Oh It's A Jolly Holiday With Katie! - Beach Club / Grand Floridian

[blklotus]

(The people who agreed with how creepy this guy is)

@blklotus @BibbitybobityLu @pkondz @HomeSweetDisney

YOU GUYS.

I just found the best seller EVER, on Red Bubble...

Oh. My. GOD.

I feel like you DEFINITELY have to get Jamie those leggings, at the VERY minimum!!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Those leggings!
Every time you're halfway through a step (think about it) you'll cause trauma to all those who see you.


I like it.

It would be hilarious for me to see, but imagine if you weren't into Disney, and you had no idea what Maelstrom was, and you saw someone in your town wearing those leggings... I would love to see the reactions

This is an excellent tip. But one word of caution - we've tried this several times with great success. There was one time, however, during Christmas week where we were held there until after the opening /rope drop happened which put us behind the crowds. That bummed us out a bit, but we'd definitely continue trying that one.

Edited to add:

Ohmigosh! Those leggings...I can't even!!!!

Ahh that's a shame. during Christmas weeks too, I bet that was a big crowd you ended up behind I'm glad to hear you've been successful with it other times though!

Hahaha I KNOW! I actually want those leggings... But I would be slightly worried about the people who didn't know Maelstrom, and how they would react to them

WHY??? Why does this exist??? LMAO!! Katie, remind me to NEVER stay in your guest room unless I want to have horrible nightmares

Hahah this is so happening There must be somewhere that sells giant cut-outs of the his entire fish-gutting self - that I can hide in the shower

Yay! I started reading your report this past winter (or Spring maybe?) and then just rediscovered it. LOVE IT! I've had a blast catching up. You guys are totes adorbs All of your food photos are making me so excited for Disney Food on our next trip!! (ADR day is tomorrow morning, so I have food on the brain for sure!)

And seriously those maelstrom products are THE best thing ever created. I am seriously trying to figure out who I can buy this for as a gift! So funny.

Hey! Aww I'm glad you've enjoyed catching up! did your ADR day go ok? Reading TRs before ADR day is probably a bad idea... I would just try to book EVERYTHING Hahaha yeah there must be someone you know who would appreciate a Maelstrom gift. Even if there isn't.. I'd still get it for a clueless friend anyway... They'd be like Hah!

OMG! These are the BEST THINGS EVER!! I know what someone's getting for her birthday!

And really who doesn't want a child serial killer psycho's face on their crotch? That my friend is what dreams are made of

But the travel mug really adds that extra bit of creepiness but stretching his face, looks good

Right!? Hahaha I would actually use that travel mug every single day I mean, I'm British.. A cup of tea inside that Maelstrom flask = perfection

I think I'm going to get the Maelstrom: Never Forget! travel coffee mug because I like how it stretches the face in a particularly extra-creepy way.

Great idea! I actually think I would get a lot of use out of the travel mug I'd like to own the leggings / scarf but let's be serious.. there is NEVER an occasion that calls for actually wearing those

I can totally hear that laugh in my head, and that lizard is exactly how I picture somebody laughing like that.

Haha! You and Jamie should be friends. And I'll just stand in the background watching you both like I rarely have a clue what he's talking about

Hi Katie! I am all caught up and joining in! You tell a great story! Loving your TR :-D

Hey again Dawn! Yay it's great to have you here! Although we're almost wrapping this TR up! But I'm glad you've enjoyed it, hopefully it was like binge watching a TV series rather than having to wait each week for a new episode (ie. the best way to watch TV shows ) When the next one comes along you'll be able to look out for yourself in the background of my pictures

I feel like you DEFINITELY have to get Jamie those leggings, at the VERY minimum!!

Hahaha he would rock them!! That would actually be a great costume for MNSSHP.. The tshirt, the leggings, and the scarf wrapped around his head

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 12
(September 13th 2014)
Make a wish and hold on tight, there's magic in the air tonight.
Part 1 – Downtown Disney and Citricos

(Warning: word-heavy update!)

Day 12! Holy moly.

We woke up late again after getting to sleep late last night.
The only plans we had today were dinner at Citricos followed by Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom!

However, today it was really starting to sink in that we were nearing the end of our trip! It was Saturday 13th September, and we were leaving on Tuesday 16th!



So I HAD to do SOMETHING.
I decided to head to Downtown Disney!

There was some football on that Jamie wanted to watch, so I left him in the room and departed at around 11:30am.

(Whilst nothing beats touring Disney with family/friends, I’m more than happy to do things by myself. I mean HELLO. WE'RE IN DISNEY.)

As I walked from Big Pine Key to the main building, I saw a couple having wedding pictures taken… What an absolute DREAM!!!

I had to wait around 20 minutes for the bus, but I got talking to a lovely Cast Member who was working there.
His name was Richard.
(No, not THAT Richard… But maybe we met him too at some point… YOU’LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE).
He was from Texas, and he was on the college program!
He was majoring in music but was absolutely loving life at the Grand Floridian!
I told him he should join the orchestra that plays in the Grand’s lobby!
But seriously, what an awesome place to work on the college program?! He’s really hit the jackpot getting to hang out there every day!

I arrived at Downtown Disney sometime after 12, and my first stop was the Marketplace Co Op, aka, the best store ever.

I bought a super cute Splash Mountain PLATE, I love it so much.

“What are you going to do with that?” – You ask?

Yeah, I don’t know either.

NOT eat off it, that’s for sure. (Are you CRAZY?!)

Right now it’s just kinda on top of my mirror propped up against my wall. This was impulse buying at its finest.

(My Christmas pickle from the Germany pavilion is also hanging off one of those fairy lights on my mirror. And yes, it’s there 365 days a year. Because, you know, as the saying goes, a pickle is for life, not just for Christmas.)

Anyway, the Marketplace Co Op, particularly the area called Disney Centerpiece, is the greatest place ever.
They have some really cool attractions-themed items that are just so perfect.

Next I went into World of Disney and I bought this EVEN MORE PERFECT attractions poster set!!!

