CRYSTAL PALACE on 4/19 PICS 10 days in the World: 22 years old! Pop/Jan2009

[SnowandMittens]

The Intro:
Hi everyone! I'm Snow and this is the first TR I've done... ever! I've been a long time Disboard lurker and found the board after my first trip to the World. It's nice to be finally posting!

Who's Going?:

Me, Snow. I've been a Disney nut my whole life and I'm planning on moving to Florida after I'm done with school to start a professional internship with Disney, and hopefully end up on the good side of the management team. I have a very ambitious goal to become an Imagineer, and have no doubt I'll get there eventually! :thumbsup2

My boyfriend, Mittens. He's not too fond of the nickname... hahaha. I think he's amazing and he's fully into the whole park experience. It's so nice just having us on the trip. We're both still in college and he's totally ready to move to Florida with me and we've started looking at buying a condo already. :eek:

Where Are We Staying?:
We've done one trip at POFQ, but when the buy 3 get 4 free deal came out, we crunched some numbers and figured out we could get 10 nights at POP, the meal plan, plane tickets, and park tickets for... $2200.00

Amazing!

We've never stayed at a Value before, so we were a little skeptical about what the quality of the rooms would be.

The Plan:

We were driving to Chicago, staying the night at a hotel, and flying out of ORD. (Got some good deals on airfare!) We would be getting into Florida that night, staying at the hotel, and then starting our trip the next day!

[MushuGirl06]

firsttt! :cool1:

cant wait to read more of your TR!

[tracyjbros]

can't wait to read more!

[mickeystoontown]

Signin' on for more.

[SnowandMittens]

Packing and Chicago! Jan 7th, Wednesday, DAY #1
I totally forgot to mention that my bf and I are celebrating our fourth anniversary. When I booked the vacation on the phone, the Disney phone lady asked if we were celebrating anything, and I told her about the fourth anniversary of dating.

“Sounds like a celebration to me!” she said. And she proceeded to note it on all of our dining reservations as well. Yay!

We also had gotten a Pal Mickey on e-bay before our trip. I know that they’re discontinued, but honestly, I wanted one (I loved the idea that he would tell you ride wait times.), so we got one. Unfortunately, we spent about three hours the night before we left looking for him. Still have no idea where he went.

We started packing early in the morning. I did miss a day of class just to pack and we were doing some MAD laundry during the day. For my birthday, my Bf had gotten me two tortie kitties which I promptly named Lilo and Stitch. (Stitch is one of my favorite characters… don’t ask why because I have no idea.) These guys would wait until I had turned around to pack something and then jump inside of my suitcase. I was worried about leaving them for so long (my bf’s sister had agreed to come and take care of them during our trip, so I guess I wasn’t that worried.).

Here they are:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1001.jpg
Stitch is on the left and Lilo is on the right. They're both rescue kitties and we got them at 6 weeks old because the shelter was too full. They were next on the list to be put down.

The director of the shelter said that he was just getting out of his car in the morning and a car dove by and threw a box out the window. A bigger cat jumped out and ran away and when he went to look inside the box, 2 of the 3 kittens were alive. Those are my babies!

They don't look too happy because this was probably the tenth time I had put them back on the couch. Hahaha.

So I totally overpacked for this trip. Here’s a tip: If you don’t have children, less is more. In hindsight, I wish I would have not brought my coffee maker (instead slurged on the starbucks double shots or just sucked it up with the Nescafe coffee. My boyfriend later said that he wouldn’t have minded hopping on the monorail for the days we went to MK or Epcot to grab a cup of Kona coffee from the Poly. I was like “Why wasn’t this said BEFORE I packed an ENTIRE coffee maker into my suitcase?”) would have NOT brought BOTH of our computers, and being that I have a smart phone that does get online, I should have just used that for checking in/ plane time/ weather / etc…

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1002.jpg

Yes, that is a dish sponge. To wipe out the coffee mug I am gonna buy and use in my room when i get there.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1003.jpg

This thing made me pack MORE stuff than I needed. See the bobby pins? Don't use them. Why do I have them? I might need them...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1004.jpg

Got my Stitch for $5.00 at the Disney Store and was SUPER excited that he was going with us. Again, probably didn't need to pack it. :rolleyes1

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1006.jpg

Now I'm a sucker for the glow toys, but am too old to justify paying $10.00 for something I can't use when it's not dark. I spend about $2.00 at the dollar store buying glow sticks and, man, AWESOME!. You can also see the diet pepsi going along. I am a firm believer that if diet pepsi doesn't follow me on my trip, the trip will be sad.

I brought along about 100 disney pins (I am obsessed with pin trading and the boyfriend doesn’t mind it because it doesn’t take up THAT much room in our apartment.) which I got off of ebay for $132 with free shipping! And that was the majority of my own souvenirs… need something for mom BAM Disney pin. Something for dad? BAM Disney pin. My boyfriend’s friends who are unconvinced of Disney awesomeness? BAM have a Pirate pin! HA!

I also packed WAY too many clothes. Again, if I had to re-pack, I would have packed HALF of the clothes and just washed them in the middle of the trip. The washers and dryers at POP are HUGE TRIPLE LOAD WASHERS. (Well, maybe not that big… but our apartment has stackable washer/dryer and it makes 10 pairs of underwear look like a load.)

So we got into my bf’s G6 (with me driving) and braved the snow storm to head down to Chicago. I swear, it snowed the ENTIRE way down there (about 3 hours). We got out of the storm once we hit Chicago and checked into the Hyatt Rosemont.

The hotel was nice, but very business like. We chose this hotel because they had a park and fly deal where you stayed one night with them, and could leave your car in a 24 hour security parking garage. They shuttled you back and forth to the airport in a van, and since overnight parking at ORD is upwards of $20.00 a night, we figured the $150.00 hotel room was worth it.

Here are some shots of our room:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1007.jpg
See all those bags that no one needs? yeah, they came along.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1008.jpg

The View of Other Buildings:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1010.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1013.jpg

Here is some more of my useless stuff:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1009.jpg

I swear, next trip we are doing carry on only. I am bound and determined that I will NEVER have to lug that much stuff around an airport again.
We ended up eating dinner at the hotel restraunt, which came to about $50.00 for two burgers, a beer, and a soft drink. We felt like we were in Disney already.

We ended up getting to bed at about 11pm and spent the next two hours trying to get to sleep. Every time Mittens was almost asleep I would say, “We’re going to Disney tomorrow.” And every time I would almost be asleep, he would say, “Oh my gosh, Minnie and Mickey are breaking up!” and it would launch me into a fit of giggles.
Next: Flying in a snow storm, and WHY ARE WE IN NEW YORK?

[SnowandMittens]

Signin' on for more.

Yay! I'm excited that you're following!

can't wait to read more!

A new update should be appearing soon! With pictures this time.

firsttt! :cool1:

cant wait to read more of your TR!

