I Found My Happily Ever After! A Jan '19 TR! + Bonus August TR *COMPLETED 12/2*

[amazingact21]

I was trying to guess at what off property adventure you were heading to; I definitely didn't guess alpacas! That's a very unique and cool thing you got to do. You look like you're having a blast in the photos.

 

[LeiaIsAPrincess2]

Aww your alpaca pictures are adorable!

I agree, Everest and Tower are my 2 favorites also but I think Everest always comes in first for me!

 

[missangelalexis]

Cool! I'm glad you got to see her.
Why pick one when both are awesome.
Did you use your bucket at the Boneyard?
Neat! Disney is missing a huge opportunity here. If they'd add an alpaca section in AK, you wouldn't have had to leave property!

True, no reason to play favorites right?

I did not use the bucket at the boneyard...I guess i did it all wrong

Haha it's true!! They can add them at Rafiki's planet watch!

How did I not realize this?! I was also lucky enough to see SWGE both during the day and at night during my AP preview but wasn't observant enough to notice that change

OMG the alpacas are SO cute!!! Adorable photos of you with them

I don't think I would have noticed had my friend not pointed it out!

Thank you so much, it was a fun experience!

I was trying to guess at what off property adventure you were heading to; I definitely didn't guess alpacas! That's a very unique and cool thing you got to do. You look like you're having a blast in the photos.

Haha it was pretty off the beaten path!! But it was so much fun and I had an amazing time!

Aww your alpaca pictures are adorable!

I agree, Everest and Tower are my 2 favorites also but I think Everest always comes in first for me!

Thank you!

It's so hard to pick, but both are awesome!!

 

[missangelalexis]

August 8th - Villains After Hours!

We ended up getting to the park around 7:30!



Now this is where S gets friend of the year award. We literally went to every gift shop trying to find the event merchandise with me. We started at the emporium where they did not have the shirt I wanted in my size. We then went to two shops that were listed as having event merchandise but they had NONE. We then went to Memento Mori where they were also supposed to have event merchandise but in fact did not because they were releasing the HM anniversary merch that night and the long was crazy long for it! After all that we ended up BACK at the Emporium where I settled for a different event shirt than that one I wanted. Since it was the last VAH, the merchandise was really just "whatever they had left" which was a bit disappointing.

BUT! We did have some excitement! On the bus ride to MK we had heard the Jonas Brothers were touring the parks. We joked that maybe we would get to see them and to keep our eyes peeled for any VIP tour groups. Well when on our way to the Tomorrowland gift shop we see a plaid CM and right behind them was Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner! We were so excited that we actually got to see one of the Jonas Brothers!









So after walking all over the park, we decided to get our night started. Happily Ever After was going to start soon. We thought about heading to the Peoplemover but it would have been too chaotic to head in that direction so we decided to ride the Magic Carpets. The fireworks were going off as we got on and it was pretty magical!







After that we had some time before the event officially started so we decided to go see Philharmagic!



Then Villains After Hours had officially begun!

We headed towards Space Mountain but the line was long so I figured we would just come back later. In the meantime, we grabbed our first round of snacks!



After that we made our way towards the hub, taking some PP pics and getting more snacks - we really wanted to push ourselves with how many treats we could have!









We then made our way to Pirates to check out the overlay with the live actors.







We pretty much walked on and it was cool to have that added element to it!



After that we grabbed a 3rd round of snacks and got a spot in front of the castle to watch the stage show!









This was really cool and a lot better than I expected! Loved seeing all the villains up there!

Up next...The rest of Villains After Hours!​

 

[cinderaimee]

I was a little behind but I'm caught up now!

Your AoA pictures really make we want to stay there sometime soon! I know my kids would just love it.

I'm so jealous of your SWGE preview! Previews were going on when I was there in August and I was so sad that I just missed getting to see it.

A visit to an alpaca farm is totally worth going off Disney property! They look so sweet and fluffy. Omg, how great would it be if they added some alpacas to Rafiki's petting area at AK?

Villians After Hours looks so cool!! I can't wait to see how the rest of the night went. I love the shots on the magic carpets with the fireworks, so pretty!

