"You're definitely feeling and not concealing!" - A COMPLETE July 2014 TR!

[Newsies]

I've known about Escape from Tomorrow forever and still never have watched it. I know from a lot of people that it really is not worth it, but I'm honestly curious. And I mean, a horror movie in Disney... that'd be pretty good for laughs lol

I totally agree about the Holy Land. It really sounds like some overglamorized televangelist type deal. And meeting some guy dressed as Jesus... no, just no.

But... YAY! You've arrived! How lucky that you got a Garden View room that has a CASTLE VIEW! I am so jealous. And OMG, the Grand Flo rooms are so pretty! I totally just found a new Dream resort.

to the Mickey Rice Krispie treat!

Can't wait to hear about your night at DTD!

It's literally so bad. It's the type of horror that is so cheap and redundant it becomes comedy. If you have the two hours, a Netflix account, and are genuinely interested in it, it is watchable to say the least.

The more I learn about THLE the more shocked I become. It literally sounds like the worst theme park in the history of theme parks. I can not believe the church lets them get away with the Jesus actors.

And you NEED to visit the GF. Everything about it is PERFECT. Next time you go to WDW, at least get an ADR for 1900 Park Fare. The buffet is incredible and the character list is superb.

And I know. Mickey Rice Krispie treats are love, Mickey Rice Krispie treats are life. Spoiler alert, that will definitely NOT be the last MRKT in this TR. I promise you. LMAO.

And I'm typing up the next installment as we speak

 

[Newsies]

DAY TWO: Second Travel/Arrival Day Part Two​

Q: How does Kaitlyn's family spend their first night in WDW?
A: At Downtown Disney!

​

After lunch, I had a bit of a headache and it was raining. Rather than trying to run to Boca Chica in the rain, my mom and I decided to check out some of the upstairs stores. Most of the stores were your basic resort stores, but Basin is the most beautiful store in the history of ever and I’m glad the GF has a store unique to the resort. Then it stopped raining a little bit, so we ran back to the room. When we got back, it was around 2-ish and still raining. I still had that headache so I took a nap. When I woke up, it was about 5:00 and the whole family had decided that a nap sounded good as well. But alas, we would have to get ready soon if we wanted to go to DTD, so I had to be the unlucky soul that had to wake my family up.

By 6:30 we were on the bus to DTD! As soon as we got off the bus, my mother was thirsty and needed something to drink. So she went to Earl of Sandwich and I went to the pin store across from it. I was determined to make my first ever pin trade. However, I was shocked to find that none of the CMs there actually had a lanyard of pins on them? I felt uncomfortable just walking around and not buying anything so I just walked out of the store.

I was still waiting on my mother to get out of Earl of Sandwich, so I snagged a pic of this topiary to my left:

As someone who plans on studying in the field of botanical science I actually love these things. Like. Look at Lady's ears. How u do dat?
​

And then we walked next door to Earl for a store that sold a bunch of cooking stuff. While my parents and sister looked around I spotted a CM with a bunch of pins on a lanyard and successfully made my first pin trade!!! I traded away one of my Club Penguin pins for a Peter Pan one. Cause I bought those when I was 13 and LBR, they had to go, even if it was for a kinda ugly hidden mickey pin.

Srsly Disney. These are kinda gross. Glad to see you stepped your game up a little bit for the 2014 July releases, though.​

After that, we went to the new marketplace because I was really excited to see it. In all honesty it was actually pretty lame. They sold NONE of the things I was looking for and saw online except for the Dole Whip trinket box (which I ended up not buying anyway). The section with the handbags and stuff and the section with all the girls clothing and accessories were both pretty cute though. I made my second pin trade (another CP pin for one that looked like a Minnie Mouse cupcake). I also saw a guy who was wearing a Wicked t-shirt, but like, one I had never seen before. I told him I liked his shirt and he thanked me but I caught him giving me a kinda scared/nervous glare afterwards. I have a theory that he was on the Wicked tour or even the show on Broadway from the way he was acting/the shirt. This rant has gone way too far. Sorry.

We walked next door to Tren-D and DM, Grace and I got Alex and Ani bracelets. DM got a Minnie one, Grace got a Belle one, and I got a silver castle (pictured below).

