I'M JUST SHOWBOATIN' AROUND THE WORLD! & getting pooped on. Jan 13 TR! NEW TR POSTED!

[courtneybelle]

I just left the World today, and even though I'm going back for Thanksgiving, I still cried so I definitely feel your pain! It's just so hard to leave. I am so glad your next trip is coming up soon!

Disney snacks always ease the pain. I loooove churros and Mickey bars.

It's definitely not as fun leaving MK when things are chaotic, but it sounds like you made the best of it!! I've really enjoyed the TR and can't wait for the next one!)

 

[flyergrad09]

I kinda forgot that Crystal Palace does meals other than breakfast...

That stinks that you guys didn't get to leave MK the way you wanted to. I like your idea of having a conversation to distract you from the sadness!

That's absolutely hilarious with the bus guy light thing! It's always so jarring when they flip on the lights! You'd think that they would switch to a light that slowly becomes brighter, like one of those energy saving bulbs.

 

[AbbyMarie]

Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful trip with all of us - I have really enjoyed reading it. It has been 6 long years since we have been to WDW, but it brings back so many great memories when I'm reading about your adventures. Your pictures are beyond amazing, and I love the way you tell a story. By the way, love Matt's finished tattoo - so awesome!!! Have a great time in September - can't wait to read all about it!

 

[Jennifer48]

Its funny, I always think of CP as a breakfast ADR. I forgot that they do dinner also.

Awww I can't believe your TR is almost over but hey, you are going back in just a few short weeks!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

It is SO hard to leave the parks at the end of a trip. Especially the Magic Kingdom. I don't care how many times I've been or when I'm going back, having to say goodbye to the castle for the last time brings tears to my eyes.

I'm glad you guys had a great trip and I'm glad I found your report cause I loved hearing about it! Can't wait for the September report and hopefully meeting you guys in a few weeks!

 

[danimaroo]

Crystal Palace is definitely one of my favorite MK places to eat, but I have to agree that I much prefer breakfast, and pre park breakfast at that! I think the food quality is far better! And it doesn't hurt to get into the MK early!!

Yay for more dismeets and Haunted Mansion on the last day!!

I know the feeling of not being able to say good bye! Usually I'll stick around as long as I can on the last night, then go up to the train station to really "say goodbye" and just soak it all up and it's a total "womp womp" when it doesn't get to happen!!

So sad the TR is over, I will obviously be reading the next one, super excited!!

Agreedo! The breakfast definitely is better, and getting into MK early is pretty fantastic.

Yessss, have to make sure we get on Haunted Mansion one last time, otherwise I think Matt would be sad, hahaha.

I know, it's a little sad, but I'm also pretty happy because it means now I can SUPER focus on our trip that's in 15 DAYS! AHHHH I can't wait!!

Hurray for being TWO of your yeah yippee woohoo moments!! I feel so accomplished!

Johnny and I are so happy we ended up meeting you guys in January! I'm so glad we get to hang out again in LESS THAN THREE WEEEKS!!!!

HECK YEAH, you guys are just that awesome!

AND I KNOW! WE ARE HANGING OUT AGAIN SO SOON. This makes me happy!

Ahhhh the castle with the crane extension... Here is how you get it to go away... (Yes I am hauling this out whenever it's needed and because it makes me laugh.)

Hmmm, in the second Piglet pic with Amy... She wasn't easting pork by any chance?

Hey I recognize that Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar eating picture!

And yeah, the fact that you are wearing Mouse Ears in all is just so freaking AWESOME!

Dani, this TR was so wonderful. I am sooo glad that you posted on mine way back. Otherwise I may not have found it. I am super stoked for the next one... Coming Soon!

HAHAHA ROB, this gif made me die laughing. It's one of my favorites, and is a perfect explanation for how ridiculous the crane can be!!

Hahaha, I don't know, but that picture just cracks me up. I have no idea what is going through her mind at that moment!

YES YOU DOOOO, my twitter photo, because that's how I roll! And thanks, Mouse Ears are where it's at! I hope we can find some good ones this trip!

Thank you so much, Rob! I'm so glad you've been a part of this TR and thank you for commenting! I can't wait for our next trip and subsequent TR! YAY!

I just left the World today, and even though I'm going back for Thanksgiving, I still cried so I definitely feel your pain! It's just so hard to leave. I am so glad your next trip is coming up soon!

