Dsnygirl
02-02-2011, 01:19 PM
So, this is the second time I've done this -- left my little family behind in the snow for the warmth of Florida, palm trees, Mickey & some time with my girlfriends. And although there is always a minor feeling of guilt, esp. as I got excited while packing my suitcase & I received those :rolleyes: looks from my girls and/or my DD -- I can honestly say I was more excited before I left than anything else!!
Cast of characters --
Me, Dsnygirl - 43, travelling from Upstate NY
Friend #1 - not putting ages up for anyone else -:) - travelling from Portland, Oregon
Friend #2 - making the huge trip from Celebration...
Friend #3 - again, making a long trip in from Cocoa Beach....
Resort of choice -- All Star Music. Simple, cute, inexpensive and with this now being my second time there for a "girls wknd", home.
Some family members belonging to the "local girls" joined us from time to time, as well... it was so much fun having them along, too!
This is a trip we've been talking about forever... there are a bunch of us who met here on I'cot, and we've become fast friends over the Internet. But we rarely get to see each other, unless our family trips just happen to overlap, so we've thought about trying a "girls trip" many times. Not all of us were able to do the trip this time, so those that were at home were with us in spirit, and chatted with while we were there!!
So, on to the trip....
Day One, Thursday Jan. 27
First, let me say that it is SO easy to jump out of bed when your alarm goes off at 4:30am and you are headed to Disney!! My DH actually chuckled at how fast my feet hit the floor. :D
After a very uneventful flight, I arrived in the warmth and sun of Florida at 10am, right on time. After grabbing a much-needed Starbucks, I headed over to catch ME & let everyone know I'd arrived. My friend flying in from Oregon had already arrived on a red-eye at 7am, and thankfully, her room had been ready -- so she was showered, refreshed, and ready to go!
My room wasn't ready when I checked in, so we dropped my bags in my friend's room and we were off to see the castle. :cloud9:
Boy, did it feel good to be back -- it was still cool, in the mid 60's, but after coming from the single digits and gray skies, just having the sun and palm trees was enough!! We hit Main St Bakery for chocolate croissants, and then we were off for some rides. We were very leisurely, enjoying the chance to just wander and talk and catch up with each other. We rode PoC, which was pretty much a walk-on, and then BTMRR, which was about a 30 minute wait. Weird! Then it was time for lunch -- sandwiches at Columbia Harbor House and more relaxing and chatting... definitely not the way I usually do Disney! From there, we headed to HM... another walk-on... and then we wandered through Fantasyland and headed for Buzz. So fun -- and I actually remembered some of the "special spots" to hit, so did better than I usually do. From there, it was off to Space Mtn.... I hadn't ridden it since the refurb, so I was pretty excited -- and it was great! So much darker -- made the ride actually seem faster, although I don't know if it really is. Made my stomach do some flips, which was a first -- but I just blamed it on having been up so early and still being "off my pins" from the plane ride. :blush: By this point, it was getting dusky out and we were hungry, so we had dinner at Cosmic Rays and then headed back outside as the Main St. Electrical Parade was starting. Our friends from Celebration were on their way to meet us, so we ducked into the Ice Cream Parlour to watch and wait... I've never seen the EP, and it was GREAT!! I was a huge fan of Spectro, so was a bit leary, not knowing what I'd think... but it is terrific, and I am SO hoping it will still be going when my family and I are back in August.
Our friends arrived and there were hugs and smiles and catching up as we headed to watch the new "castle show" before Wishes. Again, I wasn't sure what I was going to think of it, as the whole concept sounded a bit hokey to me.... but I should know better -- Disney doesn't do anything half way, this show included. It was terrific -- I was really impressed, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Wishes, of course, is Wishes and was wonderful... it always makes me teary, and this time was no exception. I did wish my family was there with me at that moment, but then I always do... Wishes was the first fireworks show we saw with our girls on our first trip with them, and I can't help but remember it every time we're watching. Sappy, yes -- but that's me.
