Tinker Bell's Treasured Trip Report

Not sure my report will be nearly as entertaining as Gae’s but here it goes!

I left at about 4 am to get to the airport. Going thru security they had me strip down to my tank top and jeans, I was careful about what I packed in my carry-on so I had no trouble getting through. I just felt a little self-conscious stripping in front of a bunch of strangers....”whatever it takes to keep everyone safe” I thought to myself. While I waited to board I was eavesdropping on a conversation some business travelers were having, they were saying that luggage often goes missing in Washington, “great!” I thought. Since I was going to use Magical Express I figured I’d make sure my suitcase made it, if not, then fill out the paperwork right away, I had no ME tags on my luggage and that worried me a little too.

Thankfully the weather cooperated and I had no delays taking off at 6am. I got to Washington Dulles on time, my layover was close to three hours so I got myself a sausage and biscuit thingy from Burger King and sat down in a quiet corner to eat, as soon as I sat down, Stacy called to see what I was up to. She then informed me that Gae would be showing up later than expected, sometime around 4pm. Tried to get a hold of Jake but his phone was off. I knew he was going through Chicago and the news bulletin I was watching mentioned a lot of cancelled or delayed flights, oh no!!! Word of advice, get flight numbers from all members of your party, even the ones who are supposed to show up before you! All I knew is that he was supposed to land in Orlando at 10h30am from Chicago. I was cracking up, the Canadian was going to get there first!

Got off the phone with Stacy had my biscuit thingy and went for a walk, got a Starbucks bucket of coffee, (next time I will ask for a medium) sat back down and people watched until it was time to board. A family decked in matching head to toe WDW clothing sat next to me, I had to say “are you going to WDW by any chance?” she then replied, “why is everyone asking us that today?” hmmm, I wonder.

Got my aisle seat and got comfy on the plane, figured I’d try to get a quick nap in, I had been up since 2am and wouldn’t be sleeping until very late that night. I plugged myself on the iPod and whenever I was close to dozing off, the guy behind me would move my seat so I only snoozed a bit here and there. When we started our descent I got real nervous, it only got worse from that point...big fear of the unexpected hit me. I got off the plane and sat down and fanned myself, I have never been this nervous in my life. Calmed down a little and walked towards the shuttle that takes you to the other terminal, sat down again, I was freaking out! Finally pulled myself together and made my way to the baggage carousel, it made it! My suitcase was right there waiting for me, I was relieved.

Got to the Magical Express counter and turns out I was the first one of our group to check-in, they had a hard time finding our reservation but the nice lady at the counter made some calls and tracked it down. I was then able to calm down, nobody was there, I had no reason to be nervous! By this time it was close to 2 pm, I had two hours before Gae was supposed to show and still no idea where Jake was. I sat around for a while, made some calls, let Lindsay know that I was in and when the others were supposed to arrive, then went for a walk on the arrivals floor and checked the board, I noticed a flight from Chicago with a scheduled arrival of 10h30 showing an arrival at 3h40. I thought that could have been his flight. Got some water and went back to the ME counter, got a seat facing where people get off the elevator and sure enough, a tall guy in a hat came out a little while later. I waved, by then I wasn’t so nervous anymore so everything went well. We got acquainted, Stacy called and got to say hello to Jake, shortly after that, Gae called to say she had arrived, once everyone checked in, we got on the bus to the resort. WIPPEE! We made it and we are on our way.

Next chapter - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

Deb called to get the scoop while we were on the bus, she got to talk to all three of us to get everyone’s reactions. I am always happy to see palm trees since we don’t have any up here, to me it is usually means that I have “arrived”.

Once we got to the All Star Music we checked-in, met up with Lindsay and Christina and met the lovely Felicia who was celebrating her 34th birthday. Her first words to me were “does he belong to you?” as she pointed to Jake. I wasn’t sure why she was asking so I just looked at her, puzzled. Felicia was on a mission; she was to get pictures of herself receiving a kiss from 34 random men. She had a list that looked like Santa’s naughty and nice list, sealed envelopes with numbers from 1 to 34 inside. So Jake picked an envelope and got number 1, I think, that meant he had to sign on line number one on her list, he gave her the kiss for the photo and signed her card too. She was a blast! I hope everything works out for her, she was a sweet lady.

