Princess Weekend at Disney - Day 6- Monday, 2 March - DisneyWorld to Orlando to Charlotte to Pittsburgh to Mars

Since we had packed last night, we basically just had to get up, shower, and dress. Amy called the bell service about 10:15 and they were there promptly to pick up our luggage and store it until our departure. 

We headed over to the Contempo Cafe for one last morning of Mickey Waffles for Amy. It is so heartening that Disney takes allergies so seriously that a person can eat safely. 

We picked up our luggage and waited for Mears to come at noon. They were running about a half hour behind, but the driver for the 11:30 coach that arrived at 12:00 was so kind and took us on that coach instead of making us wait. We met some very nice people on our trip for sure. 

MCO security is a breeze with CLEAR. We had no line and no wait to get through. The Admiral's Club at MCO is small and on 2 floors. We found a couple of seats and Amy started the afternoon with her mimosa. I felt like I was coming down with something, so I opted for a Dr. Pepper. 

The plane was on time and we got to the gate in time to be able to board 1st Class. I do travel with a Princess!!

 The afternoon flight called for a bit of liquid refreshment and so it was 2 Chardonnays! And a snack basket

We landed a tad early and headed for the CLT Admiral's Club. It is quite a large club, but the food choices were very limited. Amy had some soup and I opted for a couple of Swedish meatballs. No alcohol was consumed. 

The next flight also was on time and we headed to the gate that was a short distance away. 

 We did have some "toddler drinks" on the plane while others boarded - a perk of 1st Class.

The flight was really just about an hour, but time for Amy to enjoy a Gin and Tonic and a Bailey's for me. 

We arrived at PIT about 20 minutes early and headed bot baggage claim. It was strange not getting on the tram to get there. The baggage handling was supposed to be better with the new airport cutting off about 8 miles of conveyor belts, but it still took a long time to get Amy's bags.

The Parking Spot shuttle was there as we exited and on to get our cars. 

Home at 10:30. Total miles walked: 27.25 for me and a whole lot more for Amy!

Words can't really describe this trip. To spend time with your daughter and make such wonderful memories is priceless and indescribable. I am so eternally grateful to her for allowing me to be a partner on her travels. 

 

Princess Weekend at Disney - Day 5- Sunday, 1 March - DisneyWorld

 What a treat to sleep in til a little after 8:00 a.m. Princess Race Weekend is no place for the lackadaisical or slackers for sure. We went to the Contempo Cafe and then it was Magic Kingdom Day. 

Because the Contemporary Resort is so close, we walked the 15 minutes to get to MK. Amy had purchased the Photo Pass Memory package so we took advantage of having some pictures as we entered. 

There was then a spot that was only for the racers. The photos from there were fabulous.

Our first attraction of the day was Tiana's Bayou Adventure. It replaced Splash Mountain in Frontierland. There are warnings all around that "you may get wet." That is most definitely and understatement. It is a great ride with scenes from The Princess and the Frog and the splash down is a lot of fun. I left the ride absolutely soaked. I could literally wring my capris out. They didn't dry completely for another 4 hours. 

As long as we were wet, we headed over to The Pirates of the Caribbean and got just a bit wetter. 

I really couldn't take many pictures because my pockets were so wet and it was a pain to keep getting the iPhone out of my backpack. We waited in line for the Jungle Cruise for about 40 minutes. It was crowded and our seats weren't that great on the boat. 

Time for Dole Whip and the Tiki Room. 

We were glad to catch the "new" show at The Country Bear Jamboree. It's a 15 minute show that was really pretty cute. 

 

From there to the Hall of Presidents. We had not visited this attraction on any of our previous trips to Disney, I think it was intentional by my tour guide. It has been totally revamped with more video and less focus on the presidents. The introduction of the statues at the end evoked vocal reaction from the audience for sure. It is understandable why the change in the presentation was made. 

We kept busy with Mickey's Philharmagic, Areil's Under the Sea, and The Mad Tea Party. 

We had another Lightning Pass for the Haunted Mansion. It sure beat the nearly hour's wait we had in 2024. This was another concession for Amy to make for me since I really like the ride.

 So as long as Amy was making concessions, I agreed to It's a Small World. I have to admit that it wasn't all that bad!

We headed over to Tomorrow Land, but since we had nothing to eat since the Dole Whip, we first stopped for some popcorn and a soda. We figured that would satisfy our peckishness until the dessert party. 

We were disappointed that the Carousel of Progress closed for some technical difficulty and so decided on the People Mover instead. I had never done that at night and it was a very neat experience. After that finished Carousel was still down so we opted for the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. I had never seen the movie and Amy did a great job of explaining the whole Mike Wazowski references to me. It was intriguing as to how the monsters interacted with the audience and a pretty funny way to spend some time.

It was about time to head back to Main Street for the Disney Starlight Parade. We had a pretty good viewing area for the parade that was just stunning. The lights in the park are dimmed and only the floats are illuminated. 

