A WDW Christmas trip, and the BEST Christmas gift I've ever received (completed)

Day 9: Goodbye, Sunshine. Hello, Snow, + Post-trip Thoughts

Apologies for the lack of photos from this last day. #textheavy Nothing on our travel day seemed worth photographing after having been at Disney and Universal.

So I knew I'd never be ready to leave this trip—I never am, but this one was even more special with our engagement excitement—but this morning still came way too soon. After the alarm went off we got ready and finished packing last-minute items. N ate the rest of his giant donut, and I polished off some of the chicken sandwiches in the fridge. (Strange breakfast, but so much better than not eating. And it had bacon. Bacon is totally a breakfast food.)

We had asked ahead of time about how best to get to the airport and decided to just take one of the town cars at the resort. Our ride to the airport and our check-in/security went smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, that we had loads of time after finding our gate. We chilled out for 2 hours, watching videos and chatting, and I took all kinds of medications at various intervals before flying. (I'm getting the system of being a terrible flier down to a science! It's taken me a while to find the sweet spot between not drugged enough, and unable to remember whole blocks of my trip! That's a funny story. Maybe I'll tell you all about Milwaukee someday.) And on top of the regular flying issues, I also had a cold with some serious congestion to worry about.

I also used this time to look for allergy-friendly snacks, and I found a surprising amount of stuff! There were no real meals I could eat, and we were flying over lunch so I was glad for my last leftover half-sandwich, but I found lots of little granola bars and jerky and things that were gluten/dairy/etc-free.

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We had a decent plane ride, on time, and with no major issues, but I had some major issues with the pressure! Everyone seemed to be feeling it and trying to pop their ears. I don't know why some flights are worse than others this way. But since I was so sick with my cold, my ears refused to pop, and by the time we were descending I had some serious pain in my ears and a wild headache. It ended up taking about a week before I could hear normally from one side after that.

We took a taxi back home, which I vaguely remember (between being tired and the medication I took, I was pretty zonked by that point.) Once we got home of course it was a let down, but there were lots of things to look forward to! Firstly, I think it helped that we ended our vacation with Universal. As much as it was totally fun, it helped ease us out of the amazing Disney bubble before plunging us directly back into boring Canadian winter. Also, as soon as we got home (Boxing Day) we went straight to wrapping some last-minute Christmas presents and re-packing our suitcases to go visit our whole family in a neighboring province the next day. I got to have nearly a week with them all before I had to go back to work. And when we got home that next night, everyone had planned a little surprise party for us for our engagement, which really kept us in high spirits! (And my sweet mom made sure I could eat all the food at the party, with no chance for cross-contamination, knocking herself out with gluten free baking!)

Finally, the saddest part about coming home from our last trip was that we didn't know when we'd be back again. This time we knew! We'd be back in less than 8 months for our Disney wedding and honeymoon, and we had so much to start planning that there was no time to be sad! I can't wait to get back and celebrate more Disney with my family and with my love and best friend. I expect I'll be posting a few life updates between now and then with some pre-trip planning and info!

Steps for day 9: 5864
In total on this trip we walked 181,528 steps, for a total of 117.66km or 73.11 miles!


Thanks so much to all who followed along while I got to re-live our trip. Up next will be Disneymoon Aug. 2017!!
 
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So glad I followed along and got to see your sweet engagement and all those awesome giraffes :-):-)

Have a WONDERFUL time planning your wedding and honeymoon, I'm so excited for you and N!!

Thanks for sharing your fun with us!!
 
Hi Meghan :wave2: Came over after seeing the link in your signature on my TR, and I just read your whole Disney part. So first off, congratulations :flower3: :love: I love how your proposal went! Doing it at AKL just seems to be perfect for you. You're the 2nd person I know now who recently became engaged at Disney and is planning to be married at Disney AND, you're both from Canada!
I have way too many things I'd like to quote so I'll just say what a completely awesome Magical Moment, and how 100% appropriate for this particular trip :goodvibes I just hope your honeymoon is 1000 times more magical!
I'll be back soon to read your Universal part :thumbsup2
 


Hi Meghan :wave2: Came over after seeing the link in your signature on my TR, and I just read your whole Disney part. So first off, congratulations :flower3: :love: I love how your proposal went! Doing it at AKL just seems to be perfect for you. You're the 2nd person I know now who recently became engaged at Disney and is planning to be married at Disney AND, you're both from Canada!
I have way too many things I'd like to quote so I'll just say what a completely awesome Magical Moment, and how 100% appropriate for this particular trip :goodvibes I just hope your honeymoon is 1000 times more magical!
I'll be back soon to read your Universal part :thumbsup2

Hi Ariane! Thanks so much for coming over. You're a real trooper to get through my whole Disney portion in one go! My trip report is so wordy, so that's a lot of reading!

