WDW Birthday Trip #2

Fast forward a few weeks and we were off to WDW once again!  Let me explain that we had originally planned to go from Saturday the 25^th through Wednesday the 29^th and stay at Port Orleans French Quarter.  However, a couple of weeks before our trip, Disney announced that the Magic Kingdom would be open for 24 hours on May 24^th, beginning at 6 am, and we quickly realized that we could not pass up such an opportunity.  We changed some things around, but when we called to adjust the hotel dates, they did not have any availability at Port Orleans French Quarter for the 23^rd or 24^th.  Luckily, we were able to book Pop Century for those two nights, and then we had three nights at Port Orleans French Quarter.

This time we drove, since we were going for more than three days.  As I have shared before, I love driving trips – C drives and I sleep, waking in a confused stupor only when he taps my arm because he needs something.  I am not the most coherent person when I am woken up unexpectedly, and driving trips are no exception.  I usually fumble around to get him water or soda, mumble something at him about our current location and how much time until we arrive (I am not unlike a child in this regard), and then fall right back asleep.  I am not sure anyone else would not only tolerate, but find humor in my lunacy.

We arrived at about 3:30 pm and checked into Pop Century.  There was no arm-twisting needed when the topic of birthday buttons arose…I had been waiting for one since WDW introduced the buttons years ago.  She even gave C an “I’m Celebrating” button on which she wrote “L’s birthday!”, but this was not something C wore over the course of the weekend, despite my strong encouragement that he do so.  I, on the other hand, went everywhere with my birthday button on display.

Our room was in the '50's section of the resort and it was perfect for us!

After settling into our room and getting a quick bite to eat at the food court, we headed to MK for the evening.  We did our favorite attractions (TTA, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Mickey’s Philharmagic, along with a few others), grabbed a LeFou’s Brew and a Nutella waffle, watched the fireworks, and finally headed back to our room.  We planned on sleeping in the next morning because we had been up since about 2 am and were exhausted from drive (and by “we,” I mean C, since I had gotten quite a bit of sleep in the car!).

The famous Nutella waffle

LeFou's Brew

We typically sleep in until about noon and roll into the parks around 2 pm.  I don’t advise this strategy for anyone who doesn't visit frequently, because you really want to get the most bang for your buck with your park tickets.  However, we have never been, nor will we ever be, morning people – at WDW or otherwise – so this is what we do, and we stay super late, often being among the last few people to trickle out of the parks.  Our annual passes have allowed us to visit frequently, so we don’t ever feel like we are wasting money or valuable park time by sleeping in.  But as I said, this is likely not the best approach for most people.  The only downside to what we do is that it is almost always guaranteed we will miss breakfast hours everywhere!  We usually only get to eat breakfast if we make a dining reservation that forces us to get up.  And we don’t do that very often because again, we are not morning people.

Friday arrived, and despite the excitement of MK being open for 24 hours, we had no intention of arriving before 6 pm.  We figured we would spend the whole night in the park until 6 am Saturday morning.  So Friday was great, because we were able to enjoy a relaxing lunch, visit a few of our favorite resorts, and take a swim before heading over to MK to arrive at 6 pm.

my Magic Kingdom shoes

Well…although we anticipated a large crowd, given the 24-hour opening and the fact that it was Friday of Memorial Day weekend, we were truly not prepared for just how insane it was.  Wall-to-wall people.  And we have been there during busy holiday times before – on Valentine’s  Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Christmas, and New Year’s...we even got married at WDW on New Year’s Eve!  And we cannot recall a time when MK was so crowded.

Despite the crowds, we decided to stick with our plan.  We had some dinner, and planned out the evening, but were pretty discouraged when we consulted the wait times (for example, Splash Mountain had a wait time of 120 minutes!). We decided to do what we could, enjoy the atmosphere, and hope that the crowd would thin out.  This involved a lot of snacking and we tried some things that were new to us (we are very much creatures of habit); our favorites were a Sulley caramel apple and a Mike cake pop, which we ate while people watching from Main Street train station.  People watching is a seriously underrated activity and provided us with a good deal of entertainment.

Sulley and Mike

I am not ashamed to say that we only lasted until 1:30 am.  The crowds were just too much for us and we decided to admit defeat.  We still had a great time, but wasn’t as special as the times when we have had entire attractions all to ourselves.  So we’re glad we experienced it, but would not go again if they have a 24-hour event.  On Saturday morning, we had to check out of Pop Century and check in to Port Orleans French Quarter.  You know what that means…another birthday button!  Yay!

We spent the afternoon shopping at Downtown Disney and then had a nap because we knew we had another late night ahead of us.  We headed over to Boardwalk, grabbed a slice of pizza and two awesome cupcakes for dinner, and made our way to Jellyrolls.  This is easily one of our very favorite things about WDW, and given its size and all it has to offer, that is really saying something.  Those of you who know us well may recall that we met in music class and were in the band together in high school (C – saxophone, L – French horn), so it should come as no surprise that we love music.  ALL kinds.  So spending an evening enjoying amazing dueling pianists is just about our idea of a perfect night.

