A Marathon, Magic & a Mouse!

[RailRider]

Yes the title says it all. A Marathon followed by the families big trip to Walt Disney World, for Miss RailRiders first experience at the World.

So how does a trip like this get put together, who wants to run a marathon and then go to Disney World, and will Disney World produce the same Magic that Disneyland did? Great questions and hopefully they are answered within this trip report.

The premise for this trip originally started with the desire to go back to a Disney park after our amazing trip to Disneyland and California Adventure in 2010. Knowing that Little Miss RailRider (Zoe) is growing up so fast and how much the Magic was real to her we wanted to create more Magic sooner rather than later. So in the early Fall I began planning our first trip to the World and this also lead to one very interesting development/addition to our vacation. Lets run a Marathon on our way to Disneyworld! We actually ran a 1/2 Marathon, which is still 13.1 miles (wow!).

Why a Marathon and before Disney? Simply put the Mrs and I needed to do something to get back in shape, both physically and spiritually. Life has thrown us many challenges and it was time that we did something for ourselves and for our family. Training for a half marathon was going to be challenging for 2 individuals who have done little to no running, but the reward was going to be enourmous. So we set our sights on the Country Music Marathon in Nashville TN on April 30th as our goal. This is where our trip will start, I hope you stop by often to follow our journey and experience the Magic.

Marathon, Magic & a Mouse Overview

Saturday April 30th - Country Music 1/2 Marathon, Nashville

Sunday May 1st - Arrive at DisneyWorld, Coranado Springs

Monday May 2nd - Downtown Disney

Tuesday May 3rd - Animal Kingdom

Wednesday May 4th - Magic Kingdom

Thursday May 5th - Disney Studios

Friday May 6th - Magic Kingdom

Saturday May 7th - EPCOT

Stay tunned, much sweat went in to this next entry...

[RailRider]

The Country Music 1/2 Marathon...

So how does one decide to run a 1/2 marathon, no less 1 day before going to DisneyWorld for the week? This is a great question and I still wonder about it myself. The truth of the matter is that Mrs. RailRider and I were looking for something to do together once the weather turned cold during the Fall and the Winter and like most we could stand to be in better shape. I also should mention that my wife has always wanted to run a marathon, especially the Country Music Marathon because of all the great live bands along the course and Nashville is just an awesome city. This seemed like a perfect opportunity with the marathon scheduled for Saturday April 30th and early May is an awesome time to visit DisneyWorld. Perfect Combination!

13.1 Miles, yes that is right 13.1 miles was ahead of us come April. I have never run let alone walked that many miles in one day... We used the entire Winter and early Spring to train and did we ever. We joined the YMCA and put in 30+ minutes a day on the treadmill or eliptical and we also incorporated heavy bag work in to our training. Our training lasted through the Winter and eventually we were able to get outside in early Spring and start going on longer runs. We also joined WeightWatchers during our training and followed a healthier eating plan. I am still amazed what we were able accomplish in about 6 months. I lost 30 pounds and the wife dropped a solid 20. The time spent training and working out was very theraputic for the both of us, great stress relief (especially the heavy bag work) and also a great way to continually build our marriage. Now the only question was would the training pay off.

We arrived in Nashville a few days before the race so we could attend the health expo and also take in some of the city and sights. Nashville really is an awesome town and has recoverd quite well from the floods. (I am still extremely upset that Opryland is no more)

The day of the race we were up and on our way to the start line by 4:30am, the race started at 7:30. Had to park at LP Field (home of the Titans) and then be shuttled to the start line on Vanderbilt's campus.

Once at the start line the adrenaline was through the roof. We were both ready to go, but knew we had to pace ourselves and not burn out too early. Especially seeing as how Nashville is quite a hilly city and the temps were going to climb in to the 90's towards the end of the race. Did I mention we were running with 35,000 of our closest firends?

The Finish Line at LP Field

Great views throughout the course of Nashville and great bands every mile.

The Mass of humanity at the start line. All 35,000 of our friends

Rooting us on near the finish line.

Well the good news is we finished in 3 hours 16 minutes, well under our goal time. No injures and only a few blisters to deal with.

Well I just finished my first 1/2 Marathon now what?

Congratulatory Hug.

I'm alive, upright, and uninjured! We Made it! Lets go to DisneyWorld!