Alex and Ani bracelets: what suburban white girl dreams are made of <3​

I had always wanted an Alex and Ani bracelet so it was really exciting to get this one! Then we walked back outside and I saw the first Brazilian tour group of the trip. They were just kind of sitting around outside of Once Upon a Toy. I was a little nervous but nothing happened. Until a few minutes later when I took this picture with Grace and they were unreasonably close to us as we took it. I was actually worried they would be in the shot.

Not 100% sure what Grace is doing but I went with it for the sake of having a photo to put on instagram for her 13th birthday.​

We decided to head on into World of Disney, AKA my favorite store ever, to look for a Mickey waffle iron. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find one. On our way out, we saw the food trucks I had been hearing about so we decided to get dinner. I decided to try the butter chicken from the Namaste Café truck since I had heard so much about it.

Let me tell you something about this meal.

I did take a picture of this chicken so I could show it to you all. But I deleted it off my phone almost as soon as I had taken the first bite. Because this chicken was the single worst thing I had ever eaten in my life. No joke. It was disgusting and the sauce had a weird texture to it. There were little bits of things in the sauce that got stuck in my teeth. The rice was mushy and covered in the inedible sauce and it wasn’t served over Naan even though it was supposed to be. I was looking forward to the Naan more than anything. Thankfully, I truthfully wasn’t too terribly hungry from lunch, so it didn’t matter to me all that much. I had a bite of Grace’s corn dog (she is a picky eater who never finishes anything) and was on my way. The corn dog was fantastic. Didn’t get to try my parents dish (chicken and waffles) but apparently that was fantastic too.

After our dinner we went to see the Lego store. But it was crowded so we didn’t really want to go inside. The maleficent sculpture outside was pretty boss, though. And then I took this picture because we were close to the other entrance of World of Disney. SERIOUSLY, that place is HUGE.

How much do I love the Afterlight app? You're going to find out throughout this thread.​

We decided to walk through World of Disney to get back out the other side. That’s when my dad got the idea to buy the Monorail set and the Contemporary hotel so we could put it around our Christmas tree this year. We had it shipped to our room and we were out of the door.

On our way back to the buses, we made two stops. The first one was at a kiosk that sold pet stuff. We bought an indestructible giant snake for Roxie. The second stop was Goofy’s Candy Co. where Grace and I made two make-your-own creations. I made a Mickey Rice Krispie treat covered in milk chocolate, oreo pieces, and another drizzle of milk chocolate.

If eating two Mickey Rice Krispie treats a day is wrong, I just don't think I have the willpower to be right.​

After that, we got back to the bus stop. We literally waited 20 minutes for our bus to arrive and then another 10 minutes so they could load a man on an electric scooter. It was the most agonizing half an hour of my life. Luckily, everyone in my family got a seat. But it was a bus we shared with Wilderness Lodge and scooter man had to get off there. It was also the stop before ours. So basically we got back to our hotel an hour after we got in line for the bus.

But it’s okay because we got back to the room, had some of our yummy Goofy’s Candy Co. creations, and went to sleep so we could wake up well rested for our first day at the parks- my well anticipated Magic Kingdom return!

 

[Silvermist20]

BASIN!

I have an Alex and Ani bracelet, but it's not Disney. Now I want a Disney one.

Brazilian tour groups thooo. On one of my trips, there were Brazilian (?) cheerleaders in line for BTMR and all they were doing in line and on the ride were cheering.

Btw can you make me a rice crispie treat just like that one and send it to me? Thanks.

Can't wait to hear about MK!

 

[Cando86]

I'm in! Love the report so far. That Mickey treat with Oreos on it looks amazing!!!

 

[FancyNancy]

Oh that Mickey Oreo Krispy treat looks so good. I think I'll have to make one of those next month. We need a drooling emote.

There were tour groups around during my trip this past January but we never really had any trouble with them. We would just kind of head in the opposite direction if we saw them.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Looks like you had a nice night in DTD! I'm sorry to hear the food aspect wasn't all that great. I guess I know now what to steer away from lol Sorry to hear you didn't find a Mickey Waffle iron too, but at least you had that delicious looking Rice Krispie Treat after mmm mmm

Awww, you traded away a Club Penguin pin! I still have a green puffle pin that I probably will never trade away. It is a thing of the past for me too, but it's fun to remember when. And you don't like those HM pins, really? I was working so hard on finishing that Pluto set while I was in WDW, still need Friday and Tuesday.

to the Alex and Ani bracelets, they are so pretty! I almost thought of looking into getting those for my sisters, but I kinda spent too much on myself to really have enough to get them ones. Maybe when I do the DCP I'll send it to them for their birthdays.

