9 Days, 6 Parks, 3 resorts, and 1 "Villainous Arabian Night" SURPRISE Party! (updated 4/13)

[TeamSy]

Day 2: Dinner @ Yachtsman

We got back to our room to find two bottles of wine and Disney Villain wine glasses, all in a cute holder. I LOVE Disney's "Once Upon A Vine" wine bottles. SO adorable! The note said "Welcome," but I had a feeling it was a thank you from my Disney planner (the person I've been planning Josh's birthday surprise with), because of the glasses - the first part of his party is villain themed. Josh thought it was "yet another nice gesture from the hotel for us getting stuck on our balcony," so I just agreed with him and went with it.



I was so nervous about getting the glasses and wine transferred when we switched hotels a few days later, and then home on the plane! When we did our room transfer, we specifically showed it to them and they took SUCH good care of everything. Then on the plane, I put the glasses in my carryon (which were fine), and then we basically packed the wine in our dirty laundry, wrapping it all really well. It ended up being fine as well (yay), but it caused our bag to be WAY OVER 50 lbs. We ended up taking shoes out and putting them in our carryons to avoid paying the extra fees, because I'm cheap like that lol.


The "fairest" chardonnay and the "big bad red" blend. I can't even - too cute!



Anyway, after we were finished gushing over our in room surprise, we showered and got ready... and then it started raining.

I was a nervous wreck, checking the weather every two seconds on my phone from this moment until the end of dinner. I needed no rain in order for everything to go as planned.

We left our room and walked to the restaurant, which took no time at all since it's RIGHT THERE. Walking in you can see them hard at work:



It was such a great atmosphere, but I feel like I couldn't really enjoy it because I was SO NERVOUS.



We were seated quickly and I feel like the restaurant just KNEW we had a place to get to, but not before a certain time. We're pretty quick eaters, and our reservation was for 6:30, but we couldn't be at Epcot before 8:30. Our waitress was SO SLOW. Much slower than those around us, and I feel like that was done on purpose.

I checked my phone again, which was pointless because even though it was raining outside, my phone said it wasn't. Don't you love that?! Still, I didn't get a text or email from my planner saying plans had changed... so I kept my fingers crossed and REALLY TRIED to focus on the food - which WAS amazing!!!

I sort of wanted to just get a main course and that's it, but Josh wanted to do the whole thing. He was SO EXCITED to FINALLY be eating here, and I couldn't exactly tell him no that's not a good idea because there's going to be A LOT of food later, so I went along with it and ordered an app too....

Okay... PAUSE. I have to take one of the dogs to his vet check up, so I'll be back in a few hours to finish the rest of dinner and the night ahead!

Contined...

 

[TeamSy]

... Continued Day 2 Dinner

Okay back from the vet! So I got a Caesar salad for my app and Josh got the French Onion Soup.



We both LOVED what we got.

For dinner, I forgot which steak Josh had, but he subbed his side for mashed potatoes and ate every last bite. He said it was wonderful and already can't wait to go here again next time.



I got the filet mignon, and I can't recall what sauce they put on it, but it was SO GOOD. The green beans were also to die for.



We also split a mac & cheese side, which (are you noticing a theme?) was fantastic.



Sadly (only because of what I knew I had planned next), it was a lot of food and we were stuffed. Thankfully, Josh was okay with skipping dessert!

We finished around 8:15, paid, went to the bathroom, and then took a stroll over to Epcot for "fireworks."

It was drizzling. It was hot . It was humid. I was sweating.



We weren't using park admission to get into Epcot, and a million things were running through my mind - mostly, what if these people can't find us???

We approached the International gateway, and in the distance I saw a lady with one of those light up "wands" standing next to a man, who I knew had to be my planner. As we approached the gate, I tried not to give too much away or make eye contact.

The man approached Josh and said, "Hello, Mr. LASTNAME. I heard it's your birthday. Please follow us."

Josh was SO shocked and confused, and I was SO excited!

Continued...

 

[Kiele_Kai23]

Joining in! I'm loving your trip report and all your pictures!! I especially love that you have 2 Yorkies! I have a Yorkie as well! Aren't they the best?!

 

[TeamSy]

Joining in! I'm loving your trip report and all your pictures!! I especially love that you have 2 Yorkies! I have a Yorkie as well! Aren't they the best?!

They sure are!!!

 

[Rosebud123]

I can't see the pics from your last post for some reason!

 

[1983DisneyFanatic]

Nooo! Don't stop there! Great trip report.

