Day 897: Looking Back

Apparently June is going to be flashback month because thanks to more YouTube videos, we've got more to look back at! This time, instead of last June, I'm thinking back to January, as at this point (when I'm writing this at least), five of the vlogs from that trip have gone live! So let's travel back in time together!

The first day of any trip can be pretty boring, but I think despite the fact that we were all super jetlagged and sick and tired, we did pretty well. Then again, it's hard to mask the pure magic that is Disney, especially when you finally return home! 

I have to mention that this second day reminded me why I loved vlogging in the Disney parks. I edited it about a month ago now and was just astonished by how happy it made me. Vlogging can really take a toll on you, not that it isn't fun. But you've got to be thinking about it, and even now, after the band trip video is done, I had the camera on almost all the time, filming our experiences. Of course, when you return home you still have to edit it. But this vlog gave me the encouragement to quickly edit the rest of the January vlogs, all of which will be up on my YouTube before the end of July. 

Day 3 brought new adventures for everyone, most notably Tower of Terror, which I had basically no interest in going on. We also, however, had a chance to see the Osborne Lights on their last night for the season, which if the rumors are true, could actually be their last night in this form ever! 

We only spent one day at Animal Kingdom this trip, which is pretty usual for us, but in this video you're treated to what my brother calls "Jonny Cam." Good luck, that's all I can say. 

The last vlog that is up at the moment is another of my all time favorites, where we spent literally an entire day meeting characters and doing little else. My brother mentioned to me before the trip that he wanted to do a Dapper Day, so we made it happen, and the Princesses certainly made our lives interesting! 

And that's all for now. What's left? Another day at Magic Kingdom, some Hollywood Studios and, of course, MORE EPCOT! A new Disney Trip vlog is posted every Tuesday on my YouTube channel, so be sure to keep an eye out for them! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on June 24 due to travel).

Day 736: Dapper Day

A few months ago, my brother came to me with one of the oddest requests I've ever had from him. He asked me if we could do Dapper Day while in Florida, and honestly, I was almost confused as to where he got the idea. Then it dawned on me. Even further back, I had told him about a thing we did at college for part of last year, Fancy Friday, where you dressed up for all your classes on Friday. Being the Dapper kid my brother apparently is, he, along with several of his friends, adopted the tradition at our local High School, and he's been wearing bow ties on Fridays pretty much ever since.

So when he approached me about doing a Dapper Day, I was both surprised and not surprised, all somehow at the same time. For those that don't know, Dapper Day is a recent activity that's put on twice a year at both Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort, where basically you dress in your best clothes and head to the Disney park. It's sort of a play on the tradition in years past of wearing your Sunday best to the parks instead of shorts and a T-Shirt. You can find more information on the official Dapper Day website HERE.

For quite some time, I've been pretty sad about the fact that I'm never around when the actual Dapper Day occurs, although if I were able to go to Disney this March, I'd hit Dapper Day right on the dot. However, that's not happening, and the ones for the fall occur after I head to Disneyland as well. It leaves us in quite the pickle, but there aren't any rules that say we can't have our own Dapper Day!

So the four of us dressed in our best clothes (and a few of us Disneybounded as well), and headed to Magic Kingdom for a day filled with characters and adventure. Here's a few pictures from our conversation with Rapunzel, just so you can sort of see our outfits:

Dapper Day was pretty darn fun, I have to say, although we were glad to get our of our fancy clothing before a round of Mini Golf at Fantasia Gardens that night. I don't think I can even count the number of cast members that commented, and I know the characters loved our outfits as well (for me, Disneybounding as Elsa, I even got a comment from Elsa herself on how my dress reminded her of Snow). 

All in all, it was a great day, and I wouldn't be surprised if another Dapper Day was in our future! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 12 due to the Disney Trip!)

Day 701: 30 Days

Here we are again, at the one month mark before my next trip to Walt Disney World. It's been a really odd schedule for my family in recent years, with odd summer trips thrown in, and then that trip in March and the band trip in June. Normally we head down in November-January, but that hasn't happened for me since 2012. I guess that means I'm excited to head back in a month that I'm totally used to, even if it will be strange going so early in January. We're starting off 2015 with a bang I guess.

