The Most Magical Spring Break on Earth 3/02-3/07 end of day 2 with pics!

[Evil Princess]

Now, this is my first ever trip report, so bear with me here

It’s been quite dreary in Boston this past month. I think for three solid weeks, the temperature never broke 30 degrees. That kind of weather would get anyone down, especially an overworked college senior who is overloading on her classes.

Despite the current situation, there was hope. The kind of hope that comes mid spring semester every year in march, the kind that keeps you hanging on through those cloudy, miserable weeks when you have 3 papers due within 4 days of each other. Anyone who has ever attended college will tell you that at this time, the hope is represented in those two magical words: Spring Break.

Now, most college aged young adults (and the term ‘adult’ here is used loosely) venture down south for a week of way too much alcohol, way too many incriminating photographs, way too little clothing and way to little sleep. Most of them don’t decide to venture out to the happiest place on earth to spend their spring break.

However, as you will soon realize, I am not a normal 21 year old. Although, normal is all relative. My friends down in Florida think that it’s quite normal that I can spiel the entire Jungle Cruise.

But anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. You guys need a quick background on the cast of characters:

Me (Amy): Two months shy of 22 years old, I have about 17 trips to Walt Disney World under my belt, plus 5 months of living in Orlando last fall doing the College Program (or WDWCP for short). Complete and total closet geek, you would never know about my Disney obsession by looking at me…until I open my mouth or hear anyone talk about WDW within earshot. Then it’s all over, the truth comes out. Although I attend school in Boston, my heart belongs to New York, my native state, and of course central Florida. This vacation is a much needed escape for me! Oh, I’m also obsessed with dueling piano bars, NY pizza, and rollercoasters. I can name you the manufacturer of most roller coasters by just looking at them, true story. I’m also a chronic overpacker. I fly home to NY almost every week, so I’m a seasoned traveler.

Alyssa: my 22 year old friend who I met at college orientation almost four years ago. She is well aware of the Disney obsession, and is very excited about hidden Mickey’s. Alyssa embraces my dorkiness, which is a plus on this vacation. She’s an optimist, and is a hopeless romantic, which is a great contrast to my cynicism. She has also perfected the celebrity pose in all pictures.

There are many other people who come into play. Since I did the WDWCP, I have many friends still living down in Orlando, hopefully I’ll introduce them into the story as the trip report goes on.

I spent the week before spring break on the Dis and other Disney sites, looking at pictures and just getting excited about the trip. You know that WDW commercial, where the little boy remarks, “We’re too excited to sleep!” the night before? That was so totally me Thursday March 1st. I even wound up waking up at about 3:00 am unable to fall back asleep. Somehow, though, I managed to drift back to dreamland, knowing that I would need the sleep in the upcoming days…

 

[swillis]

Great start...I'm from Mass as well, it's always fun to read another Mass Diser's trip report

 

[Evil Princess]

Alyssa and I decided to take a cab from Northeastern University to Logan International Airport. As I mentioned before, I fly frequently, and I knew that there was no way that I was getting two suitcases and a carryon to the airport via the T (Boston’s excuse for a subway system).

I lug my suitcases from my apartment outside to the cab, where Alyssa is waiting patiently. Somehow I help the cab driver load my ginormous suitcases (complete with pink ribbon for easy identification) into the trunk, and we’re on our way.

Now, cab drivers can be an interesting breed. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against them. My dad was a NYC cabbie back when he was in college, and his driving reflects that. This cab driver though, took the fact that we were American and he was not as an opportunity to discuss American politics with us.

As he starts in on atomic bombs and the real reasons why we dropped them, I started zoning out. Alyssa, being much politer than me, entertains the mans conversation without really saying much. I have no idea what the man is asking me, because the only thoughts I can form in my head have something to do with a mouse that’s around 5 feet tall, white Disney Transport busses with purple seats, and that annoying girl (Stacy?) on WDW Resort TV. Forget about politics buddy, where I’m going the world is ruled by princesses and that’s good enough for me. Stop killing my mood. I get out of the cab and wish him a magical day.

We decided to fly AirTran to Orlando, because, well, we’re broke college students and that was the cheapest flight. I throw my bags on the platform to get weighed, and there it is: 48 pounds for the first one, 51 for the second. The AirTran guy is very nice and lets me get away with it.

“What on EARTH did you pack?”
“ Oh, you know…flip flops for every possibly outfit combination, I need winter clothes for the second half of the trip when I go back to New York, textbooks, about 8 handbags, my ipod speakers for dancing around the room while we’re getting ready-“
“Forget it, why did I even ask”

Boarding passes in hand, we wander over to security. Now, I was running a bit late and decided to throw my makeup in my carryon bag. Silly me forgot all about lip gloss being a liquid and all.

“Ladies, do you have any liquids in your carryon”
“No”
“Are you sure, because if you do they must fit in a plastic size bag…blah blah blah”
“No”
“No lipgloss?”
“….I am so stupid”

So I ask the TSA officer for a bag. He then directs me over to the newsstand, where they are selling the bags. I look at him and inquire why I would have to purchase one, JFK gives them out for free, I’m 100% certain of that. He then tells me that this isn’t JFK, it’s Logan, and then asks me if I’m a Yankee fan.