 

[TeamSy]

... Small Break

Before you go ahead and think "this girl is crazy" for doing this for her husbands birthday, especially since it's not even a "special" birthday, let me give you some background. Last trip, I booked the Grand 1 as an anniversary surprise for him. Five hours before our cruise was set to depart, in the middle of Animal Kingdom, I had to sneak away when I got a call saying that they were canceling it. Long story short, a part broke, which was fine, these things happen - but Disney offered no substitution - no help in planning something else equally as amazing as the Grand 1. I was left high and dry with... nothing. I had no surprise - no gift - and while Josh didn't seem to care that he got nothing, I DID. It wasn't right. I wanted to do something special for him because he deserves it.

Then, this year, it was my choice of vacation (we alternate between who gets to choose where we go for our "big trip" ever year), and we got to go on MY dream trip to Bora Bora. Then, when I turned 30 this past May, I got to have this amazing, dream birthday party. We rented out this AMAZING 5 bedroom duplex penthouse at the Hilton in Manhattan for a weekend and threw this "Goodbye To My Roaring 20's" party with my family and about 30 of my closest friends.



Anyway, back to Disney... when we booked our trip this time around, and it fell over Josh's birthday, I KNEW I wanted to do something special. I didn't know what, but I knew I wanted to get a Disney planner involved, rather than just calling the "PLAY" number like I did last time to book the Grand 1. If something were to go wrong this time, I wanted someone working WITH ME, someone who would troubleshoot and offer something equally amazing. Thankfully, I got exactly what I wanted, and even with the threat of the hurricane, my Disney planner was ON IT. We didn't need the backup (and truthfully, of course I didn't want it), but at least we HAD one just in case.

Coming up next, Josh's Birthday Surprise!

 

[TeamSy]

Josh's Birthday Surprise Part I!

So we were escorted into Epcot, and off to UK Pubside.


We took a right and made our way down the path. I can't believe how many people were there for our event. There had to be at least 7 or 8 people alone just to make sure no one else came into our little area. They all said hi and I don't think I ever felt so special.

We made our way down and saw this beautiful table set up for us.


Josh just had no idea...


We sat down and someone came up to us and handed us these glasses, which turned every light source around the lake into Mickey's.


One of the things Josh always wanted to do was "drink around the World," so first up, our bartender came up and showed him all the beers he'll be tasting.




I stuck with wine, and while Josh had his tasting going on, a chef was in the back concocting our dessert.




Josh and I meanwhile unscrolled our menu for the evening....


Which reads...
- The evil hags poisoned apple crisp with liquid nitro infused snow white ice cream and chocolate cappuccino wanna cotta with baileys cream, berry and coffee bean
- Villain inspired fruit display
- Maleficent inspired cupcake with horns
- Captain Hook inspired cheesecake
- Triple chocolate tarts
- Snow white apples on a stick



Continued...

 

[TeamSy]

... Continued

And here's the food!






Then I called my planner over to formally introduce him to Josh, since I feel like I know the guy - we did spend MONTHS planning this. And while I was truly excited for the dessert party, and I think Disney was too, the REAL surprise would happen AFTER, as we are the first group to ever have an event in the next space!


But before that - we ate. Not a lot, because we were SO FULL from dinner, but we nibbled on a little bit of everything. THOSE CUPCAKES THO - SO AMAZING. I don't care HOW full I was - I ate every last bit of it lol.



And then the fireworks started. I've NEVER had such a good view of them. They were literally RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. No obstructions what so ever.... no tree's, no poles, no people... nothing.








Continued...

 

[TeamSy]

Josh's Birthday Surprise Part II!

After fireworks we sat for a few minutes until we decided to get going. We got ready for our escort to "lead us out of the park," but really we are headed to our next location: Morocco!


I saw Josh give me a look when we were walking a little fast as we neared the exit. I should've taken into account the fact that he KNOWS the park. I then blurted to our guide that I need to use the bathroom. She said sure and we went to the bathrooms next to Morocco. When we got out, and still walked the OPPOSITE way of the exit, Josh finally asked where we were going. Then, when he saw more event guides as we approached Morocco I told him, "well, you never did get a birthday cake!"

So in we went...




So we entered Fez House, which is an outdoor courtyard area in the Morocco pavilion, and came face to face with an amazing table set up for us.


And just beyond that table was another table with THE MOST AMAZING CAKE I'VE EVER SEEN. It SMOKED. It CHANGED COLORS. It was SO AMAZINGLY DETAILED. It fit the Morocco/Aladdin theme perfectly, and Disney just went ABOVE and BEYOND. I mean, I just never even thought to do a "Cave Of Wonders" cake. Ever. And did I mention that it SMOKED?! All around it were so many little details of what is in the cave, even down to the magic carpet.












