The One with Disappearing Disney Buddies and Multiple Planning Videos

[LittleMissStitch]

Wahay! My first post!
Anyways...I've been reading trip reports all morning and the withdrawl symptoms I've been suffering from ever since my last trip to the World have been crushingly bad. These same withdrawl symptoms prompted me to start planning my next excursion to see the mouse. But this time without the parents. Sad on one front because they're all big Disney freaks expecially my Disney Mummy, but on the other hand very exciting because I get to show some of my best friends exactly what the world is all about

So lets meet the cast!

Me (18) I'm the only one out of our group that has ever been to Disney World. A couple of us have been to Disney in Paris Boo! I've been dubbed the Uber-Planner because I'm planning EVERYTHING! Not that I mind. The friends have no idea what they've let themselves in for by letting me plan it! Poor Fools! Que Evil Laugh. I love the cute, fluffy dude Stitch, have done since the movie came out. My room is full of Stitch stuff much to the amusement of my Disney Mum.


Gemma (19) Gemma's one of my closest friends. Literally, she lives down the road. Seriously though we're really good friends. She's not the biggest Disney fan in the world but she's up for anything and its my mission to make sure she falls in love with the World when we're there.

Bex (19) Me and Bex are extremely close. To say she's nuts though is an understatement, but she's promised to run and jump down Main Street with me. She's had a tough year this year so injecting a little Disney Magic into her life can only do her the world of good!

The Story

Its been a very hard year for all three of us. The year when college got harder and exams either went very well (the other two ) or very badly (me ). Its also been a year of health problems, Gem's mum hasn't been well at all bless her heart. Love to Mrs Spaans who is now feeling on top of the world And me, I've been in and out of hospital for operations on my liver and several litres of morphine which made me go a little bit And Bex has been having real trouble with her (now former) best friend Andy (horrid little $*^****&%).

After struggling through this horrid year (all better now) we decided we needed a break. Where better than to Disney World! Yay! My idea but the other two were really up for it! Bex is as excited as me and Gemm is up for anything

 

[LittleMissStitch]

Here's the plan.

We depart Gatwick Airport in London at 12 noon on January 31st 2008. Still undecided whether or not to stay over the night before at the hotel. Awful nightmares of arriving late for checkin. After a one hour stopover at Minneapolis Intl Airport we change flights and head on over to Orlando Intl.

We're going to spend the whole two weeks at Pop Century, spending the majority of the time in the Parks with three days spent at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Gemma's only wish for the holiday was to spend one day out in Florida seeing the sights which I was happy to put in the schedule. I've never seen the outside either.

Everyone is under strict orders not to fall ill or break anything in the next four months. Uber-Planner will not be pleased is this rule is broken

Seeing as we're on a tight budget, expensive meals are out of the question. Bye Bye dining in the Castle. Ah well Disney's full of great places to eat (Here I come Sci-Fi Diner Gemma's a sci-fi fan so she'll love that place almost as much as I do!)

 

[LittleMissStitch]

I am the worst Best Friend in the world.

Officially forgot not only Bex's birthday but also Gemma's
How could I be so horrible?!

So to make it up to them, have booked dinner in Cinderella's Castle on our First day!!!! After previously stating we'd not do expensive dining, turned my back on this idea as soon as I found out what a horrible friend I'd been.
Woohoo! They know nothing about this! Which makes me an even worse best friend because have had to lie to Bex that I can't get reservations. (This was the only thing she really wanted to do this holiday) She cried

Needless to say feel very awful. Yet very very up at the same time! Thanks to Mary-Ann on the Reservations hotline for forgiving me when I interrupted her opening speel to blurt out what I needed, and for being so incredibly helpful

Am very very happy!!! Yay Castle!!

Ooh pictures

This is me last year with my guys Chip and Dale

And me with my Disney Family

This is me and Gemma (one in the middle) with our friend Morgan who was going to come but he's at University in Wales Grrrrr!! Oh dear not my best picture. We were at a theme park and were messing about on a bench waiting for one particular ride to get started again. The thing kept breaking down all day!

