Please keep your arms, legs, and antlers inside the vehicle*UPDATE 4/1:NO FOOLIN!

[Poohtigeey]

*I'm tired of sifting through all of the pages so I'm sure you all are!I'm condesing the report

AND THE VACATION WITH STRANGERS BEGINS...

Hi everyone! I'm Monica and I've been elected to do the majority of the writing for this crazy girls trip. You are welcome to read the pre trippie if you feel compelled, but I'll tell you now, nothing planned in it is actually what we did so I say, "Don't bother"! We all "met" on the DIS and instantly formed one of those weird internet relationships that cause people to give you funny looks. You should have seen the looks I got when I would tell people I was going on a Girls Trip with my friends that I met online!! I eventually started leaving that part out! We started the planning in March and there were many people and plan changes along the way. So, here's the final cast:

Me: Homeschooling mom of Hunter 7, and Megan 3. The only time I've left Hunter more than one night was to have Megan. Not by choice necessarily, just where would I go? I'm married to Dave who was apprehensive about this Girls Trip to say the least. But in the end Dave and my mom were so awesome and were very happy for me to have this opportunity.

Michelle (mkluvsmickey): Mom of Samantha whom we secretly hope will someday marry Hunter to make us one big happy family! (Yes, we need help). Michelle is truely one of the nicest people I know. We actually met last December when her and Sam drove up to Disney to spend the day with my family.

Sara (mom2mek): Mom of Micheal, Emily and Katie. We seem to live the same life execpt in different states. Our kids seem to have the same wardrobe, have the same toys, and do the same things. It's very weird. Sara also is such a great person. I can't believe I have made such wonderful friends on a Disney planning website! Who'd of thunk it?! I had actually met Sara as well in June when her family was in Ohio. You know how you laugh so hard you cry and pee a little at the same time? That pretty much sums up the night!

Jen (PrincessJV): Mom of 2 cuties as well met up with us during her family trip. I didn't "know" her very well, but she sure fit into out silly group. (Poor thing)

We stayed offsite in a 3 BDRm, 3 BA, condo. I know "BOOOO". However, you seriously think we could have put three women into a one room Disney resort with 1 bathroom?! We'd still be there trying to get ready!

 

[Poohtigeey]

Sara left Virginia on Wednesday, stayed in a hotel, then drove the rest of the way on Thursday. Michelle only lives 2 1/2 hours away so she drove up that morning, and I flew in. My plane left at 10:45am and boy was I nervous! I hadn't flown in 10 years and although I love to fly, the check in and security process makes me uneasy. The whole gang took me to the airport, including my mom. Whatever will they do without me for 4 days?! My stomach was so queasy I didn't eat breakfast. We enter the airport and it was empty! Like eery, Twilight Zone empty. My kids wanted to see the luggage go around in baggage claim, but there wasn't any! I was literally the only one checking in. My bag weighed in at 23lbs. Woo hoo! That leaves room for 27lbs worth of souvenirs! Security was a little more crowded. I said my goodbyes and my family left me to fly off to meet my internet friends. But not before my mom said, "I hope this isn't a trick"! I said, "You mean like a practical joke?" Thanks alot mom!! Now I'm realizing that I am flying to Orlando, alone, assuming someone that I've only met once is going to actually pick me up and I'll have somewhere to stay! I think I'm going to be sick...

Once I was on the plane my nerves calmed down. Most people get nervous once they are on the plane, I feel better. I was literally giddy when the plane was taking off, but soon remembered there was no one to share it with so I tried to wipe the goofy smile off of my face. I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!

The flight was uneventful and I practically ran to find Michelle at baggage claim. She was standing with all of the limo drivers holding signs!LOL! We hugged, grabbed my luggage and we were off to Beaches N Cream to meet up with Sara. Woo Hoo!!

Sara was waiting at an outdoor table near the pool wearing a sweater! Made us all giggle. Sara and Michelle were meeting for the first time so we all said our hellos, waited to be buzzed, then got our table. It's so cute in there, but super small! None of us had been there, and we had high hopes to get the Kitchen Sink. None of us had eaten so we started off with the yummiest burgers ever! We all loved it. Then, we were too full so we were wimps and split the brownie sundae instead! We had a great time chatting and couldn't believe we were finally together!!

I tried to get Sara to stand on the booth and pretend to be licking the icecream cone, but she wouldn't do it! What kind of people am I vacationing with anyway? I sure hope they losen up! Well, they do!

Next up: Michelle takes a bite out of the chocolate carousel! Just kidding! Or am I?

