Back in November 2013 I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to leave campus for a few days and spend some time in the Happiest Place on Earth! Now at the time, I wasnt planning on writing a trip report, however I had such a great time on this trip that I knew I couldnt just neglect it. So Ill be sharing stories and pictures to the best of my ability.
Now first, introductions. The only person you need to know for this trip report is me!
Im Brennah, I was 18 years old at the time of this trip. You may recognize me from my current trip report right here (and if you dont, you should check it out!). Im currently a Television-Radio major with dreams of working for Disney one day. Bob Iger graduated from my school with my major, so Im hoping that might help my chances. Im obsessed with Frozen and Tangled, the Food and Wine Festival, and Disney thrill rides.
Now I did go on this trip with my family, however they are not comfortable with having their pictures shown on the internet for all to see. But just know that I was with my mom, my dad, my brother who was 17 at the time, and my sister who was 13 at the time.
I tweeted this right before I left. I cant even explain to you how badly I needed this trip at the time. That week I was assigned two of the most stressful papers I had all semester and on top of that I was having issues with a guy and basically my head was ready to explode. I was so ready to escape to Disney World for the weekend and to see my family. And it really did make a difference.
I left after class on Thursday meaning I was flying at night. I always love this because the world looks so amazing from overhead, covered in lights.
When I finally got to Orlando I was ridiculously excited. This was instagramed right away.
YAY FAKEORAIL! And of course I had to take a selfie on the ride. Can you tell I had just spent 4 hours on two different planes? I can.
My parents picked me up and it was off to Animal Kingdom Lodge! We parked here:
And then I was off to bed here:
COMING UP: A yummy day in EPCOT and a magical night at Magic Kingdom!
I woke up to Florida sunshine and a beautiful view of the savanna no animals yet though!
We then hopped in the car and made our way to the Ticket and Transportation center! Now THATS the monorail I was waiting for! I instagramed this on the way:
After a pleasant ride we arrived at our destination!
Thats right EPCOT! Fooled you, didnt I? Dont worry, well be at Magic Kingdom later.
We were lucky enough to be chosen as My Magic + beta testers, so our morning was going to be jam packed with the best rides in the park and no lines.
Our first destination was Test Track! I had already been on the updated version in August, but my family hadnt, so I was really excited to see their reactions to everything. We split into two groups, my mom, my sister, and me in one group and my dad and my brother in another. We all had a blast designing the cars, especially the boys. Theyre both a bit obsessed with cars. Here were the results:
Can you guess who made what?
As I expected, everyone loved the ride and the added competition of who made the better car. I dont remember who won, but I have a feeling the boys did, just because they took the design stage so seriously.
After that, it was time to use our next fastpass already!
It was time to take a trip to California! It was so wonderful just walking on to Soarin first thing in the morning. Usually wed be getting our fast pass right away, just to find we couldnt use it until mid-afternoon. So this was quite nice.
After an exhilarating ride, we still had time to kill before our next fastpass, so I decided to lead my family to something I had always read about in trip reports but never tried
This ended up being the perfect way to kill some time (and quench our thirst!). My dad was just thrilled that it was free.
After this, it was finally time for our next fastpass. We were headed for the World Showcase for this one!
I absolutely love this ride. I dont really know why. I just think its so fun. I was glad we used our last fastpass on it, because we were able to just walk right on. Not that it had a long wait anyway.
Back, back, over the falls!
After a magical trip to Norway, it was time for something I had been waiting all year for
I cant explain how much I love the Food and Wine Festival. Im not even old enough for the wine part, but oh my gosh THE FOOD. I absolutely love the food.
We decided to try something different this year and started our food adventure in Germany. Heres what we got:
I dont remember what everything was called, but it was German and delicious. We typically get a few things from each stand and share.
Now I had intended on getting food pictures of everything, however I quickly failed that objective. We were all just diving in before I could even think to take pictures! But we did make it all the way around the World Showcase. My favorite two dishes of the day were the Frozen Smores from the dessert booth and the Curry Chicken and Rice from the vegan booth. I ordered that one before realizing it was vegan, but it actually tasted really good!
After that we had time for one more ride in EPCOT: NEMO!
Its always good to see my friends from under the sea.
With that, it was time for us to leave. Before we left though, my mom and my brother decided to use the bathroom. My sister, my dad, and I waited patiently on a bench. About ten minutes passed and they still werent back, so we decided it was time to start looking for them. Something wasnt right.
It didnt take long to find them. They stood in the middle of the line to meet Chip and Dale, giggling and covering their faces so we wouldnt see them. But I wasnt mad. Heck, I was excited we found them in time. I love meeting characters! And my family stopped doing that years ago, so I was not passing up this rare opportunity. I jumped right in line with them. My sister was too embarrassed to be seen with characters and my dad just stayed back with her. Their loss, because this was one of my favorite character experiences Ive ever had.
We were informed by the character attendant that we would be the last family before Chip and Dale had to take a snack break, so we were quite excited that we made the cut. We get to the front of the line and Chip and Dale immediately start being their silly selves with us. Dale recognized my brothers Mackinac Island sweatshirt and started pointing at it, while Chip hung out with my mom and I. This was not a take your picture and go greeting, which I loved.
Eventually we had to take the picture, so we lined up, and Dale starts leaning into my brother, pushing the three of us awkwardly into Chip. We were cracking up the entire time and ended up getting some really nice pictures.
The character attendant then told Chip and Dale that it was time to take a break. But Dale would not have that. He didnt want to leave us. So he took my hand and started pulling me away. We didnt get to run too far though, because the next thing I knew, he was on one knee, still holding my hand. Chip got jealous, so he ran over, got on his knee, and took my other hand.
WHO NEEDS BOYS WHEN YOU CAN MARRY CHIP AND DALE?!?
I was beaming. The moment was adorable. I agreed to marry them, and then they both got up and gave me the biggest hugs.
Then it was time to leave for real this time, and they cheerily walked away, waving goodbye to us before they were out of sight.
Now I also want to note that at some point during the day we went on Captain EO and Figment, a first for my family. I dont remember exactly when, but it happened. Ill be honest, Im not crazy about either or the rides anyway. But Im glad I got to ride them, because they both are classics.
But anyway, that concludes EPCOT! Where to next? Youll have to wait and see
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