danimaroo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Final thoughts...
And so it ends, another wonderful trip to our home away from home, Disney World. This trip was so different than any trip before for us. Like I'd mentioned in my intro, this trip involved a LOT of trying out new things. A new resort, new time of year to visit, new attractions, new snacks, meeting new friends, etc. That being said, I would definitely label this as our most adventurous trip by far. I find it amazing that this was our 4th trip to Disney World since 2011, and yet we still managed to pack in so many new experiences. That's the beauty of Disney World; there is always something new to discover and try out... and this is why we continue to go back. We love the familiarity of our home away from home, but also love the chance to try out new things, as well.
We also got to spend a ton of time with some our closest friends, which was a total blast. DISmeets are always a fantastic time, and getting to hang out with Danni and Johnny was awesome. I was also BEYOND happy that we finally got to meet Jenn, Brandon, Julia, Brynn, and Sawyer. They are near and dear to our hearts, and even more so now after the last trip! This trip made me realize that the DISboards have introduced both Matt and me to so many amazing people. Even people we never met in person, and who I hope to one day... I feel like I've gained so many friends through this place, people who truly understand our love and passion for the Disney parks, and for that, I am forever grateful. I hope I get to meet more of you guys during future trips (no seriously, if you see us in the parks, SAY HI)!
Regarding not doing the Dining Plan...
So, this was our first time not doing the Dining Plan during a trip! And in the end, we REALLY liked not doing the Dining Plan. It was so nice to have more freedom in where we ate or even what parks we were in. Having reservations at our favorite restaurants was great, but not having one every single day was even better. It allowed us to try way more snacks and different foods. I think the Dining Plan is great for people who either get it for free, or love making ADRs at places where you get your money's-worth. I think otherwise, you lose money on it. And seeing when Bruce and Amy got sick our prior trip and couldn't use a lot of their dining credits while sick, that was a big waste for them and would be for us if something similar happened.
The ONE thing we both missed on our trip about the Dining Plan was having it all taken care of. It IS nice to know it's completely paid off before you go on your trip, but then again, as I reminded Matt, we went to Starbucks so much that we still would've been paying out of pocket for all of those drinks, unless he used a snack credit. So, yeah, it's just not enough of a negative thing to justify spending so much on the dining plan.
Regarding doing a split stay...
Doing a split stay was kind of a big deal for us. In fact, we were pretty against it when we initially booked our trip. But of course, we thought we'd be a little adventurous and give it a shot. Am I glad we did it? Absolutely, it was fun getting to experience a new resort as gorgeous as the Wilderness Lodge.
Would we do it again?
Yes, and no.
Let me explain. We would definitely consider a split stay again (and already are) but ONLY for 2 nights. 4 nights was just too long for us to not get settled into a room. It was hard to get to our room at Wilderness Lodge and not unpack, knowing we'd be switching again to another resort. So no, we won't do another longer split stay, but yes, we are willing to do one, but just for a shorter amount of time. The other reason for this is that we just missed Beach Club Villas. I know a lot of people like to switch resorts and try out new ones, but Beach Club is just IT for us. Being that we only go about once a year, and we love being welcomed "home", we just see BCV as our true home. So giving up too many nights to stay at another resort was kind of a bummer.
The reason we are willing to try a split stay again, and are hoping to do so during our next trip? An opportunity to stay at the Villas at Grand Floridian. Now that they are open, and remembering how much we loved staying there during our honeymoon, we would love to try out the Villas for 2 nights before heading over to Beach Club Villas. The only hitch in this is that when I went to make this reservation (and seriously, it was like 3 hours after reservations opened through the DVC website), the 2 nights we wanted were already booked. So I immediately put us on the waitlist, and we'll see if we get in. Worst case scenario, we've got 11 nights booked at Beach Club Villas, and you know Matt and I aren't complaining about that!
YEAH YIPPY WOOHOO moments...