At this point, it was time for some shopping -- so we hit Main St and Uptown Jewelers, intending to then go the Emporium. Instead, we spent almost an hour just at Uptown and by that point, were seriously ready for some sleep. I still had to get my things from my friend's room and get unpacked, so we said goodnight to our friends, and headed back to the resort.
I'd like to say I unpacked quickly and headed off to sleep, but no... it was my typical 'first night away', and I was still awake at 1am. Thank goodness for Disney adrenaline the next morning....
Day Two, Friday Jan 28
Boy, did hearing Stitch at 7:30am hurt a bit... but I could also hear my coffee pot percolating (I brought one with me, fully stocked w/ Starbucks...) and I was up and about pretty quickly.
We were off to DHS by 9:00, but that still wasn't enough time to score early FP's for TSM. But that was okay... we weren't headed to Epcot until much later in the day, so we just tucked our FP's for 2:50 (!!) away and went off to try Animation Studio. I've never done it before, and I loved it!! How fun, getting to draw your own character... and boy do all the guidelines they show you help. We did Sorcerer Mickey, and mine came out pretty well, if I do say so myself! I can't wait to bring my DH and the girls... and probably more than once... they will love it, too. We then shopped -- that store there is dangerous -- and then we headed for TGMR. No matter how many times we've ridden this, I still love it... although I have to say, I wish Disney would do a bit of a better job picking the CM's for this ride. We haven't had a decent one in any of our past few trips -- thankfully, we enjoy it enough that it's easy to get past and just enjoy the ride itself!
From there, it was time for me to tackle a great fear I have had... riding RnRc again. :hide2: I rode it back in '06 when we first brought our girls, and I loved it -- until the car stopped at the end. I was suddenly SO nauseaous and light headed and dizzy... I felt terrible for a good 15 minutes, and my DH and I just wandered the gift shop until I felt better enough to go outside and join our girls and my MiL, who were waiting nearby. I had gotten a pretty bad head cold almost upon arrival that trip, and I blamed it for how I felt -- but regardless, it kept me from being brave enough to try the ride again any of our subsequent trips. :blush:
So -- the result?? I love, love, LOVED it!! My friend was so sweet, kept telling me I didn't really have to ride, that she'd do single-rider if necessary.... but I was determined to get this monkey off my back, esp. since my 9 year old started riding it when she was 8 and it's her very favorite ride, bar none!! I'll admit, I was pretty wobbly-legged before we got on.... but when it ended, I couldn't believe it -- I actually asked my friend, "Is that IT??" She just laughed... and I was so relieved that I loved it. Phew!!
From there, we headed to ToT... which wasn't her favorite ride, but she ended up enjoying it more than she remembered, so we both helped each other enjoy a ride again this trip. :thumbsup:
After our rides, we went to BLE for lunch.... my absolute favorite place for a CS at DHS, as I love LOVE their veggie ciabatta sandwich. Yumm!! Then it was time for some shopping, and a Friendship Boat over to Epcot. We actually got off at the BC so my friend (who is a lucky DVC member...) could check out a few things.... we then made our way up into Epcot, caught Off Kilter, who I REALLY enjoy, and headed for Mexico, where our local friends were meeting us at La Hacienda for dinner. It was delicious and fun and relaxing, and we stayed for quite awhile, just catching up and enjoying each other's company.
We wandered Epcot for awhile after dinner, caught Illuminations (which is my FAVORITE, and one of our friends held my phone and videoed it for me so I now have it here at home, too...) and we then headed to Boulangerie in France for some desserts. Sigh.... SO good, as always...
From there, it was time to walk off some of those calories, and luckily, it was EMH at Epcot, so we had plenty to choose from. We went and rode Test Track, then we were off to Soarin' and SE... just love the late hours there!
Unfortunately, 12am came too soon and it was time to head back to the resort -- but tonight, our two local girlfriends were joining us at the resort, and we all piled into one room by 1am for some bahama mamas & snacks & chatter. We stayed up until 3am, just laughing and having such fun catching up... I don't think I've ever been up so late at Disney. We said goodnight and decided we'd all TRY to be up by 10:30, and we'd go from there. YAWN!!!