Disney snacks always ease the pain. I loooove churros and Mickey bars.

It's definitely not as fun leaving MK when things are chaotic, but it sounds like you made the best of it!! I've really enjoyed the TR and can't wait for the next one!)

Awww, I hear you. I'm sure I'll be crying when we leave. It's so difficult to leave such a happy place.

Disney snacks are the best way to make you feel better when you're sad about leaving the parks, I swear!

But yeah, it was a little crazy on our last night, but probably was for the best. Though I'm looking forward to doing something more laid back on this trip when we leave... but I fully expect to be sobbing on my way out, haha. Thank you so much for reading my TR, I can't wait to share our next trip with you!

I kinda forgot that Crystal Palace does meals other than breakfast...

That stinks that you guys didn't get to leave MK the way you wanted to. I like your idea of having a conversation to distract you from the sadness!

That's absolutely hilarious with the bus guy light thing! It's always so jarring when they flip on the lights! You'd think that they would switch to a light that slowly becomes brighter, like one of those energy saving bulbs.

Haha I know, it's kind of weird... but the breakfast is for sure better!

Yeah, the conversation helped, but it felt weird leaving the way we did! Kind of rushed, I guess? But I'm making sure this year we have plenty of time and don't have to worry too much about insane amounts of people or anything!

Hahaha, it was just SO loud compared to the nice gentle music that was on, plus the dang lights! It's out of control, but hilarious.

Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful trip with all of us - I have really enjoyed reading it. It has been 6 long years since we have been to WDW, but it brings back so many great memories when I'm reading about your adventures. Your pictures are beyond amazing, and I love the way you tell a story. By the way, love Matt's finished tattoo - so awesome!!! Have a great time in September - can't wait to read all about it!

Aw thank you for reading it!! I hope you can get back to WDW soon, but I'm happy this TR brought back good memories, as well. But thanks again, and we will have a great time in September! I can't wait to come back and write all about it!

Its funny, I always think of CP as a breakfast ADR. I forgot that they do dinner also.

Awww I can't believe your TR is almost over but hey, you are going back in just a few short weeks!

Hahaha, I think most people forget you can do dinner there, too! But breakfast is definitely better.

I know, it's so crazy to me that we'll be back so soon! This summer seriously flew by, I feel like I'm going to blink and I'll be standing in MK, looking at the castle. EEEP I'm a little excited, haha.

It is SO hard to leave the parks at the end of a trip. Especially the Magic Kingdom. I don't care how many times I've been or when I'm going back, having to say goodbye to the castle for the last time brings tears to my eyes.

I'm glad you guys had a great trip and I'm glad I found your report cause I loved hearing about it! Can't wait for the September report and hopefully meeting you guys in a few weeks!

It really is the hardest thing to leave. I need to not even think about it with this next trip when it hasn't even happened yet, hahaha. Plus we have 11 glorious days there, so I'm pretty happy about that!

I'm so happy you found my TR and that you read it! Hopefully a DISmeet will be in the works!!

 

[danimaroo]

Chapter Fifty-Five: See Ya Real Soon..
Day 11: January 27th, 2013

We woke up at 4 this morning, super groggy and super sad about heading home. Woooompwomp.

Actually, I can kind of live with the whole going home part, once I've come to terms with it. What I dread that morning is the knowledge that I have to go deal with MCO's security lines AND then sit on a very long 6 hour flight home. THAT is the worst part of the trip, easily.

But anyway, we couldn't check in at ME because it was before 5am, so we brought our bags to the bus and waited for a short period of time...

We got on the bus, and watched the sad video that all ME riders know of, and got to the airport at a relatively decent time.

Checking in was a total breeze, but then we walked up to the security lines and saw this hot mess.

MCO has by far the worst security lines of any airport I've ever been to, hands down. I don't understand why they only have ONE security area, but it's terrible.

We finally got through security and immediately headed for Starbucks... where Matt had the worst latte ever, hahaha. It was bad.

Alaska Airlines tends to board their flights early, which I definitely appreciate, and we were on pretty quickly. Matt and I were separated from Bruce and Amy on the flight back, but were seated in a row with a really nice family. The little boy sitting next to me was really cute and polite, and I think they were just coming back from Disney as well.

