Feels Like the First Time...Taking my BFF to Disney!
- Thread starter SeptemberGirl
- Start date
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
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realized that you just got home YESTERDAY! Lucky you! Hope you had a wonderful time. I enjoyed your report. Way to hook another DIS fan. I bet she gets into these boards next... I got my sister that way last August..
Hi and welcome! We got home late last night. I am exhausted. I think I am also getting sick! I will start writing the TR asap...but it was one of the best vacations of my life!
So worth it. 
mkluvsmickey
DIS Veteran
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- Sep 3, 2007
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- 3,990
Welcome Back! Can't wait to read all about it! 
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
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- May 20, 2007
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- 2,425
Welcome Back! Can't wait to read all about it!
Thank you! I'm going to try to start the TR tonight...ambitious!
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
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As I mentioned, i was up late the night before, Thursday doing all those silly things like washing the towels and sheets and sweeping the floor...so Friday I was running on little sleep and with a headache. Also, we had two shirts that weren't done yet!
In the morning, my DD asks who is going to babysit her when Mommy leaves. I tel her Daddy. She asks for her grandparents instead! (She ends up getting them for two days, so I guess she won!)
All the moms at preschool tell me to have a good time, a little shocked that I am leaving that night and without my child! I have some errands to run and one person I met with warns me to pack bathing suit and shorts just in case luggage gets lost. So I do, with a very heavy backpack for carry-on.
Thankfully, my DH comes home in time and I make the last two shirts in the ten minutes before Lilo shows up. I also make a LGMH tag for my purse. I repack and weigh bag 45 lbs! Yeah! No overage charge!
Lilo arrives I an practically run out the door, still hyped up by all the energy. We have Mr. Toads Wild Ride on the way to the parking place near the airport. We leave car, and take the shuttle to the airport. I start taking pictures, of course. They come out too blurry to use, sadly! We get dropped off at a weird place for the terminal and have one of those minutes where we try to orientate ourselves. We find the bag drop off and go in search of dinner. I have an amazing sandwich, especially considering it's airport food!
I pick up the new People magazine for inspiring weight loss stories and Josh Duhamel pictures. Flight is on time, but there's a gate change. We have exit row seats since I checked in the night before. I call my mom to see how her chemo went. She says it went fine and that she got her wigs cut by our stylist. She also mentions that she heard my hair is different. Yes, I tell her, I got it cut and colored its the color of cherry cabinets. No, Lilo says, sitting down next to me, its magenta! Mom is not thrilled with that. I promise to send her a picture of me on my cellphone in front of the castle so she can see for herself.
We board the plane and stretch out in our three seater exit row, all to ourselves. The plane sits there and sits there eventually Lilo and I, with our small bladders and big water consumption, have to get up and pee. So we do, before the plane has even moved from the gate! No on-time departures on this flight.
As the Continental safety announcement plays, Lilo and I say, in unison, Hi Larry back to the Chairman of Continental. That was our first clue of being totally in sync for the whole trip.
The plane does eventually move, and we talk thorough the ascent, about my inlaws surprise announcement that theyre taking us on a cruise. Im not sure about that yet, but a free vacation would be nice! If only I could get them to do a Disney cruise!
Four girls are crammed into three seats in front of us, chatting and laughing loudly. We tune them out and read, stopping to eat the airline turkey sandwich and Lilos homemade banana bread.
When we land, I realize that I have no idea where the Magical Express Welcome Center is, despite having done this twice already. We dont have paperwork because we booked so close to going or rather, changed our room-only to include the DDP and MYPH (through AAA) , so we need to get our bags and find it when we land. Well, I guess well just go on the monorail and hope for the best!
In the morning, my DD asks who is going to babysit her when Mommy leaves. I tel her Daddy. She asks for her grandparents instead! (She ends up getting them for two days, so I guess she won!)
All the moms at preschool tell me to have a good time, a little shocked that I am leaving that night and without my child! I have some errands to run and one person I met with warns me to pack bathing suit and shorts just in case luggage gets lost. So I do, with a very heavy backpack for carry-on.
Thankfully, my DH comes home in time and I make the last two shirts in the ten minutes before Lilo shows up. I also make a LGMH tag for my purse. I repack and weigh bag 45 lbs! Yeah! No overage charge!
