*NEW 11/20* Mom & Daughter Trip Take 2 MOTHERload of Pixie Dust 9/21-9/29 Video Added! DTD!

[budafam]

Time to get moving on this trip report... so I can start my next trip report. (We have to keep those at the Un*** entertained somehow, right? ) September/October was very busy this year. I ended up taking my daughter on a surprise trip to Disney on September 21st. We stayed for 8 nights and the trip flew by. We had an AMAZING time. So many wonderful memories were made and I can't wait to share everything here.

Who: Mom & Daughter
What: Surprise Disney Trip #2!
When: 9/21/14-9/29/14
Where: All Star Movies & Port Orleans Riverside
Why: Birthday/Agency Meet Up/F&W - DS got his trip back in May so it was DD's turn

I can't promise I'll get much done before Christmas but I'm hoping to get this ball rolling shortly after. Follow along!

Table Of Contents

Day 1 - Arrival/Check In at All Star Movies
And OFF We Go!
More AsMo Pics

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom/Switch Resorts
Magic Kingdom Rope Drop
Seeing Double... Alices
Feeling Ripped Off
Room Fit for a Princess

Day 3 - Downtown Disney/MNSSHP/Villains' Soiree
Things Will Be Great When You're Downtown
Raglan Road & Video Games
Slowest Boat Ride Ever...
Happy, Happy Halloween!
Soiree Time

Day 4 - Royal Coronation Breakfast with Anna & Elsa in Epcot
It's Coronation Day!
Speed & LIft Off!
Zoo's Aren't Blue!

Day 5 - Magic Kingdom Day/Big Surprise
Not In the Front at Rope Drop
The Big Surprise!
An Afternoon with the Princesses
Not a Good Combo

Day 6 - Animal Kingdom/Night Off
What?! Water?!
The Princess of Wisconsin
Our Night Off

Day 7 - Hollywood Studios - DREAM come TRUE!
How would YOU like to...???
Experience of a Lifetime!
New Friends
Dinner & Fireworks

Day 8 - Epcot - Last Day of Magic!!!
Epcot
Hey Duck, Step Away From My Cronut!
Volunteering in Italy
Quite Possibly One of the Most Memorable Moments of My Life

 

[budafam]

It was a quiet Sunday at home... around 9am my dad & brother in law stopped over to see the surprise unfold.

I took DD over to the kitchen table while DH stood by with the camera rolling. I asked her if she could do ANYTHING in the WORLD today, what would it be? (DH was convinced she would say something like "Go to McDonalds" and completely blow it all... lol. DD did not disappoint. Without thinking twice, she shouted out "Go to Disney World!" So I said "Yes, we're going today. Right now we are leaving for the airport" and her eyes got real big, real fast.

DH took us to the airport... we were on our way to Disney for 8 nights and what turned out to be one amazing trip!



Our flight was on time... we arrived at the airport and made our way to ME. We were first in line!



But then we waited... and waited... it was a full hour before we ended up pulling out of the airport on the Magical Express. We had made friends with the people behind us who were from California. This was their first time at Disney World (although they had been to Disneyland many times). They thought that the "All Star" Resort was just one hotel. They had no clue which one they were actually booked at.

Our stop was last.. of course! We waited a few minutes for the online check in desk and before we knew it, we were ready to go!





I had booked the All Star Movie Resort for our first night only. The next day we would be moving to Port Orleans Riverside as a surprise to DD. I was using my TA rate for that reservation. This was our first time at All Star Movies and we really liked it (even if it was just one night). We took the night to enjoy the resort and check everything out.

Pictures of our room:







If you haven't guessed yet, we were in the 101 Dalmations section which was perfect for us.















We headed straight for the food court... we were sooo hungry!









The food was good... definitely filled us both up! Now we were ready to explore!

Up Next: More AsMo Pics

 

[budafam]

"What!? Disney barbies!?"



From the front:


Toy Story section:













Fantasia section:







Mighty Ducks section:







By the time we got back to our room, the luggage had been delivered.



It was time for bed... big day at MK tomorrow!

Up Next: Magic Kingdom Rope Drop

 

[budafam]

We were up early and taking our luggage to bell services. DD had no idea that we weren't coming back to this resort. The CM working at bell services told me that our luggage would be in our room at POR when we got there. We got in the line for the MK bus (first in line!) and waited.





It was less than 10 minutes by the time a bus came along. We had the BEST bus driver imaginable. She could do impressions of so many characters... the whole ride there, she was talking like Mickey, Roz and Donald Duck. She said Happy Birthday to DD in all the voices... really started our first day off in a great way. We thanked her and thanked her.