So, I thought it would be fun to go through each our days and post something similar to what I did in my last TR at the end of each day. As you recall, there were YEAH YIPPY WOOHOO moments, and WOMPWOMP moments. For the purpose of focusing on the positive in life, we'll just stick with YEAH YIPPY WOOHOO moments here.
More often than not, in life, we get stuck on the negative things. But with Disney, it's different. The positives always outweigh the negatives, and this is why I love going to Disney Parks so much.
Day 1:
+Flying first class to Disney
+Getting in earlier than planned
+Catching a boat to Magic Kingdom
+Magic Kingdom with NO ONE around!
+Seeing Splash Mountain after the big refurb
+Mickey and Minnie calling to wish us a happy anniversary
Day 2:
+Seeing the opening show at Magic Kingdom for the first time
+Finding the Sulley Duffy outfit
+No crowds whatsoever
+Seeing the Tangled area and the Tiki Room for the first time
+Roast Beef and Bleu Cheese sammich at Roaring Fork
+Starbucks at Epcot for the first time
+Creating the Poop Wagon on Test Track
+SCHOOL BREAD
+Seeing the Electrical Water Pageant from our beach
Day 3:
+Seeing the opening show at MK for the second time
+Ninjaing my way through crowds to get my Haunted Mansion Dooney bag
+Hugging my new Dooney
+Doing our Monorail Resort tour
+Eating Tonga Toast at the Polynesian!
+Lady who recognized us from our January trip video on the monorail
+MEETING JENN, BRANDON, AND THE KIDS FINALLY!!
+Talking to the nicest CM, Gio, about Vinylmation
+Hanging out with Danni and Johnny!
+Seeing the Villains fireworks at Hollywood Studios
Day 4:
+Going on Expedition Everest with no lines
+Flame Tree BBQ Onion Rings, yum.
+Magic Cookie Baaaar
+Matt helping the girls find Mickey confetti
+Riding Space Mountain with Brandon
+Sawyer's "Dani, I heard you SCREEEEEAAAM."
+The Dessert Party and meeting Susie
+Meeting up with our IG friends
+Seeing MSEP after the park officially closed
+Getting photos of the castle with no one around
Day 5:
+Attending the Vinylmation Reflections of Evil trading event
+Getting some awesome trades with people
+Meeting new traders
+Lunch with Matt, Jenn and Sawyer in England/Dinner at Cape May w/ the fam
+Being back at Beach Club again, with a view of Spaceship Earth
+Matt getting the max score on Buzz Lightyear and yelling "EAT IT, EVERYONE!"
+Going on the Teacups and laughing our heads off
Day 6:
+Getting to see One Man's Dream
+Going to OKW and taking the boat to DTD
+Raglan Road with Danni and Johnny
+Being stopped about our trip video by a man who was super nice!
+Watching Illuminations from Stormalong Bay
+Oreo Bon Bons entering my life again
Day 7:
+Celebrating our anniversary in Disney World!
+Seeing Country Bear Jamboree for the first time
+Going to MNSSHP
+Getting stopped for our costumes by people for photos
+The Pumpkin Waffle from Sleepy Hollow
+HalloWishes being the most amazing thing ever
+Boo to You Parade being awesome
+Seeing all of our friends throughout the evening
Day 8:
+Having a laid back morning in Animal Kingdom
+Adopting baby Simba
+Riding Expedition Everest
+Lobster Roll from Boardwalk Bakery
+Amazing desserts from BW Bakery
+Spending our afternoon/evening wandering around Epcot
+Double chocolate funnel cake with ice cream? YUP.
+Seeing The American Adventure for the first time... and singing the song non-stop to annoy each other
Day 9:
+Meeting the Disney Ambassadors
+TOURING THE TOWER OF TERROR!!
