Joe turns 40 ***LIVE*** from the bubble trip report!

Hi kids! We are truly live from the bubble now! Joe had another nice round of golf yesterday morning at Bay Hill. It was cloudy and we got rained on a bit but not really bad. It kept it nice and cool for us. As we were on #8, we got a text letting us know our room at AKL was ready, Joe was just about to swing and luckily I keep in my shriek of eccitement.

He finished off his round and we headed for AKL. I was so excited I was about to cry in the truck. A brief back story, my previous marriage was not a good one and I NEVER in a million years thought Blondie and I would be this happy. Joe has been the best thing that could have ever happened to us. He has mad more possible for us than I can imagine. We were tired and decided to just park and forego the "check-in process" We parked in Zazu and headed up to the 5th floor. I was grinning from ear to ear walking to our room... I opened the door and I cried like a baby. I hugged Joe and thanked him about 50 times for giving us this awesome gift!

I took tons of pictures of the room and from the balcony and decided to "lay down", well that lasted all of 10 minutes and we were on the way to the Sanaa Lounge. I had to have Bread Service! So, a glass of wine, bread, lamb sliders and samosas were ordered. As we were finishing up I just happened to get on MDE and book fastpasses for Everest! Off to AK we go for a quick ride. As we arrived the sun came out in all of it's glory. No sunglasses for either of us and it was instantly HOT! But, I was in a park.

We walked straight back to Everest, stood in the standby line (20 minutes) to ride before our FP time then got off and hoped in the FP line. I could ride this ALL DAY. It is by far my favorite ride at Disney. Next we just wandered around the park for a bit, we missed FotLK by 5 minutes. So we headed on back to the resort. If you are friends with me on Facebook you know my knee has been giving me some issues, well yesterday was no different. I went to the concierge when we got back and asked for an ice pack. She gave me a couple and asked if I needed medical assistance. I don't think I am that bad off yet but after today, maybe...

We rested up a bit and it was time to head to The Grand Floridian for a WDWFGU MEET UP! We were going on a Wishes Cruise with Mr Hub, Scrappy, Jan and Ken, Spook and her hubby and one other couple. I can't remember his name for the life of me (she was Susan) Joe says he remembers but he has no clue either... Anywho, what a wonderful time. I love the different perspectives of viewing fireworks from the MK. But this was the best! We loved it and had a so much fun. Afterwards we headed over to Trader Sams and hung out on the deck listening to music and having cocktails and apps. Joe and I had the Hippopotamai-Tai, Shrunken Zombie Head, Pork Tacos and the Poke. SO GOOD! It was wonderful meeting you all, it's always fun putting a face to a name or profile pic. It was like we all already knew each other!

Joe and I headed back after picking up our souvenir cups. He has another early round at Isleworth today. He is so excited about this one. He's been trying to get on at this course since before we meet.

Today is my park hopping day. I need to get up and get ready, AK opens at 8! I will add pictures later!

OOPS, Ok, when I am here next weekend AK opens at 8, so I threw together a few pics to add in really quick. Happy Friday! I can't believe I didn't get a group picture. Mr Hub, please send me a copy!

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	at Bay Hill	605.18 KB
	Sanaa	637.17 KB
	AK and Ice cream sandwiches	147.76 KB
	Wishes cruise	515.88 KB
	Trader Sams Deck	120.8 KB

HA HA HA I have an entire list of things I have never done in the magic Kingdom lol, I am working on it now! I wish Sanaa served breakfast, I would head down there right now!

Good Saturday morning. I'm just sitting out on the balcony catching you all up on the adventure. And boy what an adventure I had yesterday!

We woke up early as Joe had to leave for Isleworth around 6:45. I was up and ready to hit the bus stop for an 8am opening of AK. Well silly me, it's next weekend's trip that it opens early so I sat around and relaxed a little before taking off for my 4 parks 1 day adventure.

I arrived at the bus stop around 8:15. There were quite a few people there but not overly crowded. The next bus was scheduled to arrive at 8:23. We went straight to the park without stopping at Jambo so we were there pretty early. I heard clapping and cheering as I was roaming around Rainforest Cafe. They had started to let people in. They of course had the park blocked off when you got to the tree of life. I traded pins with several of the cast members while waiting. Then out of nowhere, there were about 20 parrots and macaws that came flying in over everyone's heads to a perch in front of the tree. It. Was. Magnificent!!! I had never seen this before. Then they welcomed everyone to AK and they all flew off back towards the back of the park. I just don't see how they train those birds to do that. I want to see it again!

I walked right into It's Tough to be a Bug. There were maybe 10 people in the theater. After watching the show, I headed on over to Everest. I rode twice. Once in the 5 minute standby line and once in the single rider line (got front row!!!) I then took a stroll around Discovery Island to find Tarzan. WOW! if you have not met him, go find him. He was so good. I think of character interactions, his now stands out as the best. Just the way he moved, his body, the way he spoke. I was blow away. I actually thought I was Jane meeting him for the first time. I was going to catch FotLK but I had missed it by 10 minutes. So I decided to head to MK.