Well we finished the race and ran a strong event, very proud moment for the both of us. Ive always been athletic but this was completely different, quite challenging but very rewarding in the end. Now its time to go back to the hotel, rest, and getting ready to head to DisneyWorld the next day.

Stay tunned for the next update... Where were you when???

[Avatar]

Railrider First just let me say congratulations on the dieting and work out training. I think it is wonderful that you and the wife did this together.

I know you both must feel so much better and I bet it made that upcoming Disney trip less exhausting.

I was hoping you would do this report but know you are very busy these days, so thank you far taking the time to share with us your dream Disney World trip. I know some details already but I am so looking forward to reading and seeing how your put it a together in this report.

I have always wanted to run a Mini so I am in Awe that you have done so and finished it. I send you both a huge congratulations on a.job well done.

[RailRider]

Where were you Sunday May 1st?

5/1/2011 started off as any normal day after running a half marathon and making the remaining drive to Disney World. Normal enough, Up bright and early to make the drive from Nashville to the Happiest Place on Earth. We had made reservations for the Coronado Springs Resort and were partaking in the Deluxe Dinning Package. The next 7 days would be spend at Walt Disney World with the Coronado Springs as our home away from home.

Who knew that our first night would start off so memorable. As we were relaxing in the room, ice on our sore muscles, getting ready for our first full day at Disney, the News Broke>>>

Osama bin Laden Dead... Works I never thought I would see, let alone now, at the start of this trip. Our phones were ablaze with the news, social media going crazy, the resort was buzzing. We went outside just to soke it in and it was conversation on everyones lips. One of those events that you will always remember the moment the news broke. Where were you?

Besides the earth shattering news we spent the evening relaxing at Coronado Springs. We had booked a Deluxe Water View room that overlooked the main lake on the property. Coronado Springs is one of the more spread out resorts on property, but has some of the nicer amenities. Amazed it is only a moderate resort.

Our first evening we dinned at the Maya Grill at the resort. I would describe it as Mexican Fusion, very contemporary but rooted in Mexican culture. Since we were partaking in the Deluxe plan, we had quite the meal. Amazing food and the Ribyee tacos were amazing.

The Dig Site pool is huge with ancient Myan Pyramid Waterfall as the centerpiece and the Jaguar water slide is a really fun adventure for adults and kids. We spent many an afternoon break here. If you are a swiming family, we are, this is a huge plus.

Now on to various pictures of the resort throughout our stay.

El Centro... The main hub of the resort

The Dig Site Pool from afar

Another Shot of El Centro

A small sampling of the size of Coronado Springs

Hammocks abound

2 of my favorite people

My little girl is not so little anymore

Yes Zoe managed to snap this picture. Awesome!

Tomorrow we spend our first full day at the World in Downtown Disney while our legs recover, we dine with Dinosaurs and wrap up the evening with a birds eye view of the Magic Kingdom's Wishes Fireworks while dinning. Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by.

Up Next, And We dinned with Dinosaurs...

[bkroz]

Coronado Springs is SUCH a beautiful property. Takes the classic Disney hotel experience and really amps it up in my opinion. I haven't stayed there for years, and got online just to browse. Like you, I was amazed it's a "moderate" hotel in their pricing structure. It's very, very nice. Looking forward to more, and wishing we were closely related so I could accompany you.

[KIfan1980]

Congrats and completing the half marathon - something that I don't believe I will ever do (for many reasons - but primarily that I have almost no interest), but recognize that it is an accomplishment!

And thanks for sharing the PTR so far and know that there are those who are anticipating the rest - I always enjoy reading about others enjoying Disney with their family. And the smallest things (like dinner at Coronado) can bring up good memories of prior trips - my first trip to Disney with my wife we stayed at Coronado, it is definitely good value.

[RailRider]

Congrats and completing the half marathon - something that I don't believe I will ever do (for many reasons - but primarily that I have almost no interest), but recognize that it is an accomplishment!

And thanks for sharing the PTR so far and know that there are those who are anticipating the rest - I always enjoy reading about others enjoying Disney with their family. And the smallest things (like dinner at Coronado) can bring up good memories of prior trips - my first trip to Disney with my wife we stayed at Coronado, it is definitely good value.

Thanks.

I also had very little interest in running a half marathon, did not sound like my idea of fun. I must say now that I have done it I am ready for another. Never something I thought I would or could do. You may change your mind.