 

[afwdwfan]

After all that we ended up BACK at the Emporium where I settled for a different event shirt than that one I wanted. Since it was the last VAH, the merchandise was really just "whatever they had left" which was a bit disappointing.

Sorry you had so much trouble finding what you wanted... and then had to settle.

we really wanted to push ourselves with how many treats we could have!

I mean... at least they have good snacks! It's really easy to justify the cost of the party when you can have a few $5 cokes and a few handfuls of Mickey ice cream bars!

This was really cool and a lot better than I expected! Loved seeing all the villains up there!

I like the projections on the castle!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

They have a Villains After Hours when we're there in May and I'd LOVE to go. (Not so much for the villains, per se, but for the AH!) I really appreciate your review of the event!

How fun to have a celebrity sighting!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

When we got off I wanted a little snack and it was the perfect opportunity to have a dole whip!

Such a cute photo! S is an awesome insta friend

We headed to Dinoland to use our second FP for Dinosaur. I hadn't been on this in quite some time!

Okay is it just me or does that cloud look like a dino??

I'll try to keep the photos to a minimum but this was an awesome experience getting to play with these animals!!

THIS IS SO CUTE! Oh my goodness they look so sweet and cuddly. How was it? Were they friendly? Did you take one home??

the merchandise was really just "whatever they had left" which was a bit disappointing.

Ah boo, sorry they didn't have what you wanted!

Well when on our way to the Tomorrowland gift shop we see a plaid CM and right behind them was Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner! We were so excited that we actually got to see one of the Jonas Brothers!

AH THAT'S SO COOL!!!! I would have died. Like actually perished on the spot. Are they as beautiful in real life? Did Sophie have her Juul??

The fireworks were going off as we got on and it was pretty magical!

Oh neat, I've never seen the show from that angle. Did you like seeing it from the ride?

we really wanted to push ourselves with how many treats we could have!

That is the point of after hours, after all

This was really cool and a lot better than I expected! Loved seeing all the villains up there!

You're making me so pumped for VAH in May. It looks like such a fun event!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

took a 10:20am flight from Fort Lauderdale that got me into Orlando at 11:30am! With it being such a short flight, the plane was EMPTY and I got a whole row to myself- something I am not used to at all!

Awesome!

We decided to get lunch at Captain Cook's and I got to try the famous nachos. They were so delicious and definitely lived up to the hype I've heard about them!

Love these nachos!!

This was my first time here (another bucket list item) and I really loved it! The ambiance and theatrics are so fun! I ordered the Krakatoa Punch (the one on the left) which was really tasty!

Glad you made it to Trader Sam's and loved it!

Everything about this is adorable

There was some crazy lightning going on this night! I caught some on video which I was really excited about!

Wow! That is crazy! Awesome to catch on video and even crazier since it wasn't raining!

Before we headed out for the night, I stopped at Casey's Corner because I HAD to buy the Mickey celebration sipper! I'm not usually one to buy special popcorn buckets or sippers, but I thought this one was so cute and felt like it would make a cute dislay on my dresser! (And I was right, it does!)

That one is adorable!

We were seated pretty much right away and I was all too happy to grab my first plate! And I was excited to see not only Mickey waffles but Minnie waffles too!

Oo Minnie waffles! I've never seen those!!

S surprised me with the news that that evening we would be attending a preview of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge!! To say I freaked out is an understatement

I don't blame you! What a great friend!

We came across the coke bottles stand and I just had to have myself one, despite how overpriced they are!

Ugh same. I couldn't believe how much I was paying for it but I had to have it.

r

Everything about this picture is adorable!!

S had another surprise for me- a trip to an alpaca farm! I have always been obsessed with llamas and I was so jealous when S got to visit this farm earlier in the year!

Love this too! Again, what a great friend!

Since it was the last VAH, the merchandise was really just "whatever they had left" which was a bit disappointing.

Ugh that's so annoying! I was actually shocked by how much Halloween merchandise was still available when we got there this year so I hope maybe they're working on this problem?

Well when on our way to the Tomorrowland gift shop we see a plaid CM and right behind them was Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner! We were so excited that we actually got to see one of the Jonas Brothers!

That's really cool!