Cast of characters --
Me, Dsnygirl - 43, travelling from Upstate NY
Friend #1 - not putting ages up for anyone else -:) - travelling from Portland, Oregon
Friend #2 - making the huge trip from Celebration...
Friend #3 - again, making a long trip in from Cocoa Beach....
Resort of choice -- All Star Music. Simple, cute, inexpensive and with this now being my second time there for a "girls wknd", home.
Some family members belonging to the "local girls" joined us from time to time, as well... it was so much fun having them along, too!
This is a trip we've been talking about forever... there are a bunch of us who met here on I'cot, and we've become fast friends over the Internet. But we rarely get to see each other, unless our family trips just happen to overlap, so we've thought about trying a "girls trip" many times. Not all of us were able to do the trip this time, so those that were at home were with us in spirit, and chatted with while we were there!!
So, on to the trip....
Day One, Thursday Jan. 27
First, let me say that it is SO easy to jump out of bed when your alarm goes off at 4:30am and you are headed to Disney!! My DH actually chuckled at how fast my feet hit the floor. :D
After a very uneventful flight, I arrived in the warmth and sun of Florida at 10am, right on time. After grabbing a much-needed Starbucks, I headed over to catch ME & let everyone know I'd arrived. My friend flying in from Oregon had already arrived on a red-eye at 7am, and thankfully, her room had been ready -- so she was showered, refreshed, and ready to go!
My room wasn't ready when I checked in, so we dropped my bags in my friend's room and we were off to see the castle. :cloud9:
Boy, did it feel good to be back -- it was still cool, in the mid 60's, but after coming from the single digits and gray skies, just having the sun and palm trees was enough!! We hit Main St Bakery for chocolate croissants, and then we were off for some rides. We were very leisurely, enjoying the chance to just wander and talk and catch up with each other. We rode PoC, which was pretty much a walk-on, and then BTMRR, which was about a 30 minute wait. Weird! Then it was time for lunch -- sandwiches at Columbia Harbor House and more relaxing and chatting... definitely not the way I usually do Disney! From there, we headed to HM... another walk-on... and then we wandered through Fantasyland and headed for Buzz. So fun -- and I actually remembered some of the "special spots" to hit, so did better than I usually do. From there, it was off to Space Mtn.... I hadn't ridden it since the refurb, so I was pretty excited -- and it was great! So much darker -- made the ride actually seem faster, although I don't know if it really is. Made my stomach do some flips, which was a first -- but I just blamed it on having been up so early and still being "off my pins" from the plane ride. :blush: By this point, it was getting dusky out and we were hungry, so we had dinner at Cosmic Rays and then headed back outside as the Main St. Electrical Parade was starting. Our friends from Celebration were on their way to meet us, so we ducked into the Ice Cream Parlour to watch and wait... I've never seen the EP, and it was GREAT!! I was a huge fan of Spectro, so was a bit leary, not knowing what I'd think... but it is terrific, and I am SO hoping it will still be going when my family and I are back in August.
Our friends arrived and there were hugs and smiles and catching up as we headed to watch the new "castle show" before Wishes. Again, I wasn't sure what I was going to think of it, as the whole concept sounded a bit hokey to me.... but I should know better -- Disney doesn't do anything half way, this show included. It was terrific -- I was really impressed, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Wishes, of course, is Wishes and was wonderful... it always makes me teary, and this time was no exception. I did wish my family was there with me at that moment, but then I always do... Wishes was the first fireworks show we saw with our girls on our first trip with them, and I can't help but remember it every time we're watching. Sappy, yes -- but that's me.
At this point, it was time for some shopping -- so we hit Main St and Uptown Jewelers, intending to then go the Emporium. Instead, we spent almost an hour just at Uptown and by that point, were seriously ready for some sleep. I still had to get my things from my friend's room and get unpacked, so we said goodnight to our friends, and headed back to the resort.