This is a set of 12 full-sized attraction posters for just $19.95!!
I was so excited to find these, and even more excited by how cheap they were!

I left World of Disney and admired the legos, of course.

Downtown Disney was under a lot of construction being transformed into Disney Springs.

The Marketplace was fine, but when I decided to venture towards the West Side it was all a bit of a shambles!
I completely lost my bearings a few times!

I’d like to do Characters in Flight one day! My friends and I did the one in Disneyland Paris (Panoramagique) last Christmas and it was so cool!

I finally found myself at the West Side, but on the walk I’d realised that the sun was absolutely SCORCHING today. It was definitely the hottest day of the trip. I’m always surprised at how, as a pale British girl, I can handle the Florida heat very well, but THIS was rather uncomfortable.

I went into D Street to cool down a bit, and discovered what a great shop it is!
They have LOADS of Vinylmation, as well as some cool quirky Disney clothes and Marvel merchandise.

Super cool!

I restrained myself from making any impulse purchases though

I had a little look through the rest of the West Side, but it was so so hot, I eventually made my way back up to the Marketplace to get the bus back to the hotel.

The construction was so noticeable, they really didn’t make much effort to hide it

Before I got to the bus stop, I decided to stop at Earl of Sandwich to take a couple of sandwiches back to the hotel for us.
But the line was ginormous, and the air conditioning was basically non-existent, so I just left.
Going in there and smelling the deliciousness, then walking away with nothing was torturous.

I was sad.

I LOVE Earl of Sandwich.

I got to the bus stop, and instead of forming a line, everyone was huddled under the shelters trying to get some shade!

Ironically, all of the radiating body heat cramped in together made it even more horrendous in the shade!

I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel and go for a swim!
Thankfully the bus wasn’t too long, and the air conditioning was SO good.

I got back to the Grand Floridian a little after 2pm, and went to get Jamie and I a sandwich to share from Gasparilla.
They were out of our favourite turkey sandwich, so I got us ham and swiss, which was still pretty good.

After eating, we both headed down to the pool, which was so nice!! It’s a zero-entry pool with little fountains coming out of the water.

The sunbeds were also completely cushioned!

It’s very relaxing.

We sat in the shallow waters, and I told Jamie I wasn’t going to swim properly because I just washed my hair this morning, and didn’t want to have to do it again before dinner.

Well about 5 minutes passed, and BOOM.
You guessed it.
Niagara Falls–style rain.

You know, the type I’ve described before in this trip report. The type of storm that go form 0 to full throttle in 0.2 seconds.



We bolted to grab our things, and RAN back to the Big Pine Key building. Thankfully, in the midst of the panic and chaos, I’d managed to quickly wrap my hair up in a towel. Crisis averted!

Anyway, regardless of the rain, we still managed to enjoy the rest of our afternoon, watching Dog With A Blog on the Disney Channel (ie. the best show ever. I’d never seen it before, but my dog is also called Stan/Stanley, so I instantly loved it.)

Soon enough, it was time for our 6:20pm reservation at Citricos!

We got dressed up a little bit, I wore a slouchy black dress, and Jamie wore a checked shirt, but the restaurant was actually much more relaxed than I thought it would be.

I loved Citricos as soon as we walked in. It’s a really nice restaurant; all of the tables are decorated with little flowers! There was a relaxed atmosphere, and you have PLENTY of space!

I don’t like when restaurants cramp you in as close together as possible…

(*cough* Le Cellier *cough*)

Look at all this room for activities!

(@HomeSweetDisney, that one’s for you )

I don’t remember the name of our server, but he was great! We had excellent service.

Jamie ordered some Orlando brewed blondie beer, which he really liked.

For our meal we both got the Oak-grilled Beef Filet, which came with cheese potatoes, peppadew pepper, caramelized onions and cabernet reduction.

It was SO good.

Yum and wow.

If I had to make one very small criticism, it would be that they were a little overdone based on our requests; mine was more medium than medium-rare, and Jamie’s was more medium-rare than rare, but we aren’t picky about that sort of thing and we still agreed that it was excellent!

(We actually noticed that every time Jamie ordered his meat ‘rare’ in Florida, the wait staff would give him a funny look… Not in a rude way, just a kind of smile, like, “this guy is brave” or something? Is it weird to order your steak rare in America?!)

Of course, we ordered dessert too!

I would make a reservation at Citricos JUST for the dessert alone.
And even if I wasn’t hungry, I’d order one anyway, just to marvel at the incredible presentation!

Jamie had the Tiramisu…

He looooved it.

And I got…

(Drumroll)

The Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte….

YUM

AND

WOW.

And yes, that is a chocolate crown STOOD UP on my plate.

This dessert was so amazing, and so pretty.

It was like warm, rich chocolate pie, with pieces of banana all the way through it.

Wow.

This was a strong contender for the best Disney dessert of the year.

But it was very rich, and after a big main meal, I just couldn’t finish it.

Since I can eat myself into oblivion with Ohana’s bread pudding, I’m going to crown that one this years winner..!

But Citricos’ chocolate-banana torte is definitely a respectable runner up.

Bravo to both contenders.



We were so so happy with Citricos, I would recommend it to everyone! Overall, this is one of my absolute favourite dining experiences at Walt Disney World .

We left the restaurant at 7:30pm and had a look in some of the stores in the main building. In M. Mouse Mercantile I bought Minnie Poppins to go with my Mickey Bert I’d bought from the Beach Club!

Aren’t they the most precious pair you’ve ever seen in your life?!
In their Jolly Holiday outfits too, these are just the most perfect souvenirs for me!

I also bought a Grand Floridian pin, which is cute.

We went back to the room to allow our food to settle a bit.
The turndown service excited me every day.

I kept all of these chocolates! They’re in a little jar in my house.

When my friends come over they’re like “Oooh, chocolates!” and I’m like “Errrm, NO! Here eat these cheap, tacky chocolates instead.”



