KeyCon 2014 Trip: Day #7

My last Disney day, I woke up and packed everything up.  My flight wasn't until later in the evening so I had to leave my bags at the front of Pop for the day.  This required a lot of thinking to make sure I had everything I needed.  Once I was ready, I had luggage services help take my bags to the front and I said goodbye to my room.

I hopped on the bus to Blizzard Beach so I could enjoy a few more hours of the relaxing in the lazy river.  I floated around 2 times before getting off for another round of the toboggan racers.  I went on them once and had so much fun that I went again.  The second time was not as much fun as I smacked my left foot pushing off.  For a few terrifying minutes, I thought I broke my foot.  I hobbled back over to the lazy river and thankfully my foot felt better a few minutes later.

I went around the lazy river one more time before deciding I better get out to check the time.  (I was planning to go to the Magic Kingdom and I really wanted to catch the parade.)  I took a quick shower and got dressed in my park clothes.  Then, I returned the locker key for another Olaf bag.  (I had to get one for myself since I planned to give the other one to Eliot!)  After, I bought the Blizzard Beach shirts I'd found in the Beach Haus.

I made my way back to Pop Century to drop off my bathing suit and my shopping bag. Luggage services added it to the rest of my bags.  Next, I headed over to the Magic Kingdom for the parade.  The luggage guys didn't think that I'd have enough time, but I can move when I really want to.  Before entering the park, I went to Guest Relations to upgrade my seven day pass to an annual pass.  Yay!!!

I went into the Magic Kingdom and realized that I was not going to get a good view of the Festival of Fantasy Parade… until I decided to climb up to the Train Station.

I had a great view of the parade from up there.  I stood behind a few ladies who were seated.  Unfortunately, my cell phone ran out of photo space right as the first float went by.  The upside was that it forced me to enjoy the parade instead of focusing on taking a ton of photos.  The parade was amazing.  I fell in love with the costumes and the floats. The details in them were absolutely incredible.

After the parade, I made my way down Main Street for some last minute shopping over at Momento Mori.  I was determined to get the Haunted Mansion shirts for Eliot and myself, but they were still out of most sizes.  Instead, I headed over to the Christmas Shop in Liberty Square and bought the Christmas Duffy I'd fallen in love with.  Finally, I made my way to the Emporium to pick up a few more last minute gifts.

I was cutting it close on time, so I was unable to make the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean my last rides of the trip.  However, I still made time for my most important end of Disney trip tradition: I took one last look down Main Street at Cinderella Castle and made sure to soak in the view.

I said goodbye to Cinderella Castle and the Magic Kingdom and went back over to Pop Century to catch my Magical Express bus.  Luggage Services helped me get my bags and I waited for the bus.  Before I knew it, the bus was there, I was on it and I was headed to the airport.  I checked in, went through security and was on the flight home.  

My KeyCon 2014 Walt Disney World trip was absolutely incredible.  I met so many wonderful people, experienced so many new things and had the best time.  I can't wait to go back to Disney World in January and I really can't wait for KeyCon 2015.  °o°

KeyCon 2014 Trip: Day #2

The second day of my trip, I wanted to make the most out of being at Disney by myself. My new friend Wanda had a tour at the Magic Kingdom in the morning so I was on my own.  I slept in a little so I'd be recharged for the day.  When I got up, I decided that my first Walt Disney World Solo Mission would be Blizzard Beach!!!

Blizzard Beach is one of my favorite parts of Walt Disney World.  It's surprising to me how many people don't take advantage of the water parks.  The first time I went to Blizzard Beach, we were at Walt Disney World when I was 12 for Christmas.  I got a huge chuckle out of the "fake" snow when our friends and family back home in Maine had the real deal.  I'll never forget listening to Christmas carols while walking around in my bathing suit.  I make it a point to go there every trip to WDW- as long at it's open. 

I knew Blizzard Beach was going to be closed when we return in January, so I decided I'd get my fill this trip.  I started my water park day the same way I always do, with a trip around Cross Country Creek.  (I had promised my friends and family that I'd do a few trips around the lazy river in their honor.)  While everyone back home was dealing with the seasonal temperature changes, I was floating along in the warm waters the lazy river. As I looked up at the sun shining through the trees, I felt nothing but contentment and relaxation.  I went around three times before getting off near the Purple Slope.

Eliot loves the Toboggan Racers so I had to go down them at least once for him.  I had a blast and I even came in second of the eight riders!  Although, I was up against a bunch of kids, so maybe that's not really a big win.  After my ride, I decided to head over to Melt-Away Bay to enjoy the wave pool.  I grabbed a tube and floated along.  The waves turned on and a bobbed up and down near the wave maker for a while.  Eventually, I made my way back to the lazy river for two more trips around the park before calling it a day.  To my excitement, the cast member at the locker return offered me an Olaf bag instead of my $5.  I had to get the Olaf bag; Eliot would have disowned me otherwise!