Happy to be of service!

[SnowandMittens]

I did have this part of my trip already written and posted, but I guess something happened after I hit submit... :confused3

I forgot to mention that this trip, my bf and I were celebrating 4 years of dating! I'm only 22, so 4 years of a serious relationship was nothing to be scoffed at. We had taken a 3 year trip last Jan, and this year we decided to celebrate it as our anniversary trip with buttons and everything.

(Well, I wore the button... my bf's just happened to be left in the hotel room. Every day. For ten days.)

We were flying out of ORD, which was a little bit of a drive for us (about 3 1/2 hours) and a little longer in the snow (about 4 1/2 hours). I was driving the bf's newly purchased Pontaic G6 and we were testing out the Garmin navigation system for the first time. Let me tell you, when you are driving in the dark through downtown Chicago with all of those interchanges and have NO idea where you are going, the Garmin was wonderful!

We started off the day packing. And packing. And packing. I had decided that it was too much of a hassle to do a coffee pot swap at POP and just packed my own 4 cup maker. We also got some soda and snacks, which went into my bag.

On top of it, Lilo and Stitch, my two torti rescue kitties decided that the suitcase was some giant kitty toy I had been hiding in my closet. Every time I would turn to fold a shirt, one of these guys would jump in. (Side note: Lilo and Stitch are both girls, and they were thrown from a moving car as the shelter was opening. They're mother took off, and their other siblings died. These two have been eating solid food since 4 weeks and when we took them home, they were only 5. My boyfriend doesn't consider himself a pet person, but he insisted that we get two kitties and he's been in love with them ever since. I swear, it's the cutest thing ever, even though he'll deny it.)

They were pretty mad that I kept putting them back on the couch. (Stitch is on the left, Lilo on the right. And, yes, the personalities fit the names.)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1001.jpg

I totally overpacked for this trip. Honestly, ladies, just plan on doing laundry half way through your trip and make it easier. I was so overpacked on the way home that the $50.00 overweight baggage fee was applied. And there was no getting around it. It was horrible lugging all of that stuff around, and if you can, just do the carry-ons. Carry-ons are what our plan for the next trip is. :rotfl2:

Here is some of the damage:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1002.jpg

This did not save me space because it made me think I had room for things I did not need. Like the hair pins? Don't use them! Why do I have them? Because maybe I'll need them because I'm in Disney! :rolleyes: I shouldn't be allowed to pack my own stuff.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1003.jpg

Here's Stitch overseeing the damage:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1004.jpg

And here is what my suitcase looked like after my boyfriend packed it. I couldn't get it to close, but he managed to! :rolleyes1

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1006.jpg

So we took off from our house at about 6:00 pm. We had to wait for the bf's little sister to come by and check out the litter box and kitty food and to explain that the kitties still needed human interaction. Since they were separated from their mother so early, they've imprinted on my boyfriend and I as other kitties. Or so says the vet who thinks he can talk to my cats. :rotfl2: Point is: they need play time.

So we drove to Chicago and ended up staying at the Hyatt Rosemont. Note to anyone thinking about staying here: do it. It's a very business feeling hotel and the lobby is a little cramped, but packing overnight at ORD is about $25.00 for a non-security non-covered spot. We were going to be gone for 10 nights, so that would have meant an extra $250.00 for parking alone! :scared1:

The hotel room, on the other hand, allowed us to spend the night before our flight in direct proximity to the airport, park our car in their 24 hour security covered parking garage, and shuttle us back and forth to the airport... for $150.00. We were paranoid about snow delaying us the morning of the flight anyway, so HOTEL IT IS!

We arrived at 9:00 - 10:00 ish and ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. The room was really nice and here were some of the pictures:

Wait, here's MORE stuff I managed to pack. I got a tip from a DISer to use a tupperwear container to pack my shampoo/jewelry/makeup/etc... it was probably the only useful packing tip I used. Didn't have to worry about stuff leaking or getting crushed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1009.jpg

The Room:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1007.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1008.jpg

The View the morning we left:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1010.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1011.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1013.jpg

We were so excited when we went to bed. I swear, we just stayed there on the bed and kept whispering in the dark... "Disney!" "We get to see the castle." "Why did you bring so much stuff?" "What are we going to do with the dish sponge?" "Did you pack the pins?" "I love you. But I'm starting to have feelings for Mickey."

And finally, right before I was asleep, he get's really close to my ear and does the most spot on impression of a Mickey laugh. I freakin' fell out of bed, I was laughing so hard.:rotfl2:

That's when I knew this was gonna be an awesome trip.:hug:

Up next: What are we doing in NEW YORK? And why is that little kid calling me sir?

[SnowandMittens]

Alright, I've tried to make a few updates to add pictures, but they are telling me that I need to wait for a moderator reviews my posting...

any idea why? I have the next segment all typed and ready!:confused:

[pezheadmeg]

I'm in. need a new trip report to get hooked on.

[SnowandMittens]

The next part of the update is split because of my picture count. I have no idea why it is only allowing me to post 3 or 4 pictures at a time, but here is the update!

:cool1:

[SnowandMittens]

I did have this part of my trip already written and posted, but I guess something happened after I hit submit... :confused3

I forgot to mention that this trip, my bf and I were celebrating 4 years of dating! I'm only 22, so 4 years of a serious relationship was nothing to be scoffed at. We had taken a 3 year trip last Jan, and this year we decided to celebrate it as our anniversary trip with buttons and everything.

(Well, I wore the button... my bf's just happened to be left in the hotel room. Every day. For ten days.)

We were flying out of ORD, which was a little bit of a drive for us (about 3 1/2 hours) and a little longer in the snow (about 4 1/2 hours). I was driving the bf's newly purchased Pontaic G6 and we were testing out the Garmin navigation system for the first time. Let me tell you, when you are driving in the dark through downtown Chicago with all of those interchanges and have NO idea where you are going, the Garmin was wonderful!

We started off the day packing. And packing. And packing. I had decided that it was too much of a hassle to do a coffee pot swap at POP and just packed my own 4 cup maker. We also got some soda and snacks, which went into my bag.

On top of it, Lilo and Stitch, my two torti rescue kitties decided that the suitcase was some giant kitty toy I had been hiding in my closet. Every time I would turn to fold a shirt, one of these guys would jump in. (Side note: Lilo and Stitch are both girls, and they were thrown from a moving car as the shelter was opening. They're mother took off, and their other siblings died. These two have been eating solid food since 4 weeks and when we took them home, they were only 5. My boyfriend doesn't consider himself a pet person, but he insisted that we get two kitties and he's been in love with them ever since. I swear, it's the cutest thing ever, even though he'll deny it.)