I got to the MK and my knee was already bothering me (hilly AK didn't help) and our bus driver found THE FURTHEST SPOT AWAY she could get... I made the long trek and I was there!!! The pumpkins and other fall decor are "nice" I wasn't really overwhelmed by it. I guess after seeing all of the Christmas stuff I was expecting more. Anyway, I checked out Carousel of Progress for the first time. And it ended up malfunctioning and we watched the Christmas screen more times than I needed... Part of it with out audio which was really creepy! And is it me or should they make that scene 1/2 size and then a more updated scene??? I met Tink walked a around a bit and headed out to catch the monorail to Epcot.

I was next to a 5 year old girl on the monorail that was looking at my pins and we started talking. Her aunt asked her if she wanted to start her own collection. So, I gave her one of mine to get her started. Felt pretty good to share some of the magic! The monorail did get stuck for about 10 minutes then made the rest of the journey at about 1/2 speed. It was painful... I had a plan and a schedule LOL. I just kicked back and enjoyed the view and the extra rest and listened to all the people complain that they had plans and fast passes and ADRs. Anywho, made it to Epcot and made a beeline for Test Track. I was on and off in about 20 minutes. I think more rides should have single rider lines. Joe had called so I waited on him so we could have lunch. We decided on Sunshine Seasons because I recently saw an article on an Orange Cupcake.... there was no orange cupcake! but lunch was really good. and I traded pins with one of the cm's that was cleaning tables. We stopped at the character spot and took off to the car for HS.

We arrived about an hour before our first FP. So we rode Star Tours and the Muppet 3D show. Browsed around, grabbed a drink then headed for Rockin Roller Coaster. A great coaster but Everest still tops my list! We still had an hour till our ToT FP so we decided to head back to rest before dinner. We were both pretty tired and agreed we would ride it with Blondie in November. Oh, I did trade a couple of pins but never went over to meet any characters

Back at the resort, I fall asleep fast! Only to have to get up and get ready for dinner. We arrived at the Yacht Club around 7:45. We sat in the Crew's Cup lounge and had a beverage while waiting. We were seated promptly at 8:20 for our ADR. Our server Bill was wonderful and didn't hover too much. After browsing the menu, we decided to skip appetizers and go straight for the good stuff. The pull-apart bread was so good with the butter and roasted garlic. We both got the 8 ounce filet with Gratin Potatoes and we shared the Brentwood Cornbread (OMG) and the Truffle Mac and Cheese. Everything was wonderful and we were so full we didn't even cut into the cheesecake I worked so hard to get LOL.. At least we will have a midnight snack, breakfast, lunch and snacks the next few days. Highlight of this dinner, the Brentwood Cornbread. Not what we expected at all but it was outstanding. Everything was really. I could not stop eating even as full as I was. This has now been bumped to my favorite Disney meal.

Plans to walk over to Epcot were nixed as we realized how full we were. So sleep came pretty early for us.

Joe is headed to his last round of the trip at Streamsong. I decided to sit this one out. I am regretting it but it is walking only and with no where and really no time for me to sit and rest some between holes and him being paired with 3 others we decided I would stay here and do my own thing. I am going to take it easy today, maybe head to MK for a little bit this morning before coming back to meet up with Joe and go back for out FPs tonight.

Happy Saturday everyone!

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	AK	138.5 KB
	MK	594.05 KB
	Epcot	662.66 KB
	HS	405.7 KB
	Yachtsman Steakhouse	90.21 KB

We are on the road heading home. I packed up the laptop yesterday before heading to MK so I will post our last couple days tonight or tomorrow. Really fun day yesterday with a lot of new things. Breakfast was Boma today. More on that later too! Stay Disney my friends!

We are home... I am exhausted and I have 3 very full days of work before I head back. So without further ado, here is the conclusion of our trip and a couple of final thoughts.

I was supposed to go with Joe on Saturday but I opted out. Joe said it was a good thing that I did. While the course did have benches, he said it was very hilly and all sand. He said my knee would have never held up. So, in the long run, it was a great idea to stay.

I got up and straightened up the room rested a little then headed to Jambo to look around the gift shop. I made a mental note of all the things I wanted to pick up this morning. I then headed to the bus stop for Epcot. I got there around 10ish. The wait time for Soarin was only 15 minutes! I could not believe it so I hopped in line. After a quick trip over California I strolled over to World Showcase to wait for it to open. I wanted a Croissant Doughnut so I parked myself on a bench and waited. And waited. And waited. They finally opened at 11:10 but it was nice and hot when I got it. After eating my breakfast, I continued walking around the showcase. I happened upon Ariel AND Eric and there was no line!!!! I stopped and enjoyed Voices of Liberty for the first time. WOW, they were amazing. They sang a song my granny use to sing to me that I haven't heard in years and I just sat on the floor and cried. It's called K-K-K-Katy. One of the guys saw me singing it with them and looked surprised that I knew the words.