Got our room cards, dropped off our stuff, had a quick bite at the food court and made our way to the TTC. I love the Monolair! I mean the Monorail. I was in a daze, couldn’t believe I was actually there. Actually, I am not sure I remember clearly what we did that night, once on Main Street, Gae went to look for her brother, Christina and Lindsay were going to film and take pictures of all the Christmas decorations so we were to meet up around 10 at the Buzz ride.

Jake and I walked right by Jungle Cruise thinking it was closed, it wasn’t......oh well. Hit the Tiki Room first, we were maybe 10 people total in there. After that checked out Pirates, it was strange to see Jack in there, the AAs themselves are awesome but it will take some getting used to. Rode Big Thunder Mountain then met up with Lindsay, got soaked on Splash Mountain, I got over my fear and actually enjoyed the ride this time. The drop used to freak me out. Made our way to the HM and got to hear Jake’s Shaggy impression for the first time, what I think is funny is how many seconds it takes for people to realize what they heard and laugh, you can literally count 1....2....3 (got to hear it a few times).

After that I am not sure if it was time to meet up with Christina in Tomorrowland or if we rode Peter Pan first. We saw a little bit of the fireworks as we walked over to Tomorrowland. We ended up riding Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Stitch’s Great Escape, Phillarmagic and the TTA in no particular order. Might have repeated rides too. I may come back and edit as I remember things or as I read Gae’s report, we met up with her and her brother on Main Street later on. It’s amazing how quickly the hours go by, next thing you know it’s snowing on Main Street and it’s time to go! It was my first time at this time of the year, it was nice to see all the decorations but the music threw me off, walking over to the HM with Jingle Bells playing over the loudspeakers was just weird!

I guess we were not very good party guests, didn't have hot cocoa, didn't have cookies, didn't watch any of the shows or parades, just hit as many rides as possible!

So far so Good- I feel like I was there. Wait- I was! lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnwhtNdwrfs

So far so Good- I feel like I was there. Wait- I was! lol

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Rub it in!

This Felicia person sounds very suspect.....hee hee

Yep...I'm actually there with you guys.... I think i heard Jingle Bells playing.. Oh wait, it's on the radio....heeeheeee... Great report VP.... Keep it comin

Nice warm day, temps in the low 80s, nice and comfortable at night and no rain!

This was the only morning we all got to the park together, we headed straight for Soarin’ to ride and get a FP, I was excited since I had never been on it before. I loved it, very relaxing and fun ride (mom would love it). Jake pointed out the area where he lives, that was pretty cool. Next time I’d like to get the front row, see what it’s like without feet dangling above. After that we went on The Land’s boat ride, always interesting to see the stuff they grow. Got a call from Lara, they were headed our way. When we went back to Soarin’ we saw them in line, chit chatted for a few and went on to ride. Like Gae mentioned, we got the same exact seats the second time around. I think after that we went over to the old Living Seas which is now a Nemo ride, Jake was very sad to hear the movie was gone as well as the Hydrolators, I was sad about those and about all the fishies being gone. Hope they found a nice new home. The Nemo queue is very cute, the ride is too, kids will love it. It’s just too bad that all the educational stuff is gone.

I think this is when we split up since it was getting close to lunchtime and we had PS at Marrakesh. So on our way to WS we stopped at Journey into Imagination since we were walking by. We were all disappointed, it’s just not the same anymore. Bring back the old ride!!! We took an ugly picture and sent it to Stacy, it didn’t seem that ugly at the time (not posting that one, sorry!). Then on to Canada, I had to go pose in front of the totem pole, Gae wanted a pic with a native.

Went straight to Restaurant Marrakesh where we had a great lunch. I really enjoyed the appetizer (Seafood Bastilla) and the dessert (Moroccan Symphony), I had the chicken couscous as an entree, it was good but I can cook the same at home. I think everyone enjoyed what they ordered, it was entertaining to watch the belly dancer as well as Jake conversing in Arabic with all the waiters. I did speak a little French with one of them. After that, we went to watch Impressions de France, wasn’t as I remembered it, I still enjoyed the music very much. Too bad I was full from lunch or else I would have stopped by Boulangerie Patisserie, my usual pit stop for a chocolate eclair and a Napoleon. From there we caught the end of Matsuriza. (Just dawned on me how much I didn’t get to on this trip, I usually love to check out the shops in Japan, in all the countries actually). Met up with Gae’s brother in front of the American Adventure, caught a bit of the The Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps and noticed that we were had just missed the show and decided to come back to it later (we didn’t make it back and I am sorry I didn’t get to see it this trip).

