Tag Archives: Starbucks

Day 70- Magic Kingdom & Talking Mickey Mouse!

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Happy Sunday Morning! It is a beautifully HOT day today! We were cold last night, but today, we are putting on our summer clothes and the kids also put on their Keens sandals. We park at the Ticket and Transportation Center and walk to the Monorail. It is almost a half-mile walk from the car to the Monorail, and we parked close today, in the Zurg parking lot! We hop on the Monorail and soon we are at Magic Kingdom! It is busy today as we get our bags checked and our MagicBands scanned!

It is only 4 days until Thanksgiving and 32 days until Christmas; we checked the countdown board near City Hall. Across the way from City Hall is the Town Square Theater where we are going to meet Mickey Mouse! I love what Walt Disney reminds us of: “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” Well, we got to meet that wonderful Mouse today!

After we scanned our FastPasses, we were directed into a waiting area, where we were happy to find the character’s mail station, complete with a bag of fan letters to Mickey Mouse himself. Soon, it is time to enter Mickey Mouse’s Dressing Room! Mickey was looking into his mirror as we walked in with a couple of other families. He greeted the first family and they had a few moments to get to meet with him and take pictures. Then, it was our turn. Do you know how much fun it is to have Mickey Mouse greet you, TALK to you, and hug you? He is so kind and warm… it’s almost like being in a dream. We all got our big Mickey hugs and he even asked if he could take a picture with us! Of course! After our picture, he walked us to the door, and thanked us for visiting as we said our goodbyes. I love Mickey Mouse!

We walked out of Mickey’s dressing room and into the little shop. I could hardly see anything, my heart was full, and my hugs were complete for the day. The gardens outside of the shop are just beautiful and so Christmas-like, poinsettias surrounded by greenery.

Oh, OK, back to reality. Oh, wait! This is my reality! We make our way to Main Street USA see all of the windows decorated with beautiful Christmas colors, hats with Mickey ears, and many of the characters you will find in Magic Kingdom. The Main Street Confectionary is full of wonderful sugary smells. The Main Street Gallery has beautiful art on display as we pass through.

Of course, Main Street Bakery is our next stop. We grab a coffee and have a little over half an hour until our next FastPass+. As we are finding a place to sit and visit, we see the Tomorrowland Terrace quick service restaurant is now open! It has been closed since we started our 365 at Disney journey, but today, it is open again! There are plenty of visitors that have found this little oasis. It is decorated in a fun, futuristic way.

Soon enough, the time flies by and we are off to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin! We arrive, scan our MagicBands, and start to step inside to the FastPass+ line, but it is absolutely packed and the line is not moving. We know this is not the normal wait, but it is worth the slight delay. After a few minutes, we are moving, and soon, we are scanning our MagicBands at the second scanner. We notice that you cannot see Buzz Lightyear where he usually greets you. Instead, there is a curtain, and I cannot wait to see if they have made some changes. Quickly, we are on the ride and moving along. I got my best score of 305,200, Tooti got 999,999 (Galactic Hero!) and Twinkie’s score was 730,300.

As we are leaving, we see the People Mover has a long line. I have never seen it this long! We love to go on this, but today, I think we will pass. We walk over to Cosmic Ray’s quick service to sit for a minute. As we leave, the cast member has stickers! I walked up to him and asked, “Can I have a sticker?” He chuckles and says, “Why yes, you can have a sticker!” Then, he turns to Tooti and Twinkie and asks, “Would you like a sticker?” For some reason, when you are my age and ask for a sticker, it always cracks them up! TeeHee, I did get my sticker.

We head for the park exit, and the park is really busy since it is Thanksgiving week. I love Thanksgiving! Today was a beautifully hot day, with rain beginning just as we made it to our car! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful afternoon!

Day 68- Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

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It is a beautiful day with sunny skies and a few white clouds. The temperature is in the mid-seventies, with a bit of a chill in the air. We are off to Animal Kingdom, and later, Magic Kingdom. Both are very busy the week before Thanksgiving!

