SouthernBelle & Grumpy 1st Annual Food & Wine Festival Birthday Bash - UPDATED 11/14 - COMPLETED!! About This Page:

[Lemap760]

Great updates. I'm glad your cold isn't slowing you down.

[rhinohunter]

Great TR. Makes me want to get there sooner.

[debsta922]

Excellent update Melissa... Great pictures!

[lindawdw]

Great update Melissa!!! The lunch at LeCellier sounds delicious. Sounds like you had the perfect day at Epcot. Can't wait to hear about your real Birthday!

[SouthernBelle]

Can't wait to hear about your real Birthday!

Well for the next chapter of my TR you will need a large box of Tissues. So have them ready before you start reading.

[jpod523]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelle

Well for the next chapter of my TR you will need a large box of Tissues. So have them ready before you start reading.

will a roll of bounty towels count? (my sister stole my tissues...). i'm ready and waiting for the next installment!!

[SouthernBelle]

Originally Posted by jpod523

will a roll of bounty towels count? (my sister stole my tissues...). i'm ready and waiting for the next installment!!

Jyl that will definitely count

[ilovedisney0_0]

I love your updates and pictures, Melissa! It was good to see pictures of OffKilter. It makes me giggle. I was so excited to see them, and loved them! But then I turned around to DD, who just had one of those - you know - teenagery looks. She said something to the effect of 'I'm not listening to guys who wear dresses!' And it made me laugh so hard, because all of the guys her age now wear girl's jeans!!!

[SouthernBelle]

My real birthday keep the tissues handy for this part of my TR.
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Up Early, feeling good, walked to Poly to catch the monorail, arrived at MK in plenty of time for the Opening Ceremony.
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As were waiting for the Opening Ceremony to begin we started chatting with a family next to us. A CM walked over and asked were they a family and they whisked them away. I told Grumpy I bet they will be the family of the day to open the park.

I turned around to see a group of people come thru the turnstile in brightly colored blue and green t-shirts. Their shirts read “Operation Never Grow Up 2007” and they had put their favorite Disney Characters on the shirts, they were hilarious. They were Chemistry and Engineering Majors at Villa Nova University and I think part of the Villa Nova Choir. They were so funny, very smart and entertaining. A couple of them had been to Emmaus, PA (Grumpy’s home town). We really enjoyed talking to them.
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Opening Ceremony

A Disney CM walked up and wished me Happy Birthday, but I thought she was a Photo Pass CM. She did not have on her name tag. So I am chatting away with her and watching the opening ceremony. I told her I was 12 years old today she asked me did I have any special plans for the day, I said no just lunch at 2pm at Tony’s . She asked did I have any plans for any character or princess meetings. “No, I do not” After the opening show she said to Grumpy and I to come with her that we needed to help her find the other CM, Christine. W e found Christine in front of the other entrance archway, next to Expo Hall. Christine wished me Happy Birthday and told me to come back at 1:40 and to find her in Expo Hall. I then realized that both of these CM’s were part of the Dream Squad, Oh get out the Tissues I am all verclempt

Angelique escorted us to HM where she realized she had lost her name badge, but alas it was not lost it had fallen in her DS Bag. We were the very first riders of the day on HM, truly we walked right on, the first ones thru the HM that day it was amazing.

When we came out, there were 2 other DS CM’s,, Casey and Jessica, we told them about the students from Villa Nova and their wonderful shirts. Jessica said we need to find the Villa Nova Students and make their day magical too. Angelique told Casey and Jessica that I was 12 today Angelique asked me to kneel down and she sprinkled dust in my hair
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My Pixie dust covered hair

[SouthernBelle]

Angelique then handed us off to Casey and we walked to Fantasyland, where we were escorted onto our favorite ride via the exit line., Peter Pan. Well we once again saved Wendy, Peter and Michael When we came out of the ride, Casey made me an Honorary Lost Girl.

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We walked towards Snow White’s Scary Adventure, where we met Nancy and another CM ( I forgot her name )

Once again we were escorted on the ride via the exit and when we came out the other cm whose name I forgot to write down gave us a certificate for free engraveable name badges.

I noticed that Nancy had a special CM Pin, Partners in Excellence Pin, with the Partners Statue on it. So I asked her about it , she said this pin goes to a CM that is nominated by other CM’s, only 2% of CM’s are given this pin. Nancy truly has lived up to the excellence to receive this pin as I will tell you later by what I saw her do. Nancy said she was very honored that the other CM’s had nominated her to receive this Pin

We chatted for awhile; they all wanted to know about my PP pin. So I told them all about the wonderful world of PP and all the wonderful people involved in PP, Nancy wrote down the website. This is where I found out that if you are on Main St near the flagpole the 3pm parade starts at 3:18.

I also told them that I pick up trash I see laying around the Parks and that my friend at home told me I was taking away someone’s job and to stop. They laughed, but they said they do the same thing.

We had to say good bye to Casey and Nancy escorted us to the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. When we came back after our blustery ride thru 100 Acre Wood. Nancy presented me with a certificate as a Honorary Citizen of 100 Acre Wood.