He, of course, is a Sox fan, and once again something as simple as boarding an airplane in Boston turns into a Yankees/Sox thing. I give him a look, shoot back that I’m a hockey fan, and finally go through security. Alyssa laughs, knowing how annoyed I get when anyone brings up the Yankees/Sox thing to me for no reason. Hakuna Matata though, no worries, we’re off.

We get to the gate only to discover that our flight was delayed for two hours. A bit upsetting, but expected given the rain and wind in the northeast. I settle down with my Imagineers Field Guide to Epcot and chat with Alyssa and two other girls from NU who are coincidently on the same flight as us to Disney. We knew this in advance, so we settled down in our corner and started doing what any other group of excited girls going to Disney would do: We took pictures, read sleazy gossip magazines, and tried to get High School Musical songs out of our heads. That stuff stays stuck in your head forever, trust me I know, I am a camp counselor in the summertime.

Group shot, I'm on the far left, followed by Alyssa, and the two NU stragglers.

While killing time, we decide to people watch, and while doing so we spot The Most Beautiful Baby in the World. Seriously, this child was so precious, I loved her. I contemplated playing with her, but then I realized that I was no longer on the College Program as a Cast Member. Funny thing about being a CM, people tend to trust you with their children. I had one guy just hand me his baby one day.

I’ll admit it, I’m bit by the baby bug. NO I DON’T WANT KIDS NOW. But I never believed in that whole maternal clock thing…until I hit about 18 and for some reason everytime I see a baby, I feel the incredible urge to say “awww, a baby!”

Finally we board the plane and head off to Orlando, where I attempt to take a nap and finish watching the remainder of POC on my laptop. Alyssa tries not to freak out during both takeoff and landing. Both attempts were unsuccessful. I was once again, way too excited to sleep!

Hey, we were bored at the gate. This is how we feel about our magic being delayed.

 

[Evil Princess]

About 27 hours later…or barely three hours later (hey, it SEEMED like 27 hours), we landed at Orlando International Airport.

Since a good amount of incoming flights were delayed due to bad weather in the northeast, we were stuck just sitting on the plane, due to lack of an available gate for the plane to pull up to.

“What are they, kidding me??!! This is the biggest tease ever, I can see palm trees! Alyssa, do you see the palm trees? I lived with them for five months, I missed them!”
“…I see the palm trees Amy. Are you sure you didn’t leave your brain underneath one of them?”
”Shhh you know you’re excited”
“I’m excited to get off this plane!”

I immediately started text messaging a bunch of my old friends who still live in Orlando, announcing my arrival. I’m sure I cared way more than they did, but they faked enthusiasm like good friends.

Finally we were allowed to get off of our prison cell with wings. Immediately Florida hit me in the best way possible.

“HUMIDITY! Sweet humidity, I’ve missed you so!”

Some of our fellow passengers chuckled, understanding my excitement. Few shook their heads and started quickly walking away from me. No worries. I’m the loud New Yorker, I’m used to an assortment of reactions, as I’m often not aware of just how loud I truly am.

I lead the troops out of the terminal and we board the train to baggage claim, or as I like to call it, the fake monorail. Alyssa starts getting excited and asks me how I know what I’m doing, since I don’t have to ask anyone for directions. Well duh, I lived here. And I’ve been to Disney more times than I can count. And I love airports (seriously, I love them, I’m a geek. Probably cause I associate them with traveling to Disney, since that was my first ever plane ride, as well as most all of my plane rides up until the age of 13).

Now the only thing between us and the World (well, the Disney World) was our luggage, our rental car, and about 20 minutes of driving.

My jaw drops when I see how many people are hovering around our baggage carousel. The marquee lists about 10 flights. I start chatting with a woman next to me, who informs us that she has been waiting an hour and a half for her luggage.

Clearly I was not meant to arrive on property in a timely fashion today.

Alyssa and I sang Disney songs. We went through our Spring Break mix on our ipods. I called friends in Orlando, called National to make sure that our rental car reservations were still honored due to AirTrans ineffective luggage handling. I started a conversation with DME cast members who were nearby. This is a common occurrence during our trip, me talking to CMs. I swear, once you are one, you are part of an unofficial club. Especially if you were a CP. It’s an experience like no other, and no one understands unless they went through it, which makes adjusting in the post Disney world a little difficult.

After killing some time by using my carry on tote as a pillow and relaxing on the floor of baggage claim, our luggage finally makes it’s appearance. Time wasted? 40 minutes.

That’s okay though, we can handle it!

I immediately determine that renting one of those carts is necessary, since I packed enough luggage for a family of five. *Note: Due to transportation of said luggage, my arms ached the next day as though I took an upper body class at the gym. Who says you can’t lose weight on vacation?*

This was my first time renting a car by myself, let alone at Disney. Originally I wasn’t going to do it, but we got a great rate through National, and after living there, I just wasn’t used to NOT having a car. I enrolled in the Emerald Club, so I ushered Miss Alyssa over to the Emerald Aisle.

For those of you who don’t know, when you belong to the Emerald Club and reserve an intermediate vehicle, you are able to choose whatever cars are available on the Emerald Aisle. Way fun.

We decide that we need an SUV, since we’ll probably be ushering around other people for our nights on the town. We settled on a white Toyota Highlander, which was the cutiest thing ever.

Okay, maybe you don’t think that the car would be cute. But we fell in love with our Spring Break transportation. It was clean, roomy, had a sunroof, and was nameless.