I LOVE your shirt and your ears!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

It looks busy at MK, I hope it cleared out some for the VAH event

Very cool to see Sophie Turner, I loved Game of Thrones! I don’t know much about The Jonas Brothers!

Good idea to get as many “free” snacks as able!

 

[suse66]

As we were walking I saw KEVIN! I had been hoping to see her and she was so cool!

I just LOVE Kevin!

We headed out of the park and actually left to go off property! S had another surprise for me- a trip to an alpaca farm! I have always been obsessed with llamas and I was so jealous when S got to visit this farm earlier in the year! I'll try to keep the photos to a minimum but this was an awesome experience getting to play with these animals!!

Those are the cutest pictures ever!

Now this is where S gets friend of the year award. We literally went to every gift shop trying to find the event merchandise with me. We started at the emporium where they did not have the shirt I wanted in my size. We then went to two shops that were listed as having event merchandise but they had NONE. We then went to Memento Mori where they were also supposed to have event merchandise but in fact did not because they were releasing the HM anniversary merch that night and the long was crazy long for it! After all that we ended up BACK at the Emporium where I settled for a different event shirt than that one I wanted. Since it was the last VAH, the merchandise was really just "whatever they had left" which was a bit disappointing.

Too bad!

After that we grabbed a 3rd round of snacks and got a spot in front of the castle to watch the stage show!

The castle looks amazing!

 

[natebenma]

Jan 30- Animal Kingdom

What a fantastic day you had. Nice job on getting awesome last-minute Fast Passes!!!

I enjoyed reading about you introducing Kyle to Pandora. I had the same experience a few weeks ago with my husband, encountering the same excitement.

Love your pictures of the gorillas. They are so fascinating to watch.

LOL at Kyle's name on the poster. I love these very subtle Disney extras but wonder how many are missed by others (and me!)

This is the first time I have seen the Chip and Dale Dino outfits. SOOOOOOO cute. They are my favorite duo (sorry Mickey and Minnie). The Daisy and Donald outfits are cute too, but 🐿 🐿

We also ate at Yak & Yeti and had a fabulous meal, for many reasons (we are Landry's customers, it was my birthday month and I had $25 off my meal, plus we got a free dessert)

AMAZING lion pictures from your two safaris. Such a treat to see them up on 4 paws AND all together.

Really love your Tree of Life Awakenings pictures.

Now, on to Jan 31 (your Patriot's loving guy will understand that reference)

 

[amazingact21]

It's such a bummer that the last night of a special event has basically no merchandise for it. I remember reading for one the parties...maybe MNSSHP?...they were releasing certain things later on. I want to say a specific item wasn't releasing until September or October when the parties began in August? Either way...that's all to ask, do you think that would be a better system? To help up the chances of guests attending the last party having a shot at getting the merch?

You saw Joe Jonas?! That's amazing!

I hope the Space Mountain line died down a bit and you were able to see it with the Villains overlay. Alex told me it was a pretty neat addition!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Well when on our way to the Tomorrowland gift shop we see a plaid CM and right behind them was Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner! We were so excited that we actually got to see one of the Jonas Brothers!

That is incredibly cool! I am currently loving their song Sucker...

 

[Tracy161]

We were so excited that we actually got to see one of the Jonas Brothers!

That's so cool!

we really wanted to push ourselves with how many treats we could have!

You were off to a good start! I regret not trying to get more snacks at MNNSHP - turns out I only got one What a fun night you were having so far! Sorry about the merch though

 

[ashw100]

We headed out of the park and actually left to go off property! S had another surprise for me- a trip to an alpaca farm! I have always been obsessed with llamas and I was so jealous when S got to visit this farm earlier in the year! I'll try to keep the photos to a minimum but this was an awesome experience getting to play with these animals!!

Wow, that looks so fun. And you totally look in your element, and so happy.

Well when on our way to the Tomorrowland gift shop we see a plaid CM and right behind them was Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner! We were so excited that we actually got to see one of the Jonas Brothers!

How exciting! Looking forward to hearing how the rest of your night went.

 

[missangelalexis]

I was a little behind but I'm caught up now!

Your AoA pictures really make we want to stay there sometime soon! I know my kids would just love it.