They were pretty mad that I kept putting them back on the couch. (Stitch is on the left, Lilo on the right. And, yes, the personalities fit the names.)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1001.jpg

I totally overpacked for this trip. Honestly, ladies, just plan on doing laundry half way through your trip and make it easier. I was so overpacked on the way home that the $50.00 overweight baggage fee was applied. And there was no getting around it. It was horrible lugging all of that stuff around, and if you can, just do the carry-ons. Carry-ons are what our plan for the next trip is. :rotfl2:

Here is some of the damage:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1002.jpg

This did not save me space because it made me think I had room for things I did not need. Like the hair pins? Don't use them! Why do I have them? Because maybe I'll need them because I'm in Disney! :rolleyes: I shouldn't be allowed to pack my own stuff.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1003.jpg

Here's Stitch overseeing the damage:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1004.jpg

And here is what my suitcase looked like after my boyfriend packed it. I couldn't get it to close, but he managed to! :rolleyes1

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1006.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

I did have this part of my trip already written and posted, but I guess something happened after I hit submit... :confused3

I forgot to mention that this trip, my bf and I were celebrating 4 years of dating! I'm only 22, so 4 years of a serious relationship is nothing to be scoffed at. We had taken a 3 year trip last Jan, and this year we decided to celebrate it as our anniversary trip with buttons and everything.

(Well, I wore the button... my bf's just happened to be left in the hotel room. Every day. For ten days.)

We were flying out of ORD, which was a little bit of a drive for us (about 3 1/2 hours) and a little longer in the snow (about 4 1/2 hours). I was driving the bf's newly purchased Pontaic G6 ( I am in love with his car. ) and we were testing out the Garmin navigation system for the first time. Let me tell you, when you are driving in the dark through downtown Chicago with all of those interchanges and have NO idea where you are going, the Garmin is amazing!

We started off the day packing. And packing. And packing. I had decided that it was too much of a hassle to do a coffee pot swap at POP and just packed my own 4 cup maker. We also got some soda and snacks, which went into my bag.

On top of it, Lilo and Stitch, my two torti rescue kitties decided that the suitcase was some giant kitty toy I had been hiding in my closet. Every time I would turn to fold a shirt, one of these guys would jump in.

(Side note: Lilo and Stitch are both girls, and they were thrown from a moving car as the shelter was opening. Their mother took off, and their other siblings died. These two have been eating solid food since 4 weeks and when we took them home, they were only 5. My boyfriend doesn't consider himself a pet person, but he insisted that we get two kitties and he's been in love with them ever since. I swear, it's the cutest thing ever, even though he'll deny it.)

They were pretty mad that I kept putting them back on the couch. (Stitch is on the left, Lilo on the right. And, yes, the personalities fit the names.)

Haha, they're glaring at me:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1001.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

I totally overpacked for this trip. Honestly, ladies, just plan on doing laundry half way through your trip and make it easier. I was so overpacked on the way home that the $50.00 overweight baggage fee was applied. And there was no getting around it. It was horrible lugging all of that stuff around, and if you can, just do the carry-ons. Carry-ons are what our plan for the next trip is. :rotfl2:

Here is some of the damage:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1002.jpg

This did not save me space because it made me think I had room for things I did not need. Like the hair pins? Don't use them! Why do I have them? Because maybe I'll need them because I'm in Disney! :rolleyes: I shouldn't be allowed to pack my own stuff.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1003.jpg

Here's Stitch overseeing the damage:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1004.jpg

And here is what my suitcase looked like after my boyfriend packed it. I couldn't get it to close, but he managed to! :rolleyes1

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1006.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

So we took off from our house at about 6:00 pm. We had to wait for the bf's little sister to come by and check out the litter box and kitty food and to explain that the kitties still needed human interaction. Since they were separated from their mother so early, they've imprinted on my boyfriend and I as other kitties. Or so says the vet who thinks he can talk to my cats. :rotfl2: Point is: they need play time.

So we drove to Chicago and ended up staying at the Hyatt Rosemont. Note to anyone thinking about staying here: do it. It's a very business feeling hotel and the lobby is a little cramped, but packing overnight at ORD is about $25.00 for a non-security non-covered spot. We were going to be gone for 10 nights, so that would have meant an extra $250.00 for parking alone! :scared1:

The hotel room, on the other hand, allowed us to spend the night before our flight in direct proximity to the airport, park our car in their 24 hour security covered parking garage, and shuttle us back and forth to the airport... for $150.00. We were paranoid about snow delaying us the morning of the flight anyway, so HOTEL IT IS!

We arrived at 9:00 - 10:00 ish and ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. The room was really nice and here were some of the pictures:

Wait, here's MORE stuff I managed to pack. I got a tip from a DISer to use a tupperwear container to pack my shampoo/jewelry/makeup/etc... it was probably the only useful packing tip I used. Didn't have to worry about stuff leaking or getting crushed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1009.jpg

The Room:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1007.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1008.jpg

The View the morning we left:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1010.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1011.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1013.jpg

We were so excited when we went to bed. I swear, we just stayed there on the bed and kept whispering in the dark... "Disney!" "We get to see the castle." "Why did you bring so much stuff?" "What are we going to do with the dish sponge?" "Did you pack the pins?" "I love you. But I'm starting to have feelings for Mickey."

And finally, right before I was asleep, he get's really close to my ear and does the most spot on impression of a Mickey laugh. I freakin' fell out of bed, I was laughing so hard.:rotfl2:

That's when I knew this was gonna be an awesome trip.:hug:


Up next: What are we doing in NEW YORK? And why is that little kid calling me sir?

[SnowandMittens]

So we took off from our house at about 6:00 pm. We had to wait for the bf's little sister to come by and check out the litter box and kitty food and to explain that the kitties still needed human interaction. Since they were separated from their mother so early, they've imprinted on my boyfriend and I as other kitties. Or so says the vet who thinks he can talk to my cats. :rotfl2: Point is: they need play time.

So we drove to Chicago and ended up staying at the Hyatt Rosemont. Note to anyone thinking about staying here: do it. It's a very business feeling hotel and the lobby is a little cramped, but parking overnight at ORD is about $25.00 for a non-security non-covered spot. We were going to be gone for 10 nights, so that would have meant an extra $250.00 for parking alone! :scared1:

The hotel room, on the other hand, allowed us to spend the night before our flight in direct proximity to the airport, park our car in their 24 hour security covered parking garage, and shuttle us back and forth to the airport... for $150.00. We were paranoid about snow delaying us the morning of the flight anyway, so HOTEL IT IS!

We arrived at 9:00 - 10:00 ish and ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. The room was really nice and here were some of the pictures:

Wait, here's MORE stuff I managed to pack. I got a tip from a DISer to use a tupperwear container to pack my shampoo/jewelry/makeup/etc... it was probably the only useful packing tip I used. Didn't have to worry about stuff leaking or getting crushed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1009.jpg

The Room:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1007.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1008.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

The View the morning we left:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1010.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1011.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1013.jpg

We were so excited when we went to bed. I swear, we just stayed there on the bed and kept whispering in the dark... "Disney!" "We get to see the castle." "Why did you bring so much stuff?" "What are we going to do with the dish sponge?" "Did you pack the pins?" "I love you. But I'm starting to have feelings for Mickey."

