We Went, We Saw, 1st Family Vacation, My Actual Birthday, My DD Celebrating Birthday, Mom's First Visit, TR - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We Went, We Saw, 1st Family Vacation, My Actual Birthday, My DD Celebrating Birthday, Mom's First Visit, TR With Photos!!
Ok well I am going a little out of order. I did a PTR for our Trip last year, and now I have done a NEW PTR for our trip this year, but I never did an actual TR from our first family trip.... so here goes.
We decided in December of 2008 that we wanted to take a trip to Disney in 2009. I knew this would probably be a good time to do it since my DD was only 5, and she was in Kindergarten. If she missed a week of school it wouldn't be detrimental. So we started looking. Thank god Disney is wonderful and decided that The Shuttleworth Family needs a Buy 4 Get 3 deal. So now was on to pick out our dates and get this puppy booked.
We decided that going in March for my birthday would be awesome, especially since they were doing the "Get in Free on Your Birthday". So when we saw that and heard that since we were going for an extended vacation we could get a Disney Gift Card equal to the price of a 1 day ticket, it was settled.
We chose to go from Tuesday to Tuesday. That way the airline tickets wouldn't be so expensive. March 24-31 seemed perfect. Next we had to decide where we wanted to stay. First we started looking at Moderate resorts- POR, POFQ, CBR. We knew we wanted the Dining Plan, and the cost between a value resort and a moderate resort was equal to the cost of our dining plan. Since we had never been as a family before, and we certainly hadn't stayed on property, we figured staying at a value resort wouldn't be bad. Well I picked AS Movies. We looked at it and it was available for the time we wanted. I just needed to wait a week until I got paid, so I could book the vacation.
Naturally, when the week came, ASMovies was unavailable, so wasn't AS Music. I knew I didn't want AS Sp, so we looked at Pop. It looked awesome.... larger than life, and my DD loved the giant characters. My mom loved the theming, cause naturally she lived through all the decades.... 50's, 60's, 70's 80's and 90's. So we booked it.
Now the planning started- March 24-March 31. Pop Century
Ok, Now came the fun part….. for ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am such a planner. It is now January 5, 2009 Order a WDW 2009 Vacation Planning Kit.
First things first….. Order a PASSPORTER. I was so excited to get it. Then, order the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2009… I even paid for overnight shipping. Now, watch all the videos on the 2009 Mom’s Panel. Watch the 2009 WDW Vacation Planning DVD. Become a Passporter Member and download every E-Book, and practically every E- WorkSheet….. Thanks so much Jennifer, you were a godsend.
Now, start looking for Airline tickets….. Found Em’…. Southwest Flight from Pittsburgh, PA nonstopto Orlando @ MCO….. booked for only 79 each ticket, each way…. Taxes, came to just a little over 500 for my, my mom, and dd (5). Reserve Magical Express Bus from MCO to POP.
Now…. Planning… days… parks…. ADR’s. Ok, first thing is first…. No online ADR’s yet. So we did the good old fashion way…. Call. I knew what places we wanted to eat at: Garden Grill, Kona Cafe, Play n' Dine @ Hollywood & Vine, Chef Mickeys, Akershus, Donald's Safari, and CRT. OK, I knew the chances of us getting into Cinderella’s Royal table were slim to none. But I thought, it’s Disney…. The Happiest Place on Earth…. Let’s ask. I told the CM, I know I’m coming in only 72 days, but can you see if there is an open reservation for either breakfast or lunch@ CRT on Saturday, March 28….. it’s my birthday!!!!! She told me that they usually booked solid within 10 minutes of the 180 day mark, but she would check. I’m sitting with my DD, and have our fingers crossed…. There was a pause… and then an, Oh My Goodness…. We have an opening @ 2:20 p.m. for lunch. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! We were gonna get to eat in the most coveted place in MK on my birthday…… PERFECT!!!!! Book it please... yes, we are on the DP, Here is my CC to reserve this. Ok one down, 6 more to go. We got, Garden Grill for our first night @ Epcot, Bk @ Kona Café- ( Me and Mom only- Pay OOP… Alianna is going to do the Pirate Cruise from the GF), Lunch @ H&V in HS, Bk @ Donald’s Safari in AK, Dinner @ Chef Mickey’s, Bk @ Akershus in Norway on our last day. Now…. Since I got my only wish…. To eat in Cinderella’s Castle on my Bday… time to book things for my DD. 1) Pirate Cruise from GF; 2) Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique the morning of CRT- My Bday, 3) Wonderland Tea Party @ 1900 Park Fare with Alice & Mad Hatter. Ok, now all the reservations were made…. Time to organize and Plan our days... Oh yeah, and our dates also gave us the $250 Gift Card, that they were offering as well.
