenma]

Wow! What an amazing photoshoot!!!!!!!!

Traditional gift for first anniversaries is "paper"- so this was a totally appropriate commemoration of your first year as a married couple. Photo paper.

Thanks for sharing all the pictures. I think I prefer the color version of the special shot- the green wall is very dramatic and your hair color is stunning in this shot.

So about how long was the photo shoot? An hour? More?

Well, now you have had exclusive photos at MK, EP and AK- next up: A galaxy far far away?

I saw an armadillo once near MK from a bus travelling to the Poly. There is some really cool wildlife in and around WDW! People have posted pictures of a bald eagle that hangs out between the Swan/Dolphin and the Beach Club. I would love to see that!

 

[natebenma]

Wow! Those ARE fancy yogurts!

One of each, please!

I haven't dined at the Wave, but your endorsement makes it enticing to me. YUM!

The description of your time at the spa was wonderful. What a great morning so far!

 

[natebenma]

Great picture!

The floral ears are such a thoughtful gift. WTG @pepperandchips

​

And for our wedding, one of the flavour combos we chose was a little unorthodox: brownie cupcakes with cinnamon frosting. It was delish.

That sounds amazing!

I am so glad to hear how much you enjoyed your meal at Cape May. YAY to John the waiter (if THAT is your real name...). Special fast passes are an excellent bonus anniversary gift! Like I appreciate getting recognized with a free dessert for special occasions, but really, when you are at a buffet, is more food necessary???

 

[amazingact21]

My carb-loving self was over the moon with your Wave breakfast platter. Even if the sweet potato pancakes had a weird consistency...

I loved hearing about the conversations with the Cast Members at the spa and the GF; those little talks can really heighten a Disney day. Although, I do always dread when my husband starts hearing about all those appreciation perks CMs receive...too many more chats and I know where we'll end up 8 years from now.


I truly feel like most of us DISers think we're terrible at actual DISmeets. It's easy to second guess yourself when you meet a friend face-to-face, but I'm sure the meet was great. And after seeing how much work you had to put in for those gorgeous AK shots, I'm sure she understands.

 

[missjackiemcg]

What a lovely food filled time you were having Those mouse ears are so cute!! I'm sure a perfectly lovely DIS-er to meet! Give yourself some credit

 

[chunkymonkey]

For the first time ever, we were having breakfast at The Wave!

Yum, I loved our breakfast there last year and it looked like you had great luck with your own allergy-free buffet of treats.

At the end of the meal he even told us that he'd wanted to bring us champagne or a free dessert for our anniversary celebration, but he knew I couldn't have them with my dietary restrictions, so he worked with the concierge instead to gift us with 3 multiple experience FPs instead! There's nothing quite like starting your trip off with a little CM pixie dust.

What nice pixie dust! So sweet of them.

"...because Ohana is the most important thing to us...and also our badness levels are extremely high!"

That's a great quote, hehe.

I was proud to sport my own little hidden Mickeys for the rest of the trip:

So cute! I love it! I've never been to senses spa, only on the cruises but it looks just as nice if not nicer at the GF!

But seriously, guys, a word of warning: getting me for a Dismeet is like ending up with the kid chosen last on your sports team!

Um, I really beg to differ.

Okay, so here's where I need to take a sidebar. I am good at a lot of things in life. Having normal, appropriate social interactions isn't typically one of those things. Maybe that's why I enjoy telling you all my Disney stories from the comfort of my own living room. But suffice it to say that I'm laughably bad at Dismeets. I like you guys! Really, I do! But when confronted with you in the actual real world, it becomes a WHAT-DO-I-DO-WITH-MY-HANDS? kind of situation. And this isn't even the only time you'll get to hear about this happening on this very trip! Anyway, continuing on...

Ok I didn't even notice your hands, haha. And you're not laughably bad at DISmeets, I don't know what you're talking about. It's not even something you can be bad at!!
P.S. You were great.

Love this picture of both of you and your matching PepperandChips ears!

Somehow, we were ready to eat AGAIN. (This becomes a running theme. I don't know where we put it all!) We were nearing our dinner ADR time, so we drove over to the Beach Club and checked in at Cape May Cafe. We had enjoyed dinner here on our wedding trip and decided to come back. It didn't take long to be seated.

I like the way you think!!