And finally, right before I was asleep, he get's really close to my ear and does the most spot on impression of a Mickey laugh. I freakin' fell out of bed, I was laughing so hard.:rotfl2:

That's when I knew this was gonna be an awesome trip.:hug:


Up next: What are we doing in NEW YORK? And why is that little kid calling me sir?

[noahdove]

Ok, I am ready to read:)

[SnowandMittens]

Ok, I am ready to read:)

Awwwww! Thanks!

We're thinking about possibly taking an Aug - Sept trip this year! (If we can afford it. Being students, our budget is always tight.)

Can't wait to read your trip report! Celebrating anything?

[mickeystoontown]

You're comment about packing too many things cracked me up. I always pack stupid stuff like safety pins, ponytail holders (I don't know why, my hair isn't long enough to put in a ponytail) and tape. But, in my own defense, I did have to use the safety pins one year when a button came off my shorts.;)

[MushuGirl06]

love your new updates

i have the same problem with overpacking; i just cannot help it
its a nightmaree

but cant wait to hear about the rest of your trippie!

[SnowandMittens]

Hey guys! Look for a trip update later today... !!!!:dance3:

[SnowandMittens]

Day #2 - January 8th, Thursday

Hey guys! Sorry about the long waits in updates, but finals are coming up! (eek!)
:teacher:

After repacking everything in our suitcases and leaving a last minute pair of shoes in the car, we called the front desk of the hotel to request a shuttle. We were told by a very perky person :scared: (no one should be speaking that high and cheery at this hour in the morning. it was ungodly.) that a shuttle would be there in about fifteen minutes. There was a Starbucks downstairs, so we lugged everything into the elevator, went downstairs, and I bought the biggest size of a vanilla latte that I could.



Heaven in a cup:
http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/gg396/cuelake196/BCS%202008/365/365album001-2.jpg



My boyfriend was mildly disgusted that I drank it that fast.

The hotel was also nice enough to print out our boarding passes at the hotel. Armed with our paper boarding passes, the unnecessary amount of luggage, and the knowledge that we would be in Orlando by nightfall, we got into the shuttle.




Bye bye hotel! (Swiped this off of the website, but imagine that there is snow EVERYWHERE!)
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff72/Bunnychgo/028_25A.jpg




Side note: The day after we left Chicago, it was blasted by one of the worst winter storms of the winter. The steps between the hotel and the shuttle was literally cold enough to make my fingers numb. It was ridiculous:eek:.

The shuttle was more like a van, and the driver was really nice. He loaded our massive luggage and offered us free bottled water. (Score!) :thumbsup2 He was really nice and asked us where we were going. We told him that we were celebrating the 4th anniversary, and got the first Congratulations of the trip! Yay! The entire ride took maybe 15 minutes.

I had booked a flight with Jet Blue about five months ago. The first time we flew down to Disney, we paid an insane amount of money for our airfare, so when I saw that Jet Blue had round trip tickets for $480 after tax (for both of them) I bought them. They lured me in with the promise of all you can eat snacks and personalized tvs in the seats in front of us.

Blurry, but you get something like the choice of 47 channels:
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t85/emersch/vegas19.jpg

Very spiffy.

I wish I would have booked a direct flight though. There really was no reason for the layover. We had a depart time of 11:10 AM and an arrival at 2:21 PM so we decided to grab some more coffee and a bagel before we got on the plane.

After a fairly non-eventful flight, we got to the JFK airport, only to have to wait for about 2 hours to reload the plane, this time to ORLANDO!

The Jet Blue terminal in JFK is really really nice; probably because they just re-did it.

This is a promo pic:
http://www.jaunted.com/files/4912/JetBlue_Terminal_5_Marketplace.jpg


We were starving when we got off of the plane. One thing that's horrible about the T5 terminal at JFK is that it is totally dominated by UBER expensive food places that, well, really aren't that good.

We ate Chinese; as in take out Chinese for about $38 for the two of us....:sad2:

Disney prices already!

A side note: I had managed to make the super smart decision that instead of a wheely carry on, I would prefer to carry my backpack and a duffel bag around with me.

:headache:BAD IDEA.:headache:

The duffel bag, while holding a TON of stuff, was HEAVY and I mean, really really really heavy. My shoulder hurt the ENTIRE vacation because it was bruised. My boyfriend was already carrying around the pink bag enough, so I tried to carry it myself, but it really made the long walks through the airport miserable and un-fun.

After forever, we loaded the plane, and were
Here is our plane!!!!!!! DISNEY HERE WE COME!
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u246/MD80MadDog/JFK%20Pre-Post%20A380%20Spotting%203-19-2007/DSC05867.jpg

The plane ride was, once again, pretty uneventful. EXCEPT for the little girl that was sitting across the isle that kept looking at me and saying "Hi Sir!". Nope, not my boyfriend. Just me.

Aparently I look like a man.:lmao:

The free unlimited snacks were delivered as promised, so we chowed down.

As soon as we got off of the plane, it was straight through to magical express!

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh114/viciousheadbutt/Disney%20World%20-%20All%20Star%20Music%20Resort/DisneysMagicalExpressBus01.jpg

The line was HUGE, but I didn't realize that all of the marathon people would be there. I will say, to the parents who decided to leave a parent in line, and take the tired, cranky, grumpy children and their luggage over to the waiting area with mom or dad, THANK YOU! It was such a relief to see that these poor kids didn't have to lug their heavy bags through the line. The family in front of them, bless their hearts, took all five of their kids, (I don't think the eldest was over 9, so these were some small kids) and their bags through the line. The lady in front of them told them that only one of the adults had to wait in line, but they snapped at her to mind her own business! I was shocked! These kids all had suitcases and backpacks on, and the littlest girl kept running away. We had to tell the mom at least twice that her daughter had taken off and was getting really far away. (those kids move fast!!!!)

I mean, I didn't know this family, and wasn't exactly in the position to wrangle their children for them; but if you have that many kids, wouldn't it make sense to let them go blow of steam in the waiting area?

:confused3

I did have some of my disney pins in my bag, and gave the kids one each, they seemed distracted by those for a second; so there's the disney magic! :wizard:

We finally got onto the bus, after forever, and had a very cool looking bus driver. :cool2:

After we started driving, the bus driver stopped at a red light for a semi-long time. My boyfriend and I were sitting in the front of the bus, and it looked like he couldn't get the video to play on the overhead monitors. I did hear a few F-bombs dropped and he hit the machine pretty hard. :rolleyes1

After he took off, with no video, he turned the easy listening radio station on. That's right folks, we had to listen to easy listening on my way to Disney. It was like someone died. :guilty:

To be honest, I could semi-understand the guy losing his cool over the video, I mean, that has to be frustrating, but what happened next was just freakin weird.