[IndyGuy4KI]

Enjoyed the PTR thus far! Looking forward to reading more!

[RailRider]

We Dinned with Dinosaurs...

Monday May 2nd.

Our first official full day at Disney, what to do first? When planning the trip I figured it would be best to start or Disney World leg of the trip rather slowly, since we put in 13.1 miles running and over 11 hours driving the 2 previous days. Best place to start in my book was a relaxing day strolling around Downt Town Disney, lunch at the T-Rex Cafe, a relaxing afternoon in one of the many pools at Coronado Springs and then capped off with a Disney Signature resturant for dinner. Tonights choice would be the California Grill, because it was night for Wishes at the Magic Kingdom and I thought a nice dinner overlooking the Magic Kingdom would be a great way to start the trip.

Down Town Disney is a great shopping hub and entertainment complex at the World. Anything and everything Disney can be found along with some other unique retailers. Also after our previous days travel and the 13.1 miles already on the legs we needed a relaxing day. No need to go to a park today, spend too much time in the heat or over exert ourselves. I think this is one area folks can go wrong when doing Disney. They try to do too much too soon and too fast. Pace yourself, I know everyone is excited, but Disney is really more like a marathon than a sprint. I have begun to figure this out more so after completing training for the half marathon and many extensive conversations with Avatar. (Thanks again to Jesse for sharing his wealth of knowledge and passion for Disney with me, I get it now!)

Lots of flowers at DTD

Who doesn't love pen trading?

New Lego displays since I was here last time.

Snow White

Toy Story

Still love the Dragon

Epic!

Somebody loves princesses!

We will meetup with these laddies again.

We had lunch at the T-Rex cafe, awesome place and perfect since kido loves dinosaurs. Think of the Rainforest Cafe, but with Dinosaurs. Very cool experience indeed. This is the only meal we paid for at Disney World, everything else was covered under our dinning plan package. Highly recomend Disney Dinning.

Love the entrance

Lots of great animatronics inside and different themed areas.

The bar area with giant sea creatures

The grill is on fire.

Giant Triceratops

Ice Cave

We sat next to the Peache's (Ice Age reference made by Zoe)

After an early afternoon spent at DTD we headed back to the resort to relax at the various pools before we ventured out for dinner at our first Signature Disney resturant. Since we were using the Disney Deluxe plan, I had made reservations for us at a number of Signature resturants. Mrs. RailRider and I love nice dinning on vacation and this plan seemed like the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the various signature locations Disney has. Our first Signature evening would be a late dinner at the California Grill, which sits atop the Contemporary Resort and overlooks the Magic Kingdom. I made the reservation in conjunction with the evenings Whishes Fireworks Display. The kind folks at Disney Reservations were a great help in securing this reservation. This was an amazing way to start the trip, with a birds eye view of the Kingdom and some great Fireworks. Also the soundtrack for Wishes is piped in to the California Grill, really a nice touch.

We got our table, ordered our appetizers and main course and then outside to the deck to watch the show.

The Shushi here is quite good, the Spicy Kazan Roll was amazing. The meal as a whole was exceptional and cannot wait to go back. Through in the amazing view of the Magic Kingdom and Wishes and the California Grill is just an awesome option at Disney. I believe our meal for 3 topped $200 for the evening, but the dinning plan covered it all. Even better. Highly recomend the California Grill.

All in all this was the perfect way to spend our first day at Disney and really got us in the relaxed vacation mode.

Stay tunned because tomorrow we head to our first park and kick off the...

Thanks for reading.

Lions, Tigers, and Yetis...

[Tanna]

Thank you for the great pictures! Looks like it was a great time.

[Avatar]

RailRider phenomenal trip report so far!!!!

I love California Grill and have always wanted to go back ever since I stepped foot out their door. So where are the food pictures? LOL

Zoe is so adorable, Miss Rider really dressed her in in some great outfits for your trip. I used to worry I had Miss Rae in to many of my pictures for my reports but after seeing your report and if everyone else is like me I smile with every picture you share that has a picture of your beautiful princes Zoe.

