2 Redheads and 1 Brunette take on Disney, with pics!! FINISHED!!

[Kimberly815]

I am an extremely lucky girl.
I know that.
Sure, there are plenty of things that I would change if I could (like how far the scale needle is tipping to the right lately). But I know how lucky and blessed my life is. I have a decent job to pay the bills. I have a home to go to every night. I have a warm bed to sleep in. I have a fantastic fiancé who couldn’t care less how far that scale needle tips in either direction. I have a family that is thrilled about our upcoming wedding. And, I have two best friends.

Yup. Two. Two best friends. Both of them are fantastic (Gee, I hope they think I am fantastic too!). Both will be standing up there next to me when I finally say ‘I Do’. Two maids of honor (well, technically a maid and matron of honor). And on this Disney trip, I get to spend all of my time just the two of them.

Someone actually asked if we were all sisters on this trip- which just seems crazy to me. Yeah lady, that’s right. We are sisters. Don’t we look like it?

The tall, slender, pale, red/auburn haired, brown eyed girl (Jen).

The shorter, slender, pale, freckled, red/orange haired, blue eyed girl (Michelle).

And the medium-height, chubby, mousy brown hair and mousy brown eyed girl (that’s me!)?

We’re triplets. Couldn’t you tell?

Maybe I will buy a bottle to dye my hair red too just so I can fit in. For this trip. Our trip.

We all went to the same high school.
I met Jen freshman year of high school, in Communication Skills (required class). We had Meteorology class together senior year, too. We ended up going to the same college to study Meteorology and the bonding continued over late nights pouring over incomprehensible equations.
I met Michelle senior year of high school, in Physics Class. We were inseparable from that point on, all senior year (I think she was just using me for my Physics skills, ha ha!), and the first year of college separated proved to be a tough one. There where quite a few long drives to visit Michelle at college, after the long nights of incomprehensible equations with Jen.

Jen and Michelle, on the other hand . . . never really had a class together (I don’t think). And knew each other back then (I think), but weren’t friends per se. They haven’t spent too much time together, mostly stuff for me. Birthdays, etc. And now, I guess, stuff for the wedding. Not to mention this Disney trip. I don’t think it was for any particular reason . . . just the opportunity never arose for them to become super duper friendly.

So Spring 2006 rolls around. And the free dining promotion comes out. Despite a busy year, Michelle getting married, planning my own wedding . . . I get the Disney bug. I want to go again. With my best friends. So I ask them. And by some unknown miracle, we all can go. Labor Day weekend 2006. Girls only trip. Disney or Bust!!

Day 1 August 31st Flight and MGM Studios

Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep.

Ugh. I can’t believe it is 3:30 AM. Whose idea was it to take the 7:00 AM flight out of Manchester, NH anyhow?

Oh wait. I think it was my idea. I am going to have to rethink the really early flight for next time. But don’t feel bad for us. WE are going to Disney. Feel bad for Joe (my fiancé), since he just gets to drop us off at the airport and then go home and get ready for work (with maybe a quick nap in between). He doesn’t get to go anywhere fun today. Unless you really, really love working for the cable company . . . then you might think it is fun.

A quick hop in the shower and I am ready to go- in my traveling sweats. Sweats are really the only way to travel at that hour of the morning. Who the heck wants to put on something nice to get on a plane for three hours!?! And it is pretty safe to say that someone else at the airport will look MUCH worse/scarier than I do.

Michelle is dropped off a few minutes late by her new hubby (just married a few short weeks ago, and she is already abandoning him for a long weekend), and then it is off to pick up Jen by 4:30 AM.

We normally wouldn’t leave quite this early for a flight out of Manchester, since it is a pretty quiet airport, but with the new security regulations, we figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. We make it to the airport by about 5:30 AM or so.

By 6:00 AM, we are at the gate. We are flying Southwest, and for those of you who don’t know, it is open seating. You are divided up into sections A, B or C depending on when you check in. We strategically place ourselves in some seats right at the front of the section A line, trying to block the whole lane, so that everyone knows we are in the line for A.

I am sitting there, trying to stay awake, thinking about how much my stomach is rumbling, when Michelle says "I am really hungry."