And this is Bex. Upside down of course

Sorry they're so huge, they don't seem to want to be made smaller.

 

[LittleMissStitch]

Oh sweet Mickey.

It was all going so well. We've nearly paid off the hotel! Hurrah, and we've found really good prices on the flights and tickets. Hurrah you might think. But oh no!

I phone the Disney Buddies to get them to write checks so I can pay for their tickets and where are they? Abroad! Gemma has gone to Belgium and Bex is in Rome! Whywhywhywhywhywhy???? Why would they do this? And without telling me? At this rate it looks like I'm going on my own! Because I AM going. With or without the globetrotting friends. Am I right to be annoyed? Feel...so... Bah! I need to go watch last years recording of Wishes and calm down.

Ah nice and calm now.

If we miss the deals on the flights its their fault! Not mine, I pass all responsibilty onto them. I'm not a newbie when it comes to Disney, well...ok maybe I am on the planning front but I know that hiolidays take a lot of organization. And it doesn't help when the rest of them spend the flight money on random trips to Europe!

The Uber-Planner is not amused. They will be burnt to a crisp by the flames this dragon will spout when I get my hands on them!

On another note, was very exicted this morning to receive not one but two pieces of Disney mail! Yay! One was just my receipt for the hotel. Not too exciting but Mickey Mouse Mail is better than bills right? The other bit was much more exciting. Disney Planning DVD! Hurrah! Uberly happy I spent all morning watching it and getting more and more annoyed at the vanishing friends. Bah. This will be their punishment, hours upon hours of Disney planning videos from ten years ago (family's first trip) Muhahahahahaha! I am nothing if not cruel.

 

[LittleMissStitch]

I dn't know what to think. Gemma is no longer able to come.

On the one hand I am because - well because she can't come any more.

On the second hand I am because we've paid for the hotel and now wont get that money back. Grr.

And on my mutant third hand I am On second thoughts I really don't think Gemma would have enjoyed herself. She's not a great Disney fan anyway. Amd she definatley would not have wanted to go on the monorail crawl or stalk Stitch or eat Dole Whips or cry bucketloads during Wishes and Fantasmic (I am the emotional wreck of our friendship group) or visit each and every duluxe resort and pretend we're guests like the loons me and Bex are.

Oh the conflicting feelings.

In other news - three more planning DVD's arrived today. Huh? I don't recall ordering four of them. Maybe all this planning and vast amounts of money going into the Mouse's bank account have addled what's left of my brain.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

signing on...

 

[LittleMissStitch]

Yay! Someone posted! Hi tyandskesmom!

Couldn't sleep last night. I lay awake for three hours thinking about our first day in Disney. Bex would fall asleep before me after long and tiring flight, but me who is far too juiced up from the Pixie Dust floating in the air will wander around the hotel with the video camera filming in the quiet of one in the morning. Ohh I can almost feel the air! Wake up call from Mickey at seven. Knowing us loons we'll ignore it and sleep in for several more hours. then off to MK for day of magic. Cannot wait to see my best friends face when she sees the castle. Not to mention the look on her face when she finds out we're eating there Then at the end of the day we're off for dole whips and then settle down in my favourite spot (the bridge to tommorowland) to watch wishes. Thus ending perfect day. Ooh I'm getting all teary eyed just thinking about it.

On that note. Does anyone else cry and awful lot at Disney? Not sad tears but very very happy tears. I am the emotional wreck of our group. I usually bottle everything up and then once a year (usually around exam time) it all comes gushing out. But at Disney I don't think I've gone one day without crying. Wishes especially gets me. I think its actually designed to make me cry Seriously! First Jiminey (sp?) Cricket starts talking about wishes and then a kid starts singing about it, that's when the tears start. Then I stop for a bit while the amazing fireworks come out. But then the Blue Fairy comes on and its all downhill from there. What's wrong with me? And don't even get me started on Fantasmic. That finale is unbearable for me the emotional Wreck. What with Sorcerer Mickey magically appearing at the top of a mountain to the tune of a very cool key change....good lord someone pass me a kleenex.



