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

[angelicamy12]

OMG What an incredible experience! I cannot wait to hear all about the parade - I bet you're glad you didn't fight the Elsa dress in the end!

 

[budafam]

Once we arrived, we were instructed to get pictures taken by the Photopass photographers.

Some of the parade characters came out to talk to the kids.

Everyone was instructed to stay with the group once we stepped out. We needed to walk fairly quickly because there would be horses behind us and we didn't want them to catch up. Parents were not allowed to take pictures once we went around this wall because we would be "backstage" for a bit. They explained that we would walk down towards the hat and then take our place at the stage for a front row seat to Anna & Elsa's stage show after the parade.
By now it was sweltering hot... kids were getting restless, parents were sweating... haha. The CM's kept telling us it would be "any minute now" but it seemed to take several minutes. Finally, we were led backstage where we got a glimpse of the carriage that was holding Anna & Elsa. The gates were open and people were lined up and down the street on the sidewalks. This was the most magical moment EVER and I couldn't believe what we were about to do!

Once we got to the stage, we got to watch the rest of the parade come down to us as the photographer took more pictures of the kids.

We were given cards that contained all of the pictures from the parade on them as well as the ones taken beforehand. Lots of great character pics from the parade (not just stock photos).

Thank goodness for those Olaf fans!!! The sun was HOT!!! We enjoyed the stage show and everyone sang "Let it Go" (imagine that!)

DD loved it all so much!!! This made our trip so magical... I never dreamed this would happen to us. I am SO very glad DD chose to wear that dress!!!
Keep in mind... it was still before noon! What a day already!
Next we headed over to the Animation Academy to draw! We were very lucky to get into the next class... we had to sit up front with the lap board but that was okay.

Our character was Grumpy!
DD's luck continued and she was chosen to take home the animator's drawing!!!

(Mine is first then DD's and then the animator's drawing)

Next Up: New Friends!

 

[budafam]

Next we had a lunch ADR at 50's Prime Time. We were able to meet up with some friends that we've made from the Dis and add them to our table so we could all sit together.

I ordered a strawberry milkshake, onion rings & the pot roast... all great as usual.

DD ordered chicken nuggets that came with french fries and corn.

She ate the majority of the chicken nuggets but the waiter came along and spoon fed her some corn before she could have dessert.. haha.

We took some pictures with our new friends.

These two were best buddies by the time we had to head off to our scheduled Frozen Singalong. DD was not a happy camper once we split up...

She soon got over it once we got a front row seat at the singalong. We LOVED this show. It was great for adults & kids... so funny!

We did some shopping & went on the Great Movie Ride & Star Tours afterwards. It was about 3:30 when we left the park and took a boat over to the Yacht Club. We had a 5pm reservation for dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse.

This was our first visit at the Yacht Club so we took some time to explore a bit and of course did a little more shopping.

Up Next: Dinner & Fireworks

 

[budafam]

We waited outside the restaurant for opening and were first to be seated.

We were seated at the perfect table... right by the windows.

DD was given a personalized menu for her birthday (because 6 year olds love that sort of thing... lol)

Those onion rolls are amazing! Soooo good!
I had the Pimm's Punch which was really good.

I also ordered the lobster bisque... amazing.

Filet mignon & mashed potatoes along with the truffle mac & cheese. I probably should've left off the mac & cheese since the steak and potatoes were plenty but I really wanted to try them. I was unable to finish any of it. My steak was overdone quite a bit which was a disappointment.

DD ordered the mac & cheese and didn't really care for it.

Somehow she found room for dessert though... paint your own Mickey puzzle!!!

and the extra birthday dessert they brought out for her... load on the sugar!

I would return for the sole reason of getting those onion rolls and lobster bisque again but I would probably skip the steak. Our server was great in the beginning but once the ladies behind us were seated, we were ignored. They ordered a few bottles of wine and were obviously spending much more than we were.. ha.
We took the boat back to Hollywood Studios and got a few quick pictures out front before heading back into the park.

DD took a picture in front of the gas pumps for grandpa.

Then we headed off to the dance party for a bit where they were playing "Let It Go" (IMAGINE THAT!)

