Disfamcay! a May '13 TR! UPDATE 6/12!

[emmawho]

Hello everyone!
I'm Emily, and this is my first trip report! I'm 22 years old, and live in northeast Louisiana.
I love all things disney, my cocker spaniel named Sinatra, photography, gardening, and baking.
I've been reading trip reports like crazy since the beginning of last year when we planned for our race.
But this is my first report. Hopefully I'll get the hang of this, and it won't be my last I'm sure!

(Sinatra obviously doesn't like Mickey ears! How rude!)

What? Disfamcay! Nine family members take on the world!
When? May 17th - 22nd
Where? Port Orleans Riverside!

1.) This is only my third trip to Disney World. I went as a kid in 2000, it was our family and my moms besties family. We stayed off property.
I also went in Sept. 2012 and ran the Tower of Terror 10 miler with my sister. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter,
and thats when I truly fell in love with Disney World.

(May 2000 vs Sept 2012 - not much has changed)

(Courtney and I before our race! She was a bellhop, and I was Jessie!)

2.) My favorites!
Characters - Dumbo, Peter Pan, Jessie, Pinnochio, Dale, and Rapunzel!
Rides - Kilimanjaro Safari, Maelstrom, Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion, and Toy Story Mania

3.) This trip was supposed to be a Christmas surprise. However, i HATE surprises. I peak into every Christmas present, emails, receipts, etc.
I get much more joy out of trying to figure out my gifts, than I do being surprised on Christmas morning. I've been this way since I was about five years old.
Don't worry, I acted surprised Christmas morning! The only person who knew that I knew was my sister Courtney.
Courtney, her husband, Austin, and my mom were surprising me and my brother, Hunter, with a trip to Disney World!

(Christmas morning we both got to open giant bags with balloons in the them with this sign attached to the end. Please ignore our crazy tired faces)

Time to meet the gang!

The ones you'll be hearing about most:

Courtney and Austin!
My sister and brother in law. My favorite couple in the whole world. (Except for Minnie and Mickey, of course)
They are Disney obssesed. They love lady and the tramp, stitch, and star wars.
They planned the whole vacay, and made our reservations for us!

Hunter!
My not so little little brother. He is a physics major, and just finished his first year of college.
He loves Goofy and Woody. He puts up with me wanting to hug him all the time, and I love him for that.

The rest of the gang:

Katie and Matt (my cousin and her husband), Teresa and Melvin (my amazing aunt and uncle), Hunter (brother),
Chandler (cousin), Austin (brother in law), Courtney (sister), Me, and Duffy!
Duffy is an official member of the family.

That's all for now!

Up next: I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!
​

 

[emmawho]

Day 1 Part 1. ) I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

Thursday May 16th-
I took my brother to my sisters house, because he was flying out with them that evening.
They stayed the night at All Star Sports, before the rest of our gang got there the next day. I also picked up my sisters dogs,
so that my mom could watch them while we were gone. Unfortunately she didnt come with us due to having to work! BOO!
I finished packing my bags, loaded the car and tried to get some sleep.

Friday May 17th-
I went to be around 1:30 or 2:00 AM, and had my alarm set for 3:45 AM. Probably not the smartest idea, but I was too excited to sleep!!!
My alarm went off and I jumped straight up and got ready! I grabbed my red bull and was out the door by 4:15.
I stopped at our local Whataburger, and grabbed a cinnamon roll for breakfast before hitting the road. YUM!

I got to the airport around 5:00 AM, breezed through security, and sat around until it was time to board.

]

I posted this on instagram before we started boarding. Im naturally a very paranoid person,
and anytime I see someone leave their luggage I freak out on the inside.
Luckily the guy came back, and got his luggage. Hahaha! We boarded the plane, and were leaving right on time at 6:00 AM.
The flight was tiny, and went well. The person beside me slept, but I was far too excited.