However, we had the worst family taking up the two rows in front of us. Their kids were all over the place, the parents did nothing, and I even witnessed one kid sneeze all over the tray table/Digiplayer, and his Dad completely ignored the boogers every where while the kid wiped it all over the tray table. THIS IS WHY I BRING WET WIPES ON THE FLIGHT.

But I bought the in-flight wifi again, and I'm telling you, on that long of a flight, it's SO worth the price. I ended up tweeting a lot and caught up on DIS Trip Reports which was nice! It made the flight go by a lot faster, which is always appreciated.

As we were getting off the flight, our flight attendant actually apologized to us for having to deal with the family, they were that bad... I was just happy to be getting off the plane.

We found Bruce and Amy, then headed over to pick up our luggage and said goodbye to them as our towncar was coming to pick us up.

He got there pretty quickly, and we were finally on our way home.

When we walked in the door, our doggies and Snifter (miss that little kitty) were all very, very happy we were home! That is my favorite part about coming home after our trip; how much our animals missed us. It just makes the pain of being back in the real world a lot easier when you have these adorable animals beyond thrilled to see you!

After our friends who watched the house (and they will never be asked to watch our house/pets again, but that's a long story) left (read: Matt had to drive them home all the way back up to the city, ugh), we unwound and unpacked some of our stuff... which led to photos of our pins we traded for during the trip, souvenirs, and Vinylmation I'd traded for in the trade boxes, as well!

I was proud we were able to complete this set.

These were the dog's ID tags we bought while there, our dogs are still wearing them!

The cute frames we bought during our trip. We put photos in both and they now sit on our mantle.

Donald Duck that I bought for my sister, and the treats I bought for her...

All of the delicious ones we bought for my sister/us/co-workers.

I was missing Disney and hungry, so I ate my treat right away...

I asked Matt if he could grab me some water in the kitchen, and this is what he went with:

We also bought a Mickey Premium Bar car freshener, because it smells so fabulous! It's still hanging up in our car, even though it no longer smells, haha.

We wanted to display all of our earhats from our trips in a fun way, so we put them up above our bed. I LOVE having them all up there!

Duffy and Pluto... and Milo really loves Pluto, it's his favorite pillow to lay on at night!

Our AMAZING Oswald poster showed up shortly after our trip, and we hung it above our handing!

Continue reading below for my final thoughts on this trip...​

 

[danimaroo]

Final Thoughts

This trip was truly awesome. It was our first time visiting Disney World with other people, and we couldn't have asked for two better people to go with. Bruce and Amy are our family and we love them dearly, so it was amazing to have them along for the trip. Though things started off pretty rough for them, with them both getting sick, they still had a great time.

Going with other people definitely changes the way you visit the parks, but any negatives you see from that are outweighed by the positives of going with your best friends.

I was glad we were able to go again in January, though to be quite frank, I was pretty surprised by the crowds that we saw (and trust me, I understand it's not crowded in comparison to busier months, I'm comparing this to past Januarys).

We were expecting it to be pretty busy during MLK Jr. Weekend, but we continued to see crowds throughout the trip. Sometimes we got those awesome moments where no one was around, but other times, it was way more crowded than any other January. I think the opening of New Fantasyland had a LOT to do with this, and also Disney parks have just seen an overall increase in park attendance.

Would we go again in January? OF COURSE! But I won't go during MLK Jr. Weekend again. I'm interested to see after our next trip, which one we prefer (January vs. September). I'm anticipating lower crowds in September, but it will be much hotter and more humid than January. The other plus to September though, is the parks are open later. We never got to experience a park open past 9 or 10 (okay, Epcot until 11, but still) in January, so we're very excited to have the opportunity to hang out until really late some nights!

We LOVED staying at Beach Club Villas again. Even though Old Key West is our DVC "home", Beach Club Villas will always be our real home. My love for that resort is never-ending, and I'm glad we'll be staying there again in September, with a new experience over at Wilderness Lodge. It was AWESOME to have stayed in the same room as last trip, though I'm sure that won't happen during our next trip (we changed it up and requested a room with a Canal view). But yes, Beach Club love forever.

I thought it might be fun to go through some of our favorites from this trip, in the format of "Top 5" countdowns...

