Day 7: Final day in the kingdom!

"Adults are only kids grown up anyway."

-Walt Disney

 Our last full day. We woke up trying not to think about returning to reality the next day, stepping out on to the walk way at about 8am you could already hear the playful laughter of children, the upbeat surf music of the pool and families splashing around. Despite the deadline you cant help but feel the joy oozing from every corner. We made our way into the cafeteria for mickey waffles ! From there it was time t squeeze as much as possible into our last day.

   Our first fp+ was space mountain so we decided to do the park basically in order starting in Tomorrowland and working our way around. In Tomorrowland we did Space Mountain, and Monsters Inc laugh floor, I had already done Stitches Great Escape with Shell as well as the people mover so we skipped those and the lines for orbiter and Buzz Lighter's were too long so we moved on from there. Before leaving the night before we had managed to make it onto 7 Dwarfs Mine Train with only a 20minute wait at closing just before we went to watch Goodnight Kiss, so we didn't need to try and wait for that one luckily. Our next stop was Under The Sea ~ Journey Of The Little Mermaid! This was one of my favorite attractions of the day, despite Jamie almost falling asleep on it. From there is was off to meet Guston and Peter Pan!

   Now in between point A and point B what I vowed wouldn't happen did, the classic vaca melt down.  I wont go into details but some stressful news came up, this is part of why phones should be off during vacations unless you are going t meet up with someone within an hour. And it was hot , bags were heavy and all things came to a head. Our last day and for a few long moments I thought our last day would be ruined. We stopped so Jamie could call home and sort everything out, but it wasn't looking good. While he tried to get in touch with those he needed to speak to I went into Pinocchio's Village , I had wanted to find and write in the blue fairy's wish book, but to be honest all my wishes had been granted, as long as I could remember Disney was my wish. So with everything happening in the moment I wrote "For Jamie to be happy". I kid you not when I got outside Jamie said he had gotten a hold of who he needed to speak to, everything was fine and while he still needed to calm down he was sorry for over reacting. Magic is real. We went and met Peter Pan who cheered Jamie right up and from there the day was back to its happy status.

   Our final park day happened to land on a MVMCP day meaning after 7 we would have to leave the park. We made our way around seeing all we wanted to see and doing all we wanted to do and were done by a

bout 6. As we entered the Main Street area from Adventureland we saw a crowd forming and realized that the Frozen show was going to start soon so we decided to try and see it. We actually got really good spots on the edge of the crowd and I was finally able to watch Elsa light up the castle and actually see it happen!

    It was finally time to say good bye to the park. We made our way out slowly, taking time to appreciate all the store displays. We had a romantic ADR for Narcoossee's at 9pm so we headed to the boats to The Grand Floridian. The boat ride it's self was quite enjoyable and upon arrival we had lots of time to wander the grounds and enjoy the resort. After we changed for dinner we listened to the lobby pianist and then the lobby band, we took pictures and looked at the giant gingerbread house! We went outside wondered the grounds and watched part of Tangled which was that nights beach side movie under the stars. 

   We arrived to our ADR about 15 minutes early and were seated fairly quickly. Narcoossee's has a vegetarian menu and almost all the dishes can be easily veganized. shortly after ordering the electrical water pageant, which apparently a lot of people don't know about, passed our window. Its a cute little water parade of light up displays. Shortly there after it was time for wishes! Narccoossee's pumps in the Wishes music so you don't miss a moment of magic and it was the best view we had the entire trip! We went out and stood holding each other on the veranda sipping champagne and watching wishes. I really couldn't picture a more perfect ending. If there is any experience I would recommend its Narcoossee's during wishes.

Day 6: Back to the Magic Kingdom

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

  Day 6 we woke up slowly and took our time getting ready. We started the day with a swim in surf board bay, I needed to get some use out of my Minnie Mouse bikini and then we got ready for the park. I wore my Tangled Disneybound After our still fairly early fp+ we still had 3 hours until our next fp+ so we decided to get some use of our park hopper and fit in a quick Animal Kingdom visit. 