I had a THREE hour layover in Atlanta. UGH! I grabbed an iced coffee from Starbucks, found my gate, and an outlet.
A girl sat next to me after I had been there for about thirty minutes, and told me her life story for about TWO hours.
I don't meet a stranger unfortunately, so I didnt ignore her or walk away. About twenty minutes after she left we started boarding! YAY!
The flight to Orlando went well. The couple beside me was very talkative, I ordered a blue moon, and before I knew it we were landing!
I headed straight down to get on Magical Express! When I walked up two people were in the same line as me, and we boarded immediately.

I texted Courtney to let her know I was on ME, and she said they'd meet me at the resort. It wasnt too long before I saw this

We made a couple stops before we got to Riverside. I went into Riverside Mill, and met up with the whole fam!
They were finishing up lunch. Courtney and I headed to our room so I could put my bags up,
and she could call and have them bring hers. We stayed in a Royal room and I was in LOVE. I wanted to take the headboard home with me.
My only complaint was the walk to the dining hall and store.

Next up: An evening in Epcot!​

 

[DynamicDisney]

Great intro! Subbing! I am not a runner, but the Disney races seem like a good reason to become one!!

 

[Miss Potts]

I'm in!!!

 

[wiigirl]

I'm in!

 

[Donald Duck888]

Looks like you were at Riverside the same time I was there with my daughter. We were there from May 15-20 and were also in a Princess room.

I hope your trip was as enjoyable as ours was.

 

[emmawho]

Day 1 Part 2. ) EPCOT!

After getting our luggage, we walked all the way BACK to the dining hall. We found everyone in the store.
We looked around, my uncle bought a murse, and then we all got on the bus and headed to Epcot! YAY!

(I sent this picture to my mama because she is an exflorist, she still hasnt made me one like it. Slacker.)

I still had to buy my park tickets, so Courtney waited on me while I did that, and everyone else headed to Spaceship Earth!
After I got my ticket we went in the room that you exit into, and waited on everyone. We headed towards Mexico, but not before meeting Duffy!
He is just SO cute. Right before we went up Duffy left to get a cookie, but that's okay! He was back in like two minutes.

This ended up being the only picture of all 9 of us. Sorry for the back of the camera shot!

We then headed to Mexico! We did a quick ride on The Gran Fiesta Tour, featuring three of our favorite friends!
We walked straight onto it, and everyone loved it! Then we got to do what I really came to Mexico for!
MARGARITAS! Courtney had the avocado, Katie had something pineapple, and I had the blood orange!
I love blood orange anything, and the margarita was no exception. YUM!

Next we headed to my personal favorite: NORWAY!

We went straight into the shop and spent a good five minutes inhaling.
OH Laila, how I love thee. I meant to buy a bottle while we were there and didn't.
At this point I hadn't eaten since 4 am, and was feeling pretty light headed. It was probably 4 or 5 pm, and I knew we'd eat dinner soon.
The rest of the gang rode Maelstrom, while I sat outside and snacked on school bread, and people watched. Heaven, I tell you.
Katie, Matt, Aunt Teresa, and Uncle Melvin all headed back to the resort after Maelstrom.

The rest of us continued on!
We stopped in China, and watched Reflections of China. I was feeling pretty tired, so I just laid down while we watched it. After that we headed to Japan!
Everyone else was finally hungry, so we ate at Katsura Grill. I had the Tokyo Sushi combo, and a water. It was good for counter service sushi.

After eating we headed into the store to look around. Hunter immediately found the pokemon shirts, AND they had his favorite.
Then he realized it was a kids shirt and let out the loudest and most genuine "NOOOOOO!". Hunter is NOT one to show emotion, so we cracked up.
I havent laughed that hard in a long time. He still ended up getting it, and some candy too. Courtney may have gotten saki, I dont really remember.

After shopping we found a curb to sit on, and waited for the fireworks to start! Austin set up his tripod,
and all I really cared about was sitting down at this point. OH IllumiNations. I had never seen it before, and I definitely teared up atleast once.
I was SO happy to finally be back in Disney, AND with my favorite people. I am truly blessed with the best family.

After the fireworks we headed to France, and went to Boulangerie Patisserie! YUM!

