I love Dapper Day. Spring 2018 marked our third Dapper Day outing, and was the first time I participated in the entire weekend. This is a recap of all we packed into this amazing three days!
FRIDAY: Animal Kingdom with My Beloved
We headed to Orlando on Friday morning for a leisurely day at Animal Kingdom. It was my husband’s first time at this park, and I warned him that we definitely wouldn’t be able to see everything. Did you know that Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios could all fit within the footprint of Animal Kingdom?! Yep, it’s that huge.
We had read online the night before that Na’vi River Journey was down for the day, and sure enough, we got replacements forthose fast passes–which we used to ride Expedition Everest (front row!) for the second time.
We even stood in line for close to two hours for Flight of Passage, and yes, it was worth it. Plus, the queue is set up in such a way that there’s a ton to look at and most of the line is indoors, so we didn’t get too hot. The line also keeps moving, so the wait didn’t feel as long as it was. Thankfully we had just had an incredible lunch (including the Annapurna Zing — which comes with little light up lotus flowers!) at Nomad Lounge, so we weren’t starving while waiting in line.
Friday night didn’t go quite as planned. The Dapper Day organizers had advertised a special pre-weekend gathering at The Edison at Disney Springs. I had made a reservation, and we were excited. We showed up at 9 (per the Disney app), but then realized that the reservations we saw on the app belonged to my friend! Our reservations were for 8:15, so we had lost our table. Everyone there looked incredible; a perfect place to people watch. We headed inside to see if we could nab a spot at the bar–the whole place was packed. It was standing room only, so we headed back outside. We ended up going to Morimoto and found a lovely, quiet spot at the sushi bar. As our drinks arrived, my friend texted me to say that The Edison had run out of half their menu! Plus, they couldn’t see the performances from their table. Lesson learned: stay flexible and go with the flow. By the end of the night, I was grateful that I had screwed up our dinner reservations!
SATURDAY: A Truly Dapper Day
Look how dapper my friends are! Andrea’s homemade Monorail belt was a huge hit, and I just adored Jenn’s Lapu Lapu-inspired look!
Enjoying Mickey waffles at the Grand Floridian.
We kicked off Saturday morning with a special breakfast at the Grand Floridian and the first Florida Dapper Day Expo, followed up by a special presentation by Charles Phoenix (I know!!!) on the evolution of Disneyland. We then took a special little boat to Magic Kingdom, and proceeded to have some truly magical moments. This was the first time on Jungle Cruise for most of us, and we got to pack in a ton of rides despite how crowded the park was.
By the early evening, we made our way to the Polynesian for cocktails and some light noshes. I must say that if I ever can afford to stay on property, I’d love to stay at the Polynesian Resort. It’s gorgeous! Plus, the whole place complemented our Enchanted Tiki Room themed outfits. We then took another resort boat to Fort Wilderness Lodge, where we sat by the water and enjoyed a final cocktail for the night.
On the way back to Magic Kingdom, the full moon sparkled on the water and the fireworks began to shoot off behind the trees. It could not have been better if we planned it. Waiting to dock, we watched all the fireworks from the resort boat, and savored another glorious Dapper Day on the books.
SUNDAY: A Worldly Little Trip
By Sunday, it was just the two of us again. My mom had made me a second tiki dress (she’s the best!) and I handed out some of my Miss Meadowsweet stickers to friendly Dapper Day participants along the way. We had fast passes for Soarin’ and Spaceship Earth, and managed to get on Test Track (thank goodness for Single Rider lines!). We also had a scrumptious lunch at Spice World Traders in Morocco.
Enjoying the view at Spice World Traders, which overlooks the giant lake in the middle of Epcot.
In the early afternoon, we ran into the Dapper Day crew while in line for my Minnie magnet. I have to stop here and note that if you’re not following Stephanie (Dapper Day’s official photographer and body positivity advocate) on Instagram, I strongly recommend that you do. That’s one of the best things about Dapper Day–you meet so many great people! It’s not just a day of dress up…it’s a community. All the organizers and Dapper Day staff are kind and friendly, and I know they are busting their butts making the event special for everyone. I can’t imagine working an event for as many hours as they do, and staying so positive. They deserve far more credit than they get for pulling off many days of magic for thousands of people.
The next Dapper Day in Florida is November 17th and 18th. We’ve already decided on our outfit theme (which I’ll leave as a surprise!) and I might do another sticker giveaway. It will be the first time they’ll host at two parks in one day (Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom), which will be very interesting. Will you be joining in the fun?
Love,
Sounds like you had a wonderful Dapper Day experience!