As I was passing Italy, I looked up and who was walking out towards me??? The Character Queen, Dustin! I acted the total fangirl and said hello! We ended up grabbing a drink, strolling and chatting. I got to watch him make one of his Dubsmash videos and eventually parted ways. He's a really nice (but shy) guy and we had a great time talking. If you haven't seen his videos, look up The Character Queen on Facebook, he is a riot.

I headed back to the resort to rest before heading to MK with Joe. We left around 5 and took the ferry across. As we arrived a parade was just coming down Main Street so we grabbed a front row seat on the curb. We took of after to find food. I wanted a waffle but lo and behold, they stop serving them at 5 so we headed a little further down for roasted corn.... it was going to be 15 minutes before it was ready so off to Adventureland to locate the elusive Cheeseburger Spring Rolls. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED they were so good!

There were many firsts. Jungle Cruise, PhilharMagic (I LOVED THIS), Winnie the Pooh, and the WDW Railroad. We also rode 7DMT. That ride takes on a whole new feel in the dark! Browsed around Big Top Circus store and watched the candy makers.

We were really tired and decided to skip our 10pm BTMR FP and headed out. We got on the ferry to head back and were quite delayed leaving. So delayed we watched just about the entire fireworks show from the dock. Apparently from the talk between the captain next to us and another passenger, there was a fight between 2 families trying to board and security was called. Can't say too often that you watched Wished from the water twice in a trip

After a restful evening we got up and packed the last of our things and headed to Jambo, we were having breakfast at Boma at 10. We arrived a little before 9 to a PACKED house. I asked if we could get in earlier and didn't expect it, about 10 minutes later we were seated. WOW! Now, I am NOT a fan of buffets, but this one was great. And there was ASPARAGUS! Everything we tried was delicious. Nothing was cold and it was all cooked as it should be. My favorites, the oak fired asparagus of course, the potatoes, turkey bobotie and the bread pudding.

We picked up a couple last minute things at the gift shop and headed home. I'm about to crash now but I will post highs and lows tomorrow! Thanks for following along. I enjoyed meeting the ones that were there and look forward to many more meets soon!

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	breakfast, VOL and The Character Queen	152.82 KB
	Ariel and Eric	141.83 KB
	on the ferry and snacks	100.66 KB
	move it shake it time	811.04 KB
	Big Top Treats	154.44 KB
	Random MK	523.5 KB
	Boma - someone loves that juice! ME!!!	473.77 KB
	My pins from the trip	619.55 KB

I was quite pleased with Yachtsman. Most reviews I read were positive but the negative ones, whoa boy, they were doozies so I kinda felt like it was going to be hit or miss. Well, it was a big hit. I'm trying not to repeat restaurants, but I may go for this one again. Even if just for the cornbread!

Here are some highs and lows and a couple of observations...

Highs: First DVC trip and walking into the room
Not having to check in (we are going to do our "first DVC check-in" as a family in November with Blondie)
Wishes Cruise and meet up Mr Hub, Scrappy, Ken and Jan J, Spook and Mr Spook it was great meeting you all
Yachtsman!!! Moved to the top of my list

Lows: Not being able to get waffles or roasted corn I have to complain about something right?
The crowds - I thought it was low season...
The heat, I will always complain about the heat
A tad disappointed in the size of the DVC room - I guess I was expecting a little larger, I thought our room at
POP was roomier - maybe it's all the extra furniture?
Halloween decorations - I really didn't like them

While walking thru Tomorrowland in MK on Saturday night, there was a Cast Member sitting there in her Haunted Mansion uniform... Isn't this frowned upon??? She was obviously off the clock as she had her bag and a kid sitting on her lap but still.

When did CM's start holding spots in line for guests? 3 occasions (Character Spot, Tinker Bell and Pooh) There were people standing right where you go in or board waiting on the rest of their party.
We were about to walk into the character spot when ONE of the parties (there was 2 there) saw her other people in line coming (5 more guests) and the CM wanted to put them all ahead of us. I said UMMMMM NO. She let us go in and made them wait. If your party's not ready, don't get in line...

All in all, it was a great trip and I could not stop smiling or telling the hubby how happy I was and saying thank you like a thousand times. He really enjoyed it too. He got to play 4 new courses, eat some great food and spend time with me! Thanks for following along, it's always fun to share with you all!

Another trip report is coming soon! Just 3 more days!

She had her name tag on. Unless it was someone with a guest that was really going out of their way to be authentic LOL. I was quite shocked!

Oh and how could I forget... smoking! I noticed it on the girls trip too... a lady walking thru Epcot... a man on the train... in line at Animal Kingdom.... ugguh...

Oh I know, it's just found it odd that I really noticed it these last couple of times.... Hell, If I can't have my selfie stick, they can't smoke!!!

I am home by-the-way, just got here about an hour or so ago. Downloading pics and will get a trip report started soon. Kerry drove all the way home so I got a little rest!