Disney Birthday 2023!

I flew to Orlando to be in Disney on my Birthday… What else is new? Highlights of my Birthday Disney trip: 

*We flew into the brand new Terminal at the MCO Airport. I didn’t realize JetBlue was one of the airlines that would be included in this new terminal. I’m never flying any other airline to Orlando again. They have Shake Shack. LOL. Also, despite an hour long delay arriving into Orlando, our flying experience was fast and easy. Little to no waits for TSA and no snow to plague my birthday weekend! I utilized Mears Connect to and from the airport to save money and for the sheer convenience. All in all, our travels ran smoothly on this trip.

*We stayed in the 80’s section at Pop Century yet again, but this time we were near the giant Roger Rabbit! I put in a request to see if we could stay in the 50’s section, but to be honest, the decade I was born in is more fun. I FINALLY visited the giant Mickey, our mouse and savior, in the section next to us. I don’t know why I never journeyed to the 70’s on my last birthday trip before, but we got some nice pictures of Mickey and the Big Wheel.

*Sadly, the Skyliner experiences maintenance around my birthday. This trip I wasn’t able to ride it at all. However! Bus service at the end of the night at both Epcot and Magic Kingdom was super fast! At Magic Kingdom, there was always a bus waiting in tow while another bus was being filled with guests for Pop Century. The efficiency was on point this trip. I was astonished. We also got to experience a new means of transportation by taking the boat from Hollywood Studios to Epcot.

*The weather on this trip was BEAUTIFUL! It wasn’t too hot, and was the right amount of chilly with a nice, refreshing breeze. My birthday was slightly colder, but it’s one of those rare times that I can actually enjoy feeling the warmth of the sun. My legs were definitely cold by the end of the night as it was nearing 58 degrees , but I managed to survive just fine. It also didn’t rain once! Every time I checked the weather, there was rain on the forecast. So much so, that I even made sure to bring rain boots, a raincoat and my Mickey umbrella. Luckily, none of that was needed! I’ve also been dodging snowfall during my birthday for quite a few years now, so flying in and out of New York has been hassle free. I guess we can thank global warming for that. 🙃

*I panicked a few weeks ago when I noticed that Pandora was retiring their Star Wars collection online. I still didn’t have the Stormtrooper, Rebel Alliance symbol or the Ewok. I was in luck when I visited Pandora in Hollywood Studios as all the charms were still in stock. I bought the Stormtrooper and Rebel Alliance symbol. I’m not too crazy about the Ewok charm, so I decided to save money and go with only two charms. The problem is I can’t fit any more charms on my bracelet, so I’ll have to look into another one for my Star Wars collection. I’m just relieved, and super happy I was able to snag the charms I was missing.

*I finally tried a new snack at Hollywood Studios, except it was a fail. I’ve always wanted to try the Wookiee Cookie, so I made my way to Backlot Express to spend $6 on a cookie I ended up not liking. The Wookiee Cookie is two oatmeal cookies sandwiched together with a vanilla cream filling with a chocolate replica of Chewie’s sash garnished on top. The oatmeal cookies are so hard! Why are Disney bloggers out here saying this cookie sandwich is good?! I was expecting the same soft texture of Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies, but I was played…

*I can’t tell you how many times I’ve changed dining reservations for this trip. I was overwhelmed with all the choices I could make. There were so many popular dining restaurants that had reservations easily available, which made me excited because it meant the parks wouldn’t be as crowded as they normally are. I originally booked Cinderella's Royal Table with the intention of eating breakfast here. However, the 11:00am slot I chose was actually a lunch reservation. I didn’t realize this until later on because I just never read it correctly despite having the reservation booked for two months. LOL. Why am I like this? Cinderella's Royal Table’s food is too bougie for Danny and I, so the breakfast menu is the only appealing option to us. I changed our reservation to a morning meal at Be Our Guest, until I saw an open lunch slot for Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. As much as I love the decor of Be Our Guest, Sci-Fi is always the vibe. I just love the atmosphere so much that it beats out other Disney restaurants every time.

*We visited Oga’s Cantina as I was on a mission to get that Bespin Fizz I missed so much! It doesn’t taste anything like alcohol and comes out bubbling with its mesmerizing cranberry glitter swirl mixture. I also choose the non-alcoholic beverage, Carbon Freeze, that also includes the dry ice effect.

*I caught Chewie just as he was walking off his rotations around Galaxy’s Edge. We were about to leave Galaxy's Edge ourselves, when I told Danny we hadn’t seen Kylo Ren at all. That was until we made our way to the TIE Echelon and I saw the lights. It wasn’t too long until Kylo was exiting his ship and choking a First Order officer before prowling Batuu. He still scares me to death. I always stand as far away as possible, hoping he doesn’t notice me trying to record him. My social anxiety cannot handle him yelling at me. LOL.

*We rode Rise of the Resistance for the first time in a while, and I have to say, it’s really become one of my favorite rides in Disney. That is all.

*I journeyed to Epcot just to see the lights on Spaceship Earth. I watched two shows so I could catch a glimpse of the rainbow lights. I’m not sure if they were showing Rainbow Connection again because it seems like they were doing multiple light shows from what I saw. We rode Spaceship afterwards, and this time they actually took our photos! However, they did me so dirty by replacing my photo with the Stitch on Danny’s headband. Basically, our video showed Danny and Stitch on their future endeavors together in the year 2080 with no mention of me. Typical.

*Harmonious at Epcot is not as good as I had thought it was. Danny and I should have gone to see Fantasmic for the first time instead at Hollywood Studios.

*The best part of staying at a Disney resort? The late night Mickey ice cream sandwiches in the dining hall. If you missed them at the park, remember they are at your resort too! I saw a guy walk to the cashier with five of them in his hands, and I was like same.

*I finally got to see Stitch at ‘Ohana since the pandemic started! I could cry. Of course, him being his mischievous self, stole my donut ears. LOL. I also got to see Stitch in Tomorrowland. I ran over once we were off the Peoplemover just to say hello.

*The Festival of Fantasy Parade is back in action! Danny picked out a really nice spot for us to get the castle in the background as we watched the parade. This was also something I haven’t experienced since my last birthday trip right before the world shut down. I still love Maleficent's dragon!

*It’s super exciting to see the Tron test runs at night! It looks stunning! I can’t wait for the opportunity to ride this coaster finally.

*We got front row and center for fireworks again. Although Danny is catching on that it's not a great angle to see the fireworks at their fullest potential lol. It is sad to know this was my last glimpse of the 50th anniversary castle.

*I ate no snacks in Magic Kingdom just so I could enjoy my late night dinner at my favorite restaurant, Liberty Tree Tavern. It was the perfect way to end my Birthday! Danny was giving out his Grogu stickers to waiters during our trip, and so he did the same for our server at Liberty Tree. She managed to catch us outside as we were leaving the restaurant to say thank you. She said that she was having a really rough day, and apologized if she seemed off, but that the stickers really made her day. There was also a solo diner sitting next to us that had written her a kind note, and it seems we were able to lift up her spirits. It really made my heart happy since Cast Members have always gone out of their way to help me in the past, so it was nice to see we could do the same for one of them. It’s important to be kind to people, you really don't know what someone is going through at the moment.