Yes, folks, Alyssa decided that we must name our car. She’s a bit quirky, but who am I to judge, I’m the almost 22 year old who is absolutely giddy that she is going to Walt Disney World and has been humming Fantasmic under her breath in the parking garage.

“So what should we name it?”
“It’s up to you, my dear”
“You don’t care?”
“Nope, alllll yours!”
“It kind of reminds me of a Barbie car that I had when I was little. We should name it the Barbiemobile”

Hey, I said she could name it. And truthfully, the whole thing kind of grew on me. Like I said, we grew attached to that car.

This picture is from later on in our trip, but it shows our love for the previously mentioned Barbiemobile:

Somehow we managed to load the family of five’s luggage in the trunk, and we were off.

“Hey, the sign said that exit for Disney. Why are you following the one for Universal”
“Trust me. This was is faster, and the tolls are a tiny bit cheaper. It doesn’t go all the way to Universal, we get off on I4”
“How do you know this”
“I lived here!”

Sensing a pattern?

We spent the entire ride singing along to our Spring Break mix, since I brought my Ipod car converter thingiemajig (obviously this is the technical name for it). Did you expect anything less, with all that luggage? What DIDN’T I bring on this trip?

I pointed out the important landmarks.

“See? That’s the Convention Center. It’s huge. Down International Drive, right there? That’s where Howl at the Moon is. We’ll go to Howl tomorrow. Oh how I miss Howl! Keep going and you’ll hit Universal. Oh look, Sea World! See those outlets on the left? Right there? I lived about 3 streets away, literally. That was dangerous. See look, there’s where the international kids lived, and I lived in the complex right behind that…”

…until finally, the important landmark hit. That magical arch that I drove under every day for five months, the one that marks our official entrance onto property…

 

[KimAshton]

I love your TR. Yeahoo for the Yankees!!

 

[crzyred]

what a fun report! i'm on my spring break right now, and i'm sitting here at home in the middle of wisconsin...boooooo
oh well! i'll be there in less than 1 year!! so i'm reading for some good tips that my friends and i can do on our trip!!

 

[princessjv]

Okay little lady...you are too cute!

I am loving the memories of younger years...yea..younger years!

You too will one day be home reliving your WDW vacations, talking not so much about the 'cute' SUV, but the trouble your kiddos got into while at WDW... hehehe

For now, I am going to sit back and hope you do not have too much homework, so you can write your little heart out and I can keep enjoying the 21 yo memories!

BTW...I saw 3 suitcases. 2 are yours (I assume the larger) & 1 nice size...you are an over packer! Will you be like Mary Poppins with those bags?

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I'm glad you had an awesome spring break, I spent mine at home in PA but I went to WPB last year and WDW for the day so I guess last year wasn't a total waste but I'm not going back to WDW till May for my grad present so its scary to think its less than 2 months away yet i have to worry about homework, teaching, finals, and graduation first!!!!!!

 

[Evil Princess]

I love your TR. Yeahoo for the Yankees!!

what a fun report! i'm on my spring break right now, and i'm sitting here at home in the middle of wisconsin...boooooo
oh well! i'll be there in less than 1 year!! so i'm reading for some good tips that my friends and i can do on our trip!!

I always feel better, as long as I have a Disney trip booked! That's what keeps me hanging in there, that and some internet Disney fixes

Okay little lady...you are too cute!

I am loving the memories of younger years...yea..younger years!

You too will one day be home reliving your WDW vacations, talking not so much about the 'cute' SUV, but the trouble your kiddos got into while at WDW... hehehe

For now, I am going to sit back and hope you do not have too much homework, so you can write your little heart out and I can keep enjoying the 21 yo memories!

BTW...I saw 3 suitcases. 2 are yours (I assume the larger) & 1 nice size...you are an over packer! Will you be like Mary Poppins with those bags?

Aww, thanks!
I can't wait til I get to relive my vacations when I have a family of my own. I'm enjoying Disney at this age, but I'm looking forward to seeing it through the eyes of someone who is truely young enough to see the magic in that special way.

The two larger suitcases on the bottom and the white tote bag was mine, along with, of course, my purse. I wish I took pictures of all the stuff in my hotel room, it was quite comical.

I'm glad you had an awesome spring break, I spent mine at home in PA but I went to WPB last year and WDW for the day so I guess last year wasn't a total waste but I'm not going back to WDW till May for my grad present so its scary to think its less than 2 months away yet i have to worry about homework, teaching, finals, and graduation first!!!!!!

Thanks! I know the feeling, I have 6 and a half weeks of school left until this semester is over. Three papers and a test next week, all in only a four day span. I'm returning in May as well, so I just keep thinking of that Disney trip as the light at the end of the tunnel!

I'm envious that you're graduating! I still have another semester, and I'm so burnt out. Good luck with everything.

 

[Evil Princess]

Finally, we arrive at Pop Century, my default hotel for all visits with friends when I feel like being cheap. Don’t get me wrong, I love Pop, but I love trying new places! Our family is going to VWL for our first official DVC trip in May, and I can’t wait!

Opps, sidetracked. Anyway, back to Pop.

I arrive at the gate, my license already out.

“Can I have your photo, oh I see. Well, you’re going to drive straight-“
“Yes, I know” (big smile) “Thank you so much, have a magical night!”

Okay, I didn’t mean to be rude, but the security CM didn’t realize he was dealing with a Disney veteran here. Enough with the spiel, give me my keys to the world!