This is why we love getting to Magic Kingdom early...





DD was ready for this! 7DMT here we come!





Nowhere else we'd rather be...



DD loved it! This was her first time on the ride... I had been lucky enough to ride it two times during the 24 hour event on my birthday back in May.





A fairly empty Fantasyland and a quick ride on Peter Pan.





We made our way over to Big Thunder Mountain which was a walk on



Then we quickly got on Splash Mountain before DD could realize what we were doing...





I swear she was on there with me!

It was beginning to get HOT... we made our way over to Starbucks for a quick refreshing drink.











It was now time to leave for breakfast...

Up Next: Seeing Double... Alices

 

[budafam]

It was time for breakfast at 1900 Park Fare. We decided on the boats as our way of transportation.



DD was so excited!



We got her changed into her dress and waited for our pager to go off





She looked so adorable in her Alice dress! Glad I picked it up at a garage sale for only $4!



We were seated at a table in the very first room against the wall. The characters were not near us at all so we took our time getting our plates filled.







Everything was delish as always.

The characters made their way around... Pooh made a big deal out of DD.. super cute! The Mad Hatter was hilarious as usual. Alice went bonkers over DD. We had a great time!











I even got a selfie with the Mad Hatter:



We felt full & cooled down enough to where we were ready to go back to Magic Kingdom!



By the time we got back into the park, we realized how it was... we ducked into Tinkerbell's line which was only 20 minutes (but in air conditioning!)





She loved DD's trick or treat bag that she was getting autographed. This was my first time in the new Pixie Hollow area... it was beautiful! I love how they made it light up before we went inside. Very magical!

Up Next: Feeling Ripped Off

 

[budafam]

It was time for our fastpasses at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin so we made our way over there.







Then we took a ride on the People Mover.



We did a little shopping in Storybook Circus and decided to get a little lunch at Columbia Harbour House.

Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Quick Service dining... at all. It was 2pm. Not at all what I would consider "busy lunch time" but I stood in line for 20 minutes to order a kid's chicken nugget & fish meal for DD along with clam chowder for myself. This is what we got:





The chicken & fish meal came with 2 chicken nuggets and a piece of fish.. for $5.99. Not to mention some random fries that were scattered on the tray (I did not order fries so they came from another order). I was not impressed.

We left the restaurant... still feeling hungry and got super lucky finding a last minute parade spot next to a popcorn cart near the Liberty Bell. The CM had just roped it off so no one was sitting there yet. We weren't planning to catch the parade but since we didn't really waste any time staking out a spot, why not?



The parade had just begun and the dark clouds rolled in... rain started in and got pretty heavy for a bit there. I got my umbrella out that kept me, DD and the CM near us dry.









We booked it out of there as quickly as we could when the parade ended. We decided to call it a day and head back to the resort... it was time for another surprise.

Up Next: Room Fit for a Princess

 

[budafam]

We arrived at Port Orleans Riverside and got ourselves checked in (very quickly). We were presented with our letter from Tiana and we were off to find our room.







We finally found our room and it was amazing!!!













I highly recommend the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside... so very neat! My only complaint was that the door hiding the refrigerator in the dresser would not shut once we opened it (oops)! DD loved playing with the fireworks on the headboards.

Also, our bags were not in the room I called down to the front desk and they brought them right to us.

It was lightly drizzling outside so we decided to go check out the property and get something to eat.

We stopped to roast some marshmallows along the way.



We checked out the pool area, play area and hammocks. Then we went to the food court.



I got a shrimp salad sandwich which was delish!



It came with coleslaw. My MIL sent me a text message with a picture of the food she made for the rest of my family back at home and I asked her if she really wanted to start a food pic exchange, lol.

DD made a little sweeter choice for her snack. As you can see by the pic, she was delighted with her decision!



We relaxed the rest of the night and unpacked our bags... this was only the beginning!

Up Next: Things Will Be Great When You're Downtown

 

[budafam]

It was such a beautiful morning... the property was shining. DD was excited for Downtown Disney!











We took the empty bus to Downtown Disney and did a little shopping.







Some of the stores weren't open yet. We hung around the Co-Op until it opened and once we were inside, the CM's all sang to DD for her birthday. It was so sweet!

We checked out some soaps and ate some chocolates. DD tried on some clothes (virtually) and picked out a new charm necklace with a couple charms to go with it.