Ugh, Brazilian tour groups. That's all I'm gonna say on the matter. Hope you guys didn't run into them too many times.

Love your picture with Cindy! You nailed the princess pose.

Can't wait to hear about your first day in MK!

 

[Newsies]

BASIN!

I have an Alex and Ani bracelet, but it's not Disney. Now I want a Disney one.

Brazilian tour groups thooo. On one of my trips, there were Brazilian (?) cheerleaders in line for BTMR and all they were doing in line and on the ride were cheering.

Btw can you make me a rice crispie treat just like that one and send it to me? Thanks.

Can't wait to hear about MK!

BASIN IS MY FAVORITE STORE EVER O M G

This is my first Alex and Ani bracelet. I know girls in my school who have entire arms full of them.

They're the worst. Disney needs to do something about them. They're rude and invasive and ugh. They were cheering on the line for POTC and they were cheering down the parade route as they were setting up for the parade and then one girl proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs. Like, who does that?????

And I would if I could bae. I would if I could.

You'll hopefully hear about it today!!!! Couldn't update yesterday because July 16th is like a sacred day in our town. There's a parade and a special mass and lunch in the park and a big fair at night with the best fireworks show around.

I'm in! Love the report so far. That Mickey treat with Oreos on it looks amazing!!!

Welcome aboard!!!! Thanks!!!! I got the inspiration for the Mickey treat from the Disney Food Blog. Except they had a white chocolate base instead of a milk chocolate base and I ain't about that life.

Oh that Mickey Oreo Krispy treat looks so good. I think I'll have to make one of those next month. We need a drooling emote.

There were tour groups around during my trip this past January but we never really had any trouble with them. We would just kind of head in the opposite direction if we saw them.

It was AMAZING. And definitely do it if you have some spare time to go to DTD! Goofy's Candy Co. is near the entrance by the bus stop.

BTGs get a little bit worse in the summer since there's more of them. They've shoved people cutting in line to get with the rest of their party, they're the number one takers of flash photographs on dark rides, and they're just generally loud and obnoxious. Glad you were able to avoid them, though.

Looks like you had a nice night in DTD! I'm sorry to hear the food aspect wasn't all that great. I guess I know now what to steer away from lol Sorry to hear you didn't find a Mickey Waffle iron too, but at least you had that delicious looking Rice Krispie Treat after mmm mmm

Awww, you traded away a Club Penguin pin! I still have a green puffle pin that I probably will never trade away. It is a thing of the past for me too, but it's fun to remember when. And you don't like those HM pins, really? I was working so hard on finishing that Pluto set while I was in WDW, still need Friday and Tuesday.

to the Alex and Ani bracelets, they are so pretty! I almost thought of looking into getting those for my sisters, but I kinda spent too much on myself to really have enough to get them ones. Maybe when I do the DCP I'll send it to them for their birthdays.

Ugh, Brazilian tour groups. That's all I'm gonna say on the matter. Hope you guys didn't run into them too many times.

Love your picture with Cindy! You nailed the princess pose.

Can't wait to hear about your first day in MK!

Yeah, I wasn't too hungry for dinner so it didn't matter about the butter chicken haha. My mom was pretty upset she couldn't find a Mickey waffle iron, though. Oh well. Nothing can compare to the Disney World ones anyway, I guess

CP was the HEIGHT of my awkward stage. Not very fun for remembering LMAO. I got made fun of because I played CP until, like, the end of 7th grade. So I was kinda desperate to get those out of my possession and wash my hands of them. And yeah, I'm not a fan of the HM pins. I really like the new releases for July though- especially the princess cell phone ones.

The Alex and Ani bracelets are a fantastic gift for any girl of any age. They're so pretty and simple. And I'm planning on doing the DCP, too. My top three choices would be character/performer, character attendant, or merchandise (I've always wanted to be the girl at Castle Couture who sprinkles pixie dust with her magic wand!!!).

BTGs were prevalent through most of our trip, but we joked about it a lot and didn't have any serious problems with them. This time...

THANK YOU, it took like 6 shots to get it the way I wanted. Glad to know my hard work payed off LMAO

Aaaand finally, you'll get to hear about it today

 

[Newsies]

DAY THREE: First Magic Kingdom Day Part One​

Q: What happens when Kaitlyn spends her first day at Magic Kingdom with her best friend?

