French Quarter to the Fantasy With an EPIC Cherry on Top…Spring 2019! Updated 10/25!

[Cloe Colton]

Nope, not DVC! (Even though I would love to be lol) I just rent points to stay in DVC a lot of the time! The problem for us is that while we like the DVC accomodations we don't have just one favorite so its worked out better renting so we can get the 11 month availability at whichever one we would like to stay in! Plus, we don't have the cash on hand to buy the points outright so by the time we'd finance it would cost us about what we are paying to rent points. Maybe someday though!

 

[buzzrelly]

Nope, not DVC! (Even though I would love to be lol) I just rent points to stay in DVC a lot of the time! The problem for us is that while we like the DVC accomodations we don't have just one favorite so its worked out better renting so we can get the 11 month availability at whichever one we would like to stay in! Plus, we don't have the cash on hand to buy the points outright so by the time we'd finance it would cost us about what we are paying to rent points. Maybe someday though!

The problem with DVC for me is that I always seem to be running out of points and have to either add on or book a cash stay anyway! I actually considered renting points for next October, but my mom is kind of wishy-washy about going and the commitment really has to be there when you rent. That's why I booked POFQ instead

 

[buzzrelly]

MAY 6, 2019
UNTIL WE (DIS)MEET AGAIN...



I don't have a ton of pictures from this day, but Kari and I packed up our belongings
and left them with Bell Services before heading back to the Magic Kingdom.


Just as we started walking down Main Street, the Trolley Show was starting so we stopped to watch. I know I've said this in past reports, but I love this show and will always stop to watch if I can.


We hit The People Mover,





went Under the Sea with Ariel,



and then used our FP on 7DMT...


We went on a few more rides including a very crowded Pirate Ship...


The wildest ride in the wilderness,



Mickey's Philharmonic, Buzz, and COP.

Then we were able to snag a lunch reservation at The Plaza...


We had a nice leisurely lunch and then headed back to the WL together
where we then said good-bye and parted ways since we weren't on the same DME.

I had a little time to kill and ended up buying a pack of Mystery Pins
and opened them while I was waiting for my DME.
I was very happy with what I ended up with,
although if @Pluto0809 wanted the Pluto pin, I would happily let her have it ...



I was at my gate by 6:16pm for my 8pm flight so I grabbed some dinner to eat while I waited.

I was a little anxious before I boarded with my B51 boarding number,
but I ended up sitting exactly where I always like to sit so in the end I shouldn't have worried.

It was a beautiful evening to fly...

and the flight home was uneventful…just the way I like it

This was such an amazing trip and I was so thankful to be a part of it.
I miss everyone so much and can't wait until we do it all again!

And now, get ready to travel back in time...

Allllllllllll the way back to April!

Because that's where we are heading next!

​

 

[Jenny Sanders]

This was such an amazing trip and I was so thankful to be a part of it.
I miss everyone so much and can't wait until we do it all again!

I miss you Kelly!!!!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Sounds like a great last day at Magic Kingdom!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 2, 2019
GOTTA GO BACK IN TIME
TRAVEL DAY


Welcome back, time travelers!

Kindly exit your time machine and see that we’ve landed back on April 2, 2019,
on a Spring Break trip with my two teens, Nicholas (17) and Allie (15),
and my DM, who we call Grammy.

This was a trip we had been looking forward to for a long time.
It was initially supposed to just be a 7-night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on the gorgeous Disney Fantasy. But you all know how Disney math works and it seemed like such a shame to travel all the way to Florida
and NOT go to WDW for at least a few days.
So figuring the kids could miss a few days of school,
we booked POFQ for April 3-April 6th and would then head to Port Canaveral
and board the Fantasy April 6-April 13, 2019.

Yay! We were all done planning, right?

