April 2011: One Year Ago Today- Part 2

One Year Ago Today... Friday April 30th 2011

Today was a DECA Day at Disney so we have official busing to and from the parks.  We chose Magic Kingdom to start the day and even though we had originally thought about going back to Epcot we ended up staying here until the buses came to get us around 8:00pm.

We started off checking out the then-brand-new character meet and greet.  I was happily surprised it was walk through and we met the lovely princesses.  Once we got out to Main Street we realized the place was empty (by Disney standards at least).

We headed for Frontierland and round Splash and Big Thunder Mountain walk-on.  Then as we were heading through to ride Haunted Mansion we encountered Frontier Donald which was a first for me.

Next we made our way into Fantasyland.  We rode Philharmagic first, then Pooh, Snow White, and Mad Tea Party.  All with waits under 5 minutes! We were thrilled.  We stopped for a snack (premium ice cream bars) and then rode Peter Pan with some FPs we had nabbed earlier.  On our way out we headed over to check out Beast's Castle and the Fantasyland Expansion.  I nearly peed myself with excitement like a little toy poodle.  I then texted, Facebook uploaded, and even emailed some pics of the construction before we stopped for lunch at Pinocchio's Village Haus.

While we were eating there was a castmember walking around with a Pinocchio marionette that I wish I had nabbed a picture of.  How cute is that??

After lunch we headed back to Main Street because the student I was with wanted to do some shopping.  I mostly sat on a bench and people watched while texting my hubby how much I love him and wished he were there. :)

We headed back into Tomorrowland to hit all our faves (I should have mentioned the student I was with was also a Disney vet) but first caught a showing of Dream Along with Mickey.  We rode People Mover, Buzz, and Stitch's Great Escape.  We were having such luck we hadn't even thought to FP Space Mountain and when we headed over there was only a 10 minute wait! Lucky us! It was a closer to 15 minutes but nonetheless we hopped on.  I sat in the front for the first time! Yeow!

My camera died somewhere around this time.  It was close to 5 or 6 though and we made our way to Adventureland and rode Jungle Cruise, Pirates, and visited the Tiki Room.  Afterwards we headed back to Main Street, I made a quick stop at the bakery for some breakfast yummies for the next day and eventually right back out to our hotel just in time to change quickley and head to opening ceremony. Afterwards we grabbed a late dinner in the lobby of soup and salad before I signed the student in for curfew and headed to bed.

April 2011: One Year Ago Today- Part 1

My first ever solo trip began early on Thursday April 29th.  One year ago today.

We arrived at the airport which is closest to us, but which also never seems to have convenient flight times, at 5:00am.  What was super awesome about getting up and heading over so early is that 4/29/11 just also happened to be the date of the royal wedding so after we checked our bags and sat and watched Prince William wed the gorgeous Kate.  :)

We had a shuttle service with the conference (it may be a good time to mention that I was not technically solo as I was chaperoning a student) which was no where near DME quality but alas we made it to our hotel on International Blvd in no time.  We stayed at the Rosen Plaza Hotel which was adjacent to Orlando's Orange County Convention Center where the DECA conference we were attending would be held.

After checking in and dropping off our bags we hopped at cab right over to Epcot and were in the park around 10:00am.  This was my first time at Flower and Garden Festival and even though I have featured lots of my pics from last year already here is a little more eye candy:

We hit up a snack cart for ice cream and pretzels and rode all of my Future World favorites (Test Track, Soarin, Imagination, and we even did a walk through of Innoventions) before heading into World Showcase.  We did some more siteseeing of the topiaries here and rode Maelstrom and Gran Fiesta Tour. We also stopped for some shopping at Mouse Gears and in some of the pavilions.

It was around 5:00pm by now and we were both ready for dinner so we decided to head over to the Boardwalk.  The student I was with was very interested in checking it out as she had never been and I wanted to grab a souvenir refill mug (even though I wasn't staying on property the summer fun pool themed mugs had just been released and I was dying to have a mug with shoeless mickey on it).  We ended up having a quick meal at Boardwalk Bakery and sitting outside to people watch for a little while.

