March 30, 2019
Ever since starting my travel agency, I had been itching to make use of my travel agent discounts at WDW. Of course, we'd had a ton of other trips all lined up since then (Australia, Hawaii, Bimini, Hawaii again), so I hadn't been able to find time to sneak it in. We didn't have anything yet planned for Spring Break, so Daddy said it would be fine if Lizzy and Mama came to WDW, since he would be at a conference. Hooray!
Our day began by telling Winston Happy Birthday, and taking him to his favorite dog sitters' for the week. (This photo is from the night before, when we threw him a party with singing and treats, but still, Happy Birthday Winston!)
Ever since starting my travel agency, I had been itching to make use of my travel agent discounts at WDW. Of course, we'd had a ton of other trips all lined up since then (Australia, Hawaii, Bimini, Hawaii again), so I hadn't been able to find time to sneak it in. We didn't have anything yet planned for Spring Break, so Daddy said it would be fine if Lizzy and Mama came to WDW, since he would be at a conference. Hooray!
Our day began by telling Winston Happy Birthday, and taking him to his favorite dog sitters' for the week. (This photo is from the night before, when we threw him a party with singing and treats, but still, Happy Birthday Winston!)
After returning from dropping off Winston, we finished up breakfast, and said goodbye to Daddy earlier than expected, because our chauffeur was about 30 minutes early!
We had a lovely (if chatty) ride to the airport, and got our bag dropped off easily and zipped through security. After the traditional race car photo (although in Terminal B for the first time ever, not Terminal A!)...
she grabbed some granola and yogurt for second breakfast, then we sat down to wait to board.
It was a quick and uneventful flight, and we landed 6 minutes early. Onward to the line for the Magical Express!
We made it!
We arrived at Pop Century, our home for the first night. Originally, we were going to fly down Sunday, but I decided to change our flights to leave Saturday, for one extra day, about 2 weeks' prior. Pop Century was one of the few resorts left that had rooms on Saturday night, so I jumped on it. We were very amused, walking around and finding the larger than life characters and items, and enjoyed the walk through the decades on the various buildings.
Our room was pleasing.
We had a great room location, with the pool literally right in front of our door! We hit the pool for about 90 minutes (it was sunny and 83, while snowing back in Indiana - yuck!), then returned to the room to get ready for our dinner at Disney Springs.
We made it to Disney Springs at the perfect time (naturally), and meandered to our reservation at The Edison.
We were so excited to be eating here! The theming was wonderful, but we had most been looking forward to the candied clothesline bacon and the lollipop tree!
While the lollipop tree was a good dessert (very good cheesecake), the candied bacon stole the show. We could have easily eaten several more racks! After walking around Disney Springs, we headed back to the resort. After procuring a new autograph book for the week from the gift shop, we took some fun photos, and played some great rounds of Twister.
It was a delightful first day, and we collapsed into bed around 9:30.
March 31, 2019
After waking, we walked down to the food court to grab some breakfast.
March 31, 2019
After waking, we walked down to the food court to grab some breakfast.
After breakfast, we decided to meander around Pop Century for awhile, since we were soon to check out and make the journey over to All Star Movies for the rest of the week . We had a ton of fun, walking around for about an hour, taking photos of all of the oversized icons, and we found photos of our favorites in the lobby.
Around 11, we decided to hop a bus to Animal Kingdom, then another bus onward to All Star Movies (ASM from this point forward!)
We dropped our bags off with bell services, and headed to the ASM food court for lunch. We had a pro tip to ask for the secret menu at the Roxy. It was Lizzy's first time using a view master!
As soon as we finished lunch, we got a text that our room was ready, so we collected our bags and headed to our home for the next 6 nights.
After dropping our bags, we walked around to check out the resort.
After our tour, we hit the pool for about 3 hours. We had a ton of fun, playing with beach balls, doing races, and she even played a water balloon hot potato game on the pool deck.
We headed back the room, with lots of sun, to get ready for some mini golf and our dinner. In all of our prior Disney trips, we had NEVER made it over to one of the mini golf courses. We were determined to change that!
We chose Winter Summerland, over by Blizzard Beach, and we had an absolute blast! We did both courses, having so much fun with the interactive and challenging course elements. She beat me on the winter course, with lots of hole-in-ones! We were the only ones playing the winter course, so we could take our time and have a ton of fun.
We headed back the room, with lots of sun, to get ready for some mini golf and our dinner. In all of our prior Disney trips, we had NEVER made it over to one of the mini golf courses. We were determined to change that!
We chose Winter Summerland, over by Blizzard Beach, and we had an absolute blast! We did both courses, having so much fun with the interactive and challenging course elements. She beat me on the winter course, with lots of hole-in-ones! We were the only ones playing the winter course, so we could take our time and have a ton of fun.
