Welcome, friends! Today I'll be recapping the start of the second week of our vacation. I will be concluding the post with a change to my posting schedule, so please see that for the future of this trip report series! Ok, let's get on to the good stuff!
This Disney villain and the rest of our family boarded a Disney bus for a fabulous Friday morning at Magic Kingdom.
Off to Neverland...
Second star from the right and straight on 'til morning
From soaring over London onto intergalactic rockets of Space Mountain...
Adventure(land) is calling!
"Princess" rode too, but sat with two strangers so I'm just sharing this trio photo. ;)
Adventure(land) is calling!
From the Jungle to the Caribbean
Our first time seeing this updated scene.
Lunch at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
Dining here each trip is a long standing tradition for our family. Jason loves the toppings bar for the burgers and we all enjoy Sonny Eclipse's performance which has become quite a nostalgic show for us over the years.
We ate during a non-traditional lunch time and enjoyed having the restaurant almost to ourselves.
These fries were a secret menu item found exclusively on the Disney app, available for guests who placed mobile orders via the app.
Next 999 happy haunts welcomed us back to Haunted Mansion.
Remember the super cute Toy Story ears I was wearing in yesterday's post that were handmade by my sweet and talented friend Chrissy? Well, those weren't the only ears she made me for this trip. She also made me these amazing double sided Minnie ears with a reversible bow!
Above you can see the Haunted Mansion wallpaper pattern and below you'll see what it looks like when the bow is on the side with the Haunted Mansion cast member costume pattern!
I love these fun ears and love the friend who made them even more! You can find more of her cute and comfy ears at her Etsy shop AdventuresInDIYShop.
A fun PhotoPass op awaited us post-ride. This particular photographer was very friendly and super fast paced! So much so, that we had a hard time even getting situated before the pics started being snapped which made for an awkward looking "normal" photo...
Followed by a "give me a scared look" photo! Again, he was moving so quickly, "Little One" didn't even get the chance to get a funny face out. Ha!
Disney Traditions
Our family has certain traditions we hold to each trip. In addition to all the family fun we enjoy, we also like to split up for quality time with each other. Once our girls both hit their teen years we started splitting up for a bit now and then allowing them "sister time" and Jason and I a mini date. I also love spending special time with each one of my daughters. (More on that later in this post.) Another one of my favorite trip traditions is spending solo time in the parks. I typically spend an hour or two in each of the four parks on my own during every trip. Sometimes Jason and the girls will head back to the resort for an afternoon break and I'll remain at the park. Other times when my family decides to call it a night at one park's closing, I'll head on to another park offering extra magic evening hours. This solo time affords me the opportunity to linger as long as I'd like in some of my favorite spots, stroll slowly while taking in the atmosphere, and snap as many photos as I wish without feeling like I'm making my family wait on me in any one particular spot.
This was the day I spent an afternoon alone in Magic Kingdom...
Prettiest bathroom in all the land - ha!
I love the playful colors of Fantasyland!
I think those three rocks on the left side with water spilling over them look like a Hidden Mickey. :)
Oh, the fabulousness of fall in Magic Kingdom...
Disney ducks swimming in the castle's reflection
Cinderella Wishing Well
The themed pumpkins in Magic Kingdom always make my heart smile!
Main Street Confectionery
It was a scorching hot afternoon, so while I admired the delightful desserts, I opted for a slush in Main Street Confectionery.
I stepped outside, frosty beverage in hand, pulled up a rocking chair, and enjoyed the view.
This was the first time I sat in these rocking chairs, but definitely won't be the last!
I texted this pic to Jason and the girls to share what I was up to while we were apart. :)
See ya real soon, Magic Kingdom!
An Early Birthday Surprise!
When I arrived back at Animal Kingdom Lodge there was the sweetest surprise waiting there for me! A cast member delivered a beautifully decorated tray of zebra domes along with a card in celebration of my 40th birthday.
My birthday is September 13th. These treats arriving 5 days prior made it all the more surprising and special! The birthday week celebrations for my Big 4-0 were officially in full swing!
I love our Disney Vacation Club home resort and appreciated the thoughtfulness behind this sweet complimentary surprise!
Evening at Epcot
After making our way through the gates of Epcot we rode Spaceship Earth then made our way to World Showcase for dinner. Jason, "Princess", and I were craving the deliciousness at Katsura Grill. "Little One" requested chicken, so I took her to the America pavilion while the other half of our family headed to Japan. Jason ordered for us and we all met up at table with a lovely view just outside Katsura Grill.
Chicken and beef teriyaki served with steamed rice and garden salad for Jason and I
It may look like the girls have sunburns, but it was actually just the red umbrella above casting a red light on their smiling faces.
She went with ramen.
The view from our table
Matsuriza Japanese Traditional Taiko Drummers
Our favorite shop in World Showcase, Mitsukoshi
Our girls add to their collections of Rilakumma cuteness and chopsticks with each visit to Epcot.
She eats with chopsticks as much (if not more than) forks at home so chopsticks are both a much enjoyed and practical souvenir for her.
I had one of these when I was a little girl! Did anyone else?