A: Anything and everything, ya’ll.​

Woke up at 6:30 to get ready on Monday. Took my shower and got ready. Hyperventilated for a little bit.

Once everyone was ready, it was 7:45. We went down to the marina for the boat launch to MK and the boat came to pick us up at around 8:15. We were the only family getting on the boat and were greeted by skipper Howard. He gave Grace and I some “Disney Watercraft” stickers with Mickey wearing a little life jacket on them. It was adorable. After a quick stop at the Polynesian, we arrived at the Magic Kingdom and got through the gates just as they were announcing that the opening/welcome ceremony would be happening shortly.

We got a fantastic spot (we weren’t behind anybody towering over us) and the ceremony began. Do you remember all those times when I said I was crying but I was kidding? Well this time I actually cried. I was crying pretty hard. Opening ceremony’ll getcha. It’ll getcha hard.

Our first stop once we got in was Crystal Palace for our breakfast reservation. Actually, my parent’s first stop was Main Street so dad could meet Chief Smokey Miller. That’s the job he wants when he retires, and I think he could pull it off. Look:

I don't know why my dad posted the screenshot of him editing the photo rather than the actual photo, but hey, it's his world and we're just living in it.​

So I used that opportunity to take a couple good shots of the castle/main street.

When my family finally arrived at Crystal Palace, we checked in for our ressie and were seated relatively quickly. As soon as we were seated a waitress came over to take our drink orders and tell us we could go up and get whatever we wanted and blah blah blah. I had another thing on my mind.

Piglet was coming over to the table.

Even though I don’t actually have my picture with Piglet on my phone to share with the world, I was very excited to meet him. He was very sweet to me and gave Grace and I kisses. I didn’t realize costumed characters could do that. But throughout the trip I just kept hearing *MWAHMWAHMWAHMWAHMWAH* from costumed characters and it would be the greatest moment of my life. So in short, my time with Piglet was both educational and exciting.

Then we got our food since no other characters were around for a while. I was finally reunited with my Mickey waffles and my Pooh Puffed toast. PLUS, I decided to try the savory cheese and bacon scones. It was the best decision of my life. I love Disney breakfast in the park. And the waitress was so kind! She brought syrup for me when I couldn’t find it and waffles for Grace when they ran out at the station.

Eeyore came to us next. He was having a particularly gloomy day as always. I actually do have my pic with Eeyore but I’m not going to share it as it is a particularily bad photo of me and my sister. I texted it to my friend Mukta (who very much loves Eeyore) and never spoke about it again.

However. Next was Tigger.

Tigger. Like, THE Tigger. Like, the best character in the Winnie the Pooh franchise. The happy ball of sunshine whom I love with all of my heart was at my table before I knew it.

After a hug, I told Tigger I had a bit of a problem- I had forgotten how to bounce. So after an impromptu bounce lesson, we took a picture and hugged again and that was the end of a perfect experience.

As a scientist, I can confirm that Tiggers truly are wonderful things.
​

I would have stayed for Winnie the Pooh, but my friend Christina arrived and we had a day of fun ahead of us, so I had to go.

Once Christina and I were reunited, she wanted to meet Minnie in the middle of the town square. Her Minnie Disney bound was on-point and it was a necessity. I said sure, and went to meet Tinkerbell right next door because the wait time was only 10 minutes. While meeting Tinkerbell was exciting since I had never met her before, our interaction was only so-so because I didn’t have anything special to say or k her- not too familiar with the new Tinkerbell franchise and didn’t feel like asking her anything about Peter Pan. But she called me princess and our picture came out very cute!

First face character of the year realness

​

To Christina’s dismay, Minnie had to leave and was replaced with Marie. So we decided that our next stop was going to be trying to meet Gaston at his tavern. When we got to him, however, the line was closed off and we were told to come back at 11:00. As we were walking away, Gaston spots me out of the corner of his eye and shouts “I LOVE YOUR SHIRT.” So naturally, I shouted back, “I LOVE YOU”, to which he responded, “I LOVE YOU TOO BUT I THINK WE SHOULD SEE OTHER PEOPLE”. A+ character interaction from afar.

After that, we went to Storybook Circus. We went on Dumbo, and then the Barnstormer. (I had never been on Dumbo before... shhh...) and then we decided to meet Daisy and Minnie at the Storybook Circus.

I asked Daisy what the crystal ball had in my future. So she read my fortune and I said “it looks like there’s a dole whip in my future!” to which she laughed at.