We park at Animal Kingdom and catch the tram. The tram attendant is so funny and has a great sense of humor. We were waiting on more people to load up, and a young man ran back to his car to get something. As he came back, the attendant called for no more boarding… just kidding! Tooti needed to run back to the car for something, and the tram attendant said we had time, so she hopped out and came back quickly! We waited for a few more people to climb aboard, and then we were off to the entrance.

Walking up to the gate, we spot Meeko and Governor John Ratcliffe off to the right. We’ve never met either one, so we venture over to the short line to get some pictures. They were a lot of fun. Apparently the Governor does not like high fives… hehe!

Animal Kingdom is nice and cool in the shade of the trees. I love the foliage! We notice how many orchids and other tropical plants grow up in the trees. It is absolutely fascinating to see how many plants can grow on the trees. Then, we grab some lunch at Rainforest Cafe. The atrium area is so cute! There is a green alligator, a purple elephant, and plenty of frogs to take pictures with in the courtyard. It is a fun place to eat.

After our meal, we re-enter the park (Rainforest Cafe is just outside of the gates) and watch the different birds that are in the Oasis. The ibis are up in the trees; they are so pretty and white. We are calling it an early day at Animal Kingdom, and head out about an hour before they close today.

Animal Kingdom now has its Christmas tree up! The decorations are so cool and there are many animals all over the tree.

We are now off to Magic Kingdom! As we enter, I hear that the Flag Retreat Ceremony is beginning. We stop, watch, and sing along. I love hearing our country and our American Veteran being honored.

After the Flag Retreat Ceremony, we head to Main Street Bakery. It is starting to get very chilly and the wind has picked up. We decide to make it a short trip since we don’t have our coats with us. So, I grab a coffee and we head back out to the Monorail. Magic Kingdom closes tonight at 7pm, unless you have a special ticket for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The front entrance is bustling as people pour in for the party tonight.

We go up to the Monorail and the platform fills quickly. The Monorail pulls up and it is absolutely packed with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Partygoers! As they finish unloading, we hop on, and our car fills up fast.

The last few moments of the Monorail ride, I asked a young mom and her little daughter if they had a good day. The mom said, “Yes, it is our first time to come to Disney World. I wish I had someone who knew what the best thing to do is. We only have 2 more days, and she [her daughter] loved Magic Kingdom.” I said that we love Magic Kingdom and that I would probably go to Animal Kingdom. We recommend getting a FastPass+ for Kilimanjaro Safaris; it is wonderful. Also, Animal Kingdom tends to close earlier than the other parks, so (since they had Park Hopper tickets) they could come back to Magic Kingdom or go to Hollywood Studios. She was curious about Hollywood Studios. Twinkie suggested it since they have a lot for the little ones, including a Disney Junior show. We had a nice chat and the mom looked refreshed as the Monorail arrived at the Transportation and Ticket Center. I love getting to meet fun families and offer suggestions!

After we get off of the Monorail and walk toward the exit ramp, I see an older lady on a scooter dressed in fabulous Christmas attire. Her daughter had a Mrs. Claus dress on, too! I stopped and said, “I want to go with y’all!” The older lady grinned and they both laughed! They were so cute in their festive Christmas dresses! I love Christmas, and it lasts about for 2 months at Walt Disney World!

Day 64- Magic Kingdom & Gingerbread Houses at the Contemporary and Grand Floridian Resorts

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Today we are on our quest to see gingerbread houses! We heard that the Contemporary Resort has theirs on display and the one at Grand Floridian Resort is up too. But first, we need coffee at Magic Kingdom.

We get to the parking area, and there are so many spaces empty! Oh my goodness, does this mean that there are not very many people here? We choose our parking place on the second row in the Villain’s lot! We get out and walk a couple of minutes to the Monorail. There are plenty of people on the Monorail as we jump on and make our way to the Magic Kingdom.