I also brought some of these cards home, which are sitting next to my bed

We hung out in the room for about 45 minutes, got changed into some comfier clothes, and headed back out at 8:30pm to play in the Magic Kingdom until 1am!!!

Click for Day 12, Part 2!​

​

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 12
(September 13th 2014)
Make a wish and hold on tight, there's magic in the air tonight.
Part 2 – Celebrate a world filled with magic

Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours until 1am!

YAY!

I love staying up late in the parks.

We arrived at around 8:45pm and it was quite busy, which was very surprising after the last 12 days!

We later found out that a few schools were on break this week, meaning the crowds were picking up!
This made it a little easier to face going home, I guess.

We didn’t have any fastpasses to use (I’d made morning fastpasses at Animal Kingdom but we went there yesterday instead, and I hadn’t gotten around to changing them.)

So we went wherever the wind took us!

…Which unfortunately, was Stitches Great Escape.



Yes yes, I know.

But you have to do it once I suppose.
And Jamie had never done it before!

I remember this being absolutely HORRIFYING when it was Alien Encounter!!!
Why on earth did that abomination exist in the Magic Kingdom?!?!
But at least Alien Encounter was cool, and (as an adult) probably very exciting!
Stitch is just BAD.
I do think the animatronic Stitch in the centre of the room is cool!!
But the experience in general is bad, and we wont be in any rush to do it again this year!
God forbid I have to smell that awful belch smell again

Next up, we both had our first experience at the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor!!!

This gets mixed reviews, but in my opinion, it’s a hidden gem!

We laughed so hard, and neither of us even got chosen on the big screen!

Our experience was particularly hilarious because TWO different groups chosen on the screen were completely blank and unresponsive, I don’t think they had a clue what was going on!

The first was a kid who had obviously done the Pirates League, and he had HUGE painted on eyebrows (but no other pirate features.. kinda made it even funnier).

When the monster was teasing him, this kid was completely stone faced, just staring right ahead with his giant caterpillar eyebrows

The monster then bantered with a few other people, then moved to these two Japanese people, who were wearing surgical masks over their nose/mouth (I think this is a common germ thing in Japan).

The monster starts teasing them about how they must be doctors, and once again, these people were CLUELESS.

They were just staring into space.

The rest of the audience thought it was HILARIOUS. Like, they were just picking the most awkward groups

The monster was like,

“Are your patients freaked out when you stare at them like that without speaking?”



It was SO funny!
I was cracking up.

I can’t wait to go again this year, and I hope one of us gets chosen!
The best-case scenario would be Jamie on the big screen with the caption,
“Feels the urge to get up and dance”



We left the Laugh Floor and headed over to Buzz, of course!
We rode it twice and Jamie got his Galactic Hero status!

Yay.

Since it was pretty busy, we went in search of some fastpass kiosks to see if Space Mountain had any availability.

But there was NOTHING good left. So we got fastpasses for the Barnstormer!!!
We’ve never done it before (at least not since I was very little), so we thought it would be fun.
There was literally nobody in line, and we ended up having the entire train to ourselves!

We both got into the front row of the train, and the seats were SO tiny?!?! We were mashed in!

But we weren’t in pain for too long, because this ride is approximately 30 seconds long.
(…For real.)

But we enjoyed it regardless!

When we got off the Barnstormer it was around 10:30pm, and Celebrate the Magic was about to start!

So we went to check it out.

I hadn’t really given Celebrate the Magic a chance yet this trip because it would be disrespectful to The Magic, The Memories and You.

I’m not very receptive to when Disney changes out things that I love…

(I’m also looking at you, Move It, Shake It “Dance and Play” It… )

But I’m so glad we stopped to watch Celebrate the Magic tonight!
It was amazing!

This ending brought a tear to my eye!

And that final “CELEBRAAAATE THE MAAAAGIIIIIIC!” right before the fireworks gives me chills!

We both really enjoyed this! But I probably enjoyed it more than Jamie. He prefers the parades to the castle/firework shows.

He asked me about when Walt says, “it was all started by a mouse,” and he said,
“But what about Oswald?!”
And from that moment on, Jamie has been an Oswald sympathiser.
He literally feels sorry for him, as if Walt and Mickey are leaving him out of their friendship group or something

Anyway, we stuck around to watch the 11pm Electrical Parade, yay!

We had a good spot right on the curb so we just stayed there. Jamie sat down while I stood behind a bin, where I wouldn’t be blocking anyone’s view.

While we were waiting I blinded Jamie with my camera flash.

Here we go!

(I won’t include too many photos, as I already posted a MSEP update – see Day 3, Part 4).

I showed this to my friend as soon as I got home, because she looks JUST like Cinderella in this picture!!!

And these next two photos caught a hilarious moment.

It might not be too clear, but Drizella did a HUGE high-kick (you can see her foot above her head in the first photo), then brought her foot down onto Prince Charming’s shoulder (second picture)!

It was perfect!

The Dwarf’s jewels are my favourite

Perfect!

Click for Day 12, Part 3!
​

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 12
(September 13th 2014)
Make a wish and hold on tight, there's magic in the air tonight.
Part 3 – I am Marilyn Monroe.

The Electrical Parade finished at around 11:30pm, and thankfully the park had really quietened down.

I asked Jamie what he wanted to do…

And of course, he wanted to play Buzz again!

We stopped on the way to get this super cute photopass picture.
I’m happy with how tanned I look! Especially because Jamie is part Indian and tans REALLY well.
So I’m glad our tans evened out in the end

We rode Buzz another THREE times.
Seriously guys, we have a problem.
Well, Jamie has a problem.

On the third time, the ride temporarily stopped in a place where I could hit one of the good targets, but Jamie couldn’t…

He was not impressed…

As we exited the ride, I hopped into the cage with Zurg and gave the bars a quick rattle before breaking free.

Jamie was obviously feeling VERY competitive with me. He hates when I beat him!

So, you know, if I can get in the cage, he has to try too…

“I’ve just hit the gym”



No, he had not just hit the gym.

Being extra bulky from a gym session was NOT the reason he couldn’t get through the bars.