My favorite part of Pop, hands down, is the soundtrack. Beatles, Beatles, and oh look, is that Drive My Car playing? More Beatles!

For those of you who look down upon my generations choices in music, don’t look at me. Although some of that top 40 stuff is great (especially for the Spring Break ipod mix), my favorite artists of all time are The Beatles and Billy Joel. Have faith! Some of us have taste.

After waiting in line and starting up a conversation with the front desk CM, who was obviously a CP, about the WDWCP (as usual) we drove to the parking lot that was designated for the 60s.

Now, we tried a whole bunch of parking lot combinations this trip, before deciding to just park in the front. The 60s is kind of out there as far as direct parking lot access goes. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until I was lugging my two large suitcases, tote bag, and handbag to our building. I managed not to run over any children or lizards in the process, but I did run over my foot and dropped my tote about 3 times.

Alyssa laughed.

I immediately felt like I was back home again. Ah, Disney hotel room smell. Resort TV. The Appliance Direct infomercial.

Luckily, Alyssa is like me when it comes to vacations, feeling the need to completely unpack and settling in before venturing out into the World. Laptop and internet set up? Check. Toiletries in the bathroom? Check. Dresses hung? Check. Stuffed Eeyore on the bed? Check (Hey, don’t laugh, I like to cuddle). Ipod charging in my portable speakers, ready for getting dressed and dancing to the Spring Break mix before nights out and days out at the parks? Check. 15 pairs of flip flops color coded and arranged in front of the window because there isn’t any room for them? Err…check.

Okay, so not only am I an overpacker, but I might have a touch of OCD. At least my closest is neat!

Shortly after color coding my flip flops, I heard a strange noise from the opposite end of the room.

“What was that noise?”
“That would be my stomach growling”
“When did we last eat?”
“11:30 in the morning”
“What time is it now?”
“9:00 in the evening”
“Downtown Disney for Dinner?”
“Say that 10 times fast”
“Downtown Disney for Dinner, Downtown Dis-“

Alyssa throws a pillow at me. I take that as a cue to get dressed.

This would be the warmest night of our entire trip. I was able to wear a skirt and a tank top without being the slightest bit cold. I was overjoyed.

We hop in the Barbiemobile and head out to DTD, parking at the West Side. Alyssa and I skip on over to the entrance by Planet Hollywood.

Originally we were going to eat at Wolfgang Puck’s place, but Bongo’s didn’t have a wait, so we walked right in. Even though I worked at the world last semester, I never ate there. See, the thing about the WDWCP is that you think you have all this time, but WDW is just too darn big.

Now don’t get me wrong, I did A LOT on my CP. A lot more than most people that I know. I went to all the holiday parties, took full advantage of Food and Wine Festival. I saw Candlelight Processional, saw the dancing lights many times at MGM, all of the fireworks shows many times, spent entire days just seeing how many characters I could meet and not riding attractions. I did a lot of things that I never did before, even after visiting WDW 17 times prior to my college program.

So what was my point again? Oh yeah, I never ate at Bongos. And the College Program is over way too quickly.

Alyssa and I ordered our first drinks of Spring Break from a waiter who was very quick to card us, a) because this is Disney, and Disney is responsible, and b) because I look like I’m about 17 years old. I know I’ll love this years down the line, and it doesn’t bother me, but honestly, do I look like I’m almost 22? No way. I pass for a high schooler.

I got a very yummy frozen margarita, and Alyssa got…some fruity thing. Both were fabulous. So was my chicken, which if I remember correctly, involved garlic, lemon, and onions. Mmmm. Plus it was grilled, so it wasn’t so bad calorie wise. Win win situation for me.

Bongos was hopping. Seriously, the place was packed. I was surprised at the energy of the place. Alyssa tried to get me to dance, but I’m well aware of the fact that I have no rhythm and would need about 4 more margaritas in my system before I attempted to Salsa dance.

We headed over to the marketplace for some window shopping. Immediately I noticed new merchandise in World of Disney. What? Disney can’t get new merchandise when I’m not there! Gosh, you’d think that Walt Disney World still goes on when I don’t live down there!

What? You mean it does? Oh…

I showed Alyssa the Bibbidy Boppidy Boutique, which I knew she’d appreciate, since we’re both the girliest girls ever. We then wandered over to Once Upon a Toy, where I decided to do my best Jack Sparrow impression…which was basically Amy with a plastic pirate sword. Oh well, I tried.

At this point we wound up realizing that we were exhausted and hopped into the Barbiemobile to return back to our home at Pop. I changed into my figment PJs (a kid’s figment tee shirt and some shorts, I have a minor love affair with figment, this will come into play later), and drifted off to sleep snuggling Eeyore. For once, I was able to get to bed easily.

Stay tuned next time, when the first of my reunions with old Florida friends start. That's a big theme of this vacation, reuniting with friends from my college program. Very random, very fun.

 

[rentayenta]

Very good trip report! The drinks look yummy. Looking forward to reading the rest.

 

[veryblessed]

Fun fun fun!!! My husband and I are leaving in 196 days for 12 nights @ Disney!! Your trip report is really getting me EXCITED!!! I can't wait to hear more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Evil Princess]

The next morning we woke up around 10:00, I believe. In years past I was always the Disney commando of the family, freaking out if we slept past 8. Now that the family has grown older, and especially since I’ve done the college program, I’ve learned to relax a bit. So you must understand, that sleeping until 10 at a Disney resort is an achievement for me.