Lilo arrives I an practically run out the door, still hyped up by all the energy. We have Mr. Toads Wild Ride on the way to the parking place near the airport. We leave car, and take the shuttle to the airport. I start taking pictures, of course. They come out too blurry to use, sadly! We get dropped off at a weird place for the terminal and have one of those minutes where we try to orientate ourselves. We find the bag drop off and go in search of dinner. I have an amazing sandwich, especially considering it's airport food!
I pick up the new People magazine for inspiring weight loss stories and Josh Duhamel pictures. Flight is on time, but there's a gate change. We have exit row seats since I checked in the night before. I call my mom to see how her chemo went. She says it went fine and that she got her wigs cut by our stylist. She also mentions that she heard my hair is different. Yes, I tell her, I got it cut and colored its the color of cherry cabinets. No, Lilo says, sitting down next to me, its magenta! Mom is not thrilled with that. I promise to send her a picture of me on my cellphone in front of the castle so she can see for herself.
We board the plane and stretch out in our three seater exit row, all to ourselves. The plane sits there and sits there eventually Lilo and I, with our small bladders and big water consumption, have to get up and pee. So we do, before the plane has even moved from the gate! No on-time departures on this flight.
As the Continental safety announcement plays, Lilo and I say, in unison, Hi Larry back to the Chairman of Continental. That was our first clue of being totally in sync for the whole trip.
The plane does eventually move, and we talk thorough the ascent, about my inlaws surprise announcement that theyre taking us on a cruise. Im not sure about that yet, but a free vacation would be nice! If only I could get them to do a Disney cruise!
Four girls are crammed into three seats in front of us, chatting and laughing loudly. We tune them out and read, stopping to eat the airline turkey sandwich and Lilos homemade banana bread.
When we land, I realize that I have no idea where the Magical Express Welcome Center is, despite having done this twice already. We dont have paperwork because we booked so close to going or rather, changed our room-only to include the DDP and MYPH (through AAA) , so we need to get our bags and find it when we land. Well, I guess well just go on the monorail and hope for the best!
mkluvsmickey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2007
- Messages
- 3,990
Great start - love all the detail. Can't wait for the rest.
carissanboys
DIS Veteran
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- Jan 23, 2004
- Messages
- 7,243
Welcome home! Those shirts you made are awesome! I bet you got a lot of comments on them while you were in the parks 
Going to Disney with a friend (and no kids!) sounds like a ton of fun
Can't wait to read all about it.
Going to Disney with a friend (and no kids!) sounds like a ton of fun
Can't wait to read all about it.
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
- Joined
- May 20, 2007
- Messages
- 2,425
Hi! Thanks both of you...more to come! With thrilling pictures of the airport! 
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
- Joined
- May 20, 2007
- Messages
- 2,425
After we get off the monorail, I call my DH to ask where the Welcome Center is. Terminal A, he says. Oh, good, I say. Thats where we are. We head to the luggage area, and wait. And wait. There are four lonesome bags on the belt and no sign of ours at all. (We didnt have the Disney tags in time so we got the bags ourselves.)
Finally the bags arrive. I get mine. Lilos are the last off the plane, but theyre here. Im very perky and wanting to take pictures. Lilo thinks I am insane. We haul ourselves all the way down to where the Welcome Center should be. My arm feels like its going to fall off, thats how heavy my bag is. But its not there. Instead, there is a big sign telling us its moved. Now, did it move since September when I was there last or did my DH get bad info off the web? Who knows? But we are left to haul ourselves and our incredibly heavy bags to terminal B. I, of course, stop to take pictures.
The World's Heaviest Bag
Lilo With Her Bags
Lilo Begrudgingly Posing For Me:
The Fountain at the Hyatt:
I just love that there is this big hotel right in the airport.
Finally we are at Terminal B. Check in takes 5 seconds and the bus is waiting for us! Score! Were tired and want to get to the hotel. Our bags go on below so at least we know were going to have our luggage. And then we wait. And wait. Our driver chats with the bus directing guy abut kids and how long hes been in the US and his home in the Philippines. Interesting, but we want to get going. Lilo asks the driver, who is singing what I ca only assume are traditional Filipino songs, what the hold up is. We are waiting for whoever might show up he says. Two guys make their appearance. They are so nice and friendly I suspect strongly one is getting married and the other is the best man. Have I mentioned I make up stories for people in my head? Well, I do. When they get off at Wilderness Lodge I tell them to have a nice trip and they tell us to have a nice trip, too. See? Making friends already.