Not so fast!
At some point, WDW announced that they would have Early Morning Magic
at Toy Story Land on April 3rd, which I REALLY wanted to do with the kids.
Since we were planning to fly in that day, we wouldn’t have even landed until around 8am
and wouldn't have been able to go.
So with that I started thinking about our flights and then it hit me that for a 5am flight,
we would literally have to be up and on our way to the airport by 3 am
which did not sound appealing at all.
In fact, the kids were talking about just staying up all night and even if they didn’t,
it would have been a literal nightmare trying to wake them up and get them moving at 3 am.
With all of these things in mind, we changed our flight from 5 am on April 3rd, to 7:50 pm on April 2nd.
This way the kids would still be able to go to school that day
and we were also able to add one night onto our reservation at POFQ.
Perfect!

So here we are back on April 2nd, 4:30 pm, heading to the airport…



There was a little drama surrounding some Snorkel Masks that I had ordered from Amazon for our trip.
They were being delivered to my mom’s house and were supposed to arrive on that day
but by the time my sister and mom left her house to bring my mom to my house,
they had not arrived yet so we were just going to have to go without them.
But literally as my mom and sister pulled up in my driveway dropping my mom off,
I got the notification that the masks were being delivered over at her house.
She lives just South of me but right near the onramp for 91-N which is the highway we take to BDL,
so we made the decision to go get them from her house…
meaning she didn’t really need to get dropped at my house anyway.

Even with the drama, we made it to the airport in plenty of time
and since I have TSA pre-check, everyone got it, and we were through security very quickly.
We sat and relaxed at the gate and then boarded our plane around 7:20…


Nicholas just loves having his picture taken on our trips...


Allie tried giving me tips to take a better selfie…it didn't work


It was an awesome flight since the plane was only about half-full and we got to spread out a little.


I think it’s rare that that happens on non-stop flights from CT to MCO and I chalked it up to it being such a late flight and most people didn’t want to keep their kids up that late.
I was feeling pretty good about our decision to change our flights.
I ordered a tea and Allie and I watched A Star is Born on my laptop to pass the time.




We landed around 10:30 and I figured we’d be at POFQ by around midnight.


We boarded our DME around 11:15 and were excited to be the only people on board,
but then we sat a good 10-15 minutes waiting for it to load…


...and load it did.

There were a surprising number of people arriving around the same time as us
and we ended up being pretty cramped on the bus.
Plus, I was sitting on an aisle and the lady directly across the aisle from me was coughing and coughing
and it sounded like she was hacking up a lung
and it kind of freaked me out because I did NOT want to get sick not just on vacation,
but for the cruise!
I kind of squished myself up next to Allie
and tried holding my breath whenever she started her coughing fits .

We were finally seeing this glorious sign around midnight…



But sadly, we made multiple other stops,
even bypassing the exit for POFQ at one point and then circling back
so I think we were the last stop.
After a very brief stop at the front desk to make sure my mom and my charging privileges were separate,
we headed to the room.
We looked at the map but it was a little confusing walking around there
for our first time in the dark and after a couple of missteps and wrong turns,
we finally found our building and made our way into our room at 12:37 am…

What I learned from this is that if I ever take such a late flight again,
I will absolutely, 100%, call Uber or Lyft instead of taking the DME.

We were pretty exhausted but since we had EMM in just a few hours,
we decided to shower and unpack just a little before heading to bed.

I have very few room pics since it was so late
and nobody was going to listen to me if I told them to not come in and mess up the room,
but here they are...

It was after 1 when we finally went to bed and I set my alarm to wake up for 5:45 am.

Would everyone get up in time for Early Morning Magic?

Would it actually be Magical? That's up next!​

 

[disneyAndi14]

I enjoyed your TR and agree, it was such a fun trip and I met such awesome people!!

I hate those early morning flights and guess what we have one for our January trip. We leave at 5:15am yikes! I won’t be happy for that one!

Andi is always trying to help me with my selfies, it’s useless for me

I am the same way when someone is coughing next to me, I get so worried about getting sick!