We rolled out of bed and headed over to Everything Pop Shopping and Dining for some breakfast. The place was pretty packed. Now, I have nothing against breakfast at Pop, don’t get me wrong, but it was pretty much the only meal that I could stomach in that food court. Lunch and dinner selections? Not so fantastic.

Breakfast, however, was good. I was that annoying guest who requested an egg white omelet, but the CM’s were accommodating and cooked it up for me. It was great. Alyssa got some granola thing and apples. Clearly I was the fat kid at breakfast this morning.

Like vultures we snagged up a table and ate while discussing the day’s plans. We were heading over to Epcot for the day, Future World in the Morning, World Showcase at night. We’d probably miss Illuminations this day, because I had plans to leave early and have some fun at Howl at the Moon.

Today was the first day of visitors. One of my roommates from the CP had already graduated college, so she wound up moving to Orlando and working at the World fulltime. The other one had her spring break now as well, stayed seasonal, and planned on picking up some shifts in the Magic Kingdom. We decided to meet up with them for part of the day in Epcot. I was super excited, as I LOVED my roommates from my College Program. They were the best girls you could ask for, Disney geeks, clean, great personalities, always up for park hopping or just watching Grey’s Anatomy on a Thursday night. I missed them terribly.

Anyway, while heading back to the room, we passed The Most Beautiful Baby in the World from the airport. They too were staying at Pop, and our paths would cross a good 6 times more before the trip was over.

Deciding what to wear that day was difficult. The high was 70, but there was a 50% chance of rain. Since it wasn’t rainy season, the 50% chance of rain scared me, since I knew it wouldn’t be a 10 minute rainstorm in the afternoon. I was bummed that I couldn’t wear a dress or a skirt, but we sucked it up and bundled up.

Alyssa and I are somewhat into designers. We admit it, we have shopping issues. On the way back to our car we passed this sign, which we found appropriate.

Into the Barbiecar we went, where I once again impressed Alyssa with my ability to navigate through property without getting lost.

Now, I love Epcot. Always have, always will. The love is stronger since I worked there for five months. Epcot will always be home.

(The above picture is recycled from my college program. Just ignore the Food and Wine landscape, shhhh. I figured you needed an Epcot visual)

So I flash my Key to the World for free parking and continue on, following the red and green lines to the parking lot. I’m not going into how what happens happened, but it involves me going into the wrong entrance of the parking lot. If you’re familiar with Disney (or strangely enough, most Florida) parking lots are configured, most are all one way with diagonal spots. Well, I made a wrong turn, and uh, wound up going the wrong way. Now, this was an EMPTY parking lot, so I wasn’t going into incoming traffic or anything, so don’t worry.

That however, didn’t stop a parking CM from frantically dashing towards me in a Segway waving his arms for me to turn around.

“Uh oh, did Amy mess up at Disney?”
“Well, uh, I’m used to parking in the cast lot and…”
“EXCUSES!”
“Do you want to drive yourself back from Epcot at the end of the day, cause I bet we’d get lost”
“I’d just take the bus back to Pop”
“Touche!”

If you can’t make fun of your friends, I suggest you get new ones. Sometimes it’s a lot of fun…although people overhearing us might get a bit confused.

After taking a cell phone picture of our parking location, we were off! First stop, of course, Fast Pass for Soarin. Once we collected those, I decided to cut across the park and head over to Test Track.

The standby line was 30 minutes. Last year I went to Disney this exact week, and the crowds seemed much smaller. Not that 30 minutes is a long wait, but I’m a bit spoiled. My parents always took us out of school during the off season, so anything over 20 minutes makes me cringe. Toss that in with spending 5 months of your life in parks when you just skipped everything over 20 minutes unless you had visitors, and that makes for a very impatient Amy in Disney theme parks.

“Now, the wait is 30, but the single rider line is 10 minutes, but it’s probably less than that. We can do that and walk right on”
“Will we be on the same ride?”
”Well, we MIGHT be in the same car, but that’s not guaranteed”

Alyssa gives me the ‘I’m scared, no way am I riding by myself look’

“30 minutes it is!”

Alyssa has been to WDW before, but for some reason that I cannot figure out, has never been on Test Track.

So we wait in line, and the wait itself is overshadowed by me by that smell.

Oh you know that smell.

Walt Disney World Attraction smell.

Admit it. You know that Disney rides have that certain smell. And you love it.

Or fine, don’t admit it. I’ll stand alone in my geekiness. But you’re on the Disboards too, reading my trip report, probably to kill time before your next trip and to get your Disney fix, so denying only gets you so far!

I’m just overjoyed to be in line for an attraction again.

After about a 20 minute wait, we gather into the pre-show room.

“Oh wow, this is real, right? Those people? The dates on the TV and everything”
“Yes, it’s Disney, after all”

She was serious. She believed it too, until the preshow actually started, and I started speaking it, word for word.

She elbowed me in the dark and started laughing. This would be the first of many times that I embarrassed Alyssa on our trip.

Test Track was great, and Miss Alyssa loved it. We exited the ride and were handed a photopass.

What? More changes since I’ve been gone? Tear, so sad.

Luckily though, my sadness didn’t last for long, as I received a text message from my old roomies telling me that they were standing outside of Test Track. I bolted through the gift shop right into my roommates arms.

