I thought it would be fun to do a “wrap-up” of all of our Disney trips during our #MouseEarsforaYear experience!
As a refresher – we bought annual passes this past year! This was a one time, special thing we did – we planned, we scrimped, we saved to be able to do 6 trips over the course of the year.
We won’t be doing it again the next year (although we talked about it), for a myriad of reasons – but we’re hoping maybe a few years down the road (2021??) we can do it again.
So our 6 trips were mostly planned around holidays – not great for crowd levels, but it maximized our vacation time with work.
1. Easter / March 2016 (even though neither of us had days off for Easter – we actually didn’t realize this was Easter when we booked it!)
2. Memorial Day / May 2016
3. Independence Day / July 2016
4. Labor Day / September 2016
5. Halloween / October 2016
6. Thanksgiving / November 2016
Parks:
Magic Kingdom Visits: 14 (or so)
Epcot Visits: 11 (or so)
Hollywood Studio Visits: 7 (or so)
Disney Springs Visits: 6
Animal Kingdom Visits: 2
Typhoon Lagoon Visits: 1
Blizzard Beach Visits: 0
Characters Met:
Alice (Epcot)
Alice in Wonderland Flower (MK – Easter)
Anastasia and Druzila x 2 (MK & 1900 Park Fare)
Anna x 3 (Epcot and MK)
Ariel (MK)
Aurora x2 (Epcot)
Beast (Be Our Guest)
Buzz (DHS)
Chewbacca x3 (DHS)
Chip & Dale (Garden Grill)
Cinderella x3 (MK and 1900 Park Fare)
Citizens of Main Street x 5 (MK)
Daisy (MK)
Donald Duck x2 (MK and Epcot)
Eeyore (Crystal Palace)
Elena (MK)
Elsa x 3 (MK and Epcot)
Goofy x2 (MK and Epcot)
Jake the Pirate (DHS)
Jack & Sally (MNSSHP)
Jane (MNSSHP)
Jasmine (Epcot)
Jawa (DHS)
Joy & Sadness (Epcot)
Kylo Ren x2 (DHS)
Lady Tremaine (1900 Park Fare)
Lilo x 2 (Typhoon Lagoon and Ohana)
Mary Poppins (MK)
Merida (MK)
Mickey Mouse x5 (MK, Garden Grill, Epcot, Ohana)
Minnie x3 (Epcot, MK)
Moana (DHS)
Mr & Mrs Easter Bunny (MK – Easter)
Mulan (Epcot)
Norway Vikings (Epcot)
Olaf (DHS)
Peter Pan (MK)
Piglet (Crystal Palace)
Pluto x2 (Ohana, Garden Grill)
Prince Charming (1900 Park Fare)
Rapunzel x2 (MK)
Santa Claus (DHS – Christmas)
Stitch (Ohana)
Tarzan (MNSSHP)
Tiana (MK)
Tigger (Crystal Palace)
Winnie the Pooh (Crystal Palace)
Woody (MK)
Places Eaten:
(Including a starred review, LOL)
Signature:
Yachtsmen Steakhouse – *****
Hoop de Doo Revue – ****
Table Service:
Skipper Canteen – ***
Crystal Palace – ***
Plaza – *
Liberty Tree Tavern – **
Be Our Guest (Dinner) – ****
Garden Grill – ****
Tutto Italia x2 – *****
Via Napoli – ****
Rose & Crown x2 – *****
50s Primetime Cafe – ****
Mama Melrose’s – ****
Yak and Yeti – ***
Whispering Canyon Cafe – ***
Beaches and Cream – *****
Ohana – ***
1900 Park Fare – ***
Art Smith’s Homecoming – *****
Frontera Cocina – ***
Quick Service/Etc:
Casey’s Corner – **
Plaza Ice Cream – ***
Les Halles Boulangerie – ***
Be Our Guest (Breakfast) – *
Gaston’s Tavern – ***
Daily Poutine x3 – ****
L’Artisan des Glaces – ***
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory (albeit, the version they had during refurb) – ***
Flame Tree BBQ – ***
Trader Sam’s – ****
La Hacienda de San Angel – ***
Kona Cafe – ****
Peco’s Bill – **
Columbia Harbor House x 2 – ***
Starring Rolls – ****
Liberty Square Market – ***
Sunshine Seasons – ***
Krinla Bakeri Og Cafe – ****
Fairfax Faire – ***
Backlot Express – ***
AND… too many Dole Whips and Mickey Bars to attempt to count
Hotels Stayed At:
Pop Century (Stayed here in March, May, July, and November)
Port Orleans: French Quarter (Stayed here in September and October)
Hotels Visited:
Wilderness Lodge
Beach Club
Polynesian
Yacht Club
Ft Wilderness
Grand Floridian
Food Festivals:
(if I can remember everything, I was bad about taking photos to document these)
Flower and Garden Dishes Tried:
Shrimp Taco in Mexico
Gaoli Beef Bun in China
Beef Brisket Burnt End Hash in America (I had this three times. OMG)
Chocolate Cake in America
Beer Flight in America
Frushi in Japan
Onion Tart in France
La Vie en Rose slushie in France
Peach Bubble Tea in China
Pollo alla Parmigiana in Italy
Food and Wine Dishes Tried:
Grilled Lamb Chop in Australia
Cheese Soup in Canada (twice!)
Filet in Canada
Grilled Beef Skewer at the CHEW Collective
Liquid Nitro Chocolate Truffle at Chocolate Studio
Gruyere and Cognac Onion Soup in France
Kalua Pork Slider in Hawai’i
Cheese Plate in Ireland
Lamb Meatball in New Zealand
Potato Pancake in Scotland
Tipsy Laird in Scotland
BBQ Beef with Rice and Kimchi in South Korea
Cronuts at Refreshment Port
Experiences:
Epcot Easter Egg Hunt
Behind the Steam Train Tour
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
Kevin was the Rebel Spy on Star Tours
Candlelight Processional
Moana Opening Weekend at Disney Springs
Pearls in Epcot: 9
Times Kell Got Sick: 1
Times Kevin Got Sick: 2
Times Chase Got Sick: 0 (whaaat)
Wishes Viewed: 2
Festival of Fantasy: 2
Fantasmic: 1
Star Wars Fireworks: 1
Illuminations: 1
Fourth of July Fireworks – 1
Halloween Fireworks – 1
Times We Drove Straight Through to Orlando: 2
Times We Stopped Overnight in Georgia: 4
Free DVC Stickers Received: Countless
Onward to the next trip – Celebration in April!!