I enjoy sharing tips and tricks with anyone who cares to listen I just want everyone to enjoy their trip to the fullest and not be stressed during their trip. Now have said that you know as well as I that you planned this trip to fit your guys lifestyle and that I just gave you a few food for thought options, from what I have seen so far you did a marvelous job. I knew many of your dinning choices and now enjoying your reviews of them. Once you do Disney to include the table and signature dinning choices on most days it is hard to take a trip with out it. It turns the trip from a theme park trip to an relaxing family trip with a great casual but fun things to do.

I love the hints and must admit so far I know/known them all but don't shout them out to not spoil it for everyone else, I just know what to look forward to next.

[standbyme]

Nice trip report...I am enjoying it very much!

(I also stayed at Coronado Springs a few years ago...I think it might be my favorite place that I have stayed at at WDW.)

[RailRider]

RailRider phenomenal trip report so far!!!!

I love California Grill and have always wanted to go back ever since I stepped foot out their door. So where are the food pictures? LOL

Zoe is so adorable, Miss Rider really dressed her in in some great outfits for your trip. I used to worry I had Miss Rae in to many of my pictures for my reports but after seeing your report and if everyone else is like me I smile with every picture you share that has a picture of your beautiful princes Zoe.

Thanks again for the kind words. Sorry I only have one food picture which I will share later, I will leave those photos up to you

Regarding sharing too many pictures with Zoe or in your case Miss Rae as the main subject. Disney too me is a place for children to experience real life magic and I think pictures of them express that better than words ever could. I love seeing the expressions on their face as they experience new things and grow up ( I always think of the AK pictures of Miss Rae with the same animal print mickey ears on). Too me that is what Disney is all about so I try and tell the story through their eyes and who wants to see the same pictures you can get on any website out there?

Thanks again for all the tips and advice and Im glad you followed the trip on Facebook, I enjoyed your feedback during the trip. Very cool.

[RailRider]

Lions, Tigers and Yetis!

Tuesday, May 3rd

Finally it was time to visit our first park, Animal Kingdom! During the planning stages of our trip I used sites like Tour Guide Mike (Thank You Jesse, I still owe you a Bombay and why not some ribs as well for this) Undercover Tourist, and a few others to plan what parks and what days. Once the parks were laid out I made a schedule for each park, broken down in to 30 minute intervals, key attractions, Fast Pass Grabs and all kinds of key events for the day. Now some would say that I may have over planned our days at the parks, but I can tell you not having a plan is even worse. During our entire trip we never waited in more than a 5 minute line and were never one of "them". You know "them," the yelling, crying, waiting in line families that have very little fun or magic at Disney. If you would like to see my planning in greater detail I would be more than happy to send the Excel file for the entire week. I learned that planning is key, it was confirmed with our Disneyland trip and even more so with our trip to the World.

First park day was spent at the Animal Kingdom, mainly because it was a light day for the park and I only wanted us to spend half a day at a park. We were not ready for the Magic Kingdom yet. Also we had reservations this evening for Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Seemed like a great themed day to me.

The Animal Kingdom as many know is Disney's foray in to the Animal and Rides combo park. We were mainly excited to adventure in to DinoLand (seeing as Zoe loves Dinosaurs) and the Kilimanjaro Safari because she loves animals as well.

First ride of the day was Dinosaur! Seeing as everyone else fought for Everest, we grabbed our Fast Pass Sets and headed to DinoLand USA to enjoy it by ourselves.

Kido loves the movie and the ride was great as well

Triceratops Spin!

Safari Goofy and Pluto!

Load up the car and lets go!

Where can I find a Yeti around here?

I was hoping Zoe would grow the needed 4 inches in time to ride.

We only got 2, ohwell. I also forget to mention to the wife about the backwards travel on Expedition Everest. Ooopppss.

Its a Bugs Life. Great family friendly 4d adventure

After knocking out the majority of the park it was time to grab our Fast Pass sets for Kilimanjaro Safari and then have lunch at Tusker House while we waited.

The Safari is a great attraction and Zoe absolutely loved it. We had some really close ups of her favorite animals. Hippos, Rhinos and Giraffes.

Can you see the Hippo?

This guy is a decoy

For the ones right next to the Safari vehicle

Ever pet a Rhino before?

The closeness of the Kilimanjaro Safari makes it a great attraction, especially when the young one loves animals.

Pocahontas, makes for a happy Zoe.

Wanted to also share some of our great Photopass shots. We were able to split this cost with a second family we knew were traveling at the end of the month. Quite worth the cost.

Postcard?