Strolled over to Norway and rode Maelstrom, made sure to stay for the movie so Jake could see his ballerinas. I don’t think he melted this time, have to double check that. After that, had fun taking pictures of Gae in a Viking hat in the Norway shops, again, too full from lunch so didn’t get to have my cloudberry horn from Kringla Bakeri. All things I have to do on my next trip.

Off to Mexico! checked out the shops, I really love the Mexican pavillion. Gae’s brother had to leave so the three of us rode El Rio del Tiempo, (aka Mexican IASW) still one of my favorite rides. We got the front row seats and put our feet up, it was comfy (picture to follow). Got some Margaritas on the way out, I really wanted something with rum but they had none. I still think that frozen Coke with rum in it would be awesome. Got ice cream headaches from drinking the Margarita too quickly.

Went over to Test Track but the lines were long so we got a FP without checking for the return time which was smack during our dinner PS, we should have given those away, found mine in my pocket today while doing laundry....oh well. On our way to Spaceship Earth we decided to go check out Wonders of Life since it was open. Cranium Command was about to start but westill had to finish our drinks first so we watched The Making of Me which I had never seen (got all teary eyed at the birth part). Then made it to Cranium Command, I forgot how much I love that show! Maybe it was the Margarita but I laughed my head off. I think we headed to Spaceship Earth after taking pictures of funny signs around WoL. I noticed that the ceiling makes the place look like a giant padded room. Fitting for us crazy peeps.

Rode SSE and played roulette, we all lost. Gae said it wouldn’t stop at all, I said it would stop at the very top, the starry sky part and Jake picked one of the scenes from the beginning, it stopped as soon as we got on, then again at the end where the starry tunnel part begins. It was getting close to dinnertime so we headed over to China and met up with Lindsay and Christina to have the famous Nine Dragons General Tso Chicken and the Honey Sesame Chicken which both rocked. Started with the Tri-Star Appetizer, which was delicious and had some ice cream for dessert, I stuck with chocolate but tried Jake’s red bean ice cream, which I will definitely order next time. We all got a lesson on how to use chopsticks and Gae was most entertaining, as usual.

We had some time before Illuminations so went to ride Test Track, the other girls didn’t want to ride so soon after dinner so they went to find a spot for Illuminations. We got in the single rider line since the stand-by line was still pretty long. We got on pretty quickly, that was so much fun! It feels like you go a lot faster at night. After that we went on the diet version of Mission:Space which was a walk-on, I wanted to see what it was all about. I was both the Navigator and the Pilot, Jake was Commander (he seemed really excited about that) “It’s Lieutenant Dan!” and another dude was the Engineer. It was fun pressing all the buttons and the chicken version was still fun to ride. We tried to find the others in the crowd but to no avail, found ourselves a good spot and watched Illuminations. It was better than I remembered, they added a special Holiday finale which literally blew me away. Jake was having fun pretending to blow out the torch in front of us. After that we found the others and went shopping at Mouse Gears, I had to say goodbye to my favorite twinkling lights in the pavement, I think Gae got a picture of those. I love Future World at night, wish I could live there. After we closed down Mouse Gears we made our way back to the resort and completely forgot about the breakfast we had planned the next morning.

Next chapter: Magic Kingdom!

Another beautiful day, nice and warm like the day before and still no rain!

Got woken up by Stitch at 7am and since I need coffee to think in the morning I completely forgot that we had breakfast booked at Whispering Canyon at 7am, remembered around 7h30, checked my phone and it was charging and off. Later found out Gae tried calling a few times to remind us. Glad the others went ahead without us and had a good time. Went down to the food court and got my usual, coffee and a banana, breakfast of champions. Jake pretty much had something different every morning. Took the bus over to the TTC and rode the monorail to MK, I love the monorail. To me it’s part of the experience. Jake likes to have conversations with the monorail spiel. He is very entertaining.