Literally the only reason he wanted to do it was because I did it.
He’s an actual infant.

Once we’d got tired of Buzz, we went to ride Space Mountain.
I was having my own little party in the back of the rocket

Space felt extra rickety today!
We were thrown about pretty hard.

And what better way to counter-balance these effects?
Thunder Mountain, of course.

We were crossing over the hub at around 12:30am, when we saw…

THE KISS GOODNIGHT!

I’d never seen it before, and it was beautiful!
It gave me goosebumps.

After we watched the Kiss Goodnight we continued to Frontierland and rode Big Thunder!

Here’s some terrible photography of the ride, with the castle on the right.

I don’t know why, but outdoor rides are SO much better in the dark

After Big Thunder it was about 12:50am, and the park was due to close at 1am.
So we headed out of the park.

JUST KIDDING.

We wanted to be in the park as late as possible, so we power walked over to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and joined the 45 minute line, just before they closed it!

Sneakyyy.

The outdoor portion of the queue has giant fans along the way, and as I was walking by, the blowing air got caught underneath my skirt and lifted it right up!!!

FACEPALM!

I’m so glad I got to laugh it off with the people behind me!
It made it much less embarrassing.
And they insisted it didn’t fly RIGHT up!

I was like,

“I was just doing Marilyn Monroe, she’s classy right?!”

We’d done the Mine Train with a fastpass on our first day at Magic Kingdom, so this was our first time experiencing the interactive queue, which was fun!

Look at that random woman to the right of the sign, smiling at the camera..!

We got right through the line in about 25 minutes .

And for some reason, this ride through was A LOT more fun than the first time we’d done it.
First of all, we were on the front row, YAY.

But best of all, everyone on our train was REALLY into it!

I took this video, and you can hear everyone clapping (and you can kind of see Jamie clapping at one point!)

Then, when Doc says “HEIGH HOOO!”

You can hear everyone on the train say

“HEIGH HOOO!”

Right back at him

Ahhh watching this video puts a smile on my face!

(Also, only people familiar with the Teletubbies will recognise the noise Jamie is making as we’re about to go over the hill at the end )

Such a great ride experience!

We exited at just after 1:15am, and this time we actually did make our way out of the park.

But not before taking a series of awful night shots.

I’m on stage!

“Join the party! A castle party!”

​

Leaving the Magic Kingdom at 1:25am. We're such party animals.

There were no monorails running apparently, so we got a nice relaxing boat ride back to the hotel.

We landed back at the Grand at around 1:40am.

We were exhausted!

I took a couple of pictures of the pool area because it’s so nice when it’s lit up at night time

We were super happy with our evening at Magic Kingdom.
We had a lot of fun!

We got ready for bed and fell asleep by 2am.

Which was utterly ridiculous of us, because we had to be up at 7am for an early breakfast… Back at the Magic Kingdom!

*End of Day 12*

Click for Day 13, Part 1!​

​

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Hahah this is so happening There must be somewhere that sells giant cut-outs of the his entire fish-gutting self - that I can hide in the shower

Now that's just mean

However, today it was really starting to sink in that we were nearing the end of our trip! It was Saturday 13th September, and we were leaving on Tuesday 16th!

I'm not ready for it to be over!

So I HAD to do SOMETHING.
I decided to head to Downtown Disney!

Always a good plan

He was from Texas, and he was on the college program!

Texas! Yay! But you know I'm your favorite podna (that's me saying partner with a southern accent) from Texas

Right now it’s just kinda on top of my mirror propped up against my wall. This was impulse buying at its finest.

You could serve gutted fish on it

This is a set of 12 full-sized attraction posters for just $19.95!!
I was so excited to find these, and even more excited by how cheap they were!

I WANT!! That's an awesome souvenir!! I hope they still have it when I go!

Well about 5 minutes passed, and BOOM.
You guessed it.
Niagara Falls–style rain.

This is Jamie rowing you guys back to your room:

So beautiful!!!

Look at all this room for activities!

(@HomeSweetDisney, that one’s for you )

You could TOTALLY fit a bunk bed in there!

Look at Jamie looking so dapper!! And he has an awesome head of hair!

Another gorgeous photo of my British sister from another mister

Ummmm that looks AMAZING. I can't think of a better combination that chocolate & bananas except maybe chocolate and PB! Yum & wow indeed!

We left the restaurant at 7:30pm and had a look in some of the stores in the main building. In M. Mouse Mercantile I bought Minnie Poppins to go with my Mickey Bert I’d bought from the Beach Club!

Aren’t they the most precious pair you’ve ever seen in your life?!
In their Jolly Holiday outfits too, these are just the most perfect souvenirs for me!

I love them!!! So perfect They look so lovely in their Jolly Holiday outfits!

When my friends come over they’re like “Oooh, chocolates!” and I’m like “Errrm, NO! Here eat these cheap, tacky chocolates instead.”

Such a kind friend you are! Just kidding, I'd totally be the same way

So we went wherever the wind took us!

…Which unfortunately, was Stitches Great Escape.



Yes yes, I know.

But you have to do it once I suppose.
And Jamie had never done it before!

Oh my god. Jacob LOVES. THAT. RIDE. LOVES. AFter he got off it the first time he was all "again!" and I was all:

Whyyyyy me?

The monster starts teasing them about how they must be doctors, and once again, these people were CLUELESS.

They were just staring into space.

The rest of the audience thought it was HILARIOUS. Like, they were just picking the most awkward groups

The monster was like,

“Are your patients freaked out when you stare at them like that without speaking?”



It was SO funny!
I was cracking up.