I'd like to say I unpacked quickly and headed off to sleep, but no... it was my typical 'first night away', and I was still awake at 1am. Thank goodness for Disney adrenaline the next morning....
Day Two, Friday Jan 28
Boy, did hearing Stitch at 7:30am hurt a bit... but I could also hear my coffee pot percolating (I brought one with me, fully stocked w/ Starbucks...) and I was up and about pretty quickly.
We were off to DHS by 9:00, but that still wasn't enough time to score early FP's for TSM. But that was okay... we weren't headed to Epcot until much later in the day, so we just tucked our FP's for 2:50 (!!) away and went off to try Animation Studio. I've never done it before, and I loved it!! How fun, getting to draw your own character... and boy do all the guidelines they show you help. We did Sorcerer Mickey, and mine came out pretty well, if I do say so myself! I can't wait to bring my DH and the girls... and probably more than once... they will love it, too. We then shopped -- that store there is dangerous -- and then we headed for TGMR. No matter how many times we've ridden this, I still love it... although I have to say, I wish Disney would do a bit of a better job picking the CM's for this ride. We haven't had a decent one in any of our past few trips -- thankfully, we enjoy it enough that it's easy to get past and just enjoy the ride itself!
From there, it was time for me to tackle a great fear I have had... riding RnRc again. :hide2: I rode it back in '06 when we first brought our girls, and I loved it -- until the car stopped at the end. I was suddenly SO nauseaous and light headed and dizzy... I felt terrible for a good 15 minutes, and my DH and I just wandered the gift shop until I felt better enough to go outside and join our girls and my MiL, who were waiting nearby. I had gotten a pretty bad head cold almost upon arrival that trip, and I blamed it for how I felt -- but regardless, it kept me from being brave enough to try the ride again any of our subsequent trips. :blush:
So -- the result?? I love, love, LOVED it!! My friend was so sweet, kept telling me I didn't really have to ride, that she'd do single-rider if necessary.... but I was determined to get this monkey off my back, esp. since my 9 year old started riding it when she was 8 and it's her very favorite ride, bar none!! I'll admit, I was pretty wobbly-legged before we got on.... but when it ended, I couldn't believe it -- I actually asked my friend, "Is that IT??" She just laughed... and I was so relieved that I loved it. Phew!!
From there, we headed to ToT... which wasn't her favorite ride, but she ended up enjoying it more than she remembered, so we both helped each other enjoy a ride again this trip. :thumbsup:
After our rides, we went to BLE for lunch.... my absolute favorite place for a CS at DHS, as I love LOVE their veggie ciabatta sandwich. Yumm!! Then it was time for some shopping, and a Friendship Boat over to Epcot. We actually got off at the BC so my friend (who is a lucky DVC member...) could check out a few things.... we then made our way up into Epcot, caught Off Kilter, who I REALLY enjoy, and headed for Mexico, where our local friends were meeting us at La Hacienda for dinner. It was delicious and fun and relaxing, and we stayed for quite awhile, just catching up and enjoying each other's company.
We wandered Epcot for awhile after dinner, caught Illuminations (which is my FAVORITE, and one of our friends held my phone and videoed it for me so I now have it here at home, too...) and we then headed to Boulangerie in France for some desserts. Sigh.... SO good, as always...
From there, it was time to walk off some of those calories, and luckily, it was EMH at Epcot, so we had plenty to choose from. We went and rode Test Track, then we were off to Soarin' and SE... just love the late hours there!
Unfortunately, 12am came too soon and it was time to head back to the resort -- but tonight, our two local girlfriends were joining us at the resort, and we all piled into one room by 1am for some bahama mamas & snacks & chatter. We stayed up until 3am, just laughing and having such fun catching up... I don't think I've ever been up so late at Disney. We said goodnight and decided we'd all TRY to be up by 10:30, and we'd go from there. YAWN!!!