I'm so jealous of your SWGE preview! Previews were going on when I was there in August and I was so sad that I just missed getting to see it.

A visit to an alpaca farm is totally worth going off Disney property! They look so sweet and fluffy. Omg, how great would it be if they added some alpacas to Rafiki's petting area at AK?

Villians After Hours looks so cool!! I can't wait to see how the rest of the night went. I love the shots on the magic carpets with the fireworks, so pretty!

Your kids would totally love AoA!

Ah I'm sorry you didn't get in for a preview

So fluffy! It would be incredible if AK did something with alpacas!

Thank you! It was sooo much fun and I'm glad I got to do it!

Sorry you had so much trouble finding what you wanted... and then had to settle.
I mean... at least they have good snacks! It's really easy to justify the cost of the party when you can have a few $5 cokes and a few handfuls of Mickey ice cream bars!
I like the projections on the castle!

It's ok, first world problems right?

For sure! And you'll see by the end of the night I reallyyyy made good use of the free treats!

The projections were awesome! I didn't do the best job capturing them, but each time a different villain came out the projections were themed to match them!

They have a Villains After Hours when we're there in May and I'd LOVE to go. (Not so much for the villains, per se, but for the AH!) I really appreciate your review of the event!

How fun to have a celebrity sighting!

Even if you're not a huge villains fan, the AH is so fun! Short lines for rides and lots of treats!

Such a cute photo! S is an awesome insta friend


Okay is it just me or does that cloud look like a dino??


THIS IS SO CUTE! Oh my goodness they look so sweet and cuddly. How was it? Were they friendly? Did you take one home??


Ah boo, sorry they didn't have what you wanted!


AH THAT'S SO COOL!!!! I would have died. Like actually perished on the spot. Are they as beautiful in real life? Did Sophie have her Juul??


Oh neat, I've never seen the show from that angle. Did you like seeing it from the ride?


That is the point of after hours, after all


You're making me so pumped for VAH in May. It looks like such a fun event!

She is the best insta friend!!

Ah I don't see the dinosaur cloud!

They are so fluffy and cute! It was so amazing. I wouldn't say they are overly friendly; they let you touch them and pet them no problem but they aren't exactly coming up to you for cuddles if that makes sense. They certainly love when you give them food though! And sadly I did not take one home #regrets

YES they are a beautiful in real life! And I dd not see Sophie's Juul but can only assume it was there!!

I did like watching HEA from the ride! I've always wanted to see fireworks from a ride so it was nice to cross that off the bucket list!

VAH is a lot of fun, I think you're really going to enjoy it!!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Awesome!

Love these nachos!!

Glad you made it to Trader Sam's and loved it!

Everything about this is adorable

Wow! That is crazy! Awesome to catch on video and even crazier since it wasn't raining!

That one is adorable!

Oo Minnie waffles! I've never seen those!!

I don't blame you! What a great friend!

Ugh same. I couldn't believe how much I was paying for it but I had to have it.

Everything about this picture is adorable!!

Love this too! Again, what a great friend!




Ugh that's so annoying! I was actually shocked by how much Halloween merchandise was still available when we got there this year so I hope maybe they're working on this problem?

That's really cool!

I LOVE your shirt and your ears!!

Ughh those nachos are so good! It was so perfect getting to eat them and then go to Trader Sams!

It was pretty awesome seeing lightning behind the castle!

Minnie waffles must be recent because I had never heard anything about them before seeing them there!

I do hope they're working on the merchandise distribution! I'm glad there was more Halloween merch when you went. I remember 2 years ago (the year we met) when they were already out of sooo much merch by then!

The shirt I had ordered from the Target website! And ears by me

And as always, thank you for all the sweet compliments!!

It looks busy at MK, I hope it cleared out some for the VAH event

Very cool to see Sophie Turner, I loved Game of Thrones! I don’t know much about The Jonas Brothers!

Good idea to get as many “free” snacks as able!

It did clear out! Crowd wise, the event wasn't bad at all!

It was cool to have a celebrity sighting! Funny because I don't know much about Sophie Turner but do about the Jonas Brothers!

YES! That's half of the fun of these events, right?!

I just LOVE Kevin!
Those are the cutest pictures ever!
Too bad!
The castle looks amazing!