This is where I start driving my mom crazy. I use Excel all the time at work, so I am a wiz on it. I open an Excel Spreadsheet and make a schedule with the day/date, EMH, Then the park we wanted to go to, then park hours. Then I broke down the times into 30 minute increments from 7 am to 2 am. I filled in what park we were going to, and then the ADR’s. Then all the parade times for that day, and the evening shows- (SpectroMagic, Wishes, Fantasmic, Illuminations). Then color coded the entire sheet… Gray for Epcot, Purple for MK, yellow for HS, Green for AK, Red for ADR’s/APPT’s, Blue for Parades, Gold for Evening Shows, Lt Blue for DTD, & Hot Pink for Downtime @ the hotels. Ok Spreadsheet done. Now shopping, packing lists, Disney dollar charts, order princess dress, finalize room requests, get address for POP to ship box down, and Keep planning what we are riding, avoiding, and telling my mom how little sleep she is going to get.
Ok jump ahead 2 months. Inform Kindergarten teacher that Alianna will be missing 6 days for our trip at the end of the month and would she give me her homework the week before and she would have it done to turn in on Monday before we leave. She said that isn’t necessary… she has a 100% in everything and she won’t miss that much, and what she would miss she would give us when we come back. That sounds perfect. School is taken care of. Now all that is left to do is finalize our plans and get ready to go.
Our flight is @ 7:00 from PA, which is a 2 hour drive, so we have to leave @ 3:00 am, get there by 5:00, to fly out at 7:00. To top it all off, I am getting my Masters, and have class from 6-9 the night before we leave….. lovely. Go to work from 8-5, drive to class, sit for 3 hours, drive home, finish packing, get Alianna to bed so she won’t be cranky. I lay down at 1:00, back up @ 2:00 to shower and get ready, load the car, get her up, We all pile in at 3:20 a.m. Get to Pittsburgh around 5:10, make it through check in. We each check in our big rolling suitcases, and each keep 2 items to take on the plane. I have my carry-on and laptop bag, Mom has her carry on and backpack, Alianna just takes her carry-on, Which is a duffel baf that matched her luggage, but it was so heavy, I had to carry it. We get our boarding passes, get over to Security drama happens.
Alianna get's through security, with no problem, I go through with no problem, her bag is fine, my laptop and bag is fine. My carry-on has something in it that looks "weird" So I sit Alianna down with her stuff while a sec guard checks my bag. I had 2 things in there that were "suspicious looking" First was my flitered water bottle. The charcoal in the filter in the top looked weird.... that was fine, and he let me keep it. Then ran my luggage again and something else was setting it off. After about 5 minutes they realized it was my M&M mini container with Quarters and pennies in it for pressing. So I was cleared. Then my mom (Who has never flown) goes. She walks through the metal detector just fine. Then both of her bags are flagged to be inspected. It was the same 2 things, only it took about 15 minutes to find the container with the coins because there were about 12 different pockets on her bookbag to look through to figure out where they were.
Then we make it to our gate, and have about 50 minutes to wait for the plane. Not too bad... I played on my laptop, mom read, and alianna played on her Ipod. Necxt up- we board, take off, and are on our way to see the mouse.
Day 1- Arrival Day & Epcot
Ok so now we are on the plane, getting ready to take off. Alianna has a window seat, I am in the middle, and my mom has an isle seat. We are in the last row right behind the wing. We were in boarding group C, and didn’t know about calling 24 hours ahead and getting checked in to get on earlier. I get gum out for all of us and we start chewing. My mom has never flown, and neither has Alianna. I have flown multiple times and I know I’ll be fine. We take off, Alianna starts watching a movie on her IPod, and I lean over and go to sleep on my mom because I am exhausted. We sleep for about an hour and then they come through with the drinks and a breakfast bar. Alianna drinks hers, as do I and eat my bar, and so doesn’t mom. We all start to fall asleep and sure enough, we get there in no time.