We see that it is still pouring down rain and the area at the bottom of the Monorail ramp is flooded. I smile as I see kids splashing. A dad saw me laughing and he said, “Hey, they are already soaked, this can’t hurt!” I love seeing how some parents handle the extra splashing on such a rainy day. We just join in! Some people behind us are pulling off their shoes and socks to go through this deep water. Just the basic rain pours and instantly soaks into your shoes… too funny!

We entered into Magic Kingdom and made our way down to Main Street Bakery for our Starbucks coffee. It is a little busy, but they are pretty fast. We decided that since it is raining we should sit around the corner, under the covered area at Tomorrowland Terrace. The wind and rain had drenched most of the tables, but there were some further underneath the cover that were dry. There was a cast member drying the tables and clearing the floor of the inch of the water. I asked her a question and we had a nice chat about Disney! She is here on the college program and was truly a delight to chat with!

We are going to see the gingerbread house, or should I say, castle, at the Contemporary Resort. Wow! The gingerbread castle is huge! It is the Frozen castle, modeled in the style of Mary Blair. It is adorable! Anna, Elsa, Sven, Kristoff, and even Olaf stand in front of the gingerbread castle, and if you look closely, you can find fourteen little Olafs hidden throughout the display. To the side of the gingerbread castle, they have a fun kiosk where you can buy Frozen inspired treats, including a Build-your-own-Olaf (not gluten free, but oh so cute!), and a gluten free gingerbread boy by Babycakes! The gingerbread boy is delicious! Also, they have limited release pins, featuring the gingerbread castle with Anna and Elsa! Too cute!

Next, we are going to the Polynesian to see if their Christmas decorations are up. We found out that they will be up in about 2 to 3 weeks. We take a minute to see the resort and venture downstairs to look around. As we are going back up the stairs, a little dude was being a “big boy” going up the stairs all by his little 2-year-old self. His dad said, “Oh, you can go past him!” I told him that I was enjoying watching his son accomplish these stairs. I said that I liked the way he was going up those stairs with his hands and crawling, it is a safe way! The dad was so funny and said, “I know, I’ve gone up stairs that way after a few drinks.” I said, “I go up the stairs that way, but it is just age!” He cracked up! The little dude made it! We all cheered and he was cheered too! We all were laughing and cheering their little dude’s accomplishment! Those were a lot of stairs!

Off to the Monorail and Grand Floridian to see the gingerbread house! The gingerbread house if huge! Starting on November 21 (at 9am) they will start selling treats from inside of the gingerbread house! That is how big it is! There is so much detail in the gingerbread house. If you look closely, you can find Alice and the Mad Hatter, Rapunzel and Flynn, Princess Aurora, Anna and Elsa, and Mickey and Friends painted in colored cocoa butter over several of the windows. How fun!

It is late so we need to get a bite to eat. We were able to get a last minute reservation at the Grand Floridian Café. It was very good.

I love the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra playing, and the piano. It is fun to see the little ones dancing to both! I love the parents that remember this trip is for you, yes, but for your children also. Enjoy them, and if they tire, let them rest by sleeping on two chairs at the restaurant, in their strollers, on a bench, or by laying their heads on the table, totally asleep. These little ones get so tired trying to absorb all of the new things! Please be patient with your babies, no matter how young or old they are. This is Disney, where dreams come true!

What a wonderful day at Disney, where dreams really do come true.

Day 60- Magic Kingdom and the Holly Jolly Trolley Show

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It is a fabulous day in Florida and the weather is amazing! The skies are blue and the clouds are just beautiful and wispy. It is hot, in the 80s, with a perfect breeze. We are going to Magic Kingdom.

We see three deer as we are driving to the Transportation and Ticket center! I love Disney’s deer; they are so peaceful and beautiful. It is busy going to Disney, and the atmosphere is happy. The traffic was good and the parking is great! We park way at the far end and have a good walk to the tram. There is one pulling away as we get close, and the other one is waiting to pull up, with a third one waiting behind them. I love how Disney does things with excellence.