So we were studying the cake, because it NEEDED to be studied, when all of a sudden...

Continued...

 

[TeamSy]

... Continued

In walked some familiar faces...






Yep... Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, and Jafar all stopped by!! As did (it seemed) every single person who works at Disney. Okay, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but there were SO MANY PEOPLE hovering and taking pictures. This is the very first time they did an event like this in this location, so I think a lot of Disney people were eager to check it out.

Can I also just pause and note my awful sunburn line?! Thanks to our day in Typhoon Lagoon today, and my damn swim shirt, it REALLY started to come out right about now... and HURT.

Anyway... we took pictures with the characters... and my goodness were they engaging! It always shocks me how these people can stay in character so long, and ALWAYS have something to say. They were with us for about 30 minutes, and not one time did they break. Meanwhile, I'm SWEATING my butt off. It was just so HOT and HUMID. I don't know how - especially Genie and Jafar - didn't pass out LOL.







So I won't bore you with the many variations of character pictures we took, because there are a lot. But like I said, after about 30 or so minutes, they said their goodbyes...


... and then Josh and I sat at that gorgeous table to eat some of that beautiful cake...


It was, obviously, SO GOOD. There was also a lot left, so they boxed it up for us and we took it back to our room. It wouldn't fit in the fridge, so we ate some the following morning and then that was that. I wish we had more people to share it with so it didn't go to waste! Anyway, before we left for the evening, the photographer took a couple of pictures of us, and then, since by now the park had been closed a while, we were escorted out. So sad!!! I didn't want the night to end!!



We got back to our room and showered AGAIN, because we were THAT SWEATY. Of course Josh had the photographer take a photo of us and the characters with his cell phone, so he posted it on Facebook and then started answering a million comments. Then his Mom called and he told her all about his birthday surprise, then he got other calls, texts, etc, etc. We finally got to relax a bit before bed, of course watching my bff Stacy LOL. Tomorrow we're back at Epcot, only this time for the WHOLE day, starting with breakfast at Akershus!
Stay tuned!

 

[accountingbabe08]

Great reviews

 

[DisneyJo]

Wow what an awesome party, Josh is a very lucky man

 

[Bebella]

Once we finally visit WDW (I've been but my husband and kids haven't yet...we're doing DL in May) ...I really hope I can convince my husband (cheap guy that he is!) to rent a cabana...that service just seems amazing, especially with kids! No lockers, no food lines, so worrying about where to leave your towels...It just seems so stress free! And it's awesome that it includes unlimited water & drinks.

 

[TeamSy]

Once we finally visit WDW (I've been but my husband and kids haven't yet...we're doing DL in May) ...I really hope I can convince my husband (cheap guy that he is!) to rent a cabana...that service just seems amazing, especially with kids! No lockers, no food lines, so worrying about where to leave your towels...It just seems so stress free! And it's awesome that it includes unlimited water & drinks.

Exactly! It's so STRESS-FREE, which when in Disney I know I need! Disney trips are stressful enough as is!

 

[Alexsandra]

Following along. Love your TR so far. I was thinking of trying YC or BC instead of staying at our usual spot POFQ on my upcoming March trip. Looking at the pics I think I will try for YC.
Very cool surprise party. Wow! Josh is a lucky guy! How did you go about planning this? Did you call Disney Catering and they set you up. I totally want to surprise hubby with something like this for our anniversary! Did you pay for character interaction or did they just show up?
Love it all, great job!

 

[TeamSy]

Following along. Love your TR so far. I was thinking of trying YC or BC instead of staying at our usual spot POFQ on my upcoming March trip. Looking at the pics I think I will try for YC.
Very cool surprise party. Wow! Josh is a lucky guy! How did you go about planning this? Did you call Disney Catering and they set you up. I totally want to surprise hubby with something like this for our anniversary! Did you pay for character interaction or did they just show up?
Love it all, great job!

You will LOVE the YC/BC area!! It's our favorite! You can't go wrong with either, but we definitely prefer YC. I paid for everything, including the characters. Nothing in Disney is free I contacted Disney Catering/Group Getaways and they hooked me up with a planner. GL

 

[Alexsandra]

You will LOVE the YC/BC area!! It's our favorite! You can't go wrong with either, but we definitely prefer YC. I paid for everything, including the characters. Nothing in Disney is free I contacted Disney Catering/Group Getaways and they hooked me up with a planner. GL

Yup! I hear you, Disney gives nothing for free! I'm glad I fell on your TR, will try to get something special done for my next trip! Thanks for sharing!

