Day 16 - Saturday, December 8, 2017
We kicked off our final day in the parks before the sun rose. We made our way to the dock to board the resort's boat to Magic Kingdom for an extra magic hour morning.
I adore water reflection and when you pair it with a Disney glow my heart sighs with joy!
As I looked out I felt like I was living a dream! So lovely!
Little One was sporting her Yoda Santa hat. Of course this brought requests from me to capture the cuteness. She took advantage of the opportunity to sweetly cheese it up!
"We're walking right down the middle of Main Street U.S.A.!"
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train before daylight...
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Winnie the Pooh were both on our morning ride line up.
The classic, Peter Pan's Flight, and its incredibly magical queue never disappoints!
From Neverland to the "wildest ride in the wilderness" this was one magical morning!
Look at that wait time! 5 minutes! I love extra magic hours!
One final fun and festive float on the Jingle Cruise (aka: the Christmas-ified version of Jungle Cruise)...
From one boat to the next, it was time for one of our all-time family faves, Pirates of the Caribbean!
Synchronized family photos are the best! (You'll spy us in the second to the last row.)
A Disney Souvenir Dream Come True
Little One mentioned earlier in the trip that she'd always wanted a fancy umbrella from Disney World. This morning she'd order one of her very own hand painted just for her!
I was so tempted to buy this white Christmas themed umbrella! It was just so cute!
Little One chose a red umbrella with designs you'll see later in this post. Once you place your order, you pay and can then return for your umbrella in an hour.
Meanwhile, we grabbed some popcorn and then made our way to Tomorrowland.
The Peoplemover with my silly and sleepy sweeties!
Castle selfie
Finding this on my phone was good for a laugh! I adore this man of mine!
More last day at the parks snapshots
Once the hour hand had made its way all the way around the clock we returned to pick up Little One's umbrella!
She adored it and looked adorable carrying it! Upon picking up this pretty souvenir we were told to keep it dry for the next 24 hours. It looked like rain could fall anytime so we decided we needed to take it back to the resort after a bite to eat!
We headed to Sleepy Hollow where Little One requested an ice cream sandwich and I checked off an item from my must-eat list, a fresh fruit waffle sandwich served with nutella!
Very happy tastebuds for my littlest girly and I!
We made our way to the exit, but couldn't possibly say goodbye to Magic Kingdom this trip without a couple sweet snapshots with souvenir and all!
While we awaited the boat back to Wilderness Lodge we decided we would try to snap a photo with each member of our family along with a monorail in their favorite color. This little challenge created and completed right then and there made for the best time passer of the trip!
Before long we were on the boat and waving farewell to Magic Kingdom for this trip.
Back to the resort to put Little One's souvenir (and its freshly hand painted details) in the room to dry safe and sound.
When we arrived back at the resort we got word that we had a package at the front desk. Earlier in our trip Princess was contacted by someone from her Youth Group requesting our resort information. The girls in her Youth Group had bought a BIG beautiful birthday card and all wrote sweet messages to her in celebration of her Sweet 16! This absolutely made her day!
Ready for Epcot!
My dear friend Chrissy bought me this adorable tee for my birthday a few months before our trip. The phrase "A dozen reasons to believe in magic" sit atop one of my sweet weaknesses, donuts, in a Hidden Mickey formation! She gave me the gold Lillian and Co. bracelet with the Wishes quote "Do As Dreamers Do" for Christmas. The Christmas buttons I was sporting on my purse were also gifts she sent to my family. I emailed her this pic while awaiting the Disney bus and told her I called this look, "Styled by Chrissy!" So fun! Thanks again for ALL this cuteness, Chrissy!
We ended our trip with an evening at Epcot!
Mommy/Daughter U.K. date!
Each trip Little One and I make a point to have a meal for two at our favorite Epcot quick service restaurant, Yorkshire County Fish Shop in the U.K. pavilion of World Showcase. It's so delicious and has become a really special tradition for us over the years!
We scored a table in a beautiful waterside spot!
We made our way out of U.K. and were Japan bound for a trip to the museum and some shopping.
Here's the bear Little One bought earlier in the trip. She also bought one of its friends beginning a sweet new Japanese plush collection!
Another Delightful YouTuber Meeting!
I've been subscribed to Ellie Steadman's channel for years. When her dream of living and working at Walt Disney World in their international program came true I was truly hoping to meet her during our next trip. When I heard her job placement was at Rose and Crown Pub I figured it wasn't likely as we didn't have reservations there this vacation. However, the table Little One and I scored at Yorkshire County Fish Shop was right beside Rose and Crown's outdoor seating area. During our meal the thought did cross my mind that perhaps she'd be serving outside there. While that wouldn't likely allow me the opportunity to say, "Hello", I did still somewhat keep an eye out for this sweet YouTuber whose content I've enjoyed for years. When we left our table I figured I had missed the chance.
Fast forward about a half an hour and who should we see walking through the door into the museum in Japan? Ellie Steadman! I was tickled pink to see her! It turned out that she was visiting on her day off with along with a friend (who was also incredibly kind)! They were both a true delight to chat with. It allowed me the chance to thank her for the videos she's shared over the years, and she was so lovely taking the time out of her day off to visit with us, inquiring about our trip and thanking us for saying "Hello". It was truly a treat!
While in Japan we enjoyed the music, some more kakigori for the girls, and stocked up on our favorite candy from our favorite shop in World Showcase, Mitsukoshi!
We picked up enough Hi-Chew to get us through until our next trip. ;)
Jason hit the Epcot Festival of the Holidays Tuscany Holiday Kitchen booth for some yumminess.
Meanwhile I popped into a shop in Germany to grab some chocolates! Imagine that. ;)
Frozen Ever After time...
Our final foodie fix of Epcot's Festival of the Holidays was the Mongolian Beef Bar Bun from Shanghai Holiday Kitchen. I sampled this and it was delicious!
This Photopass shot we got on our way out of the park is one of my favorites from the trip!
Goodnight, Epcot! I can hardly wait to see you real soon!
Even though I'd taken plenty I couldn't resist a few more pics back at Wilderness Lodge while Jason and I wandered the lobby and grounds of this stunning resort on our final evening.
We sat and chatted while rocking in the rocking chairs in front of the grand fireplace.
Then we headed outside to admire the spring that flows throughout the resort.
Taking the time to see some of the artifacts on display
We decided we should attempt to take a Christmas tree selfie from the floor we were staying on. This wasn't as easy as it initially sounded! Ha! Whenever we got close to each other we blocked the tree. This led to several silly pics of me trying to show that there was indeed a tree there!
We finally got it (a normal pic, tree and all)!
After I packed us up I headed out onto our private patio. Who needs sleep when you're heading home the next day after all? It began to rain and it was just so lovely and peaceful. I soaked up the beauty of my surroundings, taking in the terrific moment.
What a full and fantastic trip this truly was! Honestly, I'm teary eyed just recalling it. I've so enjoyed sharing it with you, friends! Please return next week for the finale of this installment of my Trip Report Tuesday series!
Also, don't forget to check out the video footage from this day at my family's YouTube Channel,
Direct Links to Previous Trip Report Tuesday Blog Posts:
You can check out previous years of my Disney World and Disneyland Trip Report HERE.
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