After an enjoyable morning and afternoon, I headed back to Pop Century to take a shower and rest a little.  I stopped by Concierge to purchase my Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets for that evening, and was completely shocked when the cast member told me they were sold out!?!?  I should have known Columbus Day weekend would be busy.  However, I've never bought MNSSHP tickets in advance except for Halloween night in 2010.  I was pretty bummed out that I wouldn't be meeting more up with more of the Key to the World crew.  Thankfully, I had a little bit of a surprise waiting for me at my room.  I had a KeyCon welcome goody bag waiting for me on my extra bed. Eeyore, Duffy and Olaf were left curled up on my bed by Mousekeeping.

I sent Wanda a text to let her know I wouldn't be meeting up with her at MNSSHP.  Then I showered and ended up taking a nap.  When I woke up, I decided I'd go get dinner and head over to Downtown Disney to poke around for a few hours.  I left Eeyore, Olaf and Duffy in bed on my pillows.  Eating dinner at Pop Century alone was the first time I felt a little bit lonely all day.  Everyone else was sitting with their families enjoying dinner and I had a booth all to myself.  My delicious burger was well worth it though.

Walking around Downtown Disney alone was actually a lot of fun.  I took the opportunity to poke around stores I've never been in before.  I started in the scrapbook store and made my way into the art store.  I love admiring the Disney art. They even had a few new Thomas Kincade items!  I made my way from the Marketplace over towards the West Side.  Eliot wanted me to check out D Street for a few Vinylmations.  Along the way I stopped to admire the Lego sculptures and the Characters in Flight hot air balloon.

I didn't find the Vinylmations Eliot wanted, but I did enjoy looking at the candy apples in the candy store.  I wandered back towards the Marketplace and stopped to relax on a bench for a few minutes to watch the hot air balloon.  I continued along through the construction route.  It was a little crazy with all of the walls put up, but I'm excited to see how it'll look when Downtown Disney becomes Disney Springs.

I spent a while wandering around the World of Disney store.   It's always one of my favorite places to shop for park merchandise!  I found a few things that I made a mental note of.  I was very proud of myself when I left without purchasing anything!  I continued on and decided to look in a few places I never have.  Basin was at the top of my list.  I spent a while in there admiring the soaps and bath bombs.  I took a few photos of the Mickey soaps to show Eliot.

I continued on my quest and walked through the Arribas Brothers store.  I loved all of the glass work.  There was a cute Olaf necklace and new Frozen inspired vases and bowls. I continued on over to Tren-D where I found some awesome Harvey's seat belt bags. Next up was a quick peek around the pin store.  Then, I made my way over to Once Upon a Toy.  I love that place.  Eventually, I ended up at my weakness: Disney's Days of Christmas.  I took a lot of photos, but for once, I left the store without buying anything.  I was very proud of myself and my will power.

Of course, after having such a great display of willpower, I decided that I'd treat myself. My final stop was Goofy's Candy Co where I admired all of the candy apples.  I really wanted an Olaf apple, but I decided that since it was Halloween time, I would get a Minnie Mouse Witch candy apple instead.  I was supposed to be over at MMSSHP after all. This seemed like a pretty good consolation prize for missing out.

After I purchased my candy apple, I made my way back to the buses and headed to Pop Century.  I worked on my "top secret" KeyCon project for a little while and went to bed to prepare for another busy day!  °o°

WDW Honeymoon Recap- 3/25/13

On Monday we went to Blizzard Beach.  The weather was beautiful and we were dying to go swimming again.  When we got to the park, we saw a familiar face!  We've never gotten a picture with a character at one of the water parks before!  Goofy was happy to join us.  Aren't we cute in our matching Blizzard Beach shirts?

Eliot and I also took a few photos near the entrance since we didn't have a water camera. We spent the morning and early afternoon at the park.  We floated in Cross Country Creek- the lazy river, went on Teamboat Springs- the family raft ride, and we raced down the Toboggan Racers.  Eliot loves skiing, so naturally he loves the theme of this park. Blizzard Beach has always been one of my favorites at Disney. (It's probably the Mainer in me... although after all the snow this winter I'm definitely ok with the fake stuff.)

Once we were done with the rides, we took the chairlift up to the top of Summit Plummet and took some photos on the patio area near the water slide.  It was a great view of the entire water park!  You could even see Hollywood Studios in the distance!

We left Blizzard Beach and went back to Pop Century to shower and relax for a little bit. (And we may or may not have been doing the Macarena on the bus ride back to the resort...)  Then, we got ready to go over to Hollywood Studios for the evening.  It was getting colder so I decided to wear my Disney Bride sweatshirt.  We had made it for our wedding and I never got to wear it since it was so warm in September.  I thought it was still appropriate for our honeymoon and I'm glad I brought it!

We arrived at Hollywood Studios around dinner time and took a few pictures with the Sorcerer Hat before heading for warmth.  

We ended up in One Man's Dream and wandering around it for a while.  Neither Eliot or I had ever been there before and we loved it.  We read all about Walt Disney's life, how he created Mickey, designed Disneyland and planned Walt Disney World.

