"You Guys Are Cast Members... Right?" - A December 2011 TR

[SoNotAPrincess]

Great start. Hooray for the Little Mermaid...without it, you wouldn't have gotten any sleep at all! Can't wait to read more!

 

[Eira]

I like your leaving photo, even though you said you were tired you look so happy in it!
Drew Carey does look so different! I thought it would be Bob Barker forever... I was beginning to think that they had already replaced him with a Robot. Seriously. He'd been around since I could remember! Come to think of it ... maybe it's a Drew Carey Bot too!

 

[emma212010]

Yay!! Disney Eve is so exciting!!! I have the hardest time sleeping before Disney, so I know exactly how you feel! I can't wait for your arrival in Disney!

 

[arbolita]

I just noticed you're in Virginia! HEY NEIGHBOR! Which part are you in?

 

[marDgreen88]

Yay first update!!

I totally get where you're coming from with wanting to be in Disney all the freaking time. My parents took us once when I was 5, and that was it. I didn't get back there until 2008 As you can see from my signature, ever since my first trip back there, the time between visits keeps getting smaller and smaller. Clearly the solution is that I just need to move down there.

Anyway, TANGENT. Back to your TR =)

I really think you only need 3 hours of sleep to make it through your first day at Disney. You're going on so much adrenaline, you could probably do it on less!

I've never been on JetBlue - probably because they don't have any direct flights to Orlando from here, haha.

And yes on Drew Carey! Good for him for losing the weight/getting in shape, but he looks SO WEIRD to me now.

Great start! Can't wait to read more =D

CLEARLY! Sounds like a good solution to me!

Hahaha listen, I know all about tangents, don't even worry about it.

Well you're exactly right because that's basically what happened! ADRENALINE!!!

I know, I wish Jet Blue was in more parts of the country! It's very random.

Yeah he looks like a completely different person! It's very weird but very good for him.

THANKS! I am working on my ARRIVAL for tonight!

Great update!

Love that you rode your exercise bike when you couldn't fall asleep! Sounds like something I might do!

And I definitely agree you've put your time of waiting in! 21 years is a long time!

Can't wait for more! ​

Thank you!

Hahah I mean it definitely helped me get more tired, but I felt like a psychopath doing it at 3 am! It was pretty hilarious.

Aww haha yeah, it is! Luckily I'll never have to wait 21 years again!

I'm here and excited to read about your trip. I have to ask- which choir were your friends in together?

Hi! Thanks for coming! OH yeah! Obviously another Lee person would want to know haha. They were in Campus Choir, and actually Kristen is still in it right now.

I can never sleep properly the day before a big trip, it is all the excitement and travel nerves, at least you channeled that into exercise.

Yeah exactly! Hahaha, I know, I mean at least I made good use of my time but I kinda felt like a lunatic.

Wow, I am impressed that you were able to exercise while you were so antsy in the middle of the night. I probably would have just been camped out in front of the tv watching dvds or shows or whatnot.

love the Titanic poster - I may have had the same one in my dorm room. Right next to my Clueless poster. Because I was obsessed.

Um 4 snowglobes and 2 water bottles? Really? besides the fact that the suitcase must have been crazy heavy, did they miss all the security signs?

Best part of TRs coming up - arrival to Disney!

Haha well I did that too! But I figured I wouldn't be able to do it for a few days so... WHY NOT! Hahaha.

Thanks! Yeah I'm kinda obsessed with that movie. Surprisingly I've never seen Clueless though! I bet those were beautiful posters.

Yeah... I was so confused. The funniest part was they were just so casual about it. I mean they could have waited to buy some water at the gate... but I really have no clue what was going through their heads!

YEAH! I'm excited about that one! Should (HOPEFULLY) be up tonight!

 

[marDgreen88]

Great update! I know what you mean about being crazy before a trip! The excitement with a little added stress make for some interesting situations!

Thank you! Oh definitely! I felt a little bit like a crazy person but hey!

I'm loving all of the attraction references in the intro post.

HAHAHA i love that you went on your exercise bike... because I do that all the time. I write my updates when I'm on it. It takes me mind off of the whole exercise aspect.

I love jet blue too. It's the best!

Can't wait for you to arrive at Disney!

Thanks!

Ahahha that's so funny! Yeah I usually watch a movie while I do it. I feel like I would probably fall off doing an update so PROPS TO YOU!

Yay! I should probably get that one up tonight wooo!

Great start. Hooray for the Little Mermaid...without it, you wouldn't have gotten any sleep at all! Can't wait to read more!

Thanks! You're probably right about that! And the last sight I saw before falling asleep was Prince Eric, so... win-win! Thanks so much! Should be up tonight!