THANK GOODNESS.

Jen opts to skip out on the breakfast. So she takes the difficult task of keeping our place at near the front of the A line.

Michelle and I head over to the McDonald’s just a few gates down for some yummy greasy airport breakfast. The McD’s here is one huge restaurant to service both sides of security and is separated by a huge glass wall.
We walk by, drooling over the Egg McMuffins, just a few feet away, on the other side of the glass.

At the counter, there is a very long line. But no one seems to leaving with any food. The girl at the counter seems annoyed. Our conversation goes like this:
Us: Hi, can we have some breakfast.
Countergirl: Um, no. We can’t serve anything right now. Our system is down.
Us: Um, okay. But why can’t we have breakfast when we can see them serving people just on the other side of the glass.
Countergirl: Sorry. There is nothing I can do until they fix it.
Us: Ooooooookaaaaaaaaay, I guess. About how long?
Countergirl: 15-20 minutes.

And we walk away slowly , watching some dude savor his Egg McMuffin through the glass. I think he was taunting us.

After about 10 minutes or so, I look up, and it seems like our Countergirl friend is busy helping get people breakfast. Michelle and I are about to get up to head back to McD’s when we hear an announcement over the loudspeaker that makes all three of us freeze.

SpeakerStatic: Southwest passenger Michelle *Mumble* please come to the nearest counter for an important message. Michelle *Mumble*.

Michelle’s last name sounds an awful lot like *Mumble*.

DARNIT! What did you do NOW Michelle? I have no problem leaving you hear at the Southwest terminal and going on to Disney without you . . . . Just kidding . . . . . sort of.

They page again. We still can’t tell if they mean OUR Michelle. So we decide to go up to the counter on our way back to McD’s.

Us: Hi there, we just wanted to check on the name that you just announced. Because we weren’t sure of it, and it sounded an awful lot like Michelle *Grumble*, and that is her name.

SWTicketDude: (picks up the phone and starts looking around and whispers) Security, Security. . . I think we have her.

AAAAHHHHH!!!

SWTicketDude (laughing): I am actually not sure of the name. Let me check with her. (Pointing to a lady working with him that was on the phone).

SWTicketDudette puts down the phone and informs us that it was indeed Michelle Mumble, and not OUR Michelle Grumble. Phew!

After picking up our delicious and completely UN-healthy breakfast, we head back to Jen. As we were walking up, I saw it. THEM. The people who apparently were DETERMINED on cutting the Southwest line. Jen was just hanging up the phone with her boyfriend. And there was nothing to be done. They had already cut her. Mr. and Mrs. Snob. Apparently they are too good for lines, and hop right over other people and their stuff to get to the front.

We let is slide- this time. Because this is the start of the trip, and we are feeling generous.

Flight was very good and surprisingly smooth, even with having to fly over Ernesto. We got the exit row, which is always nice with extra legroom.
After thanking the crew on my way out of the plane it hits me: A WALL OF HUMIDITY!! I can feel it leaking in between the aircraft and the ramp. This is going to be one hot trip.

We pick up our luggage and the rental car by about 11:00am with only one snag. There is no antenna. Normally, not a big deal- what difference does it make if the radio works . . . but I specifically bought a pirate antenna topper so we can find the rental easier. And there is nothing to put it on top of!! See:

Up next: We finally arrive at the All Star Movies!

 

[Bee]

great start.... looking 4ward 2 more!!!!

 

[Jennifer48]

Yey! Its finally posted!! I can't wait to relive this trippy!

Oh and just an FYI, I never had a class with Michelle in high school. I just wasn't that lucky I guess.

Edited to add: You are that fantastic too!

 

[happybratpack]

Great start, can't wait to read more!!

 

[The_Grim]

I bet that I had more fun at work that day than you had at Disney! yeah, that's the ticket....

Just kidding....cable days are not fun....

I knew I should've gotten myself a redhead wig and tagged along!

 

[saschab]

Redheads rule!
Nice trippie so far, I'll be following!

 

[Kimberly815]

Off to the All Star Movies. The drive was quick, and there wasn’t much traffic.