Once off the plane, we make our way to the Disney’s Magical Express counter, and check in and we are on a bus to Pop Century within 5 minutes. We stop at the CBR first, and then we are pulling up to Pop in no time. We walk into the lobby and there are CM everywhere and nobody is in line. I walk up to the counter and check us in, and as about a box that I shipped down the prior week and they go out and get it for me. I wasn’t counting on our room being ready at this point, so I was pleasantly surprised when they said it’s ready and we can go to it. At this time it is only 10:45 roughly and we walk to our building which is in the 60’s building near the hippy dippy pool, on the first floor right where I requested it. We walk in and there are 2 towel animals waiting for us. About 15 minutes later there is a knock on the door and a CM has a packet for me stating that we were chosen family of the day and she gave us a goody bag with lots of things in it, a certificate, and a magnetic photo frame. We we’re so excited, and nearly 10 minutes later our luggage arrived. We chilled in the room for about 20 more minutes and headed to Epcot at 11:30. We waited about 5 minutes for a bus and we we’re off.
This was my mom’s first trip, and mine and my DD first trip to Epcot…. Previously we had only been to MK, AK, and MGM/HS. We walk in and admire the topiaries…. It was the Flower & Garden Festival. We head towards the land, to see about Soarin’ All the FP were gone and the standby line was about 1.5 hours wait. We decide to skip it and head towards WS. We walk around it, and then we start getting hungry. We decide to get a CS meal. This was a bad time. I waited in line to get up to order and get our food for over 50 minutes. It was ridicuals. By the time I get my food and make it to a table to find my mom and dd I was about to pass out from hunger. We eat and head back around to go do some rides. We did Under the seas with Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush, Imagination with Figment, and check out some shops. It is almost time to head to Garden Grill for our first character meal. We arrive about 10 minutes early, and are seated almost immediately. Soon our food is out and we are eating…. Hob nobbing with characters and finishing up. We get out, and walk back towards world showcase and take some pictures and steak out a place to watch Illuminations. The show was amazing… and was a nice way to end our day. We take our bus back to Pop Century and turn in for the night.
Day 2- Hollywood Studios
Our first night was nice, and we woke up refreshed on Wednesday morning, ready for the World…lol. I booked Alianna on the Pirate Adventure Cruise from the Grand Floridian at 9:00, so we headed out to the bus stop and rode to Magic Kingdom, and quickly got on the Monorail over to the GF. Mom and I saw her off and then we took a boat from the GF to the Poly for our 9:30 breakfast @ Kona Café. Being as how I knew nothing about the food I took the advice of many and ordered the Tonga Toast. Mom and I both got it and it was absolutely AMAZING!!!!! We walked around a little bit to see the grounds of the Polynesian Resort, and it was positively breathtaking. We are definitely going to stay here one of our upcoming trips. I told mom it has to be one that we decide like 6-8 prior so we can save, and be able to afford staying at a Deluxe Resort. We caught the boat back to GF and walked around there for a bit, waiting on Alianna to get back from her cruise. We sat out on the docks waiting for the boat to pull up, and sure enough. About 5 mintues later, they all come singing YO HO HO HO A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR ME!!! She had a fantastic time and loved every minute of it. We quickly walked out to the GF bus stop to get a bus to Hollywood Studios.
We got there around noon and started exploring the park. We headed to Pixar Place to see about a FP for TSMM. Naturally, they were completely gone and the standby line was over 2 hours long. We saw some characters, had a snack, and headed towards Beauty & the Beast Live on Stage. When we got out of there it was time for our late lunch @ Hollywood & Vine. We arrived and waited at least 20 minutes before we were seated. They were extremely behind. When we got inside and got seated I was ready to turn around and say let’s go. It was so loud, there were kids running around everywhere, our waitress was not nice at all, and the characters that made it to our table were there for like 15 seconds. JoJo didn’t even come over. The food was not good, and the overall experience was bad. I will never go there again. We walk out of H&V and head over to the Playhouse Disney courtyard. We see some PH Disney characters and get a few autographs and wait for PHD Live on Stage to start. It was a cute show, and since it was so hot, the A/C was welcoming. When we came out it was time for Voyage of the little Mermaid. So we watched it and headed out to see the Block Party Bash. We did a little shopping afterwards and watched the HSM 3: Senior Year Party and then headed over to Animation Courtyard. Soon after that was finished it was time to get in line for my favorite thing in this park…. Fantasmic!!!!!!