We embraced in a three way hug and kind of danced around squealing. At that moment, you might have mistaken me for one of the cheerleaders that were at the World for a competition. I don’t normally squeal, but come on, I haven’t seen them in two months, I missed those girls.

We, let Alyssa pick the next ride, and she immediately announced that she wanted to ride in the big ball.

“Spaceship Earth” all three of us remarked in unison.

Oh man, poor Alyssa. Three Disney geeks, what did she get herself into?

The queue was stopped, because this was, of course, Spaceship Earth. Alyssa brings this fact up.

“You know, everytime I ride this ride, it stops”
“That’s because it’s a continuous loader…”
“Which means that all the cars are connected, on sort of a continuous belt…”
“So when someone in a wheelchair needs to load, or something like that, they slow the ride down…”
“And the entire thing has to stop”

Now that explanation was teamwork.

Spaceship Earth was great, for Spaceship Earth. It’s a classic and I will always love it. I really want some of the lights at the end installed in my room. So relaxing.

We decided to go on Journey Into Imagination next, or as I like to call it, simply ‘Figment’

I already warned Alyssa that part of my love for this ride includes me singing during the entire attraction. Folks, I’m sorry if you have been on this ride with me, I really am. I try to do it quietly.

I love Figment. I’ve loved Figment since I was little. Some of my first memories include Journey into Imagination at the age of 3, and walking through that cool rainbow tunnel in the Imageworks. RIP, rainbow tunnel. Luckily my dad got videocamera happy on my first trip, because whenever I need a fix, I just pop that VHS in the player and enjoy the rainbow tunnel. Thanks, dad.

He also tried to videotape Space Mountain…which obviously turns out to be a whole lotta darkness with brief flashes of red and blue in the launch and landing tunnels. Oh well, dad tried.

So anyway, I have a Figment bobblehead in my room. I have 2 kids figment tee shirts (I fit into a childs sized medium tee at WDW, a great moneysaving tip for those women who aren’t large on top. Don’t get mad at me though, I just carry ALL my weight in my hips and butt). I have a Figment plush, and a Figment keychain.

And just incase you doubted my Figment love, here are some tender moments between Figment and I:

After singing and using our imagggggginnattttttiooooooon, we hopped off the ride.

Hooray, let’s go play!

Did I mention I was a big dork yet?
Sadly, my only character picture with Figment this trip would be a reunion with a Figment puppet plus. I do think that you can see a bond between us in this picture, no?

We decided we needed some real characters, so we headed over to Character Connection for some classic Disney lovin. Alyssa used her perfected paparazzi pose. I just grinned like a small child.

I love character pictures, no matter how old I get. We divided up in these pics, cause four adults in character pictures can get a little crowded, not to mention you get less interaction and opportunity for some cute poses.

My old roommates new roommate works at The Seas with Nemo and Friends (Ugh, why is that so hard to say compared to The Living Seas?!?!) so we headed over there next. I LOVE this queue! It’s so well themed, and moves so quickly. Another continuous loader, Alyssa! I pointed out how we start out on the beach and slowly move underwater.

Alyssa has never seen Finding Nemo, but she still thought that the ride was cute. I was trying to explain to her certain things, but truthfully all you need to know is that Nemo is missing. I’m sure the ride isn’t as enjoyable though if you don’t know why the phrase, “Aw, you guys just made me ink!” is so funny.

Though while traveling through the E.A.C. (while we were ripping, rolling, and punching it) Alyssa did recognize something.

“Hey, there’s that turtle you have at home! The one we were talking about in the World of Disney store last night, the one that talks!”
“Yeah!”
“Sweet!”

She catches on quickly

After getting off Nemo and chatting with our CM friend, I tried to (unsuccessfully) get Big Blue World out of my head. That thing is catchy.

World Showcase was our next stop, and it seemed to have gotten colder since we first arrived at Epcot. The sky was looking threatening, but we decided to give it a go. Alyssa desperately wanted a Crepe, and I just plain love the World Showcase (especially during Food and Wine).

“Can we go to France? So I can get my crepe? I am so excited for the crepe!”
“In the biggggggg blueeeeee worldddddddd”
“No but seriously, where is France?”

My roommates at this point covered my mouth, and we skipped (yes, we literally skipped) over to France so that Alyssa could get her crepe.

Shortly after, uh oh, what’s that? Raindrops? World Showcase is not the place to be in the rain. In order to properly walk and enjoy all the nooks and crannies, you need to be able to wander. This for me does not include wearing a poncho. It’s jut not as comfortable or as enjoyable.

“Don’t stop believinnnnnnnn, hold on to that feeeeeeeeelingggggg”

No, I didn’t randomly burst out into cheesy 80s song in the middle of the World Showcase promenade. My cellphone was ringing.

It was my ex boyfriend from my college program, who still lives in Orlando. We’ll call him the Ex. I had left him a message this morning telling him we were park hoping if he wanted to join us. The Ex is a closet Disney geek as well, so he’s fun to tour with.

We all decided that we would go to the Magic Kingdom, since it’s much easier to duck into attractions there in order to avoid the rain. The roommates and I decided to part ways at this point, and Alyssa and I decided to head back to Pop to change into warmer clothing before heading over to Magic Kingdom.

Ex calls again.