Up Next: Raglan Road & Video Games

 

[budafam]

We had an 11:30 reservation at Raglan Road.





The lady at the front of the restaurant was so nice.. she got DD very excited about eating there.

We had a wonderful meal... everything was great and the service was fantastic.















I had the Scallop Forrest and Bangers & Booz. DD had the Gold'N Chicken and then the waiter brought out a surprise for her.



We loved Raglan Road... I would love to go again sometime when the entertainment is going on

After our meal, we decided to check out Disney Quest. We had purchased tickets for the arcade on our upcoming family trip at the end of October but with this trip, we received the 2 free vouchers so why not???















I'm pretty sure we hit all of the floors. I knew DH & DS would love this place. I think we spent around 2 hours here and then it was time to head back to the resort to get ready for the Halloween party tonight!!!

Up Next: Slowest Boat Ride Ever...

 

[budafam]

We were very lucky when we walked to the dock and got to board an empty boat right away.





Once we got to the other dock, we waited and waited... it was at least 25 minutes before a boat came. The weather was starting to get yucky with drizzling rain. This boat ride took for-ever. It was a good 90 minutes from the time we left Disney Quest till we got back to POR which surprised me. I thought the boats were supposed to be convenient... I think the bus would've been quicker.







We got ourselves ready for the Halloween party and tried to relax for a little bit before we made our way to the bus stop.



DD was in for a surprise! We were going to do the Villains' Soiree as well on this night. Yay!!! We got in line for the verification/tickets at 3:30 and we were told that they would not be given out until 4pm sharp. At 3:40 the window opened and we were given our credentials.





They started letting everyone in at 3:45pm. We got our picture taken by the flag pole and then headed over to use our fastpass+ to meet Mickey.



The skies were looking awful at this point.



The last time DD and I did a MNSSHP, it poured the entire night. it was considered a washout and we had to repeat the party on another night. I really did not want to go through that again

Mickey was fantastic. It was the talking Mickey and he was so excited that Princess Anna had come to visit him.





Once we stepped outside, we had to go back inside to get ponchos on. It was pouring terribly hard. We got ourselves situated and headed out to brave the water. We made it halfway down Main Street and decided to take cover under one of the awnings next to the bakery. We were already soaked and trying to figure out our next move.



Eventually we made our way down Main Street and into Fantasyland. We checked on Anna & Elsa's line to see if anyone had started for the party yet but no one was there. We had another fastpass+ that was good for Ariel by this time so we went in to meet her at her grotto.





She was excellent... spent a lot of time with DD and gave us a nice break from the water.

We took a dinner break at Pinnochio's Village Haus to enjoy this pepperoni flatbread. DD ate the majority of it (which I'm glad of!)



While we were sitting there a girl came up to me and said that she reads my trip reports on the Disboards! So if you're reading this right now, HI!!! Thanks for coming over and saying hi

We did a few quick rides and then headed back to Anna & Elsa's line at 6:45pm.

Up Next: Happy, Happy Halloween!

 

[budafam]

There was a line but the wait was only estimated to be 10 minutes once the party began. Even though we were going to meet the famous duo the following morning, we decided to get in line so DD could get her picture taken as Anna as well. We made conversation with everyone in line and the time passed quickly.

Elsa was fantastic. She asked DD if she would like to have a lot of chocolate for her birthday. DD ate it up.







Anna was just as fantastic... she was so excited to see DD dressed up as her. She loved the white strand in her hair too.







We did some trick or treating afterwards. They had moved the majority of the lines indoors so you could hit up 4 stops in one line (our bags got pretty heavy quickly!)

We made our way to the dance party at the Diamond Horseshoe. The lights and fog made it difficult to get good pics & video but Photopass captured a few images.

Dr. Facilier was fantastic. His fingers are so creepy! He sat and talked to DD for awhile.





The stepsisters danced with us for awhile. A guy got down on one knee for Drizella and the whole place went crazy. The DJ played their first dance as "Time of my Life"... the old witch and Ratcliffe had a romance going on until she blew him off. These characters were hilarious!

It was almost parade time so we headed over to the hub where we had "reserved seating" with the Villains' Soiree package. We were given some free water bottles and got our magic shot picture taken...



The reserved area was pretty full. There weren't any front row spots open so we decided to skip the parade (we would be seeing it again next month anyways) so we took that time to go on some rides.

