Our 8th Anniversary Trip Report *UPDATED 9/30 - Day 3* About This Page:

[KimM]

Day 1

I was up at 5:30 a.m. making final preparations and trying hard not to wake DH too early. I was mostly packed, but was getting together all our “Disney” stuff – all my pins, most of my collection of Disney travel guides, etc. DH woke up around 7 a.m. and made breakfast and . I had a physical therapy appointment at 8 and was planning to get on the road right after. After PT and a quick stop for gas, we were on the road by 10. We didn’t hit any traffic, so we were at ASMu a little before noon.

I sent a fax requesting a room close to Melody Hall, the pool and parking because of my knee injury. I am mobile, but I wasn’t sure how all the walking in the parks would affect it. While I was checking in, the CM said our room was ready. She showed me the map and we were in the Country building. Two reasons that this didn’t work for us…

1. WAAAY to far from Melody Hall.
2. DH HATES country music (I don’t) and I knew he would be weird about staying there. (I know, it’s ridiculous, but what can I do? I him!)

So, the CM went back to try to find another room. She was very nice about it and, after a short wait, was finally able to find us a room in the Jazz section, which was more to my liking. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ready yet, so we headed over to the Yacht Club for early registration at the Where Dreams HapPin 2007 Pin Celebration.

We drove over to YC and easily found the convention center. Registration opened at noon and we arrived around 12:40. There was a long line to check in and I knew DH was starving and wouldn’t go for me waiting in a long line before some lunch. I suggested Beaches & Cream. DH didn’t remember eating there, but he was game. I was concerned about the wait, but was pleasantly surprised when we arrived to be seated immediately at the counter. The host who seated us was from Uzbekistan and I happen to have visited there a few years ago on a trip for work. Imagine his surprise when I said I had been there! He asked where I stayed, which of course I didn’t remember, as he used to work for the Sheraton there. I wish I remembered more about the country so we could talk more, but he was busy anyway, so our conversation was short.

DH and I both enjoyed a burger and fries. We opted not to have dessert (I know – CRAZY , right!?!) but we had an ADR at Crystal Palace about 4 hours later and I wanted us both to be hungry.

After a satisfying lunch, we headed back to the convention center so I could check-in at the Pin Celebration. The line was considerably shorter, for which we were both grateful. Because it was the first day and they weren’t checking event credentials at the door, DH was able to go in with me. I picked up my pins and was able to get one of my pin sets signed by the artist while we were there. I’m not big on the trading, as most of what I can afford to buy, I like to keep, so we didn’t stay terribly long.


Pin traders in action


One of the beautiful pin sets, which I definitely could not afford!

SIDE NOTE: I just have to share this, as it really upset me. After I got my pin set signed, I “borrowed” the edge of someone’s trading table to put the set back in the packing materials so nothing was broken. I overheard a conversation between two traders. They were discussing one of the prizes some of the event attendees received, which was a visit to the “dream room.” No one knew what it was at that point, as it wouldn’t be revealed until Friday or Saturday. One of the men received this as his prize (we’ll call him A to make the story telling easier). The other (he’ll be B) was speculating on what the “dream” might be…pin sets or maybe a YOAMD prize like a night in the castle. So A says, “Oh, yeah, we already did that. It sucked! Well, I mean we got good pictures and everything, but it really stunk being on Disney’s schedule and all, you know being in the parade and eating when they want you to. I hope it's not THAT again.” Needless to say B was stunned and really didn’t respond, just kind of shook his head and said “Oh.” It took everything in me not to say something, but what can you say to someone who seems ungrateful for a prize that I would give my left arm for? DH, who would normally rather die than even comment on something like this, shot me a look that told me he felt the same as I did. We were both shocked and left the table quickly after my pins were secured. I wonder if there are others out there that feel this way?

OK, I’m off my soapbox now, so on with the TR!

I called ASMu as we were leaving YC and was informed that our room was ready. We headed over and unloaded our gear. We were greeted by a Mickey on our bed, which was sweet. The refurbished rooms at ASMu are nice. We hadn’t stayed here before and our location couldn’t have been better. We were in room 9663 – on the 3rd floor, pool side, right between the two pools and not far from the elevator. Melody Hall was only one building away, so not too much of a walk.