Sorry about that went completely off topic. Anyway it was two in the morning and what would any gall do when her Disney levels are at maximum and the adrenaline this implies is raging? What else? She gets one of her many planning videos and watches it. And cries. Again. I think I may need counselling.

Hmm have found third person to go on trip with in place of Gemma. Yes that's right, JoJo's childhood stuffed bunny rabbit Flopsey is coming along Yes I am a strange being, but oh well. Besides I have never gone on holiday without her. I was planning on leaving her behind this time as a sort of mark that this was in fact my first grown up holiday without the parents. Ha! Its DisneyWorld and I am not grown-up yet. So bunny is coming too. Along with my Stitch toy to keep her company. Again I think I may need counselling for my stangeness.

 

[LittleMissStitch]

Hmmm....I'm going on a bit today, but please bear with me.

Getting slightly worried about flights now. Bex insists she has air miles we can use, therefore lower prices and direct flights. Great Woohoo! But get on with it please! This was two weeks ago! I need to buy flights! Its all well and good having a hotel (which we've now paid too much for ) but we can't get too it. Well maybe if we start now we can row over there

That leaves us with tickets. We're planning on buying these the first of December just after we get paid. This leaves ample amounts of spending money for the World not to mention that most magical of times, Xmas. Yay Xmas. Though slightly depressing for the family because that time last year we were at Disney, at MVMCP , drinking hot chocolate and other Xmassy related things. Not me though I am happy happy happy! A very odd feeling for me indeed. But not if we can't get the damn flights!

Anyway rant over, have a happy Disney Day y'all!

 

[LittleMissStitch]

Happy Monday all! Yuck. Back to work.

Uberly excited am booking flights tomorrow! Hurrah. About time too. This time in three months I will be in Universal Studios! Yay! That's if I can figure out how to get there. And back. We're not driving and we're relying on disney transportation all holiday preferably on time laughing: ) so we may have to spend three extra days at Disney. Its a hard old life

In more exciting news, Bex has found out about the Pirate and Princess Party (how? She vowed not to look at any Disney websites and let me do everything. Ha! I knew she'd crumble! Disney is too powerful to resist!) and now she's on a mission to persuade me to go. As if I need persuading. And it actually fits quite nicely into the schedule. So we're aiming for the ninth of February, our second day in MK to spend some time as princesses. Will just have to buy nice dresses.

In other less amusing news, Oh Sweet Mickey Bex has inadvertantly invited her friend Tim on this holiday. Wonderful. If it were not for the fact that he is my ex-boyfriend and now our "friendship" is extremely strained. I am not, i repeat not going with him. He is not coming and have said as much to Bex. End of story. Now we just have to tell him. Ugh, why do people do things like this?? Whywhywhywhywhywhy? Not only have I just rebooked the hotel for two people but have also rebooked surprise dinner for two people. I'm not going through all that again! Call me selfish but I've been dreaming of this holiday for months now, it's not getting ruined by arguments between us two that inevitably happen any time we're in the same room. And seeing as I'm the one planning this, he's not coming! Why does he even want to come anyway? He doesn't like flying! Anyway that's not the point because, I may previously said, HE'S NOT COMING!

 

[LittleMissStitch]

Wahay! After Long absence of stress JoJo is back!

Oh yeah!

And finally the hotel is sorted! Two weeks in Pop Century for just over £600! Not bad I thought. I cannot tell you how good it feels to know that room is mine and I've paid for all of it! Well maybe y'all do cos you've been to Disney before.

*Ahem*

Anyway, moving on. Not only that but the Uber-Planner has booked the flights as well Way- flipping-hay! And for just under £260 each. Nice

Slight downer on things though. I ended up paying for everything cos Bex has decided to spend £7000 on a round the world trip in August?! with Rebecca's ensurances that she will pay me back by the end of the month. She better because I'm now £40 in debt. Not Good. Ah well off to Disney, and got new and much better paid job so tickets and spending money to come with the next two pay checks! Hurrah

 

[LittleMissStitch]

Gah and Bah humbug!