Up Next: Soiree Time

 

[budafam]

We eventually made our way back over to the viewing area for Hallowishes. There was plenty of room for everyone. We laid our ponchos down on the wet ground and had a seat. I switched my camera batteries so we'd be ready for the fireworks. Suddenly I was getting tapped on my shoulder... here were some friends/clients of mine. They also had purchased the Soiree package so we stood together while the fireworks went off (love those by the way!) and then we headed over to the back of the castle afterwards. Anna & Elsa was a short wait so our friends went ahead and met them quick.

We got in line to check in for the soiree. We had to show our invite card and then we were let in to the castle where Anastasia was greeting everyone. DD got her picture taken with her... Anastasia said "Smile at Olaf."



It was a few minutes before they allowed us up the stairs. We were shown to our table by the window.



Everything looked great... we inspected the candy, drinks & food... DD had fun with her napkin.









The cheeses were really good. DD loved the majority of it.. we also liked the Captain's punch.

The characters started making their way around while Lady Tremaine began her "show".



















The dessert plate was brought out and yum!!! They brought out another plate just for DD (we never asked for it... they just figured that kids would not like the regular desserts).





This night was so much fun. I'm so glad we booked the Soiree when we first heard about it. My friends that I had also booked really enjoyed the night. The only complaint is that it does eat up a lot of your "party time" BUT since we would be back next month for another party, we could live with that. We were sent out of the castle with so many goodies... the cups full of candy, swizzle sticks, all of the desserts, personalized menus and more.



We headed straight out of the park and back to the resort since we had an early morning to get up for (breakfast with Anna & Elsa!)

Here's our candy haul from this night:



Up Next: It's Coronation Day!

 

[budafam]

This was the day DD was sooo excited for! Coronation Day!
The company that I work for was putting on a private ticketed event in Epcot (a breakfast before park hours). Of course DD chose to wear her Elsa dress!!!



The bus couldn't get there soon enough



We arrived at Epcot and was pretty dead.



The CM's started lining us up over to the right. My friends from the prior night showed up and joined us in line. We were let in and made our way through Future World towards World Showcase. I just love an empty park!







The venue was beautiful!! There was Frozen music being played and the atmosphere was just so perfect for this event. As we walked in the door I was greeted by my leader and throughout the event I got to meet more of our agents along with other clients. Kenny the Pirate was in attendance and he had rave reviews about it all.





DD received her extra goodies (wand, tiara, sash) and her Royal Coronation certificate.





The guests of honor arrived and began greeting guests.



The food was excellent... who doesn't love Mickey waffles?



DD was brought out a birthday cupcake!



As we were getting ready to leave, we were informed that each of the kids were also going to get another surprise. They got Mickey ears!!! What a great surprise! We felt so honored to be a part of this event. The trip alone was worth it!

We left the breakfast just in time for park opening... we quick took a few Photopass pics behind the ball and made our way over to Test Track.



Up Next: Speed & Lift Off

 

[budafam]

We rode Test Track with our FP+ and loved it (as usual!)

Then we played around inside for a bit...

Before heading over to Mission: Space! This was very exciting for us since we had never been on this attraction before! I was a little nervous since I've heard mixed reviews of people getting sick. We made sure to choose the green side!

We had fun and I'm glad we finally did it! The woman that rode with us and her son did not seem to care for it too much though... he was crying the whole time We took a minute to go check out the Festival Center.

There's always so much to look at in there! I bought one of the little food trays for under $6.. best purchase ever! By now it was time to start making our way around the world...
The booths were just beginning to open! DD got her passport and we started collecting stamps!

We spent a little time in Mexico (of course we had to go on the ride)...

This hash was my favorite item from the Food & Wine Festival... sooo good!

We took one last ride on Maelstrom and a little break at the movie afterwards...

Then we watched the movie in China and did a little shopping.

DD was having so much fun talking to the CM's at each booth and getting her passport stamped. Some of them even sang Happy Birthday songs to her.

Next Up: Zoo's Aren't Blue!

 

[budafam]

We continued onto more booths.

Finally getting to the Chase Lounge where we were excited to take a break from the heat for awhile...

DD really liked being able to play some Disney Infinity for awhile... it was hard to get her away from it!
Once we were back outside it was time for me to finally get to try some Hanson beer! Mmmhops!!!

It was good but definitely not something I would normally drink.
DD got some popcorn and it started to drizzle a little so we took cover under the umbrellas...

This duck was after some popcorn!

We continued onto France where I got this:

YUM!!! We took a couple of pictures on the bridge and made our way to the International Gateway.

We had a dinner reservation at the Blue Zoo in the Dolphin. The boat did not take very long at all.