Our three Mickeys - the towel, the pal and my pin bag

We rested in the room a bit before heading to MK for dinner. First stop was City Hall to pick up our anniversary buttons. Next was a little shopping at the Emporium to find a hat for DH. He has a nice hat that we bought at AK last year but he said he left it at home so he’d have an excuse to buy a baseball cap this trip! We called our friends, who were already at MK, to say we’d arrived and decided to meet in front of CP around 5:10. We wandered around to a few more shops looking for hats and Jibbitz for my Crocs. I had seen the MK Castle Jibbitz on ebay and read that they are exclusive to WDW. I didn’t really want to pay almost $10 for one there. I checked in quite a few stores at MK and came up empty. We headed over to Fantasyland and I made a good pin trade with a nice CM. We headed over to CP and had a short wait for our table. When we were seated, there was a heart made of Mickey confetti, which our friends’ 6 year olds practically dove in to. The waitress put it back together so I could take a picture and then I told them to dive back in. It was fun watching them – they had the confetti everywhere…the table, the floor, their hair. This was our first time having dinner here; it’s a favorite for breakfast. We thought the food was very good. I especially enjoyed the Salmon and the Adobo Pulled Pork. The desserts were good too. After diiner, the server presented us with a Magical Moments certificate signed by all the characters. It was so nice! It got a little bent it my bag, but I think I’ve since gotten it mostly flattened out again.


The boys enjoying the confetti!

After dinner, our friends headed to Buzz and then off to put the kids to bed. We made our way to PotC and there was NO wait! Yippee! Afterwards, we headed over to Carousel of Progress and TTA. By that time, it was dark and DH and I were getting tired. We decided to go back to ASMu for a swim before bed. The pool was nice, but there was a slight breeze and it was a little cool getting out of the water. We got a bedtime snack at the food court (chocolate chip cookie for me; brownie for DH), picked up our refillable mug and then headed off to bed.

It was a great first day!

Up next: Day 2 - AK, High Tea and La Nouba!

[poohmaine]

A great start! I can't believe what Mr. A said!!!!!!!

[mickeycrazy]

Enjoying your report. We love being in our happy place for our anniversary! There is no place more romantic!

[ArielsMomto2]

What a great first day. Hurry back with more.

[Colexis Mom]

Great start

[Alice in wonderland]

what a great first day!

[Starla4436]

Great start more please!

[MickeyMAC]

Great beginning.

[DoraDoug]

What a nice first day! I can't believe someone would be so ungrateful about a night at Cinderella's castle! Dinner sounds like it was really fun. I can't wait to hear more.

[Jillybean]

What a fun and busy first day! And I think that Mr. A needs to be banned for about ten years or so - - he has definitely grown too blase about the entire thing. Disney could tell me when to go to the bathroom if I could spend a night in the castle. You almost have to wonder if he was telling the truth.

Jill

[alismom]

Originally Posted by Jillybean

What a fun and busy first day! And I think that Mr. A needs to be banned for about ten years or so - - he has definitely grown too blase about the entire thing. Disney could tell me when to go to the bathroom if I could spend a night in the castle. You almost have to wonder if he was telling the truth.

Jill

ME TOO!!!!!!

[snoozin]

Great first day TR; can't wait to hear about the rest of them!

[DyanKJ130]

What a wonderful first day!! And, that Mr. A.... More please

[KimM]

Day 2

We were up around 7:30, which for us is sleeping in. Our normal wake time at home is 6 am, so we felt good. We got dressed, made coffee and headed over to AK. As we were driving through the guard gate at the AK parking lot, there was a line next to us with no one in it; however, DH was already firmly planted in a line with 3 or 4 cars ahead. I tried to convince him to swing over to an empty line, but he wouldn’t budge. When we got to the parking lot, we ended up being the first one in a new row, which meant being the furthest away from the tram. I kinda threw out an “I told you so,” but didn’t want to start a fight so I shut up. DH did feel bad (due to my knee situation), but it wasn’t worth dwelling on. We went to the tram stop but there wasn’t a tram in sight. The entrance wasn’t too far, so we decided we would try to walk it (rather, I would try). We walked short way and a CM pulled up on a golf cart and offered us a ride to the entrance! Her name was Ronda and she said she was on her way to give someone a break and saw our Happy Anniversary buttons and thought we might appreciate a ride! I was so excited! We thanked her profusely and made our way into the park.

The park was not crowded at all. We stopped at Disney Outfitters to pick up a hat for DH and a visor for myself. We had just one goal today…to finally ride EE. We have tried unsuccessfully twice before – once during AP previews and then again last December. Both times the standby wait time was over an hour and there were no fast passes left. Today, however, we walked right on. We decided not to have breakfast until after riding, as DH’s tummy can be a little sensitive sometimes. We absolutely loved this ride! It was awesome! DH took some video, but I haven’t looked at it yet, so if it’s good, I’ll post a link later on.