  Because out Animal Kingdom visit was spur of the moment we didn't have a plan or fast passes so we honestly didn't do a ton. I had researched Animal Kingdom a lot prior to the trip and while I did and do feel comfortable with the park and their treatment of animals it was still undecided if I'd take the plunge and visit it until that very day. When you first walk in you see The Tree Of Life which is an awe inspiring monument to the animal kingdom. From there we wandered to Its Tough T Be a Bug which is a disney show/ attraction based on, you guessed it, A Bugs Life. I really enjoyed this experience not only was the show entertaining and exciting but it did more or less have a vegan message, be nice,even to bugs.

  After that we wandered the park taking in the sites until we ended up in Asia the line for Expedition Everest was only 20 minutes and I had heard good things so we got in line. The wait felt very short given the interactive 'museum' que and the ride was intense and fantastic. The gift shop had ride specific gear that was actually really cool I got my friend who loves yeti's a yeti in a train car with Mickey and Jamie got himself and his bestfriend t-shirts. After that we wandered some more, stopped for a quick, quick service meal at the Dino Diner just your basic veggie burgers but what was nice is that they like many QS spots have a toppings bar so you can really load it up, they also offer free lemon water on the patio which was a god send. 

  After our quick lunch we rounded back and wandered into Africa unfortunately both the rapids and the safari had well over 35minute wait times so instead we took the train to Rafiki's conservation station. What I liked about this train ride is it takes you through the background so you get to learn about and see the behind the scenes facilities, the transparency that Disney demonstrates with it's animal care is too me one of its most impressive features and part of what won me over. I will do a more detailed blog on how I came to be ok with Disney's Animal Kingdom for anyone else on the fence. At the Station we met a giant belgian rabbit as well as Rafiki himself! Rafiki was really fun and danced with me for no real reason other than Disney is awesome and full of random, fun, magical moments! 

After meeting Rafiki it was time to head back to the Magic Kingdom. 

Back at the Magic Kingdom we headed to our next fp+ at The Haunted Mansion! With our fp+ we pretty much walked right into The Haunted Mansion which in my opinion like many Disney attractions is more of a visual experience than mere ride. After that I took some pictures in my Tangled Disneybound and then went to change into my Belle Disneybound for our next fp+  Enchanted Tales With Belle, I've noticed a lot of blogs don't go into detail about this experience in hopes it will be a surprise for guests so keeping with that spirit I wont say much except that this is a must do Beauty and The Beast fans of all ages and involves a character meet and greet making it a great way to meet a character with extra magic.In the bathroom while I was getting ready to add to the magic I had the best Dineybound moment when a little girl behind me said "Mommy is that girl Belle?"! I swear she sounded just like Chip! I turned and told her I just really wanted to be like Belle. Such a magical moment. 
  Tip: I scheduled out fp+ for Enchanted Tales With Belle to be just before our ADR at Be Our Guest. I highly recommend doing it in this order it really adds a bit of magic and it ensures you meet both Belle and Beast. 
  There was quite a wait for Be Our Guest but we didn't mind, dont stress when schedules change it accomplishes nothing but taking away from the magic , Disney isn't a place for negativity or stress. This seems obvious but I saw a few people getting lippy with the staff because they were frustrated they had to wait to eat in the parks most popular restaurant, its normal to have to wait for this kind of thing. Anyways lets not focus n the negativity of others and move on to happy thoughts! As soon as you walk in you know your in a castle, it really is breath taking! We ate in the grand ballroom which looks just like in the movie, it had a view of the enchanted forest and it was snowing out , the Christmas tree was complete with Angelique ! Disney's imagineers captured every detail of the castle to perfection. 
We explored the west wing which is probably where I'd request in the future it too is extremely detailed and very beautiful and a lot quieter. For dinner we both had french onion soup, they did not have dairy free cheese when I went so it had no cheese, bread with dairy free butter and ratatouille as the main, it  was beautiful and I am very glad we had this ADR that said I really, really did not like the food. I found out after you can get pasta with marinara sauce though its considered a kids meal and would definitely get that or maybe just the soup in the future because all the atmosphere is stunning the food in my opinion is not very good especially given the price tag. I should note though that many people love the ratatouille so maybe take my review with a grain of salt. 
  After dinner we walked through the castle gallery, which is another dining room, when I first saw the castle gallery online I thought that it looked really plan and it would be unfortunate to be sat there but after being there photos really dont do it justice and I is actually quite lovely. The castle gallery is probably the quietest during dinner so if your looking for that, this is probably the best room  for you and you can still walk through the others. After exploring the castle we met beast on our way out as everyone gets to, our timing was good and there was almost no wait. 
 By the time we left it was almost closing, we managed to get in line for the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train before the cut off and only waited about 20 minutes! It had been one of goals for the trip to see Goodnight Kiss, which isn't really a show but a way of letting guests know its time to go home and for whatever reason I really wanted to experience it. So after the 7DMT we went and sat in the castle gardens to watch the kingdom say goodnight and just like that it was time to bid adieu to the Magic Kingdom and return to our resort for some much needed sleep.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