It was time to sign in for the dessert party and stake out our place in the special viewing area. Happily Ever After is probably Amy's favorite part of MK day. The effects on the castle, the fireworks, and the synchronized music make it an unforgettable experience. 

After the fireworks we headed up to the Terrace Restaurant for the Champagne Dessert Party. The pastries are so beautiful and they do a special gluten free plate which is amazing. It is a perfect way to end the evening and our day at the Magic Kingdom. 

 

The Gluten Free Dessert Plate

We decided to take the Monorail back to the Contemporary since it was still running and we were right there as we exited the park, not to mention of how tired our legs were! We only walked about 6 miles!

 

When we got back to the room we discovered another bit of towel art - Cinderella's Carriage.

Unfortunately, we had to pack for our departure in the morning. Then bed!

 

Princess Weekend at Disney - Day 4- Saturday, 28 February - DisneyWorld

It was another 2:45 wake up this morning for the 10k race at Disney. We managed to get almost 5 hours of sleep. We could hear the rain and knew it was going to be a very sloppy day. We left at the 3:20 to get the shuttle to the EPCOT parking lot and corrals. But, unfortunately, it was full by the time we got there and the attendant said that it would be another 20 minutes before the next one came. This was not an ideal situation because most runners like to get there as early as possible. However, waiting with us and as impatient as one could be, a very nice woman from New Jersey took it upon herself to call a Minnie Van and offered to share it with 4 of us who were waiting. It was so, so very kind of her and a real time-saver since we were dropped off right at the entrance to EPCOT and did not have to traverse the mile in the parking lot. 

It was pouring and Amy and I split - she to the corrals and I to a bench in a covered area of the park. 

At least by the start time it had cleared up and she could ditch the poncho.

 

Once the rain had stopped, I headed over to the finish line area. It looked like it was going to be a nice day.

 

She said the traction was not very good on the race course, but she did her personal best for the Disney 10k. 

 

We met back in the reunion area and I went to get the champagne while she did the race finishing photos. 

 

 

 

It was then back to the hotel to shower and change for our day at EPCOT. We knew that we wanted to keep the day from being walking intensive so Amy had figured out a plan, the Disney expert that she is, to minimize back tracking. She had bought the Lightning Lane pass and had our day well organized. 

Our first stop was Space Ship Earth.

 It really is a good ride and always a pleasure to listen to Judi Dench relate the history of the world. 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the camera only caught Amy for the "future world" part of the ride.

 

We then headed over to the World Showcase part of EPCOT, but first a stop at the Finding Nemo area.

We had a bit of time before our next Lightning Lane so decided to see the new version of the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. It is a calm ride with lots of music. The colors seemed brighter, but very much the same as the old ride. 

Then it was time for Frozen. This is a wonderful depiction of the movie and a ride with a bit of a splash down. 

 

Heading back to the World Nature area to one of Amy's favorites: Living with The Land. It is so interesting to see the natural world and the innovative growing of fruits and vegetables. The movie also explains the destructive ways we are embarking upon with regard to the environment. We had also done the The Seas and Finding Nemo.

 

When we came out it was raining a bit so time for a Mickey Bar underneath the monorail to stay dry. 

 

Unfortunately, the Journey into Imagination was closed due to technical difficulties, but Amy was still able to convince the cast members that she should be the last to have meet and greet time with Figment. She was quite happy. 

 We then did the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival. Love Piper and Feast.  

With still a lot of time left before dinner we decided that we would brave the 50 minute wait for  Ratatouille. It actually was a bit more that that, but we really didn't want to walk back over to Mexico just for a Margarita. They have eliminated the 3D effects, but the ride was still a thrilling one. 

We pretty much covered it and it was time for some liquid refreshment. The line at Les Vins de Chefs de France was extremely long. That meant heading to Italy where we procured a Proseco. Sat and enjoyed it a lovely conversation with a newbie runner and her parents. 

We thought we would take in the American Adventure film in the U.S. pavilion, but they were also having some technical difficulties. We notice that the line at  Les Vins de Chefs de France was not that long, so time for a Kir Royale. It has been a custom on all our EPCOT vists. 

 

Just as we were finishing, it was time to head to Canada and Le Cellier Steakhouse, another one of our favorites and a tradition. We started the evening with a glass of Cross Barn Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Amy's wine rating says that we would enjoy it and we did. 

Next was our favorite wedge salad. We both wanted the Rib Eye Steak, but the 16 oz cut, was a bit too big for each of us. So we ordered the 28 oz Rib Eye Steak for 2. It was perfect with the Brussels sprouts for Amy and braised mushrooms for me. 

We finished a very leisurely dinner just in time to see the end of the fireworks. 

Then back to the hotel where we fell into bed, looking forward to not getting up at 2:45 a.m.

What a great day it was!!