 

[Poohtigeey]

When we left off we were all rolling out of Beaches N Cream with full tummies. We looked around the resort a little bit and all agreed we would love to stay there.

We walked to the lobby to check out the famous chocolate carosel. As Sara and I were taking pictures I look over and Michelle was climbing over the fence and took a bite out of one the horses tail! I couldn't believe my eyes! (jk)

This thing really is amazing with great detail. The lobby is beautiful too. Loved it there.

We got in our rented PT Cruiser which Michelle and I originally loathed and Sara got in her dirty Tahoe and we headed to our home for the next 4 days. First we stopped at Walgreens for milk. I felt like I was cheating on Disney for being outside the grounds. I quickly got over this when I saw our uncramped condo! It was 3:54 and we couldn't get in til 4:00 so we hung out in the driveway and watied. Michelle gave us each a gift with "Girl's Trip 2008" mugs, candy, ornament, and bell necklace to weat to the party. Oh, and some light up antlers. Boy, were we gonna be stylin!

4:00! Time to go inside!

Apparantly Sara thought we were moving in!

Entryway

Michelle's room...She licks chocolate carosels and doesn't make her bed!LOL!(Love ya Michelle! I'll pick on Sara next installment)

Kitchen

Living room

I guess Michelle and Sara thought we'd get thirsty!

We pick our rooms, settle in and talk for a little bit. Then it was time to pick up Jen and get to that party! Wanna see what classy gals on a girl's trip wear to the Christmas party?

Oh, it's gonna be a fun night!

Next up: Excuse me ma'am. We're not part of the decorations.

 

[Poohtigeey]

Hello all! When we left off we were leaving the condo to go pick up Jen at Pop Century. Michelle is a great navigator around Disney and we were there before we knew it. We pull in and we're looking for Jen. She's supposed to be wearing red. The sign at the entrance to the drive that takes you past the main door to the lobby is for buses and taxis only so we drove past that and slowly drove past the bus stops. No Jen. Circle around through the parking lot still looking. No Jen. Michelle decides to break the rules and drive through the bus and taxi entrance. We must have been quite the sight 3 laughing women driving through the no car lane, past the lobby in antlers. We were gettin the stares thats for sure, and guess what? No Jen. So we slowly drive past the bus stop again. No Jen. But wait! Look at that girl in BROWN sitting on a bench laughing hysterically at us. IT'S JEN! That's right, we drove past her 3 times. We pulled over and Jen hopped in the car and we all said our hellos. Honestly I can't believe Jen got in the car with us after all that. Brave girl! In Jen's defense she couldn't wear her red shirt because it was short sleeved and it was chilly out. She did have her snowman headband on and she was ready to party!!

We pull into Magic Kingdom and we're all giddy. Park easily, and hop on a tram. We sure were getting the stares from little kids! 4 grownups without kids all decked out in our Christmas attire. (And we were kind of loud..)

Hop on the monorail, and soon we're entering the party! Wow, this driving to the parks thing is looking pretty easy!

The decorations were beautiful and the crowds didn't feel bad at all. And, the CMs loved us!

As we enter the park, and round the corner where the castle is in our sights, this is what we saw...

What a warm welcome!

As we are walking down Mainstreet and taking in the sights, there is a Grandma holding a small child and the mom is trying to get a picture. The mom says, "Look at the reindeer!!!" I'm looking around, and don't see any. Then Sara, Michelle, and I look at eachother. "She's talking about us!" Yes, that's right, we look so rediculus that people think we are part of the entertainment apparantly!!

We stop for a Photopass picture with the meanest CM Disney has on staff then mosey towards Tomorrowland. We get over there and the four of us stand there looking at eachother like "Now What?" I guess when you put 4 over planners together it counteracts and we become clueless! I think we didn't want to step on eachothers toes you know? So, we decide to ride Buzz Lightyear. The posted wait was 15 minutes, but the experts that we were gauged that the time was wrong and it was much longer so we skipped it. So what do four ladies on a Girl's Trip do first? We ride Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Apparantly we're not so wild after all!!

Always a fun ride anyways. As we left the ride we saw that the people were lining up for the first "Twas the Night Before Christmas" show so we headed that way, waited briefly, then went into the theater and snagged some pretty good seats. Time for the show!

Next up: A night full of giggles and hot chocolate

 

[Poohtigeey]

Time for my favorite Disney show, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" Love it, and none of the other girls had seen it. I think by the end we all had tears in our eyes. (Don't forget we're all hormonal moms so we tear up at everything!) We were kind enough to take off our antlers during the show so we didn't block anyone's view.