We park, leaving our luggage in the car, and go to check in and upgrade park tickets.
Very cute lobby, and better yet. NO LINE. Check in is a breeze, and the best part . . . our room is ready. Might Ducks 3809.

We drove around the resort, finding the building and lugged all of our stuff up into the room. I was very happy with the rooms. More than adequate for the price. The queen size airbed fit perfectly once we moved the little table and chairs out of the way.

Quickly we changed, and packed up what we needed . . . and were off to MGM.

We arrive by 12:30 pm or so. Not too shabby.

Although I always enjoy this park very much, I picked this for our arrival day; because I figured that we could do all of the MUST SEES in about half a day. This way, we once we got those must sees in, anything extra would be pure bonus.

We were all STARVING upon arrival to the park. (Michelle and I hadn't had anything since breakfast at 6:30 am, and Jen hadn't had anything at all yet!) But all three of us agreed that we should do Tower of Terror and Rockin Rollercoaster before we ate anything. We didn't want any upset bellies for our first big meal at 50's Prime Time Cafe later that night!

We walked onto the Tower of Terror with no wait- our elevator wasn't even full; I am always nervous about this ride, but it is one of the best there is. The theme, the buildup, the drops. . . .Just a great ride all around.

Next we headed over to Rockin Rollercoaster. Wait time said 30 minutes, and we started to head into the line, but after a couple of steps, decided to grab a fastpass instead. It was about 12:56 and the fastpass return time was 1:30 pm. So instead of waiting in line for a half an hour, and then ride, we decided to go on the Great Movie Ride, and then back to Rockin Rollercoaster.

This was our ONE seriously bad move all weekend. And we were about to find out why. Hey, it sounded good, in theory.

The problem is there is no wait time listed for the Great Movie Ride. What's with that?? We get in line, because how bad could it be, right?

Pretty bad, I'll tell ya.

45 minutes bad.

45 minutes when you haven't eaten since 6:30 am . . . or haven't eaten at all, all day BAD.

We almost got out of line about 4 times, but every time we were about to go for it, the line would actually move. We watched those darn clips about a million times. I sang along with "Singing in the Rain" more times than I have ever cared to sing. We wondered what the issue could possibly be. Finally, we got on the ride.

Tammy Trainee was practicing. So they were only filling the back section. The front section was just Tammy, and one other person critiquing her performance.

I didn't really enjoy the Great Movie Ride, today. And I usually do. I love the movies. Especially GOING to the movies. And I LOVE the previews. Just ask Jen or Michelle. I get a nervous twitch if we are running late for a movie and I might miss the previews. They really are the best part. Cause even if the movie stinks, you can usually find another movie in the previews to look forward to.

But today, the Great Movie Ride was just a bit annoying. I was tired from standing for 45 minutes with no food in my stomach. I was feeling a bit sick and woozy. And from the looks of them, Michelle and Jen were feeling even worse.

We practically ran back to Rockin Rollercoaster- which lifted all our moods. It’s a great ride. But I think it was the prospect of lunch, which really made the difference in our spirits.

We took our first walk into the land of free dining at the ABC Commissary. We all had burgers, sodas, and dessert. We gobbled up our lunch. You would have sworn it was the most delicious lunch ever.

However, the burgers there were not good. I do not recommend them. They were very not good. Very not good at all. But when you haven't eaten in about 8 hours, you will usually eat almost anything. So we didn’t notice how gross they really were until we were about halfway done eating. The fries were very good, and so were the desserts.

We kept track of what our free food cost all week, so that we would know exactly how much free food we got. ABC Commissary was $37.

We were rejuvenated.

And we had the rest of the park to explore. And no plan.

 

[Jennifer48]

Ah me and my giant bug-eye sunglasses.

Yeah no me gusta on those "burgers" at the Commissary. I don't know what kind of meat it was but even for 3 starving women, they still tasted bad! The desserts were yummy tho and all FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!

 

[The_Grim]

Ha! see how hungry you guys were? This is where my strategy of eating everything in sight pays off!

< I'd eat this guy if I could, but I have a feeling that all his bouncing would upset my belly....

 

[The_Grim]

Hmm...sorry that the burgers stunk...fwiw, breakfast rules at the commisary....nothing like a stack of flapjacks before riding the rockin' rollercoaster! Steven Tyler would be proud!!!