This entire exchange cracked me up and I wasn't even there

I can’t wait to go again this year, and I hope one of us gets chosen!
The best-case scenario would be Jamie on the big screen with the caption,
“Feels the urge to get up and dance”

And you have to record it and immediately share it with us because we all need to see Jamie bust a move! Preferably like this:

"I have a dream! I have a dream! I just want to see the floating lanterns gleeeeeam!" I love Tangled so much

He asked me about when Walt says, “it was all started by a mouse,” and he said,
“But what about Oswald?!”
And from that moment on, Jamie has been an Oswald sympathiser.
He literally feels sorry for him, as if Walt and Mickey are leaving him out of their friendship group or something

He makes a valid point! I never thought of that before...poor Oswald

He always looks so blissfully happy/goofy Or maybe you just always catch him making funny/goofy faces

WHY ARE HIS EYES SO DARK AND SOULLESS??? This is legitimately scary to me. Why wouldn't they give him lit up eyes?? He looks like he's going to take someone down to the mine and kill them

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I commented way too quickly! You weren't done! hahaha

Love this! You both look awesome!

“I’ve just hit the gym”



No, he had not just hit the gym.

Being extra bulky from a gym session was NOT the reason he couldn’t get through the bars.



Literally the only reason he wanted to do it was because I did it.
He’s an actual infant.

Classic Jamie He's too funny! Ya'll must have the best time together

You look drunk!

The outdoor portion of the queue has giant fans along the way, and as I was walking by, the blowing air got caught underneath my skirt and lifted it right up!!!

FACEPALM!

I’m so glad I got to laugh it off with the people behind me!
It made it much less embarrassing.
And they insisted it didn’t fly RIGHT up!

I was like,

“I was just doing Marilyn Monroe, she’s classy right?!”

Keeping it classy! Love it!

I've said it before and I'll say it again...You are a beautiful, noble, poetic land mermaid and we should be best friends forever and ever. Oh wait...I haven't said that before? Don't mind me then

Which was utterly ridiculous of us, because we had to be up at 7am for an early breakfast… Back at the Magic Kingdom!

DUN DUN DUN....can't wait!

 

[pookersmom]

Closing down the park -- that's some next level impressive stuff. My husband and I are planning our next trip for next June and we have convinced ourselves that we will be able to stay out late in the parks with our teenage son. And yet... tomorrow is a Friday night and we will be in bed by, like, 10pm. So... we'll see.

 

[dancingtodisney]

However, today it was really starting to sink in that we were nearing the end of our trip! It was Saturday 13th September, and we were leaving on Tuesday 16th!



So I HAD to do SOMETHING.
I decided to head to Downtown Disney!​

​

Eh Oh

Yah for more updates!

Oh I get that panicky I’m leaving Disney soon I have to do ALL THE THINGS and can’t ‘waste’ time relaxing evening if I’ve a super late night planned.​

I arrived at Downtown Disney sometime after 12, and my first stop was the Marketplace Co Op, aka, the best store ever.

I bought a super cute Splash Mountain PLATE, I love it so much.

That’s a cool plate! I don’t think I’ve fully explore the Market Place Co Op so that’ll be a must for January!

Soon enough, it was time for our 6:20pm reservation at Citricos!

(Drumroll)

The Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte….

YUM

AND

WOW.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo you’ve done it to me again!! I don’t have a reservation at Citricos for this trip and now I WANT ONE! There are just too many places to go to and never enough days! I’m glad Ohana desert wins, I feel better now that I have that reservation.

In M. Mouse Mercantile I bought Minnie Poppins to go with my Mickey Bert I’d bought from the Beach Club!

Aren’t they the most precious pair you’ve ever seen in your life?!

OMG… they are just too cute!!!

I remember this being absolutely HORRIFYING when it was Alien Encounter!!!
Why on earth did that abomination exist in the Magic Kingdom?!?! ​

​

Alien Encounter was so SCARY! I remember I had to ride it twice because my sister Rachel was too small so I had to go once with Dad and again with Mam and it was proper scary…

Next up, we both had our first experience at the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor!!!

This gets mixed reviews, but in my opinion, it’s a hidden gem!

I love the laughter lounge, I always enjoy it and your one sounds a right gem! They really do know how to pick the participators haha

But there was NOTHING good left. So we got fastpasses for the Barnstormer!!!

We’ve never done it before (at least not since I was very little), so we thought it would be fun.

​

Seriously how SHORT is this ride?!? I’ve seen the queue up at 40mins plus! Can you imagine waiting for 40mins for such a short ride?! It’s actually fun though I enjoyed it, I’m sure it’s a new ride so I don’t think you would have been on it before but maybe I’m wrong!

But I’m so glad we stopped to watch Celebrate the Magic tonight!
It was amazing!

​

Celebrate the magic is such a good show, it’s so clever and I’m always just fixated watching it!

“I’ve just hit the gym”

​

​

Hahaha that video is soooo funny! I just had a right giggle at my desk… I’ve just hit the gym…

I was having my own little party in the back of the rocket

Space felt extra rickety today!
We were thrown about pretty hard.

​

I’m still obsessed with this bag!! Although I did see a Dopey version online which is quite appropriate for my next trip! It’s funny how Space Mountain seems to vary in speed and rickideness! I swear on our last visit for the final few times we rode it we were barely thrown about the place and it seemed to be going quite slow and then other times we’re bouncing up out of our seats!

THIS KISS GOODNIGHT!
I’d never seen it before, and it was beautiful!
It gave me goosebumps.

​

Oooh I’ve never seen it either! In the video it looks really pretty!

I don’t know why, but outdoor rides are SO much better in the dark

SO MUCH BETTER at night! Especially BTM seeing the castle all lit up too!

But best of all, everyone on our train was REALLY into it!

I took this video, and you can hear everyone clapping (and you can kind of see Jamie clapping at one point!)

Then, when Doc says “HEIGH HOOO!”

You can hear everyone on the train say

“HEIGH HOOO!”

Aaaaaw that video!!! Just brought back memories of our first ride! It's definitely a good one for night time!

Nice photo!

Which was utterly ridiculous of us, because we had to be up at 7am for an early breakfast… Back at the Magic Kingdom!

Haha exactly what we did too! So many similarities! ​

 

[BibbitybobityLu]

However, today it was really starting to sink in that we were nearing the end of our trip! It was Saturday 13th September, and we were leaving on Tuesday 16th!