The bus driver started adjusting the mirrors and the shades on the bus... he honestly looked like a crack addict. It was the twitchy, compulsive, fidgety behavior that just caused my bf and I to look at each other.

About half way through to the hotel, he stops at a red light and grabs the microphone and starts YELLING at the people on the bus to be quiet and to respect the other people on the bus by shutting up.

Ok, here's the deal.

The bus was loud.

BUT THIS IS DISNEY!!!!! I mean, there are kids who have probably been traveling all day to go to Disney and now, they're almost here! They're excited! They're kids! They wanna talk!

And on top of that, everyone has probably spent a large amount of money to be there; and they want to get excited!

We were just in such a state of shock, that we just sat in silence for the rest of the entire trip. It totally killed my Disney buzz.

It stunk.

Thank god our first stop was here:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa234/BigGreen73/Pop%20Century/WDWDEC2007213.jpg

I don't think we've ever jumped off the bus so fast in our lives!

Next update: Do I have to ask for EVERYTHING around here? Hahaha!

[SnowandMittens]

Day #2 - January 8th, Thursday

Hey guys! Sorry about the long waits in updates, but finals are coming up! (eek!)
:teacher:

After repacking everything in our suitcases and leaving a last minute pair of shoes in the car, we called the front desk of the hotel to

request a shuttle. We were told by a very perky person :scared: (no one should be speaking that high and cheery at this hour in the

morning. it was ungodly.) that a shuttle would be there in about fifteen minutes. There was a Starbucks downstairs, so we lugged

everything into the elevator, went downstairs, and I bought the biggest size of a vanilla latte that I could.



Heaven in a cup:
http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/gg396/cuelake196/BCS%202008/365/365album001-2.jpg



My boyfriend was mildly disgusted that I drank it that fast.

The hotel was also nice enough to print out our boarding passes at the hotel. Armed with our paper boarding passes, the

unnecessary amount of luggage, and the knowledge that we would be in Orlando by nightfall, we got into the shuttle.




Bye bye hotel! (Swiped this off of the website, but imagine that there is snow EVERYWHERE!)
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff72/Bunnychgo/028_25A.jpg




Side note: The day after we left Chicago, it was blasted by one of the worst winter storms of the winter. The steps between the hotel

and the shuttle was literally cold enough to make my fingers numb. It was ridiculous:eek:.

The shuttle was more like a van, and the driver was really nice. He loaded our massive luggage and offered us free bottled water.

(Score!) :thumbsup2 He was really nice and asked us where we were going. We told him that we were celebrating the 4th

anniversary, and got the first Congratulations of the trip! Yay! The entire ride took maybe 15 minutes.

I had booked a flight with Jet Blue about five months ago. The first time we flew down to Disney, we paid an insane amount of money

for our airfare, so when I saw that Jet Blue had round trip tickets for $480 after tax (for both of them) I bought them. They lured me in

with the promise of all you can eat snacks and personalized tvs in the seats in front of us.

Blurry, but you get something like the choice of 47 channels:
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t85/emersch/vegas19.jpg

Very spiffy.[/B]

[SnowandMittens]

I wish I would have booked a direct flight though. There really was no reason for the layover. We had a depart time of 11:10 AM and

an arrival at 2:21 PM so we decided to grab some more coffee and a bagel before we got on the plane.

After a fairly non-eventful flight, we got to the JFK airport, only to have to wait for about 2 hours to reload the plane, this time to

ORLANDO!

The Jet Blue terminal in JFK is really really nice; probably because they just re-did it.

This is a promo pic:
http://www.jaunted.com/files/4912/JetBlue_Terminal_5_Marketplace.jpg


We were starving when we got off of the plane. One thing that's horrible about the T5 terminal at JFK is that it is totally dominated by

UBER expensive food places that, well, really aren't that good.

We ate Chinese; as in take out Chinese for about $38 for the two of us....:sad2:

Disney prices already!

A side note: I had managed to make the super smart decision that instead of a wheely carry on, I would prefer to carry my backpack

and a duffel bag around with me.

:headache:BAD IDEA.:headache:

The duffel bag, while holding a TON of stuff, was HEAVY and I mean, really really really heavy. My shoulder hurt the ENTIRE

vacation because it was bruised. My boyfriend was already carrying around the pink bag enough, so I tried to carry it myself, but it

really made the long walks through the airport miserable and un-fun.

After forever, we loaded the plane, and were
Here is our plane!!!!!!! DISNEY HERE WE COME!

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u246/MD80MadDog/JFK%20Pre-Post%20A380%20Spotting%203-19-2007/DSC05867.jpg

The plane ride was, once again, pretty uneventful. EXCEPT for the little girl that was sitting across the isle that kept looking at me and

saying "Hi Sir!". Nope, not my boyfriend. Just me.

Apparently I look like a man.:lmao:

The free unlimited snacks were delivered as promised, so we chowed down.

As soon as we got off of the plane, it was straight through to magical express!

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh114/viciousheadbutt/Disney%20World%20-%20All%20Star%20Music%20Resort/DisneysMagicalExpressBus01.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

The line was HUGE, but I didn't realize that all of the marathon people would be there. I will say, to the parents who decided to leave

a parent in line, and take the tired, cranky, grumpy children and their luggage over to the waiting area with mom or dad, THANK

YOU! It was such a relief to see that these poor kids didn't have to lug their heavy bags through the line. The family in front of them,

bless their hearts, took all five of their kids, (I don't think the eldest was over 9, so these were some small kids) and their bags through

the line. The lady in front of them told them that only one of the adults had to wait in line, but they snapped at her to mind her own

business! I was shocked! These kids all had suitcases and backpacks on, and the littlest girl kept running away. We had to tell the

mom at least twice that her daughter had taken off and was getting really far away. (those kids move fast!!!!)

I mean, I didn't know this family, and wasn't exactly in the position to wrangle their children for them; but if you have that many kids,

wouldn't it make sense to let them go blow of steam in the waiting area?

:confused3

I did have some of my disney pins in my bag, and gave the kids one each, they seemed distracted by those for a second; so there's

the disney magic! :wizard:

We finally got onto the bus, after forever, and had a very cool looking bus driver. :cool2:

After we started driving, the bus driver stopped at a red light for a semi-long time. My boyfriend and I were sitting in the front of the

bus, and it looked like he couldn't get the video to play on the overhead monitors. I did hear a few F-bombs dropped and he hit the

machine pretty hard. :rolleyes1

After he took off, with no video, he turned the easy listening radio station on. That's right folks, we had to listen to easy listening on my

way to Disney. It was like someone died. :guilty:

To be honest, I could semi-understand the guy losing his cool over the video, I mean, that has to be frustrating, but what happened

next was just freakin weird.

The bus driver started adjusting the mirrors and the shades on the bus... he honestly looked like a crack addict. It was the twitchy,

compulsive, fidgety behavior that just caused my bf and I to look at each other.