I like your leaving photo, even though you said you were tired you look so happy in it!
Drew Carey does look so different! I thought it would be Bob Barker forever... I was beginning to think that they had already replaced him with a Robot. Seriously. He'd been around since I could remember! Come to think of it ... maybe it's a Drew Carey Bot too!

Aw, thanks! I was pretty darn happy hehehe.
He REALLY does. I do miss Bob Barker though. Hahahah maybe so!

Yay!! Disney Eve is so exciting!!! I have the hardest time sleeping before Disney, so I know exactly how you feel! I can't wait for your arrival in Disney!

Ahh I know! It's the best. Well, second best.
Yeah I think we all suffer from 'TOO EXCITED TO SLEEP' Syndrome. Haha!
Thanks, I'm excited about it too!

I just noticed you're in Virginia! HEY NEIGHBOR! Which part are you in?

Well hello! Yeah! I live in the county of Henrico, which is basically Richmond. So, about 2 1/2 hours from DC/Baltimore area! Where are you?

 

[arbolita]

Well hello! Yeah! I live in the county of Henrico, which is basically Richmond. So, about 2 1/2 hours from DC/Baltimore area! Where are you?

I live just slightly north of Baltimore. It's a bit of a drive for you, but next Saturday on the 14th, a there's a meet up for DIS-ers/Disney friends on Twitter at the Disney store in Tyson's Corner, VA at 1 PM. Should be a good time!

 

[marDgreen88]

I live just slightly north of Baltimore. It's a bit of a drive for you, but next Saturday on the 14th, a there's a meet up for DIS-ers/Disney friends on Twitter at the Disney store in Tyson's Corner, VA at 1 PM. Should be a good time!

Oh cool! I'm not exactly sure where that is, or what is happening that day, but I'll look it up and keep it in mind! Sounds like fun!

 

[Nermel9]

Great first update! I can't believe you exercised on your day before Disney day! Lately, I can't do anything except obsess about going to Disney and wonder why I leave all my packing to the last minute!

Glad you got some sleep, I usually try to have a Disney movie on while I'm trying to sleep, but I end up getting sucked in, so that doesn't really work out too well!

I like Jet Blue, but I prefer Southwest...whenever I'm on a Jet Blue flight, I'm very uneasy, like I'm waiting for the plane to fall apart around me at any moment!

 

[marDgreen88]

Great first update! I can't believe you exercised on your day before Disney day! Lately, I can't do anything except obsess about going to Disney and wonder why I leave all my packing to the last minute!

Glad you got some sleep, I usually try to have a Disney movie on while I'm trying to sleep, but I end up getting sucked in, so that doesn't really work out too well!

I like Jet Blue, but I prefer Southwest...whenever I'm on a Jet Blue flight, I'm very uneasy, like I'm waiting for the plane to fall apart around me at any moment!

Thank you! Yeah, I mean it was a little weird for sure! I guess I figured I wouldn't be doing any other exercise (besides walking THOUSANDS OF MILES) until I got back... haha I felt like a crazy person though.

I was glad I got a little sleep too! When I woke up I actually couldn't believe that I had fallen asleep on it because it's my favorite!

Aww, hahaha you think the plane will fall apart? That's funny. I've never flown Southwest before but I've heard good things.

 

[amandaw]

Joining in for all the fun!

Can't wait to hear about y'alls adventures!

 

[marDgreen88]

The One Where I Cry Behind My Sunglasses. A Lot.

December 14, 2011

My flight was originally scheduled to land at 12:34, but we ended up landing at 12:20! It wasn’t a huge difference, but any extra time in Florida is okay by me!

AS SOON AS I got off the plane, it was like, HELLO FLORIDA SMELL, I really enjoy you.

I dug around in my bag until I found my Magical Express packet and looked it over really quickly. I headed to the SCHMONORAIL (listen, that’s what I call that thing), and then started making my way in what I THOUGHT was the right direction! I was just speed walking through the airport and down the escalators until I was in the right place! And I would have been in the right place, if the right place was, well, wrong. I whipped out my packet again and realized that Magical Express was on the first floor on the B-side of the airport. I was on the A-side. Oh, cool!

I made a little detour into a bathroom that was nearby, and it was DISGUSTING. There was water ALL over the floor and most of the toilets were just stuffed with toilet paper. My rolling suitcase and I survived, so we went back UP the escalators, all the way across the airport, and down the OTHER escalators, until I saw this beautiful sight.

There was no mistaking that I was in the right place now!

And guess what? The line was EMPTY! There were literally no other customers around. It was a beautiful thing.