Needless to say, Fantasmic was amazing, and my mother thought it was terrific. We we’re not disappointed, and it was well worth an hour and a half wait. After Fantasmic we headed for the bus stops and made it back to Pop. It was a nice end to a great day.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Day 3
This is the day I have been waiting for- Magic Kingdom. We wake up bright and early because this is my favorite park. So we head right there. We get to see opening ceremonies, which were wonderful. I have never seen them before. I told my mom how busy Fantasyland gets and that I wanted to head there first. So we did. We ran down Main Street admiring the castle and all its beauty. We walked around it and headed straight into Fantasyland. We rode Dumbo first because none of us had ever ridden it before. It was truly amazing, and I think it is still my favorite ride. Then onto Cinderella’s carousel, Snow white, peter pan, it’s a Small World, Mad Tea Party, and Winnie the Pooh. We head over to do the mountains- BTMRR & Splash Mountain. We got a FP for SM and stood in the standby for BTMRR, which was only a 20 min wait. I was so proud of my mom, she has never done a rollercoaster before, and she did both of them. We rode BTMRR and then it was our FP time for SM. We rode SM, changed our clothes. Went in the SM Gift shop and bought a few things, and headed to find some lunch. We ate at Pecos Bill’s Café and then headed over to do the Magic Carpets. We stopped for autographs from Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie right beside the ride and then hopped on. After we got off it was about time for Dream Along with Mickey at the castle, and the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade. We watched both of those and then headed towards Tomorrowland. We FP Buzz, Rode Astro Orbitor, Did the Tomorrowland Speedway and then it was time for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. We practically walked on and we were off to kill aliens. After we got off, Mom wanted to go back to the resort and relax. So that’s what we did. She took a nap and Alianna and I headed out for our first dip in the pool. It was very nice and refreshing. When made it back to the room and got changed and went over to the food court for some dinner. After dinner we got a bus back to MK for evening festivities and EMH. We got to watch SpectroMagic for the first time, and our first view of Wishes. It was amazing. We stayed for about an hour and rode a few more things, and then headed back to Pop. We took a shower since we had an early breakfast planned for the following day, and headed to bed. Next Up- Animal Kingdom
Day 4- Animal Kingdom/Magic Kingdom
We woke up around 6:30. We had a reservation at Donald’s Safari Breakfast @ 8:00. We wanted to be able to eat breakfast and head straight out onto the Safari. So that’s what we did. We made our way to Tusker House, got our pictures taken with the wooden masks, got our food and pretty soon the characters started making their rounds. The juice here was wonderful. I wish I could get it at home; I could have drunk a gallon of it…. But I didn’t. We were outside at the rope drop waiting for the safari at 2 minutes till 9:00. They dropped the rope and everyone took off. We made it on the very first Jeep. The animals were so lively and gorgeous. This was the 3 one that I had been on, 2nd for my DD, and 1st for my mom. It was awesome. If someone can’t get to Africa to go on an actual safari, this is the next best thing. It was so nice to see the animals in their habitats instead of behind bars like at a zoo. We made it off the safari and headed towards the train to take us to Rafiki’s Planet Watch to see Pocahontas and Rafiki. Sure enough they were there with only a little line. Alianna met them both and got her picture taken. We walked around for a little bit and then caught the train back to Harambe. We headed over to Camp Minnie Mickey to meet all the characters. After that we headed towards Festival of the Lion King. This show is Broadway caliber. It was spectacular. Alianna got called up to be the giraffe sound maker. Lol…. She did a good job. We loved this show and it is now a must on our list every year. WE headed over to see Finding Nemo: The Musical. It was also a fantastic show. When we made it out of the theatre it was getting very very hot. We walked over to Asia and got a FP for Kali River Rapids. We decided to go shop a little and get some ice cream while we waited. My brother wanted a miniature replica of the tree of life. I was so excited to find one that had mickey, Minnie, goofy and Donald heads sticking out of it that held cards, so I picked it up for him. Alianna also got a baby samba wrapped in a blanket that looked like a leaf. Right after that we hit Kali River Rapids. We were completely soaked from head to toe. Alianna got a little upset because when we went down the big hill, she was on the bottom and got a ton of water on her, so she cried until we got off. Other than that it wasn’t a bad time. We found a spot to watch the Jammin Jungle Parade and quickly dried off in the hot sun. After the parade, we headed to the bus stop to go back to the hotel and relax a little before MK that night. We all went back and changed into other clothes and took a nap. A nice, well deserved nap. We woke up and headed to the food court to get some dinner and went to MK for Spectro and Wishes. It was a nice way to close the day. MK was supposed to close at 10, I believe but they extended their regular hours to 12:00. We walked over to Tomorrowland and saw the line for Space Mtn. None of us had ever ridden it, they were out of FP, and the standby line was 90 minutes. We turned around to leave and a teenage boy walked up to us and said he had got 4 FP for him and 3 of his friends but they had bailed on him and did we want to take the 3. I was so excited and thanked him a million times. We hopped on with only a 2 minute wait and we were off. I put Alianna in front of me, and mom in front of her, and I sat in the back. I held onto Alianna the whole way so I could feel and make sure she was ok, since it was pitch black. She had a blast. I got whiplash, but I was glad I got to ride it since it was scheduled to be refurbished later that year. After SM we headed out for the exit and caught our bus back to Pop. Time to hit the hay because tomorrow was going to be a busy day- My Birthday.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Well naturally I shot out of bed bright and early this morning. It's officially My Birthday. I knew I wanted a head start on all the fun things happenning today. This morning Alianna is getting her makeover @ BBB, so we bought a gorgeous Cinderella dress @ the Disney Store before we came. I put this dress on her and straightened her hair so it would be nice and manageable for the FGIT. We quickly left Pop to head towards the bus stop and catch our bus to Magic Kingdom.