Evening with my Youngest Sweetheart
Jason and I decided to part ways and spend some one on one time with our girls. First stop for "Little One" and I was meeting Alice! We've enjoyed some of the most fun character interactions with her. My girly was sporting a cat ear headband which led to conversations about Alice's cat.
Next up my girl's favorite Disney character, Daisy! She was dressed up in her cutest chef attire for the Food & Wine Festival...
Mom/Daughter Dessert Date
We chose cupcakes from Sunshine Seasons. I went with a rose gold Minnie cupcake. So cute! Little One has a hard time resisting anything topped with Mickey Oreos. Who could blame her there? ;) It turned out that this was actually an extra special cupcake. The cast member at the checkout told us that those were leftover from an Annual Passholder event. They were meant to be an event exclusive, but they must have had a few leftover. We were Disney World annual passholders on this trip, so even though we didn't attend that event, it felt like a special passholder treat! :)
We enjoyed a sweet time chatting about the highlights of our trip. The quality time with my sweetie pie was even more delightful than any dessert!
After our sweet treats we spotted a stand-by time of 15 minutes on Soarin'! There was no way we could resist that!
Next up, Frozen Ever After for two!
Another boat ride? Sure thing! Mexico pavilion, here we come!
Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros
One last tasty snack for two while in Mexico...
We decided to end our day in one of my favorite ways, shopping at MouseGear!
We had fun browsing and trying things on. She first showed interest in these pretty pastel pink ears that night. We may purchase them later. Stay tuned for more on that in a future trip report!
Goodnight, Epcot! What a good night it was!
Thankful for another evening of memories made with my littlest love!
CHANGES COMING TO THIS
TRIP REPORT SERIES:
Thanks for stopping by for another trip report! It's been so much fun sharing these in the "On This Day Last Year" style while covering the first half of our trip! However, I've decided to return to my Trip Report Tuesday format for the final week of the trip. As much as I enjoy sharing daily, the editing and preparation required for these posts is a bit too time consuming to keep up with it on a daily basis as I had originally set out to do.
I invite you to return this Tuesday, September 1oth for all the adventures of Day 9 and each Tuesday that follows to see the see this vacation completely recapped.
Thank you so much for reading and for the sweet comments I've received here on the blog, on Instagram, and in direct messages. They have made sharing even the more fun!
SEE YA REAL SOON!
{This Tuesday}
You can check out the video footage from this day on my family's YouTube channel,
Eat, Sleep, Dis, Repeat!
Direct Link to the Video of Day 8:
Day 8 - Magic Kingdom and Epcot
Eat, Sleep, Dis, Repeat!
Direct Link to the Video of Day 8:
Day 8 - Magic Kingdom and Epcot
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Previous Trip Reports from this Vacation:
A sneak peek at what's to come...
Day 5-15: Walt Disney World
+ my 40th Birthday (September 13th)
Day 16, September 15: Georgia Aquarium
Day 17: Homeward Bound
Brenda, I LOVE your recaps so please keep them up BUT do them at your OWN pace. I would hate for you to not have these details to go back to one day because you "rushed" these posts! :)
ReplyDeletep.s. Do you prefer to hit up the quick style dining while at Disney instead of the table service dining? I know that if I go to Disney again I would probably go to character dining a few times but other than that stick to quick pick-up dining!! :)
Thank you so much! Your sweet and thoughtful comment as I prepare to make this shift in sharing style was encouraging and much appreciated! Thank you for reading and for your kindness too!
DeleteThat is such a great question! Disney and food are two of my favorite subjects. :) Rather than inserting a lengthy reply here in the comment section, I am going to use your question as inspiration for an upcoming blog post. I look forward to sharing my thoughts, and perhaps a few of our favorites in each category too! :)
So detailed! I feel like I was there with you LOL. I was wondering how you were doing these every single day. It is so much work but thank you so much for sharing :-). What an awesome way to start this new decade of your life
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I'm going for, sweet friend! :) I'm glad you felt like you were right there with us while reading. ;) It's been so nice having our trips documented here over the past six years. My family really enjoys looking back at these detailed posts and reminiscing about our fun-filled vacation days! Since I still have a November 2018 (20th Anniversary) trip to share and another vacation coming up this November I thought getting these reports out in an "on this day last year" style would be a great way to tackle it in a timely manner ... But that was a bit much! Lol! Reverting back to my typical Trip Report Tuesday style will be a move in the right direction I think. :) Thanks, I agree! It was such an awesome way to kick off a fresh new decade of life! My heart is full just thinking about it! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and for leaving me a sweet comment too! Hearing from you is always a bright spot in any day, friend! :D xoxo!
DeleteI would love to have my own time at the parks like you get to! I almost did it once but it was pouring rain and I decided to just go back with everyone else. I loved seeing all the fall decorations and perfectly pretty pictures you took!
ReplyDeleteI hope it works out for you to enjoy a bit of solo park time during a future trip! I'm glad you loved seeing the fall decor - you're a girl after my own heart! ;) It's such a beautiful time of year in the parks! Thanks for another sweet comment, friend! :D
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