There were three attendants just waiting for someone to help, so when I approached, they started ‘fighting’ over which one of them would help me. It was so cute. I was in such a ‘I-just-got-to-Florida-so-I’m-acting-like-a-five-year-old-not-that-that-isn’t-normal’ mood, and to add to that, one of the attendant guys gave me a Donald Duck sticker! I was SO excited about that, like more excited than anyone should ever be about a sticker, ESPECIALLY because Donald is my favorite member of the Fab Five!

Next thing I knew, there was another attendant waving me out towards the bus! It was just me and a guy, who was also by himself, waiting for the bus.

The bus driver took our bags and told us to get on, and the guy graciously allowed me to go first! (So I graciously did. OBVIOUSLY.)

It all happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to take a picture of our bus! It was a Disney Water Parks Bus! I thought it was cool, but there was a regular bus sitting next to ours, so I just took a picture of it instead…

…from my seat, in the front on the right! AKA, the best seat on the bus, right behind the big front window!

They were playing all this wonderful Magic Kingdom music including “Grim Grinning Ghosts,” “A Pirate’s Life for Me”, and a Splash Mountain medley!
I was basically on Cloud 9 , and I just started tearing up. I was wearing my sunglasses, so I guess I didn’t look like a TOTAL freak to everyone else getting on the bus (even though I probably actually did).

After what felt like 73 years, everyone was on the bus and we were heading out of MCO!

Yeah, so remember when I said that I was supposed to arrive in Orlando first? Well, after Amanda, Kristen, and Ryan decided to drive straight on instead of spending the night in Tennessee, Sally decided to switch to earlier flights. So I went from arriving first to arriving last.

I got a call from Amanda who said they were going to wait for me in the lobby, and we would all go eat lunch when I got there!

Soon our bus driver (named FERNANDO) started the BEAUTIFUL creation that is the ‘Let the Memories Begin’ movie that they show on the bus. This time I teared up BIG time behind my sunglasses. When I was growing up and dreaming of going to Disney, I always secretly hoped I would get a surprise trip. Obviously I never did, but watching those kids get surprised ALWAYS makes me cry. It’s just the sweetest thing.

After that gloriousness, they showed the movie where all the characters check into the Grand Floridian, followed by a Donald Duck cartoon where he fights with a lawn chair. OH THE SHENANIGANS DONALD GETS HIMSELF INTO! That’s why he’s my favorite. (I had a sticker to prove it, yall.)

AND THEN IT HAPPENED: The Magical Arch came into view! *Cue angels singing the Hallelujah chorus. *

At that moment, I was expecting to hear whoops, cheers, finger whistles... you know, the norm. Only… NOBODY DID ANYTHING.

I’m completely serious, unfortunately. Like, I’m sitting there in my seat bouncing around in excitement like someone who overdosed on caffeine and
EVERYONE IS SILENT. As we got closer and closer and closer, I kept getting more and more excited. As we went under the arch, I said, “WOOHOO!” I immediately started laughing because me saying “WOOHOO!” only expressed about .3% of my excitement.

Adding to the weirdness was the fact that FERNANDO was silent as well! Isn’t the bus driver supposed to make this huge announcement or something? Isn’t the entire bus supposed to erupt in applause and start hugging each other?
Yeah, no. The only noise heard on that bus was “WOOHOO!” I have a video of this moment if none of you believe me. I wouldn’t have believed it if someone told me this! Even the little kids sitting behind me who had been talking excitedly the entire bus ride were silent! I mean, all of these people had been in airports and on airplanes for who knows how long and they don’t even act excited when we get to the destination?! Did I miss the memo and get on a bus to Universal? (shudder ) I JUST DIDN’T UNDERSTAND!

Let’s move on.

…

Despite all of this, I was just happy as a clam. You probably could have told me that the resort I was staying at had just caught on fire and I was now forced to sleep in a tent, and I would have still cried tears of joy (which I did, obviously).

Knowing we were on property made me so happy that I was BURSTING. I had been bursting for quite some time, but actually seeing those Magical Purple Road Signs in person just made my brain explode (in a good way).

Oh, you mean I still haven’t told you what resort I was headed to?

Well, to give you an idea, we first made a stop at Coronado Springs…

…before we finally made it to the All Star Resorts!

Now, I’ve been to Disney three times now.
On the first trip, my family stayed in a family suite at All Star Music.
On the second trip, my group stayed at All Star Movies.
This trip?

We stayed at All Star Sports.

We originally were going to try for All Star Music, even though I was hoping to stay at Pop Century because it’s a value that isn’t sports themed and I’ve never stayed there.

Well, when we booked, the only value available was All Star Sports. I was actually excited though, because one of my goals is to eventually stay at every Disney resort, so I got to check another one off my list! I find it hilarious that my whole Disney resort experience has taken place on one little stretch of Buena Vista Drive.