All in all a great day at the Animal Kingdom, caught the Festival of the Lion King show on our way out and were back at the resort by 3:30. We got in some more swim time before dinner that evening at Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Jiko has a great African flare to the menu so it was a very fitting end to the day. The Wild Boar appetizer I had was very good, with just a slight hint of gaminess. Had the Brazed Short Ribs for dinner, good but it did not compare to the overall experience at California Grill. We really enjoyed our evening dinners because not only were they an amazing break from the parks, but they let us explore the other Disney Resorts. Guess where we are staying next time?

Thanks for stopping by and come back because tomorrow we will dine with some of Zoe's most favorite people.

Zoe and the Royal Table...

[Avatar]

Sounds like you guys a fun relaxing day at Animal Kingdom and thank goodness for that because Animal Kingdom is so spread out. Nice picture during your safari ride.

Like you we have always wanted to stay at Animal Kingdom Resort but two things we would to make that happen 1) rental car 2) a Savanna view;

Jiko is my wife's favorite restaurant mainly because she likes 1 certain dish they serve. My first visit I had the brazed bone on short ribs too and sounds like we both have the same review of it. Nice plate presentaion and the thought of a big bone thing at an African restaurant seemed cool enough to order. To bold of flavor for me

But my meals there since have been nothing short of excellent. honest. Hey by chance did you notice the walls changing colors slowly as you dined. Such a neat affext it meesed with me at first thinking "hey wasn't the walls red earlier?"

Looking forward to your next update, I can not believe we are half way through this trip.

P.S. you do not owe me a Bombay or a Rack of Ribs, i know how much time it takes to do a report like this and i do enjoy reading and seeing how your trip unfolded. So we are even.

[RailRider]

^

Yes I did notice the changing walls and made sure to point it out. Also the light fixtures have a great bird like shape to them. Really a well done resturant and we may or may not attend next time.

The short ribs were a little too bold for me as well, but I would go back for the Wild Boar.

We may be half way through but there are some great moments coming up.

Thanks again for everything

[IndyGuy4KI]

We may be half way through but there are some great moments coming up.

Enjoying the PTR very much so far, excited to see more!

[RailRider]

The Royal Table awaits at the Kingdom

Wednesday, May 4th.

Today was our first full day spent at a park and what better park to visit than the Magic Kingdom. Lots of excitement and magic were awaiting us at the Kingdom, everything from an early morning breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table, Flying Elephants, Main Street Electrical Light Parade, and the newly redesigned Wishes.

I must admit that after our wonderful trip to Disneyland I was very excited to visit the bigger castle, although I knew the experience would be much different. We were at the park prior to opening and were able to watch the park opening ceremony. Honestly if you don't have smile on your face at this moment than something is wrong. Great way to start the day.

The best entrance to any park.

Yes I have a princess on my hands and she knows how to use it to her ability. Seriously this is the pose she struck. I am concerned...

Time to head in to the Cinderella's Castle for a royal breakfast. I must admit I was very excited to dine inside the castle.

Whose excited to see Cinderella? Side note, since we drove to Disney it gave Zoe the perfect opportunity to watch all of her favorite princess movies. The challenge is can we meet all of them on this trip. Have you been keeping track?

Cinderella! Thank you Ebay for allowing us to purchase this DVD since it is in the vault.

Up the spiral staircase we go to the royal dinning hall.

Magic Wand in Hand!

Zoe agrees breakfast was very good. I have always been happy with Disney Dinning, especially the character dinning. I have always enjoyed how they cater to the parents.

Who will be the first princess out? Might it be a favorite from our trip to Disneyland? Anyone remember?

Sleeping Beauty!!!

Up Next Jasmine!

Whos Next?

Last but not least, Belle!

Cinderella's Royal table was an awesome experience, great internaction with the Princesses and they really take the time to converse with the kids.

Up next flying elephants.

Her favorite ride that she still talks about.

I am affraid I have a Princess on my hands.

.

Teacups.

Slightly Dizzy after this one.

By 11:00 we had ridden everything in Fantasyland. We grabbed some lunch over in Liberty Square, rode the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain and a few other rides and headed out of the park. Time for our afternoon break back at Coronado Springs for some swiming, relaxing and a quick rest. We reentered the park around 5:00 after a nice 3 hour break from the park. Time to catch the ELP and Wishes and do some shopping along MainStreet.