More reliable than your average high school guidance counselor

She looks fab in this outfit, let me tell you. Absolutely fab.​

When I first saw Minnie, she noted my shirt and flexed her muscles to demonstrate her Gaston-like skillz. Then I asked her if her poodles knew any tricks and she acted out them sitting. She’s so cute it’s unreal.

Covergirl, put the bass in your walk.​

It was 11-ish by then, so we decided to head on over to Gaston’s tavern. Lo and behold, there he was, and it was time to meet the man I had been waiting to meet since before we even booked the trip.

Look how gawguss he is.

Okay, so this isn't his best photo but we can't ALL be perfect, even those of us who were written that way.​

With the parties before us, he was demonstrating the difference between a ponytail and a stallion-tale. A girl gave him an autograph book, which after he was done signing, he threw at her father, proclaiming, “I don’t give books to women”. Then, a girl asked about his tangle with the beast on the castle that fateful night. He started going around making people tell him that he jumped off of the castle.

Of course, I’ve never played it safe with Disney characters.

Gaston: What did I do?
Christina: You jumped.
Gaston: What did I do?
Girl to my left: You jumped.
Gaston: What did I do?
Girl to the left of that girl: You jumped.
Gaston: What did I do?
Me: I don’t know, I can’t really remember. You might have fallen?
Gaston: *pauses for a moment*
Gaston: *points in the opposite direction* LEAVE.

A little girl was next in line to meet him, so he toned down the bad guy act for a bit and was actually really sweet and kissed her hand for the photo. When he signed her autograph book, the pen wasn't working, so he turned to his character attendant and screamed, "I THINK I OVERWHELMED THIS PEN". Can we nominate Disney World characters for Tony awards?

Then it was my turn.

So I walked up to him (after he shouts “NEXT!” of course) and he gets SO CLOSE TO ME. Gaston does not believe in personal privacy. I was right up against those padded pecs.

Me: Gaston, I’ve been waiting to meet you for such a long time.
Gaston: Of course you have. Who wouldn’t be?
Me: Have you read any good books lately?
Gaston: Why would I read any books?
Me: I don’t know, there are books about hunting-
Gaston: WHY would I need to read a book about hunting? I’m already the best at it.
Me: True. Can we take a picture?
Gaston: Of course. You know, you’re the fourth best looking person in this photo (referring to the three other Gastons on my shirt).

That conversation resulted in all of these glorious photos plus some with Christina:

He genuinely overwhelmed me when he got that close to me at first, as this picture will show you.

SHIPPED.

Gaston-ception strikes.

Two boos and a bae.​

Afterwards, we went back to Storybook Circus to meet Goofy and Donald. First, I asked Goofy what happened to his motorcycle. He explained to me very clearly that it was all Donald’s fault. It was also Donald’s fault that none of our pictures turned out great.

What is that smile on my face???? And why am I an entire Goofy's body length away from Goofy???? These are the questions with answers we may never know.​

When I got to Donald, I told him that it was nice that he was a snake charmer and all, but Mickey is a MAGICIAN! Isn’t that fantastic? (He didn’t think it was fantastic, so we had to take this photo- cause he’s #1)

Donald Duck = Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen​

When we got out of there, we went straight to the Big Top Circus Treats tent so I could buy Minnie Ears and we could take this selfie.

Twinning!!!​

Then we took a bathroom break. Which, given the amount of events that took place in the second half of the day, seems like a pretty good place to take a break for this installment of the TR. See ya’ll for the next part of the day later

 

[FancyNancy]

Your dad could definitely be the next Smokey!!

The M&G pics are precious and HELLO Gaston.

 

[Silvermist20]

This emoticon describes me during this chapter:

Your dad could be the next Smokey.

Literally lol'd to everything involving Gaston.

You make me want to meet him now.

Your friends Disneybound was on point.

Can't wait for more!

 

[Newsies]

Your dad could definitely be the next Smokey!!

The M&G pics are precious and HELLO Gaston.

I know, right??? The resemblance is almost frightening. He really wants the job, too.

Thank you, I didn't take a lot of M&G photos last time I went to Disney (because I was 13 years old and therefore 2cool to take photos with characters) and YES, he is pretty fantastic.

This emoticon describes me during this chapter:

Your dad could be the next Smokey.

Literally lol'd to everything involving Gaston.

You make me want to meet him now.