There was some football on that Jamie wanted to watch, so I left him in the room and departed at around 11:30am.

Good choice

s I walked from Big Pine Key to the main building, I saw a couple having wedding pictures taken… What an absolute DREAM!!!

Even if I don't get to have a Disney wedding I'm taking wedding photos there anyway! Even if I'm on my own!

Love this!

My Christmas pickle from the Germany pavilion is also hanging off one of those fairy lights on my mirror. And yes, it’s there 365 days a year. Because, you know, as the saying goes, a pickle is for life, not just for Christmas.

I say that AT LEAST once a day!

The Marketplace was fine, but when I decided to venture towards the West Side it was all a bit of a shambles!
I completely lost my bearings a few times!

Holy moly! That's a lot of construction! I'm sure it will be worth it in the end!

I finally found myself at the West Side, but on the walk I’d realised that the sun was absolutely SCORCHING today. It was definitely the hottest day of the trip. I’m always surprised at how, as a pale British girl, I can handle the Florida heat very well, but THIS was rather uncomfortable.

It's hard for us pale British girls as we don't have that magical thing called the sun here!

I LOVE Earl of Sandwich.

I haven't ever been to Earl of Sandwich! Man I am epic failing on Disney food right now!

I got to the bus stop, and instead of forming a line, everyone was huddled under the shelters trying to get some shade!

Ironically, all of the radiating body heat cramped in together made it even more horrendous in the shade!

Yum and wow that sounds nice

Anyway, regardless of the rain, we still managed to enjoy the rest of our afternoon, watching Dog With A Blog on the Disney Channel (ie. the best show ever. I’d never seen it before, but my dog is also called Stan/Stanley, so I instantly loved it.)

I've see that! A TV show with a talking dog?! Erm...sign me up!

You look gorgeous!

For our meal we both got the Oak-grilled Beef Filet, which came with cheese potatoes, peppadew pepper, caramelized onions and cabernet reduction.

YUM AND WOW! Great now I'm hungry! Thanks Katie!

If I had to make one very small criticism, it would be that they were a little overdone based on our requests; mine was more medium than medium-rare, and Jamie’s was more medium-rare than rare, but we aren’t picky about that sort of thing and we still agreed that it was excellent!

(We actually noticed that every time Jamie ordered his meat ‘rare’ in Florida, the wait staff would give him a funny look… Not in a rude way, just a kind of smile, like, “this guy is brave” or something? Is it weird to order your steak rare in America?!)

That's weird because when I was in New York we went to this steak restaurant and they refused to cook the steaks more than medium rare! Like they straight up refused to cook a guy's steak well done! The waiter looked at him like he was a moron!

I only eat steak rare so I order mine blue and it usually comes out rare.

Of course, we ordered dessert too!

Aren’t they the most precious pair you’ve ever seen in your life?!
In their Jolly Holiday outfits too, these are just the most perfect souvenirs for me!

Those are adorable!

We went back to the room to allow our food to settle a bit.
The turndown service excited me every day.

See why cant they come to my house and do this for me every night??

I kept all of these chocolates! They’re in a little jar in my house.

When my friends come over they’re like “Oooh, chocolates!” and I’m like “Errrm, NO! Here eat these cheap, tacky chocolates instead.”

I understand and support this 100%

Next up, we both had our first experience at the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor!!!

This gets mixed reviews, but in my opinion, it’s a hidden gem!

I love the Laugh Floor! It is my favourite Tomorrowland attraction

Our experience was particularly hilarious because TWO different groups chosen on the screen were completely blank and unresponsive, I don’t think they had a clue what was going on!

The first was a kid who had obviously done the Pirates League, and he had HUGE painted on eyebrows (but no other pirate features.. kinda made it even funnier).

When the monster was teasing him, this kid was completely stone faced, just staring right ahead with his giant caterpillar eyebrows

The monster then bantered with a few other people, then moved to these two Japanese people, who were wearing surgical masks over their nose/mouth (I think this is a common germ thing in Japan).

The monster starts teasing them about how they must be doctors, and once again, these people were CLUELESS.

They were just staring into space.

The rest of the audience thought it was HILARIOUS. Like, they were just picking the most awkward groups

The monster was like,

“Are your patients freaked out when you stare at them like that without speaking?”



It was SO funny!
I was cracking up.

It makes it better when people are terrible!

He asked me about when Walt says, “it was all started by a mouse,” and he said,
“But what about Oswald?!”
And from that moment on, Jamie has been an Oswald sympathiser.
He literally feels sorry for him, as if Walt and Mickey are leaving him out of their friendship group or something

Aww poor Oswald! Walt and Mickey be all like:

While we were waiting I blinded Jamie with my camera flash.

He looks so happy!....and now blind!

It might not be too clear, but Drizella did a HUGE high-kick (as seen in the first picture), then brought her foot down onto Prince Charming’s shoulder (second picture)!

It was perfect!

Is that Fishy Gutting Boy's father??

So I’m glad our tans evened out in the end

Such a cute picture!

I always worry about getting a tan on holiday! I always worry I'm just going to stay pale forever!

So, you know, if I can get in the cage, he has to try too…



“I’ve just hit the gym”



No, he had not just hit the gym.

Being extra bulky from a gym session was NOT the reason he couldn’t get through the bars.



Literally the only reason he wanted to do it was because I did it.
He’s an actual infant.

Look at that random woman to the right of the sign, smiling at the camera..!

Good job lady

 

[DisneyJo]

What a fabulous evening

 

[jandlinz]

Great update. Your dinner looks too good to eat! Yum! Are you eating there again on your next trip? The castle picture with you two is darling! Your 7 Dwarf ride looks like fun. I bet it was fun to close the park and get those nice nighttime pictures.

 

[elcmum]

I know I'm not the first person to say this, but I'm loving your TR. Only on page 25 and I'm already sad about it coming to an end! (Any Arrested Development gifs are also very much appreciated; my son is never-nude, just like Tobias.)