Everyone needs a Mickey Ear Balloon.

[RailRider]

Now that we have returned after our afternoon break it is time to catch the ELP.

Tink leads the way.

We will catch up with these mice latter.

Peter Pan

Everyones Favorite Dragon

Last shot of the night.

Before I upload some photopass shots, I must say the new Wishes is amazing. The video projections of guests photos is amazing and I swear at one point the castle launched like a rocket. I may try and upload the video I took if I can ever get the new board software figured out...

[RailRider]

Some of the best Photopass shots of the day. Really a nice feature at the Disney parks. They take the pictures by professionals and you are not harrased when you enter the park. Some turned out really great.

Photo shoot in front of the castle. Seriously what kid wouldnt love this?

All in all we had an amazing day at the Magic Kingdom and the exciting part was we were going to be back in the park in a few short days. I was amazed that even with a somewhat crowded park we never waited more than 5 minutes for a ride. Completed everything on the schedule plus more and still had time to kick back and relax. Wonderful day in all.

Tomorrow will bring a new adventure.

Thanks for stopping by and I think I finally have the new boards figured out.

Stay Tunned.

There is a Mouse in the Kitchen...

[KIfan1980]

I must say the new Wishes is amazing. The video projections of guests photos is amazing and I swear at one point the castle launched like a rocket. I may try and upload the video I took if I can ever get the new board software figured out...

The entire experience of Main Street Electrical Parade, followed by Magic, Memories, and You (castle projection show) and then Wishes (fireworks) remains a lasting memory of my family trip - to the point that we watched again the second afternoon we went to MK (and often watch the poor iPhone video of the fireworks over the castle). As you say - amazing.

[RailRider]

^

If you have never had the chance I would recomend having dinner at the Californial Grill at the Contemporary Resort on a Wishes evening. A very unique perspecitive that makes a great dinner even more memorable.

[frisbeefan]

Thanks for sharing your great trip!! The pictures are also wonderful, looks like everyone had a great time. Looking forward to reading and seeing the rest.

[RailRider]

There is a Mouse in the Kitchen...

Thursday, May 5th

Up bright and early today, because somebody said there was a mouse in the kitchen! Actually we started this day off with an early morning breakfast with Chef Mickey and friends and the Contemporary Resort. After breakfast we were going to venture to Disney Studios to experience some great rides, characters and the extremely popular Toy Story Midway Mania! We had planned to stay in the park till early afternoon, head back to Coronado Springs, relax and then head to the Grand Floridian Resort for dinner at Narcosees.

Bright and early we pulled in to the Contemporary Resort to dine with a certain mouse. The Chef Mickey Character breakfast is quite good. Very nice breakfast buffet setup with anything you could want. Great way to start the day and once again Disney makes sure to take care of the parents.

The most valued signature at The World!

Thanks Mickey

Chef Goofy!

Everyones favorite Duck! We almost had a crisis with Donald because he went back in the kitchen to make a few omlets before coming back to our table.

Excited over a new signature in the book!

Whos Next?

Pluto

Last but not least.

We love Minnie

One fabulous breakfast down, some quality character time, now on to the Disney Studios and probably the most popular ride at the World right now. I will include more photos of the studios from our second day there. Since we started with characters this morning, this will be the character update.

[RailRider]

On to Disney Studios and like I said this will mainly be a character update. i will save my thoughts on the park for a later update.

Two of Zoe's favorites from Disneyland.

Postcard?

Ran in to this guy by Toy Story Midway Mania. Some of my favorite Disney Costumed Characters.

Hmmm who could we be getting ready to see?

Zoe does not like it when I call her Stinky Pete

Buzz and Woody!

After some great rides and many great character moments its time to head back to the Coronado Springs to relax before heading out to dinner at the Narcosees located at the Grand Floridian Resort.

[RailRider]

Narcosees at the Grand Floridian may have been our favorite of all the Signature Resturant we dinned at. The location is amazing as it sits right on the shore of the Seven Seas lagoon overlooking the Kingdom and the Contemporary Resort. The food is simple, Seafood and Steak, yet extremely well done. The Lobster and Fillet I had were amazing and they serve a nice mojito as well.

The patio overlooking the lagoon.

The Kingdom and a certain Mountain in the background.

Where we started our morning.