Top 5 Funniest Moments

5. Bruce running away in Magic Kingdom, not moving his arms.
4. Bruce and Amy planking in front of our door
3. "DON'T. TALK. TO ME!!!"
2. "I'M JUST SHOWBOATIN' AROOOOUND THE WOOOORLD." - Matt's little dance.
1. Our first attraction photo on Dinosaur

Top 5 Photos

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

The one of Matt and me with our ear hats isn't in here, just because I didn't actually take the photo, so it doesn't count!

Top 5 Meals

5. San Angel Inn - This place has amazing food and an amazing atmosphere. Our dinners were excellent and the service was great, too!
4. Crystal Palace (Breakfast) - The food was great, we were in the park before it opened, and Eeyore's reaction was ADORABLE when I gave him a kiss.
3. Tangierine Cafe - This was our favorite CS place this trip. The food was WAY different than anything you find in the parks, and amazingly good and fresh.
2. Raglan Road - The soda bread, the lobster sandwich, the BREAD PUDDING. We love Raglan Road, and if you haven't been here, you really need to go. A must-do for us on every trip!
1. Via Napoli - The Carciofi pizza is just to die for. I love this restaurant so much. The food is fantastic, as is the service. Another must-do for us on every trip, with or without the Dining Plan.

Some of you are probably going, "But Dani, you forgot Be Our Guest!" While we enjoyed the castle and the ambience, as it was absolutely jaw-dropping, the food wasn't as good as the places above. The service was okay, though it did take a while to get our drinks and food. We will be back for lunch on our next trip, and I'm beyond happy we were able to experience dinner there, but it's not a must-do for us on every trip like some of our other favorites.

Top 5 Favorite Moments

5. Meeting Matt's Disney twin on the Friendship boat and talking to him and his fiancee. It was so awesome to meet new people who really understood what Disney is all about.
4. Finally meeting Danni and Johnny... We were so happy to meet these two finally, and they've become amazing friends!
3. Meeting Dug and Russell... I mean, this was a meet I'd been waiting for over a year to happen. And it was perfect. They were so so cute and I had so much fun talking to both of them. This is a meet and greet I won't forget.
2. Walking into Magic Kingdom for the first time on this trip and seeing the castle. It gets me every time.
1. Our second to last day as a whole. This day was perfect. It was laid back, we got to swim and go to parks and eat wonderful food and wear our ear hats around the parks. It was the perfect day in Disney World.

And with that, I just want to thank you guys for reading this trip report. Without your comments (even people who just checked in once to let me know they were reading), there is no way I'd have finished this report. So thank you. Some of your comments brightened up my days more than you know, and I feel like I've made so many new friends here through writing this! I truly hope you've enjoyed reading this report and hope it also brought you some smiles and laughs, as well.

Last thing I'll mention... For those of you who decided to wait to watch our Trip Video (though I'm not sure anyone waited, haha), there is a link in my signature. Oooorrr, if you're feeling snazzy and want to re-watch us being dorks and having a blast in Disney World, go for it! There WILL BE another video for our September trip, and I can't even wait to work on it!

So now what?!

As you all know, we're heading back to Disney World here in 15 days, so of course, I'll be writing another Trip Report! HOOOOOORAY! Until we head out, I'm going to use this space for fun little updates as we get closer to our trip. So I hope you stick around for my next trip report, because I think it's going to be BEYOND epic! We are doing so many awesome things, lots of new stuff/things we've never done, meeting awesome people, and I am BEYOND excited about it all. I will also post a link to my next TR once I've begun it.

Thank you guys again for reading my TR and commenting on it. I had an amazing time re-living our trip through writing this report, and I can't wait for the next one!

Continued in next post (PTR stuff!)​

 

[katt789]

THAT’S the security line!! Even that early in the morning?! Ugh, MCO has the WORST lines, no argument there!

I’m definitely thinking that the frame with all the autographs is a purchase I need to make next trip! I love the way you have the ear hats displayed, that’s awesome!!

Love that you put together a little top 5 list, those moments were hilarious and I’m glad you got to share them with all of us too!

Those pictures are absolutely incredible, HOLY!