Show's over. Time to hit some rides! First up is the Tea Cups. I rode with Sara, and Jen and Michelle rode together. Even though Sara doesn't like to spin she humored me and let me spin it just a little bit. While waiting to "take off" Sara and I decided to take a picture of the back of our Photopass card. First we tried it in line, but then we had to walk, and it was blurry. Then Sara held it up. Didn't work. Then we laid it on the shiney wheel in the tea cup. Major reflection. Finally on the 4th try we got it! However, with us goofy girls it's always a good idea to get that picture in case of loss. I spin Sara senseless (didn't take much), then we try to decide what to do next.

Um, I have no idea what we did next so I'm gonna wing it! We stayed in Fantasyland and rode Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World, and Peter Pan. As I said before the CMs really liked us and our outfits and there was a super nice CM at Winnie the Pooh who offered to take our picture.

(See the Hidden Mickey)

And look what Sara was wearing!!

Just kidding!

Next up: Hot chocolate and horse breath

 

[Poohtigeey]

Jen was on a mission to get some hot chocolate so at some point while in Fantasyland we stopped in Pinochios for some hot chocolate and cookies. FYI, they will give you as many as you want! It was nice to just sit and talk for a bit. We all agreed that the hot chocolate was wonderful and the cookies were just ok. I thought they had a bit of a lemon taste. Afterwards the others took a potty break and I watched the dance party. Those stepsisters and stepmother are very funny. There was a bassett hound type dog that had been dressed up and draped with Christmas lights! (I'm guessing it was a service dog). He was so cute and the stepmother went crazy over him and took his leash and walked him around the dance floor. So funny. Then the girls came out and they started playing our song. The chicken dance! So, what's a crazy bunch of girls to do? We danced baby!

On our way out of Fantasyland we rode "It's a Small World"

I think we rode Haunted Mansion next. It was such a great night it's a blur I guess. I'm sure Michelle and Sara can refresh my memory. We stopped and got some more hot chocolate before finding a spot for the fireworks. This time we opted for apples. We found a good spot in front of the castle and took some pictures.

Soon the fireworks started and they were awesome as usual.

After the fireworks we decided to ride Pirates before the late parade. We have plenty of time right? Well, we started getting nervous when the ride shut down for a bit. We were pretty much trapped in line though so we waited it out. Had a fun ride and booked in over to Frontierland. Guess what? PLENTY of spots left. Jen and I found a big flower pot to lean against, and we all plopped down for a much needed rest. This is when we started to get cold.

The parade started and I got giddy when the characters were waving at me! Then I looked over and realized that they were probably waving at the little kid next to me. The whole time Jen insisted that she could se her breath. We thought she was just sleep deprived. The horse drawn carriage came by and Jen starts yelling, "Look! You can see the horses breath!" She was right. We could see our breath and it was pretty darn chilly. We didn't take many parade pics. We just sat back and enjoyed it.

Afterwards we laughed ourselves silly on Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. No seriously, laughed ourselves into hysterics. Jen and I were laughing so hard getting out of the Space Mountain car that we barely could get out! It was such a great end to a fabulous night.

Unfortunately, it was midnight and time for us to turn back into pumpkins, or at least normal people! We wandered down Main Street, but we were almost too tired to shop so we only stopped briefly. Jen decided to take the bus back to Pop so we sadly said our goodbyes. It was so great having her with us, and she added to the wonderful memories of the night.

We hopped the monorail, hopped a tram and were to the car in a jiffy. Out of the parking lot in another. It was so great. We were probably back to our condo before we would have even been on a Disney bus back to a resort. I was super impressed. We put on our jammies and talked for a bit then hit the sack. We were exhausted and we had another big day planned.

Next up: Buckle up, we're in for a bumpy ride. Literally.

 

[Poohtigeey]

Good morning! My alarm went off around 7. Our goal was to leave around 8:30. I hopped in the shower and got ready for our day at Animal Kingdom. I felt naked without my antlers. We had gotten used to having them on our heads and allowing clearance for them getting in and out of the car and rides. Hence the name of our trip report. I wandered downstairs around 8:15 to a quiet living room. Ahhh quiet. That never happens at my house. I grabbed an Asiago cheese Panera bagel, sat down, and propped up my feet. Ahhhh. Soon Michelle came and joined me, then Sara. We were ready to go. We took a side road from our condo to AK and were there in like 5 minutes! Park, hop on a tram, and we're at the park entrance at 9.