 

[disneyguy4life]

I don’t like when restaurants cramp you in as close together as possible…

(*cough* Le Cellier *cough*)

OH YEAH!!! I couldn't stand it. I felt like I had to whisper to my wife in order to have any kind of private conversation. I get that its popular but dang it, I am not having dinner with the dude next to me. LOL!

 

[DVC Judith]

I know that I am arriving late to the party but I am loving this trip report so far! Can't wait to read the rest

 

[NJlauren]

Such a fun day! I really love reading along and cant wait to hear the rest! Also hoping a 2015 TR coming in a few short weeks!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Your night photos look stunning! I can just imagine the energy you felt on the Mine Train. So fun. Can't wait until we can enjoy the nights in Disney like that again - my kids get super grumpy after hours for now.

 

[beckyx3]

a pickle is for life, not just for Christmas.

THAT is a great motto.

Another super cute outfit!

YUM

AND

WOW.

Is this what love at first sight feels like?

Aren’t they the most precious pair you’ve ever seen in your life?!
In their Jolly Holiday outfits too, these are just the most perfect souvenirs for me!

I also bought a Grand Floridian pin, which is cute.

They are so freaking cute! Mary Poppins is definitely one of my favorite movies. Bert and Mary are both just practically perfect in every way!

…Which unfortunately, was Stitches Great Escape.



Yes yes, I know.

But you have to do it once I suppose.
And Jamie had never done it before!

Confession: I've never been on it either! OR Alien Encounter! My mom and sisters LOVED Alien Encounter and I was terrified. So my dad and I just rode around on the People Mover until they were done. Some of my favorite memories

I took a couple of pictures of the pool area because it’s so nice when it’s lit up at night time

Everything at night is so perfect in Disney. It's definitely one of my favorite times around the whole resort.

ALSO! I've noticed you and some other Disers who follow you are Tom Hiddleston fans? Can I join your club?

 

[pkondz]

(Warning: word-heavy update!)

(Warning: Non-sensical word-heavy comments)

Day 12! Holy moly.

I love a good holy moly!
But not a holey moldy, which is an old donut.

We woke up late again after getting to sleep late last night.

What??? Sacrilege!!! Rope drop must be attempted EVERY SINGLE DAY!

The only plans we had today were dinner at Citricos followed by Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom!

Actually, sounds like a pretty good plan.

However, today it was really starting to sink in that we were nearing the end of our trip! It was Saturday 13th September, and we were leaving on Tuesday 16th!

This kills me. You're upset that you only have four days left... my trips are usually 4 days in total!

So I HAD to do SOMETHING.

Don't waste Disney time doing non-Disney things! Go! Go! Go!

There was some football on that Jamie wanted to watch,

For us North American readers, she means Jamie watched soccer.
Here's a handy chart for future reference.

http://www.businessinsider.com/football-vs-soccer-map-2013-12

(Whilst nothing beats touring Disney with family/friends, I’m more than happy to do things by myself. I mean HELLO. WE'RE IN DISNEY.)

As I walked from Big Pine Key to the main building, I saw a couple having wedding pictures taken… What an absolute DREAM!!!

Note to self... and anyone else.
If you're in Disney and think you might be dreaming...
Do NOT under any circumstances, pinch yourself!
(Unless you're about to be eaten by a rabid Pluto or zombie princess.... well, maybe not even then.)

NOT eat off it, that’s for sure. (Are you CRAZY?!)

Yes.

Sorry, was that a rhetorical question?

This was impulse buying at its finest.

Finest kind.

Because, you know, as the saying goes, a pickle is for life, not just for Christmas.

I have three comments here.
1. I love pickles, so pickles anytime is a good thing.
2. Oddly enough, the Christmas pickle seems to have originated in the States, but everyone thinks it started in Germany.
No one I know in Germany has ever heard of it.
3. You're weird. I think that's why I like you.

Next I went into World of Disney and I bought this EVEN MORE PERFECT attractions poster set!!!

I like it!

I left World of Disney and admired the legos, of course.

It's a rule. Punishable by forcing you to walk through a room littered with Legos... in your bare feet.

The Marketplace was fine, but when I decided to venture towards the West Side it was all a bit of a shambles!

Wow. What a mess. Hope it'll all be worth it when it's done.

I’d like to do Characters in Flight one day! My friends and I did the one in Disneyland Paris (Panoramagique) last Christmas and it was so cool!

That's one thing that I have zero interest in doing.
I guess it's possibly because I've done a hot air balloon ride already... untethered that is.

I’m always surprised at how, as a pale British girl, I can handle the Florida heat very well, but THIS was rather uncomfortable.

Just out of curiosity, do you know what the temperatures were like when you guys were there?

I restrained myself from making any impulse purchases though

Don't do it! Don't restrain yourself! Buy! Buy!

Oh... wait... if you do that, will Jamie be like, "Bye, bye"?

The construction was so noticeable, they really didn’t make much effort to hide it

That seems really weird for Disney, doesn't it?

Going in there and smelling the deliciousness, then walking away with nothing was torturous.

I don't know how you did it, to be honest.

I was sad.

Poor Katie.

I LOVE Earl of Sandwich.

I must join the ranks of those who've never been.
Someday.... someday...

Ironically, all of the radiating body heat cramped in together made it even more horrendous in the shade!

There's a word for that!
It's "yuck".

The sunbeds were also completely cushioned!

Nice! Living in the lap of luxury, weren't you?

We sat in the shallow waters, and I told Jamie I wasn’t going to swim properly

"wasn't going to swim properly"
I have this vision of you in the water wildly flailing your arms and legs about while calling out (over and over) "I'm not swimming properly!"

We bolted to grab our things, and RAN back to the Big Pine Key building. Thankfully, in the midst of the panic and chaos, I’d managed to quickly wrap my hair up in a towel. Crisis averted!

Thank goodness! What a narrow escape! If you hadn't thought quickly, there's no way you could have recovered!




Unless of course your room has a hair dryer.... but now I'm just being silly.

I wore a slouchy black dress,

1. Thanks for the photo, otherwise I would've had no idea what a "slouchy black dress" was.
2. You both clean up real nice.