After that, we stopped for coffee and split a yummy chocolate chip muffin at Royal Anandapur Tea Company. We relaxed and took a few pics of the monkey and then realized we were only a few minutes away from the start of the Flights of Wonder show, which we had not seen before. We tried to check it out on a previous visit, but it was cancelled due to rain. I appreciated the fact that Disney showcases these beautiful birds in a somewhat natural environment, instead of training them to ride bikes and such. We sat close to the front and at the end of an aisle. A few of the birds flew so close to us that we could feel the breeze!


Fraiser Crane


Freedom, the bald eagle

Promptly after the show, we headed over to the Nemo Musical…another first for us. I have to say that, as a fan of the Tarzan show, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this one. Well, I it! At first, I thought it was strange to see the puppeteers, but as the show went on, I really liked seeing the puppeteers. Their facial expressions really brought the show to life. The girl that played/voiced Nemo was great! I thought the whole show was creative, bright, colorful and very entertaining. It’s a new must-do for me!


Nemo's First Day of School

It was starting to get hot and we decided to head back to ASMu for a swim/rest before our afternoon & evening plans. We ate at the Intermission Food Court at ASMu – DH had a hot dog and I had a taco salad. Both of us were satisfied with our lunches. By that time, it was really too late to swim and shower in time to get to the Garden View Lounge at the Grand Floridian for high tea at 3:20, so we opted for resting in the room instead.

We headed over to the GF around 2:40. We were greeted by the host with “Happy Anniversary…where are your buttons?” Both DH and I had left them in the room, so they graciously provided us with two new ones. I ordered a small cake with the white chocolate castle on top as a surprise for DH and the host sorta blew it by announcing that he had just checked in the back and our cake was ready! Oh, well! We were seated right away. Our server, Julie, was so nice and took great care of us. She brought me a beautiful pink rose and then gave us both crowns to wear during our tea. Needless to say, DH’s only stayed on for a few minutes and then for photo ops after, but I kept mine on. The tea was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it. It was so relaxing…there was a pianist playing in the lobby and the view was amazing – a nice, bright, sunny day. We each chose different teas and food so we could sample more stuff. I had the Russian Earl Grey, a black tea with a hint of orange, and the Prince Edward’s Tea offering, which included pates, English Stilton cheese, scones and a glass of port. Oh, I was in heaven! It was so delicious. The pates were not quite what I expected – they were made with what seemed to be cooked meats instead of livers – but wonderful nonetheless. The port was the perfect accompaniment. DH had the House Blend tea and the Buckingham Palace, which included tea sandwiches, scones, tarts and the trifle. They brought out DH’s trifle and the cake I ordered around the same time. The trifle was AMAZING! We didn’t each much of the cake, though it was good, as the trifle was delectable. Before we dove into the dessert, we wanted to get a good picture of the cake. Julie, our waitress, was so sweet. She took the time to set up the perfect display on an empty table for our cake. If you have the chance to go to tea, try to get Julie as your waitress. She’s very sweet and attentive. She also took a picture of us with our crowns on!


Happy Anniversary!


Our annivesary cake - thanks, Julie, for the great display!

After tea, we took a few pictures at the GF before driving to DTD for La Nouba! We have been so looking forward to this and we were not disappointed. We selected Category 3 seats, as DH has a bad neck and I knew if we were seated where he had to look up for 90 minutes, our vacation would be ruined. Our seats were perfect. We had a good view of everything on the stage and the overhead performers were at eye level. My only complaint, as a “Pooh sized’ gal, was that the seats were a little uncomfortable. But that’s my issue. On the way out, we purchased the CD and a program and ended up listening to the music all weekend. It's hard to say what my favorite part was, but the guy in the big wheel that spun around with only his feet connected to the wheel was pretty awesome! DH liked the bouncing in and out of the building windows. There is so much going on that I’m going to have to see it again to take it all in. Maybe on our 10th anniversary we’ll go again!

After La Nouba, we walked down to Wolfgang Puck Express and shared a Margarita Pizza. We were both kind of tired after a long day so we went back to the hotel. We decided to take a swim. It was movie night at the ASMu pool; Cars was showing. I thought it was really cool to watch a movie by the pool! I heard some of the resorts were doing this now, but considering we were there during the slower season, I wasn’t sure if we would have a chance to participate.

We swam for about an hour or so, had a drink at the pool bar and turned in for the night. Another wonderful day at Disney comes to a close!

Up Next: Pin trading and LeCellier!

[Jookiba]

I think I just may have to check out this afternoon tea thing I've heard several of you guys rave about! Those desserts look delish!!

What a wonderful cake and display!!

Hurry back with more please!!