Dear Mickey I haven't updated this in a while! Apologies abound! Please keep reading I'm sorry I'm sorry I really am!

Anyway the reason for this long absence is that the Year of Hell that was 2007 got worse. Christmas started off well enough my Grandparental-units who are currently invading France on a mission of secluded retirement came over for the festive season. Hurrah! We love our Nanny and Granddad we do. They rock! And they were on hand as this year JoJo got to put lights on our trees (of which there were only 2 up out of the eight we have....yeah I know, 8. My mother's a Xmas freak! ) Needless to say this did not go well. Let me explain something I am a klutz. I cannot fix things nor decorate anything without something going horribly wrong. In this case I got electrocuted by the lights, fell into the tree and got stuck and finally knocked over the grandfather clock next to said tree and broke the fish tank. Wonderful Granddad fixed it though before angry parental units came home!



Yeah completely off topic. Anyway Xmas day rolls around and the day which we have planned and planned goes downhill shortly before dinner.

Present giving was great. We all got what we wanted. Well not me but I guess a grand Piano was pushing it a bit oh well can't blame a girl for trying eh? Mum thoroughly loved the Lion King tickets I bought her (thank the lord for that because shortly after I bought them she started going on about wanting to see Dirty Dancing All in all wonderful morning.

Xmas day is also my Granddad’s birthday so we all (minus Dad and the kids who were far too into their Nintendo DS's to notice if a small hurricane passed through the house let alone the rest of us nipping out for a pint)

After spending an hour at the pub (no alcohol seeing as it was only 12 in the afternoon. Darn overprotective mother! ) and talking to my grandparents friends who were all cooing over me (you know the type the ones who say "Ooh haven't you grown! I remember you when you were knee-high to a grasshopper/ant/elephant etc while all the while you're sitting there thinking who the hell are you?) we left.

Now I am going somewhere with this. At this point my Nan had had one Coke zero (diabetic no sugar) and was absolutely fine and dandy. Literally the second we got home she went upstairs with a tummy ache. One hour later she's in an ambulance on her way to hospital in crippling agony. We had pasta that night instead of Xmas roast. At 1am Mum and Granddad come back from said hospital and announce that my very ill grandmother has a kidney stone. Ouch. Poor Nan, she's had so many medical problems she could tick off every list in the book.

Fast forward twenty four hours Nan comes home and instantly collpases in agony again and is taken to hospital again. She thus spends an hour in agony on a trolley in the AandE with all the Junior Doctors ignoring her. Mum was not impressed. Mum's quite high up at the hospital and finally snapped when Nan started hitting the walls (a fact she now earnestly denies) and phoned the bed manager and DEMANDED that Nan get a bed now! Seriously my mum is scary when she's angry and five minutes later my Nan was in a bed with a morphine drip.

Whoo long preamble. My Nan's fine and dandy in France having now passed Kidney Stone and lives to have impeccable timing on getting another illness. Lol. Other Xmas dramas include my ner-do-well cousin getting engaged to Little Miss Horrible after just six months (JoJo and Granddad convinced said GF is pregnant) jacking his job in with no other qualifications and running away from home. Oh dear. And then my Grandfather had the good sense to tell said Cousin’s parents that he was as thick as two short planks and had screwed up his life at a tender age of eighteen and what did my Uncle think of it? Of course he forgot who he was talking too and surprisingly Aunt and Uncle left very quickly and we haven’t heard from them since. Well I thought it was funny, especially since there was a long awkward silence penetrated by my mother sheepishly saying that not all of us can be acedemically bright. Nice one Mum!

 

[LittleMissStitch]

Ah yes I love the new year. Everyones ok - ish. Touches wood quickly. And finally have sorted everything. Everything is paid for. Flights - check! Hotel - check! Travel Insurance - check! Time off work booked - check! Spending money - check! Magical Express - check! Tags from Magical Express - Check!