As we were waiting in line we saw a "family" (and I use that term loosely) trying to get through the gates. The "dad" went through, then the "mom" with a stroller stood there waiting for her 6 year old to put his ticket in. No one was helping this little boy. The mom stood there, the dad was screaming at him, "Just put it in!!!", and the CM just stood there too. Finally the little boy got his ticket to go through and the dad grabbed his arm and pulled him through the turnstiles roughly. The boy winced and held his arm and the stupid mom just came on through with the stroller and they bickered briefly before moving on. It was disgusting and that family should feel lucky that they were ahead of us because they would have had 3 mother bears makin a scene! Seriously, where's the yeti when you need him? That butthead would have made a great yeti meal!

Onto Expedition Everest! We took our time, I think we stopped for Photopass pictures and enjoyed the sights and sounds. Well, 1 sound. The howler monkeys were in rare form this morning. They were so loud they were attracting quite a crowd. They are morning monkeys I guess! When we got to EE the wait was 20 minutes or so so we got fastpasses and hopped in line.

Sara and I rode together, Michelle took video, and we all screamed and laughed like little girls. The video is pretty funny to listen to if Michelle will post it.. It was lots of fun as usual.

Next, I THINK we headed over and caught the 10am Nemo show. They were just closing the doors and we made it in. Michelle hadn't seen it before and I think she was impressed. It is such a great show LOVE IT!!

After the show we headed towards Dinoland for a ride on Primeval Whirl, but the wait was 45 minutes!!! Um, no. So, we decided to take a ride with some dinosaurs instead.

Then we got brave and rode with the scarey dinosaurs. Hated it as usual. This ride is way to rough. We cracked up through it, but we had to stretch out legs out to brace ourselves.

It was time for our fastpasses for EE so we headed back over there. This time Sara rode with Michelle and I rode with the girl with no personality. She sat stone faced through the whole ride which made me not enjoy it as much. So this is the picture. I look like I'm watching tv, not running from a yeti! (Michelle and Sara in front, I'm in the yellow in 2nd row)

What time is it? It's Pizzafari time!! The line wasn't too bad. Well, the line I got in was, but not all the others! Story of my life. I always pick the line that doesn't move. I think the couple at the register just didn't understand or something. There were just 2 of them and they took forever. Sara and Michelle were in a different line so they got their food and found seats. I finally got throught the line. We all got the chicken parmasean sandwiches. YUM! Love those things. I got a frozen lemonade instead of a drink and it hit the spot. We sat for awhile and discussed the 85 year old CMs that worked there and how they shouldn't be moving tables. Eventually we decided we should get up and go do something. When we left the line filled the whole entrance area. Tip of the day: Eat by 11:30am.

At some point we got Photopasses done and the guy had us pose like Charlies Angels. Some people had trouble getting their poses down but I'm not naming any names. We giggled through the whole thing as usual. The Photopass CMs enjoyed taking our pictures being a different kind of group. We also had on our Girls Trip pins that we had had made.

Next we...well would you look at the time! Gotta go. You'll have to wait on the bumpy ride.

Next up: A bumpy ride: Take two! And an ode to a tree.

 

[Poohtigeey]

An Ode to a Tree
by Poohtigeey

O animal tree, O animal tree
how detailed are your branches.
O animal tree, O animal tree
how detailed are your branches.
With turtles, monkeys, sharks and bats,
3 goofy girls yelling "Look at that!"
O animal tree, O animal tree
how detailed are your branches.

Seriously, we spent WAY too much time lookin at this tree! One of us would find an animal, point it out, and the other two would go, "Oh yeah".

 

[Poohtigeey]

After exploring the tree we popped into a store to look around. I found the cutest stuffed hippo that I knew my son would love, but I decided not to get it. We tried on hats instead.

You know those pictures of the bridemaid fixing the bride's veil?

So, what do 3 mature women do next? I don't know, but here's what we did!

Time to meet Stitch! He hugged all of us, and we got some good Photopass pics taken. (I hope to be able to post those soon.)

At some point Michelle got us a Fastpass for Kilimanjaro Safari while Sara and I grabbed some drinks so it was time to see some animals. We had hoped to sit in the front, but they stuck us in the back instead. Oh, was that a fun ride! It was so bumpy that we were flying out of our seats. We laughed so hard I'm pretty sure we scared away some animals. We never did see any giraffes or rhinos, but the elephants were everywhere so they must have thought we were calling them! The little girl in front of us thought we were insane.

Look! This bull stopped to smell the roses!

And here's Sara's photographic contribution:

Next up: A first for Sara and Michelle and a night at Boma



BTW, here is what our pins looked like:

 

[Poohtigeey]

Here's some of our Photopass pics from the party and Animal Kingdom.

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Great idea Monica! Much easier to read this way!