I'd say there's something 
magical in the air, wouldn't you?
Why it's the spirit of the season,
a season that sparkles with its own
magic and memories. -Holiday Wishes

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party also known in short form as MVMCP for those whom may not know, as I mentioned this event deserved it's own entry, so here we are. MVMCP is a hard ticket event, meaning that a regular park ticket will not get you in. People with party tickets can begin entering the park at 4pm and the party starts officially at 7pm. My bff Shell and I had already been in the parks all day, since about 10-11am minus a slight separation for separate dinners when we met up for the party a round 7 for the start. When I arrived it was already snowing on Main St. and WOW being from Canada the sight of snow in and off it's self really isn't that special. Yes it's beautiful watching the first snow of the year, or on Christmas eve,Christmas, even New Years but those are about the only times your happy too see it, because when it snows here its also around -20 degrees Celsius which for American readers would be about -4F so yea, it sucks. But walking down Main St. and looking at the castle lit up in ice through a light flurry while warm and in a t-shirt was more than magical it was awe worthy. 

      I was late so we hurried over back to Shell's family who were sitting in the viewing area waiting for the parade to start. Before the parade there was the Frozen lighting of the castle mini show, unfortunately due to the ABC filming our view was totally eclipsed by fake bushes( or at least temporary bushes) that were set up to hide the filming equipment. After the Frozen show it was time for the Christmas parade! Our spots for the parade were perfect, right on the curb, full view.
The parade was everything you'd expect bright colors, magical characters, fun themes and sounds, with a little extra Disney touch which was SCENT! The flouts were pumping out themed scents! This for sure took the parade too a whole other level, it's said that Disney also pumps certain scents throughout the park during the day, I personally tried really hard to notice it and couldn't but I do have a very weak sense of smell. All and all though I still would say Festival of Fantasy parade wins for best Disney parade.

  After Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas Parade we headed to Adventure land to meet my favorite Captain Jack Sparrow. We arrived quickly so the line was still quite short we probably waited around 10 minutes  not because of line length but because he spent so much time with each person. Personally I'd rather wait longer and actually get an interaction than get in quickly but only get a quick snap and then being hurried out. Jack was a hoot! After our turn we waited too watch the girl in line behind us go because we had talked in line and she was also hilarious! When you meet Jack it is on a little stage so people walking by can watch. After meeting Captain Jack we walked right on to The Jingle Cruise not only did we walk right on there were only 2 other people on our boat. Our skipper didn't let that stop him though! He gave a performance as if the boat was loaded. I wish I had gotten his name so I could give him a shout out because he was a riot! I rode it again a few days later and while my second skipper did use some of the same Jokes both did also add original material.
    After Jingle cruise we ran over to the Circus to meet Sandy Claws ( Jack Skellington) who is a special meet and greet only there during Christmas and Halloween parties. The wait for Sandy Claws was by far the longest meet and greet, probably the over all longest line I waited in the entire trip (understandably) I would say it was at least 35 minutes. By the time we meet Sandy Claws , who was also hilarious, we were extremely tired and sore it was about 11 pm so we abandoned ship and headed back to our resorts after that.
   I would probably do MVMCP again, I would definitely do it differently there were other shows and experiences I wanted to do and see but it wasn't my day so I didn't push and also having already been in the park all day I was in too much pain to really care. In the future a party day would definitely be a day when we stayed at the resort for the morning and headed over in the afternoon. We didn't capitalize on the free snacks but info for vegans the cookie stations have Enjoy Life chocolate chip cookies we can eat. They don't have a free vegan hot coco however if you want some you can order starbucks hot chocolate with soy and there ya go!
   All in all if you plan a head so you can make the most of special party events,meet and greets and goodies, I would say it's still worth the price too attend. If in the future the prices go up or you don't plan then it probably wont be worth it in all honesty. So consider that while deciding, the party is only as good as you make it.