Your friends Disneybound was on point.

Can't wait for more!

Thank you, I try *takes a bow*

I think he could be, too! And he really wants to! Anything's possible, I guess.

Gaston is actually the funniest character to meet in the whole world. He needs to win an award of some sort. Lifetime Achievement when the Emmy Awards come around next year or something. I don't blame you for wanting to meet him. That was literally my first priority since square one of planning this vacation.

I'll be sure to tell her you said that- she's good at that kind of stuff!

I'm trying to finish up the next installment as we speak xo

 

[momplus3]

Joining in!

I cannot wait to meet Gaston in December! It will be our first visit to New Fantasyland.

I am really enjoying your trip report. Can't wait to read more!

 

[courtneybelle]

I love Alex and Ani bracelets! I have the castle one and I just got the Belle one.

The make-your-own rice krispies from Goofy's are my favorite, yours looks so good!

Your dad and Smokey look so much alike!!

Crystal Palace breakfast is sooooo good. That Pooh's Puffed French Toast is a gift from the gods.

So many awesome character meets! Gaston is so awesome.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Awww, what a fun start to your day! Love CP! I've never done breakfast there though. Definitely must do that.

OMG, your dad could TOTALLY be Smokey! He should definitely be keeping that dream alive and work hard on those sideburns.

Your photo with Tink is adorable! Same with Daisy and Minnie. I wish you had gotten a photo of Minnie in dog pose lol And I'm excited now to see that Dole Whip presumably in your future.

Gaston He really has no sense of personal boundaries. These are the reasons he's still single. I wish I could've met him. He seems to have the funniest meets although I would've been super sassy to him and probably would've demanded I left after a second haha Always next trip. I love how you asked him about what books he read.

Your friends Minnie Disneybound is SERIOUSLY on point!

LOL, why was Goofy so far away from you? Weird. The number one photo with Donald is so perfect. Donald's such a fun character. I wish I had been more sassy to him when we met.

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day!

 

[Silvermist20]

Just so you know, thanks to this TR, I met Gaston in my dreams, literally. I had a dream last night that I was in Disney and I met him.

 

[Newsies]

(BEFORE I BEGIN: I'm SOOOOOOOOO sorry for the wait. This was literally, like, the most eventful day of my whole life and then I had to wrap it up quickly because I've got family coming over soon but I still wanted to get this posted today. Carry on.)

Day Three: First Magic Kingdom Day Part One​

Q: Does the Fairy Godmother grant wishes?

A: Read on and you’ll find out ​

After our bathroom break, we both agreed it was time for us to see the Hall of Presidents show. On our way over, however, we got sidetracked a few times. First, we wanted to go back to Storybook Treats. I got a Maleficent cake pop. The bugle ears were stale. Sadface. But it was still good. Still good.

I hate these blurred lines (in my photographs)​

Then as we were walking over, we saw a photopass employee by my favorite statue in the whole park. So this happened.

There were waaaay more than this one. Like, five, more. But I was blinking in one and this is the only one I really like. So.​

After our quick photoshoot, we were full-speed ahead to the Hall of Presidents. Where we were 20 minutes early for the show. So we sat and enjoyed the air conditioning and took a couple pics.

Fun fact: There are only three presidential seals like this in the USA. One in the white house, one in the hall where the liberty bell is, and one in the hall of presidents attraction here. Wowza!

"JOHN, YOU'RE A BORE, WE'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE"

Scusi, where's my playbill?
​

The new Hall of Presidents show is fantastic. Literally the best. Morgan Freeman narrates it and the animatronics are great.

We were hungry after that, so we went to get lunch. We both <3 Chipotle so we went to see if Tortuga Tavern was open. It usually isn’t. But it was that day!!!! I got the Taco Salad, bottle of water, and the standard chocolate cake dessert. When I first got my meal, it was a sad little friend tortilla bowl filled with a sad little portion of meat. But thanks to the salad bar, it turned into this magnificent creation:

Pay no attention to the sad, lonely packet of sour cream behind the curtain​

At first I didn’t know how to feel about it, because the beef had that weird standard street fair beef consistency (you know when you taste little bits of the spices in it? And you get nervous cause beef isn’t supposed to be that crumbly? Not sure how to describe it), but then I decided it was pretty good with the fixins and such. Even better when I crumbled the tortilla shell with it. And the chocolate cake was SO GOOD. I never had the standard cake dessert before. It’s really, REALLY good. Like that dark molten chocolate cake they serve at fancy restaurants but portable. I was pleased.