 

[FLParadisevilla]

What a great report so far I can't wait to hear more! I would love to plan a huge girls only trip or Moms and kids trip!! I think that would be so much fun!!
You may motiviate me for this!

 

[oybolshoi]

I've been waiting for this report for a long time (just ask Jennifer) - it's good stuff so far and I love the pictures. Keep it coming!

Don't you just love egg mcmuffins for breakfast? I save them for vacation because if I ate them in the real world I think I'd have to start taking Lipitor to unclog my arteries.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Great report and pics so far!

 

[lucky978]

I'm enjoying your trip report. When did you go? I don't see dates anywhere!

Looking forward to the next installment.

 

[Kimberly815]

I'm enjoying your trip report. When did you go? I don't see dates anywhere!

Looking forward to the next installment.

I thought they were in there somewhere- but maybe not!

We went August 31st-Sept 4th- a whirlwind Labor Day weekend!

 

[Kimberly815]

Jen really wanted to check out the Narnia Exhibit, so we headed there. I thought it was really neat and the White Witch was the most impressive part. I liked it, but I am sure that they could have made it much nicer, with minimal additional effort.

We took a stroll back towards the Backlot Tour (which was closed that day) and then up the Streets of America quickly (because it was packed!) Muppets 3-D was the next stop (which is a must see in my book. I don't really know why. I think it just reminds me of when my brother, my sister and I were little. I have a Kermit and Fozzy that ride in the back seat of my car).

Here we encountered our first experience of people not moving to the end of the row (Big shocker!!). Jen climbed over them while saying loudly "Lets go girls, we must proceed to the end of the row!" Ha ha. She is great to have in situations like this, because she will have no problem saying a little something to the offenders. Nothing rude or offensive- Just enough to remind them that they aren't following the rules.

After Muppets 3-D. We strolled around a bit more. We had no plan at this point. We were at the park much earlier than originally anticipated. MOST wait times had been nonexistent (that darn movie ride). . . .And we had done everything that we HAD to do. So now what?

We walked by Indiana Jones. It sounded like it was just starting; however, according to the nice CM at the entrance- it was full. Darn.

So we brainstormed . . . and realized . . . that 2/3 of us had never seen the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Which is shocking, since both Jen and Michelle are redheads, and the Little Mermaid is one of their favorites! I had read about how scary Ursula could be to little ones. This was my chance to make my own opinion . . . and I was not disappointed . . . she was rather large.

We exited the show, at about 4:50 in the afternoon . . . . At MGM. There were people everywhere. Lining the streets . . . waiting for the parade. So we joined them.

I had only seen bits and pieces of this parade in the past. And from behind rows and rows of people. This time was different, we were right behind a handicapped section, so we had a pretty good view . . . and Jen got some very nice shots.

After the parade ended. We strolled around some of the stores. We sat on one of the benches along side the road, and were perfectly set up to see one of those cute little street shows that they do. They were picking out talent to perform in a movie. The director kept eyeing Jen and Michelle. I was starting to get a little worried that we would be picked to participate. Normally, that would be just fine . . . and I would love to watch my friends act silly and take lots of photos . . . but it was about 5:50pm, and our ADR for 50's Prime Time Cafe was for 6:10pm. We really couldn't risk getting picked out of the crowd. So when the director was looking the other way . . . we made a break for it.

We checked in early for the 50's Prime Time Cafe, and we seated without more than a few minutes wait. It was a first for all three of us . . . and we loved it. The feel of the whole restaurant was fantastic. I swear that my grandmother has some of the same stuff still in her house. Watching the antics at all the other tables was great entertainment for the meal.

Aunt Brenda would be serving us today. She brought over napkins and utensils and explained to us that we would have to set our own table. We were pretty mellow that night, and are fairly polite girls, so we didn't have too much trouble following the rules. However, Michelle didn't eat all her green beans. Instead, she spread them out all over her plate . . . to make it look like she ate more.

Aunt Brenda: So you didn't finish all your green beans, huh?
Michelle: (shyly) Um, no. I don't really like them that much.
Aunt Brenda: But I see that they are spread all over your plate . . . so that it looks like you ate a lot of them?
Michelle: (laughing) Um, yeah.
Aunt Brenda: (scowling) Yeah, like I have never seen that one before, young lady.