Anything else? Nope. All that remains is to grab last minute necessities like tape for the camcorder, ear planes (I have a problem with ear popping on planes - I must have sensitive ears or something cos mine really hurt. Or maybe I'm just a baby. Nah - it must be the ears!) Must remember to by Nina Ricci perfume the one that looks like an apple. Its all I wore last time I was at WDW and everytime I smell it now I am instantly back there, so this time its a must. And of course the all important P+PP dress Not a Disney Princess dress but a dress (I don't own one except the one I work in - bleh!) that I can wear to this party. Maybe a certain Captain Sparrow will see me in it, fall hoplessly in love with me and sweep me onto the Black Pearl for a life of high adventure on the high seas. Swoon! Ah well a girl can dream. And hey this is WDW were all your dreams come true! Double swoon!

 

[LittleMissStitch]

I was reading through what I've written so far and discovered have not written an awful lot about who the heck I actually am. Can't even see my name mentioned. Just a load of nicknames.

Anyway moving on.

I'm Joanne but no one ever calls me that unless I'm in trouble. I can gauage exactly how much trouble I'm in by my name. If Joanne is used I'm in a reasonable amount and the use of Joanne coupled with middle and sur-names I'm dead meat! So anyway, call me Jo! Or JoJo or Jmojo (Bex's nickname for me) And (you may have guessed) I'm a Disney Lover as I'm sure most of you are. I live, breathe and sleep Disney. Though you wouldn't know it from looking at me. I like black, black and more black, and listen to a lot of rock and goth music. Yet mingled in there amongst those albums are every Disney CD i can lay my hands on.

My username is a big giveaway of who is my favorite character. STITCH RULEZ FOREVER! I love the blue guy and have much Stitch merchandise including a huge poster on my wall. He's just so cute and fluffy and naughty. I'm oneof those rare people who adore the stitch ride and who aren't grossed out by the burb or the spitting (despite having sat in the rather unfortunate seat and had a big gob of spit directly down my bra was not amused) Anyone else had to ride it five times in a row just because there was no queue?

My family love Disney too. My long suffering DM only let me go on this trip because she truly thinks Disney is the safest place for two teenage girls off on their very first holiday alone. Mum put loads of time and effort on our last trip and it was honestly material. Maybe I'll write a trip report on it later, it really was quite eventful. But Disney is Mum's happy place, the place were her kids aren't miserable and noone is fighting! She noticed that while we were there I actually loosened up a bit and tried loads of new things. I didn't notice this I felt perfectly normal if not a little (ok a lot) high on pixie dust, but I guess its a mum thing

My Dad is generally the guy who stands with the video camera films everything, goes on all the big rides with me, doles out money and does what he's told. As long as he's got the video camera and is filming something he's happy. Cool as a cucumber my dad, nothing really bothers him when he's at disney. Believe me completely different story at home.

Then the two little darlings at the bottom crazy2: ) Holly (12) and Melissa (8). Hollly's in that pre-teen stage where she's trying to be all grown-up (which equals stropiness and slamming doors) but turns into a complete child at Disney despite her trying to roll her eyes and huff when me and Liss ran around Main Street like crazed loons. And Liss (or Looby as I call her) is the baby, she's our baby who adores fairies especially Tink. She was born with no common sense and often will be found doing weird things like filling the bath with scalding water just to see how hot it would get? Scary and weird. She's something of a genius too, she asks extremely grown-up questions like what's stronger a hurricane or gravity? And then proceeded to answer her own question with a little help from the Geography student (moi).

Then there's Bex. Mine lovely weird friend Bex with whom I have spent many an hour comforting and being comforted over the Year of Hell. She and my other wonderful friend Shuchita have been my rocks lately and I hope I've been hers too.

She's the one who will leap down Main Street, stare in awe at the castle and giggle idiotically all through SGE. Hopefully, otherwise I'll look pretty stupid. Lol