As usual, it was fabulous.  The music, the atmosphere, the pianists…but perhaps the best part of this particular evening was the other guests.  There was an older couple who I noticed right away because they seemed a little out of place.  I watched as he pulled out her chair for her, made sure she was comfortable, went up to the bar, and returned with two drinks.  It was very sweet to watch how attentive he was and how much they clearly loved one another.  I was not the only one to take note of this; one of the pianists noticed their anniversary button and asked them how many years they had been married.  The gentleman told him they were celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary.  Of course the entire bar erupted in applause for them and they seemed overwhelmed by all the fuss.  The pianists called them up on stage and they laughed and danced together and kissed in front of the rowdy crowd.  It really was one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed and I was so moved by their example that I asked our waitress if they had a tab that we could take care of for them, but she informed us that they had not opened a tab because they were only drinking Coke.  Could I love this couple any more?!?  I asked the waitress to please put the couple’s next round on our tab, which she did about 30 minutes later.  When she told them the bill was taken care of, they asked her who had covered it and she directed them to our table.  They came over to our table to thank us and chatted with us for a little while, doling out sound marital advice: never take anything for granted, remember that every day you have together is a gift, and that the husband should always give credit to his wife for all of the good things in their life.  Given their success, clearly this man knows what he is talking about!   He also talked about the importance of having goals and working to realize them, and told us that their goal was to make it to their 70^th anniversary!  They asked how long we’ve been married, and although it pales in comparison to their number, they were so gracious and congratulatory when I told them that it would be 19 years in December.  They were such a fantastic couple.

Sunday brought more relaxing, swimming, wandering, and cupcake eating before we went to MK.  We were celebrating my birthday dinner that evening, a few hours before my actual birthday because we couldn't get a reservation on the 27^th, which did not surprise us because it was Memorial Day.  So we went to Tony’s Town Square Restaurant (yes, we also had C’s birthday dinner here earlier in the month – we love this restaurant!).  The food was as wonderful as always, and I was surprised when a birthday cake, complete with candles upon which to make a wish, was delivered to the table (I told you C was a planner!).  It was a chocolate cake covered in Mickey confetti, and not only was it adorable to look at, but the cake itself was phenomenal.

The park was much less crowded than it had been on Friday, so we were able to ride a ton of things.  I was thrilled to be at MK when it officially turned to my birthday, and it was the night for Extra Magic Hours, so non-resort guests cleared out and the park was even less crowded for our last few hours!  We stayed for the Kiss Goodnight on the castle before heading back to our room.

My birthday itself was awesome.  Craig got up before me and decorated the room with shiny streamers and banners, so when I woke up, I was completely taken by surprise.  Well, I think it was C.  Could have just been Disney Magic at work.  So sweet!

We slept in and relaxed during the day, and then, you guessed it, went to MK.  Treats of the day included beignets and a handmade ice cream sandwich, along with cupcakes, a Nutella waffle, a Dole Whip, and “our” chairs provided a perfect spot to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade.  

The Celebrate the Magic show is incredible.  That's all I can say about it.  Below are two of the scenes from two of my very favorite movies - Up and Tangled.  So beautiful.

I felt so fortunate to spend the end of my birthday at MK as well as its beginning – like bookends on a perfect day.  Most people left at park closing, although a small number stayed for the Kiss Goodnight (I was so excited to be able to say I saw it twice on my birthday!!!) before exiting the park.  This night, we were truly the last people anywhere except for a few who were taking photos on Main Street.  We stood at the castle together for what seemed like both an eternity and also not nearly long enough and soaked in as much of the magic as we could.  The five security guards near us did not once rush us or admonish us for not leaving; they let as have as much time as we wanted.  Amazing.

 Unfortunately, we had to leave for home in the morning.  Bittersweet is the only fitting adjective…we were anxious to get home to see the girls, but not at all happy about having to leave WDW.  We also realized this was the first trip we have taken where MK was the only park we went to!  Despite knowing that we will be back again soon, we were still sad to leave.  The real world is much less fun!

Happy Tails to you!

WDW Birthday Trip #1

Both C and I have May birthdays, and while we have been there twice before to celebrate his birthday, I have never been there to celebrate mine (although I did spend my 25^th birthday in Disneyland, which was awesome!).  Since mine is always around Memorial Day, I have never been able to take time off before or after the holiday weekend.  We decided to take advantage of the fact that I am not teaching this year, and planned a trip for the end of May.