I especially loved all of the models on display.  It's the interior designer in me.  I know how long it takes to make a model having made plenty myself while in college.  It takes a lot of time to make a half decent model so the incredibly detailed ones in the exhibit must have taken forever.  I took tons of photos of them.  My favorites were the castles.  Here's the Sleeping Beauty Castle model.

And of course, here's Cinderella Castle.

The other models that I fell in love with were the New Fantasyland models.  

We stopped for a while to look at the giant New Fantasyland model.  It was really fun to see the Seven Dwarfs ride since it was still in early construction.

I also loved the Journey of the Little Mermaid ride model.  It really reminded me of all of the interior models I had to make in college.  Those little clamshells were so cute!  And the details in the Under the Sea room were incredible.  Much respect Disney Imagineers.

After that, we went over to watch The Voyage of the Little Mermaid show.  I hadn't seen it in many trips and Eliot hadn't ever seen it at all.  As soon as the bubbles started falling and the lights began to mimic the ocean above it brought me right back to my childhood.  I was mesmerized by the show when I was a kid.  It was definitely fun to see it again.

At that point, we decided to head over towards Fantasmic to get seats.  We stopped to take a few photos at the Hollywood Studios sign along the way.

  
Fantasmic is Eliot's favorite Disney show and it's definitely one of mine.  (I probably couldn't pick a favorite even if I wanted to.)  Eliot loves the show so much that he walked down the aisle at our wedding to the Fantasmic theme music.

We enjoyed the show as we always do.  No matter how many times I see Fantasmic, it always amazes me.  Who would have ever thought of projecting on water fountains? Only Disney.  It's incredible.  

After the show ended, we slowly made our way back to the front of the park.  We took another photo at the Sorcerer Hat.  Here's the PhotoPass bedazzled border version.  (I love the borders you can add... I'm an addict!)

And that was the end of day number three of our Disneymoon!  °o°

Wedding Trip Recap- September 23, 2012

Sunday was the day that most of our friends and family were leaving.  Katie and Rick were gone before the rest of us even got out of bed.  Sara had an early afternoon flight, so she decided that she would stay at Pop Century and get some homework done while waiting for her bus to the airport.

Blizzard Beach park map. (Photo from Disney.)

The rest of us had decided that we were going to go to Blizzard Beach together.  Once again, most of our group had never been to a Disney Water Park, so it was a fun experience. Blizzard Beach holds a special place in my heart.  I love Typhoon Lagoon as well, but Blizzard Beach reminds me of long, snowy winters in Maine.  My family went there for the first time when I was 12 and it was the trip where we were at Disney World for Christmas. Being from Maine and having "White Christmas" playing on the speakers while walking around Blizzard Beach in your bathing suit was something that I won't ever forget.  It was hilarious and I've absolutely loved it ever since.

Elissa and Nori were flying out later in the afternoon, so they decided to join Anthony, Nico, Eliot, Jeremy, Mom, Dad and me at the park.  We went on Teamboat Springs, the family raft ride down Mount Gushmore.  Dad and Jeremy went on the first raft and Nico, Anthony, Nori, Eliot and me went on the other one.  It was a blast.

After that, we went on the Toboggan Racers, which is an 8 lane water slide where riders slide down on their stomachs on a toboggan style mat.  This is always one of Eliot's and my Dad's favorites.  Both of them always get out in front of me and spray me in tons of water on the way down.  We got a kick out of racing each other.  (It's really a lot of fun when you have a large group and you take up all 8 lanes.)  

Unfortunately, I ran out of pictures on my water camera so I only got pictures of us on Teamboat Springs.  Another reason that I need a waterproof digital camera!  I'm sure the racing photos would have been hilarious!  We also floated around the park in the lazy river. It's my Mom's favorite part of the water parks.  (This is also usually where I'd be taking a ton of photos.)

Finally, we had to go back to Pop Century so Elissa and Nori wouldn't miss their Magical Express to the airport.  Eliot and I said goodbye to them before getting cleaned up.  We met up with my family and found out that they were going to go to dinner off property.  They planned to go to Bob Evans and they invited us to go with them and we decided to go.

I was excited to get a good meal into my stomach.  I don't always eat the best at Disney.  I usually get burgers or chicken at the quick service restaurants so I was craving something with a little more of a home-cooked feel.  I had a delicious BBQ chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli.  It was amazing and totally hit the spot.  I also love the Bob Evans dinner rolls.  Yum!  It was definitely a treat.

That night, Eliot and I hung out at the hotel and tried to get some rest.  We had to pack up our wedding items since my parents were leaving the next day.  We also had our Magic Kingdom photo-shoot first thing in the morning on Monday and I had to be up at 3:00 am to shower and get ready for my appointment with Beauté Spécialé for my hair and make up.

The past few days were emotionally starting to wear on us and it was hard to say goodbye to everyone and to accept the fact that our wedding trip was coming to an end.  I took some time to reflect on how incredible the whole trip was and to thank everyone for their well wishes.  (You can see that I had a ton of Facebook notifications from well wishers!)  But the magical trip wasn't over quite yet... Cinderella and Prince Charming still had their magical photo-shoot at the castle to look forward to!  °o°