We are so happy when the bus pulls up to the Poly. I love this place. I feel like Im home! We go in and the lobby is deserted its a little after 11pm. Everything is closed. Theres one person at the front desk. Hes a nice older gentleman from PA, and Im a sucker for anyone who might live remotely close to our hometown. We proceed to have the quickest check in ever at WDW. He tells us we have been upgraded. Oh, to a MK view I ask? (In September we got upgraded to this.) No, he says, a garden view concierge. OMG CONCIERGE! I try to keep breathing. I am trying to flag Lilo with my eyes that this is super cool.
Lilo gets her First Time pin. We get our lays. We grab the worlds heaviest bags and haul them to our room, in the dark. We get lost.
Finally the bags arrive. I get mine. Lilos are the last off the plane, but theyre here. Im very perky and wanting to take pictures. Lilo thinks I am insane. We haul ourselves all the way down to where the Welcome Center should be. My arm feels like its going to fall off, thats how heavy my bag is. But its not there. Instead, there is a big sign telling us its moved. Now, did it move since September when I was there last or did my DH get bad info off the web? Who knows? But we are left to haul ourselves and our incredibly heavy bags to terminal B. I, of course, stop to take pictures.
The World's Heaviest Bag
Lilo With Her Bags
Lilo Begrudgingly Posing For Me:
The Fountain at the Hyatt:
I just love that there is this big hotel right in the airport.
Finally we are at Terminal B. Check in takes 5 seconds and the bus is waiting for us! Score! Were tired and want to get to the hotel. Our bags go on below so at least we know were going to have our luggage. And then we wait. And wait. Our driver chats with the bus directing guy abut kids and how long hes been in the US and his home in the Philippines. Interesting, but we want to get going. Lilo asks the driver, who is singing what I ca only assume are traditional Filipino songs, what the hold up is. We are waiting for whoever might show up he says. Two guys make their appearance. They are so nice and friendly I suspect strongly one is getting married and the other is the best man. Have I mentioned I make up stories for people in my head? Well, I do. When they get off at Wilderness Lodge I tell them to have a nice trip and they tell us to have a nice trip, too. See? Making friends already.
We are so happy when the bus pulls up to the Poly. I love this place. I feel like Im home! We go in and the lobby is deserted its a little after 11pm. Everything is closed. Theres one person at the front desk. Hes a nice older gentleman from PA, and Im a sucker for anyone who might live remotely close to our hometown. We proceed to have the quickest check in ever at WDW. He tells us we have been upgraded. Oh, to a MK view I ask? (In September we got upgraded to this.) No, he says, a garden view concierge. OMG CONCIERGE! I try to keep breathing. I am trying to flag Lilo with my eyes that this is super cool.
Lilo gets her First Time pin. We get our lays. We grab the worlds heaviest bags and haul them to our room, in the dark. We get lost.
mkluvsmickey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2007
- Messages
- 3,990
Love the pics! Great score on the upgrade to concierge! 
Can't wait for your first day in WDW!
Can't wait for your first day in WDW!
carissanboys
DIS Veteran
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- Jan 23, 2004
- Messages
- 7,243
Concierge! Woohoo!
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
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- May 20, 2007
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- 2,425
The last installment of our first day, I swear!
Now, this is my second time at the Poly. I should know my way around. But I have this very bad habit of not paying attention when my husband is around. He also has the most amazing sense of direction that enables him to instantly know his way around any place. So of course he knows the Poly like its our neighborhood. I, however, dont.
So here it is, 11pm, were tired and we have no idea how to make sense of the myriad ways one can meander along the oh-so-pretty paths of the Poly. To be fair, my husband got lost our first time, too. We walk past the pool, dragging our suitcases up and down the small flights of stairs. We see a longhouse and take a chance. Its ours!
When we walk in, we see this nice room set up with some desks - this turns out to be the concierge desks where they have ever-present, ever-cheerful twenty-somethings eager to help us and yummy guava juice.
Were tired, so I guess it makes sense that we totally cant find our room. And I know by now youre thinking, wow, are these women ditzes! But I swear, we are intelligent when awake. We do find our room, right on the fist floor where it belongs. We have a handicapped accessible room, which I figure out when I try to open the closet doors and they slide instead of pull. We get a super big bathroom and a neato shower, so its all good. Wow, they sure do a nice job on the accessible rooms. They are nicer than the regular ones.