Got to MK and headed towards Adventureland, first stop: The Swiss Family Treehouse, I think they need a plummer the running water was all spilling out at the top and none of it was getting to the kitchen sink. Then it was Jungle Cruise, showed Jake how to make the Tarantula in the cage move. We had a fun skipper (I forget his name, was it DJ?) he had a few new jokes. Triple Ape was my favorite. Rode Pirates again, this time we got to see the treasure room a little better, last ride we zoomed by so quickly we barely got to see it. Went to Tom Sawyer Island since I had never seen it, it was fun exploring all the caves and running across the barrel bridge. Took some pictures of Jake doing pull ups off the bar at the end of the rope bridge and had some laughs in the escape tunnel. Went up to the fort and I had fun sniping the people on BTMRR “keep those hands in or else!” ah, good times.

Called the others and found out they were waiting at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for their FP to kick in. We decided to race them and see who would get on first. We won! Some rides had little or no lines, you didn’t need a FP for most. That was a fun ride, got to ride it at night and during the day. Stopped for drinks in Frontierland, I wanted to buy Tinker Bell tins of cookies but they don’t ship any food products, I thought I would go back but quickly forgot about those. It’s okay, got my nieces cute necklaces instead. Headed to Haunted Mansion, I think this was the time the CM scared me, he was really good, kept staring at me. After the stretching room goes dark and the lights come back on, there he was, standing right in front of me, that was great! From there we went to Fantasyland and checked out Phillarmagic and decided to go back to Columbia House for lunch. I had the Anchors Aweigh Sandwich and the chocolate cake for dessert, it was good but I don’t think I’d order that again. I didn’t feel like having anything fried that day.

After lunch we wanted to check out the Hall of Presidents but the others weren’t in the mood for a nap so we split up. I tried to watch but I kept dozing off, it was dark, it was comfy, it was right after lunch....got myself a coffee at Sleepy Hollow (how appropriate!) after HoP, should have had the coffee first. Shopped a bit at my store (Tinker Bell’s Treasure) made sure to check out the keyhole in the dresser this time. I think this is when we rode Peter Pan’s Flight and Snow White. From there we went to Toontown to ride the Barnstormer it was hilarious! Tall people take note, not a good idea. I had forgotten how short this ride was, still fun though. My head was hurting at this point so we took the train back to Main Street to go look for some pain relievers. Walked over to the first aid station between Crystal Palace and Casey’s corner. The nice lady gave me some nice pills and I felt better already. Jake suggested a nice Dole Whip to help my headache, that was a fabulous idea. Had one of those and after that I am not sure what we ended up doing. I think we went over to Tomorrowland to ride the TTA, while on the ride Lara called to see what we were up to. We were going to see her later that night. As we were coming out of the dark tunnel Jake decided to trick me and put his hand in front of my face, I freaked out, “I can’t see!” I thought to myself and I think I held my breath for a moment. Then noticed the outline of fingers and realized what was going on. It was pretty funny. Got me good. Went over to Space Mountain and I got to ride in the front, it was awesome! I love Space Mountain. Had fun on Buzz Lightyear, I’m not very good at zapping stuff but I like spinning around. I can’t both drive and shoot so Jake drove. If you had wings!

We slowly made our way back to Main Street after speaking to Gae. Talked to Mandy too, she was waiting for us. Said hello to Mandy, she and Gae were taking pictures of the Flag Retreat which had just started, I went inside the confectionary for a bit, just wanted to see what I was going to pick up later (never made it back there either). Once I got out I looked around to see where everyone was. I stayed on the curb, I was watching Jake watching the ceremony, I had my own little moment, I was just so proud of him, proud of what he’s doing for his country, it was a special moment, I stood there smiling to myself. When it was over I joined them and we went in to have dinner.

Next Chapter: Dinner at Tony’s with Mandy and Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom.

Great trip report CC, i wanna go back.....

I would like to go back also. But I need to rest up a little. And win the lottery so I can buy more stuff!

I want to go back - before my AP expires!

Was beginning to wonder if anyone was reading my report, at least I know you guys are! And of course, I am so itching to go back, wish it was that simple.

Great trip report..

It is nice to see everyones trip report from your trip.. Everyone has a different perspective... Keep up the good typing..

I was going to continue tonight but it's almost midnight and I should really get to bed. Stay tuned!

:cookie: Lovin' the trip Report...

Like S said, it is fun to see the same trip through different eyes. :yes:

Thanks for sharing, what a wonderful way to start my day this morning.

--pleased- <--- me waitng patiently for the saga to continue...