We get to Magic Kingdom and it is nicely busy. It doesn’t take very long to go through bag check, scan my MagicBand, and look around for the kids! They are way over there! We get onto Main Street USA and Tooti hears the Holly Jolly Trolley show! It is so cute and so fun! I have never seen them before! After they finish the show, we are off to get breakfast! We see the Victorian ladies, who are some of the Citizens of Main Street, and later we get to see the Fire Chief. I love all of the characters that are sprinkled throughout Main Street USA.

Our destination is Starbucks, inside of the Main Street Bakery! We grab some fruit, my Carmel Macchiato, and the kid’s green teas! This is a very busy place, but they are very fast and our order is in. It takes a few minutes until mine is ready, but it is so worth it! This Starbucks is always on point. YUM! Now, we are heading for my favorite place to sit at Tomorrowland Terrace. We have a blast having breakfast at Disney’s Magic Kingdom! I took a look around and there are a bunch of retired couples having breakfast here, too.

As we are sitting there, a cast member checks on us, “Yes, we are doing great!” He asked if we would like some trivia. Did he say trivia? Why yes, we love trivia! He asks if we have a map, and Twinkie pulls one out of her bag. He says, “Please forgive the dirt and fences,” and he points to our left. I said that I love construction, it means there are new things being built… the piles of dirt and “mess” are perfect for me! He chuckles, and shows us what they are building right across from us! There are huge additions for the hub, allowing for easier traffic flow, and additional standing areas for fireworks. I love construction and change!

We finish our breakfast. As we start to leave, the group has changed to younger families eating and enjoying a break in the shadow of Cinderella’s Castle.

A cute ice cream passed by!

The kids did some pin trading. Then, we got “I’m Celebrating” buttons! Today is day 60! I have been to Disney 60 days in a row! Oh, Happy Day! It is an absolutely beautiful day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom!

Day 41- Magic Kingdom & Roaring Forks at Wilderness Lodge

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The sky is so blue today and there’s not a cloud in the sky! Magic Kingdom is beautiful as we arrive on the Monorail. There is a steady stream of people arriving, and the weather is a bit cooler today, under 80 degrees and sunny!

I love seeing little children so happy to be here, and the happy faces of first time visitors getting pictures with Cinderella’s Castle in the background. There is a bustle of strollers passing by as families make their way down Main Street USA.

We stop at the Starbucks inside of the Main Street Bakery and grab a tea and coffee. A few months ago, when we moved here, I realized that I could just run to Magic Kingdom and get my hot tea! I love to grab a cup of tea and get to see many happy people before heading home on those days.  Next though, we are off to lunch by boat!

We’re off to go to Wilderness Lodge for lunch. Tooti has talked about getting a Roast Beef and Blue Cheese Sandwich at the Roaring Fork quick service restaurant. I cannot wait to get to ride the boat from Magic Kingdom over to Wilderness Lodge. We sit in the front of the boat, the Mermaid I, and are joined by a family who we chat with as we are traveling across the water. Once we dock, we disembark and walk to Wilderness Lodge, enjoying the path through the trees.

Lunch was great! We absolutely loved their gluten free Roast Beef and Blue Cheese Sandwich, and my Turkey and Swiss sandwich. The homemade potato chips were amazing, and I loved the cucumber salad!

Now, back to the boat. We sat at the back, soon to be joined by a family; they were really nice. We enjoyed talking on the nice trip back to the Magic Kingdom Boat Launch. I love days like today when we get to meet so many young families visiting Disney World for the first time, and get to hear how they are enjoying their trip. The common topics that come up in these conversations are: the amount of walking, how tired their kids get just walking, the 8-10 hours spent at a Disney Park in a day (if not longer), and yes, it is about 1.1 miles around the World Showcase Lagoon at Epcot. That was a question today, “Should we think about renting a stroller for Epcot?” My answer is, “Yes, I would, it is a long way around the park. After you rent the stroller, you go up and around Spaceship Earth, and then down a long path to the World Showcase Lagoon. There are so many hills in Epcot and so many countries to explore, the 1.1 miles around the World Showcase Lagoon is just the beginning!”