Sorry the ME was a long one! Love POFQ!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Disney math always makes it make sense to spend more days somehow

I'm amazed so many people were on the DME that late!

I hope everyone got some rest and woke up for EMM!

 

[suse66]

Just as we started walking down Main Street, the Trolley Show was starting so we stopped to watch. I know I've said this in past reports, but I love this show and will always stop to watch if I can.

TheTrolley show is one of my favourites too. That is a wonderful picture of it, especially the horse pulling the trolley.

We hit The People Mover,

Of course......

We went on a few more rides including a very crowded Pirate Ship...

Ugh......so crowded!

We had a nice leisurely lunch and then headed back to the WL together
where we then said good-bye and parted ways since we weren't on the same DME.

I had a little time to kill and ended up buying a pack of Mystery Pins
and opened them while I was waiting for my DME.
I was very happy with what I ended up with,
although if @Pluto0809 wanted the Pluto pin, I would happily let her have it ...

Glad you had a good morning with Kari. It sounds like such a fun weekend!

At some point, WDW announced that they would have Early Morning Magic
at Toy Story Land on April 3rd, which I REALLY wanted to do with the kids.
Since we were planning to fly in that day, we wouldn’t have even landed until around 8am
and wouldn't have been able to go.
So with that I started thinking about our flights and then it hit me that for a 5am flight,
we would literally have to be up and on our way to the airport by 3 am
which did not sound appealing at all.
In fact, the kids were talking about just staying up all night and even if they didn’t,
it would have been a literal nightmare trying to wake them up and get them moving at 3 am.
With all of these things in mind, we changed our flight from 5 am on April 3rd, to 7:50 pm on April 2nd.
This way the kids would still be able to go to school that day
and we were also able to add one night onto our reservation at POFQ.
Perfect!

Disney math at it's best!

Nicholas just loves having his picture taken on our trips...

He's exactly like my 17 year old boys!

There were a surprising number of people arriving around the same time as us
and we ended up being pretty cramped on the bus.
Plus, I was sitting on an aisle and the lady directly across the aisle from me was coughing and coughing
and it sounded like she was hacking up a lung
and it kind of freaked me out because I did NOT want to get sick not just on vacation,
but for the cruise!
I kind of squished myself up next to Allie
and tried holding my breath whenever she started her coughing fits .

Yuck...I would hate that too! You do not want to be sick before your cruise.

What I learned from this is that if I ever take such a late flight again,
I will absolutely, 100%, call Uber or Lyft instead of taking the DME.

I'm glad you said that as I am on a late flight coming in for my Christmas get away weekend. I think I'd definitely be better off to use Uber/Lyft. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I forgot you did this before the epic trip!!!! I can't wait to hear and see all about it. LOL!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I love some Disney math!

I think you did the right thing by going the night before. It's too bad the ME took such a long time, but that always seems to be the case when you'd prefer things to move along. I hope you made it up in time for EMM!

 

[ariane37]

Nicholas just loves having his picture taken on our trips...

Don't they all!

Allie tried giving me tips to take a better selfie…it didn't work

Hmm I think I should have her help Steve and I too

It was sad reading about you and Kari saying good-bye.....reminded me of me saying good-bye to you both We do not live far from each other and seriously should just try and plan something!!!

 

[pkondz]

I know I've said this in past reports, but I love this show and will always stop to watch if I can.

It's a nice little show, but... you got a great shot! Both sides!

We hit The People Mover,

And yet... no foot shot.

and then used our FP on 7DMT...

Are you sure? This could be anywhere.

We went on a few more rides including a very crowded Pirate Ship...

That boat is packed! Holy cow! Five in the front row!

Then we were able to snag a lunch reservation at The Plaza...

Do you remember what you had?

although if @Pluto0809 wanted the Pluto pin, I would happily let her have it ...

Bet she will!

I was a little anxious before I boarded with my B51 boarding number,
but I ended up sitting exactly where I always like to sit so in the end I shouldn't have worried.

Good.