+Meeting characters with the kids
+Pluto being VERY excited about our anniversary
+Going on Dumbo for the first time ever
+Seeing the Goodnight Kiss for the first time
Day 10:
+Going on EE and doing the Trek at AK
+Our lovely afternoon at DTD
+Our lunch at Cooke's of Dublin
+Matt's hilarious reaction to Celebrate a Dream Come True
+Splash Mountain on what was a hot day
+Matt being chosen as Sulley
+Rock Paper Scissors with Brynn and Julia
+My chocolate chip coconut bar
Day 11:
+Breakfast in France
+Wandering around World Showcase for the last time
+Swimming the quiet pool with Matt
+Riding the Haunted Mansion for the 13th time
+Wearing our Mickey ears
+Getting Matt a churro and me a Mickey Premium bar
+Riding Space Mountain with the lights half on (terrifying but fun)
+Saying goodbye to MK while MSEP went by
It's kind of amazing to look at all of those wonderful memories... all in a SINGLE trip. This is why we keep coming back to Disney World... it brings so much joy to us, even in those little moments... they may seem insignificant, but when you add them up, you're overwhelmed with happiness...
New attractions/shows for us/me (some of these Matt had ton plenty times as a kid):
Enchanted Tiki Room
Dumbo
Country Bear Jamboree
Mad Tea Party
One Man's Dream
The American Adventure
Ellen's Energy Adventure
It's Tough to Be a Bug
Primeval Whirl
I can't believe how many new things I tried this trip! I mean, stuff that most people think "UM WHAT?! You've never done that?" I know, it's crazy, but I'm glad we did, because some of them (not looking at you, Primeval Whirl) will be things that I do on every trip going forward.
Top TWELVE Photos of the trip (in no particular order):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Some of these photos are in my top because I just like how they look, but others are because they captured wonderful moments of our trip that I just adore. Sometimes taking photos can be kind of a pain, but I'm always thankful for the ones I take because it brings back all of the wonderful memories associated with it.
FINAL final remarks (I swear)...
And with all that, I just want to thank all of YOU guys for reading this trip report... especially those of you who have been here since the beginning. Seriously, having people actually, you know, read about our silly adventures is what keeps me coming back and writing trip reports. They take up the majority of my free time, between photo (and now video!) editing, writing, organizing notes, etc., but I'm always happy when I post and you guys are here, reading along and commenting.
I also want to take a moment to apologize for not getting to comment NEARLY as much as I'd love to on a lot of your TRs. Life gets pretty crazy with work and then trying to make sure I keep up my own trip reports and replying to people that I sometimes don't have time to keep up with others' nearly as much as I wish I could. Please don't get take it personally if I don't get to comment on your trip report. I really wish there was more time in the day to read people's TRs AND comment. I mean, that alone is where I learned about SO many new things to try on our trips. So anyway, sorry, that might be a ramble, but I did want to say that because I totally feel guilty about not getting the time to comment a whole lot on other TRs.
Some of you are aware that Matt and I made another trip to Disneyland in November (yay for Christmas time in Disneyland!), and it was our first time staying on-property there, at the amazing Grand Californian. It was a dream come true to be able to stay there, and having it be our second trip to Disneyland, we had a way better grip of the parks, AND an extra day! So, since our next trip to Disney World isn't until September, if you'd like to read along with my Disneyland trip in the meantime, here's a link, and I've JUST started it, so I hope you're ready for another fun ride!
That's the 30th time we've heard that song.. A GRAND Xmas Adventure! Nov 13 TR
I really hope to see you guys over there in that trip report, as I'm not entirely positive I will be writing another one for our upcoming September trip to Disney World. IT'S NOT A FINAL DECISION YET, but I am leaning towards taking a little break from writing trip reports and focusing more on my photography and creating an awesome trip video. I have absolutely loved writing TRs and have made so many amazing friends through here, and it won't be the last time I write one, but my free time seems to become less and less of a thing, that I would like to fill that time with some other hobbies. I haven't completely decided, but this seems like it might be a good trip to take a break from writing since we're shooting for a more laidback one. But we will see, I may decide I absolutely 100% have to write one.
And with that, thank you again for reading, I hope you all enjoyed it! I definitely enjoyed reading all of your comments and hope to see you soon!