Day 32- Magic Kingdom

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What a gorgeous day today! The high is only going to be 82 with a nice breeze. The day is relaxing for us as we head to Magic Kingdom. We asked if we could take a picture of this family, they were dressed as characters from Peter Pan and Jake and the Neverland Pirates! They are really cute and fun! We end up riding the Monorail with them and found out that they lived in Texas for a while. We enjoyed talking and hearing their story; their sons were amazing!

On the way to the Monorail, I saw that the ticket offices were sold out for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tonight. If you plan on going to this, you might want to plan way ahead for the night you want to attend; I know they are totally out of tickets for October 31. I do love going to Magic Kingdom ahead of the party and enjoy seeing all of the costumes!  There is a tiny little baby in a Minnie Mouse costume… adorable! Then, little dudes decked out in little pirate costumes, and the cutest Elsa in a beautiful dress. I just had to ask her grandmother where they found it, turns out they found it at TJ Maxx! Of course, the little princess’ eyes lit-up as we adored her beautiful dress! The bustle is wonderful and the anticipation of the night’s activities is in the air.

Gaston & Belle
Service Dogs dressed up!
So cute!
🙂
Mario & Luigi!

We take a minute to enjoy the busy Main Street. We decide to go to the Main Street Bakery and get tea at Starbucks. We had a moment to wait for our drinks, so we visited with a mom and her son from Tennessee! They are full of energy and enjoying the day. I helped hold the door as she ushered her son out in his wheel chair, then another family came out, nice kids! Now, back inside to wait for one more drink.

I found that we got a last minute FastPass+ to get to go on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin!!! When it is really busy at the parks, like it is today, FastPasses are usually completely out. We begin walking fast and drinking our Starbucks quickly as we head to the ride. Today the standby line is only 20 minutes, but I am glad we have these passes. Again, I absolutely love this ride! I got my highest score ever- 344,000! Tooti and Twinkie made Galactic Hero status (999,999!); we took a pic of their scores and headed to the counter to claim their Galactic Hero celebration badges!!! Congrats, kids!

Now, off to catch the Monorail so we can pick up the pups from school! The costumes are numerous as we are approaching party time. If you are visiting the parks, know if you do not have a ticket for the party, the park closes at 7pm on the nights with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (party guests can stay until midnight). As we get to the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center), we are seeing costumes everywhere! Ninja Turtles (some with tutus), pirates, the whole group from the Little Mermaid (including King Triton!), characters from Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and so many more! So many fun and happy people.

Cotton “Candy Corn”
Castle show!
Heading back on the Monorail…

Day 18- Magic Kingdom

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Today was school day for the pups and then I was off to Magic Kingdom for teatime with my kids. The park was bustling with excitement and anticipation. We did see a bunch of what we call “the third day meltdown.” It is that moment in time when little ones are saturated with so much to see and so much fun that their little bodies just cannot handle it! At the moment of the meltdown, it is time to just hold them, cuddle them, and give the kids a moment of quieted hugs. The parents who do that seem to hit a restart button and the kids are off to have fun once again.

We saw the Mayor of Main Street; I have heard about him, but today I got to meet him! It is quite an honor for me.

The Mayor

Then, we went to the Main Street Bakery, got our Starbucks, headed for the Tomorrowland Terrace and had our teatime there. We had a view of Cinderella’s Castle in front of us, Tomorrowland to the right. There was a relaxing, cool breeze as we rested and listened to the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party. The Mad Hatter was dancing today; we don’t always get to see him, but he is really fun to watch! After our nice break, we were off to explore more of Magic Kingdom.

Our view…
Chai and Iced Teas
Towards Tomorrowland

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of our favorite rides. With the sun so bright outside, it is really dark as you walk through the corridors of Pirates! I finally got to see the mermaids in the water! When you exit, the pirate shop is really great to look around in. Twinkie had to check out the pirate hat!