Day 2: A Very Merry Unbirthday!

Now blow the candle out, my dear
And make your wish come true
A very merry unbirthday to you

 Day two was my best friends birthday, unlike my best friend I am a super planner. I started planning my vacation well before the 180 day mark while my friend would pick up some tips from me but barely plan at all other than booking a few ADR's (advanced dining reservations). So on this day I had too follow her lead and try not to stress over optimizing time. For her birthday we spent the day in her favourite park the Magic Kingdom. It also happened to be a Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party night which we both bought tickets for to make that her birthday party.

  On November 12th I woke up and after quick food court breakfast of vegan Mickey waffles, which are available upon request (and amazing btw) my bff was at the resort and ready to go. We both had more or less, matching Minnie themed outfits consisting of black tops, red skirts and our sparkly Minnie ears. On the bus to the Magic Kingdom the driver announced my friends birthday, told the bus to stare at her and then lead everyone in a Happy Birthday sing-a-long, Best.Bus ride.Ever. Shell was honoured yet traumatized and I was thoroughly entertained.

 

   I did have one minor plan for Shell's birthday, she hates surprises so it was very difficult to drag her along. I dragged her to the Bippity Boppity Boutique and got a quick terrified "You better not have booked us kid make overs, I wont!" After quickly assuring her I wouldnt spend 60+ dollars on a little girl make over I know she'd hate. What I did have planned was some magical pixie dust. I called over one of the fairy godmothers and explained that it was my best friends birthday and I just wanted some pixie dust. The fairy godmother happily abliged telling use both to close our eyes and make a wish in our hearts, then she waved her magic wand over us as pixie dust magically rained down over us.

   In the end Shell did love my surprise despite herself and we continued on to our fastpass too meet her favourite princess Rapunzel and one of mine Cinderella. Meeting face characters can be awkward, but honestly its usually only as awkward as you make it. If you let yourself believe in the character, believe in the magic then it wont be awkward at all. Meeting Rapunzel was adorable I embaressed Shell by talking her up to her hero , but inside I'm sure she loved it. Cinderella was a little awkward because we both blanked on what to say, I spent the whole time in line thinking of things to say to Rapunzel to make the experience special for my friend that I had nothing to say to Cinderella, poor Cinderella.

  After meeting the princesses rode the Tomorrowland People Mover with about a 5minute wait and then Stich's Great Escape also had about the same 5 minutes wait. After that we grabbed a quick lunch at Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe I wasnt hungery so I didn't order anything myself I just ate some of Shell's fries but had I wanted too they do have a veggie burger, just double check its the vegan burger and bun they switch them up frequently.

After lunch we headed back towards the castle and were treated to a surprise to us Christmas concert from Ariana Grande (vegan!) and then over to The Haunted Mansion which we also had a fastpass for. We practically walked on and it was an amazing ride, if you havent been, go! The attention Disney pays to details is beyond perfectionism. Unfortunately the ride did stall and we were stuck for a couple minutes listening to their ghoulish show tune on repeat. Within 3 minutes or so the ride continued on with all its fun and soon we returned to the land of the living.

  After The Haunted Mansion we headed to the ride I was most excited for which was Pirates Of The Caribbean! Which for no apparent reason is my all time favourite movie which I've seen over 60 times (seriously I lost count after 60). The ride has been updated to include Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbosa but maintains its classic feel. After the ride we watched Jack's mini pirate tutorial show. By this time it was almost 4pm so we split up for dinner Shell going off with her family and me returning to my partner who had spent the day on The Boardwalk so we could go to our ADR at Trails End. I will do an entire entry on Trails End, so for now I'll just say WOW and move on.

  After dinner my partner Jamie, went back too The Boardwalk to watch sports at the ESPN bar and I returned to the Magic Kingdom to meet Shell for Mickeys Very Christmas Party. Despite being part of day 2 the Christmas party really does merrit its own entire and this one is getting long so I will leave it off here and hopefully you'll come back for more!