THE END
And so it ends, another wonderful trip to our home away from home, Disney World. This trip was so different than any trip before for us. Like I'd mentioned in my intro, this trip involved a LOT of trying out new things. A new resort, new time of year to visit, new attractions, new snacks, meeting new friends, etc. That being said, I would definitely label this as our most adventurous trip by far. I find it amazing that this was our 4th trip to Disney World since 2011, and yet we still managed to pack in so many new experiences. That's the beauty of Disney World; there is always something new to discover and try out... and this is why we continue to go back. We love the familiarity of our home away from home, but also love the chance to try out new things, as well.
We also got to spend a ton of time with some our closest friends, which was a total blast. DISmeets are always a fantastic time, and getting to hang out with Danni and Johnny was awesome. I was also BEYOND happy that we finally got to meet Jenn, Brandon, Julia, Brynn, and Sawyer. They are near and dear to our hearts, and even more so now after the last trip! This trip made me realize that the DISboards have introduced both Matt and me to so many amazing people. Even people we never met in person, and who I hope to one day... I feel like I've gained so many friends through this place, people who truly understand our love and passion for the Disney parks, and for that, I am forever grateful. I hope I get to meet more of you guys during future trips (no seriously, if you see us in the parks, SAY HI)!
Regarding not doing the Dining Plan...
So, this was our first time not doing the Dining Plan during a trip! And in the end, we REALLY liked not doing the Dining Plan. It was so nice to have more freedom in where we ate or even what parks we were in. Having reservations at our favorite restaurants was great, but not having one every single day was even better. It allowed us to try way more snacks and different foods. I think the Dining Plan is great for people who either get it for free, or love making ADRs at places where you get your money's-worth. I think otherwise, you lose money on it. And seeing when Bruce and Amy got sick our prior trip and couldn't use a lot of their dining credits while sick, that was a big waste for them and would be for us if something similar happened.
The ONE thing we both missed on our trip about the Dining Plan was having it all taken care of. It IS nice to know it's completely paid off before you go on your trip, but then again, as I reminded Matt, we went to Starbucks so much that we still would've been paying out of pocket for all of those drinks, unless he used a snack credit. So, yeah, it's just not enough of a negative thing to justify spending so much on the dining plan.
Regarding doing a split stay...
Doing a split stay was kind of a big deal for us. In fact, we were pretty against it when we initially booked our trip. But of course, we thought we'd be a little adventurous and give it a shot. Am I glad we did it? Absolutely, it was fun getting to experience a new resort as gorgeous as the Wilderness Lodge.
Would we do it again?
Yes, and no.
Let me explain. We would definitely consider a split stay again (and already are) but ONLY for 2 nights. 4 nights was just too long for us to not get settled into a room. It was hard to get to our room at Wilderness Lodge and not unpack, knowing we'd be switching again to another resort. So no, we won't do another longer split stay, but yes, we are willing to do one, but just for a shorter amount of time. The other reason for this is that we just missed Beach Club Villas. I know a lot of people like to switch resorts and try out new ones, but Beach Club is just IT for us. Being that we only go about once a year, and we love being welcomed "home", we just see BCV as our true home. So giving up too many nights to stay at another resort was kind of a bummer.
The reason we are willing to try a split stay again, and are hoping to do so during our next trip? An opportunity to stay at the Villas at Grand Floridian. Now that they are open, and remembering how much we loved staying there during our honeymoon, we would love to try out the Villas for 2 nights before heading over to Beach Club Villas. The only hitch in this is that when I went to make this reservation (and seriously, it was like 3 hours after reservations opened through the DVC website), the 2 nights we wanted were already booked. So I immediately put us on the waitlist, and we'll see if we get in. Worst case scenario, we've got 11 nights booked at Beach Club Villas, and you know Matt and I aren't complaining about that!
YEAH YIPPY WOOHOO moments...
So, I thought it would be fun to go through each our days and post something similar to what I did in my last TR at the end of each day. As you recall, there were YEAH YIPPY WOOHOO moments, and WOMPWOMP moments. For the purpose of focusing on the positive in life, we'll just stick with YEAH YIPPY WOOHOO moments here.