I had the macaron, and it was PERFECT! Raspberry macaroon, filled with lemon, raspberry jam, and raspberries.
It was sweet and tart. Perfect. Courtney had the chocolate tarte thing, and Austin had the creme brulee. I'm not sure what Hunter and Chandler had though.

After eating our delicious desserts, we went to ride Soarin'!
The wait time was about 25 minutes, but it really didn't seem that long. We all loved Soarin', and the smell, of course!

After that it was time to leave the park, but not before stopping in Mouse Gears! I think Courtney was the only one who bought something. She got a Sulley pillow pet.
We were getting ready to leave the store, and they had some of the doors locked, and were directing people out of the open ones.
This lady in a scooter shouted "I'VE GOT TO TRY THIS!", and went flying full speed at the closed door, even though the cast member told her not to.
She stopped right before she hit it and screamed "OPEN OPEN OPEN!". We all laughed about it the whole way back to the bus, and mentioned it several times later in the trip.

Goodnight, Spaceship Earth! See you later in the week!

We went back to the resort, and got ready for bed. Besides having a killer headache, this was the perfect first day.

Next up: Star Wars Weekend at Hollywood Studios!​

 

[emmawho]

Day 2 part 1.) Star Wars Weekend!

Saturday May 18th-
I woke up with an INSANE migraine, and there was no way I was going to be able to go to the parks right then.
I have chronic migraines, so luckily I had my medicine with me. I took two, drank a giant glass of water, and went back to bed.
Courtney, Austin, Hunter, and Chandler all headed to park opening. Austin is a huge Star Wars fan, so he was really excited!

I ended up waking up at like 10:00. My head still hurt, but I wasnt going to waste the day in bed. I got ready and headed to the store. I got tylenol, a kids luna bar,
and a gatorade, and was on the bus to HS in no time! The bus was pretty much empty, and when I got to HS I could see why.
Everyone was already there! Katie and Matt (cousin and her husband) ended up on the same bus as me, so we headed into the park together.

I texted Courtney and let her know we were there, and we all decided to go ahead and meet up for our ADR at Sci-Fi!
While we were waiting, this cutie walked past us!

Shortly after we all met up, they called our name. We were seated at two different cars, but that's okay.
We started out with the onions rings and fried pickles, both of which were super yummy.
I had the smoked turkey sandwich, and a margarita. We had an awesome waiter from the Caribbean! He kept me laughing.

After lunch, we all went and rode Star Tours! While waiting in line I ran into this guy. Why so serious?
Hunter left before we rode Star Tours to go back to the room and nap.

Courtney and Aunt Teresa went to get us fast passes for Tower of Terror. Austin, Uncle Melvin, and Chandler went and watched Muppet Vision.
Katie, Matt, and I just ended up wondering around. We met up with Courtney and Aunt Teresa and got frozen margaritas while we waited for our fast passes. YUM!

The guys met up with us, and it was time for Tower of Terror! There was a lady on the ride who was FREAKING out, and I couldnt stop laughing at her.
So the whole ride she would scream something, and I would start cracking up.

Next we all headed to ride Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. I dont remember the wait time, but it seemed pretty long.

After that we rode Tower of Terror again, except Katie and Matt. They headed off to do something else.
This was THE best ride on TOT Ive ever had. All of the drops were huge, and there was a creepy mummy thing propped against the wall that none
of us have ever seen before. We all looked at each other like "did you see that?!".
Aunt Teresa, Uncle Melvin, and Chandler all headed back to the resort after our ride on TOT.
Courtney had fastpasses for Toy Story Mania, so her and I rode together while Austin walked around taking pictures.

After TSM, I wanted to see what characters were in The Magic of Disney Animation, so we headed over.
The Incredibles were the first we saw, but none of us cared to meet them. Then we saw Sorcerer Mickey! He had a super short line, so of course we jumped in.
I took a picture of him with my instax, and told him it was magic, and he shook his head no. Then I told him I loved him, and he also shook his head no.
Sorcerer Mickey obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day.

After that we saw that Ralph and Vanellope were out! Their line was really long, so we decided to go draw instead!
I did get this picture of Ralph though. He was pouting because a little boy was scared of him.