About half way through to the hotel, he stops at a red light and grabs the microphone and starts YELLING at the people on the bus to

be quiet and to respect the other people on the bus by shutting up.

Ok, here's the deal.

The bus was loud.

BUT THIS IS DISNEY!!!!! I mean, there are kids who have probably been traveling all day to go to Disney and now, they're almost

here! They're excited! They're kids! They wanna talk!

And on top of that, everyone has probably spent a large amount of money to be there; and they want to get excited!

We were just in such a state of shock, that we just sat in silence for the rest of the entire trip. It totally killed my Disney buzz.

It stunk.

Thank god our first stop was here:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa234/BigGreen73/Pop%20Century/WDWDEC2007213.jpg

I don't think we've ever jumped off the bus so fast in our lives!

Next update: Do I have to ask for EVERYTHING around here? Hahaha!

[Hallowishes]

NIIICE! Im really enjoying the beginning of your trip report! Congrats on your 4 year anniversary :love: it is a very big deal! :woohoo: ive never flown jetblue ... the planes look very nice! i cant wait to hear about your time at POP :surfweb: i always stay at all star music when i stay at values.

[SnowandMittens]

Ok, first to finish off Day 2!

We ended up checking into the hotel, and although I had all of the reservations noted with the anniversary, I still had to ask for the buttons. My bf looked at me like I was insane (he thinks that the button makes him look like a dork: I have explained that the button means free desserts and free champagne, but he doesn’t listen to me. :rolleyes: Haha.)


The woman at the check in desk looked surprised when I asked if there was a $200.00 disney gift card, like we had been promised. She had to go and look over a few different lists before we finally got it... I wonder if everyone remembered to ask for it? :confused3 We had requested a king bed, 50’s area, top floor and instead we were given two double beds, 80’s section, 3rd floor. Kind of a far cry from where we wanted to be, but we had a pool on one side of the building and the bus stop wasn’t that far away.:thumbsup2

I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to make it into any of the parks that day, and sure enough, I was right. We decided to grab some food at the food court (we had pizza and Parmesan chicken… pretty standard) and grabbed our first refillable mug. I wanted a new design, but all of the mugs that were out were the year of a million dreams promotion. (And it just reminded me how sad it was that we never won a dream the last year.)

We checked into the room and I started taking some pictures. We had some towel animals, which were cute, and the room looked pretty clean.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1017.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1015.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1016.jpg

We were kind of weary about staying in a value. The trip before, we had splurged and stayed for a week at POFQ (which is still one of my favorite hotels on property.) for about the same price that we were staying for 10 nights now. So we took the hit for the value resort and crossed our fingers.

Overall impression: the room wasn’t bad. :) A little small, but manageable, we were only in and out of it a little bit. The location was nice, near the pool, laundry, and not too far from the bus stop. The lines for buses, leaving for the park, leaving the park, in the cold, was, well, less than thrilling.

Like I said, it probably had to do with the fact that we had stayed at POFQ which is a smaller resort, by a long shot, and did not have guard rails to form a line. When we got off of the bus and saw those, we prepared ourselves.
However, as far as the amount of people and the quickness of the busses, we never waited for more than 20 minutes, with the exception of 1 hour for downtown Disney.

So… if money is tight, and we all know it is now, go for the value. You can keep writing down the couple hundred dollar you are saving figure if you want to, to feel better, and the hotel, by itself, was extremely charming and cute.:thumbsup2 It felt like Disney, it smelled like Disney, and it was a really really good way to stay on site and be able to afford it. I could totally see why this might be the favorite hotel for some people, because like I said, the only drawback is the amount of people, and you are in a HUGE hotel, so it’s to be expected. (We have resigned ourselves to value hotels for now on because they are such a good deal for what they are… we’re converted. And the Dbf keeps showing me the money we’re saving, which is exciting! :woohoo:)

Up Next:

Our FIRST full day in the parks! ADR at Crystal Palace, a squirrel that is HUGE and we're the second family on Space Mountain!

[mickeystoontown]

Still reading along. I am glad that you were pleased with Pop. We are used to staying in a suite offsite or at the Caribbean Beach Resort so we, too, are leery about staying in a value resort. But, we are hardly ever in our room so I am sure we'll be okay.

[saratogadreamin09]

Great TR:)

[lindsayjs]

Great TR! I look forward to hearing more about your adventure!:)

[SnowandMittens]

So today was the first full day in Disneyworld. :cool1:At first, I had planned on eating at Teppan Edo, in Epcot at the Japan pavilion, but after some lurking around on the Dis boards, I found out that the only way to get that picture of you and the castle; and ONLY you and the castle, was to make an ADR for breakfast before the park opens.:thumbsup2

Honestly; one of the BEST decisions on the trip. We are not morning people, but we had an ADR for Crystal Palace at 8:25 am, with a park opening at 9:00 am. We aren’t big breakfast people, and the thought of having Winnie the Pooh and friends make the rounds to say “Hi!” was amusing at best. We aren’t big character people, and I tend to talk to the characters inside the costumes as if they were really people. I don’t go: “Omigod! Pooh! How’s the 100 acre woods!” I go: “Hey Pooh! The kids being nice to you today?” Most times you get a FAR more interesting reaction to that question, such as a giant hug for not kicking Pooh’s leg, or a nod and a high five. Sometimes you get a yes, and then the paws go over the eyes and Pooh starts to cry. And then we’re mean and laugh.:rotfl:

So we got out of the hotel room at 7:45 am and walked from our Rubix cube staircase to the main lobby desk. I was fully expecting to have to pay for a taxi to get us over there early enough, but the lady behind the desk pointed out that the busses for the marathon were running. Yay! Thank you marathon runners! :worship:You and your busses saved us about $25.00 on a cab!

We got into the park and there were already people waiting to be let in for rope drop. We got there at about 8:10am, and were trying to find a turnstile that was letting people with ADRs through. The only negative experience that we had about this part of the trip was the mass amount of people that yelled out “Cheaters!” “Line cutters!” “Don’t worry kiddo, those people just think that they’re better than us.” And so forth.:sad2:

We got into a line where a few families with kids were trying to get in without ADRs. The cast member was trying to get them to move to the side, but they wouldn’t. Finally she just ignored them and opened the gate next to her and called out “Any ADR’s for this morning?” I walked around the people and went up to her to give her the confirmation number. The verbal abuse she got was ASTOUNDING. I was shocked.:scared1: I just turned to these people and said, “Look, we called ahead and got a reservation that allows us into the park early, it’s not her fault.”

One of the dad’s said, “You think you’re so mighty because you have money for the breakfasts. You think you’re better than us.”

“No,” I said, “I’m just a better planner than you are.”

And my boyfriend very nicely guided me away from this man with the scary goofy hat on and we started down main st.