The funny thing is planning for this trip has been a big odd. We knew we were going in January before we even left in June, and then when we got back from the band trip, first Ashley joined on, followed by Megan, and now all six of us are headed down. It'll be a new experience for every single one of us, and I couldn't be more excited, hence the fact that I haven't stopped talking about it on the blog for months.

But it also means that waiting for this trip to get here has been a long wait. Countdowns started the second we got back in June, and with each passing day I can't decide if I get more homesick or excited. Granted, according to the order of Disney depression, right about now is when my homesickness gets pretty bad, at the six month point (we would have returned from Disney just under six months ago when I'm writing this). And editing excessive amounts of band trip video hasn't helped that homesickness either.

However, there are a few things that I'm really excited about on this trip, especially when it comes to sharing with my friends:

1. The Osborne Festival of Dancing Lights

I'm not sure why this is even here. I guess the last time we saw the lights they made a good enough impression for me to eagerly await a return trip to see them. As I blogged about over a year ago, I never really liked Hollywood Studios (even back when it was still MGM). Maybe it's because it's one of the Christmasy things we get a chance to do, even though it's the very, very end of the Christmas season (We're actually seeing them on the last day before they take them back down), or maybe it's just because it's something they had no chance at all to see in June, but it's still something I've talked endlessly about over the past few years. Who knows.

2. Dapper Day

Dapper Day usually occurs right when we're not in Florida, meaning that we don't really get a chance to participate. Oddly enough, however, it was my brother who brought the idea up to me a number of weeks ago, that we make our own Dapper Day during the trip. With a bit of careful fastpass arranging, I made it possible for us to dress a bit more dapper on a day in the middle of the trip. Have I spent a huge amount of time trying to figure out what it is that I'm going to wear on Dapper Day? Yeah, maybe I have, but it'll be worth it.

3. Food

We hit a few restaurants in June, but there are a ton that they've yet to experience, and I'm pretty excited about sharing some of them. For instance, there's still some first experiences Ashley and Megan have to have, such as their first character meal (we actually have two planned!), their first time at Garden Grill with the moving restaurant, and, of course, their first chance to experience a restaurant outside of the parks. Which leads us to the next thing...

4. Resorts

Disney World is home to so many different and completely unique resorts, of which I talk endlessly about. They've come to accept my lingo (OKW-Old Key West) as part of my language, and they make notes to remember what it is that I'm talking about when I use GF in a sentence about Disney (Grand Floridian). Luckily we have time planned in specifically to go and see some of the resorts, plus we get to stay at one that not even I've stayed at: Saratoga Springs!

5. First Plane Rides

Honestly, I hate planes. I had a bad experience a number of years ago (no, not a crash or anything like that. I was sick, it didn't end well), and so I get extremely anxious whenever I fly. I suppose I'll get used to it eventually, considering I'll probably fly more often in my future than I have so far in my life. However, I do, for some reason, like airports, and anxiety aside, I'm excited that I get to take two of my best friends on their very first plane ride, and in the case of Megan, I'm excited to show her MCO, which is yet another term she's come to understand. It was one of those Proud Moments of Lizzie's Life. And Ashley? Don't worry. You'll make it through the plane ride in one piece and we'll have a wonderful time at Disney!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 19 due to finals).

Day 57: Dapper Day

I've obviously talked about Disneybounding before, but this is one time I really wish I had been at the parks.

Thursday wraps up the current Disneybound contest, Dapper Day, which is an extension of the event that occurs at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. What happens, basically, is you dress up, inspired by a Disney character as Disneybound does, in a "Dapper Fashion," so basically you're dressing up. You could do it any number of ways, but generally it's somewhat inspired by the fashion found in Walt's era, and I think it's a pretty cool idea. 

Here are some of the pictures of the large groups at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland...and honestly I wish I had been there. It's a bit cold to dress dapper here in Wisconsin at the moment, so I had to skip out on this one completely since I don't want to freeze, but hopefully when I head to Disney in July I'll make one of my days a bit more dapper. =)

Here's today's Disney History: 2006: The Timekeeper - located in Disney World's Magic Kingdom - permanently closes (although it hasn't operated since late 2005). A poorly attended Tomorrowland attraction, if first opened in 1994. 

Have a magical day!