We also did the summer course which wasn't as fun as the winter course. Regardless, we had a great time, and it was a super fun addition to our great day. Once we finished, it was time for us to catch a bus over to Wilderness Lodge, so we could take the boat to Contemporary for our California Grill with Peter and Melyssa from the Disney Magic Hour Podcast.
We had an INCREDIBLE meal, with lots of great food, conversation, and of course, viewing Happily Ever After from the roof of the Contemporary was very memorable! We neglected to get a photo with Peter and Melyssa, but we did get one with them late the following week at the Star Wars Celebration dinner in Chicago!
We had had a fantastic day - enjoying two resorts, swimming, golfing, and fine dining, but alas, it was time to return to ASM, because we had rope drop at Animal Kingdom the following morning!
April 1, 2019
Time for our first park day! We had been very much looking forward to experiencing Pandora at Animal Kingdom, so that was our priority. After breakfast, we hopped the bus and were at Animal Kingdom for rope drop.
April 1, 2019
Time for our first park day! We had been very much looking forward to experiencing Pandora at Animal Kingdom, so that was our priority. After breakfast, we hopped the bus and were at Animal Kingdom for rope drop.
We headed straight to Pandora!
It lived up to the hype. The immersive theming was incredible.
We finally made it up to Flight of Passage!
We rode Flight of Passage, but Liz found it a little intense for her liking. Still, we're glad we got to experience it. Also high on her list was getting her Banshee. She chose a blue and purple one, and named him Tealikran. Thus began the start of her slowing transforming into a Na'vi throughout the day.
Tealikran really enjoyed Festival of the Lion King.
Tealikran really enjoyed Festival of the Lion King.
Next was the safari.
Followed by lunch at Tusker House. The characters were immediately at our table, within a minute of sitting down!
Liz REALLY wanted to find Pluto, so off to Dinoland we went for photos with her favorite.
Then, right around the corner was Uncle Scrooge! We couldn't pass that up.
Next, some carnival games.
Then we HAD to meet Chip and Dale in their dino costumes, and show them Tealikran.
We headed back to Pandora, where she acquired a Na'vi tail.
Then we discovered that she could buy a Na'vi translator with cards, which could then be traded with cast members. She even got two ultra-rare cards, which can only be acquired from interacting with a cast member!
Nearly 13 hours after we'd hopped the bus, we found ourselves ready for the Rivers of Light viewing. It was an amazing show to end an amazing day!
April 2, 2019
Good morning! It's Magic Kingdom day!
Good morning! It's Magic Kingdom day!
Of course, we had a pre-opening breakfast reservation at Be Our Guest. It's always lovely to enter the park before the crowds and get your castle photo.
Somehow, we managed to get the most coveted table in the whole restaurant, right by the enchanted rose. We really enjoyed our breakfast here.
After breakfast, we headed for Dumbo, and we were the first riders of the day!
Onward to more of our favorite rides!
We were amused to get stuck on Peter Pan, right over London.
After so many visits to Magic Kingdom over the past few years, I suggested we try Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. It's an interactive card game around the park with magic portals. IT WAS A HIT!
We even managed to run into Liver Lips while playing!
We had never experienced Hall of Presidents. We got front row, center seats, and we really enjoyed it!
Snacks in lieu of lunch.
Great score on Buzz!
After a couple of REALLY busy days, a nap seemed to be a great idea, so we headed back to the room where someone who rarely naps crashed for a few hours (ahem...not me!)
We got cleaned up, and headed to the Polynesian for an amazing dinner at Ohana.
We got cleaned up, and headed to the Polynesian for an amazing dinner at Ohana.
Then we visited room 1601, where John signed the paperwork that dissolved the Beatles.
Back to Magic Kingdom for the evening, for our Fireworks Dessert Party!
Yet another super fun day in the books!
April 3, 2019
After calling to wish Gay a happy birthday, we made our way to Epcot. Starting with Pluto, who was very interested in her Na'vi tail.
April 3, 2019
After calling to wish Gay a happy birthday, we made our way to Epcot. Starting with Pluto, who was very interested in her Na'vi tail.
Then, Spaceship Earth, followed by Figment a few times in a row, the Pixar movie festival, and lots of time playing with the jumping water fountains.
Then, back to Spaceship Earth (why not?) where we got stuck a few times. We love getting stuck on rides!
Then we did Soarin', which Liz LOVED!
By this point, it was lunch time, so we headed to World Showcase to use our snack credits on Flower and Garden goodies. Favorites were the lobster tails (we had THREE), and the chocolate and nut dipped macaron in France.
By this point, it was lunch time, so we headed to World Showcase to use our snack credits on Flower and Garden goodies. Favorites were the lobster tails (we had THREE), and the chocolate and nut dipped macaron in France.