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Nancy’s area was ToonTown, she had started at Soarin, and missed being there but she loved ToonTown. So we were escorted onto Barnstormer but there was no line. So after our wonderful Ride in the front car of Barnstormer. Nancy asked us to wait a minute that there was a special guest on the ride that she needed to speak with.

Already I am verclempt at this, okay get your tissues ready. There was a young girl who was on Barnstormer with us, she was a Make A Wish child, in her Cinderella Dress, we will call her Cindy, she was just beautiful and so sweet. The mother rode Barnstormer with her, and Nancy chatted with the father. Apparently the father told Nancy that according to the Cindy’s doctors, she should not even be at Disney World, that too much excitement would cause her to have seizures and would be very detrimental to her health. I watched Nancy talk with the parents and this precious angel of a girl, in the most caring way that I was crying again over this. I am not sure what Nancy said to the parents or to little Cindy, but as they walked away they were all smiling and happy. I am sure Nancy sprinkled her magic pixie dust for that family.

So if you are ever in ToonTown and see A DS CM named Nancy, you are in the presence of a very special CM.

We said our farewells to Nancy and went on our way, what a whirlwind tour of the Magic Kingdom I was given this morning. I need to rename this TR and call it “The Best Birthday Ever” or “The Birthday Dream Squad Tag Team” or ”The Best Birthday for a 12 yr old inside the 40+ Woman”

Well I needed to find the nearest restroom. Grumpy wanted to go back to ToonTown and check out the Pin Wagon. He wanted to find a Barnstormer Pin. We searched but there were no Barnstormer Pins on the wagon when the CM showed us the little tins that have the ride pins, but that you wouldn’t know until you opened it what pins you have. Well I bought two, and the first tin I opened had Barnstormer and Jungle Cruise pins WAHOOO

[SouthernBelle]

this truly was a magical day. Grumpy was happy he now had his Barnstormer Pin for the 12 yr old inside the 40+ man

Well it was getting close to our 1:40 appt at Expo Hall, so we headed towards Main Street. We dropped off our receipt for our free Nametags with Andrew at the Jewelry shop and headed for Expo Hall.

Well we found our way to Christine in Expo Hall. I had never been in this part of Expo Hall, so it was all new to me. A young girl came out from behind the curtain and was asked did she have a nice visit, that little girl was grinning ear to ear.

We chatted a few minutes and then another Cm walked from behind the curtain and asked if I was ready. I said yes, but I still had no idea what was behind the curtain. I walked around two curtains and there before my eyes was Cinderella. Okay now I am really the waterworks are flowing I am 40+ years old and I have never met nor seen one of the princesses except from the street as the parade went past. Cinderella was beautiful, wonderful, the nicest person ever and here she is bowing to me, telling me what an honor it is to meet me on my special day. The photopass Cm is just snapping away.

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Well after my wonderful meeting with Cinderella, I was given a certificate signed by all the characters.
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[DELG8TOR]

Melissa~
This sounds like one of the most magical days I have ever heard of onthese boards. I hope the rest of the day stays the same. I am sue you were walking on cloud 9.

[SouthernBelle]

We walked over for Lunch at Tony’s Town Square, we were seated at the table in the corner across from the Entry door,

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our table was decorated wit Mickey Glitter and confetti. Our Waiter was very nice, Rhudi.
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I ordered the Lady & The Tramp Special, half a Panini and salad. Grumpy ordered a whole Panini and salad. This is the first time we have ever ordered the same thing.

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We finished our meal and Rhudi asked Grumpy would he like dessert, because the birthday girl gets a special Sunday made with gelato and it was big, so we could split it. Grumpy said no he would split the sundae with me, so he brought us two spoons.

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While we were waiting in walked the Villa Nova Students along with Jessica from the Dream Squad carrying a birthday cake. They sang Happy Birthday to me and it was beautiful, I am crying now as I write this….
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After the hugs all around, my new friends from Villa Nova left the Dream Squad had more planned for them. You see they had been following them all thru the MK that day.

The manager of Tony’s asked “Do they work for us” because they were that good…..

Rhudi returned with my Birthday Sundae and it was delish. He also asked who the singers were, because the waiters in Tony’s couldn’t have done that well.

We paid our bill and walked to the Chapeau, got Skyler his Pluto hat
Walked over to the jewelers and picked up our Name Tags from Andrew, purchased the AP Pins.

[SouthernBelle]

Went outside sat on the curb in the sun and waited for the 3pm parade, which if you are on Main Street it gets to you at 3:18. We happen to sit next to the hairdresser for all the CM’s in the parade, she had come “upstairs” to warm up. She told us she had just done Minnie’s hair for the parade. During the parade all the CM’s were blowing her kisses. It was a riot and so funny to see all the CM’s along with Minnie, Mary Poppins, Snow White, and other dancers in the parade waving to her and blowing her kisses. Pluto was by far the funniest I thought he was going to fall off the float blowing her kisses.
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Caught the Ferry Boat back to the TTC and walked back to SOG

[SouthernBelle]

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Cinderella bowing to me, telling me it was an honor to meet me, I told her no it was the other way around, for I had never met a princess before.

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The PhotoPass Photographer took all these photos as well as the ones in Tony's