More often than not, in life, we get stuck on the negative things. But with Disney, it's different. The positives always outweigh the negatives, and this is why I love going to Disney Parks so much.
Day 1:
+Flying first class to Disney
+Getting in earlier than planned
+Catching a boat to Magic Kingdom
+Magic Kingdom with NO ONE around!
+Seeing Splash Mountain after the big refurb
+Mickey and Minnie calling to wish us a happy anniversary
Day 2:
+Seeing the opening show at Magic Kingdom for the first time
+Finding the Sulley Duffy outfit
+No crowds whatsoever
+Seeing the Tangled area and the Tiki Room for the first time
+Roast Beef and Bleu Cheese sammich at Roaring Fork
+Starbucks at Epcot for the first time
+Creating the Poop Wagon on Test Track
+SCHOOL BREAD
+Seeing the Electrical Water Pageant from our beach
Day 3:
+Seeing the opening show at MK for the second time
+Ninjaing my way through crowds to get my Haunted Mansion Dooney bag
+Hugging my new Dooney
+Doing our Monorail Resort tour
+Eating Tonga Toast at the Polynesian!
+Lady who recognized us from our January trip video on the monorail
+MEETING JENN, BRANDON, AND THE KIDS FINALLY!!
+Talking to the nicest CM, Gio, about Vinylmation
+Hanging out with Danni and Johnny!
+Seeing the Villains fireworks at Hollywood Studios
Day 4:
+Going on Expedition Everest with no lines
+Flame Tree BBQ Onion Rings, yum.
+Magic Cookie Baaaar
+Matt helping the girls find Mickey confetti
+Riding Space Mountain with Brandon
+Sawyer's "Dani, I heard you SCREEEEEAAAM."
+The Dessert Party and meeting Susie
+Meeting up with our IG friends
+Seeing MSEP after the park officially closed
+Getting photos of the castle with no one around
Day 5:
+Attending the Vinylmation Reflections of Evil trading event
+Getting some awesome trades with people
+Meeting new traders
+Lunch with Matt, Jenn and Sawyer in England/Dinner at Cape May w/ the fam
+Being back at Beach Club again, with a view of Spaceship Earth
+Matt getting the max score on Buzz Lightyear and yelling "EAT IT, EVERYONE!"
+Going on the Teacups and laughing our heads off
Day 6:
+Getting to see One Man's Dream
+Going to OKW and taking the boat to DTD
+Raglan Road with Danni and Johnny
+Being stopped about our trip video by a man who was super nice!
+Watching Illuminations from Stormalong Bay
+Oreo Bon Bons entering my life again
Day 7:
+Celebrating our anniversary in Disney World!
+Seeing Country Bear Jamboree for the first time
+Going to MNSSHP
+Getting stopped for our costumes by people for photos
+The Pumpkin Waffle from Sleepy Hollow
+HalloWishes being the most amazing thing ever
+Boo to You Parade being awesome
+Seeing all of our friends throughout the evening
Day 8:
+Having a laid back morning in Animal Kingdom
+Adopting baby Simba
+Riding Expedition Everest
+Lobster Roll from Boardwalk Bakery
+Amazing desserts from BW Bakery
+Spending our afternoon/evening wandering around Epcot
+Double chocolate funnel cake with ice cream? YUP.
+Seeing The American Adventure for the first time... and singing the song non-stop to annoy each other
Day 9:
+Meeting the Disney Ambassadors
+TOURING THE TOWER OF TERROR!!