Welcome back, time travelers!

Kindly exit your time machine and see that we’ve landed back on April 2, 2019,

Hang on... bit dizzy.
Sorry.
This happens when I time travel.

But you all know how Disney math works

we booked POFQ for April 3-April 6th and would then head to Port Canaveral
and board the Fantasy April 6-April 13, 2019.

Niiiiice!

we would literally have to be up and on our way to the airport by 3 am
which did not sound appealing at all.

No it doesn't... and I'll have to do even worse than that soon.

With all of these things in mind, we changed our flight from 5 am on April 3rd, to 7:50 pm on April 2nd.

Sounds like a very wise decision.

so we made the decision to go get them from her house…
meaning she didn’t really need to get dropped at my house anyway.

Oh well... you got the snorkels though.

Nicholas just loves having his picture taken on our trips...

Obviously!

Allie tried giving me tips to take a better selfie…it didn't work

Of course not. You're already a pro at it and look absolutely wonderful.

Allie and I watched A Star is Born on my laptop to pass the time.

How was that?

We boarded our DME around 11:15 and were excited to be the only people on board,
but then we sat a good 10-15 minutes waiting for it to load…

Yeah... I've had that too.
"Wow no wait!!!... um... wait..."

Plus, I was sitting on an aisle and the lady directly across the aisle from me was coughing and coughing
and it sounded like she was hacking up a lung

and it kind of freaked me out because I did NOT want to get sick not just on vacation,
but for the cruise!
I kind of squished myself up next to Allie
and tried holding my breath whenever she started her coughing fits .

I know exactly what you mean. A coworker was doing that the other day and I'm hoping she didn't infect me.
Why she didn't just stay home is beyond me.

we finally found our building and made our way into our room at 12:37 am…

Hmmm... not too much later than you thought, but...
Maybe the Lyft would've been better.

 

[buzzrelly]

I hate those early morning flights and guess what we have one for our January trip. We leave at 5:15am yikes! I won’t be happy for that one!

Yikes…that is early! And in January, no less. I am shivering just thinking about it

Disney math always makes it make sense to spend more days somehow

I'm surprised they don't teach "Disney Math" in school

TheTrolley show is one of my favourites too. That is a wonderful picture of it, especially the horse pulling the trolley.

That was a new vantage point for me. I loved being so close to the horse

He's exactly like my 17 year old boys!

I think they're all the same!

I'm glad you said that as I am on a late flight coming in for my Christmas get away weekend. I think I'd definitely be better off to use Uber/Lyft.

Yes, definitely. I don't think DME took THAT much longer than usual, but we were exhausted and just wanted to get there. I was dumb for not calling Lyft.

I forgot you did this before the epic trip!!!

Yes! We had only been home 2 weeks! I wish my trips were spread out more though, instead of having to wait 10 months until the next one

I think you did the right thing by going the night before. It's too bad the ME took such a long time, but that always seems to be the case when you'd prefer things to move along. I hope you made it up in time for EMM!

I think they combine busses that late which adds extra stops. I should have known that ahead of time. I won't be making that mistake again!

My EMM post will be up soon

 

[buzzrelly]

It was sad reading about you and Kari saying good-bye.....reminded me of me saying good-bye to you both We do not live far from each other and seriously should just try and plan something!!!

Yes! I wanted to go to that Mickey exhibit in NYC last year but that didn't really work out. Let's think of something!

you got a great shot! Both sides!

I know! I've never stood there before, it was a great viewing spot!

And yet... no foot shot.

I knew people wouldn't believe this was the People Mover since I didn't show our feet.

That boat is packed! Holy cow! Five in the front row!

Yes. Why on earth do they do that sometimes? One time I used to wait for the front because Nicholas loves the front and the CM jammed us in with two HUGE guys.

Do you remember what you had?

Oddly I have no food pics, but I'm guessing I got what I always get there…either the Fried Green Tomato sandwich or the Plaza Club. I like them both equally

No it doesn't... and I'll have to do even worse than that soon.