Since Disney was doing the promotion of get in free on your birthday, I had to go to guest services in order to get my prize. I chose the gift card that was worth 75 for one day's admission. MK wasn't opening until 9:00 but we had 8:30 BBB reservations, so I got my gift card and we walked it. Main Street was completely empty so we stopped and got pictures from a PhotoPass Photographer in front of the castle. We walked up to it and went around back to check in for the BBB ressie. The lady told Alianna that she looked gorgeous and hoped she was picking the Fairytale Princess bun, and Alianna told her yes. She noticed my Happy Birthday Button and Alianna's (We got her one since we were celebrating both of them while we were here), and my mom's 1st visit button. She asked us if we would give them to her and she would bring them back. She took them into the back and brought them out with a fancy caligraphy sticker on each of them that said Princess Alianna, Queen Letitia, and Queen Roxann, and she drenched all of them in Pixie Dust. It was super cute. I video taped the entire experience for Alianna and she looked amazing.
After BBB we headed to Toontown Hall of Fame to meet Tinkerbell & the fairies @ Pixie Hollow. The line didn't seem long at first but we waited nearly 45 minutes. Oh well, it was totally worth it. It is so cute in there, and Alianna loved the fairies. After we came out she wanted to go see Mickey's House, Minnie's House, and ride the Barnstormer. So we did. We went over to Fantasyland to ride the CArousel again since Alianna was all dressed up. We headed to Mickey's Philharmagic show and watched it as well.
When we came out we headed towards the entrance so I could put stuff in the lockers before we went to lunch in the castle, and I remembered to see if they had a battery or charger at the Kodak place in Exposition Hall. My camera was about to die, and I realized I left my charger at home. So my mom stays at the castle and Alianna comes with me. We go in EH and head over to the Kodak place, and thank goodness they had a travel charger that will charge any Kodak Battery. I am in line with Alianna and when we check out a CM comes up to me and asks if Alianna and I will come with him for a minute. He sees her all dressed up like Cinderella and our birthday buttons and asks if we have ever met Cinderella. We tell him that we have lunch at her castle in a little bit. He tells us to wait outside this curtain and then calls us in. OMG!!!! We walk in this room and Cinderella is standing there. I didn't even look down at my DD and I started crying. I had never been so excited in all my life. The PhotoPass Photographer took about a dozen pictures of the looks on our faces when we walked in. Alianna walks up to her and gives her the biggest hug. This wsa like what I watched on the DVD of little girls running up to Cinderella and her bending down to hug them. It was amazing. They talk for a bit and then get a ton of pictures taken. Alianna tell her that she is my favorite princess and that today is my actual birthday. Cinderella calls me over to take a picture with her and I was on Cloud 9. We thank her and give her another hug and then head to the castle.
In the mean time my mom has called me like 10 times and I had my phone on vibrate. When we tell her what happened she was amazed. We check in and wait a little bit and then Alianna goes up for her picture and autograph. We wait about 5 more minutes and they call our name. We head upstairs and are seated. The food starts to come out and so do the princesses. We see Belle, (blue dress) Snow White, Aurora, and Jasmine. Alianna gets all their autographs and pictures with each. It was spectacular. When the meal is over we all head out and start down Main Street towards the exit. We stop and Alianna does pictures with the golden goofy, and then Walt & Minnie. We head for the bus to head back to relax a bit at the hotel.
