twob4him
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2006
- Messages
- 3,357
THE DISBOUTIQUERS IN 3-D: A Pictorial Trip Report of a Dismeet
Hello and Welcome!!!
I am going to try and knock out most of this trip report in the next few days. I dont want to start something and not finish it! So let me give you all a little background before I report.First, my name is Cathy and I am married to my wonderful DH and have three girls DD10, DD5 and DD4 at home. I love to sew and I love Disney and I love to plan. So how happy was I when I found the Dis boards?
Very happy! And how happy was I when I could talk about and plan Disney trips with fellow Dissers? Very, Very happy! And then found a sewing thread about designing and sewing Disney clothing right here on the Disboards? So I was Very, Very, Very, Very happy!!!! 
This thread has now come to be known as the Disboutique thread. Click to see what I mean: Disboutique Thread
We are on the 11th version by now and I have come to look forward to chatting with all of the wonderful ladies and gentlemen who regularly post. Sometimes my hectic life only allows me to read and not post but trust me, I am truly following along. I also try to follow along with some other trip reports and keep up with some of the Wish trip reports and families. The Disboutiquers also make adorable clothing for children and their families going to Disney for Make-a-Wish trips. (I must say these are really talented generous folks). And of course we do more than talk about sewing. We are like a mini-family!
So last summer a fellow Disboutiquer, Heather, mentioned returning to Disney in Feb and meeting up with a few other Disboutiquers who were going to be there around the same time. I was determined to join them for the weekend and finally meet these wonderful people in person. Suddenly others joined in and the Feb Dismeet of Disboutiquers was born!
I mentioned the trip to a friend and she decided to join me. Now it was a girls weekend away and a Dismeet all wrapped up in one! My friend, Alice, and I started making plans for what we would do each day. Both of us are returning later in the year with our families but this time we could do whatever we wanted! With the help of Tour Guide Mike and the Disboards, we planned out the whole trip. In the mean time, Alice became a DVC member and had points to use at Saratoga Springs. We ended up staying in a lovely Studio there for free (developer points). We paid for our flights, park tickets and basic dining plan. We were good to go!
We decided to fly from a local airport and not check our luggage. This became an issue since we were limited to one crumby 1-quart zip lock bag. Now how is one to fit all of the daily required items into one ziplock????? Here was my first attempt?
Explain to me how two zip-locks is dangerous? And what do you leave out to get it down to one? Deodorant? Toothpaste? Conditioner? Completely ridiculous if you ask me. So the hairspray and hair gel got left behind in the end. I fit it all into one bag.
Next dilemma was what clothing to bring. My intentions were to make a cute outfit for myself. It turned out terribly. I brought the capris and the Disboutiquers ended up making cute matching tees, so I went with that.
I pack complete outfits in zip-lock bags, squeeze the air out, and toss them into my suitcase. I had room to spare. I was packed two weeks ahead of time!
So the day finally arrived. We were flying to Disney on an evening flight. I hadnt been to Disney for two years and it seemed unbelievable to me that I would be there that evening. Work dragged by. To make things worse, my friend had been dealing with the flu all week and almost didnt make it.
She was resting all that last day just to be able to go.I picked up the kids after school and my hubby arrived home early from work. I relaxed with everyone and finally it was time to go! Off we went to the airport. We made it through TSA just fine and had a wonderful calm flight to MCO. Yaaaaaaaa!!!!! I love to fly! Can you tell we were excited?
We checked in ahead of everyone else at Magical Express counter. We walked the red carpet and waited for our bus. We climbed aboard and promptly waited for 25 minutes. Boring!
By now it was almost 10 pm. We had been waiting to get going for almost an hour. I vacillate between liking and hating Magical Express. KWIM? 
Finally, we pulled away and headed to Saratoga Springs. The bus driver quizzes us with a few trivia questions. I got one right! He was nice enough to slow down so I could attempt a pic of the Disney sign.
We disembark and once again promptly wait in the pretty lobby to check in. Here's my friend Alice!
Finally (I think we were just tired at this point and wanted to sleep!) we are checked in and head to our room with the assistance of some very nice bellhops. We are in the Springs section on the first floor. We are close to the bus stop, Artists Point and the pool.
Yaaaaaaa! We unpack and get settled and go to sleep dreaming of Disney! 
Up Next...our Magic Kingdom Day! 
so I am arriving a little later in the week. 
I am sure it will become an annual thing so maybe you can come next time??!!! I am hoping it will be later in Feb next time.
That would be 6:15 am. No rest for the hard-core park tourers (that isnt really a word). I knew Magic Kingdom would fill up later in the day (it was a Spectro Day) but I was hoping they would arrive later in the afternoon. I wanted to get our rides done before the lines stretched out. So
..I was ready. Now, granted, it was February but to me Disney means battling the summer crowds and heat.
Would the posted 10 minute wait change to 30 minutes??? 
It was closed for a much-needed refurbishment last time I visited. It was really fun. I was reminiscing about the time I rode it as a child. I remember asking to go through the HM over and over as a child. Nice memories. Isnt Disney World the best? 