 

[TeamSy]

Day 3: Breakfast!

I was hoping the picture issue would be fixed by now... what's taking so long, Dis?

Anyway, today we woke up late - literally. Despite Yacht Club being SO CLOSE to Epcot, it's still a pretty hefty walk to Norway, which was where we planned on having breakfast. We RUSHED, and miraculously we were *only* 30 minutes late. Thankfully, the awesome people at Akershus didn't even blink when they saw how late we were. I don't know why. They had every right to not only deny us, but charge us the cancellation fee for not showing up. They could have sent us on our merry way, but instead, they told us it was no problem! Amazing!



We love Akershus, and always make it a must visit on our day at Epcot. We took our picture with Belle, but didn't take one with our own camera, since we figured the picture is included with our meal. We were shocked to learn that they no longer do this!! So sad and disappointed, partly because if I had known that, I would have taken one with our camera!

Anyway, as we ate, Cinderella, Sleepy Beauty, Ariel, and Snow White came around to say hello. The food was GREAT as always, and the service was too! While there is a small buffet, hot food is brought to the table family style, which I love! Walking around these parks all day is exhausting, so any time I can sit, relax, and eat is okay by me!






We finished eating (and meeting the princess) fairly quickly. Then, we took a picture by our old favorite ride . RIP Maelstrom.



My brother and his girlfriend were OF COURSE late meeting us at Epcot, so we walked around for a bit as we waited for them. I mean I know we were late this morning, but they were EXTREMELY late. We originally told them to meet us for our fast passes at Test Track, but blue dress Belle started to meet by France, so of course I wanted to meet her.



My brother and his girlfriend ended up doing a huge Disney no no and parked at our hotel, even though they weren't staying there, and then (I don't know why since they were in a hurry), waited and took the boat to Epcot (instead of just walking) . We met them by the International Gateway and took them to see where Josh's Birthday was last night in UK and then Morocco.



Then we headed over to France to meet Belle. Our Fast Pass for Test Track was in 10 minutes, but so was Belle! EEK! Belle won out, because HELLO - blue dress Belle!!! I asked one of the Disney cast members if there was still a grace period for FP. We were third in line for when Belle comes out, so we'd only be about 10/15 minutes late to the FP. She told us no - they don't do grace periods anymore, so whatever, we figured we'd go and try over at Test Track anyway, and if not we'd just lose it and have to wait in the regular line.

Belle came out right on time and was such a fun interaction.





We finished with her and rushed to Test Track.

Continued...

 

[TeamSy]

Day 3: Epcot Continued...

So we made it to Test Track, like I said about 15 minutes late. We headed to the fast pass line to try just for the hell of it, and what do you know, it lit up green - we were still good to go! Gotta love when cast members give you wrong info!

I designed our car last trip, so this time it was Josh's turn.


Test track was great, although now (since our trip to Disneyland last summer) I always think of it as the inferior version of the Cars ride in Disney's California Adventure. They are so similar yet so very different!

We were already sweating our butts off, and decided to hit Figment next for a cool down.




My brother and his girlfriend were hungry, so next we headed to The Land pavilion so they could eat. But first Living With The Land!!

I just love this ride! It has to be one of my favorites at Epcot. I've always wanted to do the tour they offer, but we haven't gotten around to it yet - how do you find time in a day?!


Here's where we'll be eating dinner tonight!






After the ride, Josh and I took a bathroom break while my brother and his girlfriend got food. The Land pavilion has my favorite quick service in all of the parks (maybe it's called Seasons? Or maybe I'm making that up...) either way, the selection is great! They also have my FAVORITE chocolate cake ever, so I obviously couldn't help but get some!


Soarin's wait was down to 25 minutes, but by the time everyone was done it was back up to 45, so we decided to try again later. Then I had the idea to just move up the rest of our fast passes so we can use Soarin' as our 4th. We fast passed Spaceship Earth (even though it didn't need to be), so we moved up that time, and then we had Mission Space fast passed for later, but my brother and his girlfriend had it fast passed for earlier. I can't do that ride. I've tried twice and just... NO. I advised my brother against it too, so we kept his and his girlfriend's fast passes for her and Josh to use while I cancelled ours. Only, I accidentally really cancelled it instead of CHANGING it. I figured I'd fix it while they went on Mission Space, so once they finished eating we headed to our now earlier Spaceship Earth fast pass.



This is probably my other favorite ride in Epcot, and it's Josh's too. I don't know when we started this, but we always take a picture of Josh with his favorite lady on the ride. Maybe it's because she is just SO outdated??? I dunno, but we think it's hysterical.


Continued...