“Did you guys leave yet?”
“We’re walking out of Epcot right now” (Translation: We’re still over by the Imagination Pavillion. Shhhhh)
“Mumble mumble rides?’
”Are we going on rides? Of course we’re riding rides. What kind of silly question is that? Do you know who I am?”
“No, mumble mumble rides?”
“I just told you, but not right now-“
“Amy, I’m bored, DO YOU GUYS NEED A RIDE?”

Ohhhhhhhh. It makes so much more sense now!

Is it just me, or is it really hard to understand people on a cell phone in the parks sometimes? All that piped in music and guests around you talking and laughing, sometimes its difficult.

Either, that, or my constant ipod listening has taken a toll on my hearing, which is a very good possibility.

Alyssa and I head back to pop to change into some long pants and closed toe shoes to the sounds of Stacy or whatever her name is (I can’t stand her, but I love resort TV) counting down the top whatever must sees at the Walt Disney World resort.

Tune in next time for my reunion with that fabulous castle. You know, Disney vacations just don’t seem to start until you see that castle!

 

[GreyStr0ke]

WOW!!! This is gonna be a great TR . I look forward to many more installments to help me get through the work days.

 

[veryblessed]

Oh Amy this is just too much fun!!! I am so enjoying your TR!! I am getting more excited by the min. for my vacation and guess what.... it is still 197 days away!!

 

[Evil Princess]

Warm fuzzy Uggs on, umbrella in hand, hair completely and utterly ruined due to the humidity I was so happy about the day before, Alyssa and I headed out to our chariot.

Okay, so my chariot was the Ex in his red Mazda. See, now doesn’t chariot sound much better?

The Ex has an ipod player in his car too, and is attempting to find something decent to listen to during our lengthy no more than 15 minute ride in the car.

“Phew, hottest fourth of July we’ve had in years!”

Yes, he has Carousel of Progress on his ipod. Does that clear up why we were at one point in time dating? Upon hearing this, I laugh. Alyssa is confused and has no idea what that’s from. The ipod is on shuffle, we try the next track.

“Ahhhh, my siestas are getting shorter and shorter”
“You have the Tiki room on your ipod? HAHAHAHAHA!”

Uh oh, he’s busted, Alyssa recognizes the clip. The Ex tries again. The Ducktails theme song comes on. Anyone remember this cartoon? I think it was at one time part of the Disney Afternoon, though I could be wrong. At this point, The Ex gives up, I take control of the ipod and put on some Billy Joel, fearing that I might Disney Alyssa out before the vacation is over.

We park at the TTC, but not before getting lost first and winding up somewhere around Blizzard Beach. How we got lost, I have no idea. Truthfully, I wasn’t too sure on where we were either, and I’m pretty good with navigating the maze that is the Walt Disney World resort. The Ex yells at other drivers on the road as only a New Yorker can, and we manage to make it to the TTC in one piece. I can’t say anything about this one, because I too am a New York driver who is constantly yelling at other drivers in Florida (but always, always with my windows up and never making eye contact. Hey, my mom does it too, she’s a bad influence).

We board the SLOWEST monorail to the Magic Kingdom. I mean, this thing is crawling. It’s okay though, because no trip to Disney is complete without at least one monorail ride. And one recitation of “Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas”. I did it, The Ex did it, and Alyssa complimented me on my Spanish pronounciation. I like to think that it’s pretty good, considering it’s the only Spanish phrase that I know.

About 15 hours later (okay, probably 15 minutes later) we finally arrive at the gates of the Magic Kingdom.

We enter mainstreet, and Alyssa and I are immediately giddy. Alyssa then makes the obvious announcement.

“We need to take some pictures”
“You know what’s great about you being back? Friends with digital cameras! I have like no pictures of me now that your College Program ended and you and Aaron left”

Alyssa hands The Ex the camera.

“Oh, you want me to TAKE the picture. I see…”

He immediately holds his arm out and snaps a picture of himself. I have full albums on my computer of pictures from my CP outings. In all of these folders, there are a good 2-3 pictures of The Ex, who manages to usually snap them when we’re all not looking.

Typical.

Alyssa is immediately giddy over the windows of the Emporium that are made up with many, many princess dolls. She starts snapping away. I stand in the middle of mainstreet and do a little hopping ‘I’m so excited to be here dance’ with the biggest smile on my face.

We pose in front of the castle and take what might be the most unflattering photograph of me possible, and then head over to Tomorrowland for some rides. The wait for Space Mountain is about 40 minutes, and I look around and realize just how crowded it was. I was kind of shocked actually, the place was pretty packed for this time of year. By now you know my queue wait time threshold, so we kind of stood in Tomorrowland, dumbfounded for awhile.

“What can we go on that has no wait?”
“We can do Philharmagic, that’ll be walk on if we get it timed right”
“Great idea! To Philhar!”
“Why on earth did you abbreviate that?”
“…my roommate worked Fantasyland attractions, give me a break”

If you didn’t know by now, everything in Disney has an abbreviation. Some work better than others. Philhar might be a good example of this.

Like I said before, I was very giddy, and sometimes when I get giddy my thoughts tend to go all over the place. I opened my mouth to say something to The Ex, but the thought immediately popped out of my head.

“….I lost my train of thought” (mind you, this was a serious remark)
“No you haven’t!”
“It’s over here!”

Leave it to us to turn a simple statement into a joke from a Disney attraction. Bonus points if you know what it’s from. Ah, it felt good to be back!