We waited about five minutes, and then went into draw! We drew Rapunzel!!! My favorite. Too bad my picture turned out horrible. It was fun though!

Up next: Beaches & Cream, The Boardwalk, conquering childhood fears, and Fantasia!​

 

[emmawho]

Day 2 part 2.) Beaches & Cream, The Boardwalk, conquering childhood fears, and Fantasia!

After drawing we decided it was time for dinner!
Courtney, Austin, and I decided on Beaches & Cream, and we headed to the boat!

They told us it'd be a 45 minute wait, but really we only ended up waiting about 25 minutes.
I got the grilled cheese and tomato soup. YUM! That was probably the best grilled cheese I've ever had.

Austin left a little early so that he could get back in time for the Hyperspace Hoopla!
Courtney and I stayed and split a sundae. OH MY GOSH! Amazing.

After we paid we walked over to The Boardwalk, so Courtney could get a shirt that she wanted.
The Boardwalk is SO SO SO pretty. I really didnt want to leave. There were tons of little kids running around in the grass, and cute families everywhere.
I need to stay there ASAP. I got really sick that night, so I was not feeling too great for the rest of the evening. But I decided to stay anyways.
Little did I know I'd be sick for the rest of the trip, AND for the week after.
We walked back to Hollywood Studios, and met up with Austin and Hunter in one of the stores.

Before Fantasia Courtney decided that I needed to conquer my childhood fear.
You see, when we were here in 2000, we rode The Great Movie Ride.
When the mobster took over, I honestly thought it was a real mobster. I started crying, and laid on the floor.
My entire family has given me grief about it my whole life. So we rode it, and good news! I didn't cry! I sent my mom a picture to let her know I made it out okay.
Courtney told me to look scared, but I'm not real sure what Hunter is doing in the background.

After that we headed to see Fantasia!
I didn't see this in September, so I was REALLY excited. It did not disappoint. UGH. I teared up a few times, and bugged Hunter the whole time. Siblings!
Steamboat Willie cruisin' by with all my favorite friends!

We went in a few stores, and then headed to the buses, because the park was closing. I was so happy, and hyper!
When we got back to the room mousekeeping had left Sulley watching cartoons!

I stayed up for an hour or two watching cartoons, and then finally went to sleep!
I was excited for tomorrow because we were headed to Magic Kingdom!

Up next: Magic Kingdom + meeting a million characters!​

 

[emmawho]

Day 3 part 1) MAGIC KINGDOM!!!

Sunday May 19th:
UGH. All I really remember is my alarm clock went off SO early this morning.
We all got ready super quick, then headed to the dining hall and had chocolate croissants for breakfast!
We headed to the bus stop, and made it in time for the opening ceremony! SO CUTE!
I knew that I wanted to spend most of my day meeting characters, and Courtney and Austin really didnt want to.
I dont mind spending time alone though, and I ended up having the best day ever.

I went and grabbed fast passes to meet the princesses, and then heading in to meet the mouse himself!
I was the 5th person in line, so I was in there in no time at all. I told him how dapper he looked in his bowtie,
and he kissed me! Oh Mickey! Next I was heading past the castle to see if my favorite was out yet! I saw the Fairy Godmother had no wait,
so I ran up, we made a wish, took a picture and I was on my way!

Right around the corner I found who I was looking for! The cast member knew where I was headed because of my shirt.
To see Peter Pan of course! Wendy was there too! Talk about feeling like a kid again.
I totally squealed, and teared up! We had a talk about playing fly and go seek, Captain Hook, and how much they loved my shirt.
I took a picture of them with my instax, and Peter grabbed it and asked if Tink was in there.
I told him no, but that it was full of pixie dust! He asked if I stole the pixie dust. I of course said no, then he smelled me from knee up,
and said "Well you dont smell like a pirate!" We took a picture, I got a few more hugs, and was sadly on my way!

Of course I had to stop and check out the Tangled bathrooms!
SO PRETTY! Seriously. All of the details! I felt like a little kid in a toy store looking everywhere!

