Thursday, November 10, 2022

On This Day Last Year: WDW Trip Report - Day 1 // Arrival, Disney Springs Dinner & Epcot Evening

Hello, friends!  I hope you're doing well.  It's been such a long time since we last chatted here!  This morning I was telling my hubby that a year ago today we were Disney World bound and part of me wished that I had put together "on this day last year" style trip reports to share here.  Always my biggest encourager, my sweet Jason replied, "I think you should do it!" and with that lit'l nudge I decided to dive in today and begin sharing away!  I look forward to reminiscing and preserving magical memories for my family, and bringing you a dash of Disney as I do!  I'm so touched that after all the time that's passed between my posts you're here today.  Thank you for popping by my lit'l nook of the blogosphere.  Grab yourself a sweet treat to savor as you relax and scroll your way through my family's first day back at Walt Disney World!


 Day 1 - Wednesday, November 10, 2021


Masks, because 2021 was a bit like 2020 the sequel.  


After postponing this trip twice, we were tickled pink to be on our way for a highly anticipated getaway!











As soon as we landed at MCO we were greeted with celebratory signs of WDW's 50th Anniversary.














Symbols of Disney goodness, my favorite of which is the Small World's smiling face. :)















Gotta love an airport photo op!




Even the baggage claim area is celebrating Disney's 50th.



It felt so good to once again find our way beneath that beautiful archway!  Our last time here was back in 2018 for our 20th Wedding Anniversary trip.  In 2019 we enjoyed Christmastime at Disneyland, so it'd been three full years away from our home sweet vacation home.  However, we wouldn't be back to our Disney Vacation Club home until the following night.  Shortly before this trip Jason (being awesome as always!) added a night on to the start of our vacation.  We'd already spent all our Disney Vacation Club points on the trip as previously planned, so we added an evening to the start of our trip at a spot that's quite nostalgic for us, Disney's All-Star Music resort.  This is a value resort we spent many trips at when our girls were little.




Traditional post check-in resort room snapshots before heading out to dinner...










I've got mouse ears on and am officially in full Disney vacay mode!








Disney Springs


I'm always dazzled by Disney Springs at night this time of year!


Dinner at D-Luxe Burger







Leaves, lights, and ornaments - the perfect November mix!



Cheers to vacation!



Some of the best burgers and fries you can find on Disney property are not at the parks, but right here in the Springs!






Evening at Epcot


This was our first glimpse of Spaceship Earth (aka: "the Epcot ball") all decked out for WDW's 50th.  Simply stunning!





Time for some rides . . . 





















I'm thankful that the days of plexiglass encased paths in ride queues are behind us.  This pic serves as a reminder to be thankful for that!


That gorgeous glowing reflection makes my heart skip a beat!


Food & Wine Festival signage has Remi placing the cherry on top of this sweet night for us! :)





After admiring Spaceship Earth in all her sparkling sweetness, we entered for the final ride of the night.





Goodnight Epcot!  You're beautiful!

We spent our single night stay at All-Stars in the Jazz building.  We enjoy jazz and my oldest adores neon, making this late night walk to our room a wonderful one.









One of the things we find nostalgic about the value resorts is the food courts.  We enjoyed many a meal here in years gone by.  We'd be checking out in the morning and spending the rest of our trip at Animal Kingdom Lodge, so decided to pop by at the end of the night to see what we could find for a bedtime snack.  After all, it's vacation!





A sweet treat followed by sweet dreams!


That's a wrap on day one.  Now let's talk about the fun to come...


Future Post Plans

Alright, friends, I am planning to post each day for the next 9 days, sharing an "On This Day Last Year" trip report from each day of our 2021 trip.  That said, I've never both put together and published posts for ten days straight, so I shan't make any promises.  We all know life doesn't always go as we plan, so if something pops up preventing a post I'll play a little catch up the following day.  If you could use a daily dose of Disney during the next week and a half I invite you to visit my cozy corner of the blogosphere!


Beyond this batch of trip reports ...

I have two other trips yet to share.  We put our 2021/2022 WDW annual passes to excellent use!  Following the trip I'm currently capturing here, Jason and I headed back to Orlando in May for what I fondly recall as a "week long Disney date".  It was our first time visiting during Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival which is officially my new fave fest!  Beyond that, last month we enjoyed a sweet two week family vacation during which my youngest daughter celebrated a big milestone birthday!  I will be inviting you back to hear all about those two terrific trips in a few more flips of the calendar.  Meanwhile, Lord willing, I'll be back with another pixie dusted post around this time tomorrow! 

See ya real soon!


4 comments:

  1. I was just thinking about your family the other day! Happy to see a magical pop in.

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  2. Brenda!! 😍😍 I am so pumped for your return! Super excited to hear more about your Disney trips, and hope you and your family are doing well ❤️

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  3. What a sweet surprise on this Thursday! SO happy to see you in your happy place!

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  4. So excited to read your posts! I was planning a trip for this February but my daughter decided it wouldn't work for her and the week she could go, the flights are $600+. So as of now I'm only living vicariously through you.

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I would love to hear from you today! I enjoy reading each and every comment I receive. (I do moderate them before they're published. Gotta keep it family friendly! ;)) Let's chat! B.Y.O.C. {Bring Your Own Chocolate!}