We sat down and viewed Philharmagic, which I happen to adore. Classic Disney characters, classic Disney songs, the whole thing is just pure Disney. Alyssa had never been on it before, and was asking me a million questions. Apparently she doesn’t like when things pop out at her during 3-d shows, so I was her designated ‘Notifier of all Things that May Pop Out at Your Face’. It was a good arrangement, as I sat in the middle of the two and tried not to answer all of Alyssa’s endless questions about the attraction. I didn’t want to give away the whole thing, jeeeez.

The Ex nudges me right before Donald travels under the sea.

“Tell her not to talk when Ariel is on screen. You know how I feel about her”

I pass the message on to Alyssa. She vows not to speak, after all, she doesn’t want to ruin a tender moment. Ariel appears, and Alyssa tries to hide her giggles and nods her head to The Ex. He’s sitting forward, head in hands, staring intently Ariel and sighs.

Clearly he’s moved on after our breakup.

It was raining when we came out of Philharmagic, which unfortunately is why there aren’t nearly enough pictures of Magic Kingdom. We were too busy huddling under our two umbrellas for 3 people and trying not to step in too many puddles.

Haunted Mansion was our next stop. How we came to that conclusion, I have no idea, but the decision was made, and Haunted we shall be. We dragged our bodies into the DEAD center of the room and listened to the pre-show spiel.

“Is this a real elevator?” someone asked another member of their party.
“Yeah, I think so” they answered seriously.

Does anyone else feel the urge to correct complete and total strangers when they’re wrong about things pertaining to Disney? I bite my tongue though.

Ah, the lights are back on, and we file out of the ‘secret’ door into the loading area. But wait, where’s The Ex? Clearly he’s not in the stretch room, so we shrug and walk on. He’s got something up his sleeve, I’m sure. As we file out of the room, something grabs both Alyssa and I from behind.

Alyssa jumps. I turn and smack The Ex. Okay, it was a playful hit on the shoulder. He scared the crap out of poor Alyssa though, I at least was expecting something along those lines from him.

I tried to get Alyssa to notice the hidden Donald in the chairs, but that was unsuccessful. It is pretty difficult to see, after all. I gave up and wound up taking our hitchhiking ghost back with me to Pirates. Alyssa had yet to see the new Jack Sparrow animatronic, and even though she fell asleep during POC (I KNOW, what is wrong with her?!??!) I knew she’d be impressed.
We wound up leaving Magic Kingdom fairly shortly after that. The lines were a bit too long for my liking, and the rain was getting annoying, not to mention that The Ex had to head off to work, since he was working at the Tampa bar that night.

I don't have his permission to post this picture, so I figure that'll do

Now, The Ex is a piano player who works at a dueling piano bar. I know what you’re all thinking, “Jellyrolls!” Well, no. I love Jellyrolls, and I loved it very much, until I was introduced to a little place called Howl at the Moon. Howl is another dueling piano bar on I-drive, obviously off property and away from Disney. As a result, Howl is pretty much the same thing as Jellyrolls, but the show can get a bit raunchier and crazier.

Remember my love for all things Billy Joel and the fact that I have Journey as my ringtone? I LOVE HOWL AT THE MOON. Like I said, the Ex was working at the one in tampa, and we were going to the one in Orlando. I just freaking love this bar. I miss it when I’m not in Florida. New York City has everything, and you would think that there would be a dueling piano bar in New York. Well there isn’t. There isn’t even one. There are piano bars, but none of them are dueling. Big difference, believe it or not.

We had more reunion plans for the evening. My friend Ashley was going to meet us at Howl. I had dragged Ashley a couple of times to watch The Ex play, and she fell in love with the place too. Coincidently there were a few girls from UConn who Alyssa knew in WDW the same time that we were, and I was going to take them along as well. They were staying at Old Key West, and I was a little jealous when the Cast Member at the gate welcomed me home. I want to go home too! Two and a half months Amy, be patient, don’t be greedy with your Disney trips.

Howl at the Moon has these fantastic buckets of alcohol that come with many, many straws. That was our drink of choice for the evening, although I only took a few sips, since I was the designated driver for the evening (and mind you, the only one who knew where she was going).

Crowded. Yikes.

We reunited with Ashley and had a fantastic time. We convinced a guy who was there for his nieces bachelorette party to share his table with us, since Howl tends to be packed on Saturday nights. He was great, we had a ball. Many funny things happened, but this is a Disney message board, and I’m sure you’d rather hear about Disney instead of my night at the bar.

Sadly, last call came way too early, and at about 1:45 we piled into the Barbiemobile and headed down I-drive with the sunroof and windows open, singing along to what else but the ipod spring break mix. It was one of those defining moments, all of us singing, smiling, pretty much what spring break should be: a good time with your friends and not a care in the world.

Pretty good shot, considering my arm is just stretched out, no?

The evening suddenly takes a drastic turn.

Suddenly, one of the girls in the back yells, “PULL OVER!”

Uhh…on I-drive South? Where am I going to pull over? We had just passed Sea World.

“Pull over, Sarina just hit my arm and my digital camera went flying out the window!”

Yep, a bunch of college girls and alcohol on spring break, I knew we had gone too long without some kind of drama…

 

[princessjv]

HELLO...

Where are you? Sure you hook us and let us out to dry...

waiting... remember, I have to live my youthful memories through the youthful stories!