After lunch, we went on Pirates because it was right next door and the wait was at 15 minutes. We got stuck behind a BTG who was clapping and chanting the whole queue, but Pirates is a pretty good ride. EXCEPT for this one annoying 12 year old behind us. He kept screaming out “HI HOR-HAY!!! HI HOR-HAY!!!!” the whole ride. Like, a). none of those animatronics are named Horhay (Or maybe it’s spelled George but said with a Spanish accent), and b). you’re annoying and 12. Shut up and enjoy the ride.

After that, we decided that Dole Whips were appropriate. Here it is, in all of it’s glory. I decided to go with a pineapple float.

So much heavy breathing​

Okay, so- Dole Whip floats... are... weird. I LOVED the Dole Whip part. But the pineapple juice seemed too tangy to blend well with the ice cream??? I don’t know how to describe it.

After our short Dole Whip break, it was time to head on over to Tomorrowland. But I got sidetracked by a special fairy along the way...

SHE'S SO CLUTCH

I look like an actual 8 year old in this photo and I'm perfectly fine with it.

Probably one of my favorite interactions this whole trip.​

In all seriousness, those are some of my favorite pictures from the whole week. I LOVED her. I wasn’t expecting her to be so sweet! She greeted me with a hug and telling me she was beautiful. I asked her if she granted wishes, to which she replied she can only grant wishes to Cinderella, since she was her godchild- but she did want to know what my wish was. I told her that my sister had been feeling a little anxious, even though her birthday was coming up, and that I wished she would enjoy her birthday. The Fairy Godmother told me that she was positive she would have a wonderful birthday because she had a wonderful sister

Then we got to Tomorrowland. We hit up Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Carousel of Progress. Then I got a text from my parents saying that they had arrived at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant for our dinner res. So Christina and I said our goodbyes and I went to Tony’s.

Dinner was meh. I wasn’t a huge fan of my chicken parm but my chocolate cake was okay. I got an Ariel cup with the light (YA’LL KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT ARIEL BY NOW), and put the light immediately in my bag. HOWEVER, when we went to the bathroom after we were done eating, I left my cup at the table not knowing mom had already paid and was leaving, so she had collected everything and when I got back to the table to get my cup, they had cleared the table off. Thanks, MOM.

Our first FP+ was Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid, which Christina and I went on this morning (I can’t remember writing about it. If I didn’t add it into my installation about Monday morning- surprise! We went on this ride too!). And it was perfect.

But then it was time for the most important part of a Disney vacation, which is meeting Ariel for the first time.

We waited in Ariel’s Grotto for 30 minutes before we were finally called up to meet her.

Ariel: *sees my shirt*
Ariel: Gaston? Really?
Me: What? Gaston’s a fun guy!
Ariel: I suppose you’re right. He is pretty fun.
Me: So Ariel, how many thingamabobs do you have now?
Ariel: 20. But- well, I mean, I know they’re called corkscrews, but it’s just more fun to say thingamabobs, you know? Like I know dinglehoppers are called forks now, but it’s still more fun to say dinglehopper. But I have separate dinglehoppers for eating and separate dinglehoppers for brushing my hair, so don’t worry!

She was such a cute Ariel!​

Then we went to wait outside Princess Fairytale Hall. My cousin Sherry is in the DCP and she was bringing a few of her friends to meet us so my dad could give her some paperwork and such. We met up successfully and conversed for a few minutes, but then we had to split ways for a little bit. We promised we would meet up afterwards because my family still had rides we wanted to go on.

Our next FP+ of the trip was the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. It was FAN. TAS. TIC. It was such a smooth coaster and even though there weren’t any huge drops or anything, the animatronics and theming made everything alright. Wait time said 75 minutes, but we were in and out in 10 thanks to FP+

Then we went on the Winnie the Pooh ride, It’s a Small World, and The Haunted Mansion. The wait times weren’t too bad for any of them. When we reunited with Sherry and her friends, we went back to the hotel to watch fireworks from our hotel room. We had a wonderful conversation about all things Disney before they left, and then I went to sleep, fully ready for the next day’s events- Animal Kingdom!

 

[Newsies]

Joining in!

I cannot wait to meet Gaston in December! It will be our first visit to New Fantasyland.

I am really enjoying your trip report. Can't wait to read more!

Welcome!