Yay more awesome moments and restaurants! Ragland Rd needs to be eaten at in a future trip for me. Via Napoli is on our list of lunches in Sept and I’m so excited for it!!
Also Beach Club, I’m thinking that I’ll end up renting points to stay at BC next Nov when I plan to do MVMCP/Food and wine with Mom….that she doesn’t know about yet…bahaha

Thank you so much for sharing all of your adventures, the good and the bad with us, I really enjoyed your TR and am SUPER excited to read the next one, and hopefully get to share some moments in the parks with you! I’m beyond excited to see your guy’s MNSSHP costumes too! AH! OH MY GAAAAAAAAWD…. So excited for Sept!!

I’m probably going to go watch your trip video again right now…no lie…

 

[jane2073]

The look on Piglet's face is hilarious and slightly scary! If I was Amy, I would worry too!

Great report! So funny! I loved the bus story. It is always jarring to be riding in total darkness and then suddenly LIGHT!!!!!!

 

[keys1388]

I loved your trip report! It gave me something to look forward to all those loooong days we were in Children's hospital.

I can't wait to hear about your next trip, and if COURSE, your Disneyland trip!!

 

[blabbermouth]

Well umm, you went home, so that was disappointing

Great wrap up and top 5s. And now you're 15 days out! Congratulations!

 

[DanniDeer]

<3 <3 <3

We are seriously so lucky to have y'all in our lives, and are beyond grateful to not only have met you guys, but to form such an amazing friendship all the way across the country!

Thanks for sharing all of your UH MAIZE ZING photos and stories, and we can't wait to be a part of some of your adventures next month!!!

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! looks like you guys had an awesome time. can't wait to find out how you like September, it's one of my favorite times to go. Hope I get to see you guys there, I would love to pin trade with you!

 

[flyergrad09]

I can't believe the security lines at MCO are that bad even early in the morning! I've only flown in and out of MCO once and it was bad then, but I assumed it was because it was 4 in the afternoon. Good to know that they're consistently terrible.

I really don't know what it is with kids and snot, but that's disgusting with that family on the plane. At least the flight attendant was smart enough to realize that they were a gross disturbance and apologize for their bad behavior!

Your souvenirs are all so awesome! I finally put a picture of Matt and I in a frame that I bought in May 2012 about two weeks ago. Tardy to the party, man!

YAY NEXT TRIP! I will be thinking nice and cool thoughts and sending them your way while you brave the September Florida humidity.

 

[littlelovebug]

Ohhhh Dani...where do I even start? I just found your TR/PTR two days ago (my best friend sent it to me) and I only have five pages left to read. But I'm going to stop for tonight...because I just don't want it to be over! Seriously, it's that good! And I watched the YouTube video too. Are you sure you guys are real people? Because if you were sitcom characters, I would be, like, your number one fan. My best friend Amy and I already talk about you like you are the third best friend in our little group. I don't know yet if you have posted your plans for your September trip, but I really hope we run into you there! Maybe on Space Mountain...

There's just too many wonderful things for me to comment on to be too specific, but I must say that the two biggest LAUGH OUT LOUD moments I have had were Matt & Bruce's "Happy Anniversary" moment, and the planking...OMG the planking. I laugh harder every time I think about it. What a special trip you guys had, I can only hope that ours is half as magical!!

I'll get all caught up tomorrow!! - Jen

 

[RDawn]

Thank you so much for the time you put into these reports. My kids (now 8 & almost 10) read along with me as we miss WDW. It kind of feels like you are a favorite cousin who is showing us her vacation pics & sharing funny stories. Love the video too!

 

[SeanofStarCommand]

Hi Dani!

I just discovered your TR... And finished reading in one day. I've also read your other TRs so I guess it's time for me to come out of hiding and stop being a creeper.

What can I say? Your trip reports are fantastic. . Have a great time in September as new DVC owners. I look forward to another award winning TR!

 

[TIMLEO007]

Dani,


Just wanted to say your trip video on Vimeo is awesome, love the music, the camera work, very funny too, I have it bookmarked and watch it quite often to get me in the right mindset Thank you!

-Tim

 

[STLMickeyMom]

It's really over?!? I can't believe it. I LOVE your TRs; thanks so much for taking the time to write them. You have an awesome writing style. And I am so jealous that your trip is in 2 weeks and ours is still 130 days away! Why does the time pass so slowly? Well, if you need something to pass the time until you leave, I'd love it if you stopped by my PTR. Have fun getting ready for your trip. Can't wait for updates!