Angie in T.O.: DISNEY & UNIVERSAL RECAP

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

DISNEY & UNIVERSAL RECAP

We were pretty excited to see Chip and Dale unexpectedly!

It's been over a month since my trip to Orlando, and I heard a lady named Nancy has been waiting for my blog about it. I was sick when we got back, and then busy catching up with work and Christmas, but here it finally is.

My girlfriend, Andi, and I had planned and saved for this trip for a year, and we were both equally excited about it, but maybe a little more so for Andi, as it was her first time going to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios!

Unfortunately, sometimes things happen that we can't really control that can put a damper on things. Andi got sick before we left with what she now calls the "Disney Flu". I got it half way into our trip.
Still, we made the best of it, we didn't get to do everything we had planned, but we soldiered on making the best of what we did do. I'm going to write the highlights for each day, which is followed by my top pics from the trip. These are the pics that jumped out at me when I was looking through the over one thousand of them. They may not be the best photo, but they brought back a great memory or emotion.

Some of the best moments and memories from this trip weren't captured with a photo, they couldn't be. Like, when Andi jumped out of her seat during "It's Tough to be a Bug", and I roared with laughter. Or when we had our private Ollivandor's Wand Experience, thanks to Andi's wandering at Diagon Alley! It's hard to capture the joy I feel having a Butterbeer or the excitement I feel just being there. I love going to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, not just because of all the stuff there is to do, but how being there makes me feel, like a child again, without a care in the world. It truly is a magical place, and I look forward to returning.

Here's the recap;

Sunday, Nov. 16- Arrive in Orlando and take the Magic Bus to Port Orleans, Riverside. Boat to Downtown Disney to shop and have dinner at Raglan Road.

Monday, Nov. 17- Early start to the day to make the opening show for Magic Kingdom. Lunch at Be Our Guest. Meet Winnie and Tigger, and go on a few rides; The Teacups, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Winne the Pooh.

Tuesday, Nov. 18- Breakfast in Animal Kingdom at Tusker House, where Andi meets Mickey Mouse for the first time, on his 86th birthday no less. We unexpectedly meet Chip and Dale before we are even in the park! We also meet Daisy, Donald and Goofy at breakfast.

Wednesday, Nov. 19- Enjoy Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot before going through the world pavilions. Enjoy a Frozen Grey Goose slushie in "France", and we both really enjoyed the Germany pavilion. Andi goes on Soarin, but I chicken out at the last minute. She loved it. We dine with visits from Chip, Dale, Pluto and Mickey at Garden Grill. I wait in line to meet my first ever Princess, my favorite one, Snow White. We have a lovely chat about men.

Thursday, Nov. 20- Back to Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! Before the party we have an early dinner with Winnie the Pooh and his friends at Crystal Palace. We see Elsa (Frozen) freeze the castle before the awesome parade.

Friday, Nov. 21- We move to the Hard Rock Hotel for our last 3 nights. It's finally warmed up a little and we enjoy lounging around the pool. Andi is well on the mend, and I'm getting sicker by the minute.

Saturday, Nov. 22- We visit Universal Studios and the newly opened Diagon Alley, it's amazing. We have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and go on the Hogwarts Express.

Sunday, Nov. 23- Andi heads out before me as I am need of more rest now that I have the Disney Flu, but join her at the park later and meet Bumblebee. We also have a private Ollivandor's Wand Experience which was truly magical! We enjoy a lovely late lunch at Emeril's on City Walk, before going our separate ways to take in a few more things we each wanted to see at the parks.

Monday, Nov. 24- Back to Toronto.
Please enjoy a few photos from our trip. (click on them to enlarge)