He's fantastic. While you're there, step into his tavern and try Lefou's Brew. It's fantastic

Thank you so much! Just posted the latest chapter xo

I love Alex and Ani bracelets! I have the castle one and I just got the Belle one.

The make-your-own rice krispies from Goofy's are my favorite, yours looks so good!

Your dad and Smokey look so much alike!!

Crystal Palace breakfast is sooooo good. That Pooh's Puffed French Toast is a gift from the gods.

So many awesome character meets! Gaston is so awesome.

The bracelet is giving me life. I'm wearing it as I type this. I love the castle one and I'm gonna hold out until we get Ariel to buy another one

Aren't they fantastic??? I was weeping because of how great it was.

I was thinking the same thing. The resemblance is real and alive.

Crystal Palace is fantastic and yes I agree PPFT = heavenly gift.

Gaston is awesome and the character meets just get better, so keep on reading

Awww, what a fun start to your day! Love CP! I've never done breakfast there though. Definitely must do that.

OMG, your dad could TOTALLY be Smokey! He should definitely be keeping that dream alive and work hard on those sideburns.

Your photo with Tink is adorable! Same with Daisy and Minnie. I wish you had gotten a photo of Minnie in dog pose lol And I'm excited now to see that Dole Whip presumably in your future.

Gaston He really has no sense of personal boundaries. These are the reasons he's still single. I wish I could've met him. He seems to have the funniest meets although I would've been super sassy to him and probably would've demanded I left after a second haha Always next trip. I love how you asked him about what books he read.

Your friends Minnie Disneybound is SERIOUSLY on point!

LOL, why was Goofy so far away from you? Weird. The number one photo with Donald is so perfect. Donald's such a fun character. I wish I had been more sassy to him when we met.

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day!

Crystal Palace is the only breakfast at Magic Kingdom I can accept. Except for CRT, but that's expensive and a story for another time. I do love CRT a lot, though.

AGREED, he needs to work on his sideburns LMAO.

I think I have a photo of Minnie doing the dog pose from the back. I need to check. And just posted the Dole Whip!

I literally had the whole Gaston meet planned out in my head for a full year only to have it wiped from my mind as soon as that chest was 3 inches away from my face. Truly a tragedy. LMAO! He's the greatest- honestly my #1 meet of the whole trip.

Thank you! I'll be sure to tell her that all these people think her disneybound was so good!

IDK what happened with Goofy either! I think it was on my part. It was an awkward meet to begin with because I had nothing good to say to him. As for Donald, that was the only sassy Donald I had all trip. I met him a second time, and, well, I'll get to that another time.

Read on- just installed the latest post

Just so you know, thanks to this TR, I met Gaston in my dreams, literally. I had a dream last night that I was in Disney and I met him.

Success!!!!

 

[PrincessDream]

I totally know what you mean about the drive down. I've only done it once but it is so much fun! Your trip (traveling wise) looks like it was fun too. I did not know that people could make their own custom Mickey rice krispie treats at Goofy's Candy Co.! This is definitely something I need to try as I enjoy them as much as you do. Also your interactions with Gaston made me laugh! I really need to meet him. This just looks like a wonderful trip overall and I like your writing style and commentary.

Sorry for the rambling, I'm really missing Disney now, haha. Anyway, subscribed!

 

[Newsies]

I totally know what you mean about the drive down. I've only done it once but it is so much fun! Your trip (traveling wise) looks like it was fun too. I did not know that people could make their own custom Mickey rice krispie treats at Goofy's Candy Co.! This is definitely something I need to try as I enjoy them as much as you do. Also your interactions with Gaston made me laugh! I really need to meet him. This just looks like a wonderful trip overall and I like your writing style and commentary.

Sorry for the rambling, I'm really missing Disney now, haha. Anyway, subscribed!

Welcome!!! And thank you so much for the compliment on my writing style, it means a lot- I take my writing very seriously. Thank you for subscribing- I hope you enjoy xx

 

[Silvermist20]

The Maleficent cake pop is cute.

I've had the cake before but only because a cast member at Pinnochio's Village House gave it to me for free for some reason I forget. It is good.

Daisy was right about the dole whip in your future. I've had a dole whip, but I haven't had the dole whip float yet.

Sounded like a great interaction with the Fairy Godmother. Now I kind of want to meet her too.

Glad to hear the Mine Train was great. I've heard sooooo many great things about it!

Can't wait to read about your day in AK.