The Most Magical Bus Ride in ALL the Land!
Hello everyone! I know it's been a bit since I last posted an update when I started off on such a good start. I had a really busy past week or so because I was subbing and then I had custom card orders that I had to fill by this Sunday. Then I went to work again yesterday to be an extra set of hands for my former school's Field Day on the lovely almost 90-degree day, but silly me forgot to put suntan lotion on my neck, so I burned there (it's funny because on my back, there's a white patch in the center because I had my long hair in a ponytail). I felt so sick last night and ended up falling asleep on the bathroom floor since I didn't want to move. Howard woke me up around 10pm so I could move to the bed, and so I'm still taking it easy today. I figured it's the best time to finish my latest update, don't you think?
Once we finished our Chik-fil-A picnic, we headed over to check in for Magical Express. Unlike our previous trip where we completely forgot to bring the booklet and had to wait at the desk, I made sure I had it during this trip. Of course, with the introduction of the Magic Bands, we didn't even need it! All that had to be done was for one person in the party to tap the Mickey head on the band to the Mickey head on the scanner. I have to say that that first touch kind of lured me in! I mean, I'm still somewhat fascinated by touch screens like at ATMs or the ordering stations at Captain Cooks.
We were told to walk down a certain line. Isn't it just so unbelievably organized here? I love that there's never any confusion about where to go or stand.
Once we got to the front of the line for our bus, I took this picture of our Magic Bands. For anyone who knows us, it was obvious why we picked pink and green because those were our wedding colors! Back when we were in high school, Howard showed me how to use the macro feature on my digital camera because I really wanted to know how to "make the thing in front clear but everything else blurry" (haha, that was the extent of my photography knowledge at that point ... not that I have that much more now). When I tried my own picture, I used two Hershey kisses in the colors of pink and green, and then it just stuck! We then had a day where he wore a green t-shirt and I had a pink tank top, and it just solidified it for the rest of our relationship.
The cast member there saw us taking the picture and struck up a conversation with us about them and FP+. She was telling us about the crowds and saying that she was actually off from work the week before and spent it with family at the parks and had to deal with crowds. We told her that we pretty much only ever go to Disney during Presidents Week, Easter week, and Christmas, so we were looking forward to fewer people in comparison to those vacations! And in reality, you'll be able to see that the crowds we dealt with we're a lot more manageable compared and sometimes non-existent at certain times of the day!
I felt that our trip was already off to a fantastic start because I love the random conversations with cast members!
While we were there, a family came into our line after us. We had to laugh because it was the family we sat next to on the plane! The dad was like, "You guys again!" because clearly we all took a bit of a break instead of directly heading to Magical Express once we got off our flight. It was definitely comical seeing that we were there at the exact same time.
I think all the buses at that point where the yellow Mears buses, but I don't actually mind. At that point, I just want to get on a bus and get to our resort! Haha, Jennifer (Jennifer48) is probably thinking, "Um, you were supposed to get on a bus an hour ago!" Howard and I also had the full experience of the Disney bus on our Disneymoon, which I felt was much more important. In reality, a bus is a bus, right? As long as it will take us to WDW and we get to watch the video, it's all good.
r
We got to sit at the front of the bus, which I like not because of the sign but because of being able to look straight out the window during the drive. I remember during one of our field trips with the middle school kids, we had to sit on a bus for a SUPER long time because we went to the Sight and Sound theater to watch the Miracle of Christmas. We're in NY, so though it might not be crazy long for a road trip, it is lengthy on a bus! We did have a coach bus, but even so, I started feeling a little motion sickness halfway through. I had to move to that front seat. On the way back home after the show and dinner at Good 'N Plenty, I sat in that seat automatically and I didn't bother turning around to correct kids as my fellow teacher friends took care of that. I'm so grateful for that because we got stuck in HORRIBLE traffic on the way back, and so many people were feeling bus sick from the stop and go. Bags had to be given to kids just in case, but the only one who actually needed one was one of the moms who was chaperoning (thankful for the bathroom in the back of the bus!). Anyway, getting a seat near the front is extremely important to me if I can help it! Thankfully, the trip is fairly short and smooth anyway, and I have so much excitement that I usually feel great!
Anyway, another benefit of sitting in the front is the little table in front of us. I joked that it was a Chik-fil-A bag holder for me.
Before we could leave the airport, our bus driver Edwin actually had to get off the bus because the scanner thing wasn't detecting whatever needed to be detected.
I love going anywhere with this guy. We could be going to do errands, and though the errands themselves may not be fun, I love that my best friend is right next to me. Sitting next to this guy makes me happy. I can't help it! I just think about how we dated for a little bit and then broke up for TWO YEARS before we got back together. I NEVER thought that I'd date him again, haha, but my mom told Howard, "Just give her some time." I knew that he was mine forever when we became best friends again, and we both knew that even if we married other people (we were both interested in other people at one point), we'd still be in each other's lives and would need to have our families do things like go to Disney together. Haha, isn't that the funniest thing? It seems absolutely silly to some degree, but my mom did say maybe like TWICE throughout all of this that it's not the one you can live with but the one you can't live without that you need to marry. And yeah, even if I couldn't be Howard's wife, I still couldn't live without him as my best friend. So that's why the fact we are MARRIED still makes me a happy camper! And we can technically go to Disney whenever we want without having to mix two families' schedules together because WE are a family.
But you know how I said that as long as we can watch the video all was okay? Well, for those of you who have been on recent trips, you know that the video has changed! I understand that the information in the old video needed to be updated what with MagicBands and FP+, but it just wasn't done ... magically. It just seemed TOO much like an advertisement. Although the video is always going to be an ad, the previous one was done in a way that was like, reaffirming that Disney is the greatest place what with all the services they provide. I loved seeing all the characters check in at the resort, and it just seemed so whimsical. The new one is way too boring, and it actually could not keep my attention even though I really tried hard to focus on it. I gave up after a while.
Howard gave up VERY early on during the ride and actually closed his eyes for a while. When we passed by the sign for Arabian Nights, I wanted to take a picture, but he heard me and opened his eyes so that's why he's smiling. The first time he saw this when we drove to Florida on a trip with my parents in 2010, he pointed out the sign because of the horse on top. When he was a kid, he used to watch this cartoon called Luno the White Stallion, which I had never heard of. Since then, he's had quite a love for horses when we see them, haha.
We were wondering what resort that family would be staying at and if they'd also be at Pop, but they got off at Art of Animation. Since we had our seats in the front, we said bye to them as they got off. The dad joked and said, "See you on the plane!"
After AoA, Pop was next, of course, so we were ALMOST THERE!
But yay for Jet Blue and snacks haha! I like Jet Blue for the tv's and snacks but I feel like they are always delayed. And I don't like that they charge you extra for changing flights. And we all know I'm a chronic flight/date/resort changer when it comes to Disney trips! 
I've seen the Disney gift cards at Target but I think they are only 50 dollar ones. I have read that you can use the pharmacy gift rewards and your Target card to get 10% off the gift cards.
DH hates their chicken (he hates pickles!), but I love the fries there!
Although, those waffle fries do look yummy!
Glad you enjoyed your picnic. 