We arrive back at Pop and shop for a bit before changing our clothes and taking a nap. When we get up we decide we will go back to MK for Wishes and EMH again. So that's what we do. The next day we are able to sleep in since we don't have a breakfast planned. We make it back to the hotel at 1:00 and head fast to sleep.
We sleep in until around 10:00. We chill around the resort for a lil bit before catching a bus to MK. We go to MK for about 2 hours and then it's time for Alianna's Wonderland Tea Party. We ride the boat over to the GF and drop her off at the tea party while we go outside and chill on the patio near the pool. We go to a few of the little shops and when we are in the hallway we see Princess Aurora and Prince Philip just walking. I have never seen a prince this close, and ask the CM that he is with if I can have a picture with him cause he was my favorite prince. She said sure and I got it. I would have got his autograph, but Alianna had the book with her in the Tea Party. We find a nice couch and sit on it for a while until Alianna is done. When she is finished we decided to go to DTD to do a little shopping. So that's what we do. We head over there and shop and play for about 3 hours. We head over to HS for a bit to get some more autographs and just chill out. We go back to the hotel to change for dinner @ Chef Mickey's that night.
We went to the hotel and chilled out, took a shower, changed and headed to MK to hop the MR to Contemporary. We got there about 15 minutes early and waited about 20 min to be seated. This was the meal I was looking forward to. We got to see the Fabulous 5- Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald. We each got pictures with each of them. AFter Chef Mickey's we walked back to MK for Wishes.
We headed back to Pop when Wishes was over. We had a breakfast @ Akershus booked for tomorrow morning and wanted to be up nice and early.
Ok so today is kind of depressing. We wake up and I get out Alianna's Princess Jasmine outfit to get her dressed for Akershus. I am pleased at how well her hair stayed in. We make our way down to the bus stop and catch the first bus we see to Epcot. Our ressie is for 9:15 and the park opens at 9:00. We get to go in about 10 till and I tell mom and Alianna to give me their KTTW cards and I will get a FP for Soarin while they head to Norway. So that's what I do. I walk over to Soarin and get a FP for 10:30-11:30. This is perfect.
I meet them at Akershus at about 9:20 and they haven't went in yet. The buzzer goes off and we walk over. Alianna get's her picture with Belle (Gold Dress) YAY!!!!!!! And we are seated. We head towards the bar and get our food and sit down when the princesses start coming out. Snow White, Aurora, Jasmine, and Ariel.... YAY!!!!! Ariel is the only Princess that we haven't seen. She comes over and Alianna gets her autograph and a few pictures. When we are done eating it is about 11:00 so we head for Soarin. We are so excited since none of us have been on this before. We walk right on but decide we want to wait for a top row so there are no feet in our way. We wait baout 10 minutes and we're off. This ride is amazing. The smells were terrific. I'm glad we just ate. When we get off here we go over to Nemo & Friends again and ride Figment one more time. We've accomplished everything we want to accomplish in Epcot.
We head to DTD. Mom wants to go to the Christmas Shop and look for something for my aunt, so she does and I take Alianna to get her face painted. We meet and head to the hotel. Alianna wants to change out of her costume and out on reg clothes before going to MK, so that's what we do. We pack all our things and I pack up our box to ship back home and head down to the front desk. I tell him I want to UPS this box back home and he does. It should arrive at our house onThursday. We finish our day @ MK watching SpectroMagic and Wishes and head back to the hotel. Our flight is at 7:00 the next morning so ME will pick us up at 4:00. We have to be up by 3:00 a.m. so we get to bed by 10:30.
Loved Pop- If I ever stay Value Resort again it will be here
Loved the Dining Plan- So nice being Paid in Full and In Advance- maybe try Deluxe next time, we would like more Signature restaurants
Cinderella's Royal Table- Absolutely Amazing
Soarin'- Spectacular
Favorite Entertainment: SpectroMagic, Wishes, Fantasmic, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage.
Loved- Goodnight Kiss from the Castle @ night.
Loved not sharing a bus with anyone else.
Not Good Things:
Wasn't crazy about the pool... but it was ok
The area to wait for our bus @ the parks was wayyyyyy to far..... even further than the all stars
Crowded busses
Play n' Dine @ Hollywood & Vine- Sensory Overload- Not good Food
My feet hurt from all the walking.... lol....
Overall the trip ws excellent. We had perfect weather everyday except one. It only rained for a few hours- and we were shopping @ DTD, so it wasn't too bad. We are excited to go back in April and stay @ CBR next time.
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