Love the photopass pictures! I had forgotten about some of those. Love the ones in front of the castle and the Simba ones are adorable too!

Keep in coming girl!

Anyone else reading along??

 

[Poohtigeey]

Great idea Monica! Much easier to read this way!

Love the photopass pictures! I had forgotten about some of those. Love the ones in front of the castle and the Simba ones are adorable too!

Keep in coming girl!

Anyone else reading along??

Hi! Yes, doesn't Simba look just like his momma?

Oh lurkers...Come out, come out wherever you are!

 

[mom2mek]

Great idea Monica!

How cool are the skies in our photopass pics? The sky over MK looks fake and the AK one (namely the one with the Happy Holidays "snowy" border) looks like we just have some kind of backdrop with clouds behind us!

Oh no! The secret is out! We really just went to JC Penneys and had some pictures made!

Carry on good friend....I am loving it! Are you going to link in the old report so people know you moved us? Do you need me to add the new link to your siggie? Email me again so I know what your "stuff" is, as I'm sure you immediately changed it after the last time!

Sara

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I just started reading and am already loving your report. Girls trips are the best in my book! Can't wait to hear every detail! I LOVE the antlers too...so cute!

 

[lam712]

Great idea to move the thread to a brand new location! I love your Photopass photos. You're right Sara, the first one with the castle looks like you are cut and pasted in front. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Lisa

 

[soldiersmom]

I just found you girls, and this is terrific. I'm going to Disney World in two weeks with two girlfriends for my birthday, so I am really enjoying your trip. The pins you made are great! How did you do that?

Your trip report is so much fun--as I'm sure the trip was. This same group of girlfriends went down 3 years ago at Christmas time for another birthday. It was (I say quietly, because I don't want my family to hear) even more fun than trips with my family. It's just so relaxing when you aren't worrying about anyone's needs but your own for a brief time.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

I'm here! I'm here!

Great photopass pics!

 

[Poohtigeey]

Great idea Monica!

How cool are the skies in our photopass pics? The sky over MK looks fake and the AK one (namely the one with the Happy Holidays "snowy" border) looks like we just have some kind of backdrop with clouds behind us!

Oh no! The secret is out! We really just went to JC Penneys and had some pictures made!

Sara

Hey Sara! Yes, that sky is crazy and a fit fake looking. I'm getting good at Photoshop huh?

I just started reading and am already loving your report. Girls trips are the best in my book! Can't wait to hear every detail! I LOVE the antlers too...so cute!

Welcome! This was my first ever girls trip and I am now addicted! I have a feeling we'll be trying very hard to make it a yearly thing no matter where we go!

Great idea to move the thread to a brand new location! I love your Photopass photos. You're right Sara, the first one with the castle looks like you are cut and pasted in front. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Lisa

Hey Lisa. Glad you found us. I was starting to lose people. I hope all is well with you. I finally emailed you back the other day. It's been a rough couple of months for us.

I just found you girls, and this is terrific. I'm going to Disney World in two weeks with two girlfriends for my birthday, so I am really enjoying your trip. The pins you made are great! How did you do that?

Your trip report is so much fun--as I'm sure the trip was. This same group of girlfriends went down 3 years ago at Christmas time for another birthday. It was (I say quietly, because I don't want my family to hear) even more fun than trips with my family. It's just so relaxing when you aren't worrying about anyone's needs but your own for a brief time.

Can't wait to read more!

That's so great! I'm sure you will have a fabulous time! Especially since you are up north like us. BRRRR. Girl's trips are very different than family ones that's for sure. We were loving being stroller free!

I designed the pins in Photoshop, then Sara had them made on some website and they mailed them to us. You have time if you order soon. I'd be happy to design something for you, and Sara could get you the website info. Let us know. Have an awesome time!

I'm here! I'm here!
Great photopass pics!

Yay! You found us!

I promise to update tonight or tomorrow. Dumb life is getting in they way of my internet life! And, I've found myself the victim of insomnia. Maybe I should start writing updates at 4am.

 

[soldiersmom]

I designed the pins in Photoshop, then Sara had them made on some website and they mailed them to us. You have time if you order soon. I'd be happy to design something for you, and Sara could get you the website info. Let us know. Have an awesome time!



I might have to take you up on that. We are the "princess posse"--looong story relating to our 2005 Christmas/Birthday trip. I can just see a great number of possibilities for buttons. I'm working on t-shirts this week.

Can't wait to hear more of your trip! And I hope you don't have to resort to 4am updates.

 

[kaysmommie]

Hi Monica, Where is the update I was looking forward to reading. Does this mean you started the trip report over??