We went over to the Animation building for awhile and took some time in One Man's Dream before trying to secure a spot for the fireworks.

We found a great spot about halfway down the street. We sat down and waited for the show to begin. DD was tired but not anywhere near where I thought she would be by now.

We were right at the crossroads so we had a great view of the big screen.

The fireworks were fantastic. Being from Wisconsin, we could've done without the snow but it was a nice added effect.

I'm glad we made it till the end of the day... only one more day to go and it was going to be a long one!

Up Next: Epcot

 

[budafam]

There was just something so peaceful about waking up at this resort. POR was definitely growing on us. We fell in love with our stay... I'm sure we'll be back!

We were both a little tired from the night before but we planned to take it easy today so we could make it all day.
We had a bit of an "event" going on tonight!

It was a beautiful day and we made it just in time for the welcome show (complete with confetti which kids always feel the need to pick up!)

I'm glad I took a picture of the screen on Test Track... the photos didn't link to our band for some reason.

DD had to check out some of the rides...

It was getting warm outside already... sometimes it's nice just to walk through the air conditioning on the way to your next destination.

We rode Figment (so I could sing the song for the rest of the day).

And then played a bit...

Next we took a little tour of The Land.

Then we went for a flight on Soarin:

We had a very uneventful (but fun) flight.

It was time for some Food & Wine!

Up Next: Hey Duck, Step Away From My Cronut!

 

[dixonsontour]

Great updates.

 

[budafam]

We started our World Showcase tour from the other side this time beginning with this famous trio (one whip was alcoholic and the other was not).

Those cronuts live up to their hype for sure. DD LOVED it and devoured it.. with stares and even one jump up attempt from this guy:

Sassy duck!
Mommy finally got to try the famous Canadian eats!

The steak was okay... literally buried in mushrooms so it was probably 75% mushrooms and 25% steak (a bit disappointing). The soup was pretty good but I prefer Biergarten's beer/cheese soup to this.
We decided to check out "Oh Canada" which we had never done before... the walk in was beautiful!

We enjoyed our time out of the heat and the show was not too bad considering it's standing only (who thought that up?)
Next up was Ireland's booth. I've had the Fisherman's Pie before and it did not disappoint this year... ridiculous good.

That's giant pieces of lobster in there... so, so good.
Next up we visited France and decided to do the show (another we have never done before)...

Now THIS one was great... chairs!!! Yes!! Pretty sure we both took a short nap but what I did see of the video, was beautiful.
A little shopping afterwards.

Next up was the Morocco booth. We had a seat on the ground to enjoy this snack. After this I was FULL. Time to recharge.

Next Up: Volunteering in Italy

 

[budafam]

We hit up the Chase lounge for a little a/c.

DD loved getting to play games with other kids.
I could also keep an eye on the stage area (and line) for my concert later on that night.

As if this wasn't relaxing enough, we decided to take in the American Adventure show right afterwards.
The show was just about to begin so unfortunately we missed the beautiful singing beforehand.

DD refused and refused to take a nap... till ten minutes before the end of this show. Then of course it was fun trying to wake her up.
We made our way to Italy where we hung out for a bit.

Then we spotted the silent juggling guy about to begin his show so we got a spot and watched his show. Of course, he threw one of his balls to DD and she made the basket... then he came over and took her by the hand to help him out. This girl gets picked for everything!

She did a great job and after that we were a little hungry so we opted for a snack (and beverage) from Italy.

We made our way over to Japan... it was getting closer to our dining reservation time (we had reserved the Eat to the Beat dining package at Teppan Edo). So we spent some time doing some shopping...

Then we checked in at the restaurant and DD was given a paper crane.

We were seated almost immediately (even though we were quite early for our reservation).
We were seated with another family... I believe they said they were from Pennsylvania. I was a little nervous about taking DD to this restaurant. She can be a picky eater at times but I figured noodles & chicken should be pretty safe.

We loved our meal here! The entertainment was excellent and at the end of our meal, the waitstaff came out and gave DD her own chef's hat along with a birthday dessert and they all sang to her.

It was so much fun! One of the other people seated at our table took our picture.