+Meeting characters with the kids
+Pluto being VERY excited about our anniversary
+Going on Dumbo for the first time ever
+Seeing the Goodnight Kiss for the first time
Day 10:
+Going on EE and doing the Trek at AK
+Our lovely afternoon at DTD
+Our lunch at Cooke's of Dublin
+Matt's hilarious reaction to Celebrate a Dream Come True
+Splash Mountain on what was a hot day
+Matt being chosen as Sulley
+Rock Paper Scissors with Brynn and Julia
+My chocolate chip coconut bar
Day 11:
+Breakfast in France
+Wandering around World Showcase for the last time
+Swimming the quiet pool with Matt
+Riding the Haunted Mansion for the 13th time
+Wearing our Mickey ears
+Getting Matt a churro and me a Mickey Premium bar
+Riding Space Mountain with the lights half on (terrifying but fun)
+Saying goodbye to MK while MSEP went by
It's kind of amazing to look at all of those wonderful memories... all in a SINGLE trip. This is why we keep coming back to Disney World... it brings so much joy to us, even in those little moments... they may seem insignificant, but when you add them up, you're overwhelmed with happiness...
New attractions/shows for us/me (some of these Matt had ton plenty times as a kid):
Enchanted Tiki Room
Dumbo
Country Bear Jamboree
Mad Tea Party
One Man's Dream
The American Adventure
Ellen's Energy Adventure
It's Tough to Be a Bug
Primeval Whirl
I can't believe how many new things I tried this trip! I mean, stuff that most people think "UM WHAT?! You've never done that?" I know, it's crazy, but I'm glad we did, because some of them (not looking at you, Primeval Whirl) will be things that I do on every trip going forward.
Top TWELVE Photos of the trip (in no particular order):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Some of these photos are in my top because I just like how they look, but others are because they captured wonderful moments of our trip that I just adore. Sometimes taking photos can be kind of a pain, but I'm always thankful for the ones I take because it brings back all of the wonderful memories associated with it.
FINAL final remarks (I swear)...
And with all that, I just want to thank all of YOU guys for reading this trip report... especially those of you who have been here since the beginning. Seriously, having people actually, you know, read about our silly adventures is what keeps me coming back and writing trip reports. They take up the majority of my free time, between photo (and now video!) editing, writing, organizing notes, etc., but I'm always happy when I post and you guys are here, reading along and commenting.
I also want to take a moment to apologize for not getting to comment NEARLY as much as I'd love to on a lot of your TRs. Life gets pretty crazy with work and then trying to make sure I keep up my own trip reports and replying to people that I sometimes don't have time to keep up with others' nearly as much as I wish I could. Please don't get take it personally if I don't get to comment on your trip report. I really wish there was more time in the day to read people's TRs AND comment. I mean, that alone is where I learned about SO many new things to try on our trips. So anyway, sorry, that might be a ramble, but I did want to say that because I totally feel guilty about not getting the time to comment a whole lot on other TRs.
Some of you are aware that Matt and I made another trip to Disneyland in November (yay for Christmas time in Disneyland!), and it was our first time staying on-property there, at the amazing Grand Californian. It was a dream come true to be able to stay there, and having it be our second trip to Disneyland, we had a way better grip of the parks, AND an extra day! So, since our next trip to Disney World isn't until September, if you'd like to read along with my Disneyland trip in the meantime, here's a link, and I've JUST started it, so I hope you're ready for another fun ride!
That's the 30th time we've heard that song.. A GRAND Xmas Adventure! Nov 13 TR
I really hope to see you guys over there in that trip report, as I'm not entirely positive I will be writing another one for our upcoming September trip to Disney World. IT'S NOT A FINAL DECISION YET, but I am leaning towards taking a little break from writing trip reports and focusing more on my photography and creating an awesome trip video. I have absolutely loved writing TRs and have made so many amazing friends through here, and it won't be the last time I write one, but my free time seems to become less and less of a thing, that I would like to fill that time with some other hobbies. I haven't completely decided, but this seems like it might be a good trip to take a break from writing since we're shooting for a more laidback one. But we will see, I may decide I absolutely 100% have to write one.
And with that, thank you again for reading, I hope you all enjoyed it! I definitely enjoyed reading all of your comments and hope to see you soon!
THE END
. It's ok though bc I'm looking forward to you DL TR!!! See you over there!
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) Thanks again for sharing.