Anyways, so now you know! (“Cause it’s Mike’s Super Short Show!” Sigh… old school Disney Channel. OMG, anyone remember ZOOG DISNEY? Omg I hated it. Now I miss it. OKAY THEN.)

FINALLY we pulled into All Star Sports!

For future reference, I’m probably going to refer to it as Sports, just because the other abbreviation would probably be rejected by the DIS moderators.

I was the first person off the bus, and I immediately saw Jenelle standing on the red carpet to greet me! It was so nice to see her for the first time in a year! We arranged to have my bag sent to the room, and went into the lobby and said hello to everyone else!

I WAS SO EXCITED AT THIS POINT. I mean, SO excited. Jenelle and I were standing at the front desk getting my park tickets put on my Key to the World Card, and I was literally jumping up and down. I couldn’t even contain it!

Soon enough, we were heading to the parking lot and piling into Jenelle’s car!
Believe me, when I say pile, I mean it. I mean, there were six of us and it was a little car. Luckily our lunch destination wasn't very far away at all!

Where were we going, you ask?

McDonald’s.

…

I’m serious, yall. When I first heard that the first meal I’d be eating on Disney property was McDonalds, I thought it was a joke. Well, it wasn’t. Jenelle thought it would be nice because we could use her discount there, so of course we agreed! She was sweet to let us use it, and now I can say that I’ve been there! So there's that...

The inside was actually really cool! I got the chicken mcnuggets meal and I couldn’t even finish half of them. I didn't take pictures at this meal because duh, it was McDonald's. I think we all had the same idea because I don't think any of us finished our food. We just wanted to get some quick food and GO!

We were all so excited because after lunch we were heading to our first park of the trip!

Continued in Next Update
​

​

 

[marDgreen88]

Joining in for all the fun!

Can't wait to hear about y'alls adventures!

Aw thank you so much for being here! I just posted a new update!

 

[amandaw]

I always tear up anytime I see videos or commercials of kids getting surprised with Disney trips. I would love to surprise my DS (he's 3) with a trip one day. But, I know I love to talk about Disney way too much for me to ever pull off a surprise trip. Him & I literally talk about Disney every day.

And that was great that you were able to get right onto a bus! Disney magic right from the start!

Can't wait to hear about what park y'all went to 1st. I'm going to guess MK!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I love having a rental car when we go to WDW for so many reasons but there is a small part of me that yearns to experience the ride to Disney on the Magical Express.

 

[shan23877]

Joining in! Sounds like you guys are going to be a good time

 

[Eira]

I can't believe there wasn't more excitement on the bus! Maybe everyone was just in awe and gobsmacked!
oh, and I think next time I go to Disney I will be wearing sunglasses. Such a good idea. I mean, I already spend too much time watching those surprise videos on youtube while bawling my eyes out with happiness for them.
Hahaha! McDonalds! Don't worry, I travel alot with my work and I used to get mad when people would go to Mcdonalds instead of trying the local food, but now I embrace it. I found out that Mcdonalds around the world serve different things and that makes it sorta cool. Especially if it is just one meal. And in your case it was a quick meal and discounted, awesome!!! I love discounts!

 

[arbolita]

I won't even tell you how many times I've gone the wrong way to DME in the airport. It's almost it's own tradition by now.

I am so jealous of your front row bus seat! When we arrive it's usually pretty crowded, so I've never been up that close to get a good picture of the WDW sign. And I am the EXACT same way when it comes to the videos of kids getting surprised with Disney trips. I still hope that one day my DH will surprise me with one, but I don't think he could keep it a secret, he'd get too excited haha. And boy! Those people on your bus MUST have been tired, because how does anyone not start to squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee all over the place when you arrive in Disney World??

I want to stay in all of the hotels at some point too, but we haven't been able to afford any of the deluxes yet. One day...

Is that the McDonalds that has some menu items that aren't on the typical McD's menu? I think I remember hearing there is one near WDW like that.

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

I've never been on an ME bus (I know...so deprived!), but I imagined excitement, hilarity, and over-the-top euphoria erupting when the arch came into view. Well, at least you held up your end!

And I love how you're naming your chapters like Friends episodes...just the BEST. SHOW. EVER.

 

[Nermel9]

I need to go on the ME bus someday. I don't know how I'd survive without a rental car though, which is why I've never been on it. I feel like I need to see those movies, though, they sound adorable! I can't believe no one was excited to see the Disney arch!! What was wrong with those people? I always start screaming and clapping like a 6 year old, sometimes I even ask my DH to pull over! Ahhh, I love the purple signs! I hate going back to reality and seeing green signs.

When we stayed at ASMu, we lived at that McDonald's, it's nice having it right there on the way to the parks!