Our AKL proposal couldn't have been more what I wanted if I'd planned it myself. I wanted something more quiet and personal than a big castle proposal, and obviously the giraffes made the moment, so N did very well. We're so excited for the wedding and to continue planning! My wedding necklace came in the mail just a couple days ago and I may have squealed and worn it around the house. That's so funny that all of Canada seems to be getting married at Disney lately! :D
 
So glad I followed along and got to see your sweet engagement and all those awesome giraffes :-):-)

Have a WONDERFUL time planning your wedding and honeymoon, I'm so excited for you and N!!

Thanks for sharing your fun with us!!

Thanks so much for following along and making me feel so welcome being new to the DIS!
 
Enjoyed your trip report, thanks for sharing. I'm from NS as well so it was fun to read along with another Maritmer!

Congratulations and happy planning for your Disneymoon.
 


Enjoyed your trip report, thanks for sharing. I'm from NS as well so it was fun to read along with another Maritmer!

Congratulations and happy planning for your Disneymoon.

How cool that you're also from the Maritimes! It's a Small World after all. :goodvibes Thanks for reading!
 
Life/Wedding Update!
Hello all! Just a bit of an update as I'm slowly nearing our August Disney wedding/honeymoon and getting more and more excited...

First, a bit of news! N and I (along with my Mom, S) have successfully registered for our first runDisney 5k races for marathon weekend in Jan. 2018! While this may not be a big deal to more seasoned runners, it's very exciting for me! I've never been much of a runner, but if anything can motivate me it's Disney. I'm starting slow and training up to it between now and January, and so far happy with my progress. Yay for a new Disney adventure!! Yay for hitting the gym...

Our DFTW wedding date is set for mid August, and we're starting to get excited about all the planning, too. I went with my mom and two bridesmaids last week to David's bridal to pick out bridesmaid dresses, and we found something we could all be happy with and that they may even wear again someday! We went with short (for the heat!) and one-shoulder, in our cobalt/royal-blue-ish wedding color.

I already have my wedding dress, but I won't post it here in case N decides to creep the boards. :P

I'm finding a Disney wedding to be both easier and harder than planning a typical church wedding at home. On the one hand, with our package (Escape) the company takes care of almost everything and just lets you make the fun [and expensive!] decisions, which is great! On the other, coordinating travel plans and whatnot for family and friends for a destination wedding can be a serious stressor! We've had a little drama with family and friends not knowing how to react to the prospect of a destination wedding, let alone one at Disney World. Most have gotten on board at this point, but tension levels are still high. We went into this saying we only wanted positivity and people who would be happy for us at our wedding, and that's still the goal, but proving a bit unrealistic at times.

We're starting to do some honeymoon trip planning, too, and we hit our 180-day window for ADRs not long ago, which is helping to build excitement. We're booking some old favourites (here's lookin' at you Boma Breakfast, and Coral Reef), as well as trying a few new ones, like Cape May Cafe, and Kona. We're also introducing my side of the family to Ohana for dinner the night after the wedding :)

I've also got a new adventurous plan for after the wedding...cutting off all my hair! I want to keep my length for the wedding so I have options for styling, but I know as soon as the wedding is over it will be so hot in August that I'll want all my hair gone. I'm getting so enthused about it. Every day I wash my hair these days is another day I look forward to entering the world of pixie-cut-dom.

Every time I make a new purchase (tonight was my wedding earrings on Etsy) or plan something new it all seems to get more real! I can't wait to tell you all about it as soon as it arrives.
 
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I'm sorry I initially missed your TR but I read it all and so enjoyed it!!

First- congrats on the engagement! What a sweet proposal story.

I've never stayed at AKL but it sure it on my bucket list. It's such a beautiful resort! I loved seeing all your pictures!

Your Disney days sounded really fun. However, I don't think anything tops a private safari! That is amazing!!

I'm sorry you ended up getting sick at the end of the trip :( But it sounds like you powered through and enjoyed your Universal days! I have to agree with you about Dudley Do-Right- that ride scared the crap out of me!

How exciting to be planning a Disney wedding/honeymoon! It will be here before you know it!
 
I'm sorry I initially missed your TR but I read it all and so enjoyed it!!

First- congrats on the engagement! What a sweet proposal story.

I've never stayed at AKL but it sure it on my bucket list. It's such a beautiful resort! I loved seeing all your pictures!

Your Disney days sounded really fun. However, I don't think anything tops a private safari! That is amazing!!

I'm sorry you ended up getting sick at the end of the trip :( But it sounds like you powered through and enjoyed your Universal days! I have to agree with you about Dudley Do-Right- that ride scared the crap out of me!

How exciting to be planning a Disney wedding/honeymoon! It will be here before you know it!


Thanks so much for stopping in! :) You're a trooper if you got through that whole report in one go - it's pretty text-heavy! I love doing a binge-read through people's TRs though.

