A Best Friend Birthday Extravaganza!! NEW TR LINK!! 5/16!!!

katt789

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
How-do LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Welcome to my most recent TRIP REPORT, and the TRIP REPORT PLAYERS, THAT IS US!!! BOOM!! But, no need to be so long winded, WE GOT OURSELVES A SHOW TO DO!!

(Bonus points to whomever can figure out WHAT that is from!!!)

I have a LONG history on the Dis, but took a pretty big break, which I'm still recovering from. But like… WHO EVEN AM I??!!

Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Hi…I'm Katt. I am (newly, as of this trip) 28 years old, and I live in Vancouver, Canada..I work in the food & bev industry, though I'm waiting for a change…lol… In 2014, I participated in the Disney's Cultural Representative Program, which was both amazing, and kinda not so great at some points. When not making magic for the mouse, I work in the food & beverage industry, and HIGHLY enjoy photography, dancing, vlogging, performing, and just being creative in general, I love MERMAIDS, and have been to ALL the Disney parks except for Paris, in the world!
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Before I moved to Florida, I lived in Calgary, where some weird kid one day said "I like your hair bow! Is it Snow White?" Which made me stop for a minute, and realize that this WEIRD KID maybe was more than that. A few days later, we were friends, and he said "BUT WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD TOGETHER" I replied with "What are you doing on Wednesday?"

AND THUS A BEST FRIEND-SHIP WAS BORN! Meet Steven;

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Steven OBVIOUSLY came with us on our Halloween adventure last minute, and in 2014, we went to Florida a total of 8 times, and took one trip to Phoenix to attend an audition for Disney out there. Most of our trips included auditions, and we would BOTH LOVE to work for Disney.
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

We managed to squeeze in a Villains Unleashed Event, and multiple MNSSHP, which we think we were FABULOUSLY dressed for!

Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Steven is 23 (as of this trip), he works a couple of different jobs, including a dinner theater, where we met, at the Disney Store (which blessed us with gracious discounts this trip) AND he owns his own Princess Party Company in Calgary! Which is pretty awesome!

Why: Our BIRTHDAYS!! DUH, otherwise we would've gone ANY other time of year, but my bday is May 28th, Steven's is the 30th! Originally, I thought "OMG MY CHAMPAGNE BDAY, LETS DO VEGAS" but I've never been there, and who knows if I'd like it, and I KNOW I LOVE DISNEY

Where:Disney's Art of Animation Resort!

Are you ready for an amazing trip of ALL the guest stars, so many FIRST experiences, so many friends, and a little bit of drama?! CAUSE WE ARE!! SO join us, as we adventure through Disney World, give us an excuse to RELIVE our magic, and hopefully spread some to you!!

CHAPTER LINKS!

Day 1: Saturday May 27th:

A Very Dramatic Start
Day 2: Sunday May 28th:
Main St Usa!
Adventuring

Links In A Chain
We're Here for Poca
More Chicken!!
Day 3: Monday May 29th
An Entire Day in ONE update!?
Day 4: Tuesday May 30th
Smoulders, Hugs & Dinglehoppers
Multiculturalism
The Drinks Take Over
Day 4: Wednesday May 31
Two Galaxies and A Castle
Fantasy & Rainbows

Dancing & Far Away Galaxies

Part 2
Day 5: Thursday June 1st
Magic Morning
Wild Afternoon
Day 6: Friday June 2nd -> ALL NEW 12/2!!!
Pandora Explorations
Across the Savannah
Everything the Light Touches
Trash Pandas & Old Friends
Touch the Earth, Reach the Sun, we are one
Day 7: Saturday June 3rd--> BELOW ALL NEW 12/8!!!!
Hogwarts, Dinos and Heros
Universal Surprises
Day 8: Sunday June 4th
An Enchanted Breakfast
Down the Rabbit Hole
Dazzling Brilliantly
The One with TOO MANY FEELS
And now It's Time to Say Goodbye
 
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Saturday May 27th

I wish I could say that today started out with a bunch of pixie dust & rainbows and amazing fun times, when in reality it was a goddamn episode of Greys Anatomy. The Monday before we left, my back was in a lot of pain, I went to the Dr about it, was told I had a lumbar sprain, and prescribed Naproxen for the pain. Fast forward 4 days, I'd taken 3 pills per day, and was on my way into work on Friday, when I noticed my throat was feeling funny, by the time I'd reached the end of the street I could tell it was way more swollen, tight & I had began to have trouble breathing. Apparently I'm allergic to the Naproxen. I hopped off the bus to run to the clinic where I was given a shot of Benadryl & an inhaler to help with the anaphylactic shock. An hour or so later I'm feeling better, and head to work, pop a couple Benadryl in a few hours since I could feel it slightly coming back. An hour later I'm about to head to the bus when I realize my throat's getting super tight again, and I don't have enough time for a bus; I have to take myself to the ER alone (well, in a cab…) AND managed to not get out of there til 3am, where I found Shoppers open to get the prescribed epi-pen, but not enough money to get it.(the pharmacist asked a few questions and said that as long as I'm not STILL taking the Naproxen, I should be fine if I take a Benadryl every 4 hours to keep any reaction at bay) Managed to get home, finish packing my bag with a whole 5 minutes to lie down before I had to head out to get in a cab to get to the airport.

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Not. So. Magical.

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr


I had checked in online, thus my boarding pass was on my phone so it was quick through security & onto my first flight to Calgary, which thankfully, I managed to sleep through most of. Unluckily, when I landed, I had to clear customs, AND security in a whole about 20 minutes. They kept pulling people out of the line to go through a different/faster one, and I kept trying to grab their attention to mention my flight was leaving in 20, and the lady was SUPER rude about it, saying SHE had to tell us where to go, like I get that, but you're sending people through the fast line who probably don't need it. UGH! Luckily boarding was pretty slow, so after an amazing reunion with Steven, we were able to catch up & grab some food for the ride! Our second flight was longer, I watched some of Inside Out but still slept the most of it. THEN WE WERE IN ORLANDO!! AHHH!! THIS WAS REALLY HAPPENING!! It was quick hop & a jump to the B side & into our Magical Express!!! AND we were the first stop!

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr


Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Art of Animation is one of my favorite resorts, its just so amazing & is home to 2 of my favorite movies!! (bonus points if you can guess which two…)
Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr


Check in was simple, we paid the balance, fixed ourselves up with a 2 bed room instead of a king & promptly set off to EAT! We were STARVING BY THIS POINT! I got chicken curry, Steven got a fish dish & sushi, which he used his discount for all of it & I gave him cash.


Dinner was super delicious, Landscape of Flavors is not only beautifully done but SO delicious & has so many healthier choices which makes me so happy!

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Bellies happy, we headed in to check out our room! It was building 9 in the Little Mermaid room, 4th floor like I'd requested& right near the parking lot!

The theming of this resort is all to perfect, but the bathroom being the grotto is the greatest part!!

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The bathroom's definitely my favorite part, Ariel's grotto being the shower is just MAGICAL!
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Steven & I hung out in the room for an hour or so, before I remembered that I desperately needed sunscreen & I wanted some champagne for my champagne birthday in the morning, it was a nice time to explore a little bit while we headed back down to the front of the resort.

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IMG_2398 by Katt mccluskey, on FlickrMy DREAM prince.…

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Sunscreen was easy, champagne not so much! We wandered through AoA & across Echo lake to check out Pop. They had champagne but it was over $30 a bottle & I just couldn't justify it, its so cheap at Walgreens! We did pick up some snacks though!

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Back at AoA we stopped at the front desk to double check our tickets were on our bands & ask about any discounts for the Elephant tour. We were given the cast number to call, thanked them, and headed up to the room again.

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Steven & I called it a night around 10pm, I was really feeling the length of the travel day/day before after not getting any sleep, and having to take Benadryl ever 4 hours was making me SLEEEEEEPY. Not to mention, we had a VERY BIG DAY TOMORROW!
 
Duh of course I'm joining :) Glad to see you and Steven reunited for a trip, I look forward to reading all about it!

*Woops posted too quickly before seeing you had another update!*

Ugh so sorry that about all the things leading up to the trip :( I saw you post about it on IG and was glad that it didn't affect you going on the trip!

LOL at the girl totally judging your selfie when you got to the resort. Hmm favorite 2 movies- Little Mermaid & Lion King I would say!

Those Little Mermaid rooms are just too cute, I NEED to stay there one day!
 
I sure hope the rest of your trip goes better than the start. Allergic reactions are so scary. :scared:

I hope getting into the Disney bubble changes the whole vibe of your trip.
 


joining in - can't wait to hear about this adventure! (and Happy Birthday (belated) again!)

Sorry to hear about all the health issues - I hope it didn't negatively impact the trip too much

AoA seriously is such a fun resort (we haven't stayed there yet but I've visited a few times .... I am thinking of staying there for a few days before our Disney cruise next February, in one of the family suites as we will have 6 people total). And you are right about their food court - it is such a step up from a standard food court!

Bummer about the champagne though!
 
Joining in! Cant wait to hear all about it! Sorry for the rough start, but I know from your prior trip reports, you always make the best of any situation!
 


Duh of course I'm joining :) Glad to see you and Steven reunited for a trip, I look forward to reading all about it!
*Woops posted too quickly before seeing you had another update!*
Ugh so sorry that about all the things leading up to the trip :( I saw you post about it on IG and was glad that it didn't affect you going on the trip!
LOL at the girl totally judging your selfie when you got to the resort. Hmm favorite 2 movies- Little Mermaid & Lion King I would say!
Those Little Mermaid rooms are just too cute, I NEED to stay there one day!

Yay!! Thanks for joining in, I'm glad you're here!! It was a HOT mess of a night, I did tell the nurses I had a flight to catch at 5:30, so that probably expedited my discharging a bit. Lol, I totally didn't notice her! Lol. Ahaha, YUP! #90sbaby here! LOVE me some LK & LM!! They're adorable!!! I really enjoy them, but I do feel like they're ridiculously over priced!


I sure hope the rest of your trip goes better than the start. Allergic reactions are so scary. :scared:
I hope getting into the Disney bubble changes the whole vibe of your trip.
It was a rough start, but it definitely got better!! Disney sure helps with that, it was certainly scary to be going through alone.
Joining in!!!

joining in - can't wait to hear about this adventure! (and Happy Birthday (belated) again!)
Sorry to hear about all the health issues - I hope it didn't negatively impact the trip too much
AoA seriously is such a fun resort (we haven't stayed there yet but I've visited a few times .... I am thinking of staying there for a few days before our Disney cruise next February, in one of the family suites as we will have 6 people total). And you are right about their food court - it is such a step up from a standard food court!
Bummer about the champagne though!
Yay!! and thank you so much!!! It was a hot mess, it luckily just meant I was super tired from all the benedryl the first couple days, and that I was about $300 short of money, but thank goodness for kids meals & good friends! It's SO fun!! But so pricey, I definitely wouldn't have stayed there if we didn't get the discount!! Ooooh! That'd be fun!! And yes!! It's so much better!

Joining in! Cant wait to hear all about it! Sorry for the rough start, but I know from your prior trip reports, you always make the best of any situation!
yay! Welcome, glad you're here!! It was a hot mess but i'm glad it got better!
 
Sunday May 28th

GOOD MORNING!!!! IT IS A VERY BIG DAY PASCAL!!!

BECAUSE, the thing about Birthdays, they're KIND of an ANNUAL THING!!! And today was mine!!! YAY! I was super excited about spending it IN Magic Kingdom, and obviously to be on vacation with a great friend!
The alarm went off at 6:45am, and BOY did we both forget HOW LOUD those phone ringers are! I wanted to set the wake up call to see if the fun character greeting had been updated, it was, but it wasn't a super fun one, but hey, that's all good! We got ready pretty quickly, both eating some snacks/breakfast that we'd brought with us in the room, and were on a bus in no time!

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

WELCOME TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM!! WEEEEEE!!! We did hit a minor snuff as we went to scan our bands, and #awkward, they went BLUE! We'd both bought the Canada resident discounted passes, as I had in February. The last trip, the CM seemed kind of weirded out that I had gone to the window to "link" my ticket, so I figured it was all already linked, but because of the discount, we had to go show our Canadian ID at the ticket booths first! Luckily, due to the new opening procedures, there were practically no lines anywhere, and we were seeing a GREEN MICKEY of excitement in minutes!

I needed a water bottle, and Steven wanted a new backpack, so we promptly did what any good Dis-er would do, and headed promptly into the Confectionary, followed by the Emporium. Everyone seemed super pre-occupied with getting into the deeper lands when the rope dropped though, so we still managed to get FRONT ROW spots for the Welcome Show!

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

The new show is cute, but honestly I will forever be sad that the one on the Train Station (and with the Trolley kids…and family of the day….) is gone. This trip there were just SO many new things, changes, and closures of stuff. It did help kind of "separate" the past from now, that chapter of my Disney life closed, and another one opened with all these new things!

The show begins with one of the Citizens of Fantasyland (we're gonna pretend that's what they're called) welcoming everyone before the Big Cheese himself says hey!
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And then a bunch of Mickey's friends come to welcome everyone to the Kingdom!

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Both Steven & I agreed the show is cute, and then made our plan of action to head over to Frontierland to get some rides in!! Upon hitting the Briar Patch, we saw a SLEW of cast members standing out front….never a good sign….SPLASH WAS DOWN! WAAAHHH!!! We thought about hopping to Big Thunder instead, but it was clear that EVERYONE had that plan, so back to Adventureland we went to battle with some PIRATES! We joked about how the ride might be a little lackluster since we'd watched the Shanghai Pirates ride through the night before, lol, BUT it was still awesome.

Steven asked if we could pop by to check Merida's line, I think he wanted a video for a friend(?) and we figured earlier on before people really figured out she was there, would be a good time to get it done!
P5280012 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
P5280016 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
She wished us both happy birthdays, saying that it was MIGHTY BIG CELEBRATION, and asked if we were twins (lol, I WISH I was Steven's age…) and asked what kind of plans we had for the day & we told her we were going to do ALL the adventuring.

Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



We got out of Merida's nook around 10:00 am, which made for a perfect little shade break while we waited for the Trolley Show to begin! I got lots of hugs & "happy birthday's" from the crew, despite not a lot of "our" trolley kids being there, bahahah.

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We watched the first 2 stops, to get the different shows done, and then decided to move on. We knew we'd be back later, and later on in the week, when more of our kids would be there. I was (still am) a little bummed that they decided to take away the different choreography for each season, they've been doing the Winter Trolley Show since January, and I'd been SUPER pumped to see the Summer Show! Here's the "Winter" Show, the one that we'd be watching all week:
And here's what the Summer Show used to be #cries


We also made the choice to leave cause it WAS HOT AS HECK! Where's the PERFECT place to take a break at the Magic Kingdom? THE PEOPLEMOVER! (okay…there's a few really good ones, but you have to admit, this is ONE!) I obviously made a pit stop along the way for a #basic moment.

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Because did you really go to Disney World if you didn't hit up the Purple Wall?! Lawl.

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"Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow. Please contact Mr. Johnson for your flight to the moon"

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Steven pointed out during the ride that a SUPER lowkey MNSSHP costume would be to get T-shirts made that said "Mr. Morrow" and "Mr. Johnson" honestly, it took me a while to understand the "Johnson" one, but hey, I was on a LOT of Benadryl, lol

IMG_2501 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Also check out Parkboundbuttons for fun buttons like these ones! I wanted something fun and different for our B-days! After traversing through Tomorrowland for a bit, we headed back over to Main Street.
 
Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
And took some time exploring the shops!
Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
I'd been searching for the Spirit Jersey's since they'd only had XXL left on the last trip, so have this SUPER AWKWARD picture of me demonstrating how the Medium fit me that I sent to my friends back home. Lol.

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Medium was the smallest size there was, and considering they were $60 AMERICAN dollars and our dollar SUCKS right now, no one ended up buying them…maybe next time….

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Since we were back in Town Square, Steven suggested we meet Snow White!

Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

She was great! And I know we both enjoyed the meet & greet, but I could NOT tell you what we talked about #whoops. We had a teeny bit of time to kill, so I popped Chamber of Commerce, where we'd seen a friend of mine, Chisato, working! We'd originally met through mutual friends when we were both down in Florida on our CRP programs, and then reunited in Tokyo DisneySea last fall, where she was lovely enough to show us around her home! Chi's now back in Florida working as a Guest Relations Ambassador, which is another 1 year program for internationals!! Super excited! We chatted a bit with her, before giving hugs and heading back to the castle hub!

P5280021 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

P5280020 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

We were excited for SOMETHING ELSE NEEEWWW! (Okay, Steven was excited, I was rather apprehensive) Dream Along had been SUCH a staple in my Disney life, it was uplifting, the moral of the story was super obvious, and it had my 3 classic girls in it. Back in Feb, Kara & I had watched Friendship Faire from halfway back through the hub and not really cared for it. Steven & I had front row seats, and I was interested to see fi I'd like it any better this go around.
 
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Garwsh,I ain't got much to add to the party; I'm not good at tap dancin & playin the ukulele

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They all have dreams, just like you and me

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Anything is possible, when you have someone you love by your side
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I've learnt, that you just have to remember to be true to yourself​

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Gosh Minnie, every day with YOU is the best day ever!



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Warm hugs for everyone!


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So….the show is good…I DEFINITELY enjoyed it FAR more than when I'd watched in online/in February. I still think it has a few flaws (ie, in the finale, the introduce everyone and the pace just comes to a screeeeeching halt, then tries to pick up again and it just doesn't work for me) and it will never compare to Dream Along, but it is good, and it has some very good morals to it, they just take more time to deconstruct from the show. It probably also helped that Steven LOVED it, as compared to my other Dream Along hardcore forever fan friends lol. If you're there, DO watch it, it is cute. Our favorite way to do it (same goes for when Dream Along was still running) was to catch the 11:30 castle show, head straight to the 12:00 Trolley Show, and then the 12:30 Move It Shake It, knocks everything out in a row Entertainment wise, so that's a handy trick!

Since it was a bit busier today, and we'd just stood in the sun for 20 minutes, Steven & I opted to head into the air conditioning of the Main Street Shops for a bit and catch Trolley at it's 3rd & 4th stop along the street instead.

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We chatted with a few of the Trolley Kids post show, Chrissy was AMAZING and managed to pull another one of the girls, and a Security Guard over to sing me happy birthday which was just adorable….I thanked them profusely, gave Chrissy all the love, and Steven & I waited in the shade for Move It Shake It to start! Our friend Gene was subbing in today as Host, so it was awesome to see him and wave to him as they all went by. We followed them down to the castle hub where we watched for a few minutes before deciding to bail away from the heat and get some FOOD! Later on Gene texted me and asked if I'd heard the birthday shout out he'd given me! WAH! We'd totally missed it! He said he couldn't see us, but figured we were around somewhere so he figured he'd do it anyway lol.

Lunch was over at Pecos Bill! I really wanted to eat there, and had budgeted enough for a delicious adult meal today, PLUS, we wouldn't be eating dinner until 8:30, so we needed something that was going to FILL us up! I got the fajita platter, and LOADED up at the toppings bar! Steven got a salad, and had a fajita as well off my plate.

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

I'm sorry it's sideways, but it's on my 2nd flickr & I'm way too lazy to log out, to log in just to rotate it lol. BUT LOOK AT ALL THOSE FREE TOPPINGS HELLO PECOS TOPPINGS BAR GIVING ME LIIIIFFFEEEEEE!!! My eyes were DEFINITELY bigger than my stomach and I felt super bad throwing out so much of it afterwards….lesson learnt…

BONUS POINTS, as I went up to the counter, I gave the CM my receipt, and she was all "Hold up! It's your birthday!? Wait right there!" And I was slightly terrified she was going to get a group of people together to sing to me, BUT she came back WITH A FREE SLUSHIE AND A MICKEY STRAW!!

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
I was super pumped, though I did share the drink with Steven. I was just happy since it was ACTUALLY my birthday today, and the previous time I was IN Disney ON my birthday I barely got any "happy birthday's" so it was pretty magical!



Steven & I finished as much of our food as we could, and spent some time on our phones, where I found out a friend was working over at DAK, AND that they were handing out POTC 5 buttons in Adventureland. We skipped through there to find some for us and our friend we'd see on Tuesday, and then made the plan to head to DAK after the parade! THEN, it was time to head over to Fantasyland to use our fast pass!

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
 
seems like a good start to the day - definitely exciting to be *in* Magic Kingdom on your Birthday

I am with you in missing Dream Along with Mickey - but the new show is good and I am glad Tiana gets some love by being in the show

Too bad you missed the birthday shoutout but that was really cool it happened ... and free slushies are the best kind of slushies!
 
You look so cute in your birthday outfit :) I'm glad you were getting lots of bday love!

Sounds like a great morning! I love your pics of the Welcome Show & Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire!
 
Joining in!

That's so disappointing to hear about Trolley and cutting Summer Trolley's choreography. I hope that doesn't mean Autumn and Christmas are going to get cuts. I'd riot if Holly Jolly Trolley was no longer.

I agree about Friendship Faire, not anywhere near as amazing as Dream Along. I'd still watch for the Princess and the Frog section time and again (the actual best part).

The new Welcome show looks cute, but I'm not sure I really could ever watch. They really should go back to the old one, especially now that the Train Station is no longer under refurb.

All your pics are so pretty! You must have such a nice lens to get those great MRFF close-up pics.
 
Great photos!!
Thank you!! :)

seems like a good start to the day - definitely exciting to be *in* Magic Kingdom on your Birthday

I am with you in missing Dream Along with Mickey - but the new show is good and I am glad Tiana gets some love by being in the show

Too bad you missed the birthday shoutout but that was really cool it happened ... and free slushies are the best kind of slushies!
It was exciting!!! Lol, Ugh, while I do love SOME aspects of the new show ,dream along will always hold my heart lol.
Hahah, it was super cool! And hey, free birthday treats are definitely my favorite!!
 
You look so cute in your birthday outfit :) I'm glad you were getting lots of bday love!

Sounds like a great morning! I love your pics of the Welcome Show & Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire!
Thank you!!! It was awesome!! I really had a great birthday lol!! Thank you!!
Joining in!

That's so disappointing to hear about Trolley and cutting Summer Trolley's choreography. I hope that doesn't mean Autumn and Christmas are going to get cuts. I'd riot if Holly Jolly Trolley was no longer.

I agree about Friendship Faire, not anywhere near as amazing as Dream Along. I'd still watch for the Princess and the Frog section time and again (the actual best part).

The new Welcome show looks cute, but I'm not sure I really could ever watch. They really should go back to the old one, especially now that the Train Station is no longer under refurb.

All your pics are so pretty! You must have such a nice lens to get those great MRFF close-up pics.
Yay!! Welcome! Glad you're here!! Trolley will be back to "normal" come Autumn from what I've been told, and we'll still get xmas, just no spring/summer. It sucks lol. Dream along was my love, lol, the new shows cute, and the PATF part is definitely the best part!! It was better in person than I'd expected so there's at least that lol. Same for the welcome show!! I wish they'd gone back with the refurb done, BUT, I do understand it as a safety point, and a money making point, with the stores & stuff open earlier. Plus it means I can get my starbucks with less of a wait bahahah

Great start to the trip! Love all the pics!
Thank you!!!
 
Upon returning to dry land, I realized we hadn't been pixie dusted yet! So we promptly headed over there to make some wishes and hope for some magic! (Though Steven didn't get any pixie dust…too manly I guess lol). We were in the area for our next fast pass, which happened to include one of Steven's favorite princesses, and one of mine! YAY!

P5280035 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
P5280036 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Tiana asked if either of us had been a frog before, Steven said he had, and when she was all "really?! What kind?" His reply…. "a green one", she didn't miss a BEAT as she quickly replied "ME TOO!" It was hilarious, Steven's seriously hilarious with characters. Sometimes I find I have no idea what to say, but hey, they know how to talk to people that don't even speak English, so it's all good! Lol.
P5280037 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

We headed over to Punzie next, where she was super excited about my birthday, because like, best day ever, right?

P5280038 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

I also just think that picture is the most pure thing ever, like look at all that love, so much cute!
P5280039 by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

We also apparently don't have a posed picture together…..so that sucks…



We didn't get photopass for this trip, BUT I'm linked to a couple of friends who have AP's, and thus free photopass downloads, so I was able to get a bunch of the pics from them, BUT I'm not sure if I'm missing some, or there was no photographer, or we didn't scan our bands, or what, but I'm lacking on some of them from our first day.



ANYWAYS, we had a great time in Fairytale Hall, Steven was SUPER jacked to meet Elena, but that would have to wait, as her line was TOO LONG, and it was nearly 3 o'clock! I'd been texting with my friend Hailey, who we'd randomly met at the 24hr Event in 2015 since we'd all been dressed like MiSi Dancers, lol. She was back in town for the summer, and wanted to watch parade with us, so after we'd explored the Pin Store for a bit (bummed that it wasn't as organized as it used to be….there was no "new releases" section anymore). Steven & I found Hailey and her friend, and found our spots outside the pin store, and it wasn't long before we were HEARING THE MSOT MAGICAL TRUMPETS OF ALL.

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Click it….seriously…it makes it more fun & interactive lol.

Hailey was super adorable and extra in all of her enthusiasm of the parade, yelling and cheering for everyone and even things like "yaaaaas girl work that camera, get those pictures!" about me, and it was just super amazing and slightly hilarious lol.

IMG_2792 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_2797 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_2801 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme


IMG_2807 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



IMG_2819 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Way down deep inside I've got a dream!


IMG_2820 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_2821 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_2822 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



IMG_2832 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_2837 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_2852 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_2854 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
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IMG_2860 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_2868 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

While the parade wound its way through the Magic Kingdom, Steven & I said our "see ya later's" to Hailey and co, and decided it was time for some COOLING DOWN. We made a pit stop at Columbia Harbor House for some gross, but free, ice waters, and continued onto Phillharmagic for some air conditioned 90's Disney songs! When we arrived back into Fantasyland, it was time to board a flying PIRATE SHIP and venture over to NEVERLAND! (using our Handy Dandy fast passes of course!) This was also the time that one of the loading cm's was singing a song about moving up, or taking up all the space or something, I can't remember now, but it was stuck in our heads for the rest of the day! Bahaha.

Once Steven & I had returned from our lovely Neverland cruise, It was time to head over to our beloved Animal Kingdom. Now, I'm pretty sure we were the ONLY people in the park NOT going to Pandora, and we were thankful for it, as we knew it would be PACKED! We were strictly there to see Pocahontas! Though we did arrive a bit early, so we had some time to say Hi to Russell!

Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_8046138516 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

He FREAKED out when he saw me, so whether I looked familiar, or it was just the birthday button or what, I'm not sure, but it was amazing, and SUCH a good interaction. He took us over to the board behind him that had a bunch of pictures of animals, and pointed out his favorites, and asked what ours were (hello…elephants…) and it was just SUCH an incredible interaction!
PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_8046138521 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

The two of us took a quick bathroom break, and then jumped in line for Poca! While we were in line, I spotted a familiar face waiting beside us! An Instagram/Tumblr friend from years ago that I'd never had the pleasure of meeting, who had a pretty close bond to Poca as well! It was awesome to finally meet Joel, and we chatted very briefly while we waited to see the Native Princess; which, clearly I was excited about…

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_8046245759 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
She wished me a Happy Birthday, and said it was SO wonderful to finally meet! Pocahontas also LOVED Steven's Disneybound for the day, she'd heard much about the voyagers and all their adventures around Montunui.
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
With another round of hugs, we said goodbye, and headed back over to the Tree of Life. Steven & I still had about an hour to kill before we had to leave, so we decided to take a walk through Pandora, just to check it out. It was HECK-a-crowded, so I didn't take any pictures. The floating mountains were pretty impressive, but honestly, it wasn't QUITE living up to the hype I'd expected, THOUGH, I'd only watched about 45 minutes of the movie & shut it off after thinking "this is just Pocahontas with blue people" so we'll see, maybe I'll give it another chance. We also noticed Flight of Passage had a FIVE HOUR WAIT TIME. NO THANK YOU!
 
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Upon saying goodbye to Pandora, we discovered that somewhere I had been eyeing did NOT have a 5 hour wait, and ended up taking a seat on the terrace of Nomad Lounge!

Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
I checked over the menu for champagne (still bummed I hadn't had any since it WAS my champagne birthday!!) but found something else that was MUCH MORE to my excitement, and in my price range!
Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

It’s the "Hightower Rocks: Casa Dragones Blanco Tequila, watermelon, Sweet-and-Sour and lime juice." Steven had the "Boto-Rita: Zignum Reposado Mezcal, Combier Grapefruit Liquer, Guava Puree, and lime juice". I LOVED my drink, though it may be important to note that I LOVE EVERY AND ALL THINGS WATERMELON! Seriously. It was SUPER delicious, super fresh tasting, and just amazing. While we did think it was a TAD too hot to REALLY enjoy sitting out on the patio, it was quite nice. It reminded me of sitting out in the Cove Bar at DCA. The service was friendly, speedy enough considering she was busy as HECK, and I'm 99% sure Steven was LOVELY enough to pay for both our drinks since it was my actual birthday. SUCH a good friend!

(also, here is the link to a review on Nomad Lounge if you're interested! We did peek inside and it looked wonderful and amazing! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2016/06/01/full-review-nomad-lounge-in-disneys-animal-kingdom/ )

With the tab all settled up, Steven & I said goodbye to Animal Kingdom, and began to embark on our next adventure! Our bus dropped us off at the Contemporary, where we cut through the resort to the boat dock. If you know me AT ALL, you'll know where we were going, I mean, it was my birthday after all…

Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

THE HOOP DEE DO REVUE. #duh



I'm 99% sure this marked number 48….I'm not even kidding….

Steven & I spent some time wandering through the gift shop for a bit, and we ran into a friend on the way out! She dances in the Castle Show now, and was with a couple of other dancers celebrating one of their birthdays too! #twins. We also were headed over to Pioneer Hall to check in when we saw this HILARIOUS SIGHT
Wdw May 2017 iphone by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Y'all, I JUST CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE HOW HILARIOUS IT WAS, like the picture is only HALF of it, we BOTH JUST DIED LAUGHING, CACKLING IF YOU WILL. They were headed down to the beach to do some Memorial Day Weekend BBQ thing, I THINK (there were a few signs about it I'd seen while walking up). Hilarity ended, we jumped in line to check in for Hoop.