Kevin is awesome!

Thank you!

The castle was stunning!

Jan 30- Animal Kingdom

What a fantastic day you had. Nice job on getting awesome last-minute Fast Passes!!!

I enjoyed reading about you introducing Kyle to Pandora. I had the same experience a few weeks ago with my husband, encountering the same excitement.

Love your pictures of the gorillas. They are so fascinating to watch.

LOL at Kyle's name on the poster. I love these very subtle Disney extras but wonder how many are missed by others (and me!)

This is the first time I have seen the Chip and Dale Dino outfits. SOOOOOOO cute. They are my favorite duo (sorry Mickey and Minnie). The Daisy and Donald outfits are cute too, but 🐿 🐿

We also ate at Yak & Yeti and had a fabulous meal, for many reasons (we are Landry's customers, it was my birthday month and I had $25 off my meal, plus we got a free dessert)

AMAZING lion pictures from your two safaris. Such a treat to see them up on 4 paws AND all together.

Really love your Tree of Life Awakenings pictures.

Now, on to Jan 31 (your Patriot's loving guy will understand that reference)

We had great luck with FPs at AK!

It's very nice to be with someone who is experiencing something for the first time!

The dino outfits are sooo adorable! Chip & Dale are pretty great

That sounds like a very enjoyable Y&Y meal

It was so amazing seeing the lions like that!

It was a good day

It's such a bummer that the last night of a special event has basically no merchandise for it. I remember reading for one the parties...maybe MNSSHP?...they were releasing certain things later on. I want to say a specific item wasn't releasing until September or October when the parties began in August? Either way...that's all to ask, do you think that would be a better system? To help up the chances of guests attending the last party having a shot at getting the merch?

You saw Joe Jonas?! That's amazing!

I hope the Space Mountain line died down a bit and you were able to see it with the Villains overlay. Alex told me it was a pretty neat addition!

Right?? I do wish they had a better system. I remember when I did the Halloween party 2 years ago it was one of the later ones and the merch was very limited. It's disappointing because everyone should have a fair shot at it!

It was so cool seeing Joe Jonas!

Spoiler alert..I did get to ride

That is incredibly cool! I am currently loving their song Sucker...

That song is so catchy!!

That's so cool!


You were off to a good start! I regret not trying to get more snacks at MNNSHP - turns out I only got one What a fun night you were having so far! Sorry about the merch though

It was awesome having a celebrity sighting!

It such a fun night! It's hard to eat so many snacks- your mind says yes but your body tells you otherwise!

Wow, that looks so fun. And you totally look in your element, and so happy.


How exciting! Looking forward to hearing how the rest of your night went.

It was amazing, I really was so happy!

The celebrity sighting was super cool and a good way to start the evening.

 

[missangelalexis]

August 8th- More Villains After Hours!

We didn't want to stray far from the hub so we spent a little time just hanging out in the hub grass and just enjoying the atmosphere between the music and the cool castle.





Then it was time to see Maleficent! This was AWESOME! I absolutely love this float during the day but it was so cool seeing her at night with the accompanying music!









After that we were thinking of riding Peter Pan because S had never seen the queue but we realized they were sending people through the FP line so we skipped it. Instead we headed to a ride I've actually never been on - The Speedway!







Since the night was close to ending, I decided to just get in line for Space. The line was still a little longer than I was hoping but I really did want to experience it in the dark and with the sound effects! S wouldn't be riding but she did wait in line with me.

It was pretty creepy being in complete darkness! What was also weird was that NO ONE was screaming! I guess they wanted to hear the effects? But it was cool and I'm glad I tried it!

When I got off, after hours was officially over. There was a stand giving out some final beverages so we grabbed some of those and headed to the hub to see Maleficent one more time!









Then we made our way to the exit and got to see the villains giving their farewell send off!











We got back to the room close to 2:30! Super late but sooo worth it! We had such a blast. We may not have done a ton of rides but I was really interested in seeing the special entertainment, eating lots of snacks, and just enjoying the atmosphere and we certainly accomplished that!

And I made out with A LOT of extra beverages for the next day



Up next...Last day in Disney! ​

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Great evening! I loved the Villians party, especially the Maleficent float.