Then I headed over to see Aladdin and Jasmine!
They asked if the Genie was in my instax! Too cute. I was maybe the third person in line for them. So far I was having good character luck!

Splash Mountain had no wait, so I rode it once. Then I went and rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
There was still no wait on SM, so I rode it again! I was getting on the train to go to Fantasyland, and then I saw her! JESSIE!
I jumped right off and ran down the stairs. I had asked Courtney if she ever did meet and greets, and Courtney said no.
WRONG! I FOUND HER! I texted Courtney and let her know. There were two families in front of me. Once again, short lines!
When it was my turn I ran up to Jessie and hugged her and told her she was my favorite cowgirl in the wild west.
She seemed extremely flattered. WOODY! I ran up to him and hugged him, and told him he is my favorite cowboy.
The whole time I was giggling, and felt like I was five again! Woody pointed to Peter Pan on my shirt and acted like he was flying.
He then started to act like Buzz, and motioned that Buzz doesn't fly, he only crashes! HA! Oh Woody!
A ton of hugs later, I got a picture, and I was ready to go!

Onto Fantasyland!
I got off the train and headed straight for Pete's Silly Slideshow! The wait time said 5 minutes for both sides.
I walked in and no one was with Goofy! We spent a good amount of time together. When I left him he decided to take a nap.
Then I headed to meet the astounding Donaldo! I complimented him on his outfit, and then he tried to get me to look into the snakes eyes.
NOT HAPPENING, DONALD! We goofed around for a few minutes, I got lots of hugs and kisses, and some pictures.
Then it was time to meet the lovely ladies!
There were maybe three people infront of me. Daisy looked super cute as always! She is so sassy.
Then it was time to meet Minnie! She was so cute and giggly! I complimented her on her dress, and her doggies!

I rode the train back because it was time to meet the princesses! The wait time was 120 minutes, and it was only 10:45 am!
Why don't more people get fast passes for this?! There is no way I would wait that long to meet them.
I waited maybe ten minutes with my fast pass. This was the longest I waited all day long!

First up was Rapunzel, my favorite princess! She was so sweet! She liked my shirt, and said that Peter Pan and Pascal play hide and go seek all the time.
Next was Aurora, we talked about my morning adventures, and I complimented her on her dress. She was so so pretty.
Then it was time to meet Cinderella! I told her I had seen the Fairy Godmother this morning.
She told me that her and Prince Charming leaving out cheesecake for Gus Gus! HA! So cute.

Next I really wanted to meet Merida, I waited a few minutes but her line was crazy, so I left.
Hunter finally was at the park, so I met up with him, Courtney, and Austin. We all headed towards the monorail,
and went and ate an early lunch at Contempo Cafe! I had the veggie flatbread, and a red velvet cupcake! YUMMMM!!!
The flatbread was really good! It had hummus, onions, mushrooms, garbanzo beans, cherries, and arugula on it.

After lunch we looked around in the shops, and headed back to Magic Kingdom.
I decided to go back to the resort, so I could change into comfier pants, and rest up a little bit.
I went to the pool bar on my way back to the room and got a drink for the walk. I called my mom and filled her in on my day.
I changed, charged my phone, and about an hour later headed back to the park.

Next up: Be Our Guest! and fireworks
​

 

[Miss Potts]

Great pictures!! You fit in a lot of characters during your morning! Good job!

Yum.. The red velvet cupcake looks delish!!

 

[rachel09985]

Great start! Love your instagram pics!

 

[emmawho]

Great pictures!! You fit in a lot of characters during your morning! Good job!

Yum.. The red velvet cupcake looks delish!!

Thank you! The cupcake was SO yummy, but then again I dont think Ive had one in disney that I didnt love!

 

[emmawho]

Great start! Love your instagram pics!

Thanks! Pretty sure everyone who follows me on there hated me posting a million pictures a day! Oh well

 

[pattiken]

Joining in. Great start..u had me at your first margarita my fav. Loving your pics. Great day at magic kingdom and all the character meets. Peter Pan so cute. Not fun about being sick though ;(