I don’t like when restaurants cramp you in as close together as possible…

There was a restaurant that was supposedly the "best in town". I took my then girlfriend.
It was expensive. The portions were tiny.
And the absolute worst part?
The tables were so close together that when the waiter took the next table's order, he (and I swear I'm not making this up) rested his bum on our table.

Needless to say, I never went back.

(*cough* Le Cellier *cough*)

I hear you. But when I went in February, it was pretty much empty so I didn't really notice the table proximity.

For our meal we both got the Oak-grilled Beef Filet, which came with cheese potatoes, peppadew pepper, caramelized onions and cabernet reduction.

Man that looks good.

Want.

(We actually noticed that every time Jamie ordered his meat ‘rare’ in Florida, the wait staff would give him a funny look… Not in a rude way, just a kind of smile, like, “this guy is brave” or something? Is it weird to order your steak rare in America?!)

I get it.
Kay likes her steaks rare and since she's only 14, the waiters always... always! ask her if she knows what rare means.
Drives her nuts.
And several times she's sent her steak back for being over cooked.

I have a sneaking suspicion that when a lot of people order their steaks "rare" and get them rare, they send them back for being "too rare"

Jamie had the Tiramisu…

Beautiful presentation.

And yes, that is a chocolate crown STOOD UP on my plate.

Cool! I should try doing that next time we have guests.

Since I can eat myself into oblivion with Ohana’s bread pudding, I’m going to crown that one this years winner..!

Okay. I guess that's a good yardstick.

The turndown service excited me every day.

I would feel the same.
Oddly though, they don't have that service in the Values.

I kept all of these chocolates! They’re in a little jar in my house.

There's no way I could not eat those.


No. Way.

When my friends come over they’re like “Oooh, chocolates!” and I’m like “Errrm, NO! Here eat these cheap, tacky chocolates instead.”

Note to self. If I ever visit Katie, bring own chocolate.
Share if she's particularly nice, or adept at begging.

I love staying up late in the parks.

I love it when the crowd thins out.

This made it a little easier to face going home, I guess.

I'm going to guess that no, no it didn't.

So we went wherever the wind took us!

…Which unfortunately, was Stitches Great Escape.

But you have to do it once I suppose.
And Jamie had never done it before!

And now he has. So that leaves just me.
And I have no urge to do it.

Next up, we both had our first experience at the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor!!!

Wasn't that fun?
I had no idea what to expect when I went in February.
I thought it was a hoot!

Our experience was particularly hilarious because TWO different groups chosen on the screen were completely blank and unresponsive, I don’t think they had a clue what was going on!

When the monster was teasing him, this kid was completely stone faced, just staring right ahead with his giant caterpillar eyebrows

(I think this is a common germ thing in Japan).

I believe I read that it's more of a fashion thing than a germ thing now.
Could be wrong about that.

“Are your patients freaked out when you stare at them like that without speaking?”

We left the Laugh Floor and headed over to Buzz, of course!

You guys and Buzz!

It's Ross from Friends!
(Lemme know if you don't get that.)

But we weren’t in pain for too long, because this ride is approximately 30 seconds long.
(…For real.)

But we enjoyed it regardless!

In pain, 30 seconds long... and you enjoyed it?

Beautiful shot!

I’m not very receptive to when Disney changes out things that I love…

Oh? Hadn't noticed.

But I’m so glad we stopped to watch Celebrate the Magic tonight!
It was amazing!

It's really good, isn't it?

He literally feels sorry for him, as if Walt and Mickey are leaving him out of their friendship group or something

While we were waiting I blinded Jamie with my camera flash.

Quick! While he's blinded! You can do more impulse buying!

It might not be too clear, but Drizella did a HUGE high-kick (you can see her foot above her head in the first photo), then brought her foot down onto Prince Charming’s shoulder (second picture)!

That's awesome! Perfect!

The Dwarf’s jewels are my favourite

Uh, oh. Does Jamie know this?

Part 3 – I am Marilyn Monroe.

I believe you.

And of course, he wanted to play Buzz again!

I’m happy with how tanned I look! Especially because Jamie is part Indian and tans REALLY well.
So I’m glad our tans evened out in the end

Did you actively tan by the pool? Or just from being outside in the Florida sun while touring?

We rode Buzz another THREE times.
Seriously guys, we have a problem.
Well, Jamie has a problem.

Yes. Yes you do. Both of you.

And that's why we love you.

He was not impressed…

While Katie thinks, "Too bad, suckah!"

Literally the only reason he wanted to do it was because I did it.
He’s an actual infant.

All boys are like that.


All of them... us... whatever.

I was having my own little party in the back of the rocket

It's the face! It's the Katie on Space Mountain face!

After Big Thunder it was about 12:50am, and the park was due to close at 1am.
So we headed out of the park.

JUST KIDDING.

Oy.

The outdoor portion of the queue has giant fans along the way, and as I was walking by, the blowing air got caught underneath my skirt and lifted it right up!!!

FACEPALM!

Who knew Magic Kingdom turned into an adults only theme park after midnight?

“I was just doing Marilyn Monroe, she’s classy right?!”

OMG. That's the perfect recovery!

We got right through the line in about 25 minutes .

Not bad at all!

Then, when Doc says “HEIGH HOOO!”

You can hear everyone on the train say

“HEIGH HOOO!”

Right back at him

No way!

I took a couple of pictures of the pool area because it’s so nice when it’s lit up at night time

Love night shots of the resorts.

We got ready for bed and fell asleep by 2am.

Which was utterly ridiculous of us, because we had to be up at 7am for an early breakfast… Back at the Magic Kingdom!

Oh, you'll pay for that... wait... you're young.
Meh. You'll bounce right back, won't you?

 

[foodrocksluver]

Chiming in to tell you that (1.) I LOVE your TR and (2.) I am a rare steak eater as well

Recently someone (a hard core vegetarian) told me that eating my steak rare was equal to eating my dog. I don't even know how one responds to something like that