Appetizers:

Main Course:

Dessert:

50's Prime Time Cafe: $107 that we did not have to pay.

After dinner, we decided to head back and walk around the Streets of America hoping that they weren't as packed as earlier, so that we could explore a bit more. We were in luck . . . it was abandoned back there. So we played. And took silly photos. And opened doors that I don't think we were supposed to be opening.

That’s Michelle, in the Florist Shop:

We stopped when a few families and a nice CM janitor started wandering down the street. We didn’t want to be bad influences! I promise that we left everything just as we found it!!

Dusk was falling, so we decided to stop by One Man's Dream, to pay our respects to the man that started it all, on our way to Fantasmic. I marveled over the Castaway Cay. . . dreaming of next September when I will finally get go. I thought about someday going to all of the Disney parks across the globe, starting with a pilgrimage to the place that started it all . . . Disneyland.

Fantasmic, as always, is the perfect end to any night. . . although it seemed odd to me to be seeing it on my first night of a trip. In the past, it was always the finale. As I waited with anticipation for my favorite part. . . when the boat comes out with all of the characters on it. . . .I realized something was off.

Where was the boat? Where was the boat?

There was no boat! The characters all came out on the mountain instead!
It was still a great show. I just hope that the change isn't permanent.

We headed back to the hotel with our beds in mind. We needed to stop at the concierge to ask for an extra blanket to go with the airbed (I had packed sheets but no blanket). I pulled up, and Jen hopped out. . . and hopping back in, said that they would bring it to the room. We drove back to our parking section, and upon entering the room, the blanket was already there! That's Disney Magic for you!

After we called the hubby, boyfriend, and fiance to tell them about our first day, we started the process of turning in.

Both Jen and Michelle decided to shower, so they could sleep in a bit later in the morning. So they showered up, and I put two French braids in each of their hair before we headed to bed for the night.

I set my cell phone alarm for 6:30 am the next morning, to the tune of Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, and we were off to Disney dreams.

 

[Jennifer48]

Jen really wanted to check out the Narnia Exhibit, so we headed there.

I did. I loved the books and the movie but wasn't too impressed here. The coolest part was walking through the wardrobe into Narnia. I didn't have to relive the movie in 2 minutes!

Here we encountered our first experience of people not moving to the end of the row (Big shocker!!). Jen climbed over them while saying loudly "Lets go girls, we must proceed to the end of the row!" Ha ha. She is great to have in situations like this, because she will have no problem saying a little something to the offenders. Nothing rude or offensive- Just enough to remind them that they aren't following the rules.

Thaaaaaats me!! Well I can't stand people who think the rules don't apply to them so I made sure to let them and everyone else around them know what was incorrect!

So we brainstormed . . . and realized . . . that 2/3 of us had never seen the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Which is shocking, since both Jen and Michelle are redheads, and the Little Mermaid is one of their favorites

Yeah I don't know how I missed this show before!

I had only seen bits and pieces of this parade in the past. And from behind rows and rows of people. This time was different, we were right behind a handicapped section, so we had a pretty good view . . . and Jen got some very nice shots.

All I wanted to see was Mater!

Dessert:

Mmmmmmmmm those S'mores were AWESOME!!

That’s Michelle, in the Florist Shop:

I hope we don't get flamed but the doors were UNLOCKED! There were no signs anywhere (except on the door that says OPEN ) and all we did was sneak in and sneak right back out! You have to admit, that is a funny picture!

 

[The_Grim]

Reading that makes me wish that I had gone to MGM with you guys! ...it's usually my 4th favorite park, but it seems like you had a really great time. Thank god for Jen speaking up, I wouldn't have the stones to do it! Reminds me of...

"Y'all are friendly, where y'all from?"

 

[alabamagirl]

Enjoying your TR so far! Great pictures, I love to go to WDW with friends, much funner than with my Grumpy DH.

 

[DisneyObsession]

This TR is making me antsy for my own trip with GF's in Nov 2007!!!

Keep it coming! I'm hooked!!!!