The very first thing I notice, though, is a Mickey head! My first WDW towel animal! I take pictures, of Mickey head, of the bed, of the super sweet TV, of the second towel animal. Its a little sad when your hotel room has a nicer TV than you do at home, isnt it?
Lilo and both unpack, cause thats how we roll, and we finally fall into bed. Weve talked non-stop from 3pm when she picked me up until 12am, and I think we might still be talking as we drift off to sleep.
Next up - MK!
Now, this is my second time at the Poly. I should know my way around. But I have this very bad habit of not paying attention when my husband is around. He also has the most amazing sense of direction that enables him to instantly know his way around any place. So of course he knows the Poly like its our neighborhood. I, however, dont.
So here it is, 11pm, were tired and we have no idea how to make sense of the myriad ways one can meander along the oh-so-pretty paths of the Poly. To be fair, my husband got lost our first time, too. We walk past the pool, dragging our suitcases up and down the small flights of stairs. We see a longhouse and take a chance. Its ours!
When we walk in, we see this nice room set up with some desks - this turns out to be the concierge desks where they have ever-present, ever-cheerful twenty-somethings eager to help us and yummy guava juice.
Were tired, so I guess it makes sense that we totally cant find our room. And I know by now youre thinking, wow, are these women ditzes! But I swear, we are intelligent when awake. We do find our room, right on the fist floor where it belongs. We have a handicapped accessible room, which I figure out when I try to open the closet doors and they slide instead of pull. We get a super big bathroom and a neato shower, so its all good. Wow, they sure do a nice job on the accessible rooms. They are nicer than the regular ones.
The very first thing I notice, though, is a Mickey head! My first WDW towel animal! I take pictures, of Mickey head, of the bed, of the super sweet TV, of the second towel animal. Its a little sad when your hotel room has a nicer TV than you do at home, isnt it?
Lilo and both unpack, cause thats how we roll, and we finally fall into bed. Weve talked non-stop from 3pm when she picked me up until 12am, and I think we might still be talking as we drift off to sleep.
Next up - MK!
carissanboys
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- 7,243
I love the Poly! And I've never even stayed there A friend of mine stayed there though and I saw some of the pictures of their room. They are so nice! I love your towel animal Oh...and I can totally understand about being so tired and not being able to find your room. It's kind of like right now. I'm so tired from posting and reading PTR's all day that I'm not sure I can find my way off of this computer and to my bed.
A friend of mine stayed there though and I saw some of the pictures of their room. They are so nice! I love your towel animal Oh...and I can totally understand about being so tired and not being able to find your room. It's kind of like right now. I'm so tired from posting and reading PTR's all day that I'm not sure I can find my way off of this computer and to my bed.mkluvsmickey
DIS Veteran
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Your room looks great! Glad you finally found it.
I always have to unpack too!
I always have to unpack too!
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
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- May 20, 2007
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- 2,425
I love the Poly! And I've never even stayed there
Yes, sometimes I need my husband to put me to bed when I'm all DISed out! I'm in a zombie state!
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
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- May 20, 2007
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- 2,425
Your room looks great! Glad you finally found it.
I always have to unpack too!
There's something about unpacking that make even the short trips seem longer. It's the first thing I do!
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
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Day Two MK
When we wake up, our first though is shower, our second is CONCIERGE, BABY! So we get all clean and pretty and put on makeup, because theres going to be lots of pictures. We decided to go with our Take on the World shirts and short and sneakers. We also have matching purses well, hers is red and mine is black. We are matching nerds, I know!
We head up to the food room and are blown away. They have everything you might want for breakfast bagels, pastries, fruit, oatmeal, cereal, etc. They also have a nice selection of teas and a fridge with Diet Coke! Its like they knew we were coming. I get very excited by unexpected free food. You know when you go to something and you think it's coffee and donuts and they have a full breakfast or you think it's cookies and they brought in lunch? Yeah, well I do a happy dance.
We load up and find a place by the window. The room overlooks the lagoon and white sand beach and MK. Its beautiful. They have these huge palm tree leaf fans that make it feel really tropical.
After breakfast, we stop by and say hi to the concierges. We discuss some dinner options, because why not? Also, we cant help but make friends. Its our addiction.