At the ride…
Photopass Photographer!
Pirate garrrrrrrrb.
Pirate supplies!
Guns!
Twinkie likes the hat!

A favorite shop is Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. They have some really beautiful ornaments, stockings, books, and other holiday items.

On the way to the shop…
Ye Olde Christmas Shop
Love it!

We caught the last few minutes of the Dream Along With Mickey Stage Show at Cinderella’s Castle. It is so beautiful and features so many fun characters! It even has a few daytime fireworks!

The Philharmonic Band came out and they are amazing. They played a medley of classic Disney tunes with a marching band twist. Sometimes, they even play fun older songs like, “Tiger Rag (Hold That Tiger).” I love all of the unusual characters and music that you find on Main Street!

The Main St. Philharmonic!

It was so sunny and hot today! It was time to go home, so off to the Monorail and Tram to the Heroes parking lot! A beautiful time on a beautiful day!

Day 16- Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

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Today was awesome! The rain was pouring down, and it was so much fun riding on the Animal Kingdom tram with the spray of rain on our faces. Being a Texas girl, I have never seen so much rain! I would love to send some of this rain to West Texas where they only have about 30 days of water left for the whole town. Wish they had some rain, praying they get some!

Once we got through the gates, we went see the animals on Kilimanjaro Safaris, my favorite ride! We had a FastPass+, but the standby line was only 5 minutes! We had a blast! The best time to see the animals is when it’s rainy; they love the rain and the cooler weather. Today, we took off and had the longest ride we have ever been on. The safari vehicles in front of us kept stopping (there may have been an animal on the road, blocking the path!), so we got to stop every so often, it was great! Pictures? Yes, plenty as we slowed down and enjoyed the rainy day. We met a wonderful mom behind us as she was taking awesome pictures. I had a great chat with her and listened as she told me she was crazy for having 3 kids a year apart. I told her that I thought it was awesome and I bet they were really close. She said they were, but some days it is a lot! I said, “Yep, some days, my kids have to put up with me.” She laughed and said, “Yes, we all have those days!” She had a beautiful family!

Safari Time!
Bongo!
People on the tour…
way up!
Waterfall
Rain!
Giraffe!
Another view…
Wildebeest
Elephant…
More elephants…
Can you find the lion?
Hiding Warthog
Lion and Lioness…
Zebras…
Lioness
Ostrich and Rhinos
Rhinos
Addax

We took a break from the rain and sat down by the water in the seating at Flame Tree Barbecue, across from Expedition Everest. It’s our favorite place to sit and eat or grab an iced tea. A lady a few tables away caught my eye because she just kept smiling and looking just past me. I turned and laughed; a crane was sitting right beside me on the railing! It made me laugh and I tried to grab a picture, but he left since I wasn’t feeding him.

Tea Hut in “Asia”

We had planned to ride Kali River Rapids, but I just couldn’t add an extra layer of water to my day (yes, even though we were wet from the rain already!). We chose to trade pins around the park instead; we love to trade pins. Oh, I mean, my kids love to trade pins. Let’s go!

Now, I am going to go to Magic Kingdom to grab a Starbucks and warm up. Finally, we are feeling like we are home, our Starbucks friends are recognizing us! A little more pin trading and then we are headed home.

Under the train depot…
Main St. Barber Shop
Rainy and beautiful!
Love the balloons!
Clouds are finally clearing…
Starbucks time!
Making the drinks…
Browsing the shop…

On the way to the front gate, we see cast members with hula hoops. Oh, fun! Tooti loved hula hoops when she was little; she even won a prize at Dairy Queen for hula hooping! Yep, she is now hula hooping! Soon, there are more kids and now, a dad joining in the fun! After hula hooping, we see a word scramble game in front of City Hall! Spelling game: challenge accepted! Twinkie got the first one, and then knew the second word and a young boy knew, but he didn’t want set the letters in the right order; Twinkie even asked if he’d like to help. Then, the competition was on! So much fun as older, grandparent-aged kids laughed and joined the fun!