What C did not know was that I was secretly planning a trip for his birthday, which is at the beginning of May.  I was forced to reveal that surprise a few days early because of a scare with Gunni (this is chronicled in another post), but it was nonetheless a surprise.  I was so pleased with myself because those of you who know us understand that C is the trip planner and I just tag along for the adventure.  So the responsibility of planning a trip that he knew nothing about was daunting.  Hotel, car rental, dining reservations…I was worried he would see an email, get an alert on his phone, or find something in the mail if he got to it before I did (which was the case at least three days a week because of my class schedule).  I couldn’t believe I actually pulled it off!  As is customary, my fabulous mom took on the role of fairy dogmother and happily tended to our herd while we were away.

We flew down to Florida on C’s birthday, which happened to be a Friday.  We had to get up extremely early because our flight was out of BWI at 6 am.  The excitement and anticipation of the trip did not make it too difficult to rise at such a crazy hour – even for me, and those of you who know me understand that every morning I resemble a hibernating bear emerging from its den in the spring.  The flight was quick, we rented our car and drove over to WDW, and were all checked in by 11 am.  Much to his dismay, I forced C to get a birthday button and made him wear it for the rest of the day, resulting in countless happy birthday wishes from strangers!  We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, and had a wonderful weekend.  The fun was punctuated by spurts of homework, but rest assured that we had an amazing time.

These are just some of the beautiful rugs throughout the resort.

Friday’s birthday lunch was at Beaches and Cream, over at the Beach Club Resort, and just a short walk from our hotel room.  Lunch was so delicious, and this is where you can find the best milkshakes anywhere in WDW, in our opinion.  Since we had been up for so long, we decided to take a short nap in the afternoon.  While C was sleeping, I slipped away to the Boardwalk Bakery to get cupcakes.  These are not your everyday cupcakes.  Neither of us really even care for cupcakes that much.  But these cupcakes?  Indescribably good.

Oreo and Strawberry Shortcake cupcakes...yum.

We headed over to the Magic Kingdom around 5 pm.  We had C’s birthday dinner at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, which is one of our very favorite places to eat.  We love the atmosphere, the location, the food…you get the idea.  Although Craig tried to hide his birthday button, the waiter took note of it and brought Craig a delicious sundae with a candle on it – what an unexpected and delightful surprise!  We spent the remainder of the evening in MK and even though it rained for about 45 minutes, we were extremely happy because the weather drove most people out of the park, leaving us to enjoy the attractions without much company.  We spotted a rainbow over Space Mountain as we were riding TTA, and then could appreciate its grandeur over the TTA track after we disembarked.

We noticed after the fact that it was actually a double rainbow over Space Mountain!

We watched the “Celebrate the Magic” castle show and the “Wishes” fireworks from Main Street, and the Main Street Electrical Parade from “our” two rocking chairs (see my post from March about our Spring Break trip).  We finished off the night with a Nutella waffle and the Kiss Goodnight light show on the castle.  I think it is safe to say that C had a great birthday.

We really do feel like these seats belong to us!

The next morning we had a late breakfast at the Kona Café at the Polynesian Resort, and as always, the Tonga Toast was superb.  I tried to choose some of C’s favorite places when I was making dining reservations for his birthday weekend, and this is probably our favorite breakfast food in WDW.  After returning to the Boardwalk Inn, we walked over to Epcot for the afternoon before having dinner at Via Napoli in the Italy pavilion.  Sorry to sound like a broken record, but again, this is one of our favorites.

The beautiful Spaceship Earth

Later in the evening, we wandered back to our hotel to enjoy the Boardwalk and so we could spend some time on the homework we had both been neglecting up to that point.  Given that we each had finals on the horizon, we decided to enjoy our beautiful hotel room, watch hockey on TV, and do homework.  That might not sound like a fun evening to some people, but remember, folks – we were in WDW!  We could have done absolutely nothing and we would have loved every minute of it.  Also, we are nerds.  J

Sunday morning, we packed and checked out of our hotel, and headed over to Wilderness Lodge for a late breakfast at Whispering Canyon Café.  This is where you can get the banana bread french toast I raved about back in March, and it was as tasty as I remembered it!  After breakfast, we went to Downtown Disney for some shopping and then went to DHS for a few hours – although our main purpose was to buy some carrot cake cookies to take home with us!

Our final stop before heading to the airport has become somewhat of a tradition for us, and that is to go to Port Orleans French Quarter for beignets.  A few years ago, we went to WDW once a month for an entire year (some of you are very familiar with our infamous, overly-ambitious travel checklists), and it was during these monthly trips that the last-stop-for-beignets tradition was established.  We are usually a little melancholy at this point because the trip is coming to an end, but we knew we would be back in less than three weeks!  We flew back to BWI on a very late flight and arrived home around 1:30 am.  Despite the exhaustion, I declared the trip a smashing success and a fitting way to celebrate C’s birthday!

Beignets...so delicious!

Happy Tails to you!