Birthday Dinner at Be Our Guest
Back to today's blog. For my 30th birthday I wanted to go to my most favorite place in the world -- Disney World! I've only been there about 20 times in my life so I wanted to go somewhere I knew I liked and would enjoy. Everyone always asks "Why do you go to the same place all the time?" Easy answer - I'm happy there! You get to escape from reality during your vacation and enter a fairytale! So, here are some highlights of the trip and new things we experienced!!
1. Frozen! This movie is HUGE! At Magic Kingdom we met Anna and Elsa by using the coveted Fastpass. We waited about 5 minutes and were able to meet royalty. You can also see a bunch of Frozen stuff at Hollywood Studios. On July 5 they started "Frozen days of Summer" where there is a royal procession, a special store, ice skating, special photopass opportunities, and special fireworks at the end of the day. They make it snow at the end of the fireworks! It was sooo magical!
2. Festival of Fantasy Parade - I got to see this parade 3 times and it would have been 4 if it had not rained! The floats are out of this world and the soundtrack is incredible. The dancers are so talented and dedicated. It was HOT in Florida when we were there and I can only imagine how it is to wear those costumes and dance the entire parade (which probably lasts about 50 minutes from start to finish if you are performing). Here are a FEW photos that don't even give the parade justice:
3. Memory Maker - This is an amazing add on to any vacation package. It is $150 and you must purchase it more than 30 days before your trip. You get every photopass picture from the park including ride photos and some dining photos. All they do is scan your magic band and voila! You can download every picture from your trip. I have downloaded more than 500 photos (I added borders and stickers to some of them to make them more magical) It is worth every cent. Here are a couple examples of what you get!
4. Tusker House - This is a great restaurant in Animal Kingdom. This is my first time to ever eat here. This is a buffet. We ate there for breakfast and had a great time. We got the first seating (8:05 am) and were greeted with characters right away. We met Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Mickey. You also get a picture before your meal at the front of the restaurant. What I liked most about this is that you get into the park before it opens and then you can be first on the rides! We were able to do everything we wanted before 1:00... Then the rain came.
5. Character Palooza - This happens at Hollywood Studios and it is not published in the guides. I heard about it from the blogs I follow and I was NOT disappointed! For us it happened at 6:00 on the Streets of America. We met many rare characters. The characters are different every day (of course some may be the same) but it is soooo cool! We met 6 characters in 15 minutes! The leave just as fast as they show up. Here are the ones we met:
6. 4th of July - We spent the holiday at Epcot. This was the best park to see fireworks because you get the Epcot fireworks and you can see the fireworks from Hollywood Studios. Two shows in one! You have to get a spot like 2 hours early if you want a good area to see from. Also, Voices of Liberty have a special show on the 4th at the American Gardens Theater. It is Spectacular! Voices of Liberty can be seen at the American Adventure everyday but this special 30 minute show is only on July 4th. Get there early for a spot in the shade! They also have the characters in their American attire.
7. Meeting some of the Villains! - Villains are super funny because they are bad! These actors were great at their role!
8. Character Meet and Greets - Our Autograph books are filled minus about 4 pages! The key to meet and greets is to know when the characters will be out and where! Then, if you arrive about 10 minutes early you will be at the front of the line and can maximize your park time. Here are a couple of M&G I have not done in awhile!
9. Starbucks!! Yep, that's right! Starbucks has come to Disney :) There is one on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, one at Epcot near the Fountain of Nations, and one at Downtown Disney!
10. Dapper Dans - If you love Barbershop you will love the Dapper Dans! These guys are amazing singers and very entertaining. They tap dance, make jokes, sing, and play some pretty cool instruments. I forgot to ask Celeste to take my picture with them! However, Celeste got to take one with them!
11. Art of Animation Drawing Class - I had never done this before but I had read about it on the many blogs I read about Disney World. This is a must do on my list now! It happens every 1/2 hour on the 1/2 hour and you need to be there about 15 minutes early to guarantee a spot in the class. If you don't arrive early you risk not making the next class and you will have to wait 30 minutes (which isn't too bad considering the lines and time of year we went). We ended up just making the class -- a magic moment for sure! We got to draw Tigger :) I just realized I don't have the pictures on my computer... they are on my phone... when I figure out how to get them to my computer I'll add them.
12. Ride Photos - Like I said before about memory maker; the ride photos are included! Here is one from Tower of Terror after my dad had left. Celeste and I are like "Where did he go?" and the guy behind us joined in the fun! We are on the right if you have not already found us!
That is our trip in a nutshell. We had the best time for 10 days in Orlando. I wish I was still there (there is never enough time!) If you need help planning your next trip I always love to talk about Disney World. We had NO problems with FastPass+ or dining reservations. Our Magic Bands worked perfectly. Thanks for reading!