We would definitely return to this restaurant in the future. I've heard that it's really nothing special compared to other hibachi's but we've never experienced another hibachi so this was excellent!

Next Up: Quite Possibly One of the Most Memorable Moments of My Life

 

[budafam]

Our plan had worked... we were done eating and out of the restaurant before 5pm. We had a quick bathroom break because I planned to sit in line after that until our 8pm show. Little disclaimer here: I'm a HUGE Hanson fan. Been a fan for more than half of my life (since I was 13)... yes, I was that teenybopper. DD is actually named after one of their songs. I've seen them live at least a dozen times including a backstage/soundcheck meetngreet when I was 5 months pregnant with DD. I saw them in Epcot back in 2011 with my son and this would be DD's first concert (and it was Hanson!) I was so excited!!!
My plan was working so far... I booked the late show and the earliest dinner I could get. We ended up going earlier than expected so I could get into the "Eat to the Beat dining package" line for the show. I ended up talking to quite a few people while we were in line. A few of them came back to let us know how close up they were. It sounded like we were going to be in the 3rd row which sure beats standing in line all day long (what we did last time) for front row. I was okay with 3rd row as long as we would be close to the stage.

We had fun sitting there listening to the other two shows play. Around 6pm another fan that was planning on the 8pm show got in line so we talked quite a bit with her and found out that Hanson was staying at the Beach Club. Well since this was our last night there, no stalking for me lol... just kidding! I wouldn't do that.. haha. This girl was actually from Hanson's home town and often ran into them back at home. She was super friendly though... it made the time go by much quicker.

We were let in about 15 minutes prior to the show. We ended up in the 3rd row... I believe the 2nd row was reserved for CM's and the front row was for Hanson's family. Their sister, mother, wives & children were ushered in shortly before the show began. As I said we were in the 3rd row right against the little cat walk that comes out from the stage. PERFECT! I was so excited!!!

They came out and everyone went crazy... of course I did. Here are just a few pictures:

The greatest possible thing happened during the show... Taylor (my favorite brother) came over and grabbed hands in the audience... DD raised her hand and he missed her... as he was walking back on the stage he saw DD raising her hand and he came back just to shake her hand. I got it all on my GoPro so I took some stills from that moment

That was it. Quite possibly the greatest moment of my life.. lol. Seriously some major Disney magic in my book.
This was just icing on the cake for this trip. I may have told DD that she would get a stuffed Sven if she could touch one of them... haha.
They sang more songs than any of the other shows and ended the show with an AC/DC cover.

We had the best time ever on this trip!!!
After the show was over we got some popcorn and headed over to the Illuminations viewing area. We haven't seen this show (from inside the park) in over 3 years so it was nice to see it again.
We took our time on the way out of the park... sat on a bench for awhile and just whined for a bit about going home
We took one more picture in front of the ball.

Then we headed to the buses.

Once we got back to the resort, we checked out the store and got DD a Sven... I had to keep my word!
The next day we woke up, took our suitcases to bell services & had some quick breakfast.

Magical Express picked us right on time. Our flight was on time as well... by late afternoon we were home safe and sound and with a ton of new memories to share.

This was an amazing trip! I really can't complain about anything at all. We were so fortunate to be able to take it and I will cherish these memories forever with my little girl. DD talks about things that happened on this trip daily. We just had so much fun and this is what Disney really is all about!

Thanks for reading along!!! I do have some videos to post and will get to that eventually... time to begin our next trip report... which took place only 26 days later (that seriously makes leaving Disney so much easier!)

 

[budafam]

The surprise reveal video... arriving in Disney at All Star Movies, first day at Magic Kingdom and checking in at our Port Orleans Riverside Royal Room

 

[nicole0992]

I loved your trip report! Just found it and read it all in one sitting.

You are a fantastic Mom and planned such an amazing trip. Your DD is adorable. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[budafam]

Meeting characters & our day at Downtown Disney then MNSSHP & the Soiree in the castle.

 

[DnA2010]

Oh wow! Loved your report! The experiences, the meals- what a special trip you got to take together! Love your DDs outfits too, nice job! That was Em that you met up with wasn't it!