I didn't let it get to me because it was AWESOME having almost no one in the park!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1018.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1019.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1020.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1021.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1022.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1023.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1024.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1025.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1031.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

Still reading along. I am glad that you were pleased with Pop. We are used to staying in a suite offsite or at the Caribbean Beach Resort so we, too, are leery about staying in a value resort. But, we are hardly ever in our room so I am sure we'll be okay.

We're thinking about staying at the CBR for our anniversary trip in Jan, so I don't know... like I said, if money is an issue, then the Value resorts really are the better deal, by far!

Great TR:)

Awwww! Thanks for reading!

Great TR! I look forward to hearing more about your adventure!:)

Thanks! Hopefully after finals week the updates will be in a faster succession! :banana:

[kadesha]

Wow! I can't believe people were acting like that to the people with early ADR's! That is astounding. :(

[GBShorts]

Can't wait to see how your trip turns out! :D

[crgfsu1]

I just found your trip report - I look forward to more!

Cant wait to hear how you liked CP - we really enjoyed it.

Cathy

[SnowandMittens]

After getting into the park and seeing how magical it really is empty, we made our way from the castle to Crystal Palace. On the way over we saw this guy:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1032.jpg
He was the tamest thing I’ve ever seen. Look how close we got to him, and none of these are zoomed in:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1033.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1034.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

We got to Crystal Palace and checked in.
Here is a view of the outside:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1035.jpg
The woman at the front of the counter was really sweet :love: and saw my anniversary button. (Remember, the Dbf thinks he’s too cool for this stuff.:laughing:) She gave him a hard time about not wearing it. We waited for a few minutes, less than five, and were seated.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1037.jpg
I don’t know why I didn’t take a picture of it, but they had little Mickey confetti sprinkled like a heart on our table. :love: I was so excited, and the Dbf was playing with it as soon as we sat down.
Now don’t kill me, but this is the only meal that I took pictures of food at. I don’t know what happened to me, but I totally spaced the rest of our trip. So enjoy the few food pictures:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1038.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

More food pics:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1039.jpg
The food was pretty amazing! Everything was hot and fresh, and I think I drank my weight in coffee (it doesn’t taste like Nescafe… can anyone confirm if it is?):confused3

We had a lovely server named Pam who was sweet as all get out! I traded a few pins with the character wranglers. Pooh came by and gave us a little attention. We were at the end of the rounds, so we let him go.:goodvibes

Piglet came by and kept hiding from my Dbf, which was hysterical. A little girl from the table behind us kept screaming “LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT!” every time Piglet started to hide.:lmao:

Eeyore was HYSTERICAL. My Dbf was like “Eeyore, why are you so sad?” and Eeyore pointed at him! I was cracking up.:rotfl2:

Tigger, on the other hand, bounced around for a little bit, but kept returning to the table of teenage girls a little behind us. That was pretty funny as well.

I had gotten some postcards from the airport that were of Disneyworld and had all of the characters sign those. We then sent the postcards home to our little sister. If you're a grown up and aren't doing this with kids, it gave us something to do when they came by, and my little sister was SO impressed when she got the postcards that had been signed. Much cheaper than an autograph book!

My super grown up too cool for anniversary button boyfriend then proceeded to spell out the words "Thank you!" in confetti.

We paid our bill and left, and were greeted with this:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1045.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1046.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

And finally, this!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1047.jpg

We were the second group (family?) at the rope, and the first got to go help open up space mountain. I told my boyfriend that if he didn't have to spend ten minutes arranging confetti into indistinguishable words we would have been there first. :rolleyes1

The Cast Members were having a lot of fun handing us more confetti, letting us play with the Buzz lightyear laser gun, and handing out those "No Stampeding" cards.

Watching the crowd walk up main st. towards us after rope drop was scary! :eek: It was like a moving herd of people. If I had a little kid, I would have been holding on to it like crazy. We started getting jostled around a little bit, and then the rope dropped! :yay:

[crgfsu1]

Awww - you did have a good time at CP :) Glad to hear.

Your BF playing with confetti is cute - he does care about the attention ;)

So, your first ride was Space Mtn?

[SnowandMittens]

Wow! I can't believe people were acting like that to the people with early ADR's! That is astounding. :(
I know! I was shocked. The girl looked grateful that someone said something, but I just couldn’t believe how rude they were being to HER. Looking back on it, it’s entirely possible they were all in the same group, which would account for the unified rudeness.

Can't wait to see how your trip turns out! :D
Yay! Got another reader!
I just found your trip report - I look forward to more!

Cant wait to hear how you liked CP - we really enjoyed it.

Cathy
We loved it, it was soooooo cute. Tried to get the BF to do the napkin parade, but he wasn’t having any of it.
Awww - you did have a good time at CP :) Glad to hear.

Your BF playing with confetti is cute - he does care about the attention ;)

So, your first ride was Space Mtn?
He does like it, he’s just shy or something. LOL.
Sure was, the next segment is BIG and finishes off the day… it’s going to be up later!

[Disneychix]

Wow, I've never experienced anything like that with an early morning ADR! That's insane! I'm surprised the people in charge weren't doing more crowd control. And to think those people still had 1 hour to go!

Your breakfast sounds really good. I love CP and I was surprised because it looks like you have whipped cream on your waffles and I've never seen that there before. Now I want to go back and put whipped cream on my mickey waffles!! :)

[aftensgirl]

Love reading your TR. Looking forward to read more. :cheer2:

[Tenuviel]

Loving the trip report!

I adore vanilla lattes too!!! My DH can never believe how fast I down them!!!

I also cannot believe the people's reactions to ADR! That is crazy!

[SnowandMittens]

As soon as the rope dropped and we threw confetti into the air (the Dbf was very amused with that and I’m pretty sure he threw his confetti on me because he was laughing and picking little mickey heads out of my hair for the rest of the day :laughing:) we booked it right to Space Mountain. The Dbf was the Fast Pass runner of the trip, has long legs, and within three minutes we had our first fast passes and were in line for Space Mountain. :love:


Behold, rope drop doubters, we rode seven times!

In a row.

Never again will you doubt! We got out of line as soon as we started waiting more than ten minutes!:worship:

We were off to Buzz Lightyear, and proceeded to ride that three times in a row. It took me two times, but I found both of the secret targets (by cheating and googling them online without the Dbf’s knowledge:snooty:) and won the promise of a light up tinkerbell later in the trip:thumbsup2. He lost out on a Cars Magnet. We had a blast, but I like the version in California better, because you can take the guns off of the ride.