We got a call that the NY DECA chapters were going to have a meeting at 7:30 so we told them we would head right over (even though we had little hope of getting back before 8) and we hopped a cab back. After the meeting we mingled a little, and then headed back to our rooms.

I really had a fantastic view of Pointe Orlando from my room.  This trip really gave me a new love for the Orlando area.

2 Line Review: Crystal Palace

This is probably my favorite sit down restaurant in Magic Kingdom- worth every penny for this Pooh & Friends character buffet! The ambiance is light and airy and reminds me of the Grand Floridian while the service is good and characters are fun! 

One Little Spark

My first trip to Disney World was after Dreamfinder had long been gone- did you see both versions of Imagination? Which do you prefer?

It's a World of Laughter

It kills me how some people hate this ride! I love love love it! And could ride the Disneyland version for hours!

2 Line Review: Boardwalk Bakery

The Boardwalk Bakery is completely under-rated and is one of the best bakeries on Disney World property in my opinion- not to be overlooked if you are in the Epcot Resort Area! If you are staying at Boardwalk Inn this is also where you can stop to refill your mugs and grab a quick meal!

Aloha!

Have you ever eaten at Kona Cafe?

From Backlot to Narnia

I don't know how I missed out on the whole Prince Caspian exhibit, as a GINORMOUS fan of classic books, especially C.S. Lewis and the world of Narnia it was very disappointing until I noticed Mr. Tumnus frozen in one of the backstage walkthrough areas in the Backlot Tour! 

You & the Capt. Make it Happen!

Whats your favorite quick service at Disney Resort hotels? Capt. Cook is mine for sure! Can't beat 24 hour service!

Magician Mickey

Have you been to the new fastpass-able meet & greets! I tried the Princesses & Mickey last year and loved em! Really cool set up and queues and I actually was able to save my FPs last year and stop at both when they were walk-on!

Balloons

Do you or your kids get Mickey balloons in the parks? Even though I am 29 going on 7 I haven't purchased one yet! ;)

Scenic China

Whats your favorite World Showcase pavilion? I can never decided.  Today I am daydreaming about China. 

Rain Rain Go Away

What do you do when the thunderstorms roll into central Florida?

Sci Fi Dine In

I am not the biggest fan of Hollywood Studios, although I should be.  I am super de duper excited to eat at Sci Fi again! We haven't been there since 2008 and its one of my favorites! The food, the cards, the atmosphere--- Disney magic for sure!

Its Tough to be a Bug

I hate to say it but the walk up to the waiting line for Its Tough to be a Bug is my favorite part- I love winding in and out of the paths around the Tree of Life!

Festival of the Lion King

I don't know why I waited so long to see this.  I would argue its the best stage show in Walt Disney World!

Alice in New York

If you are an Alice fan (or there is one in your family) there is a lot more Wonderland in New York City besides in Disney Store Times Square. 

Central Park features the famous Alice in Wonderland statue (check out the view of Alice, Dinah, and White Rabbit above).  You can also dine at one of a few locations of this fun teahouse, Alice's Tea Cup.  Chapter One is located conveniently close to Central Park if you are stopping to check out the statue! The atmosphere is fun and the food & tea are delicious!

Disney Wedding Table Numbers

As you probably know by now I am a history teacher so when we were deciding how to name our tables I decided on "Great Couples in History" we had lots of favorites who were recreated Disney style like Robin Hood an Maid Marion, some of my favorite couples from history like Justinian & Theodora, the Adams' and Roosevelts, and I tried to pay homage to all kinds of love by including Bogart & Bacall, George Burns & Gracie Allen, Lucy & Desi, Elvis & Pricilla... but this is a Disney blog so instead of talking about every other table here are some that might just interest you: