Follow Me! I Will Lead Us Into Battle! A Thanksgiving 2013 TR *COMPLETE*

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

that Mickey waffle looks so good I drooled all over my laptop screen Awesome update...

 

[khertz]

Yay for Animation Academy! Such fun classes, and your Goofy came out great!

I adore Minnie's new greeting area, and I love that her dress is so sparkly when you meet her there!

 

[courtneybelle]

Joining in on this! DH and I are looking to visit the world around this time for the lights, so I'm very curious how your crowds levels were. I also love the pictures!

Welcome!! It was crowded at times, but we've always gone during the summer so we're used to crowds at Disney. With FP we were able to do everything we wanted. The holiday decorations are absolutely amazing though, so it's all worth it!

Yes, I was a triple-dipper!! And I dragged you down with me! I blame Josh and Kenny.

YAY Mickey waffle!

I thought Minnie's new area was cute, but if not for the DIS, I don't think I even would have noticed it back there. She needs some better signage. I like that she is somewhere in her red and white dress.

What a beautiful Birthday Princess.

Clearly it worked out for us. And we won't be able to do it again now that FP machines are going away.

So delicious!

Yeah, I would definitely recommend some more publicity for Minnie.

Thanks Mom!!

Great update.

Thank you!

Thanks for sharing some Christmas Courtney. Funny coincidence that I too have a birthday that falls annually. Small world!
Holy wow that you and your BF share the same birthday. That's freaky deaky.
Awww clearly Disney IS indeed a BIG part of your life and it was so lovely to see all the Disney related items for your Christmas/Birthday.

So you put Stacey on while you were getting ready... ok rub it in, lol.

No hate here Courtney. I too pulled the odd FP-. That's what Annual Passes are for. Admittedly I didn't do it a lot, but it was really mostly due to lack of necessity than anything else. It certainly wasn't any moral high ground or anything.
Way to throw your mom under the bus though.

WOOHOO the red card!!! Temporary CM!!!!

What a coincidence!

I love telling people that he and I have the same birthday. The reactions are priceless.

Ahh, I am sorry Rob. We know she is devoted to you, even though she was fickle on your first night at Pop.

Haha, I was glad we did it. It was sort of our last chance before the FP machines went away.

YEAH!!! I'm helping make the magic!

Haha OMG that made me laugh out loud for real.

He's a hilarious one!!

Hollywood Donald and Daisy are adorable!

To be honest, I can't say that if I had the opportunity I wouldn't double dip. It's tempting so I can't necessarily hate on people who do it.

I also love those posters of Minnie in her meet and greet. Adorable!

They are so precious!

It definitely was helpful!

Such great details! I just love how Disney goes above and beyond even in character queues.

I definitely got that same beauty and beast top for Christmas too! I love it!

We did the same thing and pulled FP- with our tickets I felt like I was doing something wrong but TSM is so worth it!

Your Goofy looks awesome! I did the drawing class 3 times on my last trip hoping to get a classic character but it just wasn't mean to be haha.

I'll have to check out Minnie new area next trip, it looks great!

Ahh it's fabulous. The more Beauty and the Beast clothes, the better.

I know, I felt a little guilty, but it helped so much, and we're not going to be able to do it again, so...it happened

Thank you!! My mom and sister have gotten most of the classics, but I've only done Goofy and Donald. I hope to get Pluto!

It was really fun and not crowded at all.

Hi Courtney,

I'm enjoying your trip report. We were at the WL from Nov 30 to Dec 5th. Maybe our paths crossed and we never knew it.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Welcome aboard! That is amazing! I think Wilderness Lodge is the most beautiful resort around Christmas, it's my dream to stay there. Keep looking in the pictures and see if you're in the background

 

[courtneybelle]

I only have 9 working days left YEAH so excited.....

So exciting!! You're even closer now!

that Mickey waffle looks so good I drooled all over my laptop screen Awesome update...

The absolute best Disney breakfast

Yay for Animation Academy! Such fun classes, and your Goofy came out great!

I adore Minnie's new greeting area, and I love that her dress is so sparkly when you meet her there!

Thank you!! I've really grown to love it over the past few trips.

It's such a nice area! I really enjoyed meeting her.

 

[courtneybelle]

PTR Post #1: The Cast, Resort, and ADRs

Hi everyone! I am heading back to WDW from July 5 to July 13 for my sister's Sweet 16, and now that we're six months out I figured I would post an update!

First: the cast. My mom, dad, sister and I are going for the whole trip, and Kylie has invited a friend as well. My aunt and uncle will be joining us for the first half of the trip! We did Disney with them a few years ago and it was so much fun. On Kylie's actual birthday another aunt, uncle, and a few cousins will be meeting up with us too. There are a lot of people to keep track of, but it's going to be so much fun!

As far as resort, we have booked a few rooms at the Pop Century Resort! We've stayed there once before and it is so much fun. I'll be sharing a room with Kylie and her friend, which is going to be Party Central.

Pics from our last trip there, in 2010:

My mom woke up yesterday at 6 a.m. to make our ADRs, and she did not disappoint. It was a challenge because we have different numbers of people for different meals, along with some difficult-to-get ADRs, but she crushed it.

July 6: Dinner at '50s Prime Time Cafe

July 7: Dinner at Chef Mickey's

July 8 (Kylie's birthday!): Brunch at Crystal Palace
and...
DINNER AT BE OUR GUEST!!!!

July 9: Lunch at Via Napoli
Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe

July 11: Dinner at Hollywood and Vine

July 12: Dinner at 1900 Park Fare

I am getting so excited! If any of you are going to be in WDW around that time, definitely let me know! It's going to be the party of the century!

Continued in next post

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[DisneyKid4Life]

YAY it's coming!!!

POP Century Resort and Spa. You'll not get any complaints here. And first ADR at 50's? Yup, that sounds about right.

OMG Kylie is going to LOVE celebrating her birthday (sweet 16 at that) in the World. This sounds like it's indeed gonna be epic.

 

[emilyindisney]

Woooo! Another trip! I wish I could say I'd be in the World for Kylie's birthday trip (because it sounds like a BLAST) but alas- I will be between trips.

BE OUR GUEST for a BIRTHDAY DINNER!!!!! Eating the grey stuff for your birthday is hands down way better than a store-bought birthday cake!!!

 

[JessM]

Yay for another trip!

I've always wanted to celebrate my birthday in Disney, maybe someday! I'm sure Kylie will have a blast!

There is no way I could get my Mom to get up a make ADRs that early, yours did great

And yay for POP! It just feels like home

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

Here

 

[courtneybelle]

YAY it's coming!!!

POP Century Resort and Spa. You'll not get any complaints here. And first ADR at 50's? Yup, that sounds about right.

OMG Kylie is going to LOVE celebrating her birthday (sweet 16 at that) in the World. This sounds like it's indeed gonna be epic.

I am so excited!

I'm very glad to be staying at your DVC home resort, Rob. And of course, couldn't start the trip any other way!

I know, she is so pumped. It's going be a very awesome experience!

Woooo! Another trip! I wish I could say I'd be in the World for Kylie's birthday trip (because it sounds like a BLAST) but alas- I will be between trips.

BE OUR GUEST for a BIRTHDAY DINNER!!!!! Eating the grey stuff for your birthday is hands down way better than a store-bought birthday cake!!!

You've got two great trips ahead of you, so it's okay that you're missing the party!

I know!! She refused to try the grey stuff cupcake on this past trip because she wanted to try the grey stuff on her birthday. We are all so excited for that ADR

Yay for another trip!

I've always wanted to celebrate my birthday in Disney, maybe someday! I'm sure Kylie will have a blast!

There is no way I could get my Mom to get up a make ADRs that early, yours did great

And yay for POP! It just feels like home

Me too! I technically celebrated my birthday this trip but I've never been to Disney on my actual birthday, so that'll be fun.

Haha, my mom is a super planner. She crushed it.

I'm so excited to be going back!! It's just so much fun.

Here

Welcome!

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter Seven: Mom, Phineas and Ferb Are Kidnapping Us

We were getting pretty hungry at this point, so we decided to head over to the food stands on Sunset Boulevard. They had a really good variety, which was good because we all wanted different things.

I was craving Disney pizza, so I got some, and a Coke in a holiday cup!

Dad got a burger, and Mom and Kylie both got chicken nuggets and fries.

After stuffing our faces, Dad and I decided that the next logical step would be to use our FP+s for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster! AW YEAH.

We got in our limo, rode around the corner, and Steve Tyler began the famous countdown…

“5…4…3…2…1!”

And we didn’t go anywhere.

Well, this was unexpected. We sat in the car, jamming to Aerosmith tunes for a while, and a CM walked around the corner and told a guy a few rows in front of us that he had to put his phone away for safety reasons.

After that was settled, Steve counted us down again, and the ride went off without a hitch! It was awesome, though we did take a nice nap at the beginning.

Next, we headed over to the Streets of America, where Santa Goofy was meeting. In the past he's only met during the lights, but this year he started meeting around 1 p.m. We actually saw a few of my parents’ friends there, which was a great coincidence!

We got in line for Santa Goofy and I pin traded with the character attendant while I waited.

Santa Goofy was awesome! I really wanted to focus on doing special holiday things that you can’t do any other time of year, so meeting him was on my must-do list from the beginning.

After meeting him, we decided to get in line to meet Phineas and Ferb! They were in festive Christmas clothes as well.

My mom made a joke about how we looked like we were going to prom, and Phineas loved that, so he posed Kylie like they were prom dates!

Look at how happy Kylie is! The sheer joy of being wooed by a cartoon character.

Just as we were about to leave, Phineas took Kylie’s arm and walked away! Ferb grabbed my arm, and we followed them!

They’re making a break for it! Oh my gosh, this was so funny. I guess they thought we were cute or something!

When the character attendant busted us, we all blamed it on Kylie. Only logical move there.

We shamefully made our way back, and my dad warned them not to steal us away again. They made up, though.

I snapped some pictures of the Muppets area. I love how the FP+ entrance was decorated!

Next, Mom, Kylie, and I went on Star Tours! My dad can’t do motion simulators, so he waited in the shop. We had the pod racing scene, Yoda, and the undersea scene.

My dad wanted to see American Idol, and a show was just about to start, so we made our way over there. The singers were really good; the girl who won sang “Love Song,” and she was there with her theater group.

Continued in next post
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[DisneyKid4Life]

Just FYI I would have chosen the Chicken nuggets. So shout out to Kylie and your mom (especially after you threw her under the bus).

Ooh, I've never had a stopped limo before. Pretty weird to go throught he countdown and... Nuthin'.

Ha, sleeping photo for the WIN!

How long did you wait at Santa Goofy? I was afraid the DHS line would just be too long always, so I met him at AK. Much better backdrop in DHS though.

OMG that is so cool with P & F. I love when characters do stuff like that. What a great experience and to have it all captured on camera.

 

[emilyindisney]

First off, I definitely read the title of this update in the Candace voice

I think I might be a little freaked if the car didn't start right after the countdown. You know- it could seem like some type of anticipation mind trick!

Being wooed by cartoon characters is most certainly the highest form of flattery! Also, I love how Phineas, Pherb and your dad are all doing the bro pose! Perfection!

Just FYI I would have chosen the Chicken nuggets. So shout out to Kylie and your mom (especially after you threw her under the bus).

Ditto on the nuggest- those things are pure Disney magic

 

[courtneybelle]

Just FYI I would have chosen the Chicken nuggets. So shout out to Kylie and your mom (especially after you threw her under the bus).

Ooh, I've never had a stopped limo before. Pretty weird to go throught he countdown and... Nuthin'.

Ha, sleeping photo for the WIN!

How long did you wait at Santa Goofy? I was afraid the DHS line would just be too long always, so I met him at AK. Much better backdrop in DHS though.

OMG that is so cool with P & F. I love when characters do stuff like that. What a great experience and to have it all captured on camera.

Haha, I love the chicken nuggets at Disney too! I was just feeling the Disney pizza that day.

It was definitely a strange experience, Rob. It was just funny to expect to be zooming at 60 mph and then...nada.

Gotta take some naps in order to plow through a day at DHS

We got in line around 12:45 and the photo says we met him at 1:11. Not too shabby. Was the wait shorter at AK? We didn't make it over there this trip so DHS was our only shot to meet him.

It was SO much fun, and I'm glad my mom was there with the camera to get it all!

First off, I definitely read the title of this update in the Candace voice

I think I might be a little freaked if the car didn't start right after the countdown. You know- it could seem like some type of anticipation mind trick!

Being wooed by cartoon characters is most certainly the highest form of flattery! Also, I love how Phineas, Pherb and your dad are all doing the bro pose! Perfection!

Ditto on the nuggest- those things are pure Disney magic

Haha YES, that's exactly what I was going for

It was so bizarre! Hilarious after the fact, but it definitely built the anticipation more...

It was such a fabulous character meet. My dad gets so into posing with the characters, it's great.

Such good nuggets!

 

[CarolAnnB]

I liked that Santa Goofy was there during the day, saving us time at night, but I have to say I liked the nighttime pictures from last year a little better - they seemed more Christmas-y to me when the lights were on behind him.

Yeah, those "friends". Before we left, they kept saying how they'd send us their schedule, text us, etc, when they want me to send them the BOG FP+ link... after I do, we never hear from them. Then I busted her right there on the Streets of America!

Oh Phineas and Ferb! That was one of the funniest things that ever happened with a character. At first I thought they were just walking you to the exit of their area - then they kept on going!! You were practically to the Muppet gift shop. I felt like the paparazzi chasing you down. And then you all threw Kylie under the bus. She can take it, though!

I really don't recall eating this many chicken nuggets??

 

[courtneybelle]

I liked that Santa Goofy was there during the day, saving us time at night, but I have to say I liked the nighttime pictures from last year a little better - they seemed more Christmas-y to me when the lights were on behind him.

Yeah, those "friends". Before we left, they kept saying how they'd send us their schedule, text us, etc, when they want me to send them the BOG FP+ link... after I do, we never hear from them. Then I busted her right there on the Streets of America!

Oh Phineas and Ferb! That was one of the funniest things that ever happened with a character. At first I thought they were just walking you to the exit of their area - then they kept on going!! You were practically to the Muppet gift shop. I felt like the paparazzi chasing you down. And then you all threw Kylie under the bus. She can take it, though!

I really don't recall eating this many chicken nuggets??

The lights would have been nice, but I was just happy to meet him!

Hahaha, some people just aren't prepared to vacation with us...we go hard. Their loss!

That was SO hilarious and I'm so glad you got so many great pictures! I just love them, such a great experience.

More nuggets are coming...

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter Eight: Sweet Treats

I was craving something sweet, so off we went to Starring Rolls.

This week’s Limited Time Magic was…uh…pumpkin flavored things. So my dad picked up a pumpkin cupcake with maple icing. He really liked the cake, but thought the icing was a little sweet.

Kylie got her customary M&M brownie and said it was delicious, though she questioned why I couldn’t just use the photo from our August trip. She fails to recognize the seriousness of trip reporting.

My mom, however, always does. She went over to the Villains store because they have good sweet treats, and got herself a Santa Mickey cupcake. The CM put it in a box for her…then closed the box, crushing the cupcake! My mother screamed, “EXCUSE YOU, HOW ARE THE DISBOARDS SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT THIS CUPCAKE LOOKS LIKE IF YOU CRUSH IT? WE NEED THE FOOD PICTURE!” and then flipped a table. I mean, she asked politely for an uncrushed cupcake. Yeah, that sounds more realistic, but I wasn’t there, so the first one seems plausible.

She enjoyed the cake but noted that the frosting was a bit hard.

Of course, I got the red velvet cheesecake cupcake, the heavens sang, etc. It was delicious!

My mom tried to tell me that she saw the turkey leg-shaped rice krispie treats, but accidentally said “rice krispie-shaped turkey legs.”

After that, it was time for our TSM FP+. Yep, three times in one day. Not shabby. Of course, we won’t be able to pull that off after legacy FPs are phased out, but for now it was great!

I love the Etch a Sketch!

Mom didn't think Kylie looked happy enough in that picture, so we both upped the enthusiasm. Our relationship in a nutshell, really.

Look at these cuties!

We went to check out when the next Little Mermaid show was, but it was packed. We decided that since we had seen Muppets yesterday, we would change that FP+ to a Little Mermaid one for after Fantasmic! We went over to the kiosk at the entrance to LM and changed it there. The kiosks were a lot more user-friendly than trying to change it on my phone.

Next, we headed to One Man’s Dream, where we watched the amazing movie. After, my dad told me about watching the Wonderful World of Color when he was a kid. That definitely would have been amazing to see!

It was time for my favorite show, Beauty and the Beast! We got there a little later than we usually do so our seats weren’t great, but I loved it, and I cried like I always do.

I did some shopping and pin trading while my parents got in line outside the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. I was hoping there would still be some Frozen Opening Day pins, but no such luck.

Continued in next post
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[courtneybelle]

Chapter Nine: Dream a Fantastic Dream

I met up with my parents and Kylie, and we soon got inside the amphitheater! It was odd, because normally we get the dining package, so we’re used to always sitting in the same section. We were only two sections over, but it still was strange! We had GREAT seats though, only about five or six rows back!

We just grabbed hot dogs there for dinner. They were very good! We also got some frozen lemonades and popcorn. The pre-show is awesome: Name that Tune and Disney Trivia led by three hilarious hosts.

Dad and I took a selfie while we waited:

It was showtime! We were so close that the fountains actually sprayed us a lot, which was not the most pleasant on a chilly night. But the show was amazing, as always.

MY QUEEN.

This next picture is one of my favorite Disney pictures ever. Great job, Mom!

After the show we headed over to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid! After the show, we snapped some pictures with our new favorites:

"I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS. I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS."

"I'm awkward. You're gorgeous."

On the way out, I made my mom get a picture of the Jingle Belles. They're so cute!

Dad's Photobomb Count: 3

Continued in next post​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Silly Kylie... Only authentic trip photos can be used. It's in the rule book.

at your mom's "response" to cupcake-gate.

I gave your Mom and Kylie the win previously on the Magical Nuggets, but I have to give you the win here on the glorious red velvet cheesecake cupcake!! Good choice!

My mom tried to tell me that she saw the turkey leg-shaped rice krispie treats, but accidentally said “rice krispie-shaped turkey legs.”

You just never give her a break do you, lol?

Ahhh One Man's Dream... Perfection bottled up in a room.

Haha, funny that I actually hate the Fantasmic pre-show. I guess I just preferred when the audience entertained themselves.

You all have such a nice time togther. So wonderful!!

 

[JessM]

All of those treats look amazing! Especially that red velvet cupcake, my FAVORITE!

Trying to trip report or not I can't believe the CM would smush the cupcake, so funny what your Mom wanted to say

TSM, so awesome you got to do it 3 times in one day!

I need to stop into One Man's dream my next trip

Buying a stuffed Olaf is on my list too, he was too funny in Frozen!