Oh, no…what time does your plane leave?

Oh well... you got the snorkels though.

We did…and we actually used them so at least all that was not for nothing

How was that?

Cheesy, but good. Lady Gaga was actually really good in it

Hmmm... not too much later than you thought, but...
Maybe the Lyft would've been better.

Definitely! Live and learn!

 

[pkondz]

I knew people wouldn't believe this was the People Mover since I didn't show our feet.

Tragic...

Yes. Why on earth do they do that sometimes? One time I used to wait for the front because Nicholas loves the front and the CM jammed us in with two HUGE guys.

This is how it should work:
While I'm waiting in line, CMs quickly and ruthlessly jam as many as possible into the boats. When I show up, the loading is relaxed and easy-going and I have a row to myself.

Oddly I have no food pics, but I'm guessing I got what I always get there…either the Fried Green Tomato sandwich or the Plaza Club. I like them both equally

They both sound good.
Can you believe that I've never had a fried green tomato sandwich?
I've had it on my list forever... but always wind up getting something else.

Oh, no…what time does your plane leave?

5am
Cab comes at 2:30. Not sure what time I'll get up. Depends on packing.

Cheesy, but good. Lady Gaga was actually really good in it

That sounds like a description for pizza.

 

[kastoney]

I don't have a ton of pictures from this day, but Kari and I packed up our belongings
and left them with Bell Services before heading back to the Magic Kingdom.

You have more pics than me, I don't think I took a single one and I'm not sure I could have pieced together what we did. Other than food of course

It was so great to have an extra day with you! Miss you bunches ♥♥♥

But literally as my mom and sister pulled up in my driveway dropping my mom off,
I got the notification that the masks were being delivered over at her house.
She lives just South of me but right near the onramp for 91-N which is the highway we take to BDL,
so we made the decision to go get them from her house…
meaning she didn’t really need to get dropped at my house anyway.

Oh man! Isn't that always the way it happens.

Plus, I was sitting on an aisle and the lady directly across the aisle from me was coughing and coughing
and it sounded like she was hacking up a lung

Yuck! At least she could have sat by the window and kept that more to herself. Hope you stayed well.

What I learned from this is that if I ever take such a late flight again,
I will absolutely, 100%, call Uber or Lyft instead of taking the DME.

This is called the Steve Devizio rule of thumb

 

[tundra1]

Yeah! So happy you started the WDW/Fantasy trip report! We are doing the same trip in November of next year, and I want to take notes! Our group will be grandparents / parents / grandkids also, but the kids will be age 7 and under. I hope you had a great time!
Terri

 

[buzzrelly]

Can you believe that I've never had a fried green tomato sandwich?

Blasphemy! Now is your chance to correct that!

Actually, I've only had a few myself, and always in WDW. It's just not something we find up here in CT. The Plaza's FGT is really good, as was the one I got a couple years ago at Rosie's All American Cafe in DHS. If I recall, I think I liked that one even better but it's been a couple years so I don't even know if it's still on the menu.

5am
Cab comes at 2:30. Not sure what time I'll get up. Depends on packing.

Yikes! I hope you were able to sleep on the plane!

That sounds like a description for pizza.

Have an amazing vacation! I'm super jealous of all of you down there right now!

 

[buzzrelly]

You have more pics than me, I don't think I took a single one and I'm not sure I could have pieced together what we did. Other than food of course

And I never remember the food unless it was super amazing or super gross!

It was so great to have an extra day with you! Miss you bunches ♥♥♥

Same! I wish we were down there with everyone right now!

This is called the Steve Devizio rule of thumb

I was actually thinking that on the ride, like, "THIS is why Steve hates the DME."

That was the first time I was ever that annoyed on it. I'm sure it had to do with the late hour, we were just tired and wanted to get there. It was my own dumb fault because I thought of calling for a Lyft and decided to take my chances.