It was such a gorgeous day with my Na'vi.
We headed back to ASM for a few hours of rest and to get cleaned up before heading to Animal Kingdom After Hours.
We arrived at Animal Kingdom about an hour before the event itself started so, of course, we headed to Pandora. While there, Lizzy got a Na'vi hooded sweatshirt she'd had her eyes on for the last few days, and officially became an Honorary Na'vi!
We arrived at Animal Kingdom about an hour before the event itself started so, of course, we headed to Pandora. While there, Lizzy got a Na'vi hooded sweatshirt she'd had her eyes on for the last few days, and officially became an Honorary Na'vi!
After receiving this great honor, we went back to the park entrance to get our wristbands, to enable us to participate in the Animal Kingdom After Hours event. It was absolutely incredible getting to see Pandora come alive at night!
We walked around, enjoying the bioluminescence, and rode Na'vi River Journey a few times, since we had no wait!
Of course, snacks were included in our event, so we each grabbed a Pandoran juice bar.
We then decided to head over to Dinoland, to see what was going on. The answer was - NOTHING! We were the only ones over there, so we rode Triceratops Spin 5 times in a row (without getting off!)
Then some free popcorn, sodas, and Mickey bars!
The only dancer at the "dance party."
Then a visit with our favorite mice.
Then we spent the last hour and a half riding Na'vi River Journey endlessly. We broke the record for rides in one day - with ELEVEN! We had so much fun getting boats to ourselves, we'd each sit in a different row, etc. We were also the last riders through, which was a really fun experience.
The After Hours Event was a great experience. Worth every penny, as we certainly got our money's worth!
April 4, 2019
Woof!
April 4, 2019
Woof!
Since we had been up so late the night before, we slept in and didn't arrive at Magic Kingdom until around noon. Then it was straight into Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.
We LOVE the Peoplemover!
We headed over around 5:00 to Fort Wilderness, in advance of our Hoop-De-Doo Revue reservation. So, we had some beach time.
We had AMAZING seats for the show!
We had a wonderful time, loving the jokes and the audience participation. It was super fun.
After dinner, we headed back to Magic Kingdom for some more of our favorites, including as always, Haunted Mansion. Yet another great day in the books.
April 5, 2019
We started our final park day by heading to Hollywood Studios. Originally, we were not planning on visiting Hollywood Studios at all this trip. Then, bizarrely, Lizzy asked if we could go see the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Sure, why not? So, a few fast passes later, and we found ourselves ready for a Hollywood Studios morning.
This worked out, as we hadn't yet experienced the new Toy Story Land. We arrived after rope drop, and headed right to Alien Swirling Saucers and a whopping 5 minute wait.
We started our final park day by heading to Hollywood Studios. Originally, we were not planning on visiting Hollywood Studios at all this trip. Then, bizarrely, Lizzy asked if we could go see the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Sure, why not? So, a few fast passes later, and we found ourselves ready for a Hollywood Studios morning.
This worked out, as we hadn't yet experienced the new Toy Story Land. We arrived after rope drop, and headed right to Alien Swirling Saucers and a whopping 5 minute wait.
Then we used our Fast Pass for Toy Story Midway Mania - always a great time.
Then onward to see Minnie, Mickey, Olaf, and Chip and Dale (all within a 17 minute time frame. Seriously, crowds were very light!)
Then onward to see Minnie, Mickey, Olaf, and Chip and Dale (all within a 17 minute time frame. Seriously, crowds were very light!)
Then, a quick showing of Muppets 3D, followed by lunch at Sci-Fi Dine In. We had a blast here, and the food was surprisingly satisfying.
Then finally, what we had come to see: the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Which Liz loved, so it was worth spending the first part of the day at Hollywood Studios.
I'm pretty sure next time we visit Hollywood Studios, crowds will be much heavier than they were this time.
Next, off to Epcot, to spend the rest of our snack credits on Flower and Garden food booths!
We road Soarin' again (I amazingly snagged a last minute Fast Pass!), Figment, Livin' With the Land, and of course, Spaceship Earth.
Incredibly enough, our streak of amazing tables in restaurants continued with one of the coveted water-side seats for our meal at San Angel Inn. I loved this view!
After dinner, we rode Grand Fiesta Tour a few times. Goodbye, table!
Alas, shortly after 8 we had to head out, as we had a VERY early morning ahead of us. Goodbye Walt Disney World, it was a wonderful time.
April 6, 2019
The Magical Express isn't quite as magical at 4:00 am on departure day.
April 6, 2019
The Magical Express isn't quite as magical at 4:00 am on departure day.
If nothing else, she's good at sleeping on planes!
Our fourth WDW trip was wonderful. We had a ton of fun, and are looking forward to our next visit.