Now, this trip, had it's fair share of struggles. Since I'd had to deal with SO much the 2 weeks leading up to the trip, I'd ended up with about $700 LESS than I'd originally planned. I'd texted Steven saying we'd have to cancel Hoop, I was heartbroken, but COULDN'T afford the $70…..BUT, Steven, works at the Disney Store, he has Hub Access, and thus, being a CM, GETS DISCOUNTS ON HOOP! WHICH MEANS IT WAS ONLY $30, AND SO FREAKING WORTH IT (also #BLESS that discount, it saved us SO much money that trip). So, we get to the front of the line to check in, Steven gives his last name….and they can't find it…they check another couple of things, and search through the stack of papers one by one more than once. They ask if it could be under another name….we both think NOPE, since it was booked with a CM discount, it HAD to be Steven's name & perner number. The girl CM was super friendly, her coworker not so much, he was a little rude when he told us if they didn't have it, they couldn't do anything, and sent us over to the Guest Relations/Ticket office. It was SUPER stressful, especially since the other people at the window were general GR questions, NOT Hoop questions on a time restraint kinda thing. Plus, this was the 8:30 show, last of the night, and we DIDN'T have another night we could come. We got to the window and explained the situation, I confirmed with Steven he'd given the RIGHT date/show time, asked if he got a confirmation email or anything, he had NOT since it was all over the phone/CM line. I told him to pull up his credit card statement to double check it had been processed….it HAD…the poor CM at the window could NOT find it anywhere, even under the next day! Internally, I was FREAKING THE FRICK OUT, externally, I was SURPRISINGLY doing pretty well, I feel like usually, I'd be crying, at least out of anger/frustration by now. Like, this was my Disney birthday, there was a LOT of pressure for it to be perfect. The CM asked if there was ANY other name it could MAYBE be under, so we gave her my last name, knowing there was no chance….



LOW AND BEHOLD WHAT THE MOTHER EFFING EFF?! IT WAS SOMEHOW UNDER MY NAME?!?! I'M STILL SO FREAKING CONFUSED!! When you book Hoop with the CM discount, the CM MUST be there, be GOING to the show. Steven said the girl who made the resso asked who else was going, and he'd given my name, and SOMEHOW, it had ended up under my name instead, and we were SO FREAKING RELIEVED, and so happy. THANK GOD, and like, my karma just KNEW not to freak out.



SO RELIEVED that everything worked out, we jumped into line to get into Pioneer Hall just as they were letting everyone in. We ended up with pretty decent seats on the main floor, about halfway back through the theater. I got a red sangria, Steven got a white, and our server was ON THE BALL at bringing us refills right before/as we finished the originals.
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Untitled by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

I munched on cornbread, as Steven DEVOURED the salad! Seriously, first time I've EVER seen someone actually eat all the salad lol!! And then the show began!

IMG_2876 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_2879 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
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IMG_2895 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

I was excited to see both some familiar faces and some new faces (to me….on the stage...though I still new them from other places lol) up on the stage tonight!! I reminded Steven we had to cheer at the "yeah….like Canada!" line, and despite Claire looking RIGHT at us, she apparently DIDN'T know we were there! During "More Chicken" song, she came over to throw down some DELICOUS FRIED CHICKEN on our table and FREAKED when she saw me, bahahaha, #adorable. We were DEFINITELY raisin the roof!

IMG_2914 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_2915 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Ugh, Claire is ALWAYS going to be a DREAM ROLE for me!

That night, considering it was my birthday, and we looked cute, AND I didn't KNOW the Johnny, who is responsible for picking the can can dancer, I THOUGHT I had a pretty decent chance, but I'd then remembered the Friendship Faire girls were there, and it was her bday too! AND I honestly didn't want to do it, being there with JUST Steven, and my back still being an issue, it wasn't ideal. Kara texted me saying that was CRAZY AND I SHOULD BE CAN CAN, BUT, Nicole was seriously perfect & adorable, and I'm injured, so, she WINS lol.



IMG_2939 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_2954 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Someone even ad-libbed a line somewhere about her NOT being an audience plant, because she was SO good at being on stage, lol! The show was AMAZING, great food as always, and I even ate WAY more than I usually do (usually the fried stuff makes me sick, so I order the grilled veggies, but I didn't this time) though we DID get the mac & cheese, and PRO TIP! Put the honey butter (that’s served with the corn bread) IN the mashed potatoes for maximum deliciousness. I didn't eat much dessert, but Steven did! Our service was pretty great, and Steven did make sure to palm her some extra tip afterwards, as we did the math on the discounted price, and she was great! Post show we hung around for a bit and chatted with a couple of the cast members before we began our journey home.

I'd heard that they had taken away the direct Hoop to your resort busses, but the announcement said to head to the busses for resorts, so we did. Little known to us… THE BUS WAS JUST GOING TO GODDAMN MK! We THEN had to wait IN A HUGE line, since the fireworks had just ended/park had just closed, and by the time we FINALLY got back to AoA, we'd both lost any buzz we'd still had, and we JUST TIRED! Next time, I'd take the boat to the Contemp, and then Uber, or Uber from the front of Fort Wilderness…. Ugh! Lol. It was around midnight by the time we got home, and we were super happy to know we could SLEEP IN the next day. (remember, we're getting too old for this stuff, AND, I'd taken a Benadryl EVERY FOUR HOURS TODAY…..THAT STUFF MAKES YOU TIRED)
 

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