Hula hoop
Fun time!
Scrambled!
Working…
She got it!
Working…
Working…
Naveen!
Unscrambled!
FIGMENT!

Absolutely refreshed from meeting so many fine people and so many fun people! It was a wonderful day as we made our own sunshine! Refreshed!

Day 8- Magic Kingdom

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Magic Kingdom!  Yes, it is a beautiful afternoon at Magic Kingdom.  Oh!  There is Marie, she is just coming out and going to take pictures.  We stopped for our Starbucks on Main Street and then started for the Little Mermaid ride.  As we got closer to Cinderella’s Castle, a man hollered, “Obviously there must be a Starbucks here!”  I said, “Yes, they are located in the Bakery on Main Street.”  Laughter and a shout of thanks and we continued on our way.

View of the Grand Floridian from the Monorail
On Monorail Gold…
Welcome!
The Train is at the station
Marie!
Stopping for coffee…
Starbucks!
Greeted by Anthony!
Starbucks in Main St. Bakery
Starbucks in Main St. Bakery

I took a minute to enjoy all of the flowers in the Rose Garden. If you are a flower lover, it is a nice spot to rest your eyes and take in the picturesque moment.

Rose Garden near the Castle

We stopped to see the clowns performing near Storybook Circus, then, we scanned our fast passes for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid!  I love this ride.  You sit in a huge seashell and are taken through the most magical ride; you feel as if you are seeing the whole movie in living color.

Watching the clowns…
hehe!
The Little Mermaid…
Under the Sea
Love the stone look!
Walking into the ride…
Shells to ride in
Little Mermaid!
“Underrrr the seaaaa!”
Hidden Mickey!
So fun!
Even leaving the ride is pretty!
Outside…
Walking by Beast’s Castle

Next stop is to meet Elsa and Anna in Princess Fairytale Hall.  We got in line and in a few minutes we met the ladies behind us.  Seems we met some fellow Texans!!  The mom shared that they come to the parks several times a year and her daughter runs in the Disney races!  How fun!! I know Tooti has wanted to do a runDisney race for a while. Her daughter-in-law was with them and she had the coolest book that she brought with her for the characters to sign.  I love these ladies!  It as a storybook, and she showed us where Cinderella’s stepsisters had rewritten their part of the story and autographed their page.  I have to find that book…  New project!

Princess time!
Princess Fairytale Hall
Anna and Elsa
Beautiful!
Snow White and Mulan

 We saw some of the Citizens of Main Street, including the lovely Victorian ladies, Victoria Trumpetto and Beatrice Starr, as well as Fire Chief Smokey Miller!  They are truly a delight to get to talk to!  Mary Poppins was holding a little girl’s hand and walking near the entrance. Beautiful.

Fire Chief Smokey Miller & Victoria Trumpetto
Fire Chief & Me
They are sooo funny!
Not dramatic at all… 😉
Victoria Trumpetto, Beatrice Starr & Us
We saw Mary Poppins, too!

God just seems to put the right people in my path. I loved today, even on the way back to the parking lot.  On the monorail, a lady kept kind of peeking around at my kids and me; she looked like she wanted to say something.  So, I said, “Hi, how are you?”  “Fine, thank you!”  Still, she looked like she wanted to talk, so I continued, “Where are you from?”  “Canada!”  “Oh, cool, we have a friend that is from there.  When we take pictures of Canada in Epcot, he always comments!”  That made her laugh and tell me the wonderful blessing her son is.  He and her daughter-in-law are renewing their vows for their 20th anniversary and he brought everyone with them.  Also, her daughter, who is 49, just got married for the first time on Friday, and then Sunday after the wedding they came to Disney!  We got to celebrate the wonderful things that are happening in her life and it is so fun to hear people’s stories!  I love this most of all!

Heading back on the tram!