Thanks for the well-wishes! N did so well planning a proposal that was intimate and sweet, and something that suited our style. Our safari was pretty much a dream come true - a dream I didn't even know I had! :)
 
Take it from an old married woman, earplugs save marriages! I get it that they can be uncomfortable BUT I found some that are wax. You decide how much to use and they WORK !! Hopefully you can find some and enjoy your sleep
 
Take it from an old married woman, earplugs save marriages! I get it that they can be uncomfortable BUT I found some that are wax. You decide how much to use and they WORK !! Hopefully you can find some and enjoy your sleep

Thanks for the advice! Often times, I think it'll be our best option.
 
Another side note here: this was an experience that totally exemplified the difference between Disney's allergy protocol and Universal. When I eat at Disney quick service I can always either use an allergy menu, or speak directly to a chef, have my order prepared separately in the kitchen and marked in at least one of several ways as an allergy order (picks, green trays, etc.) At Thunder Falls, however, I ended up speaking to a cashier who didn't know about allergies, then to a chef, who started asking the cashier to give me an ingredient listing on the food (which she had had the entire time, and which was confusing and incomplete!), then I read it, had to flag down the same chef again to ask questions, and then when I was marginally convinced of something safe I could order I was told to just go get in line and tell the team members serving the food what I wanted. Nothing separate, no chef overseeing my food, and all the chance for cross-contamination. Because my allergies are not terminal I decided to just go with it because we were so hungry, but if I'd had a terminal allergy, or was responsible for a child with dietary needs, I would have felt totally uncomfortable dining here. The food was fine, and I don't think it made me sick (jury is out since I was unwell after dinner that night and it could have been either meal) but it made me miss Disney.

Since we split a meal at Thunder Falls, neither of us were stuffed, so I made N try Dippin' Dots. As a child I was obsessed with these things on Florida trips and never allowed to have them, so I think I was trying to make up for those times for him. He found them strange but pleasing. I think I made him try cookies and cream?

Steps for day 8: 28328

That's one of the things I like about Disney, although I don't have as many allergies as you do (just allergic to peppers) and mine isn't life threatening either (although pretty severe for multiple days), they make sure there's not going to be an issue. Disney magic can be seen in many aspects and the way they go out of their way to make sure you have something that's safe AND yummy is one of them.

Did you have dippin' dots or just N? I think they contain dairy, so just wondering if you did partake if that could've made you sick. Also, if they mixed up your order or as you said, cross contaminated, depending on how sensitive you are, could have done it. Some things Disney does better than anyone else and seems you found another one of them.
 
A New PTR? Yay!

So I couldn't contain my excitement for planning the upcoming DFTW/Disneymoon/August Vacay trip...so I've started my very first PTR in case you'd like to follow along. Link is found here...


Where are my manners?
Congratulations on the engagement!!!! :dogdance: and cool deal on getting the special safari tour!

If I hadn't just used most of my points for our recent AKL stay, I'd rent you the points, but then again Polynesian villas are a LOT of points.

I've enjoyed your TR and happy for you and N.
 
That's one of the things I like about Disney, although I don't have as many allergies as you do (just allergic to peppers) and mine isn't life threatening either (although pretty severe for multiple days), they make sure there's not going to be an issue. Disney magic can be seen in many aspects and the way they go out of their way to make sure you have something that's safe AND yummy is one of them.

I love this about Disney! 99% of the time everything there has gone perfectly for me with special diets. They're so careful, and they really do care about making sure your dining experience is just as good and as interesting as someone with no dietary restrictions. Can't wait to go back and try more restaurants soon!

Did you have dippin' dots or just N? I think they contain dairy, so just wondering if you did partake if that could've made you sick. Also, if they mixed up your order or as you said, cross contaminated, depending on how sensitive you are, could have done it. Some things Disney does better than anyone else and seems you found another one of them.

N was the only one to try the dippin dots, for sure. Yes, they do have dairy in them, and yes, I definitely would have gotten sick that day if I'd eaten them. The cookies and cream ones that N had actually also contain gluten in the cookie pieces, which would be a double whammy for me! Haha. I'm pretty sure the only dippin' dots without dairy are the rainbow-colored ones, which are more like popsicles than ice cream, but since I also try to avoid artificial color they're also out for me. Oh well, lots of other yummy options.

Where are my manners?
Congratulations on the engagement!!!! :dogdance: and cool deal on getting the special safari tour!

If I hadn't just used most of my points for our recent AKL stay, I'd rent you the points, but then again Polynesian villas are a LOT of points.

I've enjoyed your TR and happy for you and N.

Thanks so much for the well wishes, and for reading along with the TR!
 
Wow - Congrats - I am in for more reading !

Thanks so much! And I'll apologize in advance for that...I'm pretty wordy! I just didn't want to forget a thing when I was writing it all...which I think ended up being worth it for me because I've definitely gone back to re-read and re-live it a few times since writing it. :)
 
HI! :wave: Seen your links in your comment from my TR! enjoyed reading about your Christmas Trip! Congratulations on the engagement! :goodvibes It sounded like y'all had a really good time this trip! I can't get over the "magical moment"! I am heading over to follow your PTR!
 

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