Avatar these next 2 pictures are for you. Did I mention the food was amazing?

Giant Nemo cupcake with amazingly detailed carmel nemo drawn on the plate.

And the cupcake wasn't half bad either.

Photopass shots coming up next

[RailRider]

Some of the great Disney Photopass shots from the day.

I imagine a lot of kids are scared of Stitch.

Favorites still.

Buzz and Woody

Whose watching Zoe while we get our pictures taken?

Somebody is not happy she isn't in the picture

Ahh this is much better.

The end of another great day. I could really get used to being at Disney every day. Tomorrow is the day that I am most excited about. Since I booked the trip and planned our days this is the day I circled because of the excitement, Magic, and the experiences we had lined up. I may have been looking forward to this day more than the rest of the family. Look forward to sharing it with you.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing in the magic, stay tunned...

Zoe meets her Fairy Godmother in Training...

[RailRider]

Friday, May 6th

Zoe Meets her Fairy Godmother in Training...

As I mentioned in the last post today is the day I was most anticipating on our trip. Why you ask? Because the events we had scheduled were some of the things Zoe was looking forward to the most. One thing she continually talked about was getting to meet Tangled. For those without a little princess at home Tangled is the new Disney animated film staring Rapunzel. Unfortunately meeting Rapunzel at The World is reserved for one location and that is at the Magic Kingdom. Numerous reports I read about this meet and greet made it apparent that we needed to be in line at rope drop. More on that later...

Also for the day we had an appointment at the Bipiti Bopiti Botique inside Cinderella's Castle and to cap the day off a Fantasmic Dinning Package at the Brown Derby before wrapping up the evening with Fantasmic. Since today was a very busy day I will break it up over a couple updates.

Meeting Tangled, where do I start. When we told Zoe we were going to Disney her first question was can I meet Tangled? Absolutely! But as I researched and discovered that she would have to be a rope drop priority because of the limited meetings and showings. Nor did I want to wait in a 4 hour line to meet one character. So my goal this morning was to at the park prior to opening and then at rope drop make a bee line for Rapunzel, while the wife and kido take a relaxing stroll down mainstreet. Turns out I wasn't the only father with this idea as it was me and 6 other dads on a mission at rope drop. As we made our way to Tangled we joked about the things we do for our kids and how our daughters have us wrapped around their little finger. Ended up being 4th in line once we got the entrance of the meet n greet. Oh the excitement.

2nd time on vacation I've been in a race. Thankfully I ended up in the right spot.

Looks very much like the movie...

While waiting the kids get to color.

Tangled has made her apperance.

Waiting very patiently.

Its really them and Zoe becomes bashfull. She is not bashfull, but meeting Tangled will do that.

Deep in conversation with Flynn Rider (I must say he is a very good Flynn Rider)

Since I am breaking this day up in to multiple updates, I will include the PhotoPass shots now.

Notice, Zoe had to have a Golden Flower in her hair since she was meeting Tangled.

Best Hug Ever!

Hey I ran to get in line, I want my picture with Tangled also. Ive got my eyes on you Flynn!

Morning meet and greet with Rapunzel, huge success and we got to spend a solid 10-15 minutes interacting with the characters. Very cool indeed. Here in just a few hours we have an appointment at the Bipiti Bopiti Botique. Can anyone guess which princess or princesses Zoe will chose to dress up as? The answer lies within a few of my trip reports. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are enjoying so far!

[Cpt Crunch]

Reading this trip report is getting me super excited for my trip next summer, with my six year old sister...who loves princesses!

Looks like you guys had a great trip. I will be sure to tell my parents, "Hey, the way these guys did it is great - let's try their way!" (we usually go way too fast)...

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OH my this last update has got me tearing up. You are such a great dad and you have definitely went above and beyond. I just love love those pictures of the little ones when they meet their favorite fantasy characters. Such great family memories you have been experiencing.

Question from earlier and sorry to be so long to ask, At the Cinderella Royal Table breakfast do they still serve the princess (our children) their own plated breakfast fit for a princess plate and then the princess court (parents) get served family style?

Thanks for the food picture I am always happy to see Zoe in the pictures but must admit I was a little disappointing you did not share that picture of your whole lobster with a filet. Narcosees is one our all time favorites too. you can not go wrong there good location, food and atmosphere.

Really looking forward to the rest of this days report it sounds awesomely planned.