We headed up to the spinny rocket things, and squeezed into a single rocket. I’m not pooh-sized, but rather athletic, so is my BF, and it was a tight squeeze. Those things go a lot faster than I thought they would and I was rather scared. It was freaky being up that high! :scared:I got some pretty pictures though.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1054.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1056.jpg

On the way back down, we had a good laugh at this guy’s hat. At the top of the spring there is a mini tigger. I would have loved to have met the man that designed that hat.:rolleyes1

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1058.jpg

Oh! I have a good idea, let’s take a baseball hat, make it furry, put tiger stripes on it, like Tigger! Oh, wait! How about a SPRING! You know, because Tigger is bouncy. So we’ll stripe the spring as well! The spring is also fuzzy! Do you think they’ll get who it is? Ah, just put a little Tigger up there so they know who that hat is supposed to be about!
:lmao:

[SnowandMittens]

We got off of those and I saw Stitch, which is my favorite character:cool1:, so I got a few pictures with him. We headed into Fantasy land and ran onto the teacups and saw these guys along the way:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1061.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1062.jpg
There wasn’t much of a line to see them, but we were on a mission!:hyper:

Next, we went on Pooh, which was super cute! We headed on to my FAVORITE ride in ALL of Disney World: Peter Pan’s Flight.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1063.jpg

[SnowandMittens]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1064.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1065.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/circleofsapient/disney09pt1066.jpg

[crgfsu1]

Space Mtn - 7 times? Oh my heck! Good job. :thumbsup2

I have never done very well on Buzz - my score fails to compairson.:sad2:

I have never been on Astro Orbiter - I can imagine that it is a bit scary being up that high.

BTW - loved the guys hat. (NOT) I wouldnt let my DH wear it.

Cathy

[heaven2dc]

First of all, great TR and pics! Isn't it great to leave all that snow behind you and get to spend 10 days in the Florida sunshine?!!

I think it's great how Magical Express tells people to let only one person in your party stand in line. That makes the lines so much less hassle-free to stand waiting your turn. I can't even imagine standing in line with loads of families and big groups (when I was there in December and the ME lady told the people in front of me that only one person was allowed to wait, the dad got all huffy and said something like "look it's starting already!!". Not sure what he meant but his poor wife was so embarrassed, hung her head down & grabbed their 3 kids' hands and backpacks and went to sit down.)

I also can't believe those disgruntled people making snide remarks to those entering with ADR's. Obviously they don't read the Disboards! I overheard a few remarks when we were in the Fastpass line. Oh well....you're at Disney people, so just be happy!!

I hope you get to enjoy the rest of your trip without too many more unhappy events. BTW you did an awesome job with planning your trip & spending only $2200 for air, room, dining plan and park tickets for 10 days!

[aladdinsgirl]

Really enjoying your report. The pics of Cinderella Castle are beautiful! We were at WDW 1/8-1/18 for the marathon and we stayed at Pop and BCV, I am going to be scanning your pictures to see if I see myself in the background, wouldn't that be wild?? :teeth:

[mickeystoontown]

Anxiously awaiting more!

[DT83097]

Love the TR so far - you are doing a great job. If those people in line at MK were smart they would've been asking you HOW you were able to get in early!! Oh well, their loss and all of the DIS' gain!!

[DessertGirl]

Love your TR. You are hilarious.

Can't wait to read more!

[DessertGirl]

sorry forgot to subscribe...

[courtney2702]

Im joining in on your trip report. hope you dont mind. Oh my the DME bus driver would have scared me to death! How could he not be nice he gets to be a part of disney everyday! lol

I also have a tortie kitty (well cat now). she was left in a box on the side of the road. Off of trip report topic but dose your torties have a very independent personality i've read thats most torties personalitys?

[SnowandMittens]

Love the TR so far - you are doing a great job. If those people in line at MK were smart they would've been asking you HOW you were able to get in early!! Oh well, their loss and all of the DIS' gain!!
I know! My boyfriend actually turned around and went, “Na na na na na na!” and stuck his tongue out at them . He’s a riot.
Anxiously awaiting more!
Yay! Going to work on some of it right now!
Really enjoying your report. The pics of Cinderella Castle are beautiful! We were at WDW 1/8-1/18 for the marathon and we stayed at Pop and BCV, I am going to be scanning your pictures to see if I see myself in the background, wouldn't that be wild?? :teeth:
I am obsessive about doing that! I love finding TR of people that went at the same time, just to see if I’m in those pictures somehow. I’ll make sure to put in all of the crowd shots and stuff.
First of all, great TR and pics! Isn't it great to leave all that snow behind you and get to spend 10 days in the Florida sunshine?!!

I think it's great how Magical Express tells people to let only one person in your party stand in line. That makes the lines so much less hassle-free to stand waiting your turn. I can't even imagine standing in line with loads of families and big groups (when I was there in December and the ME lady told the people in front of me that only one person was allowed to wait, the dad got all huffy and said something like "look it's starting already!!". Not sure what he meant but his poor wife was so embarrassed, hung her head down & grabbed their 3 kids' hands and backpacks and went to sit down.)

I also can't believe those disgruntled people making snide remarks to those entering with ADR's. Obviously they don't read the Disboards! I overheard a few remarks when we were in the Fastpass line. Oh well....you're at Disney people, so just be happy!!

I hope you get to enjoy the rest of your trip without too many more unhappy events. BTW you did an awesome job with planning your trip & spending only $2200 for air, room, dining plan and park tickets for 10 days!
Thanks!
The bus driver was scary! I complained to Disney about it and got kind of a dismissive phone call. Strange….
Space Mtn - 7 times? Oh my heck! Good job. :thumbsup2

I have never done very well on Buzz - my score fails to compairson.:sad2:

I have never been on Astro Orbiter - I can imagine that it is a bit scary being up that high.

BTW - loved the guys hat. (NOT) I wouldnt let my DH wear it.

Cathy
Everytime my boyfriend would complain, I would point out that I wasn’t making him wear a Tigger hat…
Im joining in on your trip report. hope you dont mind. Oh my the DME bus driver would have scared me to death! How could he not be nice he gets to be a part of disney everyday! lol

I also have a tortie kitty (well cat now). she was left in a box on the side of the road. Off of trip report topic but dose your torties have a very independent personality i've read thats most torties personalitys?
One of them is. Stitch couldn’t care less if I was there unless she wants her chin scratched or wants to play… on an odd note, she plays fetch. She’ll find a scrap of paper and drop it on my lap and run after it and bring it back. It’s pretty cute.
Lilo thinks she is human. Every time I come home, she’s poking me with her nose, or putting her paws on my face. She likes my bf’s scruffy when he lets his beard grow out and she’ll sit on his chest and rub her face against his for hours. It’s soooo cute.
Love your TR. You are hilarious.

Can't wait to read more!
Haha, I’m going to show my mom that. Look mom, SOMEONE thinks I’m funny.

[minniemousepancake]

Awesome trip report so far! Can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

[Bridora]

Hi! Just read your whole TR! I've been thinking about trying rope-drop on our 1st day, at least...we are not morning people, but you rope-droppers are on to something for sure!!

[gottalluvmickey]

Sounds like the best way to try the rope drop is to get reservations before the park opens!!! Great idea!!!