When we walk into the Great Ceremonial House, we are spot a Lilo and Stitch surfboard and ask the nice Cruise line people to take our picture.
Then the DVC guy gives us pins with a roll of stickers, so we can make the pin a Stitch pin. Lilo, who had no intention of wearing First Time pin, not only put that on but also wore the Stitch DVC one. Aha! Addiction has started!
We take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The firs thing I notice is the people. Saturdays are crowded! The next thing I notice is the Christmas decorations. The tree is so pretty!
We find a really great photographer and take our first picture at Disney World!
We start to walk to Fantasyland, because I think everyone's first trip should start with Fantasyland. Lilo really wants to see the castle - aha! another addiction sign! - but it's closed off because that Mickey dream show is going to start in a few minutes. I've seen it and I like it, but she declines, opting to head to the rides.
Along the way, I've been doing my Disney thing, telling her the little facts about the park - how all store doors are always open, how they pipe in the smells to the street, the forced perspective on Main Street USA, the way the music and pavement changes from land to land. We see a lot of people carrying Pal Mickey, and there's an ad for him on nearly printed piece of paper. So I ask Lilo if she wants to get one. She totally considers it, asking questions, and then says, with complete sincerity and without humor, "No, I've got Pal Liz." Which just cracks me up, of course, and becomes one of the running jokes of the vacation.
Next up - rides and making friends!
When we wake up, our first though is shower, our second is CONCIERGE, BABY! So we get all clean and pretty and put on makeup, because theres going to be lots of pictures. We decided to go with our Take on the World shirts and short and sneakers. We also have matching purses well, hers is red and mine is black. We are matching nerds, I know!
We head up to the food room and are blown away. They have everything you might want for breakfast bagels, pastries, fruit, oatmeal, cereal, etc. They also have a nice selection of teas and a fridge with Diet Coke! Its like they knew we were coming. I get very excited by unexpected free food. You know when you go to something and you think it's coffee and donuts and they have a full breakfast or you think it's cookies and they brought in lunch? Yeah, well I do a happy dance.
We load up and find a place by the window. The room overlooks the lagoon and white sand beach and MK. Its beautiful. They have these huge palm tree leaf fans that make it feel really tropical.
After breakfast, we stop by and say hi to the concierges. We discuss some dinner options, because why not? Also, we cant help but make friends. Its our addiction.
When we walk into the Great Ceremonial House, we are spot a Lilo and Stitch surfboard and ask the nice Cruise line people to take our picture.
Then the DVC guy gives us pins with a roll of stickers, so we can make the pin a Stitch pin. Lilo, who had no intention of wearing First Time pin, not only put that on but also wore the Stitch DVC one. Aha! Addiction has started!
We take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The firs thing I notice is the people. Saturdays are crowded! The next thing I notice is the Christmas decorations. The tree is so pretty!
We find a really great photographer and take our first picture at Disney World!
We start to walk to Fantasyland, because I think everyone's first trip should start with Fantasyland. Lilo really wants to see the castle - aha! another addiction sign! - but it's closed off because that Mickey dream show is going to start in a few minutes. I've seen it and I like it, but she declines, opting to head to the rides.
Along the way, I've been doing my Disney thing, telling her the little facts about the park - how all store doors are always open, how they pipe in the smells to the street, the forced perspective on Main Street USA, the way the music and pavement changes from land to land. We see a lot of people carrying Pal Mickey, and there's an ad for him on nearly printed piece of paper. So I ask Lilo if she wants to get one. She totally considers it, asking questions, and then says, with complete sincerity and without humor, "No, I've got Pal Liz." Which just cracks me up, of course, and becomes one of the running jokes of the vacation.
Next up - rides and making friends!
carissanboys
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2004
- Messages
- 7,243
Free food!!! Yeehaw!!!
You both look FAB in your shirts
You both look FAB in your shirts
mkluvsmickey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2007
- Messages
- 3,990
Me too. I will even unpack if I'm only there for one night - drives my husband nuts!
Great update! Love the MK pictures and you too look great in your shirts. Love the "pal Liz" comment!
SeptemberGirl
More drink, less run since 2008
- Joined
- May 20, 2007
- Messages
- 2,425
Free food!!! Yeehaw!!!
You both look FAB in your shirts
Thanks! I know we're big dorks but we were like "we are sooo cool in these shirts!"
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