This place is beautiful! We had never been here so it was time to do some exploring...

We had a 5pm reservation which was perfect... no one else was in the restaurant!

I ordered the "Burnt Orange" drink which comes to the table flaming... so very cool.

Our server was EXCELLENT! She spent so much time with us and took really good care of everything we asked of her. Of course, it's not like she was busy with anyone else at the moment

I loved the "bread" basket and butter.. so yummy!

Scallops & short rib for an appetizer:

This was amazing... for an extra $5 you could have lobster on top of it. The sauce was the best part... a crab mustard mixture and there was a ton of huge crab meat in it.

DD's choice was pizza... she wasn't a huge fan of this but managed to finish about half of it.
Now the dessert was something else! She LOVED it!!!

This was the perfect meal to end our perfect day at Epcot. We took the rest of the night off to relax at the resort.

Up Next: Not In the Front at Rope Drop

 

[DnA2010]

Fantastic report so far, you are a fantastic Mom to plan such a great birthday trip!

 

[budafam]

Fantastic report so far, you are a fantastic Mom to plan such a great birthday trip!

Thank you! I love these one on one trips with my kids... they are always so much fun!

 

[budafam]

We didn't get going super early this morning but we were still trying to make it to Magic Kingdom for rope drop! We saw some acquaintances from a social media site that we're apart of and ended up talking to them for awhile.

We made it in time for rope drop but we were just inside the turnstiles... not anywhere NEAR the front of the crowd.

It's no fun being in the back...

They even opened up the castle by the time we got up to the hub so we went through that way and headed straight to the Mine Train. We ended up waiting 50 minutes to get on the ride and that was being there at rope drop... just not in the front of the crowd. This is why it pays to be in the front and walk right on... we wasted that whole first hour standing in line.

After the mine train we went on the Little Mermaid ride.

And then over to Barnstormer in the very last row...

She had no idea what was in store for the rest of the morning...

We headed out of the park and took a boat over to the Grand Floridian.

As we were walking to the main building DD kept on guessing on what her big surprise could be. She didn't even come close with the guessing...

Up Next: The Big Surprise!

 

[accountingbabe08]

great reviews. Thanks for sharing

 

[budafam]

It was time for the big surprise!!!

We were going to the "My Disney Girl's Perfectly Princess Tea Party" at the Grand Floridian!!!
DD was so excited! She knew nothing about this event so she had plenty of surprises in store for her... we waited in the lobby for 11am to arrive.

We were checked in and instructed to stand near the small staircase to wait for the tea party to begin.

Our host, Ms. Rose Petal was introduced as she appeared in the doorway.

Each girl was invited up to take a picture with Rose and officially invited inside the tea party. They were crowned and had real rose petals sprinkled on their heads.

I think we did a great job picking out her dress for the day!!! We were directed to our table that had DD's name on the placecard (right next to the entrance) and a surprise friend was waiting for her in her seat!

DD could not believe that this was HER doll. She thanked me for bringing her to the tea party (and it had barely even begun)...
The piano player made his way around the room talking to each guest and signing autographs. He was very funny and had DD laughing the whole time.

We were served our tea & plate of goodies... DD's was much sweeter than mine was. Her "tea" was apple juice and she emptied the pot!

I had chicken curry, egg salad & some yummy cheeses to pick from along with a strawberry infused tea (I'd rather the apple juice.. lol).

Rose Petal kept us entertained while we ate singing songs and telling stories. She even taught the kids how to do sign language for a song.

Then she invited them all up to practice with her.

Then someone special arrived to surprise them all! Princess Aurora!

The yummy cake was served next...

Aurora made her way around the room singing and dancing. Rose Petal visited each table and gave each girl a necklace to match her own with a carrying bag for it.

Besides the doll, necklace & crown... DD was also given a charm bracelet that was hidden inside her napkin and a bag for all of these goodies.
Aurora stopped by our table to give DD a real pink rose and to sign autographs.

We were then led on a parade through the lobby... all of the little princesses waved at guests as they waved back and we made our way up the grand staircase to where a Photopass photographer was set up with a chair and a doll. Each princess got their picture taken.

Then we were directed to go into the gift shop to get a birth certificate personalized for her doll and we were also given a few sheets full of princess stickers.

All in all, this was a lovely experience. DD still says this is the best thing we have ever done in Disney. She loved everything about it. The price tag was hefty but well worth it for that smile on her face!

Up Next: An Afternoon with the Princesses